Bryan Greenberg

Bryan Greenberg has entertained fans on the big and small screen for over two decades, including playing fan favorite Jake Jaglieski on "One Tree Hill" . . . but now he is expanding his resume to include writer, producer, and director. 

Bryan joins Sophia to talk about his new movie, "Junction," and how his own brush with opioid abuse inspired it, how he got such an impressive cast to join him on set, including Sophia, and the four-year journey to make the movie. 

Bryan also talks about how and when he got into acting, how he and his lovely wife, Jamie Chung, juggle their careers and parenthood (they have twin boys)! Plus, a little 'One Tree Hill' behind-the-scenes chat you won't want to miss! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to work in Progress. Welcome
back Whipsmarties. This week's work in progress is particularly special
and close to my heart, not only because today's guests

(00:22):
and I are going to talk about a movie we
made together, but because today's guest happens to be one
of my oldest friends from my first job. You may
remember a little show called One Tree Hill, and today
we are joined by none other than Brian Greenberg. You
may not know that Brian was born in Oklahoma, Nebraska,
and then raised in Saint Louis, Missouri. He graduated from

(00:44):
NYU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and in his
New York journey, was on shows like Law and Order,
booked his big screen debut in a civil action. He
worked on several amazing TV series, including The Sopranos, also
Boston Public and Third Watch. He came into my world
via a wonderful movie called The Perfect Score, which led

(01:04):
him to work on One Tree Hill and play our
very favorite Jake Jigalski. He left us to go work
on a show produced by none other than George Clooney
for HBO, which we're all still a little sad about,
but it's okay. He's gone on to make so many
incredible films, like one of my very favorite rom coms,
Ever Prime, and Casually. While doing all of this, has

(01:25):
released a number of albums. He is an incredible singer songwriter.
He also is a wonderful dad. He and his lovely wife,
Jamie Chung have two beautiful little boys, and Jamie happens
to be in this incredible film with us as well.
The film is called Junction. It is coming out in
theaters Friday, January twenty sixth. Junction chronicles the modern day

(01:49):
opioid crisis in America from three different points of view,
the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, a doctor who prescribes
the medications, and a patient who is addicted to them.
Each character is going to have to come face to
face with all of the decisions they've made, all of
the complexities of their lives, and what their roles are
in this epidemic. The movie is powerful and emotional and

(02:13):
inspiring and at times scary and at times funny. Brian
and I actually laughed a lot making this film, and
I'm just so excited to talk with him about it,
because not only does he star in it, not only
did he direct it? He also wrote it. It's been
a passion project of his for the last four years,
and I'm so proud to be a part of it.
I'm so proud of him forgetting it made. And I'm sure,

(02:36):
like me, you have so many questions for him. So
let's dive in and hear from Brian. Well, this feels
really exciting. I can't believe that we're sitting here. You know,

(02:58):
we just went to an event a couple of weeks ago.
It's a ward season, and you know, everybody's out celebrating movies,
and you posted that photo of us and you were like,
our friendship is twenty years old, and I was like,
oh my god, our friendship is almost old enough to
order a beer in a bar.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
It's crazy. Our friendship could go to war, for.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Sure, Like, what, yeah, is happening.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Our freshman, I mean our Yeah, our our friendship is
would be a sophomore in college or a junior in college.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, sophomore in college. I know we all do this
because we've been friends forever. But you know, you look
around and you go like, are we really the grown
ups now? Is that a thing? Who do we ask
for help when we need it or like advice. Now
people are asking us for advice and something about you
saying our friendship is twenty years old. I was like,
we we really are the grownups.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, I know. I always have to kind of pick
for myself now. I'm like a father too. I'm always like, oh,
I have to be like the authority. But you, in
my mind, I'm still like a kid, you know. Yeah,
even like being a director, you're just like, oh, you're
the one that's supposed to have the answers, Like I'm
not used to be having that, you know, I know
what you mean. I still in my mind, I'm still
like twenty years old.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah. I feel like there's just a perpetual state of
being twenty four that lasts through I guess most of
your adulthood.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
I think what it is when you, you know, when you're
our age, you realize that like, oh wait, everybody's just
kind of bullshiting, like nobody really has there is no
authority figure. It's like no one knows what's going on.
Like you're like, oh, the older people get it, they
know what's going on. But then you're becoming the older
people like, oh, I'm just as clueless as ever.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah, you really realize everybody's just kind of faking it
till they make it, perhaps forever. Yeah, okay, well we're old.
Everybody knows it. Thank god. We spent our whole twenties
locked in a sound stage, so we have great skin.
But none of that is the point of why we're here.
The point of being here is to talk about really

(04:54):
all of the things that led to this amazing project
that we get to do together. But I actually want
to go so not just to the beginning, you know,
four years in the making of you getting Junction out
into theaters. I actually want to go way back, because
like way back, because most people who will see that
you're on the podcast this week will go, oh, I

(05:14):
know him from this or I got introduced to him
on that show or in that movie. But I like
to go back to the beginning and talk to all
of my guests about who they were as kids, because
I think everyone always says hindsight's twenty twenty. It's really
easy from wherever we are to look back and see
how all the dots connect. And if we go back

(05:38):
to you being a little kid, say like eight nine
years old in Omaha, were you into performing or did
you think you were going to be an athlete? Can
you see how that whole journey got you here? Or
does it seem like another life?

Speaker 2 (05:53):
No? Well, yes it does feel like another life. But
and yes I did think I was going to be
an athlete and nope, did not become an athlete. But
you know, I think I really got into at like
ten years, well eight or nine. I just remember like
running around Amaha, Nebraska with my shoes off. I never
wore shoes. I never wore really, yeah, I would just

(06:15):
like run around and like playing creeks. I was like
Hugbary Finn or something. You know. It was just like
so Midwest, and I just remember my imagination was huge.
I love building forts and creating stories and making little
Uh yeah, I wanted to be like I remember, I
wanted to be a baseball player and a mad scientist.

(06:38):
I was like that. That was just I think back
in fut just came out and I was really into
like Doc Brown or something, right, yeah, and then and
then I started doing like local theater, and I realized
at a very young age, like around ten, that oh,
if I'm an actor, I can do all those things.
And I'm one of those weirdos that I fell in

(06:59):
love with it at a young age, acting and in storytelling,
and I've I've kind of dedicated my whole existence in life.
I found my purpose and I was like, that's it.
I just narrowed in on it and I never stopped that.
I have such like a I've had an amazing life.
I'm very grateful, but I do feel like I've had
a very narrow focus in point of view my entire life,

(07:22):
Like I've only through the filter of storytelling and being
an artist, Like I never pursued anything but that.

Speaker 1 (07:30):
That's so cool. How how did you wind up doing
a local theater so young? Did you ask your parents
or did you have a friend getting into it? What
was what was the sort of bottleneck?

Speaker 2 (07:41):
I'll tell you the origin story, right, Yeah, So my
parents were, you know, like we were running errands with
my sister and I my younger sister, and she was
in ballet and she had an audition for the local
Nutcracker at the Omaha Ballet at Conservatory, which they do

(08:02):
every year, and I was with them and they were
shoes auditioning, and then they came out and asked me
if I wanted to audition. I was like, I don't dance.
I don't know then I don't wear shoes, and they're like, oh,
we need we need boys for the for the for
the for the play, it'd be great, or for the ballet,

(08:22):
and so I like went in there. I just remember
like doing cartwheels and like I had ad HD. So
I was just like bouncing up the balls and doing whatever.
And I got the part and of Fritz, which is
like the main kid, and I got to get off
school for three weeks and tour and perform and feel
what it was like to be part of a troop.
And I just loved it. I was like getting in wardrobe,

(08:43):
and I mean I wasn't a great dancer, but I
did love like the facade of like being backstage and
then coming on stage. That was really cool to me.
And so I didn't when I came back, I didn't
really pursue ballet, but I started getting into to like
local community. There was a theater called Amy Gifford Theater

(09:04):
Children's Theater which in Omaha, and I remember doing all
of Her the play there and I just loved it.
And then my parents, my dad got a new job
and he moved the family to Saint Louis from Omaha.
So I was around twelve years old and I didn't
know anybody really, and I thought, well, hey, you know
when I did plays, I would meet new people and

(09:25):
that's a good way to socialize and I love doing that.
So I just kept doing it. And that's sort of
I was just like a theater dork wow, all through
high school and then I, you know, I moved to
New York when I was eighteen to get serious about it.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
And what was that like? I mean, did going for
college make it feel a little easier or did you
through theater and touring in the company, had you met agents,
did you know how to get a foot in the door,
or were you like I'm just gonna go figure it out.

Speaker 2 (09:54):
No, it's funny. I mean, my I was so ambitious
as a kid, like I really wanted to do it.
And I remember there was a talent scout that came
through Saint Louis and he he did this workshop in
New Jersey where he would take young actors and then
he would you would you would learn from acting coaches
and teachers and then you could you would do performance

(10:16):
at the end of like the week or two weeks
and agents would be there. It's like a showcase. And
I ended up doing this this camp and I remember
getting interest from an agent in New York. We performed
in like an off Broadway. I was like fifteen years
old or something like that, performed in an off Broadway
theater and there was some interest for some agents that

(10:36):
I told my parents. I'm like, hey, you know, these
agents want me to come to New York and like
try to audition this summer. I really would like to
do that. And they're like, why don't you just go
to camp and be a kid and then if you
really want to do this, you can do it when
you're eighteen, And so I'm At the time, I was
really bummed out and hurt by that, But looking back,
I'm so grateful because you know, I don't know, I

(10:58):
just feel like the more like if you can live
and before you become an actor of the better. You know. Yeah,
it's such a hard business too, So I don't know,
there's there's I think they knew. I think they intuitively
knew that that like heartbreak was coming, So don't bring
it on so early, because this career is full of
heartbreak In hardship as much as it's full of you know,

(11:21):
amazing opportunities and we've been so fortunate to keep working
in this business for so long. But you know we've
each every actor it's gotten their heartbroken for sure.

Speaker 1 (11:31):
Yeah. I think that's one of those truths that's sort
of hidden from public view. People can look at careers
and go, wow, you know you've worked so consistently or
you've done so well, you made these things, and you're like, yeah,
I can count myself one of the lucky ones. And
still most of my life and career is based on rejection.

Speaker 2 (11:52):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (11:53):
Yeah, even when you're successful, it's mostly rejection.

Speaker 2 (11:57):
So really it can. It can take its toll on
you mentally for sure. And living in LA that can
that can really because you're always it's really unhealthy to
compare yourself to other people and you can never it's
easy to never feel like you're making it or good enough.
There's always another step, there's always another level that I

(12:17):
think the key to happiness is just to try to
get off that hamster reel mentally and just try to
pursue what's in front of you and do your best
and not being comfortable with anybody except yourself.

Speaker 1 (12:29):
I think that's really wise, and I think your parents
had such a good instinct to say, let's at least
wait until you're a legal adult, give yourself just a
moment to be a kid, because once you're once you
grow up. You know, air quotes for folks at home,
you never get it back. And it's cool to hear
that your parents did that. Mine did the same. And yeah,

(12:51):
when I really fell in love with theater, you know,
and I thought I wanted to be a doctor, you know,
my big dream was to be a heart surgeon. And
then I an arts requirement at the end of middle
school and I had to do a play. I was
so pissed about it. I was like, this isn't for me,
and uh. And then I went, oh, wait, a play
is just a book that's alive. Change my whole worldview.

(13:12):
And then I got so into it that by I
think the end of my sophomore year, I was asking
if I could start, you know, going out on casting calls.
My parents said, absolutely not. If you want to do
this when you're eighteen, we'll have the conversation. And I'm
really glad. I'm glad that I got to have a
sweet normal high school experience without all this pressure added

(13:34):
to it, because there's enough.

Speaker 2 (13:35):
Pressure out the California right.

Speaker 1 (13:38):
Yeah. Yeah, you know, ire I grew up in LA
like you know, Miracle Mile area, and then in junior
high I started going to school in Pasadena and that's
where I did junior high in high school. So it
was nice to just, yeah, have a moment before the
baptism by fire started.

Speaker 2 (13:56):
Yeah, so they were on the same wave life.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
We'll be back in just a minute, but here's a
word from our sponsors. So what happens when you get
to New York? Like, are you a wildly responsible student
at NYU doing all your homework and going on auditions
or did you just go crazy because you had moved
to New York City from Omaha and you were like,
hello world, what was happening you.

Speaker 2 (14:21):
More of that. I was always a little Yeah, I
like to get after it a little bit. And so
you know, I got to New York City and there's
no parents, and you know, there's no campus. You're basically
just a kid running around New York City that's in
the Midwest. That was like such a shock. So yeah,
I mean I took on. Yeah, I definitely had a

(14:43):
lot of fun. But I was a pretty good student.
I would say I was focused on the acting stuff
for sure. And I was in a conservatory type of
environment three days a week, like nine to five, you know,
acting class. The undergrad program, nay was fantastic, but I

(15:04):
was very ambitious, and I started auditioning right I found
an agent, started doing commercials, started doing like little guest stars,
like I got like a word on the Sopranos. I
got killed in Law and Order, you know, I got
a movie, you know, a civil action, and so I
started getting on sets and I was like doing extra
work so I could. I was like one of those

(15:26):
kids who was working and also going to school. I
didn't get a series or anything like that, but just
like little enough to like learn what it's like to
be on a set, and enough getting enough credits. So
after I finished college and I came out to l A,
I had I didn't. I didn't come to la with nothing.
I had like some some New York credits, which was
super helpful to get it. Even though I had one

(15:48):
word on the Sopranos. They were like, oh, Sopranos.

Speaker 1 (15:50):
I was like, yeah, it was really.

Speaker 2 (15:56):
Blink. You'll miss me.

Speaker 1 (15:58):
That's so great. So what made you make the.

Speaker 2 (16:02):
Move to la I just thought that. I went and
visited over a summer, and I got like two jobs
in the first week I was there. I remember I
got like the X Files, which I got cut out of,
but for some reason, I still get residual Thank you
for the thirty cents.

Speaker 1 (16:19):
I get nothing like a thirty four cent check.

Speaker 2 (16:22):
Oh boy, there was a Boston public I got that.
Remember that showing Fox back in the day. Yeah, I
ended up doing that again as another character, but uh yeah.
And then I went back to New York and I
was like bartending and struggling, and I'm like, I remember
one day I was like living in this small apartment

(16:42):
in the East Village on seven between B and C,
and and like I heard some water running and I
opened my bedroom door and there was just like brown
water falling from the ceiling and someone's the neighbor above us.
The toilet overflowed and just it's a leak. And I
was like, I'm out, I'm done. I'm done. When New York, Yeah,

(17:04):
there's coming from the sky.

Speaker 1 (17:06):
Like about yeah, like congratulations in New York.

Speaker 2 (17:09):
You broke me. And then yeah, I made the move
to LA. Uh and then yeah, but it's oddly enough,
like a few years later, I started working a lot
in New York, and so I'm kind of closed ever since.

Speaker 1 (17:22):
But yeah, that's always the interesting thing.

Speaker 2 (17:25):
You know.

Speaker 1 (17:26):
People have asked, Oh, because you grew up in LA,
were you in the business young?

Speaker 2 (17:29):
No?

Speaker 1 (17:30):
You you know you grew up in LA. You must
have been working there all the time. No, nothing shoots here. Yeah, no,
we go everywhere but here, And so it's kind of
interesting to realize that this is sort of the heart
of it all, but it actually takes place essentially everywhere
but Los Angeles.

Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah, I've been fortunate. I've actually gotten a few jobs
out there, which I've been lucky, you know. Yeah, it's
the best when you get at LA New York job.

Speaker 1 (17:57):
Online, Oh my god. Oh well, Chicago has the best food.
That's a good place. That's a good place to shoot
because you can go out and just eat delicious things
all the time.

Speaker 2 (18:10):
If you have to do a scene with your shirt off,
which I do coming up, Oh yeah, I thought I
was aging into a character actor. I got to do
this again.

Speaker 1 (18:16):
You're like, oh, but I've been eating deep dish every
night this week. Oh no, yeah, it's not ideal. Okay,
so talk about we we're going to talk about our project,
but we have to give the people what I know
they want to know. Talk about where One Tree Hill
fit into your life, because that's where we met. I

(18:38):
mean you you turned Jake Chigalski into such an iconic character.
We've talked about this a lot on Drama Queens. Everybody knows,
by the way, including your wife, who I love so
much and who's such a good sport. When we're like,
oh yeah, you know that, like everyone was in love
with your husband. We all cried when he left. She's like,
I know, he's the best, Jamie's the coolest.

Speaker 2 (19:00):
I mean that's okay.

Speaker 1 (19:01):
Who has like who that's with? Any of us has
seen it? Jeffrey's never seen it. Hillary teeses them all
the time. I don't know. I don't know what it
would be like to be in a relationship with someone
who was like, oh yeah, I was a huge fan
of that show. Weird, Yeah it might be weird.

Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, all right, So how did it come about?

Speaker 1 (19:21):
Well?

Speaker 2 (19:23):
I was in La after after New York, and I
was like, you know, bartending, catering, you know, struggling a
couple of jobs here and there until I got this
one movie for Paramount called The Perfect Score and uh,
you know, starring Chris Evans and scarletor Hanssen, Erica christensensual

(19:44):
probably casual huge. That job really did. I thought it
was going to change my life even more, like I
thought I would never have to audition again. That was certainly,
but it did actually change my life because it was
my first studio movie like like.

Speaker 3 (19:58):
A lead in like a lead And then the writer
of that wrote One Tree Hill, and also the director,
uh it was the producer of One Tree Hill.

Speaker 2 (20:11):
So they sort of I think they wrote this character
we had we really got on and they wrote this character,
Jake Tigelski, and they were like, hey, you want to
come in and kind of recur and this is the
I was like, wow, yeah, this is great. I mean
I think I did like a like a faux audition,
but like I think they were setting it up for me,
you know what I mean. They were like, oh, I

(20:32):
think I did. I think I did read but kind
of knowing that like it's mine to lose, which is
almost more pressure. I hate when that happens. It's like
they're like, oh, you got it. Just audition You're like okay,
And then I've done it this so many times where
I've just blown it because.

Speaker 1 (20:46):
Because auditioning is terrifying and nerve wrecking and I don't
know why we do it.

Speaker 2 (20:50):
Oh it, but yeah, and then I ended up doing
One Tree Hill and they wrote this great character, like
the most endearing character of all time. You know, a
single father in high school who's you know, doesn't he
has a zen like Buddhist quality to him. Uh, just
really well written character. I mean, honestly, people give me

(21:12):
the credit, but I'm like, I did I just showed
up and said the lines and was the guy. You know,
I didn't. I didn't write it. So it was it
was it was almost impossible to not root for J. T. Gelski.
So it was like it was such a it was great,
and I don't think any of us knew that this
show was going to be as iconic as as it
is still to this day. It's crazy. It's like, definitely

(21:33):
the most the biggest thing I've ever been a part
of that's like lasted the test of time. It's crazy.

Speaker 1 (21:39):
Yeah, it's pretty wild because we really didn't we didn't
have a clue. I think when I think back, what
really sticks out to me is what great chemistry we
all had, Like it felt like there was some magic
in the air whenever we were all together. And you know,
earlier today, when when we were doing some of the

(22:01):
prep for the premiere of our movie this week, I
remember I was saying to you and Jamie that it
was always really interesting to us because you know, we
started in July. Hillary and I both have our birthdays
in July. She and I had just turned twenty one
a week apart, and we were still like buzzing with

(22:21):
excitement that we could actually like walk right into bars.
We didn't need to figure out how to sneak into
comedy shows or whatever. And you were so cool. You
were just like, yeah, come on, guys. You were kind
of leading us around, showing us how to do things.
And you said it today. You were like you were
twenty one. I was only twenty four, and my brain
kind of broke because you really did. Like I know,

(22:44):
we were all friends, We've always felt like the same age,
but you had this very stoic sort of coolness to
you that we all were like, Brian knows what he's
doing like, if we don't know what to do about something,
we should probably ask Brian, like he'll have the answer.
And it's so cozy that you didn't feel that way.

Speaker 2 (23:02):
I didn't feel that way because I only I had
some experience, like we just went over, like I had
a couple of things on my belt. But I was
never a series regular like you were. And I mean
I did like one big movie and like it wasn't
even that big, it didn't do that well. So it's
just like, it's just funny that you thought of me
as that way, and I just I felt like just

(23:23):
a kid. But when you're twenty four, there's a big
in twenty one, there's a big that feels like a
big age difference at that time. Now, but at that time, yeah,
I could see how I look up somebody's twenty four.

Speaker 1 (23:36):
Yeah, well now we just all feel like the same age.
But it is you sort of go like, oh, you've
really been doing this for a while, and you know,
you were coming off that movie. And for me, I think,
you know, I'd done projects and some indie movies and
some TV stuff. I think the longest arc I'd had
on a show was on Niptock but this was my yeah,

(23:56):
like this was my first series regular job, and so
I was just looking around being like, okay, just do
what everybody else does, pretend you know stuff. And I
think I got a little bit of a pass being
from LA. People assumed I knew things, And meanwhile I
was sitting there like guys three years ago, like I
was in all girls school wearing a uniform. I don't

(24:18):
know anything about anything.

Speaker 2 (24:20):
I do remember like it happening very fast, like the
success of the show. I remember like, yeah, it was
only a few months, like we started shooting and then
we aired and then all of a sudden, like we're
doing TRL and I was like, oh, this is this
is happening, Like this is a phenomenon. It's like actually
connecting with an audience. And it happened quick.

Speaker 1 (24:41):
Yeah, it happened really really fast, especially because our show,
So we started filming in July for our friends listening
at home. Our show was supposed to be a mid
season premiere that January, and one of their shows wasn't
working and they canned it and they put us on
in September.

Speaker 2 (25:01):
Oh, so we only had like an episode or two in.

Speaker 1 (25:03):
The Yeah, so we got thrown on the air really fast,
and then the show took off and by the time
we went to TRL, like, the folks at MTV were like,
we had to hire extra security. We haven't had a
crowd this big since eminem came, and we were all
like what eminem us, Like, we had no idea what
was happening because we were all just you know, in Wilmington,

(25:25):
like getting peel and eat shrimp after work. We had
no clue what was happening out in the larger.

Speaker 2 (25:32):
For my point of view, like I wasn't a series regular.
I was a star so weird. So like I was like,
I'm going to tr L like I'm not even like
you guys were the I wasn't. I was getting paid nothing,
like I was just like.

Speaker 1 (25:45):
Bro, we were all getting fait nothing. It's okay, yea
more than me.

Speaker 2 (25:50):
And I didn't even know how to do the next episode.
I was dying to be a regular. I remember, I
was like, oh man, maybe they'll make me a regular,
and they're like the writers, so they gotta have to wait.
You know, it's it's looking good, but we don't know,
we don't know, And I was like I was still
auditioning for other things and meaningful the things. Remember I
got that other job Unscripted.

Speaker 1 (26:10):
Oh yeah, you mean that George Clooney show Casual Gay.

Speaker 2 (26:14):
Well you can't even find that show now, which is weird.
It's like evaporated to the ether. But it was one
of the coolest things I've ever worked on, for sure.
It was the HBO show called Unscripted that George Clooney
and Steven Soderberg and Grant has Left created and it
was about actors making it in Hollywood. It was like
a faux reality show where like I was pretending I
was playing myself, but it was like a version of myself,

(26:35):
and yeah, the whole thing. But I remember like HBO
was like, we want to make you a regular. We
want to we want to do in this series, and
we're gonna make you regular. And then as soon as
like the WB at the time heard that, They're like, oh,
we want to make Brian a regular, I was like,
too late. I'll I mean came back and we you

(26:55):
know a p year.

Speaker 1 (26:57):
You know, well, you that was one of the things
that was so much fun is every time you had
some time in between gigs or things, you would come
back and you know, I remember when you went and
did Prime and if you haven't seen Prime, like rom
com fans, what are you doing? It's such a good movie.
It's Brian and Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep like hell

(27:17):
that way, hello, what an insane thing. And we were
just like our friend is a movie star. And then
you would still come back and hang and it was
really special. I think to all of us that you know,
you always made time where you could for the show,
and I know that it really did create such a
really special, like lasting effect for all the fans too.

Speaker 2 (27:39):
Well. I loved you guys, I love the character, and
I just loved working on it was you know, I
wanted to do it until I actually couldn't you know
what I mean. It was like I felt like, you know,
I was on Montreal for three seasons, and I felt like, yeah,
maybe Jake could have gone on and done more. But
I felt like it was a really good arc. I
feel like I did, uh, you know. I felt like

(28:01):
history was told and it was it was good. I
mean that show has like so many different iterations, like
so many different cast members coming in and out. But yeah,
I don't know. And then I, you know, I went
off to do other things, but I was I tried
to make time and come back when I could. That
was just a crazy time in my life, like there's
so much coming at me, and it just came to
a point where like it wasn't feasible anymore. And I

(28:23):
also felt like the story was told like that.

Speaker 1 (28:26):
Yeah, I get that when you really feel like something
has has come to the end of its track. Yeah,
it's nice to go out on a high note. And
I'm sure your knees thanked you that you didn't have
to play basketball for eighteen hours a day in converse anymore.

Speaker 2 (28:39):
Yeah, they put me in converse as my feet.

Speaker 1 (28:43):
I remember you like we would have days in the
gym where by the end of it you were just hobbling,
and I was like, we are too young for you
to be in this much pain. Somebody get this man
some insoles.

Speaker 2 (28:54):
Good memory. Yeah, that was Uh, that was brutal being
in a real sport.

Speaker 1 (29:00):
Yeah, well it was fun though, because you're a good
basketball player. James was such a good basketball player. Obviously,
so many of the guys who came in, like Naian
and all the boys were really good, Like they really
did play. And there were days I remember in the gym,
like watching you all from the sidelines, being like, God,
they really are having fun. And it was sweet to

(29:21):
watch because I think that energy was palpable on screen.

Speaker 2 (29:26):
We love those days because we would just get to
play ball and then we played ball all the time
outside shooting too. Yeah, it was great. I have a
lot of fond memories of that shows. Like I said,
I've been all in the world. I've done a lot
of different things, but that's the one job that, like,
you know, I think people know me for and I'm
really grateful for it. And I'm just it's so hard

(29:48):
in this this career to like do anything that connects
with an audience and that continues to connect with generations
of audiences. So I'm just really grateful the attorney to
play that character. I love it and subjumption.

Speaker 1 (30:05):
I was gonna say, like, how how do we tell
folks what the fast forward looks like? Because for the.

Speaker 2 (30:12):
Frames, Oh you became a big TV star, you're very
sweet and a movie star.

Speaker 1 (30:18):
Well, we're all just out here trying to do things
we love.

Speaker 2 (30:21):
Yeah, yeah, very successful. Didn't return my calls for years,
Oh you wish?

Speaker 1 (30:27):
And now a word from our sponsors who make this
show possible. It is actually really interesting, isn't it like
that we we all went off and did so much work,
but we always stayed connected. And do you think that

(30:50):
being on sets like you were so young, like going
and working with producers of the Soderberg level, like watching
Merrill on set? Were you do you really feel like
you were kind of preparing yourself to write and direct,
maybe even subconsciously, or was it like something do you

(31:10):
remember when consciously you decided that that was something you
wanted to pursue.

Speaker 2 (31:15):
You know, It's funny. I don't remember consciously, but I
remember consciously like being a sponge at, you know, whenever,
whenever I'm on a set, I'm always like, every day
I have two goals like what can I learn? And
how can I be surprised? And how can I surprise myself?

(31:37):
You know, And that goes every day on a set.
You know. I'm always looking to learn, I'm always looking
to surprise myself. And I think that that what keeps
me in the quest of being curious and listening and
and so I didn't know that I wanted to write,
but I think, you know, when I went to n

(31:59):
y U They didn't teach us to write our own stuff.
We were just training to be actors and interpret the
writer's material and be vessels for the script and that's
it and just you know, do that. And I think
it's like five years younger than me, like the Donald Glover's,
the Mindy Kalings, you know. Uh is like all these

(32:20):
people like these I'm sorry, they all like started making
their own stuff. And I'm like, wow, that never occurred
to me. You know, that wasn't thought like I thought.
I was just in this lane, you know, and had
hyper focus on being an actor. So you know, the
truth is there's a lot of ups and downs in
a career and I was at a downpoint and I

(32:42):
wasn't getting the roles that I wanted and I was
working but not being challenged, I would say, and I
dig deeper and and I was I don't know this.
This idea came to me for junction because you know,
I went in for a routine surgery a few years

(33:05):
ago and I was prescribed oxy cotton and I became
somewhat hooked. I want to make it very clear that
I'm not an addict and I'm an ally but I
just but I. I did have like a little scary
time there, you know that I was like, oh, this
could go either way, you know, And there's a couple
of months I just don't remember, and and uh and

(33:29):
so I was was I wanted to I wanted to
kind of understand the crisis, the opioid crisis, and and
talk about that in a film. How do I do that?
So I don't know, I just that's what started inspiring
me to write. I think it was during during COVID
I and uh yeah, I just was like, really had

(33:49):
time and I just want to put all my energy
into it. And I enjoyed it. And then it's funny, Mom,
you know that I'm writing. She's like, you know you
started as a writer. It's like what She's like, Well,
you know when you're a kid, you used to write
all those short stories. And I was like, oh, yeah,
I guess I did when I was a kid, and
you know, I wrote music and I was always writing.

(34:10):
You know, I just didn't really think of myself as
a writer. But yeah, I forget the question.

Speaker 1 (34:18):
No, I The question was just how how did you
decide to do this and you know, with this project
and to become a writer and a director. And I
think it's really interesting because it kind of goes back
to my first question, right, like who were you when
you were little? You do, in hindsight see that parts
of yourself have always been there, that you've always been

(34:40):
expressing this part of your creativity, and you know now
you've got a movie that you wrote, directed and started
coming out Hello.

Speaker 2 (34:49):
Love It's crazy. I mean, you just I guess being
an actor for so long, I love it, and I
continue to love it. I'm on a show right now
just as an actor, and I'm very grateful and I
still truly love the craft of acting and I'm very
dedicated to it. But it is limiting in the sense
of storytelling, like you can only do use your body

(35:10):
and voice and interpret these lines. And I just felt
like I had had other skills to tell a story,
and I wanted to put them to the test, and
and I thought that this is the story I want
to tell. And there's just so many tools, like working
with actors, working with an editor, working with the DP.

(35:31):
It's like, it's so fun. And I wanted to do
set out to direct to see if I really could
do it, because I was like, maybe I could do
this maybe I don't know. There is only one way
to know. You just got baptism through fire and just
throw stuff into it. And I just wouldn't take no
for an answer, Like I just kept people trying to get

(35:52):
me off the project or the producers I brought it to,
like maybe if you're not directing it, we can get
a may because you're first time er, nobody cares, don't know,
you know, you know that kind of thing. I'm like, no,
I think I can do this. I think I I
think I want to I do want to do this,
I want to do this. I'm going to do this.
And I just like kept that focus and you know,
eventually found the money and you know, which was huge,

(36:13):
and that that that validated the project. And then you
know came on board and you know, so many great
actors came on board and here we go.

Speaker 1 (36:21):
You know, yeah, it's so exciting and you put you
put such a beautiful cast together. You wrote a really
beautiful script. You know, when you first called me and said, hey,
I would love it if you'd come and work on
this and you know, play my character's ex wife and
this is what it's about. I was like, yes, and

(36:42):
you were like, well, read it, and I was like, well,
I'm going to read it obviously, but like the answer
is yes, let's go do this movie. And it's just true. Man.
I think, I think the people who know you and
love you not only you know, do we love who
you are as a person, but like we know your
taste level, and you are a really insightful, really talented human.

(37:04):
And I knew that this was going to be really special.
And one of the things I really appreciated about it
when I sat down to read the script for the
first time was the way that you humanized addiction through
your character. You know this, as you said, you experienced
this guy had a routine shoulder surgery, and you know,
when you're getting your arm opened up or your back

(37:25):
opened up, these medications can really make the difference for
people being able to recover and still be in their lives,
to not be so immobilized by pain. And yet there's
like that razor's edge of this medication can help save
your life after something potentially catastrophic happens, and it can

(37:46):
also take your life. And I'm really curious. You know,
you talk about how you didn't wind up in full addiction,
but you wound up realizing that this medication was in
you in a way, it was making it was making
you sick. How do you think you identified the difference?

(38:08):
How do you think you knew to make a change
before it had gone too far? Because I asked the
question really, because this is a crisis, This is an
epidemic around the country, and I would imagine there's people
listening today who have either been through this or have
family going through this and are probably going but yeah,

(38:30):
how do I know when to say something? Or how
do I know when to ask for help? So, being
as in tune with your body and your mind as
you have to be to be a performer, how did
you know when you were on the kind of dangerous
side of that edge?

Speaker 2 (38:46):
Well, my pill intake would just keep going up, becaues
it would work, you know, like it started one, three, five, ten.
You know, it's just like you keep popping sip a
couple of beers. Help that help that kicks in, you know,
like and then you just then all of a sudden,
it's like four or five months ago by and you're like,
where am I, What's going on? What's happening?

Speaker 1 (39:05):
And they just keep prescribing them to you until they
didn't ah, and and you're I basically was cut off.

Speaker 2 (39:13):
And I you know, it's not that hard to go
and find the pills. But you know, I don't want
to say that, like I'm stronger than you know people
who are addicted, because I'm not because I was addicted,
but I just didn't And it does. The thing that

(39:35):
people don't understand is that, like when you're on taking
those those many opioids, it really does complicate and compromise
your your frontal cortex, so your decision That's why I like,
why would you ever do something like that? It's because
they're not thinking, well.

Speaker 1 (39:49):
Yeah, you're like, it's not me who did it. It
was a diminished me. It's a diminished person from the
side effects.

Speaker 2 (39:55):
Your decision making processes compromised. So I could have gone
to the streets found it. But I am a very
I don't know. I guess I'm lucky that I'm a
very headstrong person. And I mean the same thing, I
used to smoke cigarettes and and I just didn't like
having that. I needed it for when I was happy,

(40:19):
when needed it when I'm sad, And it was the
same thing, like I just I don't like having something
over me, you know that really it kind of I'm
not good with authority. I don't like people telling me
what to do. I don't like it, you know what
I mean. So I don't I don't know. I just
I think there's something like there's a little bit of
a fighter in me that wanted to just like fight that.

(40:42):
And it was hard getting off those bills. I was sick,
very sick for a few days. And that's not a
good feeling. And I understand why people don't want to
feel that way. And it's you're just physically, you know,
you're sweating your feverish 're like it's like it's like
the worst flu, and it's you're not just grown up.

(41:03):
It's like it's not a good feeling, and you'll do
anything to not feel that way. And that's why people
go to the streets and you know, final alternatives. But
I don't know. I guess I'm just I'm lucky. I
didn't get too far in too deep. I got I
had a brush with it, you know, yeah, not to
scare me, but not enough for a full blown addiction. Gratefully,

(41:25):
because I've lost friends and I know people that have
passed and it's a really scary thing. So so, yeah,
that's that was my personal experience with it. But I'm
very I'm one of the fortunate ones.

Speaker 1 (41:37):
Yeah, did did that sort of full picture experience, knowing
that perhaps it had gone another month, you would have
been so sick that you might not have been able
to stop, knowing that there's folks who you've known and
loved who aren't around anymore because of this. You know,
the I would imagine the influx of the news where
every day there's more stories, and every day there's more

(41:58):
horrible things happening, and you know, we're watching the pharmaceutical
lawsuits and we're hearing about the death rates around the country.
How did all of that make you decide, Okay, I'm
going to write about this. Not just I've been through this.
I could advocate for a charity, I could go and
speak to students, but like, I want to make something

(42:22):
about this. I want to get this story out of me.
What was that?

Speaker 2 (42:25):
Yeah, I think at the time, you know, it takes
a long time for these films, to independent films to
get made. Even though I wrote this four years ago,
you know, it took it took a long time to
get it made and get the funny and get to
get it out there. But you know, at the time,
there were no stories being told about it, and I
think that's kind of what another thing that was pissing

(42:47):
me off. And you know, since then, we've been very fortunate.
I am I'm I'm so happy that other stories are
being told about this, like Dope Sick. I think it's
Danny Strong did an amazing job on that who uh
Me series. But I just wanted to encapsulate it was
it was one personally. It was a way for me
to get my head around this sort of overwhelming crisis

(43:12):
and and try to understand it and and and so
I would cold call journalists who were understood understood what
was going on with like the Sacklerts and and Prdue Pharma.
And you know, I was writing this while the story
was changing. You know, before they they were uh found
guilty but and they're still trying to fight it through

(43:33):
bankruptcy courts. But uh but it was an evolving story
and I'm not an expert, so I sought out the
experts to to to help me understand it. And I
don't know, I just wanted to paint. I didn't want
to just do attic porn and just show like one
because we've seen those movies. But you can't tell the
story without telling that part of it. But I also

(43:56):
wanted to show, like all the cogs in the wheel,
in the net, in the big in the in the ship,
in this ship that is sinking. I just thought you
had to tell three different points of view to kind
of encapsulate all of that. And it was my way
to bring awareness to the to the crisis that at

(44:18):
the time people were speaking about, to bring humanity to it.
And I didn't want to do like like I mentioned,
Dope Sick, because I think it's great, but we didn't
have the luxury of, you know, seven eight hours to
tell the story. We had ninety minutes, So I didn't
do the exposition of this is not the opioid crisis.

(44:39):
If you want to know how the opioid crisis started,
don't watch this movie. This is not like an educational film, right.
I try to make a character film about seemingly good
people who get caught up in this this evil.

Speaker 1 (44:52):
Machine and now a word from our sponsors. And that's
one of the things I love about the movie. You know,
you structure this all in one day, and we see
these three storylines, you know, these three verticals, if you will,

(45:16):
and each lead of their own storyline. You know Ashley's character,
doctor Davis, this doctor who runs a pain clinic, which
is is it a pill mill? Is it not? Who
is she? Why is she so motivated? What's going on
with her kids? What's happening with her finances? We see,

(45:37):
you know, the patriarch of a big pharmaceutical family whose
company is being sued over their distribution of opioids. And
we see your character, Michael, this character, yeah, you know this,
this man who runs a restaurant and has a beautiful life,
but everything sideways. The restaurant is risk and his wife

(46:01):
is now his ex wife. That's me for our friends
at home. You know, the relationship he has with his
child is strained. And what I love so much about
what you put into our storyline is that there's obvious
pain there. Obviously this couple has been affected by this
addiction and who knows whatever else, But we vacillate between

(46:22):
fighting and laughing. You see love between these people. You
see across all these three storylines. You see who these
people are. You see who loves them each. You see
who they go home to. You see that anybody who
we've made into a statistic or a villain or a
victim is a whole person.

Speaker 2 (46:45):
Yeah, yeah, and that's what I learned.

Speaker 1 (46:48):
I just think it was a really really meaningful way
to show people how this happens and who it affects,
and what the ripple effects of this crisis are. And
even though it's a movie about a heavy subject, there
is love and there is joy, and there are these
things that you wouldn't necessarily respect.

Speaker 2 (47:07):
Yeah, yeah, because you know, I was I didn't want
this to be a tough watch all the way through.
Like we know it's it's it's we know what we're
getting into with what the subject matter is, and it's inevitable,
like this is not going to be a comedy. But
you know, so I think to be true to the
subject matter, you have to be you know, it had

(47:28):
it had to be dramatic. But you know, in saying that,
I didn't want to make it hard on the audience,
you know, like I wanted to like you'd fall in
love with these people and enjoy being in a room
with them and knowing them, and yeah, like you said
it beautifully like our relationship between Michael and Allison. What
I love about it is like they are divorced, but

(47:49):
they love each other. They love each other so much.
And I don't know, I haven't seen that that. I mean,
I'm sure that exists, but I haven't seen a lot
of that maybe. And I thought that was a really
fun to play with. And there was room for comedy.
And we're joking around. Even in the lowest of the lows.
There's still jokes being cracked and that's real, that's you know,

(48:12):
And I didn't. I just think if you want to
be real and you want to portray an accurate, uh
you know, characterization of these of these people, like you
can't paint them as black or white. It's gray. And
sometimes they do bad things, but they mean well and
sometimes they you know, it's just complicated. They all have

(48:33):
their different reasons, even even Lawrence, who's that so the
quote unquote you know, uh, evil patriarch. You know, he's
trying to protect his family. He's trying to protect his
family's legacy. He wants you know, he's got his own
reasons for doing this. He's got his own ambitions and
dreams too, and those are human beings and we're all
complicated and up and and and it's not black and white,

(48:55):
and I just I'm more drawn to that. That's what
I'm that's ultimately and I was most interested in writing back. Yes,
it takes place within the opium, in the world of
the okioid crisis, but really it's like these characters, these
nuances that I was I was fascinated by and then
I wanted an export.

Speaker 1 (49:12):
Yeah yeah, and I love it and it really it
was so special to finally get to see the movie
because you know, did.

Speaker 2 (49:20):
You watch it last night? Did you get chanted?

Speaker 3 (49:22):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (49:22):
Well, I know I watched it. I watched it at
home on Saturday. I was like, I don't want to
see it with an audience for the first time. But
it's just it's really beautiful and it was really interesting too,
you know, because for me being in it. I love
when I'm in something and I get swept up in
it and forget that I'm in it. Yeah, that's always
really special. And then I get to have this dual

(49:46):
experience where I get to watch it technically and see
what takes and what shots round up in it, and
I just get to be an audience member, and I
had both of those things, and it flashed me back back,
you know when we first come on screen together, where
I was like, oh my god, I forgot how fast
we shot this movie.

Speaker 2 (50:07):
Oh my god, seventeen days.

Speaker 1 (50:09):
Seventeen days, a whole movie in seventeen days. So for
our friends at home, you know, Brian's talking about the
fact that it took four years to get this movie
made from top to bottom, and yet we had to
shoot it in seventeen days. How did you get your
head around starring in a movie having written it and

(50:30):
directing for the first time because you didn't have the
luxury of a three month shoot to do two scenes
a day. We were jamming through stuff. How did you
feel prepared for that? How did you keep your head
screwed on well?

Speaker 2 (50:45):
Hiring actors like yourself who you didn't have to worry about,
Like I don't like if I didn't give you one note,
I still know you would have been great, you know
what I mean? Like just knowing you could bring it
and I did. It's just took such a relief. I mean,
of course I tried to, you know, in preparation, we
talked a lot about the characters, and and you know,

(51:06):
you just in prep, you trust with your crew and
and and your producers and your actors, and then with
the scenes that I'm in with you, like I wasn't
directing those scenes. I was just in those scenes as
an actor with you, you know. And I don't remember
if I gave you a lot of direction on the
days when we were working together, because I feel like
I was just kind of in the moment with you,

(51:27):
you know. I mean maybe we tried different things, but
I don't know if you might remember more because everything
was such a blur, But I feel like I just
kind of like let it go and just was an
actor because I didn't want to be judging you while
doing the scene with you. Yeah, it hard for you
as an actress different. I don't know if you've worked
with actors who have been directors before. I've never done that.

(51:50):
I mean, I guess with Minnie Kaaling, she was like
the writer and I would work with her that was there.
She wasn't directing, though, But yeah, so I wonder how
that was for you as an actor.

Speaker 1 (52:01):
I will say, I think especially when you're kind of
gorilla shooting like we were, where everything's just so fast.
It was really nice that we have such a history
and a familiarity and a shorthand together, because it's much
easier for me to sort of take the normal pressures

(52:22):
of the first day on set and throw those away
with a trusted friend, Like when you have twenty years
of fill in the blank chemistry, intimacy knowledge, you know,
language inside jokes with people, it changes your comfort level.
And so it was kind of cool. I think that

(52:44):
we were just like, we have no time, We've done
the thing, we've done the calls in the zooms, we've
got pages of notes in our scripts, and let's just
do this. And you know, when I think about our
last day of shooting, when we finished in the gym
and the kids had to be wrapped because they have
their schedules, and then we and did our whole you know,
gallery shoot in the back room, and then it was like,
we got two hours, what can we shoot? Let's just

(53:06):
let's just improv a scene. Let's go, And it was
so great.

Speaker 2 (53:10):
Yeah, well we just like you were so great, and
I was like, we have you, We've got a two hours.
What can we do, Like, let's just let's use you
like in that that's in the movie. There's nothing that
we shot. There's not a scene that we that was
scrapped in this movie. I didn't have a second to
do overtime, you know, like it was so tight like
some of these shots, and they had one take to

(53:31):
do it. You know, it with a really tight, tight shoot.
It's a miracle that it came together it did. But yeah,
I mean, I think it's just like having actors like
yourself who were just so good and I remember you
came up with And also like I really tried to
not have an ego, because how could I have an

(53:53):
ego as a first time director, Like that's ridiculous. I've
never done this before. I was confident in the telling
the story, but I wasn't confident overly confident and pretending
to know things I didn't know. And my philosophy was
best idea wins. And I remember you had a line
pitch that is in the movie that you came up

(54:14):
with that I think, and I just thought it was
like a throwback to a line that I said. I
don't want to spoil it, but it's just like it's
in the movie and it's a really great moment, and
you know, that's all you, you know, And I mean,
I guess I'm credit myself for like letting it happen,
but like that's all you, you know, I mean, you brought.

Speaker 1 (54:34):
It, but well, thank you. That's the thing, though, it's
when you collaborate well with people and to your point,
when everybody shows up and checks their ego and it's
just ready to go, Like it's so refreshing. That's why
you can, if you have an extra hour on a day,
say hey, let's throw three people in a car and
go make it up as we go along. Yeah, you know,

(54:57):
That's what I think I love about independent films the
most is that, like nobody's showing up on an independent
movie to pay the mortgage. We're showing up because we
believe in the project. Yeah, and it does give you
It's like Gooney's energy, where you're like we're going on
an adventure and whatever happens, we're in it together and
it's really special.

Speaker 2 (55:15):
Everybody has to be on that because like and the
crew included like want the roll up our sleeves. It
just like this is gonna be tough and no one's
getting rich and just every we get on the same
page of like wanting to tell the story. And how
fun is this? How fun is this that we get
the main movies and it's hard to get everybody on
that page when it's like you're doing long days and
it's like, you know, like no one's getting paid, but

(55:37):
you know it, I don't know. I love making independent films.
I love it because I've been on like huge budget
movies and I just feel like nothing gets done. And
you're making a movie by like committee as opposed to
like independent films, where it's like a person's vision and
you just get in line with that and and like
you don't have the luxury of time to screw it up.

(55:58):
You just have to keep shoot. There's an energy to
it that keeps your toes and it's exciting, and I
feel like that translates on camera and through you know.
I don't know, I love it. Yeah, that's truly my
heart lives.

Speaker 1 (56:14):
I love that so much. How was it for you?
I mean, not only were you juggling all of the
biggest plates on set, but you were also making an
entire movie in seventeen days with two babies at home
and Jamie, you know, for our friends at home, Jamie Chung,
Brian's dreamboat of a wife, Like you know, again, we

(56:36):
talk about all of this a lot on the other podcast,
but when we watch the show and we all gush
about you, and then we're like, can you believe we,
like we're so obsessed with Jamie, Like maybe we even
love her more than we love him. Who could ever
love anyone more than Brian? Like Hillary and I just
giggle because you know, we're obsessed with you, guys, And
it was such a cool thing as your friend to

(56:57):
like every once in a while, I had to sort
of zoom out and go like, look at what he's doing,
Look at what she's doing. Look at this character she's playing.
It's so smart and thoughtful and different than something I've
seen her do before. And like hold on, they have
two twin babies that they also are dealing with right now,

(57:17):
Like how did you do it? How did she do it?
How did you do it? As a couple?

Speaker 2 (57:21):
Did do it a lot this? I gotta just take
a moment to thank my wife, Jamie Chung, Like this
movie doesn't get made without her. Tell you how passionate
I wasn't telling this story and how hard it was
to make this movie, and I got my chance to
do it. The kids were six months old, twins. Yeah,
and that's a tough ash. And this shot in Rhode

(57:44):
Island and we lived in Los Angeles at the time,
and she let me go off and chase my dreams
and held it down and our family helped helped her out.
And not only did she held it down with the kids,
which at a really hard age, she came to Rhode
Island and knocked it out the park in her role.

(58:06):
And so I don't know, I'm just I'm eternally grateful
to her for letting me do this movie. I mean,
she really did allow me to do this movie. She
said no, it's too hard, and I get it, but
she didn't. She supported me, and it's amazing.

Speaker 1 (58:21):
Yeah. I like that you use that word allowed, because
I know what you mean. You don't mean it like
in the parental sense of like you're allowed to do this.
You mean like she made the allowances, she made the
space for you to take space for yourself to go
and achieve something, and that you know. I mean, we've

(58:44):
talked to you other through a lot of relationship drama
in twenty years, and like one of the things that
makes me the happiest as your friend is to see
this really symbiotic relationship you too have cultivated in your
marriage where you really can like flow and tip the
scales to be this total package as a team. And

(59:08):
to do that, To to do that in the first year,
where you've gone from a team of two to a
team of four, is like an exponentially more impressive feat.
And you managed to do this really impressive thing while
also both giving incredible performances in this movie. It's like
layers on layers of impressive love.

Speaker 2 (59:30):
But that's the other That's what it goes back to, Like,
I you know, you cat. I cast Jane because I
know she could kill it, you know what I mean,
Like it wasn't just because she's my wife. It's because
she's an amazing actress and she's my wife. But it's
like she's an amazing actress and that's a really horrid
role to come in there and be that endearing in
that you know, heartbreaking of a character and just doing
in a scene or two. It's like it's that easy

(59:52):
work for an actor to pull that off. And she did.
And I knew she. I knew she had it in
her on the depth in her But yeah, I mean
it's uh, it's amazing. It's just truly grateful and not
just Jamie, but like everybody who came to play it,
Kaandla Conlin, Ryan Eggles incredible and this is so good,

(01:00:12):
oh so good, Griffin Dunn, Josh Peck, I mean, uh k,
Thomas Hill, Harper Dashed my hug. I mean, everybody is
so good in this. It's like I can't believe I
got you all in the movie, right, because it's I've
worked with first time directors. It's a risk. I don't
usually do it anymore, to be honest, because I'm like, eh,

(01:00:33):
I don't have it in me, you know. So I've
had some good experiences, I've had some bad experiences, but
it's usually a turnoff if I hear first time director.
And so for you wants to come on board and
just have the trust and faith in me to tell
the story, It's like I'm eternally grateful. So I owe
you one oh man always.

Speaker 1 (01:00:55):
And now a word from our sponsors, how is it now?
You know we fast forward, I mean almost two years
from when we shot the movie. Yeah, how does this
feel to be on the precipice of it coming out?

(01:01:17):
And what is it like to now have toddlers? And
like does it feel crazy like no time has passed?
But so much time has passed?

Speaker 2 (01:01:25):
Oh? Man, I know. It's like I've been very busy
since the kids have been born. I mean, Jamie has
been very awesome. I'm in Chicago right now shooting a
series not with my family, and again she's holding it down,
and so I am just like we have waves, like
like I've had ways where I've had to sit down
for a few years. You know. Right now I'm standing up,

(01:01:46):
you know, and then I'll have to sit down and
she'll stand up. And it's just I think that's the
beauty of being married to an actor. And she's also
not one of the crazy ones. Oh, we we're all crazy.
But uh but you know, I feel like she's pretty
grounded for for for being an actress and like, I
don't know, I think she just knows this is my

(01:02:07):
time to do this and and so she's been very
helpful and and supportive. But yeah, it's it's been crazy
watching The Journey of Junction. I just keep pinching myself
because it's been it's been no the whole way, Like no,
no one's gonna make a movie about to hope yours.
No, No one's gonna make your first time director. No, you're
acting in it too. No, you know you know it's

(01:02:28):
like no, no, no, no no. And then all of
a sudden, it's like we start winning festivals. You're like, whoa, Oh,
I wasn't crazy. You know this is awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:02:37):
You're not crazy.

Speaker 2 (01:02:38):
You can see what I was seeing. Like it's not
not about the awards or any of the acoletes and stuff.
It's more just like validation have like, oh, yeah, this
story did need to be told, and and you know,
I feel like it's connecting with an audience and and
it's so exciting, Like the press we're getting is amazing,
and I can't wait for the premiere on Wednesday, and

(01:03:00):
you're going to be doing the Today Show and it's
like all this fun stuff. It's just like this is
the fun part, you know, this is where you get
to enjoy the ride and celebrate the hard work that
we all put into it. So I'm really pinching myself.
I'm saving the moment because I know after this, it's
like I don't have another movie lined up to direct,
Like I don't you know what I mean, I don't
know what. I might be super depressed a like in

(01:03:22):
a week, but right now I'm like on cloud nine.

Speaker 1 (01:03:25):
Oh I love that. I love that. And you know
what feels cool too, is you're going to get this
moment like you're on the ride and it's all celebration
from here and then you know, you get a beat
with your family, you get a beat with your babies.
And it's so cool as your friend to watch you
in this phase because you're being celebrated in your career

(01:03:47):
in the way that you deserve to be. And it's
been so fun to watch you be a dad because
you wanted to be a dad for such a long time.
Is it like everything you thought it would be and
all the things you didn't know it would be.

Speaker 2 (01:04:00):
You know what, It's given me a purpose like that.
I was always I felt like I was waiting to
be a father for a long time. You know, I
played Jake j Goils, played a lot of dad. I
think I had dad vibes, you know, early on, but
I you know, it took me a long time to
become a father. And it's so weird. I feel like,

(01:04:22):
in a weird cosmic way, like I've just kind of
cracked the code and like I feel super grounded. I
feel like I have an extreme purpose in my life.
I love my boys so much. I'll do anything for them,
and it's I do it, and I do it. It's
like it's completely about them now, as much as I
have all the stuff going on, but it's like my

(01:04:43):
focus is you know, as actors, it's all about you.
Can I get your coffee And it's so nice to
like live for something else, for something more. Like I
was bored. I was how many concerts could I go to?
How many you know, vacations can I go on? And
you know, I was just getting a little I've I
felt like selfish. I was like living my life only
for me, and now I get to go Like I

(01:05:04):
hate Disneyland, but I went to Disneyland and it was
great to watch it through their eyes. You know, I
get to see the whole world through their eyes and
then light up when they play with the train set
and it's just like, I don't know, I feel like
I've been enlightened, I guess as a way to put it.
And I feel like the person I always wanted to be.

(01:05:25):
I feel like instead of like trying to be that person.
I feel like I am that person. I don't know
if that makes sense. And like you, I feel like
a confidence that's like a in an emotional depth that
I can really lock into now that I was always
hoping for now I have as an artist. It's I

(01:05:45):
do feel different. I do feel like I'm a different person.
I love that. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:05:51):
Maybe in a way, you're actually just more yourself, like
you've grown into the fullness of yourself.

Speaker 2 (01:05:58):
I'm still growing, yeah, but yeah, yeah, that's another way
I put it. Yeah, I do feel like I've grown
into the flunced with Yeah, I love it. I don't know.
It's it's a lot, you know, I mean, having at
this age and working and doing it's just it's a
lot of hats and but I'm not bored. Yeah, not bored.

Speaker 1 (01:06:15):
I love it. I love it all. Right. Well, we're
in this phase obviously where you know, you said it,
you're kind of floating, like we're at this end stage
where it's all celebration for this project that's been making
and right, well that yeah, but they're really great so far.
You know, when you're at this point where your boys
are just getting big enough that they can play with

(01:06:37):
each other and you're in this groove. But what whether
it's looking back at this last year or perhaps looking
forward into what's coming in the spring, Like, what do
you think right now in your life feels like your
work in progress.

Speaker 2 (01:06:54):
It's a good question. I like how you brought it, you.

Speaker 1 (01:06:57):
Know, all the way around to the title that last question.

Speaker 2 (01:07:05):
I love the title of that work in progress. It's
great because I do I don't feel like you ever
make it. I do always feel like you're you're growing
and learning. I need to put junction Like in a week,
I just feel like I can't write or think of
the next story or I mean even the show that
I'm on, Like I'm having trouble focusing and just like

(01:07:27):
escaping into the role because I'm so still in Junction World.
And I just need to close the chapter on this
and celebrate it. And I think after you know, we
do our little press tour and we do premiere, I'll
be able to just kind of put it, put it down,
and really like I can't. It's hard for me. I'm
trying to write something, but I'm having a lot of

(01:07:48):
difficulty because I'm still a Junction World. So yeah, I
think I'm gonna and I'm gonna allow, but I'm a
big believer in the subconscious and just letting that. You know,
it's not have deadlines, but it's also nice to just
dream and just walk around and have thoughts and like
listen and see what those thoughts take you. And I'm
really looking forward to I mean, as much as I

(01:08:10):
would love to have my next project set up and
ready to go in you know, in the summertime, and
you know, keep that keep that answer, will going, I
don't have it. Honestly, I don't have the next project
set up. So I'm just gonna. I'm just gonna dream
and just and just find it and know that this
I proved myself that I can do it, and I
will do it again. It's just gonna be a lot

(01:08:30):
harder because now I get your kids and they do
it's hard to write when you get two kids.

Speaker 1 (01:08:35):
Yeah, nap time, that's what that's for.

Speaker 2 (01:08:38):
Exactly. Well, I love it, and I you can I
ask you.

Speaker 1 (01:08:43):
What my work in progress is. Yeah, oh gosh, yeah,
you know, it's interesting. It's like I think for me,
there's been this coalescing of things that I know. I
love to learn, I love research, I love social science data.
I love to know why we function the way we function,

(01:09:05):
what things everyone's going through that feel unique but they're
actually universal. What's finally started to click for me in
a really interesting way is I feel like all the
knowledge I've been collecting for a long time has gotten
out of my head and into my heart. And I
didn't I didn't know that I wasn't like in my body.

(01:09:25):
I didn't know that I was intellectualizing a lot rather
than feeling a lot. And to be in a in
a phase where I'm like, oh my god, do other
people feel like all the way to their toes? Has
everyone just been living like this? This is crazy?

Speaker 2 (01:09:43):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:09:44):
Yeah, So I think. I think I did a lot
of work and I think the I think now I'm
I'm like in progress. I'm embodied and it's it's wild.
I think what it can take to get there in
a life. But I'm immensely grateful for how present and

(01:10:06):
whole everything feels right now. And for the first time
in my life, I don't feel like I'm in a rush,
like I'm just moving slow and happy. Yeah, And that
feels nice.

Speaker 2 (01:10:19):
You seem happy, and you know, just as your friend,
I'm so proud of you and just the leader you've become,
and and and the woman you've become, and just like
how you've always been championing social justice causes and and
you're just such a you're such your born leader, like
I look up to you as a friend, like I'm
like you set soul, you know, and and and your

(01:10:41):
curiosity is is what keeps you going. And I don't know,
I'm just so proud of you.

Speaker 1 (01:10:47):
Thanks, But I'm very grateful that you know, twenty years
ago we got thrown on a basketball court together. You're
a real one.

Speaker 2 (01:10:54):
I have thought.

Speaker 1 (01:10:56):
I know we did good. Huh kidd all right?

Speaker 2 (01:11:00):
Progress, I know, I know.

Speaker 1 (01:11:02):
I can't wait to see what we're doing in the
next twenty you write it, let's go, okay, let's do
another one.

Speaker 2 (01:11:10):
Oh still comedy now, oh.

Speaker 1 (01:11:12):
God, please, let's do a rom com.

Speaker 2 (01:11:15):
I'm actually That's what I'm working on right now is
wrong com. I want to light it up. I'm like done.
I thought it was good and important, but I'm ready
to just not be so serious.

Speaker 1 (01:11:23):
You know what I want to say forever every time
we make a movie, I and be like, yeah, I
said yes before I read it. So I say, yes,
let's go make a rom com.

Speaker 2 (01:11:30):
I'm in all right, that helps, okay, right with your
voice in mind?

Speaker 1 (01:11:35):
Okay, great? Oh buddy, I love you. I'm so proud
of you. Thanks for coming.

Speaker 2 (01:11:39):
Today, Thank you for having me. This is so cool.

Speaker 1 (01:11:42):
Yeah, I have a ball in Chicago. I can't wait
to see you at the premiere. If you sneak some
deep dish home on the plane for me, I won't
say no to it.

Speaker 2 (01:11:51):
What's your favorite one out here?

Speaker 1 (01:11:53):
I mean, I feel like I always get in trouble,
but like I really, I was always a lum mal
Naudi's girl.

Speaker 2 (01:11:58):
So I gotta try that next.

Speaker 1 (01:12:00):
Oh it's yeah, yeah, after you're done with that and
you don't feel the pressure, I'm just I'm going to
send you my restaurant list with my like my star
items on the menu at every single one. Yeah, yeah,
I got you. I know of some things that are
off menu at Oshibal that I can't talk about on
the podcast, but I will text you. Ever.

Speaker 2 (01:12:21):
It's crazy, Ever, I love it, Buddy, to me, this
is awesome in the movie. I can't wait for everybody
to see your performance.

Speaker 1 (01:12:32):
I can't wait for everybody to see what you made.
I'm honored to be a part of it. Okay, honey,
I love you, I'll see you soon. Go