May 23, 2023 • 59 mins
On today’s episode, star of stage and screen Garret Dillahunt talks about the whirlwind of creativity on the set of Deadwood, the third director on the set of No Country for Old Men, and never being too proud to take a paycheck.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, and I did some I did some soaps. I
got this recurring on a soap and cash my little checks,
and I would just look at the stack of cash
in my cupboard, you know, I put it up. I
just opened the door and look at it, like, look.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
At that, Look at that cash.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
There must be a thousand dollars there.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
You know.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's just like right, so stupid, but so wonderful, you know.
And just the fact that I kept going kind of
always shocks me. I was so dumb, I didn't know
to quit.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Hi.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I'm Garrett Dillant, and I was a little stoned for
this entire interview.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
Hi everybody, it's Brian Baumgartner here, the host of your
absolute favorite podcast, I'm sure of it, Off the Beat.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Is well from his own self introduction a second ago,
you could probably already tell this is a fun one.
You are in for a real treat with today's guest,
Garrett Dilla Hunt. Now, I am not high, but we
do have a lot of other stuff in common. We
both started in the theater, we both knew Rain Wilson
(01:24):
as a stage actor. We both guest starred on Criminal Minds,
and we both appeared in a music video together where
we did a choreographed dance. This is all true, and honestly,
all of it was pretty good, so you should go
check it out. Garrett does, however, have a number of
other credits that well that I do not. He is
(01:46):
in one of my all time favorite movies Academy Award
winner No Country for Old Men, and one of my
favorite television shows, dead Wood, not to mention the fact
that he was in Fear of the Walking Dead dead
to me, Dawn of the Dead, The Dead Don't Hurt.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yes, we're sending a theme here, Okay, Well, here we go.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
There are some not dead titles to Raising Hope, The
Mindy Project, Hand of God, and a brand new series
called Ghosts of Beirut, which I am very excited about. Now,
Garrett is going to regale us with tales from his
college days in Seattle, his theater days in New York,
(02:29):
and his current days in Hollywood. Sit back and enjoy
this conversation with the fantastic Garrett Dilla Hunt.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Bubble and Squeak. I love it, Bubble and Squeakano, Bubble
and Squeak. I could get every mon lift over from
the ninety four.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
What's up, carrot? Hey man, how are you? I'm good.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
It's been a long long time.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
It's been a long time. Now do you remember the
last time we saw each other?
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Was it that music video?
Speaker 5 (03:23):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (03:23):
The music video? Okay, no, I don't think so. Actually,
so this came to me. I think you were in it.
If you weren't in it, disregard, but hand of God.
Yeah I was in Hand of God.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Of course you were.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah, that's right, but well, thank you. That's really what
I was.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
We didn't have any scenes together.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Well now, wait a second, so maybe now, maybe you
weren't in it. And if you weren't, then that because
I was trying to think, I was like, we had
to have been together at some point, but I was
all with Ron. But then there was a weird sex dream.
Were you in the sex dream? And it was God,
(04:12):
you weren't in the set? You weren't in the sex dream? Well,
because I was so distracted, because it was one of
these things where I was, this is going off the
rails already, But because I was like, and I tried
to search to find out if you were there, because
I was it was in the show with Ron the
whole time. Except this one weird sex dream and I
(04:35):
was meeting everyone else kind of for the first time,
and it was like in between Dana Delaney's legs and
it was me and not Ron, and we were and
I was just trying to stay very focused.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Its good? Was it always that way? Why is it
always the first day?
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Nice to you, Hi, Dana? How are you?
Speaker 4 (04:58):
It's so this is I apologize for what's about to
happen here for the next four hours.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I apologize that was not me.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
I would definitely remember.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
That you weren't in it, Okay, well that was the
thing is it was a screaming rewatch. No, I know,
we hand of God everyone Ron Perlman, Yes, I loved
that show. It was it was it was gone too
soon as far as I'm concerned.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
You fit right in. I I remember because I saw
the episodes. We didn't have any scenes.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
I think we had no No, we had together all right,
Well here you go failed. Yes, there was a music
video though. That was that was Ingrid Michaelson.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Ingrid Michaelson. Who's so talented, isn't.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
She so talented?
Speaker 4 (05:43):
And what's funny actually is that I ended up in
bed in a weird pajama silk thing in that too.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
With with the.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
On something here, pedal pedals all over me.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
That's another one. Ingrid Michael music video good to see
You again. I in going back and doing a little
dive into you. I didn't realize how many similarities we have.
We'll talk about that in a minute. But you grew
up in Washington, I know, born in California. What were
(06:19):
your earliest influences? What were you watching as a kid.
What were some of your your favorite shows?
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I really loved Alias Smith and Jones.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Okay, that one.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
It was a Western with Hannibal Hayes and Kid Curry,
the two most successful outlaws the West has ever known.
Out of all the trains and banks they robbed, they
never shot anyone. I know, right.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
I loved like six Million Dollar Man and Incredible Hulk,
Bill Dixby and Luke Can the Wolf Boy. Do you
remember any of these?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I don't, none of you.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Yeah, this is these are unexpected hits like yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Well now rewart taste, I think, Yeah, when did.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
You When did you first begin thinking about yourself as
a as a performer or an actor? I mean, I
know you went to UWU studied journalism. Were you interested
in the arts prior?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Well, you know, like a lot of us, pretty shy,
you know, particularly in those days, you know, really shy.
And I never never would have thought i'd be an actor.
I couldn't conceive of getting up in front of people
and doing anything. But I wanted to be a writer,
you know, so that was artistic. And I like to draw,
but my pursuits were more solitary, I think, originally interesting,
(07:41):
but yeah, and I didn't This is always the weird
part of these interviews. When I was a senior in
high school, my older brother was killed in a drunk
driving accident, which totally threw me for a loop and
sent me into college in a very you know, fucked up,
you know, as you can imagine. And everybody has tragedy
(08:03):
of one sort or another, but I was. I was
really lost and drifting and I didn't know. I did
journalism because that's what the plan was, because I was
a star on the school newspaper in high school and thought, well,
this is what I'll do. And I really stumbled into
an acting class. Basically it was a I thought I
should write some plays, So what's that about? And everyone
(08:23):
had said you should take an acting class so you
know what you're writing for, and which was a terrifying prospect.
But I just thought I'd take this one class and
get out. And that was my last year of college
at you dubbed there, and I just loved it. I
just was like, oh, I'm sure it was therapeutic, you know,
I was. I could not I could be someone else,
(08:45):
someone else tell me really smart things to say that
I never could have thought of. You know, you have
this idea about yourself it's sort of worthless or whatever.
It was just I just I just dove in. I did.
I was doing so many things at want because I
just I just want to I just want to be
somebody else. Then I just loved it. I finally found
(09:06):
something I could do. I felt like, and uh and
and give me a scape. But it established some habits.
I'm still kind of doing that. I still kind of
go from one thing to another and maybe should be
a little pick here, you know, but I don't know. So, yeah,
that that was my first inklings.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
Well that I mean that that one. That's surprising to
me that it was, that it was so late. I mean,
I certainly share with you and and it's it's even
hard for my mom to understand that that that that
attention isn't something that I want or ever really wanted that,
(09:45):
you know, for me, it's when you begin to transform
into that character or.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
I don't know's I know you feel you feel cheesy
talking about it, but it's true.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Yeah, but but for you for it to have happened
so late is very surprising. Did you then begin taking
other classes? I know eventually you landed in the mattress
program at NYU. Was that immediately after school or how
did that come about?
Speaker 6 (10:18):
No?
Speaker 1 (10:18):
I kind of got out of school and thought like, oh,
now what and I just kind of acted around Seattle
for a year and then and then I thought, you know,
I was doing tons of plays whatever I could do,
and sleeping and stairwells. He didn't care. You didn't care
when you're young, you know what I mean? Yeah, I
could sleep anyway, you know, But I just got I
(10:43):
don't know what I'm doing. I need some training, And
so me and a bunch of other people there were
these things called the leagues. Back then, it was a
certain it was just a collection of schools like Yale
and Juilliard and n Y U and a lot of
others that kind of comprised this supposed superior actor training.
But there was tons of schools across the country, and
(11:03):
they held auditions in three places at that time. Now
it's everywhere, or you can probably zoom it in, but
you had to get to Chicago, New York, or San
Francisco to audition, and there'd be a ton of schools there.
I was a security guard at a bank, like the
night shift at a bank, which would keep me free
to audition or do stuff.
Speaker 6 (11:22):
During the day.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
And that's where I honed all my monologues from my audition,
powder blue security guard uniform in an empty conference room, right,
practicing as a monologue. What a dork, but what what
flun Anyway, carpooled some tiny dots in with a bunch
of friends of mine who were also auditioning down to
San Francisco and slept in somebody's hallway. And I didn't
(11:48):
have any money for the application fees, which seemed exorbitant
at the time, you know, seventy five bucks or something
just to apply, you know, and it was you know,
it limited your choices. So I just had to crash.
I just had to crash. Everybody. I just went up
to the desk and this is my name. I don't
have the money for the fee. Do you have an
(12:10):
empty slot? You know? And a lot of them let
you in. You know. Julliard did not Yale.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
I wasn't playing by the rules, you know, So I understand.
But YU did and act and UC San Diego. There's
a place called the Denver Center, real good places. And
Rain Wilson had left UDUB just before I did to
go to n YU, so that was maybe in my
brain a little bit too. He was a kind of
(12:42):
wonder kind at the undergrad program there got all the
juicy parts.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Did you know him?
Speaker 1 (12:49):
And then you know him? I knew him a little bit.
I mean I knew from around we were. My roommate
was another great guy named Matt Ross, who was mainly
directing now he does. But those two were great and
got cast and everything, and I was, like I said,
just starting. So I'd see them at callbacks and stuff
and think, well, they're going to get it. Or I
would always say something stupid or do something really naive
(13:11):
and stupid. So I felt like he liked to me
very much, just like, oh god, you know, but yeah,
he's a he's a good dude, good friend.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
Well, by the way, you always expect that he's he's
not gonna like you very much. I mean that is
sort of par for the course, even after Yeah, it's
just his face, his smug face, the.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Asshole solving the world's problems. Yeah, exactly, smart.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Bad about myself.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Let's start a boozeline, you and me. But anyway, Yeah,
so then I chose en by You just because I'd
never I got into NYU and a couple others, and
I'd never been east of Montana. That was my logic.
I wanted to see the east. I went to NYU,
and thank god I did.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
What did that experience give you?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
I think it was just a safe place to land.
You know, I'd gone from my small town to Seattle
and the size of that city was mind boggling to me,
and it seemed so confusing. And then it went from
there to New York, which you know, I was I
was like John Voyden midnight cowboy there. I just was
so out of place and like dressed like an alien
(14:30):
found you know, human clothing from nineteen seventy nine. It
was just it was, you know, amazing. You know when
there was a group of people waiting for me that
would helped me out, and it was a good experience
for me. I think being very inexperienced helped, you know
what I mean. I wasn't coming in with any real
barriers at the breakthrough or anything like that. But I
(14:50):
don't think it's for everybody, conservatory training, but it was
good for me.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
Were you focused at that time on the business at
all or for you was it just about Was it
about learning the craft?
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (15:05):
I wasn't really aware of the business that much.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Mhm.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Unfortunately, you know, I wish I was. I wish, But
to this day, I'm not great at it, you know
what I mean. But I'm also not afraid of it,
you know, which I think was the more important factor
of that, you know, because it's it's a part of it.
If you're not if you're not going to play a
little bit, then you're just wasting your time. You're just
going to be sad, you know, right. So I was,
(15:32):
I was not. It took a while. I just I
just was going to do plays and that that that
that's all I need.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
So that's that's sort of our first similarity. I mean,
I started and for you know, seven years out of
out of college, for me, I was I was a
theater actor, and that's where I thought my life was.
That's that was all I saw and really wanted to be.
I know, you, it's a great life.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
If you could get just a little better pay, be
a great life.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Right.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
What is it for you about live performance? What do
you like about you say it's a great life.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
It is. I mean, I haven't done it play in
a while, It's been maybe six years or so, neither.
But I feel very fortunate in the things I've gotten
to do on film and TV, Brian. I feel like
an actor, you know, I feel challenged, you know most
of the time, you know, and that's I am aware
that that's that's a huge stroke of luck. And I
(16:29):
feel very fortunate to get to play interesting characters because
a lot, you know, I have a lot of very
talented friends that get stuck playing one thing or repeating
that thing over and over or whatever. I think to
theater trained people, that's we always knew, that's what it was.
We're going to play a bunch of people. And that
was the interesting part to stand in all these different
shoes and learn and culture and grow your empathy. So
(16:55):
I don't want to sound I say all that to
say like I don't. I don't want to come across
as like I'm I fancy myself as some amazing theater guy.
Speaker 6 (17:04):
You know, I.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
It's a mistress. I haven't visited in a while, and
it's I feel guilty about it, but I sure loved it.
When I was exclusively doing that, it gave me. It
gave me everything I'm doing now right, And I think
I loved I loved I loved the work. I love.
I love having time to really get in there with
a bunch of like minded folks and and spend some
(17:28):
weeks figuring out exactly what's going on here, and then
how to tell it the best. I think I really
love that process. And then and then that the fact
that every night is different. You know that the audience
is an actual factor in the way this is gonna
gonna work tonight. You know what I mean? It's different
every every night, just a little bit can knot get
way off course or to a whole new exciting place
(17:51):
that you didn't expect.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Isn't that interesting? Because You're You're exactly right, every night
is different. Yet on the face of it, you're doing
the same thing everything right, and yes, and now you're
exploring a character or a story.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
For as short as a week to you know.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
Three or four months on a film or you know,
years and years. But still every day you're doing something,
you're doing something different. But you're right, it is about
the immediacy and the feedback that you're getting from a
particular audience at a particular time.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
I mean, yeah, it's certainly an important part in the
equation anyway. I know if it's the biggest, but it's big.
It's great to be in places where there's just moments
of inspiration, isn't it? You know what I mean? When
when everybody's present, it's miraculous that anything gets made with
all those egos in one room or so many people
and entities to satisfy, and you still come up, you
(18:53):
come up with the show. You're like, hey, we did it,
we did it. It's miraculous.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
It is.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
When you began transitioning to film and television, was this
an abrupt shift? I heard or you have have been
quoted as saying that you did theater until you got hungry,
literally hungry. And that's when I was scared it auditioning
for film and television?
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Now, is that true?
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Kind of you know? It was. I remember the day
I lived in this great little apartment on seventy first
in Columbus. I mean, the walls built to the side
of the bathtub comprised one you know, it was like
three hundred square foot place. I mean, but I loved
it so much. It was so cheap, and it allowed
me to travel around the country and do theater whatever else.
(20:00):
You know, I didn't have to find a sub letter necessary, right,
but I was. I was hungry that day, and I
was like, the cupboard was kind of bear and I
was like, you know, I'm going to make for dinner tonight.
And I was and I went outside, like where am
I going to get some dinner? And I passed a
classmate of mine, someone who graduated sometime after I did,
and he was just like, man, dude, I saw you
(20:24):
the bentioned doing the New York Times. That was such
a great review or what you know, whatever thing I
had been doing, right, like, you're doing so good. You're
working NonStop, and and in my head I was thinking,
I'm doing good, Oh my god, you know what I mean,
I'm like, oh my god, he's I don't know where
(20:44):
dinner's coming from, and you know what I mean, And
it just it skewed me a little bit. And I
just was like, I deserve I deserve to be paid something,
a livable wage, you know what I mean. I'm not
here and cancer, but you know I'm working hard for you,
and I don't know. It just made me wish i'd
(21:06):
branched out earlier before. There's no reason I couldn't if
no one was saying not to. I just didn't know
how to do it or what I was doing. Yeah,
and I did some I did some soaps. I got
this recurring on a soap and cash my little checks
and I would just look at the stack of cash
in my cupboard, you know, I put it up. I
just opened the door and look at it, like, look
at that, Look at that cash. There must be a
(21:28):
thousand dollars.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
You know.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
It's just like right, so stupid, but so wonderful, you know.
And just the fact that I kept going kind of
always shocks me. I was so dumb. I didn't know
to quit. But I really enjoyed being on a set.
And then Deadwood made me have fun.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Yeah, I want to talk about dead.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
What I first want to ask you just and this
is this is just for my own personal edification. I
feel like character based procedural show NYPD. Early in your career,
you were cast on NYPD Blue, And just want to
ask you, was this a show that you were a
fan of yourself, and just a little bit about your
(22:10):
experience on that show because it was so early for you.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
I think I got my SAG card on that or
that or that was the one job I did where
you didn't have to join yet, you know. That was
my first one, not too far out of school, So
the early nineties. I guess I don't remember a ton
about the experience. I remember because Jimmy Smith's was in
it at that time, and I think Dennis Franz was still.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
There, right, yeah, yeah, he would have been, yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Because I think he was there in this conversation. But
I remember Jimmy Smith's, you know, I was just I
just marveled at how much work they were doing, you know,
I just had my little scene to do. It was
this I think some art dealer who was fencing some
stolen paintings, and I remember his name was Bryce Cooper
Smith and I had a horrible vest but it was
(23:00):
diferent times Brian judgment when you dig that up. But
I just remember him. He's doing this scene, He's learning
the next episode while we're doing that, like he was,
he was his head was spinning, you know, And I
think that was his actual problem with Milch, was that
he didn't get the material in time. So it was
always just breakneck speed. But it was daunting to me,
(23:23):
but also kind of I wanted. I wanted to feel
that challenge.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
In two thousand and four, you just mentioned it one
of my favorite series of all time. Dead would your
role I want to talk about Francis Walcott just terrifying.
But you did play a different character in season one?
So was this just they They just wanted you back,
(23:49):
and they decided that they didn't care that you had
appeared as a different character in season one?
Speaker 6 (23:55):
You know?
Speaker 1 (23:55):
David Rutt writes about that in his book, I wish
I could. I wish I'd thought to queue that up. Well,
but uh yeah, I don't. I don't know why he
did unless they're I don't know. I'll talk as if
it was me in that moment, because I was sad
to leave. I really was enjoying myself on that show.
(24:18):
It still to this day the kind of experience on
set that I try to replicate, and apparently a lot
of my former cast mates do the same thing, which
is stupid. We're just trying to make everything dead with
you know. They because because David comes out before we
shoot anything, comes out of the writer's room and he
(24:39):
sort of sets the scene in the most poetic, beautiful
manner you've ever heard, and it was so motivating to
us all because he just he just reminded us that
this was sort of a spiritual experience and I didn't
expect to get so kind of cheesy an actory today.
It's really not how I usually do things, but it's
(25:00):
like it was wonderful, you know, and it was I
don't think I've ever worked with someone who was so
who was so good at sort of incorporating everyone else
around them, if if that makes sense. He because he's
written this incredible stuff that's in n Iambic Pentamin. It's
blank verse a lot of the time, you know, and
(25:21):
you wouldn't think that someone that could write this brilliantly
would be open to it, but it's it's what informed
everything and he would see you do something, he'd be like, oh, yeah, yeah,
now this time say this, like, if you're going to
do that, which I liked, let's add this dialogue to it,
which would then inspire you know, Joe behind the camera
to change the shot, well, if he's going to do that.
(25:43):
It was just this whirlwind of creativity where everybody was
completely involved, and we'd go when we weren't working, just
to watch. I haven't experienced that before or since.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
Did you feel like the fact that it was set
as a western well affected the work for you? I mean,
I've heard tell that the practical the practical environment was
very difficult for all of you, but it feels like
(26:15):
it was so rife with creativity that that just became
an obstacle to overcome.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
But it was still exciting to be there. Is that
Is that accurate? I think?
Speaker 1 (26:27):
I mean we were at the Melody Ranch in New Hall,
which isn't far from la and it's a set, but
it's built real intelligently, you know, because you're in your trailer,
you get on your costume, and Jennie Bryant was the
costume designer and she does have to work for you anyway,
like you put on I put on a wall cotton
(26:47):
at a completely different posture. You know, I didn't think right.
But then you walk around a corner and you can't
see anything but a western town with some incredibly dedicated
background performers who've invented whole life stories for themselves, and
you know, giving up semesters of law school to be
there for the season.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
It was.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
It was crazy. We had like Deadwood Checke's you know,
from day one, and they gave us so much atmosphere
in life, so it was really easy to click into
the world, I think, and and the fact that it
was so elevated it really pushed us to be on
our game. It's have you Have you had the good
(27:27):
fortune to shoot on film? Like anything, you must say yes.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
But it's been a long time.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
It's been a while. I've had a few experiences with
it and it's I really miss it, and I miss
it because of what it does to It does to
everybody that I mean, you walk on, it's a completely
different atmosphere because everybody's primed, everybody's ready. We have to
be ready, you know, because this is going to roll
and it's going to cost a lot of money. There's
(27:55):
no stopping and backing up and going oh my bad, whoops,
this is back up and we'll do this, you know,
like we've gotten used to digitally. It's made us a
little lazy. But that was the atmosphere every day on Deadwook,
you know, and everybody really wanted to not be the
weak link and to support support everybody else. And I
don't know, it was it was a good time.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
That's so I haven't thought about that in so long though.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
Shooting on film immediately ups the ante and the meetings
for you're exactly right, because there's no farting around because
you were literally just costing money.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
If you're far around, you know your stuff. Yeah, are
you ready to shoot this? You know they've rehearsed it
to death. You know, the stunts are like, you know,
queue it up. It was amazing on Looper. Looper shot
on film, and I'm nervous anyway every time I for
some reason, I can own a television set just fine,
and then I get on a movie set and I'm
(28:58):
just like, oh, never been here before. But I'm with
Emily and you know, Joseph Gordon Levitt and I have
a gun. On Joseph and it's this big scene and
I'm immediately thinking, like, where's everyone so tense? You know,
it's it's because it's on film, You're like everyone's it's
like we're about to start a play, you know, like
(29:18):
time to go, and it's time to be one hundred percent.
And I and I went up. I went completely up,
and I'm looking at down my gun, at Joseph, and
Joseph's acting and then I can see him realize I've
gone up, you know what I mean, So then he's
trying to help. It was so awful then just caught.
Immediately Ryan comes out, you know, like you know, we're good,
(29:41):
and it was so humiliating, but the boy you felt alive,
you know what I mean, You're it's exactly right. You've
got to I don't know.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Yeah, what do you think the legacy of dead Wood is?
Speaker 1 (29:55):
I don't know. I really want to to read David's book.
It's called Life's Work. I think you'll find it really inspiring.
I don't know. I mean, it was a golden era
of television, wasn't it. I mean the Wire and Sopranos,
and I don't know if I know what the legacy
of it would be, you know, but it sure as
(30:15):
a benchmark in my career, and I guess I'm glad
it came so early. You know, it's something that you
wanted to feel again, it was there was beauty in
something that's so articulate, and the audience was not condescended
to you know, and we could they could handle the language,
and you could tell a story that just moving man's
(30:38):
making order out of chaos located in the town of Deadwood.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
It's beautiful, beautiful.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
I mean the office must have been kind of that way, right.
I mean, I've never been on the show that's gone
that long, that maintained excellence for so long. I mean
that last day must have been insane for you guys.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Yes it was. I mean that was ten years.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
That's you know, as I I mean, it's so stupid
to say this, but to me, it does kind of
put it into perspective. It's like high school and college
and then a couple more years, like just in terms
of just the length of time, and also.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
I mean that's the start of my entire career.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
Right and also just as you how you grow as
a person for your life and changes and all of that. Yeah, No,
absolutely is it.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Hard to move on from something like that, like it,
I've never experienced it, so I'm genuinely curious and like,
I struggle when I have a good experience on one thing,
and how will I ever equal that? And what was
the biggest hurdle for you?
Speaker 3 (31:45):
I'm sure Deadwood was was similar? Well, I think that, you.
Speaker 4 (31:49):
Know, the last oh, let's call it five years, right,
so kind of from after the writers strike of two
thousand and seven eight, which was kind of in the
middle early middle of our run. You know, we were
doing essentially thirty episodes a year, so there was you know,
(32:12):
when it was over, it was like trying to re
enter what other life?
Speaker 3 (32:18):
What other life is?
Speaker 4 (32:20):
Just the rhythm of life became so different and obviously,
you know, in a lot of ways, not for the
better because you're like, oh wait, what what how am.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
I filling my time now?
Speaker 4 (32:32):
But yeah, no, just the relationships that we had in
the amount of time that we spent together.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
I mean it's like such a cliche, but.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
That you know, spending way more time with these people
than your family.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
For ten years.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Yes, yeah, you're a company, Yeah, you know, you know,
every little nuance. I mean, it's why it's such a
rich experience watching it.
Speaker 4 (32:52):
Well, and I think Deadwood is very much the same,
which I'm sure is partly in your brain why you're
bringing it up. You're all sort of immersed in that
world which is so specific, with such rich characters and
interactions that because it takes place just like the Office
is a controlled environment, is you know, essentially with all
(33:14):
within this small town and the potential for you to
have interactions with multiple people just by walking in one
storefront or whatever. Right, Yeah, yeah, Mindy Kaling, Yeah, I
mean the Mindy Project.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Oh my god, what a force of nature that woman is. Huh,
what a fortunate I mean, did you have I have
no idea what it must have been like on the office,
and I'm so jealous of that experience, But did you
have any inkling of what was laying and weight laying
in wait inside that mind? You know?
Speaker 3 (33:49):
I think it was all there.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
I mean, look, you saw she was a baby, she wrote,
she wrote, I mean what she was? Was she twenty five?
I don't I mean she wrote the first Dundee's episode
that we did, like the beginning, and I don't know
she wasn't old.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
Let me just I'll spoiler alert.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
She was. She was a wonder kid from the jump.
Speaker 4 (34:10):
Yes, she was just Yes, and she I mean she
ended up over the seven eight years writing some of
the best episodes. I mean, I mean the Dundees, the
injury aka Michael burns his foot on a George Foreman grill,
that was hers, you know it.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
Uh, she's amazing.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
Yes, she's a lot of respect for her. Yeah. Yeah,
I feel like I'm not a lazy person, but oh
my god, when I'm around her, I feel like I'm
standing still, I'm earth bound. And you know, she's just
a whirlwind of creativity. It's it's amazing, It is amazing.
I love her. If you're listening, I love you, and
(34:53):
I wish she returned my calls quicker.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
Oh yeah, well there's that.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
I have to ask one more question about that, because
you you brought it up. It's it's funny because when
I was thinking about Francis Walcott, I was thinking about
your posture and physicality. How important for you is physicality
when you're when you're working on a role or when
(35:19):
you create a role. How important is physicality for you?
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Well, it's I'm trying to think now, if it's most
of the time. It's kind of the way infamy, and
it might be I didn't think it was, but I'm thinking.
I keep thinking, like do I well, I guess that one.
I kind of did that. Even on Deadwood, I wanted
to be shorter as Jack McCall than Keith was. Keith
Caring is about my height, so I was always slouching
(35:46):
down with that. And then I don't know if you
put these limits on yourself. I'm sure you do. We
all do. But I for the longest time thought no
one was going to buy me in a suit. I
don't know why, but I was, no one's gonna buy it.
I'm you know, I'm from a trucker's family and I
work in the orchards, and I kind of I don't
own a suit. You know, no one's gonna buy it.
(36:08):
It's just the dumbest thing. And then Jennie Bryant puts
me in a two sides it's too small, you know,
duster for Wolcott, and I'm just suddenly like I'm I'm
tall and upright. And it was such a big help,
you know. It's such a big help. And I think
sometimes opens the door to everything. Do you feel the
same way, is that where you're staying totally.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
For me, shoes are very important. Yeah, and it makes
me feel bad when I'm doing something.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
Like very small.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
I don't know, I don't even know how to say that,
but like where I'm like, dude, nobody cares about your shoes.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
You know what I mean. When I'm like talking.
Speaker 4 (36:45):
Having caught a conversation with with the with the with
the wardrobe person on the show I was just working on,
I was like, man, I don't want to be that guy,
but it is for me, it is it is important,
it is important.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
It is Yeah. I'm kind of glad to hear you
say that because I only recently have I been able
to like swap out into more comfy shoes if I'm
off camera. But for the longest time, I'm just like
I have to I don't.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Have to have run I know. I know me too.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
Don't get me wrong. I will go through on some
flip flops these days, I mean occasionally off camera.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
Only well they didn't they things changed with those feet.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
Yes they do. I bring this.
Speaker 4 (37:32):
Very small blip on my IMDb page and you have
it as well. To me, the hardest job I have
ever had was on Criminal Minds. Yes, and I saw you. Yeah,
because it's a show that's run that ran for one
hundred years, right and by the way, I mean no
(37:56):
disrespect for all the regulars that are there, but in
my mind, the lead of every episode is the guest star.
And so you are walking in to a show that
is that pre exit that it pre exists, and everybody
(38:16):
knows everybody, and they've been working together for twenty seven
years and now.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
Here here's some pressure and here's.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
Yeah, you're now the lead this week.
Speaker 4 (38:28):
I found it just like mind just it was just
a mind bend for me.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Did you have that too? Ye?
Speaker 1 (38:36):
No, you don't care, No, no, not at all.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
I had.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
I was having a completely different experience though, because I
mean I needed a paycheck at the time, you know, Okay,
And so I walk I walk in there like we're
gonna give you two episodes, and I'm just playing a
guy laying in a bed like I never leave the bed.
He's completely paralyzed. You know, there's a breathing machine for him.
But he's the mastermind manipulating is you know, less less
(39:01):
intelligent brother to do these horrible crimes like okay, all right,
No one will see this. I'm embarrassed maybe or I
think I should be, but I'm I'm like, I just
want to work, you know, I need to work. I
love to work and work off. And I showed up
in one of the regulars. Like she just was simultaneously
so you know, flattering and also just humiliating because she
(39:24):
she just went crazy. She was this massive fan. I
didn't know, you know, she just was like, why are
you doing this show? Why are you here?
Speaker 6 (39:33):
What are you doing?
Speaker 1 (39:34):
Oh my god?
Speaker 6 (39:35):
Like so I was.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
I was simultaneously like super flattered and like really embarrassed,
like because I'm like, I just need to need a paycheck, man,
what do you mean? Why am I?
Speaker 3 (39:46):
Oh that's so funny, that's so good.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
And then I think I'm in and out and you know,
no one will know or something. But that's everyone. Everyone
watches that show. Like everyone you've experienced that, like ten
years at the office. But like, oh, I loved you
on Criminal Minds all the time. Well no, but no,
thank god.
Speaker 4 (40:09):
I get it all the time, man. I mean I
don't know what channel it's on, but it's still playing. Yeah,
because I get it. I get it a couple of
times a month. It is always surprising to me. Yeah, well,
your job was much easier. I found it. I found
it so difficult, and I love it, and I'm always
so when someone comes up and mentions it, I'm I, oh,
(40:30):
you know, it does make me feel good because I
was very self conscious for a long time about it.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
It's just like, I think I was terrible.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
How often does that happen to you too? Is that happened?
Snakrd A bit like when I think I did my worst.
Other people think that was the best thing I've ever
seen you do, or you see it and you're like, oh,
that was actually pretty good.
Speaker 6 (40:50):
I have no taste.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
You're in one of my favorite television shows of all
time and also, no joke, my favorite movies.
Speaker 3 (41:21):
Of all time with the Coen Brothers.
Speaker 4 (41:24):
Talk to me a little bit about that, and also
just the huge success obviously at the Academy Awards No
Country for Old Men.
Speaker 3 (41:33):
Your experience working on that and how it came about.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
It's amazing how long ago that was, and I think
it was after it was after Jesse James and I
only bring it up because Roger Deacon shot both of
those movies. Okay, I went from one to the other
and I got to be there with him for two
movie experiences. So that was fantastic that I was company
with the DP already, but it took a while to
(42:01):
get that gig. I was a big fan of Cormack
McCarthy's stuff. I found him in college and just ate
him up, like a lot of dudes did, I think.
But he was just an amazing writer, and I vowed
I'd be in every Cormtt McCarthy movie ever made. I failed,
but I got an auditioned for that one for Llewellyn
(42:25):
Llewellyn Moss, who eventually was played by Josh Brolin, but
Josh wasn't the original choice. I think this is I'm
not breaking some story here, you know. I think Josh
talks about it. But I think they went to Heath
Ledger first and I had auditioned for him. Heath said no.
Then they had another round of auditions. I auditioned again
(42:46):
for Lluellen Moss. I think they went to Joaquin Phoenix
at some point, and so there's a story out there
that it was more times than it was, but I
think I think three times I auditioned for the boys
for llewell and Moss and I kind of always imagined
that character being kind of longer and lankier and coyote ish.
But look, at some point, you know, you got to
(43:10):
have someone more famous if we want to get this
movie made. And and also I think Josh was so
fucking perfect in it. He was just great. I thought
he was a worthy adversary for Sugar. But I think
they liked me enough to at least see me those times.
I really liked them, even though I was really nervous
every time I went to their offices. And then they
(43:33):
had how about this guy? Would you read this guy?
And auditioned again for a different part. I guess it's
just an audition story that I took ten minutes to tell. Yeah,
I auditioned.
Speaker 3 (43:44):
No, but that's no. But that's interesting. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
And you know, I've gotten a lot of jobs like that,
like we want you in this somewhere, we don't know where,
but we'll be it and not I think back on it,
those are some of my best experiences. So I got
I got Wendell, and then we went to New Mexico
and shot the thing and it was just a lot
(44:07):
of fun. I can't tell you who does what still?
When the two are working with you. They were always together,
at least when they dealt with me, and they'd walk
up sort of kick rocks a little bit and like, well,
what'd you think of that? I was like, I don't know.
That was pretty good, Like, yeah, that's pretty good. Do
you want to go again?
Speaker 3 (44:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (44:24):
Okay, all right, let's go good. And then they'd walk off.
Then we go again. And sometimes I'm in scenes with
Tommy and he's also a director, so he'd be help him.
Like once off camera he goes like this, I'm on horseback,
and so I knew my feet were out too far.
He wanted me to put my toes in. I kind
of had three directors there, but I didn't care. I
liked him. Well, Tommy is the handful. I'm glad he
(44:47):
liked me.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
That's awesome. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (44:50):
I watched it again recently on a plane. I apologized
to the Colen brothers in advance for watching it on
a plane. I feel like they're just and Roger because
every every shot is framed so well, but the movie
holds up incredibly, incredibly well, not edited strangely. On this plane,
(45:10):
I'm glad there wasn't a child sitting next to me.
So in twenty ten you start raising hope. How was
it for you working on a comedy on television? I mean,
how was that did you? Were you nervous about that?
Did you just consider it another job?
Speaker 1 (45:30):
Well? I wanted to do a comedy. Actually, my first
jobs were all comedies I did. At the same time
I was doing Deadwood, I was doing a minute with
Stan Hooper, which was this half hour with Norm McDonald's Yes, okay,
I loved it. And the pilots I got when I
first decided to do pilot seasons, and I got like
(45:51):
three pilots my first time ever out, and I just thought,
why what have I been waiting for it? Look, this
will fund the entire year of theater for me if
I do. So, I didn't feel like anything new to me,
you know, I think I might have lost track about
how many you know, awful people I've been playing or
scary people or whatever, just dramas. And so I said,
(46:16):
I think we just finished Last House on the Left,
and I was like, can we do some comedy please,
you know, let's find a comedy. And you know, it
took some hoop jumping, because by that point you're the
drama guy. Or the murdering drama, and I thought I
didn't I didn't understand that. So I was like, oh,
oh sure, I'm happy to audition, of course. And Martha
was already cast. Martha Plimpton and Lucas Neff were already cast,
(46:39):
and I went and read with them, and yeah, I
think it's actually the most like me of any part
I played.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
Really.
Speaker 1 (46:49):
Yeah, I'm kind of I'm not the brightest bulb, and
I'm just I'm goofy. I like to I love I
love that stuff. I love a goofy childhood. So it is.
Speaker 3 (47:04):
Chloris Leachman.
Speaker 4 (47:05):
As you mentioned, Lucas Neth, Martha Plumpton, you got a
nomination for Critics' Choice Awards.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (47:13):
The story I mean, having having your son adopt the
you know, or you take over as the father of
a serial killer mom who's been put to death. I mean,
this is this sounds like dark stuff on the surface,
but incredibly funny. I find it so interesting that you
think that that character is is most like you.
Speaker 6 (47:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
It was just very comfortable. And Greg had had a
hard time talking to David Milch. You know, we both
were too sort of awkward socially awkward people, and so
the conversation was awful, you know, but I loved him,
you know, and I wanted him to know. And Greg
was different. We just Greg Garcia, I know, you know
who that is, And yeah, he's a We just had
(47:58):
the same sense of humor and we just would riff
on ideas with each other all day. I just loved
working with him, and I wanted to do well for him,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (48:08):
Right?
Speaker 1 (48:08):
And Martha's a fucking gift from God. You know, She's
like a food source in a scene with you, I
loved it.
Speaker 3 (48:16):
You.
Speaker 4 (48:16):
You also, around this time, right after this, you join
a long running historic franchise, Fear of the Walking Dead.
Speaker 3 (48:26):
Did you get scared on set? Or do you just
the zombies come on?
Speaker 1 (48:33):
You know, I mean we're seeing how the sausage is made,
you know what I mean, we see him smoking and
on their cell phones, you know, between takes. It's you know,
it's not it's not super scary for us, but we
want to make it scary obviously.
Speaker 4 (48:45):
Yeah, did you enjoy that world, the zombie world, because
this is the departure for you as well.
Speaker 1 (48:52):
Yeah, I got a I got a whole bunch of
boxes and comic books in there. And you know, I've
always loved sci fi. I love sci fi and Westerns.
I just think he can tell any story without offending anyone.
You know, you can locate any theme and those genres.
So I was a fan of the walking Toed comic books,
you know, and.
Speaker 3 (49:10):
You were you were a comic book.
Speaker 1 (49:12):
Okay, Yeah, They're like storyboards, aren't they. And they taught
me a lot about about framing and you know, expressiveness physically,
you know, because just it's always at the most heightened
moment of every scene they draw in those boxes. But
but yeah, and then there was a moment I was
talking about with Scott Gimble about being Meagan on the
(49:36):
on the on the shows. He was looking at several people,
I think, yeah, and it couldn't work it out. And
it was during the Hand of God and Hand of
God came back and Jeffrey Dean Morgan ended up playing
that part as he probably always would have. But that
started a relationship with me and Scott. And so when
then they were kind of rebooting Fear in the fourth season,
(49:57):
they brought in a bunch of new people and and
he had a role for me. This sort of gunslinging,
click draw artist cowboys.
Speaker 3 (50:07):
So it's still a cowboy.
Speaker 4 (50:08):
It doesn't matter what the genre is, it's still it's
still a cowboy.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
I'm gonna I'm from I'm from Washington State, you know
what I mean. It's not like.
Speaker 4 (50:21):
Not Texas, No Ghosts of Bear Root. I'm very excited.
I'm very excited about this show. Have you seen it yet?
It's about it's coming out folks here in the second
(50:42):
May nineteenth.
Speaker 1 (50:43):
May nineteenth streaming. I think yeah, twenty first on air.
Speaker 3 (50:47):
The story is so interesting.
Speaker 4 (50:49):
Talk to me about playing a real person and how
many of the people who who knew him were.
Speaker 3 (50:56):
You able to communicate with or did you not want.
Speaker 1 (50:58):
To do that? Yeah, that's that's funny that you ask
about that. Have you played have you had to play
characters that are biographical? You've done biographical kind of work.
Speaker 4 (51:07):
I have done biographical but old Yeah, nobody would be around.
Speaker 1 (51:12):
Yes, I mean, my guy's not around either, but certainly
people who knew him were. But I think it's it's
really daunting, especially at least at least the way I
work and the way I get jobs. I don't have
generally months in advance to prepare yes, And I rely
a lot on sort of on set inspiration anyway, you know,
I'm open to that. But when I play someone and
(51:34):
it seems like there's been a ton of them all
of a sudden, you know, I feel a real onus
to represent them well for the sake of the people
that are that are living and knew them, and especially
the ones that talk to me. You know. I did
talk to one person who knew him, and it's you know,
it's been a long time for her since she saw him,
but she remembers those days and I really enjoyed talking
(51:54):
to her, getting to know her a little bit, and
then she helped me get to know this guy who
I do not look like. You know, I don't know
what he sounded like. You know, he was a spy.
There's there's no tape on him, you know, other than
other than a horrifying tape at the end, you know,
So I don't know what he sounded like for sure.
I don't know what his rhythms were, and I'm relying
on the script, so a lot of it feels out
(52:16):
of my hands. I don't know if that's how it
felt for you, But I'm just like I'm doing this
with a full heart. I don't I'm not trying to
insult your guy, but you know, this is this is
what it feels like to me. If this is a
situation and you tell me this is what he's like.
I think it was something like this, and that detective
work is fun, but I'd rather, I think, play someone
(52:37):
that I can create from the boots up.
Speaker 4 (52:40):
Yeah, but that's very interesting. I didn't think about that
when I was reading about this project. The fact that
he was a spy. It was in the CIA, so
there is yeah, there isn't that. There isn't a whole
ton of knowledge. I mean that was his job was
to stay private.
Speaker 1 (52:59):
You didn't have a family, didn't have children, you know,
so we're relying on co workers. Oh, he was always
dressed well, he was special Forces, he was he was
kind of a hammer. He's a blunt instrument. But it's fun.
In fact, Chlorus Leachman said that to me once. I
asked her, how are you still so excited about this?
Because she had stories, man, she had amazing stories, And
she said, I just I just love it. I feel
(53:22):
like a detective come on a set and you go, oh,
that's who she is, and you pick up a little
piece and then another piece. She's ninety, you know, and
she's still excited about it. And I'm struggling with being jaded.
Speaker 6 (53:34):
You know.
Speaker 1 (53:34):
It's like it was so inspiring because that is fun.
It is fun to figure it out, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (53:40):
It is fun?
Speaker 1 (53:41):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (53:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (53:42):
And by the way, she doesn't get any if you're
if you're needing a pick me up at any time,
just get yourself a dose of Chlorus Leachman.
Speaker 3 (53:52):
There's no there's no question about that. Well.
Speaker 4 (53:57):
You also have, by the way, uh, golfing buddy of mine,
Michael Panya and you a million miles away about the
first Latino in space.
Speaker 3 (54:10):
When is that coming out?
Speaker 1 (54:12):
You know, I'm not sure when it's coming out.
Speaker 4 (54:14):
But okay, thanks for the specific, specific answer. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (54:18):
I don't think they know.
Speaker 3 (54:19):
Okay, well, there you go.
Speaker 1 (54:21):
We just did the A dr for it, so I
know they're in their final stages, you know, and are
very excited about it. It's a great director, and I
like Michael a lot. I'm jealous at your is golfing
buddy that must that is a funny round of golf man,
is a that is a lot of laughing.
Speaker 3 (54:37):
It's always it's always fun.
Speaker 4 (54:41):
I well, congratulations and good luck when that comes out.
But uh, Ghost of be Rout. Guys, this is a
four part story. Talk to me a little bit about
I'm sorry, is it immod.
Speaker 1 (54:57):
It's a it's a hard name to say, and I'm
glad I never had to say.
Speaker 3 (55:01):
Okay, yeah, it's well, it's about.
Speaker 1 (55:04):
It's kind of the no country for old men in
terms of.
Speaker 3 (55:06):
Terrorists in the CIA.
Speaker 1 (55:08):
Yeah, yeah, you know, it's about this decade long search
for the in mad Moutinier, the ghost. He had all
these nicknames, but he was just bedeviling the CIA and
Mosad with these hits, and he kind of reinvented terrorism.
It was something we'd never seen before, the suicide bombers,
(55:29):
you know, driving truckloads of bombs. I mean, I was
I was a kid in the early eighties. I mean
I was in high school in the early ladies, and
I remember these stories like another day. It just seemed
there was this new kind of chaos, there was a
new fear, you know, that we're still dealing with today.
And Greg Barker, who's much smarter than I am, who
(55:49):
wrote this script, he's done this thing where it's it's
almost like like there's real journalists interspersed in here giving
interviews about what's going on and introducing it to characters,
and it's it's I think it's pretty well done, and
it's and I know it's very tense. I haven't seen
the whole thing, but it spans forty years almost the
(56:10):
new terrorism.
Speaker 3 (56:12):
Well, a political thriller. No Country for Old Men. Uh take.
Speaker 4 (56:20):
That is the new law. That's you got me with that? No,
I find it. I find it fascinating. Good luck with
that and with everything else. You know, Look, I just
admire your work so much, truly, and I'm half jealous
of the dramas that you've gotten to work on.
Speaker 3 (56:39):
So I mean, you could take that too. You can
take that to the bank.
Speaker 1 (56:43):
That's awful kind of It's it's so nice talking to you, man.
This is a really fun conversation. I really appreciate being here.
Speaker 4 (56:49):
Thank you, Thank you, Garrett Dilla Hunt. Go back watch
his Criminal Minds episode.
Speaker 3 (56:57):
We've got a lot.
Speaker 4 (56:57):
We've got a lot here to go back and check
out find his vest in NYPD Blue. Garrett, thank you
so much, and I hope to see you soon a
music video.
Speaker 1 (57:13):
Sure you time Machine Ingrid Michael's and me and Brian
in the.
Speaker 4 (57:18):
Sheets time Machine, we sang, we dance. I have rose
petals on me, Garrett, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (57:25):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (57:39):
Well, it looks like I've got some homework to do.
Speaker 5 (57:41):
I have.
Speaker 4 (57:42):
I have to go rewatch the music video because that
was that was a fun time, but long ago. I
must find Garrett in that vest on NYPD Blue And
we all need to start watching Ghosts of Beirut streaming
now on Showtime. And you know, I think it might
even be time to watch Deadwood again, because well that's
(58:05):
a great show. Thank you Garrett for well for your
incredible body of work, and also for taking the time
to talk to me. Listeners, you have some homework too.
You need to go interact with our Instagram page, leave
us a review, make sure you come back next week
for another episode.
Speaker 3 (58:23):
Oh and one more thing, this is very important, Okay,
have a great week off.
Speaker 4 (58:37):
The Beat is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner,
alongside our executive producer Lang Lead. Our senior producer is
Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and
Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and
our intern is Sammy Katz. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak,
(58:58):
performed by the one Only creep Rid
Yeah, and I did some I did some soaps. I
got this recurring on a soap and cash my little checks,
and I would just look at the stack of cash
in my cupboard, you know, I put it up. I
just opened the door and look at it, like, look.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
At that, Look at that cash.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
There must be a thousand dollars there.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
You know.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's just like right, so stupid, but so wonderful, you know.
And just the fact that I kept going kind of
always shocks me. I was so dumb, I didn't know
to quit.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Hi.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I'm Garrett Dillant, and I was a little stoned for
this entire interview.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
Hi everybody, it's Brian Baumgartner here, the host of your
absolute favorite podcast, I'm sure of it, Off the Beat.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Is well from his own self introduction a second ago,
you could probably already tell this is a fun one.
You are in for a real treat with today's guest,
Garrett Dilla Hunt. Now, I am not high, but we
do have a lot of other stuff in common. We
both started in the theater, we both knew Rain Wilson
(01:24):
as a stage actor. We both guest starred on Criminal Minds,
and we both appeared in a music video together where
we did a choreographed dance. This is all true, and honestly,
all of it was pretty good, so you should go
check it out. Garrett does, however, have a number of
other credits that well that I do not. He is
(01:46):
in one of my all time favorite movies Academy Award
winner No Country for Old Men, and one of my
favorite television shows, dead Wood, not to mention the fact
that he was in Fear of the Walking Dead dead
to me, Dawn of the Dead, The Dead Don't Hurt.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yes, we're sending a theme here, Okay, Well, here we go.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
There are some not dead titles to Raising Hope, The
Mindy Project, Hand of God, and a brand new series
called Ghosts of Beirut, which I am very excited about. Now,
Garrett is going to regale us with tales from his
college days in Seattle, his theater days in New York,
(02:29):
and his current days in Hollywood. Sit back and enjoy
this conversation with the fantastic Garrett Dilla Hunt.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Bubble and Squeak. I love it, Bubble and Squeakano, Bubble
and Squeak. I could get every mon lift over from
the ninety four.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
What's up, carrot? Hey man, how are you? I'm good.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
It's been a long long time.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
It's been a long time. Now do you remember the
last time we saw each other?
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Was it that music video?
Speaker 5 (03:23):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (03:23):
The music video? Okay, no, I don't think so. Actually,
so this came to me. I think you were in it.
If you weren't in it, disregard, but hand of God.
Yeah I was in Hand of God.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Of course you were.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah, that's right, but well, thank you. That's really what
I was.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
We didn't have any scenes together.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Well now, wait a second, so maybe now, maybe you
weren't in it. And if you weren't, then that because
I was trying to think, I was like, we had
to have been together at some point, but I was
all with Ron. But then there was a weird sex dream.
Were you in the sex dream? And it was God,
(04:12):
you weren't in the set? You weren't in the sex dream? Well,
because I was so distracted, because it was one of
these things where I was, this is going off the
rails already, But because I was like, and I tried
to search to find out if you were there, because
I was it was in the show with Ron the
whole time. Except this one weird sex dream and I
(04:35):
was meeting everyone else kind of for the first time,
and it was like in between Dana Delaney's legs and
it was me and not Ron, and we were and
I was just trying to stay very focused.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Its good? Was it always that way? Why is it
always the first day?
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Nice to you, Hi, Dana? How are you?
Speaker 4 (04:58):
It's so this is I apologize for what's about to
happen here for the next four hours.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I apologize that was not me.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
I would definitely remember.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
That you weren't in it, Okay, well that was the
thing is it was a screaming rewatch. No, I know,
we hand of God everyone Ron Perlman, Yes, I loved
that show. It was it was it was gone too
soon as far as I'm concerned.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
You fit right in. I I remember because I saw
the episodes. We didn't have any scenes.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
I think we had no No, we had together all right,
Well here you go failed. Yes, there was a music
video though. That was that was Ingrid Michaelson.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Ingrid Michaelson. Who's so talented, isn't.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
She so talented?
Speaker 4 (05:43):
And what's funny actually is that I ended up in
bed in a weird pajama silk thing in that too.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
With with the.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
On something here, pedal pedals all over me.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
That's another one. Ingrid Michael music video good to see
You again. I in going back and doing a little
dive into you. I didn't realize how many similarities we have.
We'll talk about that in a minute. But you grew
up in Washington, I know, born in California. What were
(06:19):
your earliest influences? What were you watching as a kid.
What were some of your your favorite shows?
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I really loved Alias Smith and Jones.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Okay, that one.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
It was a Western with Hannibal Hayes and Kid Curry,
the two most successful outlaws the West has ever known.
Out of all the trains and banks they robbed, they
never shot anyone. I know, right.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
I loved like six Million Dollar Man and Incredible Hulk,
Bill Dixby and Luke Can the Wolf Boy. Do you
remember any of these?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I don't, none of you.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Yeah, this is these are unexpected hits like yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Well now rewart taste, I think, Yeah, when did.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
You When did you first begin thinking about yourself as
a as a performer or an actor? I mean, I
know you went to UWU studied journalism. Were you interested
in the arts prior?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Well, you know, like a lot of us, pretty shy,
you know, particularly in those days, you know, really shy.
And I never never would have thought i'd be an actor.
I couldn't conceive of getting up in front of people
and doing anything. But I wanted to be a writer,
you know, so that was artistic. And I like to draw,
but my pursuits were more solitary, I think, originally interesting,
(07:41):
but yeah, and I didn't This is always the weird
part of these interviews. When I was a senior in
high school, my older brother was killed in a drunk
driving accident, which totally threw me for a loop and
sent me into college in a very you know, fucked up,
you know, as you can imagine. And everybody has tragedy
(08:03):
of one sort or another, but I was. I was
really lost and drifting and I didn't know. I did
journalism because that's what the plan was, because I was
a star on the school newspaper in high school and thought, well,
this is what I'll do. And I really stumbled into
an acting class. Basically it was a I thought I
should write some plays, So what's that about? And everyone
(08:23):
had said you should take an acting class so you
know what you're writing for, and which was a terrifying prospect.
But I just thought I'd take this one class and
get out. And that was my last year of college
at you dubbed there, and I just loved it. I
just was like, oh, I'm sure it was therapeutic, you know,
I was. I could not I could be someone else,
(08:45):
someone else tell me really smart things to say that
I never could have thought of. You know, you have
this idea about yourself it's sort of worthless or whatever.
It was just I just I just dove in. I did.
I was doing so many things at want because I
just I just want to I just want to be
somebody else. Then I just loved it. I finally found
(09:06):
something I could do. I felt like, and uh and
and give me a scape. But it established some habits.
I'm still kind of doing that. I still kind of
go from one thing to another and maybe should be
a little pick here, you know, but I don't know. So, yeah,
that that was my first inklings.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
Well that I mean that that one. That's surprising to
me that it was, that it was so late. I mean,
I certainly share with you and and it's it's even
hard for my mom to understand that that that that
attention isn't something that I want or ever really wanted that,
(09:45):
you know, for me, it's when you begin to transform
into that character or.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
I don't know's I know you feel you feel cheesy
talking about it, but it's true.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Yeah, but but for you for it to have happened
so late is very surprising. Did you then begin taking
other classes? I know eventually you landed in the mattress
program at NYU. Was that immediately after school or how
did that come about?
Speaker 6 (10:18):
No?
Speaker 1 (10:18):
I kind of got out of school and thought like, oh,
now what and I just kind of acted around Seattle
for a year and then and then I thought, you know,
I was doing tons of plays whatever I could do,
and sleeping and stairwells. He didn't care. You didn't care
when you're young, you know what I mean? Yeah, I
could sleep anyway, you know, But I just got I
(10:43):
don't know what I'm doing. I need some training, And
so me and a bunch of other people there were
these things called the leagues. Back then, it was a
certain it was just a collection of schools like Yale
and Juilliard and n Y U and a lot of
others that kind of comprised this supposed superior actor training.
But there was tons of schools across the country, and
(11:03):
they held auditions in three places at that time. Now
it's everywhere, or you can probably zoom it in, but
you had to get to Chicago, New York, or San
Francisco to audition, and there'd be a ton of schools there.
I was a security guard at a bank, like the
night shift at a bank, which would keep me free
to audition or do stuff.
Speaker 6 (11:22):
During the day.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
And that's where I honed all my monologues from my audition,
powder blue security guard uniform in an empty conference room, right,
practicing as a monologue. What a dork, but what what
flun Anyway, carpooled some tiny dots in with a bunch
of friends of mine who were also auditioning down to
San Francisco and slept in somebody's hallway. And I didn't
(11:48):
have any money for the application fees, which seemed exorbitant
at the time, you know, seventy five bucks or something
just to apply, you know, and it was you know,
it limited your choices. So I just had to crash.
I just had to crash. Everybody. I just went up
to the desk and this is my name. I don't
have the money for the fee. Do you have an
(12:10):
empty slot? You know? And a lot of them let
you in. You know. Julliard did not Yale.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
I wasn't playing by the rules, you know, So I understand.
But YU did and act and UC San Diego. There's
a place called the Denver Center, real good places. And
Rain Wilson had left UDUB just before I did to
go to n YU, so that was maybe in my
brain a little bit too. He was a kind of
(12:42):
wonder kind at the undergrad program there got all the
juicy parts.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Did you know him?
Speaker 1 (12:49):
And then you know him? I knew him a little bit.
I mean I knew from around we were. My roommate
was another great guy named Matt Ross, who was mainly
directing now he does. But those two were great and
got cast and everything, and I was, like I said,
just starting. So I'd see them at callbacks and stuff
and think, well, they're going to get it. Or I
would always say something stupid or do something really naive
(13:11):
and stupid. So I felt like he liked to me
very much, just like, oh god, you know, but yeah,
he's a he's a good dude, good friend.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
Well, by the way, you always expect that he's he's
not gonna like you very much. I mean that is
sort of par for the course, even after Yeah, it's
just his face, his smug face, the.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Asshole solving the world's problems. Yeah, exactly, smart.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Bad about myself.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Let's start a boozeline, you and me. But anyway, Yeah,
so then I chose en by You just because I'd
never I got into NYU and a couple others, and
I'd never been east of Montana. That was my logic.
I wanted to see the east. I went to NYU,
and thank god I did.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
What did that experience give you?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
I think it was just a safe place to land.
You know, I'd gone from my small town to Seattle
and the size of that city was mind boggling to me,
and it seemed so confusing. And then it went from
there to New York, which you know, I was I
was like John Voyden midnight cowboy there. I just was
so out of place and like dressed like an alien
(14:30):
found you know, human clothing from nineteen seventy nine. It
was just it was, you know, amazing. You know when
there was a group of people waiting for me that
would helped me out, and it was a good experience
for me. I think being very inexperienced helped, you know
what I mean. I wasn't coming in with any real
barriers at the breakthrough or anything like that. But I
(14:50):
don't think it's for everybody, conservatory training, but it was
good for me.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
Were you focused at that time on the business at
all or for you was it just about Was it
about learning the craft?
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (15:05):
I wasn't really aware of the business that much.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Mhm.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Unfortunately, you know, I wish I was. I wish, But
to this day, I'm not great at it, you know
what I mean. But I'm also not afraid of it,
you know, which I think was the more important factor
of that, you know, because it's it's a part of it.
If you're not if you're not going to play a
little bit, then you're just wasting your time. You're just
going to be sad, you know, right. So I was,
(15:32):
I was not. It took a while. I just I
just was going to do plays and that that that
that's all I need.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
So that's that's sort of our first similarity. I mean,
I started and for you know, seven years out of
out of college, for me, I was I was a
theater actor, and that's where I thought my life was.
That's that was all I saw and really wanted to be.
I know, you, it's a great life.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
If you could get just a little better pay, be
a great life.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Right.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
What is it for you about live performance? What do
you like about you say it's a great life.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
It is. I mean, I haven't done it play in
a while, It's been maybe six years or so, neither.
But I feel very fortunate in the things I've gotten
to do on film and TV, Brian. I feel like
an actor, you know, I feel challenged, you know most
of the time, you know, and that's I am aware
that that's that's a huge stroke of luck. And I
(16:29):
feel very fortunate to get to play interesting characters because
a lot, you know, I have a lot of very
talented friends that get stuck playing one thing or repeating
that thing over and over or whatever. I think to
theater trained people, that's we always knew, that's what it was.
We're going to play a bunch of people. And that
was the interesting part to stand in all these different
shoes and learn and culture and grow your empathy. So
(16:55):
I don't want to sound I say all that to
say like I don't. I don't want to come across
as like I'm I fancy myself as some amazing theater guy.
Speaker 6 (17:04):
You know, I.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
It's a mistress. I haven't visited in a while, and
it's I feel guilty about it, but I sure loved it.
When I was exclusively doing that, it gave me. It
gave me everything I'm doing now right, And I think
I loved I loved I loved the work. I love.
I love having time to really get in there with
a bunch of like minded folks and and spend some
(17:28):
weeks figuring out exactly what's going on here, and then
how to tell it the best. I think I really
love that process. And then and then that the fact
that every night is different. You know that the audience
is an actual factor in the way this is gonna
gonna work tonight. You know what I mean? It's different
every every night, just a little bit can knot get
way off course or to a whole new exciting place
(17:51):
that you didn't expect.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Isn't that interesting? Because You're You're exactly right, every night
is different. Yet on the face of it, you're doing
the same thing everything right, and yes, and now you're
exploring a character or a story.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
For as short as a week to you know.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
Three or four months on a film or you know,
years and years. But still every day you're doing something,
you're doing something different. But you're right, it is about
the immediacy and the feedback that you're getting from a
particular audience at a particular time.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
I mean, yeah, it's certainly an important part in the
equation anyway. I know if it's the biggest, but it's big.
It's great to be in places where there's just moments
of inspiration, isn't it? You know what I mean? When
when everybody's present, it's miraculous that anything gets made with
all those egos in one room or so many people
and entities to satisfy, and you still come up, you
(18:53):
come up with the show. You're like, hey, we did it,
we did it. It's miraculous.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
It is.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
When you began transitioning to film and television, was this
an abrupt shift? I heard or you have have been
quoted as saying that you did theater until you got hungry,
literally hungry. And that's when I was scared it auditioning
for film and television?
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Now, is that true?
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Kind of you know? It was. I remember the day
I lived in this great little apartment on seventy first
in Columbus. I mean, the walls built to the side
of the bathtub comprised one you know, it was like
three hundred square foot place. I mean, but I loved
it so much. It was so cheap, and it allowed
me to travel around the country and do theater whatever else.
(20:00):
You know, I didn't have to find a sub letter necessary, right,
but I was. I was hungry that day, and I
was like, the cupboard was kind of bear and I
was like, you know, I'm going to make for dinner tonight.
And I was and I went outside, like where am
I going to get some dinner? And I passed a
classmate of mine, someone who graduated sometime after I did,
and he was just like, man, dude, I saw you
(20:24):
the bentioned doing the New York Times. That was such
a great review or what you know, whatever thing I
had been doing, right, like, you're doing so good. You're
working NonStop, and and in my head I was thinking,
I'm doing good, Oh my god, you know what I mean,
I'm like, oh my god, he's I don't know where
(20:44):
dinner's coming from, and you know what I mean, And
it just it skewed me a little bit. And I
just was like, I deserve I deserve to be paid something,
a livable wage, you know what I mean. I'm not
here and cancer, but you know I'm working hard for you,
and I don't know. It just made me wish i'd
(21:06):
branched out earlier before. There's no reason I couldn't if
no one was saying not to. I just didn't know
how to do it or what I was doing. Yeah,
and I did some I did some soaps. I got
this recurring on a soap and cash my little checks
and I would just look at the stack of cash
in my cupboard, you know, I put it up. I
just opened the door and look at it, like, look
at that, Look at that cash. There must be a
(21:28):
thousand dollars.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
You know.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
It's just like right, so stupid, but so wonderful, you know.
And just the fact that I kept going kind of
always shocks me. I was so dumb. I didn't know
to quit. But I really enjoyed being on a set.
And then Deadwood made me have fun.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Yeah, I want to talk about dead.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
What I first want to ask you just and this
is this is just for my own personal edification. I
feel like character based procedural show NYPD. Early in your career,
you were cast on NYPD Blue, And just want to
ask you, was this a show that you were a
fan of yourself, and just a little bit about your
(22:10):
experience on that show because it was so early for you.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
I think I got my SAG card on that or
that or that was the one job I did where
you didn't have to join yet, you know. That was
my first one, not too far out of school, So
the early nineties. I guess I don't remember a ton
about the experience. I remember because Jimmy Smith's was in
it at that time, and I think Dennis Franz was still.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
There, right, yeah, yeah, he would have been, yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Because I think he was there in this conversation. But
I remember Jimmy Smith's, you know, I was just I
just marveled at how much work they were doing, you know,
I just had my little scene to do. It was
this I think some art dealer who was fencing some
stolen paintings, and I remember his name was Bryce Cooper
Smith and I had a horrible vest but it was
(23:00):
diferent times Brian judgment when you dig that up. But
I just remember him. He's doing this scene, He's learning
the next episode while we're doing that, like he was,
he was his head was spinning, you know, And I
think that was his actual problem with Milch, was that
he didn't get the material in time. So it was
always just breakneck speed. But it was daunting to me,
(23:23):
but also kind of I wanted. I wanted to feel
that challenge.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
In two thousand and four, you just mentioned it one
of my favorite series of all time. Dead would your
role I want to talk about Francis Walcott just terrifying.
But you did play a different character in season one?
So was this just they They just wanted you back,
(23:49):
and they decided that they didn't care that you had
appeared as a different character in season one?
Speaker 6 (23:55):
You know?
Speaker 1 (23:55):
David Rutt writes about that in his book, I wish
I could. I wish I'd thought to queue that up. Well,
but uh yeah, I don't. I don't know why he
did unless they're I don't know. I'll talk as if
it was me in that moment, because I was sad
to leave. I really was enjoying myself on that show.
(24:18):
It still to this day the kind of experience on
set that I try to replicate, and apparently a lot
of my former cast mates do the same thing, which
is stupid. We're just trying to make everything dead with
you know. They because because David comes out before we
shoot anything, comes out of the writer's room and he
(24:39):
sort of sets the scene in the most poetic, beautiful
manner you've ever heard, and it was so motivating to
us all because he just he just reminded us that
this was sort of a spiritual experience and I didn't
expect to get so kind of cheesy an actory today.
It's really not how I usually do things, but it's
(25:00):
like it was wonderful, you know, and it was I
don't think I've ever worked with someone who was so
who was so good at sort of incorporating everyone else
around them, if if that makes sense. He because he's
written this incredible stuff that's in n Iambic Pentamin. It's
blank verse a lot of the time, you know, and
(25:21):
you wouldn't think that someone that could write this brilliantly
would be open to it, but it's it's what informed
everything and he would see you do something, he'd be like, oh, yeah, yeah,
now this time say this, like, if you're going to
do that, which I liked, let's add this dialogue to it,
which would then inspire you know, Joe behind the camera
to change the shot, well, if he's going to do that.
(25:43):
It was just this whirlwind of creativity where everybody was
completely involved, and we'd go when we weren't working, just
to watch. I haven't experienced that before or since.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
Did you feel like the fact that it was set
as a western well affected the work for you? I mean,
I've heard tell that the practical the practical environment was
very difficult for all of you, but it feels like
(26:15):
it was so rife with creativity that that just became
an obstacle to overcome.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
But it was still exciting to be there. Is that
Is that accurate? I think?
Speaker 1 (26:27):
I mean we were at the Melody Ranch in New Hall,
which isn't far from la and it's a set, but
it's built real intelligently, you know, because you're in your trailer,
you get on your costume, and Jennie Bryant was the
costume designer and she does have to work for you anyway,
like you put on I put on a wall cotton
(26:47):
at a completely different posture. You know, I didn't think right.
But then you walk around a corner and you can't
see anything but a western town with some incredibly dedicated
background performers who've invented whole life stories for themselves, and
you know, giving up semesters of law school to be
there for the season.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
It was.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
It was crazy. We had like Deadwood Checke's you know,
from day one, and they gave us so much atmosphere
in life, so it was really easy to click into
the world, I think, and and the fact that it
was so elevated it really pushed us to be on
our game. It's have you Have you had the good
(27:27):
fortune to shoot on film? Like anything, you must say yes.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
But it's been a long time.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
It's been a while. I've had a few experiences with
it and it's I really miss it, and I miss
it because of what it does to It does to
everybody that I mean, you walk on, it's a completely
different atmosphere because everybody's primed, everybody's ready. We have to
be ready, you know, because this is going to roll
and it's going to cost a lot of money. There's
(27:55):
no stopping and backing up and going oh my bad, whoops,
this is back up and we'll do this, you know,
like we've gotten used to digitally. It's made us a
little lazy. But that was the atmosphere every day on Deadwook,
you know, and everybody really wanted to not be the
weak link and to support support everybody else. And I
don't know, it was it was a good time.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
That's so I haven't thought about that in so long though.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
Shooting on film immediately ups the ante and the meetings
for you're exactly right, because there's no farting around because
you were literally just costing money.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
If you're far around, you know your stuff. Yeah, are
you ready to shoot this? You know they've rehearsed it
to death. You know, the stunts are like, you know,
queue it up. It was amazing on Looper. Looper shot
on film, and I'm nervous anyway every time I for
some reason, I can own a television set just fine,
and then I get on a movie set and I'm
(28:58):
just like, oh, never been here before. But I'm with
Emily and you know, Joseph Gordon Levitt and I have
a gun. On Joseph and it's this big scene and
I'm immediately thinking, like, where's everyone so tense? You know,
it's it's because it's on film, You're like everyone's it's
like we're about to start a play, you know, like
(29:18):
time to go, and it's time to be one hundred percent.
And I and I went up. I went completely up,
and I'm looking at down my gun, at Joseph, and
Joseph's acting and then I can see him realize I've
gone up, you know what I mean, So then he's
trying to help. It was so awful then just caught.
Immediately Ryan comes out, you know, like you know, we're good,
(29:41):
and it was so humiliating, but the boy you felt alive,
you know what I mean, You're it's exactly right. You've
got to I don't know.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Yeah, what do you think the legacy of dead Wood is?
Speaker 1 (29:55):
I don't know. I really want to to read David's book.
It's called Life's Work. I think you'll find it really inspiring.
I don't know. I mean, it was a golden era
of television, wasn't it. I mean the Wire and Sopranos,
and I don't know if I know what the legacy
of it would be, you know, but it sure as
(30:15):
a benchmark in my career, and I guess I'm glad
it came so early. You know, it's something that you
wanted to feel again, it was there was beauty in
something that's so articulate, and the audience was not condescended
to you know, and we could they could handle the language,
and you could tell a story that just moving man's
(30:38):
making order out of chaos located in the town of Deadwood.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
It's beautiful, beautiful.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
I mean the office must have been kind of that way, right.
I mean, I've never been on the show that's gone
that long, that maintained excellence for so long. I mean
that last day must have been insane for you guys.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Yes it was. I mean that was ten years.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
That's you know, as I I mean, it's so stupid
to say this, but to me, it does kind of
put it into perspective. It's like high school and college
and then a couple more years, like just in terms
of just the length of time, and also.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
I mean that's the start of my entire career.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
Right and also just as you how you grow as
a person for your life and changes and all of that. Yeah, No,
absolutely is it.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Hard to move on from something like that, like it,
I've never experienced it, so I'm genuinely curious and like,
I struggle when I have a good experience on one thing,
and how will I ever equal that? And what was
the biggest hurdle for you?
Speaker 3 (31:45):
I'm sure Deadwood was was similar? Well, I think that, you.
Speaker 4 (31:49):
Know, the last oh, let's call it five years, right,
so kind of from after the writers strike of two
thousand and seven eight, which was kind of in the
middle early middle of our run. You know, we were
doing essentially thirty episodes a year, so there was you know,
(32:12):
when it was over, it was like trying to re
enter what other life?
Speaker 3 (32:18):
What other life is?
Speaker 4 (32:20):
Just the rhythm of life became so different and obviously,
you know, in a lot of ways, not for the
better because you're like, oh wait, what what how am.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
I filling my time now?
Speaker 4 (32:32):
But yeah, no, just the relationships that we had in
the amount of time that we spent together.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
I mean it's like such a cliche, but.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
That you know, spending way more time with these people
than your family.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
For ten years.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Yes, yeah, you're a company, Yeah, you know, you know,
every little nuance. I mean, it's why it's such a
rich experience watching it.
Speaker 4 (32:52):
Well, and I think Deadwood is very much the same,
which I'm sure is partly in your brain why you're
bringing it up. You're all sort of immersed in that
world which is so specific, with such rich characters and
interactions that because it takes place just like the Office
is a controlled environment, is you know, essentially with all
(33:14):
within this small town and the potential for you to
have interactions with multiple people just by walking in one
storefront or whatever. Right, Yeah, yeah, Mindy Kaling, Yeah, I
mean the Mindy Project.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Oh my god, what a force of nature that woman is. Huh,
what a fortunate I mean, did you have I have
no idea what it must have been like on the office,
and I'm so jealous of that experience, But did you
have any inkling of what was laying and weight laying
in wait inside that mind? You know?
Speaker 3 (33:49):
I think it was all there.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
I mean, look, you saw she was a baby, she wrote,
she wrote, I mean what she was? Was she twenty five?
I don't I mean she wrote the first Dundee's episode
that we did, like the beginning, and I don't know
she wasn't old.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
Let me just I'll spoiler alert.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
She was. She was a wonder kid from the jump.
Speaker 4 (34:10):
Yes, she was just Yes, and she I mean she
ended up over the seven eight years writing some of
the best episodes. I mean, I mean the Dundees, the
injury aka Michael burns his foot on a George Foreman grill,
that was hers, you know it.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
Uh, she's amazing.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
Yes, she's a lot of respect for her. Yeah. Yeah,
I feel like I'm not a lazy person, but oh
my god, when I'm around her, I feel like I'm
standing still, I'm earth bound. And you know, she's just
a whirlwind of creativity. It's it's amazing, It is amazing.
I love her. If you're listening, I love you, and
(34:53):
I wish she returned my calls quicker.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
Oh yeah, well there's that.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
I have to ask one more question about that, because
you you brought it up. It's it's funny because when
I was thinking about Francis Walcott, I was thinking about
your posture and physicality. How important for you is physicality
when you're when you're working on a role or when
(35:19):
you create a role. How important is physicality for you?
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Well, it's I'm trying to think now, if it's most
of the time. It's kind of the way infamy, and
it might be I didn't think it was, but I'm thinking.
I keep thinking, like do I well, I guess that one.
I kind of did that. Even on Deadwood, I wanted
to be shorter as Jack McCall than Keith was. Keith
Caring is about my height, so I was always slouching
(35:46):
down with that. And then I don't know if you
put these limits on yourself. I'm sure you do. We
all do. But I for the longest time thought no
one was going to buy me in a suit. I
don't know why, but I was, no one's gonna buy it.
I'm you know, I'm from a trucker's family and I
work in the orchards, and I kind of I don't
own a suit. You know, no one's gonna buy it.
(36:08):
It's just the dumbest thing. And then Jennie Bryant puts
me in a two sides it's too small, you know,
duster for Wolcott, and I'm just suddenly like I'm I'm
tall and upright. And it was such a big help,
you know. It's such a big help. And I think
sometimes opens the door to everything. Do you feel the
same way, is that where you're staying totally.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
For me, shoes are very important. Yeah, and it makes
me feel bad when I'm doing something.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
Like very small.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
I don't know, I don't even know how to say that,
but like where I'm like, dude, nobody cares about your shoes.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
You know what I mean. When I'm like talking.
Speaker 4 (36:45):
Having caught a conversation with with the with the with
the wardrobe person on the show I was just working on,
I was like, man, I don't want to be that guy,
but it is for me, it is it is important,
it is important.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
It is Yeah. I'm kind of glad to hear you
say that because I only recently have I been able
to like swap out into more comfy shoes if I'm
off camera. But for the longest time, I'm just like
I have to I don't.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Have to have run I know. I know me too.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
Don't get me wrong. I will go through on some
flip flops these days, I mean occasionally off camera.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
Only well they didn't they things changed with those feet.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
Yes they do. I bring this.
Speaker 4 (37:32):
Very small blip on my IMDb page and you have
it as well. To me, the hardest job I have
ever had was on Criminal Minds. Yes, and I saw you. Yeah,
because it's a show that's run that ran for one
hundred years, right and by the way, I mean no
(37:56):
disrespect for all the regulars that are there, but in
my mind, the lead of every episode is the guest star.
And so you are walking in to a show that
is that pre exit that it pre exists, and everybody
(38:16):
knows everybody, and they've been working together for twenty seven
years and now.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
Here here's some pressure and here's.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
Yeah, you're now the lead this week.
Speaker 4 (38:28):
I found it just like mind just it was just
a mind bend for me.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Did you have that too? Ye?
Speaker 1 (38:36):
No, you don't care, No, no, not at all.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
I had.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
I was having a completely different experience though, because I
mean I needed a paycheck at the time, you know, Okay,
And so I walk I walk in there like we're
gonna give you two episodes, and I'm just playing a
guy laying in a bed like I never leave the bed.
He's completely paralyzed. You know, there's a breathing machine for him.
But he's the mastermind manipulating is you know, less less
(39:01):
intelligent brother to do these horrible crimes like okay, all right,
No one will see this. I'm embarrassed maybe or I
think I should be, but I'm I'm like, I just
want to work, you know, I need to work. I
love to work and work off. And I showed up
in one of the regulars. Like she just was simultaneously
so you know, flattering and also just humiliating because she
(39:24):
she just went crazy. She was this massive fan. I
didn't know, you know, she just was like, why are
you doing this show? Why are you here?
Speaker 6 (39:33):
What are you doing?
Speaker 1 (39:34):
Oh my god?
Speaker 6 (39:35):
Like so I was.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
I was simultaneously like super flattered and like really embarrassed,
like because I'm like, I just need to need a paycheck, man,
what do you mean? Why am I?
Speaker 3 (39:46):
Oh that's so funny, that's so good.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
And then I think I'm in and out and you know,
no one will know or something. But that's everyone. Everyone
watches that show. Like everyone you've experienced that, like ten
years at the office. But like, oh, I loved you
on Criminal Minds all the time. Well no, but no,
thank god.
Speaker 4 (40:09):
I get it all the time, man. I mean I
don't know what channel it's on, but it's still playing. Yeah,
because I get it. I get it a couple of
times a month. It is always surprising to me. Yeah, well,
your job was much easier. I found it. I found
it so difficult, and I love it, and I'm always
so when someone comes up and mentions it, I'm I, oh,
(40:30):
you know, it does make me feel good because I
was very self conscious for a long time about it.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
It's just like, I think I was terrible.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
How often does that happen to you too? Is that happened?
Snakrd A bit like when I think I did my worst.
Other people think that was the best thing I've ever
seen you do, or you see it and you're like, oh,
that was actually pretty good.
Speaker 6 (40:50):
I have no taste.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
You're in one of my favorite television shows of all
time and also, no joke, my favorite movies.
Speaker 3 (41:21):
Of all time with the Coen Brothers.
Speaker 4 (41:24):
Talk to me a little bit about that, and also
just the huge success obviously at the Academy Awards No
Country for Old Men.
Speaker 3 (41:33):
Your experience working on that and how it came about.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
It's amazing how long ago that was, and I think
it was after it was after Jesse James and I
only bring it up because Roger Deacon shot both of
those movies. Okay, I went from one to the other
and I got to be there with him for two
movie experiences. So that was fantastic that I was company
with the DP already, but it took a while to
(42:01):
get that gig. I was a big fan of Cormack
McCarthy's stuff. I found him in college and just ate
him up, like a lot of dudes did, I think.
But he was just an amazing writer, and I vowed
I'd be in every Cormtt McCarthy movie ever made. I failed,
but I got an auditioned for that one for Llewellyn
(42:25):
Llewellyn Moss, who eventually was played by Josh Brolin, but
Josh wasn't the original choice. I think this is I'm
not breaking some story here, you know. I think Josh
talks about it. But I think they went to Heath
Ledger first and I had auditioned for him. Heath said no.
Then they had another round of auditions. I auditioned again
(42:46):
for Lluellen Moss. I think they went to Joaquin Phoenix
at some point, and so there's a story out there
that it was more times than it was, but I
think I think three times I auditioned for the boys
for llewell and Moss and I kind of always imagined
that character being kind of longer and lankier and coyote ish.
But look, at some point, you know, you got to
(43:10):
have someone more famous if we want to get this
movie made. And and also I think Josh was so
fucking perfect in it. He was just great. I thought
he was a worthy adversary for Sugar. But I think
they liked me enough to at least see me those times.
I really liked them, even though I was really nervous
every time I went to their offices. And then they
(43:33):
had how about this guy? Would you read this guy?
And auditioned again for a different part. I guess it's
just an audition story that I took ten minutes to tell. Yeah,
I auditioned.
Speaker 3 (43:44):
No, but that's no. But that's interesting. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
And you know, I've gotten a lot of jobs like that,
like we want you in this somewhere, we don't know where,
but we'll be it and not I think back on it,
those are some of my best experiences. So I got
I got Wendell, and then we went to New Mexico
and shot the thing and it was just a lot
(44:07):
of fun. I can't tell you who does what still?
When the two are working with you. They were always together,
at least when they dealt with me, and they'd walk
up sort of kick rocks a little bit and like, well,
what'd you think of that? I was like, I don't know.
That was pretty good, Like, yeah, that's pretty good. Do
you want to go again?
Speaker 3 (44:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (44:24):
Okay, all right, let's go good. And then they'd walk off.
Then we go again. And sometimes I'm in scenes with
Tommy and he's also a director, so he'd be help him.
Like once off camera he goes like this, I'm on horseback,
and so I knew my feet were out too far.
He wanted me to put my toes in. I kind
of had three directors there, but I didn't care. I
liked him. Well, Tommy is the handful. I'm glad he
(44:47):
liked me.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
That's awesome. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (44:50):
I watched it again recently on a plane. I apologized
to the Colen brothers in advance for watching it on
a plane. I feel like they're just and Roger because
every every shot is framed so well, but the movie
holds up incredibly, incredibly well, not edited strangely. On this plane,
(45:10):
I'm glad there wasn't a child sitting next to me.
So in twenty ten you start raising hope. How was
it for you working on a comedy on television? I mean,
how was that did you? Were you nervous about that?
Did you just consider it another job?
Speaker 1 (45:30):
Well? I wanted to do a comedy. Actually, my first
jobs were all comedies I did. At the same time
I was doing Deadwood, I was doing a minute with
Stan Hooper, which was this half hour with Norm McDonald's Yes, okay,
I loved it. And the pilots I got when I
first decided to do pilot seasons, and I got like
(45:51):
three pilots my first time ever out, and I just thought,
why what have I been waiting for it? Look, this
will fund the entire year of theater for me if
I do. So, I didn't feel like anything new to me,
you know, I think I might have lost track about
how many you know, awful people I've been playing or
scary people or whatever, just dramas. And so I said,
(46:16):
I think we just finished Last House on the Left,
and I was like, can we do some comedy please,
you know, let's find a comedy. And you know, it
took some hoop jumping, because by that point you're the
drama guy. Or the murdering drama, and I thought I
didn't I didn't understand that. So I was like, oh,
oh sure, I'm happy to audition, of course. And Martha
was already cast. Martha Plimpton and Lucas Neff were already cast,
(46:39):
and I went and read with them, and yeah, I
think it's actually the most like me of any part
I played.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
Really.
Speaker 1 (46:49):
Yeah, I'm kind of I'm not the brightest bulb, and
I'm just I'm goofy. I like to I love I
love that stuff. I love a goofy childhood. So it is.
Speaker 3 (47:04):
Chloris Leachman.
Speaker 4 (47:05):
As you mentioned, Lucas Neth, Martha Plumpton, you got a
nomination for Critics' Choice Awards.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (47:13):
The story I mean, having having your son adopt the
you know, or you take over as the father of
a serial killer mom who's been put to death. I mean,
this is this sounds like dark stuff on the surface,
but incredibly funny. I find it so interesting that you
think that that character is is most like you.
Speaker 6 (47:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
It was just very comfortable. And Greg had had a
hard time talking to David Milch. You know, we both
were too sort of awkward socially awkward people, and so
the conversation was awful, you know, but I loved him,
you know, and I wanted him to know. And Greg
was different. We just Greg Garcia, I know, you know
who that is, And yeah, he's a We just had
(47:58):
the same sense of humor and we just would riff
on ideas with each other all day. I just loved
working with him, and I wanted to do well for him,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (48:08):
Right?
Speaker 1 (48:08):
And Martha's a fucking gift from God. You know, She's
like a food source in a scene with you, I
loved it.
Speaker 3 (48:16):
You.
Speaker 4 (48:16):
You also, around this time, right after this, you join
a long running historic franchise, Fear of the Walking Dead.
Speaker 3 (48:26):
Did you get scared on set? Or do you just
the zombies come on?
Speaker 1 (48:33):
You know, I mean we're seeing how the sausage is made,
you know what I mean, we see him smoking and
on their cell phones, you know, between takes. It's you know,
it's not it's not super scary for us, but we
want to make it scary obviously.
Speaker 4 (48:45):
Yeah, did you enjoy that world, the zombie world, because
this is the departure for you as well.
Speaker 1 (48:52):
Yeah, I got a I got a whole bunch of
boxes and comic books in there. And you know, I've
always loved sci fi. I love sci fi and Westerns.
I just think he can tell any story without offending anyone.
You know, you can locate any theme and those genres.
So I was a fan of the walking Toed comic books,
you know, and.
Speaker 3 (49:10):
You were you were a comic book.
Speaker 1 (49:12):
Okay, Yeah, They're like storyboards, aren't they. And they taught
me a lot about about framing and you know, expressiveness physically,
you know, because just it's always at the most heightened
moment of every scene they draw in those boxes. But
but yeah, and then there was a moment I was
talking about with Scott Gimble about being Meagan on the
(49:36):
on the on the shows. He was looking at several people,
I think, yeah, and it couldn't work it out. And
it was during the Hand of God and Hand of
God came back and Jeffrey Dean Morgan ended up playing
that part as he probably always would have. But that
started a relationship with me and Scott. And so when
then they were kind of rebooting Fear in the fourth season,
(49:57):
they brought in a bunch of new people and and
he had a role for me. This sort of gunslinging,
click draw artist cowboys.
Speaker 3 (50:07):
So it's still a cowboy.
Speaker 4 (50:08):
It doesn't matter what the genre is, it's still it's
still a cowboy.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
I'm gonna I'm from I'm from Washington State, you know
what I mean. It's not like.
Speaker 4 (50:21):
Not Texas, No Ghosts of Bear Root. I'm very excited.
I'm very excited about this show. Have you seen it yet?
It's about it's coming out folks here in the second
(50:42):
May nineteenth.
Speaker 1 (50:43):
May nineteenth streaming. I think yeah, twenty first on air.
Speaker 3 (50:47):
The story is so interesting.
Speaker 4 (50:49):
Talk to me about playing a real person and how
many of the people who who knew him were.
Speaker 3 (50:56):
You able to communicate with or did you not want.
Speaker 1 (50:58):
To do that? Yeah, that's that's funny that you ask
about that. Have you played have you had to play
characters that are biographical? You've done biographical kind of work.
Speaker 4 (51:07):
I have done biographical but old Yeah, nobody would be around.
Speaker 1 (51:12):
Yes, I mean, my guy's not around either, but certainly
people who knew him were. But I think it's it's
really daunting, especially at least at least the way I
work and the way I get jobs. I don't have
generally months in advance to prepare yes, And I rely
a lot on sort of on set inspiration anyway, you know,
I'm open to that. But when I play someone and
(51:34):
it seems like there's been a ton of them all
of a sudden, you know, I feel a real onus
to represent them well for the sake of the people
that are that are living and knew them, and especially
the ones that talk to me. You know. I did
talk to one person who knew him, and it's you know,
it's been a long time for her since she saw him,
but she remembers those days and I really enjoyed talking
(51:54):
to her, getting to know her a little bit, and
then she helped me get to know this guy who
I do not look like. You know, I don't know
what he sounded like. You know, he was a spy.
There's there's no tape on him, you know, other than
other than a horrifying tape at the end, you know,
So I don't know what he sounded like for sure.
I don't know what his rhythms were, and I'm relying
on the script, so a lot of it feels out
(52:16):
of my hands. I don't know if that's how it
felt for you, But I'm just like I'm doing this
with a full heart. I don't I'm not trying to
insult your guy, but you know, this is this is
what it feels like to me. If this is a
situation and you tell me this is what he's like.
I think it was something like this, and that detective
work is fun, but I'd rather, I think, play someone
(52:37):
that I can create from the boots up.
Speaker 4 (52:40):
Yeah, but that's very interesting. I didn't think about that
when I was reading about this project. The fact that
he was a spy. It was in the CIA, so
there is yeah, there isn't that. There isn't a whole
ton of knowledge. I mean that was his job was
to stay private.
Speaker 1 (52:59):
You didn't have a family, didn't have children, you know,
so we're relying on co workers. Oh, he was always
dressed well, he was special Forces, he was he was
kind of a hammer. He's a blunt instrument. But it's fun.
In fact, Chlorus Leachman said that to me once. I
asked her, how are you still so excited about this?
Because she had stories, man, she had amazing stories, And
she said, I just I just love it. I feel
(53:22):
like a detective come on a set and you go, oh,
that's who she is, and you pick up a little
piece and then another piece. She's ninety, you know, and
she's still excited about it. And I'm struggling with being jaded.
Speaker 6 (53:34):
You know.
Speaker 1 (53:34):
It's like it was so inspiring because that is fun.
It is fun to figure it out, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (53:40):
It is fun?
Speaker 1 (53:41):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (53:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (53:42):
And by the way, she doesn't get any if you're
if you're needing a pick me up at any time,
just get yourself a dose of Chlorus Leachman.
Speaker 3 (53:52):
There's no there's no question about that. Well.
Speaker 4 (53:57):
You also have, by the way, uh, golfing buddy of mine,
Michael Panya and you a million miles away about the
first Latino in space.
Speaker 3 (54:10):
When is that coming out?
Speaker 1 (54:12):
You know, I'm not sure when it's coming out.
Speaker 4 (54:14):
But okay, thanks for the specific, specific answer. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (54:18):
I don't think they know.
Speaker 3 (54:19):
Okay, well, there you go.
Speaker 1 (54:21):
We just did the A dr for it, so I
know they're in their final stages, you know, and are
very excited about it. It's a great director, and I
like Michael a lot. I'm jealous at your is golfing
buddy that must that is a funny round of golf man,
is a that is a lot of laughing.
Speaker 3 (54:37):
It's always it's always fun.
Speaker 4 (54:41):
I well, congratulations and good luck when that comes out.
But uh, Ghost of be Rout. Guys, this is a
four part story. Talk to me a little bit about
I'm sorry, is it immod.
Speaker 1 (54:57):
It's a it's a hard name to say, and I'm
glad I never had to say.
Speaker 3 (55:01):
Okay, yeah, it's well, it's about.
Speaker 1 (55:04):
It's kind of the no country for old men in
terms of.
Speaker 3 (55:06):
Terrorists in the CIA.
Speaker 1 (55:08):
Yeah, yeah, you know, it's about this decade long search
for the in mad Moutinier, the ghost. He had all
these nicknames, but he was just bedeviling the CIA and
Mosad with these hits, and he kind of reinvented terrorism.
It was something we'd never seen before, the suicide bombers,
(55:29):
you know, driving truckloads of bombs. I mean, I was
I was a kid in the early eighties. I mean
I was in high school in the early ladies, and
I remember these stories like another day. It just seemed
there was this new kind of chaos, there was a
new fear, you know, that we're still dealing with today.
And Greg Barker, who's much smarter than I am, who
(55:49):
wrote this script, he's done this thing where it's it's
almost like like there's real journalists interspersed in here giving
interviews about what's going on and introducing it to characters,
and it's it's I think it's pretty well done, and
it's and I know it's very tense. I haven't seen
the whole thing, but it spans forty years almost the
(56:10):
new terrorism.
Speaker 3 (56:12):
Well, a political thriller. No Country for Old Men. Uh take.
Speaker 4 (56:20):
That is the new law. That's you got me with that? No,
I find it. I find it fascinating. Good luck with
that and with everything else. You know, Look, I just
admire your work so much, truly, and I'm half jealous
of the dramas that you've gotten to work on.
Speaker 3 (56:39):
So I mean, you could take that too. You can
take that to the bank.
Speaker 1 (56:43):
That's awful kind of It's it's so nice talking to you, man.
This is a really fun conversation. I really appreciate being here.
Speaker 4 (56:49):
Thank you, Thank you, Garrett Dilla Hunt. Go back watch
his Criminal Minds episode.
Speaker 3 (56:57):
We've got a lot.
Speaker 4 (56:57):
We've got a lot here to go back and check
out find his vest in NYPD Blue. Garrett, thank you
so much, and I hope to see you soon a
music video.
Speaker 1 (57:13):
Sure you time Machine Ingrid Michael's and me and Brian
in the.
Speaker 4 (57:18):
Sheets time Machine, we sang, we dance. I have rose
petals on me, Garrett, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (57:25):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (57:39):
Well, it looks like I've got some homework to do.
Speaker 5 (57:41):
I have.
Speaker 4 (57:42):
I have to go rewatch the music video because that
was that was a fun time, but long ago. I
must find Garrett in that vest on NYPD Blue And
we all need to start watching Ghosts of Beirut streaming
now on Showtime. And you know, I think it might
even be time to watch Deadwood again, because well that's
(58:05):
a great show. Thank you Garrett for well for your
incredible body of work, and also for taking the time
to talk to me. Listeners, you have some homework too.
You need to go interact with our Instagram page, leave
us a review, make sure you come back next week
for another episode.
Speaker 3 (58:23):
Oh and one more thing, this is very important, Okay,
have a great week off.
Speaker 4 (58:37):
The Beat is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner,
alongside our executive producer Lang Lead. Our senior producer is
Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and
Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and
our intern is Sammy Katz. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak,
(58:58):
performed by the one Only creep Rid
Host
Brian Baumgartner
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