April 20, 2023 • 49 mins
In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, Kyle McMahon talks with Matthew Maher about playing Air Jordan designer Peter Moore in Ben Affleck's Air.
Then Kyle talks with the Broken Lizard comedy troupe (Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske) and Adrianne Palicki about their new Hulu film, Quasi.
PLUS, Kyle has your chance to win two tickets to Taylor Swift - The Eras Tour in Philadelphia!
Listen to 20 Questions: On Deadline on the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming: https://www.deathandgrief.show/Chapter-One-The-Diagnosis-AKA-WTF/
---------------
Get all the Pop Culture Weekly podcast info you could want including extra content, uncut interviews, photos, videos & transcripts at: https://podcast.popcultureweekly.com
Watch celebrity interviews at: https://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahon/videos
or Kyle McMahon YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/officialkylemcmahon
Read the latest at http://www.PopCultureWeekly.com
Follow Kyle on:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kmacmusic
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahon
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kmacmusic
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/officialkylemcmahon
Website: http://www.kylemcmahon.me
Pop Culture Weekly twitter: http://www.twitter.com/popculturepodca
Then Kyle talks with the Broken Lizard comedy troupe (Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske) and Adrianne Palicki about their new Hulu film, Quasi.
PLUS, Kyle has your chance to win two tickets to Taylor Swift - The Eras Tour in Philadelphia!
Listen to 20 Questions: On Deadline on the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming: https://www.deathandgrief.show/Chapter-One-The-Diagnosis-AKA-WTF/
---------------
Get all the Pop Culture Weekly podcast info you could want including extra content, uncut interviews, photos, videos & transcripts at: https://podcast.popcultureweekly.com
Watch celebrity interviews at: https://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahon/videos
or Kyle McMahon YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/officialkylemcmahon
Read the latest at http://www.PopCultureWeekly.com
Follow Kyle on:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kmacmusic
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahon
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kmacmusic
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/officialkylemcmahon
Website: http://www.kylemcmahon.me
Pop Culture Weekly twitter: http://www.twitter.com/popculturepodca
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, I talk with Matt and Mar from Air, and the broken
(00:05):
lizard crew about their new film Quasi, Let's Go!
Welcome to Pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from My Heart Radio.
Your Pop Culture News, views, reviews, and celebrity interviews on all the movie's TV
music and pop culture you crave weekly.
Here's Kyle McMahon.
(00:25):
And welcome to Pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon.
I of course, and Kyle McMahon.
We have an awesome episode for you today, and I'm really, really excited about it.
There's so much going on, and there's so much for me to tell you about, and that's
(00:50):
why we're everywhere you are, whether it's video or audio, the podcast on the
radio, wherever you're listening around the world, blogs, social, you know, we got
you covered.
So I just try to put out as much as I can everywhere to get you all the news that you
need in Pop Culture.
So this week, I've got some awesome interviews.
(01:14):
Air, which you saw my review about, and I love that film so so much.
It's such an incredible film.
I talk with Matt Mar from air.
He plays Peter Moore.
He is absolutely incredible in the film brilliant, in fact, and I have a feeling he'll be up
(01:36):
for a best supporting actor award for awards season from everywhere, just a hunch that I
get just because he's so awesome.
And he's such a great guy.
So I talked to him, and then I talk with the cast of broken lizards, quasi, this film is so
funny.
(01:57):
If you like super trooper, super troopers too, club dread, you'll love quasi.
It's really funny.
It's more historical than stuff they've done before, which is really interesting in my point
of view.
And I asked them why that is.
And so they talk about that and so much more.
So I talk with Adrian Policki, who stars in the film, along with the broken lizard guys.
(02:22):
Jay, Shandra Saker, Kevin Heffernen, Steve Lem, Paul Soder, Eric Stahlhonsky, and as I
said, their new film out quasi is really, really funny.
It's streaming right now on Hulu in celebration of Ford 20, which is, you know, you know,
(02:44):
Ford 420 is we all know what Ford 20 is.
International pet year bunny day.
So let's get right into it.
Oh, let me also tell you, you know, I people ask me what sources do I read, you know, or
get I guess consume.
(03:04):
I get my info from everywhere, Twitter.
I mean, obviously also my friends and contacts in the industry, I get press releases
sent to me.
I'm, you know, I'm obsessed with pop culture just as you are.
So I'm also on Twitter and Reddit and Apple news and Google news and everywhere.
I also love variety.
(03:25):
That's an incredible website billboard or music.
Obviously it's the industry Bible.
Deadline.
I love Deadline.
Absolutely love Deadline.
Deadline is, you know, they've got your TV, your film, theater.
It's just breaking Hollywood news.
So I love them.
And we will be working with Deadline.
(03:47):
I'm really, really excited about this.
They have got some awesome talent over Deadline.
Obviously, that's why they've been around since 2006.
And I'm going to have some of the editors start coming on.
Probably once a month or so, we'll just talk about, you know, what's going on in this
industry that we love so much.
Whether, you know, it might be a special event that's going on.
(04:08):
It might just be the state of whatever summer content, whatever it is.
So one of their great podcasts that I really, really love is called 20 questions on Deadline.
And it is literally, you know, every episode, a star reveals their toughest moments, their
best advice, biggest fears, it's 20 questions.
(04:31):
It's hosted by Antonio Blife, who is Deadline Senior Awards Editor.
And they have some awesome, awesome, awesome guests.
So if you like the guests, we have you'll love the guests that they have over on 20 questions
on Deadline.
I think last week was Ralph Machio, you know, they've had Gary Oldman, Jason Seagull, Jenna
Ortega, lots of great, great artists.
(04:55):
I highly, highly recommend that you go and check it out.
I will have 20 questions on Deadline in the show notes.
So you can check them out as well.
And of course, Deadline.com, they are breaking news throughout the day.
I mean, 24/7, you know, they're breaking news.
I love Deadline.
All right.
So let's get into, oh, I cannot forget this.
(05:19):
How could I freaking forget this?
I'm giving away two tickets to see Taylor Swift on the Aeros Tour in Philadelphia.
It's right.
She's doing three sold out shows in Philly and I have your chance to win.
Obviously, we're not providing transportation.
(05:39):
So you gotta get here yourself.
But go to the website, pop culture weekly.com.
And it'll redirect you to my national site.
Then on that page, you'll see promotions.
Click on that Taylor Swift picture for your chance to get to Taylor Swift tickets for
(06:00):
the Aeros Tour brought to you by pop culture weekly.
I'm really excited about this.
This is an awesome giveaway.
And the contest is on right now.
There's rules and all that stuff, which I'm sure you know.
But you'll see all the rules and all that good stuff.
You'll see it before you register to win.
So you know what you're getting into.
(06:22):
Phoebe Bridgers is opening up for her for the Philly shows.
So it's May 12th, May 13th and May 14th are the Philly shows.
Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
So I'm really excited for this giveaway.
So go register to win.
(06:42):
I hope you win.
Good luck.
And please, I've gotten already a gazemillion messages, emails, angry tweets saying,
please pick me.
I don't pick it.
I don't pick it.
I only see the winner.
It's a software that does it.
They don't allow me to touch the software.
So it's fair, which I love.
So I don't even see the names of people who's registered.
(07:03):
I heart, you know, does it?
They send me the winner.
I get to deliver the good news.
That's my extent of picking a winner.
I don't.
Okay.
So good luck to all of you.
I'm really excited.
And I'll see you there too.
I'll be there myself to see.
Tate on the Ares tour.
All right.
(07:24):
So let's get into my interview with Matt Mar.
You know, I loved air.
I love air.
It is one of the best films I've seen in a while.
It really, really is an incredible film.
You may have read my review.
If you haven't got a pop culture weekly dot com and read my review on it, it's a really, really,
really good movie.
(07:44):
The performances by everybody, the writing.
I mean, you already know how it's going to end and you're still on the edge of your
seat the whole time.
It's so good.
Matt Mar is a big part of that.
So let's get into my interview with him.
Here he is.
Matt Mar.
Thank you for joining me.
(08:04):
I really do appreciate it.
I absolutely love air.
It is so good.
I have got to say, I'm not a huge sports guy.
And that doesn't matter with this film at all.
It's done so beautifully in every single way from the writing, the directing, the soundtrack,
(08:26):
the performances right down to you.
And so kudos on that.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I'm glad you like it.
I'm not much of a sports guy either.
Or a sneaker guy.
OK.
Yeah.
I mean, I wasn't hardly at all.
My brother, my brother, my brother, co-actor, Air Jordan.
But I was never a guy into it.
(08:49):
But so I came into the experience really clean.
But I really enjoyed working on it.
It was really fun.
Yeah.
It seems like one of those films that at least as a viewer, you can tell sometimes when people
really click.
And it seems like all of you guys really, really clicked in this film.
(09:09):
Yeah.
It was really--
I was such an easy environment.
You just walked right in like--
I had gotten some research, obviously.
And he had just passed away, Peter Moore, just passed away when the offer came.
(09:32):
So I wasn't able to meet with him.
But I did a bunch of research.
And so I had these ideas.
But then it was very important to ban, I think, to create new characters, like to honor
and to people.
But also make a movie based on these people.
But it's going forward and making interesting new people.
(09:54):
And so suddenly, Charlie's his costumes.
And I had this big beard, which I had fully intended to shave off.
And he could speak to more.
And then he was like, no, I love to be a green beard.
I was like, OK.
And Charlie's had this such a specific visual idea.
(10:17):
And I just looked like, oh, I have this--
as soon as I got there, the characters were came together.
And I was like, I such a clear vision of a guy who lives in suburban--
the suburbs of Washington and where's weird sweaters and has his thoughts.
And it's hard to articulate.
(10:37):
But suddenly, he just became a new character, as soon as I arrived on set.
And I was like, this character make perfect sense to me.
And all I need to do right now is just
get your out and how to say these lines.
And it just worked out.
And then was like, that's great.
You know, it's very not all created processes or like them.
(10:59):
You can't even try for a process like that.
You just everyone's going to wild happens.
And you're just grateful for it.
Yeah.
And I'll tell you, as a viewer, I'm grateful for that process, too,
because it really, really is.
I was crying in the theater at the film.
It's just so good.
And for me, it's really-- I lost my mom two years ago,
(11:23):
most of the day to pancreatic cancer.
And this really for me is a story of a mother's love.
And on one side, and then on the other side,
on how really thinking outside of the box and being
nimble, which is a word I hear buzzword, I hear a lot,
(11:48):
can sticking to your vision and your dreams
can really get you somewhere.
And that's very representative of, in my opinion,
Michael Jordan's life as well.
Yes, totally.
But I think it's so interesting.
And what's the prize?
My wife actually saw the movie, which
(12:09):
hadn't really put in for me.
I was thinking of it in terms of my own character,
which was going through a midwife crisis.
And not himself very athletic.
And he's just like his own process
and this moment presents itself in suddenly
there's a way out to where he feels stuck.
(12:30):
And I think the reason what makes his successful
is that there is a connection between these eternal people,
these characters that Michael Jordan or Patrick
Ewing, where we are like, these are like,
secular dogs, people are like capable of great things.
(12:51):
And we love them so much, because we ourselves
are getting older and we're getting weight.
And our lives are complicated.
And sad, and they're not there's joy.
And then there's also like, deaf, and all these things
are happening.
And I just thought, well, people get really into sports
(13:14):
because it offers them a respite from thinking about, well,
their own mortality.
And I thought a movie has like, oh my God,
the movie is absolutely a hundred percent about that.
And that's like, and the speech match speech at the end,
which they sort of have worked on in shape,
(13:34):
just like really just said that.
And I think that that is one of the reasons why people
are connecting so deeply to it,
is because it actually leaves room for our sadness
at our life and the joy at the same time.
And the correct guys is that joy and sadness
are the same thing.
And people who real sportsman, I think, actually,
(13:57):
understand that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I've been working on this show since my mom
passed called Deathgreaf and other shit we don't discuss
where I went around the country.
And interviewed all different subject matter experts
on the various facets of death.
And so ultimately life.
And I think one of my biggest takeaways
(14:18):
from doing that limited series is that you can't have
happiness without sadness.
You can't have.
So I'm putting it in terms of my mom.
I think about this a lot.
Would I, going through, it was horrible what she went through.
And then what we went through,
(14:41):
would I change any of that?
If it meant that I got to live the life that I did,
previous to that with her.
And I wouldn't.
I couldn't have all of those happy loving years.
You know, I wouldn't be going through the sadness so intensely
(15:04):
if it wasn't for all of those happy moments.
And that lifetime of love that was giving you have to have
won in order to have the other.
Yes.
Yeah.
And like, my, yeah, I walked my father.
I'm so sorry.
Yes, likewise, to use well and before my kids were born,
he was T pass way in 2016.
(15:26):
And my first kid was born in 2019.
And my second, just like eight months ago.
And my love for them, their both boys,
is like when I'm really contemplated,
I cannot contemplate it without also being sad
that my dad is not there.
Like they cannot, one cannot, they're enjoying.
(15:49):
No meal.
Joy at my kids and the sadness are not having my dad.
They're the same.
They're resting in the same place.
You know?
And both are get bigger and more real.
And more comforting in a way.
Because even then the sadness feels like,
I mean, you know, what I've been saying for years
(16:15):
about both losing a parent and having kids
is that they're two craziest things that can happen to you.
And it's insane that they happen to
that losing a parent anyway happens to actually everybody.
Every single person loses parent.
If you're appalling that like everybody is going through this
(16:36):
in some way, it's insane to contemplate.
Like God, I can't get through my head.
That the one thing that I went through in my life
got was the most difficult thing.
And also, you know, because sad is thing,
was also the thing that literally I haven't come with
every other person on earth.
It's crazy to me.
(16:57):
I can't cross that side.
And if people are saying, "I'm not having kids,
"not everybody has kids."
But it's crazy that we just have kids.
We're in charge of like raising them and making them better.
It's so difficult.
And so spend almost all the time
wonderfully and hard that like, "I'm like,
(17:17):
"this is common, like all these people are walking around having babies."
It's boggle-semane.
You know?
So yeah, anyway.
Just when far afield from what you're saying.
But I connect with what you mean, a good joy and a sadness.
(17:39):
And I do think that God sends a joy and sadness,
especially as it connects to middle age, where I am personally.
You seem like a younger man.
That's part of why people are really loving the movie.
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean, it really does.
It gives me a kind of, as I'm sitting there in this theater,
(18:03):
which is what great art does in my opinion.
It kind of made me think as the credit started rolling.
I need to, I see Ben's characters, his kind of life motto for the business on the wall.
And I'm like, "I need to write mine down."
Just all of these things that I'm like,
(18:24):
it's just such a great movie on every single level.
And it's in my opinion a very, very special film.
Before I went into it, you think, "Oh, it's going to send around Michael Jordan and all that sort of thing."
As I heard that it was being made and all.
And I love what the way that they handled that,
(18:47):
that it's almost secondary.
And then we all know the outcome of the film,
what the ultimate ending of the film is going to be.
But it has us on the edge of our seats the entire time,
which is such a special thing to do.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's very, it's very clever, got way.
Actually, it's, I mean, a lot of sports movies are based on true stories
(19:12):
that where you end up sort of reliving this event.
I mean, when I watched the last dance, I was like, "Oh, there's no way the bulls are going to win a scour."
I don't mean that you're possible. They should go away.
Yeah, but God is the key.
Or like, in theater, you know, tragedy, like a ham, whatever,
(19:36):
a dollhouse where like, "I think we got to be in."
Like, when it's well done when you connect on a human level,
or when I think it's done with heart.
And I think Matt and Ben engaged in this movie.
You know, I don't know the deep, well, keep, but they brought to it a lot of
(19:59):
bare own heart, you know.
And it's worth, I always thought, one thing I did think we're going into is
like, "These events were occurring when I was in high school,
when we were on, we all went to high school together,
and gay wearing high school.
And that is just right, right around the time in their life.
Like, gay, we're like, "I have a thing that I want to do."
(20:21):
And I'm going to risk everything to do it.
And I think it is crazy that they did it.
You know, like, it really did it.
Like, they have had dreams of becoming gay, much actors.
And gay did it, like, more than most other gay, much actors.
You know? And I think God is also kind of a crazy thing that happened to you.
(20:45):
You know, to get everything that you want.
And to become an iconic figure in your own field, you know.
I think that's almost in its own way kind of traumatizing this wrong word.
But you mean, I think they're still working through in some way.
The fact that they were dreaming in the same period of time, the community said,
(21:07):
there's like really big dream.
And decided to gamble a lot to make it happen in that may go.
And I think like one thing, gay of toxicists or an interviews or to me.
But my theory I have is that they're working through those feelings.
And some of the go-go-go-working crew got event.
And like, the most human way possible.
(21:31):
You know, by focusing on like human beings who are basically already failed a lot already,
but we're going to even come to this moment.
Yeah, I love when people say talk about overnight success.
You know, somebody we were talking about my show and they were, you know, they were like,
oh, it's all happened so quick for you with the show.
And I'm like, no, it didn't.
(21:51):
You know what I mean?
I failed so many times before it started getting traction.
And you're seeing, you know, that part of it.
But you weren't seeing the years of, you know, my old show.
And, you know, retooling and me working until 3 a.m.
You know, five nights a week trying to perfect everything and that overnight success is like,
(22:15):
doesn't really exist.
You know, people just see, oh, the movie stars, Matt and Ben.
And then don't see all of the heartache and tears and blood and sweat.
And yourself as well, where, you know, you worked so hard for so long
that then when it happens, it is nacing, you know,
(22:36):
to some that it's kind of this overnight thing or whatever, but it really is a lifetime's worth
of work into that.
Yeah.
And success is complicated, as failure.
You know, in a way because I was talking about this trick with a friend, a friend just around
the success of a movie where you're always like, oh, god, I really just want to, you know,
(23:02):
one of the goals is an actor to be in a hit movie, you know, and I've done TV and I've done,
I've been in other things and a lot of theater have done very very well, but this
we look like a particular like this movie is going to be a really big hit.
And it weirdly is like great.
(23:25):
It makes, I feel happy as long as I think about Matt and Ben and how hard they work.
And got how present they are in their own achievements.
You know what I mean?
I know, I've known them for decades and I just feel particularly happy for them.
(23:45):
Even though they have many other successes, I just feel happy for all of their successes
for something I just feel like, wow, I'm very warm feeling for them around this movie.
You know, they've been working hard for decades, really trying, putting their heart into their work
and they have found again after, you know, a trick away of putting their heart out there and
(24:09):
people are connecting to it. And that, I think, is very meaningful. And I'm able, it's easier for me
to be happy for them and be happy for me because when you're inside of it, you know,
people coming up being like, air, it's amazing. Hey, hey, and I'm like, yeah, I mean, I just got up
six this morning with my kids and I returned to me. Like, my life is sort of the same,
(24:34):
you know, it's a success that you sort of abstract thing in terms of like, you know,
I had a really good time working on the movie. That was it's main, it's main role,
main role, the main reward, you know. Yeah, I, I, I love that and I love that you're in touch, you know,
with that. Did you feel any responsibility to, you know, playing a, a real person, yeah.
(25:03):
You know, I, I did, I did at first. It was the first time playing a real person.
The, it was the first time I ever played a real person. And so, um, I was like, oh, shit, you know,
this is, oh, I'm sorry, but you're totally fine. I was like, this is a big deal. And then,
I, I looked at documentaries. I'm like, I really looked at much, I Peter Moore, you know,
(25:28):
and then, but like, I've heard, okay, okay, you know, Matt and then want me to be in this movie,
we met, why me being in this movie, and so, whether it doesn't matter. And then I showed up,
on set, and I had this kind of big beard. And I assume I was going to shave it off, I didn't want
(25:48):
to shave off until I got to set. So if I could do whatever I want. And then, I was like, I love
the beard. Keep the beard, I love it. And I'm like, okay, there's nothing beard like about Peter Moore.
And then Charlie's like, like, hooked up, all these like hilarious, these like awesome costumes,
(26:09):
these sort of prints, sweaters. And suddenly, this whole new character, so it was like appeared,
like around me, uh, of course, like, I was saying before, like, it's sort of suburban,
a centric suburban dad type, who's like, you know, uh, we're like a very specific Northwest sort of
(26:31):
brainy guy who lives in like an ice house through this life and has this whole life, but it's
in God secretly. Like, because I walked into the thing, because he's always been obsessed with
basketball shoes, and now he designed basketball. And like, and that there's that idea. And so Peter
Moore, the real person who was a genius and did many great things, and then there's Peter Moore,
(26:53):
the character in this movie, who was potato playing a particular role in the narrative, you know.
So it's like Dick Sunny Vicarro, like, was he contemplating his own mortality when he signed Michael Jordan?
Who knows? And the movie is doesn't care. You know, like, uh, I mean, the, maybe the closest
(27:16):
person, the closest performance, like, closest real life is by with Iowa Davis, as the Laura's, just because,
you know, she is like speaking, she sort of almost seems to be in her performance, and when she's written,
like, speaking from the real world. You guys are having a feeling, but I am in the real world. And
Michael Jordan is actually my son. And we're talking about actual business decision. And, um,
(27:46):
and God, I think it's also a very clever choice. But in general, even her, I think, uh,
we're characters in a movie. And story, you got banned, is really interesting and telling.
For you, finally, um, you know, trying to be a spoiler-free as possible at your character,
(28:10):
really many of the characters, there comes a point where, um, this, you realize that this is your chance,
this, you know, this is your opportunity to really go all in and it could change your life.
What was that moment either personally or professionally for you and your life if there has been one?
(28:33):
I think, you know, there goes moments, it's cyclical. Go moments sort of come for me like every few
years where it's just like, Matt, okay, what are you thinking about this? Okay, so,
Matt, this is what you want me to do it. And for me, it was moving to New York. You know, in 2020,
(28:53):
and then a few years later, it was like quitting my day job. You know, after I had some success in
theater, I was like, well, if I want to start doing more TV movies, you're not just like tiny parts,
I'm going to have to become available and not have like this office job, which I actually really enjoyed.
Left-acto and dang it. Are you going to go to LA? And so then, if you were to get our
(29:16):
one to LA, and then, you know, nine months after God, you're like, are you going to get the
fuck out of LA? Can you hate it here? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And you'll go back to New York and
Recommit. And then it was, you know, are you, are you going to have children? Are you going to
have, you know, can Recommit to this thing that you want? Like, so, it goes never one moment.
(29:41):
Goes, specific moments really. Those are some specific moments where you just have to
where you are going along, going along, and you become aware of like, what it is you have already been
going and just like, okay, so are you going to be consciously doing this thing and really do it
with your whole self or you're going to kind of bone it in. And so, I've always been like,
(30:06):
okay, stopping going in. Make the difficult choice to try and honor these decisions that you
are kind of already making. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, that's so beautiful. Matt, thank you
so much for speaking with me. I could talk to you forever. Air is absolutely stunning. You
know, your performance is is so amazing. And I, you know, you deserve all of the success and more. So thank
(30:32):
you so much. Thank you so much. I really enjoy talking to you. Me as well, please come back for your next
project. Okay, I will. I will. Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome guy. Isn't he such a nice guy, such an
incredible actor? I can't wait till his award till, you know, he gets his flowers, this award season,
(30:53):
because I'm telling you, Mark my words right now. He is going to be nominated for everything. All right,
we're going to go to break, which allows me to continue delivering this show. We'll be back in one moment.
All right, next up. So quasi, he heard me talk about it before such a really funny movie. It's
outstreaming right now on Hulu. And if you love broken lizards, like I do, you will love this film
(31:21):
quasi. It basically follows a hunchback who is looking for love, but he gets himself in the middle of a
deadly feud between the Pope and the King of France when they kind of order to kill each other. So it's
really, really funny. You know, broken lizard, the comedy trope, they formed their comedy trope at
(31:45):
Colgate University back in 1989. And you know, would just do skits and sketch comedy around campus. And
they all were members of the same fraternity beta theta pie. And then they started doing short videos
under the name Chargus Peak, which, you know, they now are known as broken lizard. And then they went on
(32:08):
to produce all kinds of stuff. You know, they have puddle cruiser super troopers club dread, which I love.
It's like a take on the kind of harsh horror genre. Dukes of hazard, which Jay directed from 2005,
that starred Johnny Knoxville, Sean Williams, Scott and Jessica Simpson. And of course, all of the
(32:28):
broken lizard trooper did cameyers in the film. They did beer, fast love that movie. The slamming
salmon, super troopers too back in 2018 and now quasi. So I'm really excited for this interview.
We're going to start before we talk to broken lizard. We're going to start with Adrian Pelickey. She plays
the queen in the film. She plays the queen in the film. Has sterically funny. I love her in this. She of
(32:54):
course she was Miss Perkins and John Wick. She played Lady Jay and Jay Joe retaliation and for a very long
time. She was she starred as Tyra Colette in Friday night lights. Also for you fellow MCU fans, she was
Bobby Morris, aka a mockingbird in agents of shield. And for you sci-fi and comedy fans like myself,
(33:21):
she plays Commander Kelly Grayson in the Orville. So she's awesome. Let's get right into my interview
with Adrian Pelickey. Thank you so much for joining me on I Heart Radio's Pop Culture Weekly. I really
appreciate it. I love the film. I think it's hysterical and you are great. The whole cast is great.
(33:45):
But I got to ask you what was it like to do quasi? It was, it was honestly one of the most
amazing experiences of my entire life. Wow. It was so fun. I was petrified going in. You know what?
I mean I'm walking into the den of these guys who've been working together forever in our hilarious
(34:06):
and already have this relationship and feel comfortable with each other. From the moment I met them,
it was like boom, boom, boom, boom, chemistry. They made me feel like I had been with them the whole time.
You know, and it went itself to make this really fun movie that I literally at night didn't want to go home.
(34:27):
I wanted to keep, I wanted to keep, you know, doing shit. Absolutely. Yeah. And that's, you know,
you can't, it's hard to call it. Where it's, I feel like the same doing my job. Like it's hard to call it work.
When I love what I do. Exactly. Exactly. It makes such a big difference. I got to dress up
and I got to live out my childhood dream of being Princess Buttercup. So it's like, you know,
(34:52):
absolutely. And speaking of that, your character is very much a centerpiece of this film.
As you're reading the script, where you, you know, where you, like as you said, you know, it's,
it's a, there's a lot of history to, to her in many ways in, you know, kind of the lens of,
(35:13):
of the historical part of this film. Was that like, as you're reading this, or you're like,
oh my god, this is so cool. Like, where you're like fanboying out?
Totally. I was like, this is, this is what I'm in my dream. Also, these guys can really write for a woman,
which is awesome shocking because not a lot of people, that meant not many here.
So I love that she's always as smartest person in the room. She's like, come on, guys. Come on.
(35:39):
Let's do this. I know I'm a woman, but, you know, she tells it like it is in that like her.
Yeah, she is awesome. And, you know, as I talked to the guys earlier, and they were telling me how
they originally saw themselves as a money python, as a money python, as group, where I didn't
(36:03):
realize that a few of them are actually, were actually history majors. And so they were interested in telling,
like, you know, a historical story that they never were able to get greenlit before. And now they're
able to do that, you know, from you being kind of the quote, outsider of broken lizard in that regard,
(36:23):
did you see that with them? We're like, they're like, nerding out to to finally get to do this,
like, passion project. Absolutely. And even when I got the phone with them, I was like, I was like,
it feels like mine python, which I grew up loving, like Holy Grail was, you know, a staple in my home.
So seeing it and just reading it, and like this is what they're tapping into, and they were so
(36:45):
excited that I got it. But also, I didn't realize that they had written it the same time they
written super-tubers. Like, that's how long ago. And this is how, like, this is their passion project.
And seeing them all just to play different characters. It was just so fun. There's the best people in
the world. They don't fight. They don't argue. I mean, they, my bigger, like, brothers, but
(37:06):
they just have this great feeling about them. Like, all the people that work with them, like,
the crew, and then working with them for years. And there's some of them are family members. Like,
it just feels like you're just playing. Yeah. Thank you so much. And right now, I can't
people even get to do this. Did you, you know, they have a very successful niche, particularly with
(37:35):
their improvisation. Did you get the chance to do that as well? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
And how was that? I feel like it was always like a prerequisite. But that was that was the thing that
was I walked into petrified about the fear of like, I would have had to done this in years. And again,
(37:57):
just that comfortability, the way that they just bring you in and make you feel like it's a big
warm hug and your safe. And so, you know, it was like, after day one, I was like, all right,
here we go. That's cool. That makes you feel good. You're like, okay, I can do this. This is
(38:17):
so cool. And how do you, you know, I was wondering, how do you like on a film like that where you
have a script, how do you improvise like for you in particular? Like, are you just whatever kind of
comes to your head that you just kind of say or how does that work? I feel like I would be so nervous
that I want to rehearse my improvisations. You know, I mean, absolutely. But, you know, I think
(38:41):
that's the thing with comedy, especially that kind of thing. If you overthink it, it feels
stale. I mean, we shot everything that was on the paper on the page. But then it was like, okay, we got that,
let's play. And sometimes I'm like, you're reading it. I'd be like, okay, that might be a funny
thing to say there. But most times it was just about listening because you know what they were going to
do. So it's like, you know, okay, all right, I can play with this, you know what I mean? They say something
(39:06):
and it's like, okay, just just listen and instinctually, don't think about it. It's like, just
lead. I really love that. And you know, so I was talking to Nick Cannon the other day who I admire
greatly for all of the different kind of things that he does. And as him and I were talking,
(39:27):
I'm like, wow, I'm like, you know, I'm interviewing somebody on my show that kind of does something
that I aspire to do, you know, and all the, he's so successful and so many of the various things he does.
For you, you know, I was thinking about this. For you, when you're with this, you know, these
comedy, you know, I mean legends in so many ways where, you know, they've done all these great projects
(39:55):
super troopers and club dread and I did you kind of find yourself like, you know, kind of taking notes
at some of their comedy style or, or what have you? Absolutely. Absolutely. The thing to about
the way that they work is every time there would be changes in the script, whether it was like one
(40:17):
joke, two jokes, whatever. We have another table read. So it was so fun to get to sit and watch them go
through their process. And then they would sit there and they'd riff and they'd be like, okay, well,
maybe this will be funnier here. Maybe this will be funnier here. And so that happened constantly.
And I think that was probably why I felt so comfortable by the day I walked on set to say, like, whatever,
(40:39):
you know, I mean to have that in frog moment because that we're watching their process,
watching how they work and getting a sense of that already, kind of play the end all that
comfortable. I love that. And you know, and it is, I always enjoy the process of seeing other
people that do what I do, watching them, just because, you know, I can always learn something. And
(41:02):
and I love that they because it seems to be from my understanding kind of rare that that if you're not
one of the writers to kind of be in that situation, and it seems awesome, you know, as an actor, and especially
successful one like yourself, to be able to then kind of go in that other side if you will,
(41:24):
and take part in that part as well. Absolutely. And that's a great way to put it because yeah,
like actors don't tend to be in the writers or in the writers will be there to be able to read to take notes
and make the changes, but there's not, they're not talking about it there. And because they're the
writers, directors, producers, actors, all of them in the movie, I get to be privy to to see
(41:44):
the making of how it all goes down and how to make it better. And actually be a part of it.
You're like, I haven't been saying that thing there. Yeah. And will you take that to your future
projects? Like can you see some, you know, some of what you learned in doing quasi, can you see yourself
making any, you know, things that you kind of picked up that you like that you're like, you know what,
(42:06):
I'm going to do that for my next project. I mean, maybe, you know, I've written a couple of scripts
with my writing partner and whatnot. They're not common to yourself. So that, you know, a little different.
But even just the directing style is somebody who'd wanted to direct at some point, you know,
watching have, he's so amazing. He's so put together. He has it all, you know, he is funny as
(42:32):
that guy is. He was really like, he kept things in motion. And there were a lot of moving parts.
And the guys don't have to get changed back and forth sometimes twice in a day.
So to see how all that worked and how he did it with such grace. I'm like, okay, those are things that
I'm going to take. Take in the future. That's awesome. Thank you so much for speaking with me. I can't
(42:55):
wait till everybody sees quasi, which streams exclusively on Hulu on April 20th, which is of course
National, I love donuts today. So of course. Yes. Thank you so much.
Adrian Polickey love her. She is great in this film. She's great. And everything she does.
(43:18):
But she's especially funny and quasi. All right. Let's get into it. Right. Let's just jump right into it.
Broken lizard troop. Here they are. Jay Shandra Saker Kevin Heferman. Steve Lamm.
We're Lemme. Paul Soder and Eric Stohansky. Broken lizard. Thank you everyone for joining me. I really
(43:46):
appreciate it. I love this film quasi. And I've got to ask Jay. I'll start with you. What?
When you're trying to decide it's topic, as you're writing, what drew you to this?
Well, we were, you know, some of us were history majors. And so we also thought at the time,
(44:09):
which, you know, we wrote this very early in Broken Lizards existence, like three or four years into it.
So we thought we would be more like money Python. We thought we'd make a money Python style.
Louis, so we set it in France and we did the whole thing. But if the budget of it was always too high
for us to ever, you know, raise the money privately. And so a no studio was like willing to do it until we
(44:33):
eventually fox search. I do make a lot of period pieces said, oh yeah, we'll make this movie.
I mean, it was kind of, it's been like 30 years in the making. I love that. And Kevin, for you,
when you, I mean, obviously you guys have all worked together for a long time. But when you have a cast like this,
you know, what is it like as a director on that side of it to kind of wrangle these guys together for
(44:58):
their various roles? Well, I mean, we've been doing together for so long that there's just a second hand,
you know, communication. And we've gone to the point where we're so comfortable with each other,
that it makes it simple to improvise and to, you know, do fun things on the set. So it is also kind of a
support group, you know, in the sense that, you know, everyone's got your back, you know, there's no wolves on the set,
(45:20):
you know, everyone, we're all friends. So it just makes it a very comfortable atmosphere to work in.
You never have to tell the actors what their characters, I mean, the revolution was just like,
yeah, no shit. Dude, I wrote it. Yeah, so we're trying to get it. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, and there's not many, you know, there's not many groups that really can't are able to say that
for films, especially regularly like that. How do you guys, how do you find, you know, especially as we
(45:48):
said, you're working, you know, so closely with each other for such a long time, do you do ever find yourself
just, you know, unable to reign yourselves in or is that not a, not a problem?
You know, it's not a problem. In fact, it's, in the beginning of our careers, when we made our first
movie, we were shooting on film and we had no money, we had like one or two takes. And so it was, you know,
(46:13):
almost no improv. And if you were going to improvise you better be damn sure that's good.
And as our careers have gone on and we've, you know, gotten bigger budgets and now, you know,
we don't shoot on film anymore. It's actually nice because all the pressure is off. You can just
roll and you can improvise and you can riff and have fun to do whatever you want and then figure it out
(46:34):
in the editing room. So it's actually, I think it's pretty liberating that. But there's still a, you know,
an attitude of trying to improvise within the character within the seat, rather than just saying any
old thing. Yeah, also get what's on the page first and then you can riff after that.
I love it. It obviously is working, you know, both on both ends for you guys and for viewers like
(46:58):
myself, I can't wait every, for everybody to see quasi exclusively on Hulu on 420, which of course is
as everybody knows National Dog Day. So thank you all and thanks for joining me today.
Thank you. Have a good day. Broken lizard. Love those guys. Love their work. Love quasi.
(47:22):
It is available right now on Hulu exclusively. Go watch it. Let me know what you think.
And, you know, in celebration of 420 International Pet Aboney Day, go pet a bunny and watch it and believe
me, you're going to love it. Then let me know what you think. Send me your bunny petting.
(47:42):
Send me your tweets after you've watched it and you're all bunny petded up.
All right. That is our show for today. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for hanging out with
me and always being awesome. I love you. I can't do pop culture weekly without you. You make this show.
(48:04):
What it is. All right. I'll see you next week. I love you. Oh, no. Not next week. There's another
special episode. I'm sorry. There's another very special episode coming out right away. Very soon
with the cast of the evil of evil with the cast of evil dead rise. Love that movie. Oh, my God.
(48:27):
It is brutal in a really good way. All right. I love you. See you next time. We are.
Thank you for listening to pop culture weekly. You're all the latest and pop culture weekly.com.
(48:52):
Makes me happy. My heart is true. You're planning to come for the dumb.
In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, I talk with Matt and Mar from Air, and the broken
(00:05):
lizard crew about their new film Quasi, Let's Go!
Welcome to Pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from My Heart Radio.
Your Pop Culture News, views, reviews, and celebrity interviews on all the movie's TV
music and pop culture you crave weekly.
Here's Kyle McMahon.
(00:25):
And welcome to Pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon.
I of course, and Kyle McMahon.
We have an awesome episode for you today, and I'm really, really excited about it.
There's so much going on, and there's so much for me to tell you about, and that's
(00:50):
why we're everywhere you are, whether it's video or audio, the podcast on the
radio, wherever you're listening around the world, blogs, social, you know, we got
you covered.
So I just try to put out as much as I can everywhere to get you all the news that you
need in Pop Culture.
So this week, I've got some awesome interviews.
(01:14):
Air, which you saw my review about, and I love that film so so much.
It's such an incredible film.
I talk with Matt Mar from air.
He plays Peter Moore.
He is absolutely incredible in the film brilliant, in fact, and I have a feeling he'll be up
(01:36):
for a best supporting actor award for awards season from everywhere, just a hunch that I
get just because he's so awesome.
And he's such a great guy.
So I talked to him, and then I talk with the cast of broken lizards, quasi, this film is so
funny.
(01:57):
If you like super trooper, super troopers too, club dread, you'll love quasi.
It's really funny.
It's more historical than stuff they've done before, which is really interesting in my point
of view.
And I asked them why that is.
And so they talk about that and so much more.
So I talk with Adrian Policki, who stars in the film, along with the broken lizard guys.
(02:22):
Jay, Shandra Saker, Kevin Heffernen, Steve Lem, Paul Soder, Eric Stahlhonsky, and as I
said, their new film out quasi is really, really funny.
It's streaming right now on Hulu in celebration of Ford 20, which is, you know, you know,
(02:44):
Ford 420 is we all know what Ford 20 is.
International pet year bunny day.
So let's get right into it.
Oh, let me also tell you, you know, I people ask me what sources do I read, you know, or
get I guess consume.
(03:04):
I get my info from everywhere, Twitter.
I mean, obviously also my friends and contacts in the industry, I get press releases
sent to me.
I'm, you know, I'm obsessed with pop culture just as you are.
So I'm also on Twitter and Reddit and Apple news and Google news and everywhere.
I also love variety.
(03:25):
That's an incredible website billboard or music.
Obviously it's the industry Bible.
Deadline.
I love Deadline.
Absolutely love Deadline.
Deadline is, you know, they've got your TV, your film, theater.
It's just breaking Hollywood news.
So I love them.
And we will be working with Deadline.
(03:47):
I'm really, really excited about this.
They have got some awesome talent over Deadline.
Obviously, that's why they've been around since 2006.
And I'm going to have some of the editors start coming on.
Probably once a month or so, we'll just talk about, you know, what's going on in this
industry that we love so much.
Whether, you know, it might be a special event that's going on.
(04:08):
It might just be the state of whatever summer content, whatever it is.
So one of their great podcasts that I really, really love is called 20 questions on Deadline.
And it is literally, you know, every episode, a star reveals their toughest moments, their
best advice, biggest fears, it's 20 questions.
(04:31):
It's hosted by Antonio Blife, who is Deadline Senior Awards Editor.
And they have some awesome, awesome, awesome guests.
So if you like the guests, we have you'll love the guests that they have over on 20 questions
on Deadline.
I think last week was Ralph Machio, you know, they've had Gary Oldman, Jason Seagull, Jenna
Ortega, lots of great, great artists.
(04:55):
I highly, highly recommend that you go and check it out.
I will have 20 questions on Deadline in the show notes.
So you can check them out as well.
And of course, Deadline.com, they are breaking news throughout the day.
I mean, 24/7, you know, they're breaking news.
I love Deadline.
All right.
So let's get into, oh, I cannot forget this.
(05:19):
How could I freaking forget this?
I'm giving away two tickets to see Taylor Swift on the Aeros Tour in Philadelphia.
It's right.
She's doing three sold out shows in Philly and I have your chance to win.
Obviously, we're not providing transportation.
(05:39):
So you gotta get here yourself.
But go to the website, pop culture weekly.com.
And it'll redirect you to my national site.
Then on that page, you'll see promotions.
Click on that Taylor Swift picture for your chance to get to Taylor Swift tickets for
(06:00):
the Aeros Tour brought to you by pop culture weekly.
I'm really excited about this.
This is an awesome giveaway.
And the contest is on right now.
There's rules and all that stuff, which I'm sure you know.
But you'll see all the rules and all that good stuff.
You'll see it before you register to win.
So you know what you're getting into.
(06:22):
Phoebe Bridgers is opening up for her for the Philly shows.
So it's May 12th, May 13th and May 14th are the Philly shows.
Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
So I'm really excited for this giveaway.
So go register to win.
(06:42):
I hope you win.
Good luck.
And please, I've gotten already a gazemillion messages, emails, angry tweets saying,
please pick me.
I don't pick it.
I don't pick it.
I only see the winner.
It's a software that does it.
They don't allow me to touch the software.
So it's fair, which I love.
So I don't even see the names of people who's registered.
(07:03):
I heart, you know, does it?
They send me the winner.
I get to deliver the good news.
That's my extent of picking a winner.
I don't.
Okay.
So good luck to all of you.
I'm really excited.
And I'll see you there too.
I'll be there myself to see.
Tate on the Ares tour.
All right.
(07:24):
So let's get into my interview with Matt Mar.
You know, I loved air.
I love air.
It is one of the best films I've seen in a while.
It really, really is an incredible film.
You may have read my review.
If you haven't got a pop culture weekly dot com and read my review on it, it's a really, really,
really good movie.
(07:44):
The performances by everybody, the writing.
I mean, you already know how it's going to end and you're still on the edge of your
seat the whole time.
It's so good.
Matt Mar is a big part of that.
So let's get into my interview with him.
Here he is.
Matt Mar.
Thank you for joining me.
(08:04):
I really do appreciate it.
I absolutely love air.
It is so good.
I have got to say, I'm not a huge sports guy.
And that doesn't matter with this film at all.
It's done so beautifully in every single way from the writing, the directing, the soundtrack,
(08:26):
the performances right down to you.
And so kudos on that.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I'm glad you like it.
I'm not much of a sports guy either.
Or a sneaker guy.
OK.
Yeah.
I mean, I wasn't hardly at all.
My brother, my brother, my brother, co-actor, Air Jordan.
But I was never a guy into it.
(08:49):
But so I came into the experience really clean.
But I really enjoyed working on it.
It was really fun.
Yeah.
It seems like one of those films that at least as a viewer, you can tell sometimes when people
really click.
And it seems like all of you guys really, really clicked in this film.
(09:09):
Yeah.
It was really--
I was such an easy environment.
You just walked right in like--
I had gotten some research, obviously.
And he had just passed away, Peter Moore, just passed away when the offer came.
(09:32):
So I wasn't able to meet with him.
But I did a bunch of research.
And so I had these ideas.
But then it was very important to ban, I think, to create new characters, like to honor
and to people.
But also make a movie based on these people.
But it's going forward and making interesting new people.
(09:54):
And so suddenly, Charlie's his costumes.
And I had this big beard, which I had fully intended to shave off.
And he could speak to more.
And then he was like, no, I love to be a green beard.
I was like, OK.
And Charlie's had this such a specific visual idea.
(10:17):
And I just looked like, oh, I have this--
as soon as I got there, the characters were came together.
And I was like, I such a clear vision of a guy who lives in suburban--
the suburbs of Washington and where's weird sweaters and has his thoughts.
And it's hard to articulate.
(10:37):
But suddenly, he just became a new character, as soon as I arrived on set.
And I was like, this character make perfect sense to me.
And all I need to do right now is just
get your out and how to say these lines.
And it just worked out.
And then was like, that's great.
You know, it's very not all created processes or like them.
(10:59):
You can't even try for a process like that.
You just everyone's going to wild happens.
And you're just grateful for it.
Yeah.
And I'll tell you, as a viewer, I'm grateful for that process, too,
because it really, really is.
I was crying in the theater at the film.
It's just so good.
And for me, it's really-- I lost my mom two years ago,
(11:23):
most of the day to pancreatic cancer.
And this really for me is a story of a mother's love.
And on one side, and then on the other side,
on how really thinking outside of the box and being
nimble, which is a word I hear buzzword, I hear a lot,
(11:48):
can sticking to your vision and your dreams
can really get you somewhere.
And that's very representative of, in my opinion,
Michael Jordan's life as well.
Yes, totally.
But I think it's so interesting.
And what's the prize?
My wife actually saw the movie, which
(12:09):
hadn't really put in for me.
I was thinking of it in terms of my own character,
which was going through a midwife crisis.
And not himself very athletic.
And he's just like his own process
and this moment presents itself in suddenly
there's a way out to where he feels stuck.
(12:30):
And I think the reason what makes his successful
is that there is a connection between these eternal people,
these characters that Michael Jordan or Patrick
Ewing, where we are like, these are like,
secular dogs, people are like capable of great things.
(12:51):
And we love them so much, because we ourselves
are getting older and we're getting weight.
And our lives are complicated.
And sad, and they're not there's joy.
And then there's also like, deaf, and all these things
are happening.
And I just thought, well, people get really into sports
(13:14):
because it offers them a respite from thinking about, well,
their own mortality.
And I thought a movie has like, oh my God,
the movie is absolutely a hundred percent about that.
And that's like, and the speech match speech at the end,
which they sort of have worked on in shape,
(13:34):
just like really just said that.
And I think that that is one of the reasons why people
are connecting so deeply to it,
is because it actually leaves room for our sadness
at our life and the joy at the same time.
And the correct guys is that joy and sadness
are the same thing.
And people who real sportsman, I think, actually,
(13:57):
understand that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I've been working on this show since my mom
passed called Deathgreaf and other shit we don't discuss
where I went around the country.
And interviewed all different subject matter experts
on the various facets of death.
And so ultimately life.
And I think one of my biggest takeaways
(14:18):
from doing that limited series is that you can't have
happiness without sadness.
You can't have.
So I'm putting it in terms of my mom.
I think about this a lot.
Would I, going through, it was horrible what she went through.
And then what we went through,
(14:41):
would I change any of that?
If it meant that I got to live the life that I did,
previous to that with her.
And I wouldn't.
I couldn't have all of those happy loving years.
You know, I wouldn't be going through the sadness so intensely
(15:04):
if it wasn't for all of those happy moments.
And that lifetime of love that was giving you have to have
won in order to have the other.
Yes.
Yeah.
And like, my, yeah, I walked my father.
I'm so sorry.
Yes, likewise, to use well and before my kids were born,
he was T pass way in 2016.
(15:26):
And my first kid was born in 2019.
And my second, just like eight months ago.
And my love for them, their both boys,
is like when I'm really contemplated,
I cannot contemplate it without also being sad
that my dad is not there.
Like they cannot, one cannot, they're enjoying.
(15:49):
No meal.
Joy at my kids and the sadness are not having my dad.
They're the same.
They're resting in the same place.
You know?
And both are get bigger and more real.
And more comforting in a way.
Because even then the sadness feels like,
I mean, you know, what I've been saying for years
(16:15):
about both losing a parent and having kids
is that they're two craziest things that can happen to you.
And it's insane that they happen to
that losing a parent anyway happens to actually everybody.
Every single person loses parent.
If you're appalling that like everybody is going through this
(16:36):
in some way, it's insane to contemplate.
Like God, I can't get through my head.
That the one thing that I went through in my life
got was the most difficult thing.
And also, you know, because sad is thing,
was also the thing that literally I haven't come with
every other person on earth.
It's crazy to me.
(16:57):
I can't cross that side.
And if people are saying, "I'm not having kids,
"not everybody has kids."
But it's crazy that we just have kids.
We're in charge of like raising them and making them better.
It's so difficult.
And so spend almost all the time
wonderfully and hard that like, "I'm like,
(17:17):
"this is common, like all these people are walking around having babies."
It's boggle-semane.
You know?
So yeah, anyway.
Just when far afield from what you're saying.
But I connect with what you mean, a good joy and a sadness.
(17:39):
And I do think that God sends a joy and sadness,
especially as it connects to middle age, where I am personally.
You seem like a younger man.
That's part of why people are really loving the movie.
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean, it really does.
It gives me a kind of, as I'm sitting there in this theater,
(18:03):
which is what great art does in my opinion.
It kind of made me think as the credit started rolling.
I need to, I see Ben's characters, his kind of life motto for the business on the wall.
And I'm like, "I need to write mine down."
Just all of these things that I'm like,
(18:24):
it's just such a great movie on every single level.
And it's in my opinion a very, very special film.
Before I went into it, you think, "Oh, it's going to send around Michael Jordan and all that sort of thing."
As I heard that it was being made and all.
And I love what the way that they handled that,
(18:47):
that it's almost secondary.
And then we all know the outcome of the film,
what the ultimate ending of the film is going to be.
But it has us on the edge of our seats the entire time,
which is such a special thing to do.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's very, it's very clever, got way.
Actually, it's, I mean, a lot of sports movies are based on true stories
(19:12):
that where you end up sort of reliving this event.
I mean, when I watched the last dance, I was like, "Oh, there's no way the bulls are going to win a scour."
I don't mean that you're possible. They should go away.
Yeah, but God is the key.
Or like, in theater, you know, tragedy, like a ham, whatever,
(19:36):
a dollhouse where like, "I think we got to be in."
Like, when it's well done when you connect on a human level,
or when I think it's done with heart.
And I think Matt and Ben engaged in this movie.
You know, I don't know the deep, well, keep, but they brought to it a lot of
(19:59):
bare own heart, you know.
And it's worth, I always thought, one thing I did think we're going into is
like, "These events were occurring when I was in high school,
when we were on, we all went to high school together,
and gay wearing high school.
And that is just right, right around the time in their life.
Like, gay, we're like, "I have a thing that I want to do."
(20:21):
And I'm going to risk everything to do it.
And I think it is crazy that they did it.
You know, like, it really did it.
Like, they have had dreams of becoming gay, much actors.
And gay did it, like, more than most other gay, much actors.
You know? And I think God is also kind of a crazy thing that happened to you.
(20:45):
You know, to get everything that you want.
And to become an iconic figure in your own field, you know.
I think that's almost in its own way kind of traumatizing this wrong word.
But you mean, I think they're still working through in some way.
The fact that they were dreaming in the same period of time, the community said,
(21:07):
there's like really big dream.
And decided to gamble a lot to make it happen in that may go.
And I think like one thing, gay of toxicists or an interviews or to me.
But my theory I have is that they're working through those feelings.
And some of the go-go-go-working crew got event.
And like, the most human way possible.
(21:31):
You know, by focusing on like human beings who are basically already failed a lot already,
but we're going to even come to this moment.
Yeah, I love when people say talk about overnight success.
You know, somebody we were talking about my show and they were, you know, they were like,
oh, it's all happened so quick for you with the show.
And I'm like, no, it didn't.
(21:51):
You know what I mean?
I failed so many times before it started getting traction.
And you're seeing, you know, that part of it.
But you weren't seeing the years of, you know, my old show.
And, you know, retooling and me working until 3 a.m.
You know, five nights a week trying to perfect everything and that overnight success is like,
(22:15):
doesn't really exist.
You know, people just see, oh, the movie stars, Matt and Ben.
And then don't see all of the heartache and tears and blood and sweat.
And yourself as well, where, you know, you worked so hard for so long
that then when it happens, it is nacing, you know,
(22:36):
to some that it's kind of this overnight thing or whatever, but it really is a lifetime's worth
of work into that.
Yeah.
And success is complicated, as failure.
You know, in a way because I was talking about this trick with a friend, a friend just around
the success of a movie where you're always like, oh, god, I really just want to, you know,
(23:02):
one of the goals is an actor to be in a hit movie, you know, and I've done TV and I've done,
I've been in other things and a lot of theater have done very very well, but this
we look like a particular like this movie is going to be a really big hit.
And it weirdly is like great.
(23:25):
It makes, I feel happy as long as I think about Matt and Ben and how hard they work.
And got how present they are in their own achievements.
You know what I mean?
I know, I've known them for decades and I just feel particularly happy for them.
(23:45):
Even though they have many other successes, I just feel happy for all of their successes
for something I just feel like, wow, I'm very warm feeling for them around this movie.
You know, they've been working hard for decades, really trying, putting their heart into their work
and they have found again after, you know, a trick away of putting their heart out there and
(24:09):
people are connecting to it. And that, I think, is very meaningful. And I'm able, it's easier for me
to be happy for them and be happy for me because when you're inside of it, you know,
people coming up being like, air, it's amazing. Hey, hey, and I'm like, yeah, I mean, I just got up
six this morning with my kids and I returned to me. Like, my life is sort of the same,
(24:34):
you know, it's a success that you sort of abstract thing in terms of like, you know,
I had a really good time working on the movie. That was it's main, it's main role,
main role, the main reward, you know. Yeah, I, I, I love that and I love that you're in touch, you know,
with that. Did you feel any responsibility to, you know, playing a, a real person, yeah.
(25:03):
You know, I, I did, I did at first. It was the first time playing a real person.
The, it was the first time I ever played a real person. And so, um, I was like, oh, shit, you know,
this is, oh, I'm sorry, but you're totally fine. I was like, this is a big deal. And then,
I, I looked at documentaries. I'm like, I really looked at much, I Peter Moore, you know,
(25:28):
and then, but like, I've heard, okay, okay, you know, Matt and then want me to be in this movie,
we met, why me being in this movie, and so, whether it doesn't matter. And then I showed up,
on set, and I had this kind of big beard. And I assume I was going to shave it off, I didn't want
(25:48):
to shave off until I got to set. So if I could do whatever I want. And then, I was like, I love
the beard. Keep the beard, I love it. And I'm like, okay, there's nothing beard like about Peter Moore.
And then Charlie's like, like, hooked up, all these like hilarious, these like awesome costumes,
(26:09):
these sort of prints, sweaters. And suddenly, this whole new character, so it was like appeared,
like around me, uh, of course, like, I was saying before, like, it's sort of suburban,
a centric suburban dad type, who's like, you know, uh, we're like a very specific Northwest sort of
(26:31):
brainy guy who lives in like an ice house through this life and has this whole life, but it's
in God secretly. Like, because I walked into the thing, because he's always been obsessed with
basketball shoes, and now he designed basketball. And like, and that there's that idea. And so Peter
Moore, the real person who was a genius and did many great things, and then there's Peter Moore,
(26:53):
the character in this movie, who was potato playing a particular role in the narrative, you know.
So it's like Dick Sunny Vicarro, like, was he contemplating his own mortality when he signed Michael Jordan?
Who knows? And the movie is doesn't care. You know, like, uh, I mean, the, maybe the closest
(27:16):
person, the closest performance, like, closest real life is by with Iowa Davis, as the Laura's, just because,
you know, she is like speaking, she sort of almost seems to be in her performance, and when she's written,
like, speaking from the real world. You guys are having a feeling, but I am in the real world. And
Michael Jordan is actually my son. And we're talking about actual business decision. And, um,
(27:46):
and God, I think it's also a very clever choice. But in general, even her, I think, uh,
we're characters in a movie. And story, you got banned, is really interesting and telling.
For you, finally, um, you know, trying to be a spoiler-free as possible at your character,
(28:10):
really many of the characters, there comes a point where, um, this, you realize that this is your chance,
this, you know, this is your opportunity to really go all in and it could change your life.
What was that moment either personally or professionally for you and your life if there has been one?
(28:33):
I think, you know, there goes moments, it's cyclical. Go moments sort of come for me like every few
years where it's just like, Matt, okay, what are you thinking about this? Okay, so,
Matt, this is what you want me to do it. And for me, it was moving to New York. You know, in 2020,
(28:53):
and then a few years later, it was like quitting my day job. You know, after I had some success in
theater, I was like, well, if I want to start doing more TV movies, you're not just like tiny parts,
I'm going to have to become available and not have like this office job, which I actually really enjoyed.
Left-acto and dang it. Are you going to go to LA? And so then, if you were to get our
(29:16):
one to LA, and then, you know, nine months after God, you're like, are you going to get the
fuck out of LA? Can you hate it here? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And you'll go back to New York and
Recommit. And then it was, you know, are you, are you going to have children? Are you going to
have, you know, can Recommit to this thing that you want? Like, so, it goes never one moment.
(29:41):
Goes, specific moments really. Those are some specific moments where you just have to
where you are going along, going along, and you become aware of like, what it is you have already been
going and just like, okay, so are you going to be consciously doing this thing and really do it
with your whole self or you're going to kind of bone it in. And so, I've always been like,
(30:06):
okay, stopping going in. Make the difficult choice to try and honor these decisions that you
are kind of already making. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, that's so beautiful. Matt, thank you
so much for speaking with me. I could talk to you forever. Air is absolutely stunning. You
know, your performance is is so amazing. And I, you know, you deserve all of the success and more. So thank
(30:32):
you so much. Thank you so much. I really enjoy talking to you. Me as well, please come back for your next
project. Okay, I will. I will. Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome guy. Isn't he such a nice guy, such an
incredible actor? I can't wait till his award till, you know, he gets his flowers, this award season,
(30:53):
because I'm telling you, Mark my words right now. He is going to be nominated for everything. All right,
we're going to go to break, which allows me to continue delivering this show. We'll be back in one moment.
All right, next up. So quasi, he heard me talk about it before such a really funny movie. It's
outstreaming right now on Hulu. And if you love broken lizards, like I do, you will love this film
(31:21):
quasi. It basically follows a hunchback who is looking for love, but he gets himself in the middle of a
deadly feud between the Pope and the King of France when they kind of order to kill each other. So it's
really, really funny. You know, broken lizard, the comedy trope, they formed their comedy trope at
(31:45):
Colgate University back in 1989. And you know, would just do skits and sketch comedy around campus. And
they all were members of the same fraternity beta theta pie. And then they started doing short videos
under the name Chargus Peak, which, you know, they now are known as broken lizard. And then they went on
(32:08):
to produce all kinds of stuff. You know, they have puddle cruiser super troopers club dread, which I love.
It's like a take on the kind of harsh horror genre. Dukes of hazard, which Jay directed from 2005,
that starred Johnny Knoxville, Sean Williams, Scott and Jessica Simpson. And of course, all of the
(32:28):
broken lizard trooper did cameyers in the film. They did beer, fast love that movie. The slamming
salmon, super troopers too back in 2018 and now quasi. So I'm really excited for this interview.
We're going to start before we talk to broken lizard. We're going to start with Adrian Pelickey. She plays
the queen in the film. She plays the queen in the film. Has sterically funny. I love her in this. She of
(32:54):
course she was Miss Perkins and John Wick. She played Lady Jay and Jay Joe retaliation and for a very long
time. She was she starred as Tyra Colette in Friday night lights. Also for you fellow MCU fans, she was
Bobby Morris, aka a mockingbird in agents of shield. And for you sci-fi and comedy fans like myself,
(33:21):
she plays Commander Kelly Grayson in the Orville. So she's awesome. Let's get right into my interview
with Adrian Pelickey. Thank you so much for joining me on I Heart Radio's Pop Culture Weekly. I really
appreciate it. I love the film. I think it's hysterical and you are great. The whole cast is great.
(33:45):
But I got to ask you what was it like to do quasi? It was, it was honestly one of the most
amazing experiences of my entire life. Wow. It was so fun. I was petrified going in. You know what?
I mean I'm walking into the den of these guys who've been working together forever in our hilarious
(34:06):
and already have this relationship and feel comfortable with each other. From the moment I met them,
it was like boom, boom, boom, boom, chemistry. They made me feel like I had been with them the whole time.
You know, and it went itself to make this really fun movie that I literally at night didn't want to go home.
(34:27):
I wanted to keep, I wanted to keep, you know, doing shit. Absolutely. Yeah. And that's, you know,
you can't, it's hard to call it. Where it's, I feel like the same doing my job. Like it's hard to call it work.
When I love what I do. Exactly. Exactly. It makes such a big difference. I got to dress up
and I got to live out my childhood dream of being Princess Buttercup. So it's like, you know,
(34:52):
absolutely. And speaking of that, your character is very much a centerpiece of this film.
As you're reading the script, where you, you know, where you, like as you said, you know, it's,
it's a, there's a lot of history to, to her in many ways in, you know, kind of the lens of,
(35:13):
of the historical part of this film. Was that like, as you're reading this, or you're like,
oh my god, this is so cool. Like, where you're like fanboying out?
Totally. I was like, this is, this is what I'm in my dream. Also, these guys can really write for a woman,
which is awesome shocking because not a lot of people, that meant not many here.
So I love that she's always as smartest person in the room. She's like, come on, guys. Come on.
(35:39):
Let's do this. I know I'm a woman, but, you know, she tells it like it is in that like her.
Yeah, she is awesome. And, you know, as I talked to the guys earlier, and they were telling me how
they originally saw themselves as a money python, as a money python, as group, where I didn't
(36:03):
realize that a few of them are actually, were actually history majors. And so they were interested in telling,
like, you know, a historical story that they never were able to get greenlit before. And now they're
able to do that, you know, from you being kind of the quote, outsider of broken lizard in that regard,
(36:23):
did you see that with them? We're like, they're like, nerding out to to finally get to do this,
like, passion project. Absolutely. And even when I got the phone with them, I was like, I was like,
it feels like mine python, which I grew up loving, like Holy Grail was, you know, a staple in my home.
So seeing it and just reading it, and like this is what they're tapping into, and they were so
(36:45):
excited that I got it. But also, I didn't realize that they had written it the same time they
written super-tubers. Like, that's how long ago. And this is how, like, this is their passion project.
And seeing them all just to play different characters. It was just so fun. There's the best people in
the world. They don't fight. They don't argue. I mean, they, my bigger, like, brothers, but
(37:06):
they just have this great feeling about them. Like, all the people that work with them, like,
the crew, and then working with them for years. And there's some of them are family members. Like,
it just feels like you're just playing. Yeah. Thank you so much. And right now, I can't
people even get to do this. Did you, you know, they have a very successful niche, particularly with
(37:35):
their improvisation. Did you get the chance to do that as well? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
And how was that? I feel like it was always like a prerequisite. But that was that was the thing that
was I walked into petrified about the fear of like, I would have had to done this in years. And again,
(37:57):
just that comfortability, the way that they just bring you in and make you feel like it's a big
warm hug and your safe. And so, you know, it was like, after day one, I was like, all right,
here we go. That's cool. That makes you feel good. You're like, okay, I can do this. This is
(38:17):
so cool. And how do you, you know, I was wondering, how do you like on a film like that where you
have a script, how do you improvise like for you in particular? Like, are you just whatever kind of
comes to your head that you just kind of say or how does that work? I feel like I would be so nervous
that I want to rehearse my improvisations. You know, I mean, absolutely. But, you know, I think
(38:41):
that's the thing with comedy, especially that kind of thing. If you overthink it, it feels
stale. I mean, we shot everything that was on the paper on the page. But then it was like, okay, we got that,
let's play. And sometimes I'm like, you're reading it. I'd be like, okay, that might be a funny
thing to say there. But most times it was just about listening because you know what they were going to
do. So it's like, you know, okay, all right, I can play with this, you know what I mean? They say something
(39:06):
and it's like, okay, just just listen and instinctually, don't think about it. It's like, just
lead. I really love that. And you know, so I was talking to Nick Cannon the other day who I admire
greatly for all of the different kind of things that he does. And as him and I were talking,
(39:27):
I'm like, wow, I'm like, you know, I'm interviewing somebody on my show that kind of does something
that I aspire to do, you know, and all the, he's so successful and so many of the various things he does.
For you, you know, I was thinking about this. For you, when you're with this, you know, these
comedy, you know, I mean legends in so many ways where, you know, they've done all these great projects
(39:55):
super troopers and club dread and I did you kind of find yourself like, you know, kind of taking notes
at some of their comedy style or, or what have you? Absolutely. Absolutely. The thing to about
the way that they work is every time there would be changes in the script, whether it was like one
(40:17):
joke, two jokes, whatever. We have another table read. So it was so fun to get to sit and watch them go
through their process. And then they would sit there and they'd riff and they'd be like, okay, well,
maybe this will be funnier here. Maybe this will be funnier here. And so that happened constantly.
And I think that was probably why I felt so comfortable by the day I walked on set to say, like, whatever,
(40:39):
you know, I mean to have that in frog moment because that we're watching their process,
watching how they work and getting a sense of that already, kind of play the end all that
comfortable. I love that. And you know, and it is, I always enjoy the process of seeing other
people that do what I do, watching them, just because, you know, I can always learn something. And
(41:02):
and I love that they because it seems to be from my understanding kind of rare that that if you're not
one of the writers to kind of be in that situation, and it seems awesome, you know, as an actor, and especially
successful one like yourself, to be able to then kind of go in that other side if you will,
(41:24):
and take part in that part as well. Absolutely. And that's a great way to put it because yeah,
like actors don't tend to be in the writers or in the writers will be there to be able to read to take notes
and make the changes, but there's not, they're not talking about it there. And because they're the
writers, directors, producers, actors, all of them in the movie, I get to be privy to to see
(41:44):
the making of how it all goes down and how to make it better. And actually be a part of it.
You're like, I haven't been saying that thing there. Yeah. And will you take that to your future
projects? Like can you see some, you know, some of what you learned in doing quasi, can you see yourself
making any, you know, things that you kind of picked up that you like that you're like, you know what,
(42:06):
I'm going to do that for my next project. I mean, maybe, you know, I've written a couple of scripts
with my writing partner and whatnot. They're not common to yourself. So that, you know, a little different.
But even just the directing style is somebody who'd wanted to direct at some point, you know,
watching have, he's so amazing. He's so put together. He has it all, you know, he is funny as
(42:32):
that guy is. He was really like, he kept things in motion. And there were a lot of moving parts.
And the guys don't have to get changed back and forth sometimes twice in a day.
So to see how all that worked and how he did it with such grace. I'm like, okay, those are things that
I'm going to take. Take in the future. That's awesome. Thank you so much for speaking with me. I can't
(42:55):
wait till everybody sees quasi, which streams exclusively on Hulu on April 20th, which is of course
National, I love donuts today. So of course. Yes. Thank you so much.
Adrian Polickey love her. She is great in this film. She's great. And everything she does.
(43:18):
But she's especially funny and quasi. All right. Let's get into it. Right. Let's just jump right into it.
Broken lizard troop. Here they are. Jay Shandra Saker Kevin Heferman. Steve Lamm.
We're Lemme. Paul Soder and Eric Stohansky. Broken lizard. Thank you everyone for joining me. I really
(43:46):
appreciate it. I love this film quasi. And I've got to ask Jay. I'll start with you. What?
When you're trying to decide it's topic, as you're writing, what drew you to this?
Well, we were, you know, some of us were history majors. And so we also thought at the time,
(44:09):
which, you know, we wrote this very early in Broken Lizards existence, like three or four years into it.
So we thought we would be more like money Python. We thought we'd make a money Python style.
Louis, so we set it in France and we did the whole thing. But if the budget of it was always too high
for us to ever, you know, raise the money privately. And so a no studio was like willing to do it until we
(44:33):
eventually fox search. I do make a lot of period pieces said, oh yeah, we'll make this movie.
I mean, it was kind of, it's been like 30 years in the making. I love that. And Kevin, for you,
when you, I mean, obviously you guys have all worked together for a long time. But when you have a cast like this,
you know, what is it like as a director on that side of it to kind of wrangle these guys together for
(44:58):
their various roles? Well, I mean, we've been doing together for so long that there's just a second hand,
you know, communication. And we've gone to the point where we're so comfortable with each other,
that it makes it simple to improvise and to, you know, do fun things on the set. So it is also kind of a
support group, you know, in the sense that, you know, everyone's got your back, you know, there's no wolves on the set,
(45:20):
you know, everyone, we're all friends. So it just makes it a very comfortable atmosphere to work in.
You never have to tell the actors what their characters, I mean, the revolution was just like,
yeah, no shit. Dude, I wrote it. Yeah, so we're trying to get it. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, and there's not many, you know, there's not many groups that really can't are able to say that
for films, especially regularly like that. How do you guys, how do you find, you know, especially as we
(45:48):
said, you're working, you know, so closely with each other for such a long time, do you do ever find yourself
just, you know, unable to reign yourselves in or is that not a, not a problem?
You know, it's not a problem. In fact, it's, in the beginning of our careers, when we made our first
movie, we were shooting on film and we had no money, we had like one or two takes. And so it was, you know,
(46:13):
almost no improv. And if you were going to improvise you better be damn sure that's good.
And as our careers have gone on and we've, you know, gotten bigger budgets and now, you know,
we don't shoot on film anymore. It's actually nice because all the pressure is off. You can just
roll and you can improvise and you can riff and have fun to do whatever you want and then figure it out
(46:34):
in the editing room. So it's actually, I think it's pretty liberating that. But there's still a, you know,
an attitude of trying to improvise within the character within the seat, rather than just saying any
old thing. Yeah, also get what's on the page first and then you can riff after that.
I love it. It obviously is working, you know, both on both ends for you guys and for viewers like
(46:58):
myself, I can't wait every, for everybody to see quasi exclusively on Hulu on 420, which of course is
as everybody knows National Dog Day. So thank you all and thanks for joining me today.
Thank you. Have a good day. Broken lizard. Love those guys. Love their work. Love quasi.
(47:22):
It is available right now on Hulu exclusively. Go watch it. Let me know what you think.
And, you know, in celebration of 420 International Pet Aboney Day, go pet a bunny and watch it and believe
me, you're going to love it. Then let me know what you think. Send me your bunny petting.
(47:42):
Send me your tweets after you've watched it and you're all bunny petded up.
All right. That is our show for today. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for hanging out with
me and always being awesome. I love you. I can't do pop culture weekly without you. You make this show.
(48:04):
What it is. All right. I'll see you next week. I love you. Oh, no. Not next week. There's another
special episode. I'm sorry. There's another very special episode coming out right away. Very soon
with the cast of the evil of evil with the cast of evil dead rise. Love that movie. Oh, my God.
(48:27):
It is brutal in a really good way. All right. I love you. See you next time. We are.
Thank you for listening to pop culture weekly. You're all the latest and pop culture weekly.com.
(48:52):
Makes me happy. My heart is true. You're planning to come for the dumb.
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