From Home Alone to Hollywood Success: Daniel Stern on Living the Dream

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to Studio twenty two.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Thanks for having me on the show, dude.

Speaker 3 (00:09):
It's so awesome have you on. Grew up watching you
and watching your stuff and a big fan dude.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
So just you're my generation, like you guys, I probably
hit you right at the right time. Some of those
silly movies I did.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Yeah, a lot of fun, dude, Oh the best.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Thanks.

Speaker 4 (00:26):
I literally not a Christmas goes by without watching Home
alone with my younger brother.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing? That just still blows
my mind that, like it has this life for so long,
and yeah that I love that you and your brother
get together, because that's what that's the stories I hear
is like my family gets together and we all laugh
together and we all you know, every year we do it,
my grandmother and us. You know, it's it's always something

(00:55):
family oriented and a lot of laughs. And to be
a part of it is just through the blessing of
my life. Amazing.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
So cool man.

Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah, truly, like one of those timeless films, it can
be enjoyed and no matter what year, what time, what, like, it's.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Just Chris John Hughes. John Hughes wrote a brilliant, brilliant script.
You know, it starts there. I mean he he not
only made a movie that had I mean that has
all that heart and Christmas thing to it, but it's
about a kid. You know, the kid can handle himself,
and he's only he's only a little kid. And even

(01:33):
though the parents screw up, I think families loved that.
Like the kids thought, oh, I could handle that, and
then the parents thought, oh, if I ever really mess
up that bed, I think my kid can handle. It
was a very positive family message. And then you put
all the silly stuff that me and Peshi were doing
on top of it. John Hughes just created a little masterpiece,

(01:56):
you know, and and Chris Columbus the director, execute perfectly
and everybody was great in their parts, but it really
started with mister Hughes writing, having that vision.

Speaker 4 (02:06):
Yeah, what was it like working with mister Peshi and
then coming back for a sequel and did you feel
like you just had those characters so nailed down that
coming back for a sequel was just, Oh, this is
gonna be fun.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
The sequel was crazy fun. I knew Joe before me
and him had done a movie that no one's ever
seen called I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can, And
even if you saw it, we were both cut out
of it. We played two guys in a mental institution
and it was a drama, but like, we giggled the

(02:42):
whole time, and he was so freaking funny, and we
just went And so when we got into home alone together,
we already kind of had a way of being fun
and funny with each other. And the script was so silly,
and the vision was going to be that by the
time we got to the sequel, it was ridiculous because

(03:03):
I mean we were just at that point, like in
the first one, we were supposed to be scary at
the beginning, you know, and like and with with Joe,
like you got that, you know, catually keep walking to
a room without like, oh crap, it's you know, but
by the end of the first one you knew we
were idiots. When you started the second one, we were

(03:23):
already we weren't going to fool anybody to be scary.
So it was just stupid from the beginning to the end,
that cartoon kind of thing. And in some ways that
was even more fun than the first one because it
was just balls to the walls stuff to do fun
stuff today.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
Yeah, how much was that time in between shooting the
first one and the second one?

Speaker 2 (03:48):
A year and a half, two years or something, it's
a while, you know. Yeah, it felt like a lot.
I mean, like it it hit, you know, it was
a surprise hit when it came out, so it was
you know, but then they like they chased it right away.
I mean like it was number one movie and then

(04:08):
it was number one movie, you know whatever. I mean
in those days, like it stayed in the movie theater
for a long time. And they so they started to
put it together and got John to write a second
crazy one, and yeah, I guess it wasn't that long.
But and I did City Slickers in between them, so
I was having that. I was on a roll. I

(04:29):
was doing City Slickers when Home Alone came out. That's
when I found out it was a hit. Because Billy, uh,
you know, I never been in a hit movie. I mean,
I've been in good movies, but not like a hit.
And Billy, you know, he's mister show business. So he
had his Hollywood Reporter every week delivered to wherever the
hell we were, and he said, your movie's number one, Like,

(04:52):
and I was like okay, And next week he gets
his Hollywood Report. He says, your movie's number one again.
I said, all right, what does that do for me?
And he says three weeks, four weeks it was like
number one for the whole shoot of City Slickers, and
by the billy was like this is crazy, you know,
and like no, so it was quite Yeah, it wasn't.

(05:17):
It was a little engine that could kind of thing.
You know. It was sweet.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
Was there ever a point where you like felt that
that this number one hit, you know, it came here,
like you started people started coming up to you all
the time, or something in your life changed, Was it?

Speaker 1 (05:31):
Did you? Was there a moment that you like, whoa, yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah, when everybody started looking at me. Yeah, I mean
suddenly you know, like I again I was an actor,
but especially kids, you know, my kids. The fame that
I got from that movie affected me in a lot
of ways, but it affected my kids because and we
just moved to a small town, Like I was, I've

(05:57):
never been a fan of living in a city or
anything like that. We moved up up to a little
town called Moss Beach up in like outside San Francisco,
but like a little we it was beautiful, and we
just moved there, and you know, my wife moved everybody
there while I was shooting City Slickers. And then I

(06:18):
came home from City Slickers and home alone, and they
all all the kids in the school were like, Marv
lives in uh Moss Beach and it was like what
and and so the kids got that that was a
sea change for them because they were the new kids
in town and had Marv as a dad all of

(06:38):
a sudden, like no one cared before. So so that
started changing my personal life in a way, you know,
just like the fame aspect of it, and and business
wise it was a good thing, you know, because like
I was in a hit movie. And then then I
did City Slickers, which was another terrific movie, and suddenly
people thought I knew what I was doing. I had

(06:58):
him going for a while and yeah, kept rolling.

Speaker 4 (07:04):
Cool man, that's such an amazing stretch. And then you know,
was Diner one of your first films?

Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah, that was my first one was Breaking Away, which
was a little about bicy you know, a kid who
liked bicycle, but a small town kind of coming of
age movie, which was one of my favorite movies. I mean,
I didn't even know what I was doing. I'd never
been in a movie or anything. And then then, uh
then yeah, a year or two later, I got Diner,

(07:34):
and that point I knew a little bit more of
what I was doing. But I love that script because
I'd just gotten married myself, so I was playing the
married guy in that one, and you know, a young
married guy breaking away from his friends and everybody figuring
that out. And it was another coming of age movie,
which sort of you know, in good characters that before

(07:54):
the home alone stuff. I was kind of in that genre.
And then suddenly I was a cartoon you know, bigger
than a life feed kind of stuff, which was a
new gear to be acting in in a way, which
was interesting. I loved it. I was you know, it
reminded me of all the stupid stuff, you know, the
students and road Runner and all the stuff. So it
was fun. But that other world that Diner had been

(08:17):
my my you know, sort of good parts and good movies,
but never the lead or anything like that. Just always
a character actor kind of guy I was.

Speaker 4 (08:27):
I was fortunate enough to work for Jerry Weintraub on
a few pictures, and I really wanted to ask you
about him and did you get to spend some time
with him, and what was Jerry like and.

Speaker 2 (08:39):
A little bit. You know, Jerry was the coolest cat
in the room. I mean, you know, he he he was.
This was a little thing for him. I mean his
whole thing was music and you know the movies. He
wasn't I think this was one of his early movies
as a as a movie producer. It was, it was,

(08:59):
it was a side gig to him, so he wasn't
fully invested. He had the whole music and and all
that going. So so but he when he came in,
you know, was it was Jerry wintrob which was cool
and added a shine to the movie that a lot
of us Barry Levinson's first movie, no one knew who

(09:20):
anybody was, so Jerry was a star of it in
some ways as the godfather of the movie. But no,
just I mean it was, you know, I get intimidated,
like you're in the present. He was a legend. So
it was I think we just drank, drank and ate
as much on his tab as we could and then

(09:43):
he went home. Yeah, so he was. He was very gracious.

Speaker 4 (09:47):
No, that's amazing, like hearing that perspective of kind of
him at that stage and you know, working with him
at a different time period. That's so that's so awesome. Yeah,
I totally agree. I you know, you just try to essentially,
he's such a good storyteller and all that, right, so
you just kind of like sit back and enjoy.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
You know, that's what people love. I mean, that's and
he's got excellent taste. So you put that all on
top of it. And he got he got a lot
done in lots of fields. He kept growing as an
artist himself. His art was putting that stuff together, you know,
and he was brilliant artist in that way. And it
takes without Jerry's all the actors and people are running around,

(10:34):
you know, they mean that coalescing kind of visionary.

Speaker 4 (10:38):
I appreciate you sharing that. That's really cool.

Speaker 3 (10:41):
Cool And you've you've done so many cool things, like
you know, from acting, directing you did Broadway right, and
play you did a lot of plays, right I did.
How How different was that from acting in film because
that's more of where you started, right, Well.

Speaker 2 (10:56):
I started in the theater. Yeah. The theater was like yeah,
I never even it never even crossed my mind to
be in a movie or a TV show like that
was just as a kid, that was something else. The
only thing I knew about acting was a high school play,
you know, and my buddy was in the high school

(11:17):
play and I was working the lights. And I did
that in junior high. I worked the lights, and then
I got a job working the lights at the high school.
And then I kept watching David Rosenthal like and everybody
loved you know, he's so cool, and I was like, well,
I think I'm going to give that a try, and
so like I got into the plays and I felt
that that love in the theater, you know, that collaboration,

(11:41):
I mean, if you've ever been just a high school
play is the best thing to be a part of,
you know if I mean, and a sports team. It's
sort of the same kind of thing I felt with
all that high school thing. But again, I was also
like a terrible student. I dropped out of high school

(12:02):
because I was dyslexic. I couldn't read or anything. But
I was, you know, I was a good actor and
a good artist and things like that. But anyway, I
met some I met some New York actors, and they
convinced me to move to New York. So I thought
I was going there to just be in the theater,
you know, and like that seemed like beyond belief that

(12:22):
I'd even be try out for a play in New York.
But then I realized, oh, that's how people make money
up there, Like they do a TV show, then they
go do a movie. So I was seventeen, I was
getting an education and what it even is to be
a professional actor. That I was a total dummy, just
kind of. I didn't have much of an option. It
was like, either try that this guy invited me to

(12:44):
live with him up there, or you know, work at
the car wash was the other real alternative.

Speaker 1 (12:51):
So more exciting to go to New York, I think.

Speaker 2 (12:53):
It was, you know, and all my friends were going
to college, and I wanted to do something get out
of my hometown. And but then, yeah, so the movie
thing that didn't happen. For a few years, I made
I made a barely made a living as a as
a theater actor pretty much right away. You know, I
made forty bucks a week, but I could get by.

Speaker 1 (13:15):
That's amazing.

Speaker 2 (13:16):
Yeah, So I did that for like three or four years,
and then yeah, right when my girlfriend who's my wife,
all these years later. Yeah, we were down to nothing
and then I got that break away movie like Out
of the Blue, and I don't I'd done a play
and got an agent, so I'd had two auditions for movies,
and then I got into that one, and I didn't
know what I was doing at all. But the director,

(13:39):
God loving Peter Yate's dear friend for my whole life,
just like an angel, came down and said, yep, you
get a turn. It's been crazy, crazy.

Speaker 4 (13:49):
Ride, and you know you cover a lot of this
in your book Home and Alone. It came out Alone ever,
h very clever.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
How'd you come up with that?

Speaker 2 (14:00):
Well? I thought about, well, you know what was funny?
Like I thought that would be you know, kind of
you know, appeal to the fans and all that stuff.
But then I realized, like, you know, I'm home and
alone a lot like that kind of fits in another
way where I'm like in my art studio all day.
I can. We live on a farm out here, you know,

(14:22):
I can never leave. I mean I go weeks without
leaving the farm. My wife goes gets groceries, she's a chef.
There's so much to do around here and work to
do in chores and and I'm like, I haven't left.
I haven't left the farm. So I thought home and alone.
That's kind of like that really is it? And I
mean my kids come, my grandkids come. I mean, I'm social.

(14:44):
I don't worry. But that's how I kind of I
kind of like it. I got kind of shied away
when that fame thing sort of hit. It does put
you in a different posture a little bit. Well.

Speaker 4 (14:57):
And you know, in your book as you cover, you've
been a journeyman your whole life, right, I mean, you've
been traveling, You've been doing so many different things, and
it's just I could I could imagine you know, at
some point too, it's like, I'm gonna work on some
creative stuff, right. I definitely have moments where you know,

(15:18):
take a weekend and just write the whole time or something,
and I love it absolutely, And.

Speaker 2 (15:22):
You're right, but you're you're still you know, I got
to hit a point. And it happens in stages in
your life, you know, and there's earning years, and there's
kid raising years, and there's work years and then and
you make choices along that way. And that was one
thing that I did do that was smart, like I
anytime I hit that cash cow on those movies, I

(15:44):
socked it away. And then eventually I said to myself,
because my kids were probably, you know, twelve, Henry was
probably twelve and down to four or something like that.
But I went like, hey, everything's happening at home. I'm on,
I'm the journeyman, sitting my trailer again, waiting for my
shot and doing something and I'm bringing home the bacon.

(16:04):
But life is happening back there. And I forced myself
to stop working so that I could enjoy the family party.
And it really opened up, like there's more to life
than this, especially and if you, if you, if you,
if you are fortunate enough that you can afford to
take a chance on yourself. So those weekends that you
spend writing, they might eventually turn into weeks that you

(16:25):
get to take for yourself and put your mind to something.
And that's the thing that I've I think I'm my
brother told he said the thing about my brother said,
The thing about you, dude, is you finish you. You
write you If you're writing something, it's a book, now, brother,
Like you didn't just goop around when you make a sculpture,
like you take it all the way and you finish it.

(16:47):
And when you're making a so I do make that commitment.
And if you make that commitment to yourself, you'll get
it done and you'll get and then you start to
give yourself time to do more.

Speaker 4 (16:57):
And when you when you were listening off all the
different times for years, I was going to say in
the wonder.

Speaker 2 (17:02):
Years, oh that's it. That was again that captured something
for me on a personal level as well as a
professional level. But that felt like my story every week
that those stories were so And my brother wrote on
that show, by the way, so he's a writer and

(17:23):
that was his first gig, and it felt like our
own town and it felt like our era that we
grew up in. And my first kiss and my homework
and my lousy teacher, and you know, to tell those
stories every week was you know, that's what this kind
of like the Home and Alone book was a chance
to do that for myself. That's what it really was about,

(17:46):
like just tell my story to myself because it keeps
going so fast I wanted to just stop for a second.
Ago it's all too it's all too good. What happened?
How did I even get here? How did you know?
And where am I going? Kind of thing. So yeah,
but I didn't write it as well as The Wonder Years,
but I took I took my best at my Wonder

(18:07):
Years on it.

Speaker 1 (18:08):
That's amazing.

Speaker 3 (18:09):
Can you tell us a little bit about the process
in writing and even how long it took you to
write your memoir?

Speaker 1 (18:15):
What was it like for you?

Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yeah, the process was Again, I didn't even set out
to do it. I'd never thought about I'm actually the funny,
you know, I just I guess I hit sixty five,
turned sixty five, I've got like six grandkids, I've got
this farm, I've got these lives going on. And again
I just went stop, you know, just stop, like what

(18:36):
how did I get it? So I just I'm a
list maker. So I just decided to make a list
of like what happened, Like I was born, then what happened?
Then we moved. I was at Philly and oh yeah,
I remember that, and my best friend was Tommy Iran, right,
and then we moved dead took a job and then
we moved to Bethesda, right. And then then I started kindergarten.

(19:00):
But you know, I just did that. Yeah, and then
I looked at that and then I thought, you know,
then my wife we were writing our wills and stuff too,
and she said, you know, you should write that out.
So like if when these great grandchildren, if we've got
their college education paid for, and they don't know who
you are, like they'll read the book and they'll say,

(19:21):
this is how grandma and grandpa got So I saw
that's you know, that's interesting. So I started writing it out.
And then then once I started writing it, like I
wanted to make it funny. So I wrote a couple
of chapters from those that list, Like I just started
going through the list and fleshing it out, like okay,
Tommy iran, what did me and Tommy do? And like,

(19:42):
oh yeah, my mom sent us like walking to my grandparents'
house that I googled my grandparents house that was two
miles away. We were walking through Philly at four two
that I go to my mom like did that happen?

Speaker 1 (19:59):
She said yeah, I'm like that's crazy.

Speaker 2 (20:01):
What do you think you And she said I thought
you could do it? And so like I go, okay,
well that's I get that story now. And so I
sort of put the book together, like remembering everything and
and and and putting it, and then I showed it
to my agent, like a couple of the chapters because
they kind of made me laugh, and I thought, oh,
you know, it could kind of be a book. And

(20:23):
then yeah, then I went to my mom, my cheerleader,
you know, I said, I think I'm going to make
it a book. And that's how I opened the book.
Is her reaction, which is like, you're going to write
a book. You can't even read a book, and why
do you think that you're so interesting that anybody's going
to want to read about you? And I'm like, great,
thanks mam. But before so, I just kept marching ahead.

(20:45):
But it was it was the Then I just wrote
it like every day. So it took me maybe three
months to write it. Oh wow. And then I showed
it to the editor. Then I had a publisher, and
I you know, then it was like I had to
go to English class again. I'm the high school drop
and it's like, that's not how parentheses work. The period

(21:10):
goes on this side and when you'd quotation marks and
I'm like okay. So then I had to go through
the book again and like correct all the stuff they
gave me. And then yep, you missed a bunch. So
the process of doing it was kind of a cool,
other weird learning experience, another college course I never got
to take, you know, So it was a good finisher

(21:32):
to like the grammar part of the whole thing. And
then yeah, then then it's actually like print, it's a
real book. It's crazy.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
That's so cool. Man.

Speaker 2 (21:41):
I gave it to my mom for Mother's Day. She
like that was really cool. Yeah, man, I.

Speaker 4 (21:49):
Loved the the YouTube video for the book ad. I
thought that was incredible. And my question would be, have
you you kind of embraced this these new forms of
mediums like sorry, new forms of media like YouTube and
all that, and how has it grown and adapted throughout

(22:11):
the years, and what's your take on it?

Speaker 2 (22:14):
Yeah, it's too overwhelming for me. I've tried it, you know,
but I'm creeping back in. I'm trying to embrace it.
I'm trying to understand how I participated it. I tried
it a few years ago. My son, My son's a
state senator, right, so he was running for office his

(22:36):
first campaign, and my daughter had an album coming out,
So I thought, you know what, old pop's gonna step
in here and really help I'm going to try social
media for you know, like get my fans. That was
my super plan was I'm gonna get my fans, tell
them about Sophie's album and tell them about Henry's campaign
and like, you know, just use social media. So I

(22:59):
tried it. A friend helped me do it, like he
posted my stuff and I did it for that period
of time and it was really fun and like I
did a couple videos that got like, you know, millions
of hits, and then they YouTube invited me to go
to their studios to look like they said, you can
shoot here if you want to, and I'm like, wow, anything,

(23:21):
you know, I could, and it was it was overwhelming
in a lot of ways, and I sort of Henry
got elected, Sophie's thing came out, I was like with that,
I wasn't quite sure how to participate, and then I
you know, then life took over then. But so having
the book come out, it was like, okay, you know,

(23:43):
and then they say, you know, promoted on social media.
I said, I haven't done that in a long time,
and so I've kind of now get it, Like, I mean,
I know what I like to do, I don't know
how to please I don't know how to sell. I
don't I don't want to sell myself. That's one thing
I've I mean, if I'm retired in any way, it's

(24:04):
like I don't want to sell too much. And the book,
it's like with the book, I'm giving the money away.
I'm giving all the money to the Boys and Girls
Club of America. I love that organization. My wife and
I started one, so like, all the money goes there.
I want to do it for the right reasons. So
and so with social media, it's like, hey, I put

(24:26):
my sculptures up, and like I love when I finish
a project, like instead of having to have it in
a city and hope you walk by it, like I'll
put it on social media. You can the audience. I'm
doing it for the audience. You can enjoy it. Then
the book's coming out, so it's like, what can I do? Oh,
that would be funny. In our house, the house came

(24:47):
with wallpaper that looks like books. Well, here I am.
That's what it's heart me was the stupid wallpaper. It's
like I got to do something with that because now
I'm an author, and so it was like, oh, that's funny.
And then you know. Then I found that hair dryer,
like I did another one, so like the thing tickles me,

(25:07):
I say, okay, I'm going to do that. Oh I
like that. I want to show that sculpture. I'm going
to show that. Or like I was making tangerine juice,
my wife said, oh, that one got a lot of hits.
Because I don't even I still give it to Patrick.
Patrick posts. I can't. I don't look at it. I
don't know how to read. I don't know how to
interact with it yet. I'm just learning to put it

(25:29):
out and the stuff that I mean. They said, you
got five thousand responses to that. I'm like, well, how
do I even? I'm being rude to people because they're
writing me back something and I'm not answering them. And
I feel crappy about not answering when somebody says, hey, Dan,
I loved your thing, or Dan, I went to high

(25:50):
school with you. Like, so I've put it out there.
Then they respond and I don't know how to so
I'm creeping into it. I figured the first thing I
got to do is figure out what I'm even putting up.
What I'm what I think if I'm trying to make
people laugh one day, not stay engaged. It's a it's
a tricky thing, although it's wonderful opportunity for creativity and

(26:12):
and and I think young actors and influencers coming up,
there's so much excitement. You can make your own movie
right here on the computer, and like you don't have
to wait to get cast in something you can. You can.

Speaker 1 (26:26):
You don't know that's what we're doing right now, Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 (26:30):
That's what you make your life. You I don't know
how you monetize it or any of that. And but
I want to get into your finances in a moment.

Speaker 1 (26:39):
Cameras please.

Speaker 4 (26:40):
I think that's like, honestly two of the most honorable
ways to one get into social media to help your family,
and then to write a book and give it away
to a nonprofit. I mean, that really is commendable, and
I really do thank you for that. That's awesome, and you've.

Speaker 2 (26:58):
Got to appreciate That's way I feel comfortable because, like
you know, again I've had to admit over the years,
I'm an artist, like you know, and like I have
an artistic mentality. I just want to do it for that.
I want to be creative for that or help people
contribute all those things. But like, yeah, I otherwise like

(27:20):
this the selling. I've had an agent who's done great
by me. Yeah, And I like the business part of it,
you know, like go do it. Yeah, I'm gonna stay
in my lane. I like staying in my lane. I
guess that's what it is. I like staying in my
lane and finding the creativity on the social media makes
me really interested in it because I just got to

(27:41):
get over the pressure of yeah, like performance, I don't
know what it is.

Speaker 3 (27:48):
Well, I think even like what you're saying about maybe
feeling a little bit guilty to not responding to everybody, right,
like yeah, yeah, I think because because I started on
social media before I got into acting as well, and
I had this overwhelming response of like hundreds of millions
of views and tens of thousands of comments and all
these messages all the time, and I'm like, and you
want to respond to everyone because like you're genuinely a

(28:09):
nice person and you're you're grateful for them and their
attention and their time and everything.

Speaker 1 (28:14):
I think it gets to a point where how.

Speaker 2 (28:16):
Did you do like how do you how do you
do that? Well?

Speaker 3 (28:19):
I think like just obviously one, just be a nice person,
be good, you know, like be a good person. There's
the moral compass there. But the other part is like
trying to look at it maybe from another perspective of
you're still giving your time, your energy. You're putting content
out there for people to enjoy, and they get to
see a little sliver into your life that you're sharing
with them. And so even though you can't possibly respond

(28:40):
to five thousand messages, you know, or maybe you have time,
you know, maybe that's what you want to do with
your time. But just sitting back and having that exchange
of like you're still giving, you're still creating, you're still sharing, right,
and that is something that's so cool for anyone who's
a fan of yours, like us that we get to see,
you know, and we get to enjoy and so that's good.

Speaker 2 (28:58):
And again that's where I say, it's just an artistic project.
I do that with the sculpture. I make it, I
put it out there, you go look at it. I
make a movie, I put it out there. I've given
it my all, I've done anything everything I can do.
And so on the smaller scale or these other scales
on the social media, hey that's I got the funny
wallpaper and I got some glasses and I'm not going

(29:20):
to wear some pants, so you know, and anybody giggle,
you know, and it's like good. And now I appreciate
that perspective on it because that's how I'm trying to
approach it. And I do put my time into it.
I want to put things out and I don't want
like I'm not I'm not going to take a picture
of anything I'm eating. I don't get that part of it,

(29:45):
the sharing part. I've got something creative to show the
work of art that I've made in one way or another.
The final step of that is always giving it to
an audience for me. I don't make it for me.
I make it for you, and I put it out
there for you. And then once I put it out there,
like you're saying, okay, I hope you appreciate that I
put some work into it or thought or you know,

(30:07):
giggle or whatever. And then and then it's yours to
do with what you want. And yeah, and that's that's
probably enough. But I still feel the guilt.

Speaker 1 (30:15):
Yeah, No, it's it's hard not to. I know. I
don't know if it ever really goes away.

Speaker 3 (30:21):
But I think over time it's it maybe it lessens
a little bit, you know, but it's still like, it's
so cool for you to share that with people, you know,
and I think as an artist and as a creator
creative as well, do you have any advice for for
artists or creators out there that that are looking to,
because it looks like from my perspective and from everything
I've seen of your as well, like you just know

(30:41):
how to have fun and you're just enjoying your life, right, Like,
do you have any advice for for a creative and
artists out there in the world.

Speaker 2 (30:48):
It's good, that's a good one to try to enjoy
the thing, although that gets hard because a lot of
you know, when I put out my best face, because
you don't see the torture person in the room with
me all the time. But uh, you know, keep doing,
keep doing and taking chances on yourself. You know, there's

(31:09):
a there's a thing that I actually write in the
book which was which was the thing that freed me
as an artist? And it was my son was he's
he went to Harvard, you know, I mean he's a
genius dude. So he was like in advanced class on English,
and I'm sitting on his bed in high school, and
he's got this book about writing called Bird by Bird okay.

(31:30):
And and I don't know if I can say this
on your show, but one of the I'm looking through
it again. I can't read the book, but I'm looking
through the chapters, and one chapter is called shitty first
drafts okay, And I go, oh, that's funny. It says
shitty right in your English book in high school. But
I turned to the chapter and I look at the chapter,
and this woman writes brilliantly about everything starts with a

(31:53):
shitty first draft. You cannot be afraid as an artist
that is gonna be bad Shakespeare. That was not his
first draft. There was a shitty first draft. There was
a shitty first draft of a sculpture. There's a shitty
first draft of a drawing. And then you you give
yourself something to work on. You keep honing it and

(32:15):
you but without the shitty first draft, you've got nothing.
So you don't have the guts to put that out
and finish that shitty first draft, make it complete, see
the whole picture. None of it might end up in
the final product, but you give yourself something to chew on.
It's my list that I started the book with. I

(32:36):
gave myself unconsciously. I gave myself a shitty first draft,
like oh, and then I saw a beginning, middle, and
end vaguely and then and and you just make yourself
go and you honor your commitment to your art project.
So if you're making a video, if you're making a TikTok,
finish it, put it up, and and and you know,

(32:56):
and and and so you're gonna take it the whole
trip from the crappy first thing, Make it better, make
it better. When's it done, try to figure out when
it's done complete, move on, go to the next one
and you're gonna be right back to zero because it's
gonna be shitty again. And get to it. But but
get that, get those muscles strengthened so that so that

(33:20):
that's the artistic process of anything. So that would be
my advice. And it's it's at your fingertips in some ways.
On your phones, it's at your fingertips With digital art.
I mean, there's so much going on technologically that it's
it's it's scary in some ways, but it's thrilling.

Speaker 3 (33:36):
In others, Yeah, is ito make a bumper cigarette by
you that just says get Shitty's a trademark.

Speaker 1 (33:48):
That's awesome. That is really amazing advice. Man.

Speaker 4 (33:51):
I love the part as well of the ending, right,
like at some point you have to say this is
done and I'm moving on or this is a complete
draft and I'm moving on, right, because I think a
lot of people really hold on to something say know
it's not quite perfect yet. It's like, you know what,
you got to get it to that point and go.

(34:11):
So the beginning and the end I think is super important.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
Exactly because that's the you. You it's not it doesn't
happen if you. If you don't, you got to stop.
And again, like I did the audio book of my
book and I'm reading it and now I was supposed
to read it out loud to myself. What I actually
wrote that was the last step and I went, what
I do it like that? And I was like, yeah,
well that's all right, you know, all right, move on

(34:36):
because I'm already working on something else. And I got
this and and and that's the other maybe piece of
advice is keep another thing going, try not to get
try not to let yourself get to that blank page standstill.
So when I know I'm finishing something, I slow down
on it. So I slow down the ending so that
I can start something else in the backup, so that

(34:57):
I know when I get to the ending, I'm not
afraid of the ending because I've already started whatever the
next project is, so I'm not going to be at
a dead stop because that can That's why some people
don't want to finish, because you've got to start the
next thing. Yeah, and if you've got it started, at
least the shitty part of it started. That's how I work,

(35:17):
just to have the next thing. I'm already doing that
in my studio, like, oh man, i know that's almost done,
and I'm slowing it up so I can do the
next thing at least have it going.

Speaker 4 (35:28):
And I think as a creative that's extremely important as well,
because sometimes you know, if the inspiration hits you, but
it's for a different project, you don't want to waste
that inspiration that you're getting at the time, but right
put it into something right, And and projects take time too.
Sometimes you need to sleep on one or sit on
it for a week and just come back.

Speaker 2 (35:49):
And have something to bounce off to you and have
something to go to. I love going between. That's where
I like the sculpture. And then I'm writing, and then
I'm just doing some physical labor on the phone, and
then I give myself time to do the my brain
to let it go, and then I'm back on a play.
You know. So, But but I am committed and I've

(36:10):
made the commitment to myself. I'm going to finish them all,
so you know. And and yeah, that's it's a it's
a it's a I mean, it's a challenging life to
live in a creative space, to make up new stuff,
to think of new things to talk about, to find
things that interest you, and we'll connect to the audience.
You guys are I mean, it's amazing what you guys

(36:31):
have done here and just built a thing on your
own again. And and you know that you're perfect examples
of what I'm saying in this new in this new environment,
and you've already grown into two new roles and there's
more creativity ahead for both of you.

Speaker 4 (36:48):
I appreciate that a time. We're working on it, for sure,
but that means a lot.

Speaker 2 (36:53):
Yeah, yeah, well that's how it happens.

Speaker 3 (36:55):
And yeah, I think it goes back to what you're
saying about, you know, having that next thing to move
on to work on. I've got a lot of friends
and I did this for a long time early in
my career.

Speaker 1 (37:03):
Is I was just only focused on acting.

Speaker 3 (37:05):
And there's a lot of you know, hurry up and
waiter or you know, the feast or famine style of
what it is in this industry.

Speaker 1 (37:12):
It's just the way it is. There's not always the
next job around the corner. And I found it.

Speaker 3 (37:16):
Was very like it could easily get very defeating. And
you know, you talk about a tortured soul, right and
and are in our own mind, we can get we
can get really dark and you know, go down the
path that maybe we shouldn't be on. And I have
friends like that, and so I changed, I changed myself
into exactly what you're saying, where you know, all of
a sudden, now I'm diving into real estate. I didn't
think I'd ever go that route. You know, Now I'm

(37:36):
creative writing a script or I'm you know, we're doing
the podcast, we got a comic book, and just being
able to properly channel that energy but also keep you
creative and it challenges you and things that you do
over here you know, well can transfer over to that
other thing or force another idea out.

Speaker 2 (37:50):
It's just engine's always running. Your engine's always knowing so
that you're not caught. So when you do get an
acting get you're up to speed. It's and everything isn't
writing on it.

Speaker 1 (38:00):
It takes exact out of it.

Speaker 2 (38:01):
And especially as an actor, dude, because when I mean,
you're the product, so like you're rejected personally. No, we
don't want we don't even it's not even that we
don't like the shoes you made, No, it's you. It's like, oh, okay,
that was my day today, is like they didn't want to.
And so having those other things to bounce to, especially

(38:24):
if you know, it's crucial, and that's that's that's what
makes it a full life too, because otherwise you lose control.
You're giving everybody You're waiting for everybody else to pick
out of the pile.

Speaker 1 (38:36):
And that's no way, no.

Speaker 3 (38:38):
And that's exactly like me transferring from the other way
to this way. To your point is I have more
joy in it now, like I'm enjoying it as much
as when I first started, because again, it's not the
end all be all, but it is a major part
of who I am and what I love to do
and what I love to bring to the world, you know,
and to have that balance or that it's just it's
a really big blessing.

Speaker 1 (38:58):
It makes it so much more funny.

Speaker 2 (38:59):
All the way. Bring it to the acting, and then
you're really giving it to the audience, and you know,
and you're giving them and you know, with all that
experience comes a wisdom. And then as you grow as
an actor and just as a person, that starts to
come through in your performances. Like now I'm the I'm
playing the wise old man, you know, on the Like
I've moved into that and it's like I used to

(39:21):
look at actors, go how do you do that? You know,
you just stand there and you don't do anything because
everybody asks you this. But you know, you keep growing,
especially as an actor, you have to have a life
behind you, a life that you're to just understand Pete,
which is the which is the gig?

Speaker 1 (39:41):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (39:41):
And it's such an I feel like it's such an
exciting gig because one you don't know always what the
next job is going to be or there's no limit
to it. It's not like, oh, you become an amazing
actor and that's it. It's like, no, there's a whole
other character or genres that you haven't even tapped into,
no matter who you are, and some people can do
them across the board, right, But getting to that point
where it's it's exciting because it's not linear, you know,

(40:04):
it's it's and you can go in any direction.

Speaker 1 (40:06):
I think that's always been really exciting.

Speaker 3 (40:07):
And even in your personal life, what happens outside of it,
the people you meet, the experiences you get to have.
Like I was reading in your memoir, you know you
have experience with Robert Redford, with Mel Gibson on the plane,
right with Gary Busey, Like could you tell us a
little bit about those that are in your book?

Speaker 2 (40:21):
Those are you know? I mean it's crazy that why
am I on Mel Gibson's private jet? But but I
wanted to show the reader, like why I am because
Mel's a terrific guy, his wife and my wife they
were fundraising for the Boys and Girls Club that we

(40:43):
were building. There's other you know. It wasn't just that
like we all jet around in Hollywood. I mean he does,
but I don't, you know, But then you also realize,
like or with Gary, you know, Gary is an insane,
wonderful person, but nobody's no one was, It's not nobody's

(41:05):
in the business. I mean, you're not. Like you make
it up as you go along, and suddenly you're also
doing it in a spotlight with people talking about it,
and it gets distorted, and the celebrity thing. It messed
with my head a bit, and it messes I mean,
it can't help but mess with you for better and worse.
And it brings out something in you that's in you,

(41:29):
you know, like how you deal with it is and so.
But but all those people are again when you take it,
that all that away, and it's Robert Redford. Robert Redford
is as handsome as he is as charismatic. He's a
brilliant filmmaker and a brilliant actor, and you get down
to it, he's an artistic guy who loved to tell

(41:49):
stories as a kid, who did his school play, who
was so handsome that he got that part on a
Broadway play, you know, and talented and funny and all
those things. And these are artists who are you know,
eccentric people I've lived and worked with artists my whole life,
and I love being around them, but they're they're all whack,

(42:12):
probably including me, although I seem like the normal and
the bunch. Don't you agree.

Speaker 1 (42:20):
On the next question?

Speaker 4 (42:20):
Well, speaking speaking of Gary Busey, I you know, I
would be remissed if I didn't ask about Rookie of
the Year and another one of my favorites. What was
that experience like and did it kind of compare to
Home Alone in some of the other nineties ones.

Speaker 2 (42:37):
Or well it's in it's uncomparable because that was the
first film I got to direct, so that I'd been
directing on the Wonder years and of developed movies, you know,
but never they never got the green light. I was
the original director on ace Ventura and and could not

(43:02):
get that made because the movie, if you look at
it from a script point of view, makes absolutely no
snot what is this movie about? What he's really gonna see?
Don Marino at the end, I'm like, I've got to
rewrite this. How does this? And I'm reading the script
over and over. I'm like, you know, after a year
on that movie, it's like, I can't. I don't know
how to I leave the movie. They hired Jim Carrey. Oh,

(43:26):
now get it, you don't have to Dan Marino, Sure,
it doesn't matter. The movie three yeah, I mean, you
know so so. But but when I'm on it, it
didn't come together. Rookie of the Year came together. So
it was my chance to own a movie, to rewrite
the movie, to tell a story that I loved again

(43:47):
a kid, empowered kid who can handle himself in a
in that and the baseball dude, I mean, like the
dream of being on Wrigley from that at the time,
taking batting practice, fielding, you know, playing with the real
baseball players. And my son's name is Henry. And in

(44:08):
the show that the kid is twelve years old, it's Henry.
I'm coaching my Henry's baseball team. So like I'm into
the whole. I mean, it was perfect, so so, you know,
and then getting to edit the film and score it
with Bill Conti the Rockey, you know, I mean, like
learned about composers working with an orchestra again, it takes

(44:31):
you into worlds you never know you're going to be in.
So Rookie was just a seminal experience for me. Content
continue to this day and the the the love of
you know, working with cruise and getting the best out
of people. Really, that's what I'm most interested in in

(44:52):
show business now, whether it's directing or I'm producing a
Broadway musical. Now, actually that's cool.

Speaker 1 (44:59):
It called.

Speaker 2 (45:01):
It's chud By Horror Movie. I weirdly ended up with
the stage rights to chud That's awesome. How I've developed it.
I got se low Green. He's written like fifteen songs
for the thing. Broadway producers like, it's like, oh, I'm
a Broadway producer. I can write a book. Sure, I mean,

(45:25):
you just keep going, and stuff happened. So so Rookie
was the first time I moved out of the acting
thing and fully into the behind the scenes telling of stories.
So that was and then I got you know, then
they asked me I played brickma in it, which was
sort of tapping into the silly home alone like I

(45:49):
was trying to get seats, you know, butts in the seats. Hey, yeah,
I'll do some silly, wacky stuff and we'll get that
home alone crowd to come see my movie so that
it's a hit and I get to do more. You know.

Speaker 4 (46:02):
I was definitely a part of that crowd as a
nineties kid. And you know, there's something about those stories
that just have that dream fulfillment, right, Like exactly asked
what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a
pro athlete. You know, I wanted to take care of
my house if intruders were coming, right right, There's just
that common thread of that dream fulfillment that was just

(46:24):
so satisfying I think to watch, you know.

Speaker 2 (46:26):
And empowering for the kids. That's what I think. Besides
just the entertainment part of it. What I realized writing
the book was that like the connective tissue of my
life was that I was an empowered kid. I was
hitch hiking, I was walking phillyd four, I was hitch
hiking on my own at thirteen seventeen, I'm in you know,

(46:48):
New York. So like I felt empowered as a young person.
Then the movies, the big hits, they're about kids, empowered kids, right,
you can do it. And then when I in my
volunteer work the Boys and Girls Club, what do they
do they make these They help teach these kids to
be critical thinkers, independent, focused on school work and jobs

(47:12):
and mentoring and all that stuff, and like, that's when
the that's when the story of my life came together,
because that's where the dream is. Man, getting kids, getting
getting the next ones behind you. You guys are younger
than me, now they're my grandkids. Get them ready for
this crazy world. Let them find themselves, find their voices.

(47:33):
And that's what those movies were about. That's what that's
I think that what rung the bell that keeps ringing
on the Home Alone and Rookie and movies is like
you could do it and the parents say, yeah, you
can do it, and you did it and you won
and you're the champion and you beat the bad guys,
and it's like, yeah, let's keep keep that message. However
you want to tell that story, keep telling it because

(47:54):
that's that's that's one it always has to be told.

Speaker 4 (47:57):
Would I be reaching for straws if I said City
Slickers was like that too in a way, whereas you know,
city guys actually getting out in that country and yeah.

Speaker 2 (48:07):
And it wasn't so youth oriented those others, but it's
but that's I mean, that's what the movies are all about.
The underdog story. We love underdog. We're always rooting for
that underdog that that that pulls something that part inside
us that feels like the underdog we all feel no
matter you know. And again Robert Redford thinks he's the underdog,
even though you know, well, Robert Redford, he's the king

(48:29):
of the world. And but no, he's like everybody wants
to tell those stories. And by the way, the movie
I worked with him, same movie again, a malagro Beanfield,
an underdog of the biggest kind rises and wins. That's
the story we all want to hear. Crazily is humans.
We never get tired of it, like it's amazing. We

(48:51):
just want to That's the part I'm still wrapping my
head around. Why do humans like to do this so much?
We tell each other stories, We're reading books, we're watching movies,
we're telling shows, We're doing that. It's all to connect
with each other and say, I'm doing this. Is that?
What are we doing the same thing? Because then I
feel good about being connected to you And I love
that about the human I mean, that's that's our higher selves, right,

(49:15):
not the violent and uh, you know all that we're
very primitive at the same time and have a lot
of primitive side to us and keep reaching for those,
you know, teaching that lesson to the people behind us
that be good guy, liked person. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (49:36):
Yeah, I think exactly what you're saying too.

Speaker 3 (49:38):
Like I want, I just want to comment on how
cool it is that you know you were able to
reflect and see that your entire life, essentially from a
young age has come full circle, right, And I to me,
that just sounds like someone who is fully in alignment
with their purpose, Like you are fulfilled. You have fulfilled,
and you are fulfilling your purpose as as a man,
as a person on this earth, you know, and you're

(50:00):
giving that back to other people. And I think exactly
what you're saying is as a young kid, you know,
so many of us have hopes and dreams, you know,
whether it's you want to be the astronaut or the actor,
you know, whatever it may be. But that fear or
that insecurity, or that all the stuff from the world,
that the pressure that comes on it beats up on you. Right,
So when you see someone shine through, it gives you

(50:20):
hope to go do that thing too, right. So that's
why it's so cool, because I don't think there's anybody
better to invest in than a child in that space.

Speaker 2 (50:28):
It just did. And it has to be everybody, not
just culture teachers, you know, coaches. The kids need mentors.
Like it wasn't just my parents hovering over me telling
me what I could do, you know, and and the
friends and the parents paying attention and saying let's try that,
and like, don't be afraid of that. You know. It's

(50:49):
it's it takes a lot. I mean, it takes a
lot to I think it takes a village, but it
really does, you know. And but the more focused we
are on on that, it's that critical thinking stuff, like
that's the first thing I started teaching in the high school.
When I started to take time off, I made a course.

(51:11):
I went and studied. I went to this place called
Center for Media Literacy, and it was like how how
how how are images coming through media that that give
that are given kids signals? Because it started with like
did it hurt when you got hit in the head
with the brick? And I said, you know, I didn't
really get hit in ahead of it, And they said what,
And I'm like, and that that was the parents, not

(51:32):
just the kids. The parents didn't really get hit in
the head. How does that work? I'm like, you need
to understand like and and it's and then we got
into marketing and how people are marketed to and just
giving those kids critical thinking skills to say what's real,
what's and now with fake news and disinformation, like understanding

(51:52):
media because that's where it's all happening, and and mentoring
kids like in that space like how do you how
do you discern the truth? How do you know? How?
What don't you know? Like you think you know everything,
just pointing out you don't know a lot and and
so it's all though those are complicated lessons. That takes

(52:16):
everybody to develop good children. And but that's the only
I mean, that's our whole primal thing is appropriate make
the next ones, make the next ones better. So get
to work kids.

Speaker 1 (52:28):
You guys have between you zero.

Speaker 2 (52:31):
Come on, guys, what do you waste time here?

Speaker 1 (52:34):
You know what? I need to get a farm and
pop out ten of them. That's what.

Speaker 2 (52:41):
It's a wonderful I mean that life goes any way
you wanted to and that and that that's a beautiful thing.
And yeah, having my own taught me a lot of stuff.
But I love other kids. I mean I loved coaching baseball.
I love teaching in school. I just get hope from
the whole the whole thing. The parenting is something else,
but the but the just watching young people become themselves

(53:03):
is thrilling.

Speaker 4 (53:04):
And my older brother just had a baby, so he
I think he's turning to this summer. So watching your
older brother do it, you're like, oh, I could do that,
you know that competitive brother thing. It's like we always
competed in sports, and now it's now you're gonna do it.

Speaker 2 (53:20):
Yeah. Yeah, it's uh, you learn a lot about yourself,
you know. They really they're little mirrors on back onto you.

Speaker 1 (53:29):
That's yeah.

Speaker 3 (53:30):
And it's it's amazing how much they pick up, especially
at the younger age, is like a you know, two, three, four,
When you really see them like learn on demand basically,
it's it's incredible.

Speaker 2 (53:39):
But I got two three year olds here yesterday. My
granddaughters were here, and they are so freaking smart. And
I yeah, I pulled in my truck and I got
out and my little kid, one of one of my granddaughters.
I go over to hugger. She says, Grandpa, you're in
Grandma's parking spot. Your car you're not in the right spot.

(54:02):
I say, well, okay, but I'm just no, no moving now,
I'm like, right, well, I guess I'm moving the car
just like why do you care? Yeah, she's developing her
own world, like no things have to be in order,
not doing it right? Please move or where I feel comfortable.

Speaker 3 (54:19):
It was amazing, amazing I've learned over time. You know,
I've got nephews and nieces, and I love kids. You know,
I've been around kids my whole life, and whether it's
in my family or friends or whatever it may be.
And the coolest thing to me is that a child
can be a teacher to you and vice versa. Obviously, right,
but the lessons you can learn from a kid or

(54:40):
to me is mind blowing, you know, it's it's I
think it's one of those things like it's just unique
being here on earth with other people, sharing this experience, right,
and connecting with people. But when you learn something from
a two year old, like empathy or kindness or whatever
it may be, sharing, you know, even if it's something simple,
it changes your perspective. And like you said, this world

(55:02):
is anything, we want it to be right. So you
get to pick and choose those little moments and then
write them into our wiring and then show up in
the world that way, right, So exactly, it's the same
thing you do with your your movies, with directing, with
your acting, with the stories you tell, everything you share
this book now you know, home and alone. Uh, it's
it's helping people. I can just see it, you know,
I can feel it even just talking to you.

Speaker 2 (55:23):
You know, I can't feel it coming back this way.

Speaker 1 (55:25):
Yeah, it's amazing with you too, I.

Speaker 2 (55:27):
Can feel you know, you're very you have a very
unique chemistry here going on, and the way you talk
and the things you're interested in, and you're you're doing it.
You know, you're You're what we're talking about. You're you're
in the midst of it. It's hard to see it
when it's happening, when you're doing it, because you're still
striving and you still got your comic book going on
in your head. But like cumulatively, you guys are on

(55:50):
the march already and people are looking up to you,
and you're already role modeling for those young people and
your nieces and nephews and like and the kids you
might meet who come up to you and recognize you
and all that. You know, it's it's it's you. That's
where I've learned the most about myself is just being

(56:10):
around kids. And so why did I get pissed about that? Yeah,
but it's my problem. I got, you know, why do
I need the order? Why do I need something? And
the challenges of raising kids was you know, brilliant.

Speaker 1 (56:27):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (56:28):
I mean it's probably the most rewarding thing I think
we can do on this planet.

Speaker 1 (56:33):
Right, Like, Yeah, whether.

Speaker 2 (56:37):
I totally respect to not having kids, think, because that's
a whole other way to go. If you don't want
to have kids, you still have all these other responsibilities
to contribute and love kids and mentor kids when they
come to you. If you don't want to have your own,
I completely get that, that's a whole other game. But
it's you know that that I I might not be

(56:59):
for everybody, and I completely respect that. For me. It's
I mean, I had I've been a dad since I'm
twenty four. I wanted to dive right, No, and I
I've always wanted that. But but either way, you're going
to be influencing the world and the next generation, whether
your kids or not.

Speaker 3 (57:18):
I always loved this quote, so, uh, it's basically, you know,
if if you can't help them at least don't hurt them,
you know. And I feel like that with with with everybody,
but with kids specifically.

Speaker 2 (57:27):
You know, there's something along with the shitty bumpers.

Speaker 1 (57:31):
Yeah, get shitty.

Speaker 2 (57:32):
Yeah, I want I want that. I want that one.

Speaker 1 (57:34):
Let's do it right next to big deal. It's going
to be all.

Speaker 2 (57:38):
A bigger car.

Speaker 1 (57:39):
Yeah exactly. That's awesome, man.

Speaker 3 (57:43):
I just for me, it's it just listening to you
talk man, the way you are, the things you've done
in your life. I feel so inspired by you. Like
even in this short amount of time that we've gotten
to know each other a little bit, and as an artist,
I've found you know, I've always only wanted to be me,
you know, and I want to be whatever that best
version of highest version of myself is. And I'm just
curious in your journey because I did deal with this

(58:05):
in a young my adolescence and any teenager. But was
there ever any point where you struggled being your authentic self?

Speaker 1 (58:12):
You know? Or maybe how did you overcome that?

Speaker 3 (58:14):
Or have you always just been like this is me,
you get, you get what you get and I'm just
showing up and doing my thing.

Speaker 2 (58:20):
Uh. You know, there's lots of me. Yeah, I'm a
different person with my wife than I am with my mother,
than I am with my kids than I am right now.
And and uh it's they they all line up, but

(58:41):
I but you know, and then there's the one that like,
yeah again in the studio for eight hours, like and
in a zen mode where I'm not even anybody. You know,
maybe that's really me when I forget about myself and
I'm immersed in a project or work or sports, you know,
like where my mind I'm not focused on myself. But

(59:04):
I never No, I never had that struggle of my
own authenticity or who I am. I mean again, it
probably got challenged in the fame thing, like having to
present a public person that like, people are going to
listen to this show and I've watched. I've really edited

(59:26):
myself brilliantly, by the way, and I've only said gems,
which is fantastic. No, but like you try to, Yeah,
that part of the public part. I don't think other
people deal with that, and probably you know, if you're
just like I don't think I don't know if you
would wrestle with that if you were the CEO of

(59:47):
a you know, or just even in middle management somewhere,
you still wonder about your relationships and your all the things.
But in terms of a public face, I think that
puts extra pressure, especially on act because you're hyper aware
and actually the job is to be your authentic self
in a lot of ways, so just have it. For

(01:00:08):
better and worse. My authentic self sometimes isn't the best one,
or you know. I mean like it's like you can
get in touch with a lot of different sides of
your personality, and so yeah, I think for for all
the weirdness of the being a performance performing artist, I

(01:00:33):
think it's healthy in a lot of ways for me anyway.

Speaker 3 (01:00:36):
Yeah, absolutely, there's a It just popped up I think
this week actually, and I just it kind of made
me laugh a little bit. But I saw the original
home alone home went.

Speaker 1 (01:00:47):
Up for sale.

Speaker 3 (01:00:48):
I don't know if you yeah, yeah, oh you didn't
say I haven't heard that. I don't know, but I
was gonna ask you if you had thought about buying it.

Speaker 1 (01:00:55):
But I think that was our answer right there.

Speaker 2 (01:00:58):
Well, it's a tourist. I've had people friends like they
people go to it like there's now a fence around it.
A factor friend of mine was like, took his kid
there and I'm like, he said, yeah, it's a thing,
like people.

Speaker 3 (01:01:10):
Go by it and yeah, well would you what it?

Speaker 1 (01:01:16):
Like, what would you do with it? Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
People are staring at you or you're selling across the fence.

Speaker 1 (01:01:22):
Like yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:01:24):
Yeah, yeah, because I mean when we shot the movie,
obviously it was just a house in the neighborhood and
we were just a little movie.

Speaker 2 (01:01:35):
So the neighbors all like, we had the director's chairs,
you know you have director's chairs. We had extra director's chairs,
and the neighbors came and sat and watched us film
the movie and we to know a few of them,
like because they were out there at night watching us
do it or something. So I mean, it was a
very cool neighborhood that we totally messed up movie. There

(01:01:58):
were so hopefully property values went up, but the hassle
factor my sincere apology, all the.

Speaker 4 (01:02:06):
Film trucks and the equipment and.

Speaker 2 (01:02:08):
All that, you know, but but forget that that goes away.
But every year, I mean people are coming by there
and having their picture like parking must be a disaster
in their neighborhood.

Speaker 4 (01:02:17):
And then yeah, the residual of the.

Speaker 2 (01:02:19):
Yeah, the residual is the worst part of the whole. Like, yeah,
there's people like taking their snap and doing this face.
Must need therapy after watching people do that face for
so long.

Speaker 4 (01:02:34):
Do you have any other maybe favorite Christmas movies that
that you put on, excluding Home Alone obviously?

Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
Uh, well, I never watch Home Alone, so let's that one.
I saw that at the premiere and that was the
only time I've ever really watched. Actually, when I was
writing a book, I wrote the section on like where
I get the tarantula on my face and then I say,
and then then Peshi hits me with the crowbar, and
I was remembering, and then I showed it to I
think my son in law said, you know, that's not

(01:03:03):
how that scene goes. I said, what, you have it
on you and then it's on Peshi and you hit
Peshi and then he hits you. I'm like, I got
to watch that again, so I googled the clip. So
Home Alan is not on my watch list. We you know,

(01:03:23):
we don't really have a Christmas movie. I mean when
we gather around, the one movie that my family loves
to watch together, like because I don't like to myself
I don't watch movies more than once usually anyway, I
mean I'm not I love the people dive in, but
like I'm a one time and like and now I've
seen that, I've seen that, you know, like I want
to see something new, but the one you like to

(01:03:46):
watch Moulin Rouge for some reason, Department, It's so spectacular,
the singing, the the production of it blew our minds.
The first time we saw it, we all like, just
the five as a family.

Speaker 1 (01:04:01):
Just what is that?

Speaker 2 (01:04:04):
So so again, maybe that's the feeling that people get
with home alone. The first time they saw it, they
laughed their asses off and they it was so funny.
I want to recreate that. So I think that's what
we're doing now that I'm saying it. That's what the
holiday thing is about. So first time we saw Mulan Rouge,
it was like we just all had such an incredible
experience together that we put that on on. We want

(01:04:25):
to hang together.

Speaker 4 (01:04:27):
It makes sense. The theatrical background, right right, Yeah, that's
such an amazing film for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:04:34):
And the design, yeah, just the visual and the Yeah,
it's something in it for everybody in my family.

Speaker 3 (01:04:41):
Absolutely, thank you for everything, for your time and I
know it's we're hitting two o'clock right now.

Speaker 1 (01:04:48):
Okay, yeah, no, no, yeah, and.

Speaker 2 (01:04:51):
The hell, guys, I've got a lot of things. I've
got creative.

Speaker 1 (01:04:55):
Wow, honestly, that sounds like a lot of fun.

Speaker 3 (01:04:57):
I'm not gonna lie, but no, yeah, just I just
want to ask where everyone can find Home and Alone
and and uh, where we can pick it up?

Speaker 2 (01:05:06):
Uh, I would say the bookstore.

Speaker 1 (01:05:09):
There we go, Yeah, Barnes and Noble.

Speaker 2 (01:05:13):
I know it's on Amazon because I saw that that.

Speaker 1 (01:05:18):
We'll be sure to put a link to uh.

Speaker 2 (01:05:21):
And uh and there's a I did. I did do
the audio book, and I just found out that comes
out like the ninth of July or supposedly, so that's
not at the same time. And uh but yeah, so
I would I mean, I don't I'm not trying to
plug Amazon, but that's the only way I know how
to buy anything.

Speaker 3 (01:05:43):
Yeah, Like it's I got two things coming from Amazon today,
So I'm.

Speaker 2 (01:05:47):
With you, like we were having the Amazon delivery guy
over for dinner, because.

Speaker 1 (01:05:55):
That's awesome.

Speaker 4 (01:05:56):
I I already ordered my physical copy of the book,
and then the audiobook is actually right around my birthday,
so I'll buy that for my birthday to myself.

Speaker 2 (01:06:05):
And I'll really get in your head.

Speaker 4 (01:06:09):
Inspiring all the creations I'm gonna be thinking about that
wish fulfillment though, I really am, And this has been
just a legendary inspiring conversation and I really really appreciate
your time.

Speaker 2 (01:06:24):
And guys appreciate you too. Yeah, you guys are very
special and I'm so proud of what you're doing. Really,
it takes a lot of gumption to get this anything going,
and you're doing it and you're doing it beautifully. So
congrats to you, guys.

Speaker 1 (01:06:39):
Appreciate you down, Thank you for everything.

Speaker 2 (01:06:40):
Man good Man, all right, we'll talk again. I hope.

Speaker 1 (01:06:45):
I hope so too. Got read your book.

Speaker 4 (01:06:53):
Thanks for tuning in to Studio twenty two.

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Will Meldman

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