February 13, 2025 • 44 mins
What if a film could be more than just entertainment, sparking a movement for positive change? Join us as we speak with Danny Kurtzman, the main character of "Good Bad Things," and the film's executive producer, Steve Way, to explore how this Apple TV release is doing just that. Together, we uncover the film's heartwarming impact as it champions love, dating, and the experiences of living with a disability. Amid Valentine's Day reflections, this conversation dives into the themes of inclusivity and representation, resonating with audiences of all backgrounds.
Embracing the beautiful complexities of modern relationships, "Good Bad Things" offers an engaging narrative that connects deeply with both disabled and non-disabled viewers. With insights from our guests, we celebrate the film as a modern-day love story that underscores the power of self-love and acceptance. Director Shane's artistic touch brings authenticity to the film's portrayal of friendship and romance, while the collaborative efforts behind the scenes aim to reshape societal narratives around disability in media.
Navigating the world of dating with a disability offers a fresh lens on authenticity and self-acceptance. In a landscape often dominated by superficiality, this episode highlights the importance of genuine connections over societal pressures. Our conversation reflects on personal experiences and the film's authentic depiction of disability and relationships, providing listeners with hope and encouragement. Through the power of storytelling, "Good Bad Things" serves as a reminder to embrace one's true self and forge meaningful connections beyond the screen.
- Watch Good Bad Things on Apple TV
- Follow Danny on Instagram
- Watch Ramy on Hulu
- Follow Steve Way on Instagram
- Book an EmBRACE It Workshop
- Looking for more great tips, hacks, and blog posts? Visit: Trend-Able.com
- Find more on Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) and patient resources at: HNF-cure.org
- Follow us on IG! @embraceit_podcast | @trend.able | @cmtwegotthis
Hosted by Lainie Ishbia and Estela Lugo.
Embrace It is produced by Launchpad 516 Studios.
For sponsorships and media inquiries, drop an email to: embraceit@lp516.com
Subscribe to Embrace It with Lainie and Estela on Apple Podcasts and get notified of new episodes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/embrace-it-with-lainie-estela-smashing-disability-stigmas/id1468364898
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Danny Kurtzman (00:00):
Yeah, we're all feeling very attacked and
chaotic at the moment, but Ithink Steve and I just want to
share our sentiment that it'snot time for us to freak out and
hide and run from this.
We really feel like ourcommunity and the people we've
been speaking to this needs tono longer continue.
(00:21):
Change needs to happen now.
Let's come together, let'sfight, let's demand, let's show
our power, and that's what welike this movie is.
It's not really.
It's not just a movie, it's amovement.
We don't want this movie to bethe end, all be all.
It can be at least a 96 minuteescape from the chaos.
That's amazing, but if it canget us to come together and want
(00:43):
to demand more change, thenthat's really what we want to do
with this movie.
Estela (00:48):
Your film could not come at a better time.
Literally, I know it saved methis past weekend from mental
stress, so I want to personallythank you both for giving me
that time.
But I heard you say in anotherpodcast that it's not checking
out, we're checking in, and thatfilm was an opportunity to
(01:08):
check in a safe space.
We haven't done our formalintroductions yet, but we got to
tell our listeners what we'retalking about and who we're
talking to.
We just started off so strong.
Everyone, welcome to our latestepisode of Embrace it with
Lainey and Estella, and we arealready just diving deep into an
(01:29):
incredible film called Good BadThings, recently released on
Apple TV and, I believe, a fewother platforms, and we are here
with the main character, dannyKurtzman, and producer on this
film, another incredible actorin the disability community,
steve Way.
So welcome, welcome, welcomeboth of you, hi guys.
Danny Kurtzman (01:52):
Hi, thank you for having me Such a pleasure to
have you on One minute.
Lainie (01:56):
You're on Apple TV, Danny, and then next you're
right in front of me.
How cool is that.
I feel, like we've made it bigwith embrace it to have steve
way and danny kurtzman on hereI'm very honored and yeah, it's.
Danny Kurtzman (02:09):
It still doesn't feel real that we have our film
on the home page of apple andbeautiful and everyone's just so
excited to watch it and beengetting so many messages about
just how it made people feel.
So, yeah, just sharing the love, feeling the love.
So yeah, just real special soakit all in.
Estela (02:31):
What has been some of that feedback so far, and when
was the movie officiallyreleased?
Danny Kurtzman (02:36):
we are a week up today and it's available for
rental and purchase and, uh, itfeels like it's been out forever
, because when you are involvedin a project for this period of
time, you feel like everybody'sseen it.
And then you get to this pointand you're like nobody's really
seen this movie yet and it'sjust been awesome.
Just to be completelytransparent, I go to, I get in
(02:58):
my bed every night and just openup my DMs that aren't in my
primary DM slots and I juststart reading messages and start
crying happy tears to sleep,because it's just like-.
Lainie (03:08):
How cool is that.
Danny Kurtzman (03:09):
Yeah.
Lainie (03:11):
Before we even go in, because I know we're talking
about this movie that we saw.
But our listeners who are justhere, welcome.
And we're going to hopefullytry to release this before
Valentine's Day, because it'sValentine's Day week.
So we're really going to rushit because we know how powerful
this movie is when it comes tolove and dating and having a
disability.
So let's back up and say ortalk about Steve, you are, is it
(03:37):
correct that you're theproducer of this movie, but
you're also an actor yourself?
Steve Way (03:40):
Yeah, I prefer a executive producer.
Yeah, I love it.
Danny Kurtzman (03:49):
He was the one who was the only executive
producer on Good and Bad Things.
He was the only one I couldever imagine being executive
producer on Good and Bad Things.
He has carried our film fromthis post-production to where it
is today, and he's now myclosest best friend.
Lainie (04:08):
And how did you guys?
Okay, so you both have musculardystrophy.
Do you have the same type ofmuscular dystrophy?
Danny Kurtzman (04:13):
I don't even know what you have.
To be honest, I just thinkyou're just like disabled,
that's it.
Who?
Estela (04:20):
needs labels.
Danny Kurtzman (04:21):
Who needs labels .
Yeah, I know I have musculardystrophy Again.
I don't really know what to dowith that, but I got FSHD facial
scapular hematodystrophyDiagnosed at nine years old,
early onset, and I don't knowtoo much else.
I just know I'm disabled and Ijust live my life that way.
I've thankfully been gettingmore involved in my specific one
(04:44):
recently with this film, whichhas been awesome with FSHC
Society and MBA.
But yeah, we can go into it.
But with the film I didn't diveinto specific things with
disability because I thinkthere's no need.
We all are disabled.
I think when we start labelingourselves, it starts dividing us
(05:05):
instead of uniting us, in myopinion.
So we just gave my character adisability and let people just
do what they wanted with thatfrom Red Tooth, which is a form
of muscular dystrophy.
Lainie (05:23):
Because this film was so amazing and awesome and someone
who's listening, who's my age,in their 50s, married, might be
like what am I going to get fromthis film?
Because it's about dating andwhatnot.
Sometimes the label, so tospeak, for people who have
disabilities, it makes itrelatable.
Danny Kurtzman (05:40):
Oh, I have muscular dystrophy as well.
It's cool.
We all have muscular dystrophyas well.
And it's cool, steve got, weall have.
Mostly we all have a musculardystrophy on here, like my other
co-producer, shane burkow's,got muscular dystrophy, like
it's just been really special,yeah steve, tell us how this
film happens like.
Estela (05:58):
Where and when was this idea born and how did it end up
on our TV screens?
Steve Way (06:12):
Funny enough, I was not part of that process at all.
Danny brought me on when thefilm was already done.
He reached out to me with a lotof fire emojis, yeah.
But he said, hey, for this,this film, I did an EP.
Did you watch it?
What's the vocal?
I watched it.
This was during the writers,after strikes.
(06:36):
I had no work, so I watched itand immediately I saw the
potential.
Estela (06:43):
I saw the potential.
Steve Way (06:46):
We saw how universal it was.
You don't have to be disabled,you're not going to get into it.
So we got out of Zoom.
Two days later we had a go in,and then we spent the next six
months prepping for our firstfestival, swaymas, and we won
(07:10):
the two major awards.
Danny Kurtzman (07:13):
Wow.
Steve Way (07:14):
And we're like, oh shit, we got something here.
Estela (07:19):
Yeah.
Steve Way (07:20):
So we did a year-long international worldwide
festival run and now we're onstreaming for purchase and
rental.
Wow, and we did this in a year,which is unheard of.
Estela (07:40):
Absolutely yeah, it's like farm to table, like express
lane no-transcript happenedorganically but I really feel
(08:07):
like it was.
Danny Kurtzman (08:09):
Just the purpose of this movie was to really
have it be driven from us.
The disabled community like itwas.
The original concept was mybest friend, shane stanger, but
I call him an ally, supporterand part of our community
because he's been a part of mylife for so long, just like Rami
(08:29):
is with Steve, and he allowedme, with all support, to inject
my disabled voice and story intothis film and to just really
tell that from an authentic lens.
But yeah, we went and wetargeted all the best disabled
festivals out there.
We did target other ones and wedidn't really get into those,
(08:50):
but that's okay because we endedup where we needed to end up.
We premiered a role atSlamdance Unstoppable which
focused on disabled filmmaking.
We took down the grand jury andthe audience awards there and
then that rolled us into, Ithink, one of the most panical
parts of our festival run, whichis real abilities, new york
fabulous festival that's held innew york city and the people at
(09:14):
the top.
They're just incredible humanbeings and it was one of the
specialist nights I've ever had.
I mean it was over like 50disabled people in the audience.
The energy was electric,emotional.
It was over an hour-long Q&Adone by Lawrence Carter, who's
like the godfather, in myopinion, of our community in
(09:35):
film, and then people justwanted to stay out of it.
So we really leaned in thecommunity constantly throughout
the journey of this film.
Even after that we're just likewhat do we do with with this?
We don't need to go into theconversation of a studio.
But we decided that we wantedto take it upon ourselves to
keep pushing it and we hiredthis amazing individual called
(09:56):
Annalisa Shoemaker, who's alsodisabled.
She took us on and did a 51theater AMC run where we sold
out multiple theaters to reallyget the word out about the film.
At that time, which was notthat easy with no marketing
budget, we brought on Shane andHannah Burkow, who were just the
(10:16):
individuals and voices of loveand able love in our community
and they championed us throughall that.
And then we're at thisbeautiful point where we have
this movie out through rentaland we're just calling upon our
community again to help us getthe word out, because it's just,
it's gotta be us.
This one thing.
Lainie (10:36):
We.
I saw the movie, as I said,this weekend and it was just
relatable to anybody, regardlessof disability, but for those we
don't want to give too muchaway because we do want people
to download and rent it andabsolutely watch it, and we're
going to put all the informationin the show notes.
But the general gist of themovie is that a disabled man,
danny, you have a roommate who'syour best friend, who's also a
(11:00):
caretaker informal caretaker,not a paid caretaker a friend
who cares for you and who youcare for, and you're navigating
a little bit of the onlinedating world.
So that kind of gives a littlecliff note, little version.
But, danny, how much is itbased on your life?
Is this your life or is itfiction?
Danny Kurtzman (11:22):
It's very much my life.
That's my bedroom, where yousee a lot of the scene shots.
Yeah, it's my life.
There's no spoilers I'm goingto give away, since we declared
that already, so I won't giveanything away.
There's one part and if youwant to DM me later and ask me
what the one part is, I'll tellyou.
But yeah, everything is comingfrom a experience of mine, all
(11:47):
the way from, yeah, the, themain boy in the middle, and yeah
, we just I could describe it asa modern day love story.
Oh, it's a modern story withfinding a partner, but it looks
like you're dating what it'slike with your parents, loving
your parents and having yourparents involved in your life
and, as a young adult,friendship, love, caretaker,
(12:11):
love and then, ultimately, themost biggest thing is self-love
that those really can be asimpactful as you want them to be
, or they can be, unless youlove yourself and allow yourself
because as individuals, abledor disabled we we screw that up
a lot we can destroy a lot ofgood in our lives ourselves
(12:35):
without any exterior thingscausing it.
Estela (12:38):
I think that's the biggest love story of this all
is just loving yourself andknowing that you are perfect and
that you are worthy of anythingthat you want I love how
diverse, like you said, therelationships are in this film
because it's a love story aboutyou and your best friend and
there's just so much there, it'sso rich and obviously the
(13:00):
romantic love interest and thenyour parent, and I think it also
speaks to like the dynamicbetween wanting and being
independent and successful andthen having to rely on people
for physical support when youhave a disability.
And I also love I was tellingLainey earlier the artistic
(13:23):
value of this film and just theway the scenes are shot and the
slow moments that are just sopowerful and they speak so
loudly Things like you grabbingyour phone and wrapping your
hand around your phone in themorning in bed, and how a lot of
times everyone misses if you'renot living with a disability,
(13:45):
because we don't see the extraeffort that it takes to do a
simple task.
And as somebody myself who hashand weakness and a disability,
I really appreciated thatrepresentation of just the
simplicity of doing something asordinary as grabbing your phone
.
So I wanted to celebrate justthe artistic value of this film.
Lainie (14:09):
I love the scene in the bathroom.
So many of us struggle withasking for help or taking help
too.
I have a husband in here who'sdisabled from temporary disabled
from running okay, and it's,can I help you with it?
Nope, I'm fine, I got it, I gotit, got it.
And it's can I help you with it?
Nope, I'm fine, I got it, I gotit, got it.
And like when you have alifelong disability, but when
(14:30):
people come from a place ofreally wanting to help and then
just let me help cause they'reimpatient, you know what I mean.
And I loved that scene becauseyour best friend, that your
co-star, like he genuinely.
First of all, he asked you, canI help?
And then he you're like yeah,you know what I'm like, could
you put the toothpaste here onthis toothpaste?
(14:50):
Yeah, that would be helpfulthat's special.
Danny Kurtzman (14:53):
You brought so much things like the first
office.
Yeah, like the details of thoseshots I met the other parts of
the movies I wish I could takecredit for them.
I can't at all.
Those are all Shane, shaneeverywhere.
He's a beautiful director.
This is his first movie.
He's going to have an insanecareer ahead of.
(15:13):
To just have that vision andstay in those moments with me
and just watch those thingsunfold, like most editors, most
directors, would have been likeyou got to get to the point.
Get to the point, keep itmoving, just let the camera sit
not too much movement, and justlet the people enjoy and get
comfortable with Danny, which isjust so beautiful.
(15:35):
Brad Dyer, jason the movie,incredible friendship,
heterosexual love stories haveme that we experience as
disabled people is something sopowerful and unique and so deep
in love that needs to be toldover and over again because
those are the real relationshipsthat we build.
And then laying to you the helpthing, like where, steven, we
(15:58):
had this movie, that we knowwhat we can do with it and where
we want it to be.
And we got to this moment wherewe're like we gotta ask for
help, like there's nothing wrong, like we can't get there and do
what we want with this moviewithout asking for help and not
doing it from a inauthentic way.
It's just real.
Okay, how can we work together?
(16:20):
How can we help you?
How do we align on this movieand what you have built in your
voice to end up doing what weall want to do, which is create
change now for our community,rewrite our own story, what it
means to be disabled now,together, and we're all doing it
.
We're all doing it differently,but we're all doing the same
(16:41):
thing.
And and we all come togetherand if it's a movie, if it's
something else, whatever it is,it's got to be something and
we're just excited.
Estela (16:51):
We're excited for you.
Steve.
I want to take it over to youabout your show Rami, and what
that journey has been like foryou and you play the other side
of this as like the best friendto the main character, and what
are some of the themes andthings you found to be powerful
(17:14):
in your show in your career sofar all right.
Steve Way (17:17):
I think that's a journey that started in 2001,
when we first met, when webecame friends.
And then, when we were 14 andwe got into high school and we
started making videos togetherand then that evolved into
(17:42):
stand-up comedy and then acting,and then Rob began his show.
Then the overall name isfriendship.
It's the complexities and theuncomfortable side of friendship
.
My character is not afraid tocall him out.
(18:07):
My character is not afraid tobe real with him and just be
like you're a fucking idiot, butfrom a place of love.
I'm not attaching him.
I'm just like bro, I love you,you're my brother.
(18:33):
What are you?
You doing when you're goingdown a bad path?
And I think that's realfriendship.
Spoiler, spoiler.
I think episode 8 of AtlantaCity.
I don't know if we got that far, not yet.
Save it, it's the best.
Danny Kurtzman (18:50):
But anyway, atlanta City, I don't know if we
got that far Not yet, okay,save it, it's the best.
Steve Way (18:54):
But anyway, robbie shows how great of a friend he
really is and it's somethingthat we don't talk about.
But that's Robbie the person,because he allows me to tell
(19:15):
these stories that we don't seeanywhere else, and then Janet
can attest to this.
The most authentic stories arethe most honest and it's the
ones that people are afraid totell because of just how
(19:40):
American society operates.
I'm so grateful for all of it,for Robin, for finding for me he
wrote my part.
The studio saw it.
It was like great, I was goingto play Steve and Robert Stevens
was going to play Steve and Iended up having to audition for
(20:04):
my own role.
Danny Kurtzman (20:05):
I didn't know this.
I didn't know this.
Estela (20:10):
Wow.
Steve Way (20:10):
That was real.
Lainie (20:12):
Wow, and they said you did good as Steve.
Danny Kurtzman (20:15):
They approved.
Lainie (20:18):
They had a lot to compare to.
Steve Way (20:20):
Yeah, I was just Steve.
Estela (20:23):
What you just said right there is the ableism is real.
You literally have to auditionfor a role to play a disabled
person, meaning that for so longwe've had abled-bodied people
acting and portraying the rolesof people with disabilities, and
(20:47):
one of the many problems ofthat is that you're not really
telling the authentic experienceand story about disability.
You are doubling down on thesocietal biases that have been
behind so many of our barriers.
Today and Lainey and I talkabout this in our workshops you
have the hero, you have theperson who has to overcome their
(21:11):
challenge or their disability.
Then you have the charity casethe poor me.
I can't do anything for myself,I need help, I need money.
And then what's the third one?
Oh, you got the villain.
Lainie (21:22):
The villain, but see okay, steve, in all honesty, I
haven't watched your show, butI'm adding it to my notes right
between all the Taylor Sheridanshows.
I need to finish up.
It's right there.
It's right on the list.
I'm like I'm on to Lioness,season two now.
So I'm sorry, but it's going tobe on the list.
But what you just said, estella,those media stereotypes
(21:46):
Honestly, dani, in your movieyou were like in all realness
being.
You represented all of them,because that's what human nature
is Right.
It's multifaceted.
You are potentially going towatch this, are going to come
away with.
It is okay, especially ourlisteners here who say to
(22:16):
themselves no one's going tolike me, no one like.
Why should I even?
What do I put on my profile?
Why would anyone want me?
Maybe they're married, dating,never married.
Maybe they're divorced andlooking for a relationship and
their disability has progressedor they have become disabled.
But that's a constant theme.
It's what I loved is that allthe things that happen not all
(22:40):
the things, but the scene whereyou're meeting for the first
time okay and like all of us canrelate to that.
Is he gonna like me?
What if he doesn't like me?
What if he doesn't like me?
What if he walks past me.
I was sitting in such, withoutgiving any spoilers, are they
gonna no show, are they gonna?
I didn't know what was gonnahappen.
And then I was also relating itto myself.
(23:03):
Oh, you said it in the movie,danny.
People oftentimes don't lookhow they portray themselves.
I went out with some guy whosaid he was at the time 40 and
he was definitely 60.
People lie.
And so that brings me to whenyou're talking now like that.
I've seen the movie and peopleall over who are listening are
going to see this movie.
(23:23):
For sure they're going to paythe whatever it would be.
Half the cost of one ticket togo to a movie is what it costs
to buy this movie on Apple TV,If you can buy it or you can
rent it.
I rented it.
I think it was like $6.99 orsomething, and Steve's show,
which we're going to put in theshow notes, is on Hulu, but
Danny's movie and their Dannyand Steve's movie is on Apple TV
(23:45):
.
It was less than the cost ofone ticket to go to a movie and
it was awesome.
But what it gave me for peoplewho are in this world of should
I put myself out there is itgives you encouragement, it
gives you hope, it gives you allthe things.
And what it taught me the mostis you don't know, you don't
(24:07):
have to use your like.
A lot of people use theirdisability as an excuse not to
put themselves out there.
It might be that the persondoesn't like you because of your
disability, or it could bebecause of five other, five
thousand other reasons why youdon't jive, why you don't have
chemistry, and okay, I'm talkingon and on, but I like that part
(24:27):
.
Danny Kurtzman (24:28):
Yeah, it's not a spoiler, but that's probably.
There's a shot in that sceneand yeah, we all go through
those dating things.
And there's a scene where I amnot comfortable showing my
disability on the dating app.
We've all been there.
You've been on a dating app.
You're disabled.
Do you lean into it?
Do you wait till you later?
What's your deal?
It's something we all gothrough.
(24:49):
And then you ask the name ofall your people to deal with
this too.
Like, how do I present myself?
Is this the right photo?
Do I look good?
It goes through everything.
The VFX that she puts in thisis incredible in that scene.
But there's in that first day,maddie, my prospective partner,
(25:10):
and the girl I'm going on a datewith.
First, she comments on my hairfirst, and then there's a shot
where she puts the straw fromone glass to the next.
I caught that that's my favoriteshot of the whole movie and
it's just when you want to findyour person too much.
(25:31):
We settle too much.
We're like, oh, this personjust likes me and I'm not
finding anybody else, so I dealwith everything else and just
settle.
Dude, that's the same peopledon't settle.
Your bar is set high, youdeserve everything and all of it
.
And when that thing like thathappens and you don't have to
ask when that genuinely justthat person or individual does
(25:54):
that for you you're like that'sthe moment probably give way a
little spoiler, but you have tolook for that scene.
You gotta find that shot.
When that happens.
That's when the movie flips andyou're like this is what you
all should want to get this wallshould have.
We all will have it's's thefeeling right.
Lainie (26:12):
It's the shared or whatever the word is for meant
to be.
But it's a feeling.
It's not like some one thing.
It's like she did that actionthat was meaningful to you.
It's the feeling like, yeah,this person is worth my time and
the settling.
Danny Kurtzman (26:28):
To give it away, though that was not in the
script.
Wow, it's Jessica ParkerKennedy being Jessica Parker
Kennedy.
Wow, beautiful human being everbeing herself, seeing me as an
actor and a friend of hers andlove interest in this movie to
genuinely doing that for me.
Lainie (26:50):
Wow.
Danny Kurtzman (26:51):
It exists everywhere.
Jess is one of them are verygrateful to have the movie along
with brett dyer.
They are just the most insaneco-stars and I would never have
been able to pull this movie offas a first-time actor in a
leading role, without them.
Yes, incredible.
Estela (27:08):
You and you just maybe first love the movie even more
because that moment is genuine.
And two, you basically justdescribed what Lainey and I talk
about so many times.
That was a green flag Right Inthat moment.
Lainie (27:23):
Or not a flag.
We did a whole episode on redflags, so now we're like what's
the green?
Estela (27:28):
Yeah, so I think showing people the green flags as well.
Steve, I know you have to run,Steve maybe you could share
maybe one green flag, one redflag and then what you really
hope the community comes awaywith from this film and from
your show.
Steve Way (27:46):
Oh man, one red flag, one green flag.
I think I did it.
(28:06):
To tell you, I'm probably notthe best judge at that, I think,
when it comes to flowers withthe dating.
Lainie (28:15):
I'm pretty horrible at it and I will be the first to
admit that.
Steve Way (28:23):
But honestly, I think it's someone who is just not
open to the idea of just gettingto know someone with a
disability.
I always tell your friends,women I date if it's ever too
(28:48):
much for you, just tell me.
I will never fault you for that.
It's not your fault.
I know it's a lot, I get that.
But I think there's adifference between that and then
just being like you can't walk,so what value do you have?
(29:12):
I've had mothers of women I'vedated say he's disabled, so how
can he provide for you?
How can he take care of you?
Put him in a hospital, ignorethe fact that their daughter
just said oh, I like them, makesme happy.
(29:34):
It's that very one-dimensionalthing that I'm afraid needs to
be disabled and it's thosetropes and stereotypes that
we're dismantling.
So I think, in some of theinterests that comes with that
(29:58):
great fight, a woman who likeswrestling.
Lainie (30:06):
I love wrestling like actually watching wrestling or
actually wrestling yeah, anywoman with strong arms, yes.
Danny Kurtzman (30:23):
I love that.
Thank you very much.
You think so this guy is.
Just the amount of women inthis guy's life is yeah, it's
insane.
I've done it for a year and ahalf and he's had what?
Three or four girlfriendsalready.
It's ridiculous.
All toxic as hell.
But this you know what I like,so yeah they have strong arms,
(30:45):
daddy, yeah, they have strongarms oh, they have strong arms,
but they also have strong earlydays.
I don't know or red flags orred flags.
Steve Way (30:54):
In my opinion, okay, so I will see myself out.
Danny Kurtzman (30:59):
Yeah, you go out with Rami.
Thank you thank you.
You go out with Rami, thank youyou go out with Rami in
Brooklyn tonight, you go break aleg amazing.
Good luck, good luck love youcall you later, thank you, steve
, we love you too yeah, I don'teven know if I'm going to be
able to answer these questions.
Yeah, I just call them.
(31:21):
Trust me, you got feelings.
Think like it's just.
Yeah, I just can't trust yourgut.
Feelings are everything.
That's.
The only thing we can reallyknow is the absolute truth, and
just communication is key.
There are also just things thatalso work.
Yeah, we have media is verypowerful and for however long I
can even think of, media haswritten our story on what it
(31:43):
means to be disabled, and thatstory is very big and it's very
strong, and when you becomedisabled or you enter this world
as disabled, you immediatelyhave no kind of choice but to
accept that as your story, untilhopefully now and that's what
my I hope to do here.
But yeah, we accept thesestories and then we go into
(32:06):
dating and then it becomes redflags on red flags because we
immediately tell ourselves thatwe are not worthy, that we
always have to muster up more tomake this person want to stay
around, that we're always justgrowing up and we're never going
to be good enough.
And that's not the truth, andwhen you enter that into a
(32:27):
relationship, it's never goingto result in love or happiness
for you.
So, like all I gotta say is doyou and focus on you and enter
into any relationship knowingthat you are worthy and that you
can.
That person is lucky to be withyou because if you don't,
there's just going to be endlessamounts of red flags.
(32:48):
It's never going to end andyou're going to be the reason
for those red flags.
Lainie (32:51):
Plain and simple wow for people who are like on these
actual dating apps.
I know you're not you don'tclaim to be an expert.
You're not an expert, but youmade a movie.
You have experience like how doyou like?
Maybe a big red flag is likepeople who are who want to date
someone to like I don't know adating app.
He puts they because too manypeople have fetishes, and I
(33:27):
don't even know.
I really don't understand, butI understand he's five feet tall
and like people he doesn't wantto just date someone who thinks
that they're getting, has anidea of what they want, and
maybe they're practicing withsomething, or I don't know.
I don't know what the word is.
I'm practicing with somethingor I don't know as a, I don't
know what the word is.
I'm messing this all up, butyou know what I'm saying.
Danny Kurtzman (33:46):
Yeah, I mean, we're in an interesting time and
education is key and there's nowrong questions.
You are curious and you havequestions, ask questions and,
foremost, from disability towhat you identify as a human
being in the dating world.
Uh, but yeah, in terms of apps,don't do it because it's just
(34:07):
what you have to do it becauseyou want to do it.
Um, they're not fun.
I'm not gonna lie.
Like, even when you do enter itwith power and confidence, then
you're you're going up againstalready ableist algorithms that
aren't going to benefit us.
I see it all the time and am Ion them?
Yeah, do I see it as?
(34:28):
Like, this is what I'm going toend up finding somebody Like,
if that happens, cool.
But ultimately, like, just beyou.
Like you see somebody that yourun into on a dating app that
happens to have their likehandle for instagram, or you
meet someone out just like, justgo say hi, and instagram and
dms are my best dating app.
(34:50):
Because you find someone that Ifeel like I connect to in the
real world or even connect to ontheir profile on the dating app
.
Like, I will take it into myown power to say, hey, this is
who I am.
My Instagram represents mebetter than this app does and if
you're interested, we shouldtalk.
That's kind of what I do in mydating world when I was.
(35:11):
When I do that aggressivelyright now.
I'm just again very busy withthe movie and that's my love
first and foremost, and I don'thave time to be doing all the
other stuff.
But yeah, that's how I look atit.
They can.
We live in a society that dealswith we, we measure things on
likes and matches.
That's bullshit.
(35:32):
That's not how we should bedoing these things.
And don't get into that mix.
Don't allow them to swoop youinto that, because it's only
gonna end up in red flags andtoxic stuff.
Do it for you, do it because youwant to do it and if you find
someone that kind of makes youfeel those little things like
let's get back to the OG lovestuff.
(35:53):
Like then, when you get thebutterflies, when you see
someone, you're like thatperson's sexy or you know that
person's got this energy aboutthem, then say it, tell them
like and they can.
It's not like you're beingpervy or weird, like you can say
it in a genuine way, like Ilove your energy right now.
Let's talk and if the persontakes it off as aggressive,
(36:15):
that's what then?
That's them like.
You're not ultimately beingaggressive.
So just say say hey, I likewhat you do, I like how you
dress, I like who you be, I likeyour passion or heart.
Just say it and I promise youfrom my experience, that comes
off as sexy that comes off Onehundred percent you just saying
(36:38):
that right now I'm like rightthere, I'm in, can't confident,
confident dude.
Lainie (36:41):
I'm in, can't confident, confident dude, not really in.
You're like the same age as mychild and I'm married.
Like that is.
That's the best is when someoneis just like confident as hell
and comes in and as you knowwhat you're really like honestly
, your energy is contagious, orI am.
I find your laugh likebeautiful and you and that's hot
(37:04):
, I think so you guys can allpay us what you would pay the
dating app.
We'll take $150 via Venmo no,just kidding Danny for the movie
, for people who want to seethis movie or maybe they don't
know that they want to see thismovie why should someone see
this movie?
Danny Kurtzman (37:22):
Wow, I actually I've had so many interviews and
that actually hasn't come uplike the way you just worded
that.
Why should people come see themovie?
Even I've been saying it's morethan a movie, it's a movement.
I am a huge lover of film andtelevision.
I'm a huge fan of arts.
I watch movies all the time,like wanting to either escape or
(37:44):
relate or feel something.
And a lot of the time we do getdisappointed in the way things
are represented or the waythings are done.
Our film's just real.
It's just.
It was two best friends who cametogether with no initiative.
We're not like, hey, we'regoing to sign on with X, y and Z
and we're just going to makethis thing, this huge thing,
(38:06):
like we just wanted to dosomething special together that
will live forever.
It resulted in this beautifulmovie that a lot of people are
being impacted by, that peopleare connecting to, and it's not
just one part of the movies.
Everyone has their little thingin this movie that they're like
that's or that and that's justso awesome.
(38:31):
And if you do love this movie,if you do end up going to watch
it and rent it or buy it, shareit.
Text the person you think aboutwhen you're done with it and
you're like either you gottawatch when you're done with it
and you like either you got towatch this or this made me think
of you and then go, like itmaybe connects with you.
Go do the work on yourself andalso go do the work in this
(38:53):
community, because I'm talkingto people who are building I'm
built a platform and a voicethat is making a difference, and
I'm just kidding this communityand I love it so much and I'm
so proud to be disabled, butthere are people that have been
doing this way longer than Ihave and they're just incredible
human beings.
Go find them, go find theirvoice, go find their platform,
(39:16):
go follow them, go subscribe totheir YouTube channel, go buy
their book, go listen to theirpodcast.
Go buy their book, go listen totheir podcast, because there's
so many talented people in ourcommunity actors, writers,
directors, whatever it is.
So if you love our movie, it'sjust the beginning, because this
movie wouldn't be what it wasif it wasn't for all those other
people.
I hope you go find all of themand, yeah, just feeling the love
(39:41):
right now.
So thank you.
Estela (39:43):
Yes, you are like medicine for the soul and heart.
Today, I know for me personally, I'm sure for Lainey, and I
think, mission accomplished.
I think you have createdsomething that will live forever
, that will move us forwardcloser to where we all want to
be, and I want to personallycongratulate you.
We want to personallycongratulate you.
We want to personallycongratulate you.
(40:04):
We want to say thank you, youare a phenomenal actor.
There's nothing but a successahead for you and Steve and the
rest of the people involved inthis film.
Lainie (40:15):
Absolutely so, dani.
This is only our second taperecording of 2025.
We're a little behind, but ourgoal is to ask every single
person, which we did most of,what does embrace it mean to you
.
Danny Kurtzman (40:33):
Well, for me, specifically, just to love my
fullest self and don't run awayfrom it or shy from it just
because things from the outsideare making you feel like you
need to be quiet or need tochange, because we all were
(40:53):
created for a reason and I thinkwe just need to, and it's
easier said than done.
It took me 33 years to embracethis 20 something being disabled
, that it took me to embrace itand I did the work.
I found a coach who's alsodisabled.
His name's Carson Tuller.
(41:14):
Again, these are the people whoare doing the work.
Go find him on Instagram, gofind his website.
He is the most beautifulindividual I will ever meet.
He changed my life and hehelped me embrace it.
He helped me really love mydisability and love myself and
listen to my gut and tell methis is not your story, this is
(41:35):
not your truth.
Go rewrite your own story,rewrite your own truth.
And the moment I did that, thismovie happened.
Steve entered my life.
I've been on a journey like noother and it's only the
beginning.
So I am embracing it to themoon right now and I hope, I
hope this kind of gets people toat least embrace a little bit
of themselves or start thatjourney, because it's a journey.
(41:57):
It's never easy.
You don't just wake up and belike this is me fucking you?
No, it takes time and you gottaget comfortable.
There's many times where Idon't embrace myself.
I hopefully I don't let thatlast too long.
But I do it and again, I don'tshame it, I don't run away from
it.
I'm allowed to sit in thosedisempowering states and then
(42:21):
hopefully get rid of them.
But yeah, embrace.
Lainie (42:24):
Love it and people can reach you.
I'm assuming Instagram.
You've referenced Instagram afew times.
They'll go into your, not yourlead DM box, but your second DM
box.
You can put them into theprimary box, depending on who
they are.
Danny Kurtzman (42:38):
They DM me and I will likely.
I will definitely respond.
I've been doing my best.
I'm a little busy right now,Pretty amazing.
Lainie (42:45):
You must be getting a lot.
This is a major movie on AppleTV.
You guys, we're with the star,danny Kurtzman, and you guys, we
want you to check it out.
We're going to put the links in.
We're going to market this allover because, very much, you are
helping our community in somany ways, so many, countless
ways.
Plus, you really made Estella'sweekend.
(43:07):
She's been very sad about theworld and you made her smile and
it's worth it.
People, you pay it back bywatching it, because Estella
loved it.
She loved the art, she lovedthe camera angles, she loved the
rawness of it, and so you gotto check it out, yeah, so follow
danny kurtzman,d-a-n-n-y-k-u-r-t-z-m-a-n.
Estela (43:33):
And also good, bad things on instagram and find
your way to this movie and thenshare with everyone you know and
then do the work basically.
Lainie (43:42):
Yeah, and I love the title.
By the way, the title's awesomeGood, bad thanks, Very cool.
Danny Kurtzman (43:46):
All right cool.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Lainie (43:49):
Thank you, bye everyone, thank you.
Yeah, we're all feeling very attacked and
chaotic at the moment, but Ithink Steve and I just want to
share our sentiment that it'snot time for us to freak out and
hide and run from this.
We really feel like ourcommunity and the people we've
been speaking to this needs tono longer continue.
(00:21):
Change needs to happen now.
Let's come together, let'sfight, let's demand, let's show
our power, and that's what welike this movie is.
It's not really.
It's not just a movie, it's amovement.
We don't want this movie to bethe end, all be all.
It can be at least a 96 minuteescape from the chaos.
That's amazing, but if it canget us to come together and want
(00:43):
to demand more change, thenthat's really what we want to do
with this movie.
Estela (00:48):
Your film could not come at a better time.
Literally, I know it saved methis past weekend from mental
stress, so I want to personallythank you both for giving me
that time.
But I heard you say in anotherpodcast that it's not checking
out, we're checking in, and thatfilm was an opportunity to
(01:08):
check in a safe space.
We haven't done our formalintroductions yet, but we got to
tell our listeners what we'retalking about and who we're
talking to.
We just started off so strong.
Everyone, welcome to our latestepisode of Embrace it with
Lainey and Estella, and we arealready just diving deep into an
(01:29):
incredible film called Good BadThings, recently released on
Apple TV and, I believe, a fewother platforms, and we are here
with the main character, dannyKurtzman, and producer on this
film, another incredible actorin the disability community,
steve Way.
So welcome, welcome, welcomeboth of you, hi guys.
Danny Kurtzman (01:52):
Hi, thank you for having me Such a pleasure to
have you on One minute.
Lainie (01:56):
You're on Apple TV, Danny, and then next you're
right in front of me.
How cool is that.
I feel, like we've made it bigwith embrace it to have steve
way and danny kurtzman on hereI'm very honored and yeah, it's.
Danny Kurtzman (02:09):
It still doesn't feel real that we have our film
on the home page of apple andbeautiful and everyone's just so
excited to watch it and beengetting so many messages about
just how it made people feel.
So, yeah, just sharing the love, feeling the love.
So yeah, just real special soakit all in.
Estela (02:31):
What has been some of that feedback so far, and when
was the movie officiallyreleased?
Danny Kurtzman (02:36):
we are a week up today and it's available for
rental and purchase and, uh, itfeels like it's been out forever
, because when you are involvedin a project for this period of
time, you feel like everybody'sseen it.
And then you get to this pointand you're like nobody's really
seen this movie yet and it'sjust been awesome.
Just to be completelytransparent, I go to, I get in
(02:58):
my bed every night and just openup my DMs that aren't in my
primary DM slots and I juststart reading messages and start
crying happy tears to sleep,because it's just like-.
Lainie (03:08):
How cool is that.
Danny Kurtzman (03:09):
Yeah.
Lainie (03:11):
Before we even go in, because I know we're talking
about this movie that we saw.
But our listeners who are justhere, welcome.
And we're going to hopefullytry to release this before
Valentine's Day, because it'sValentine's Day week.
So we're really going to rushit because we know how powerful
this movie is when it comes tolove and dating and having a
disability.
So let's back up and say ortalk about Steve, you are, is it
(03:37):
correct that you're theproducer of this movie, but
you're also an actor yourself?
Steve Way (03:40):
Yeah, I prefer a executive producer.
Yeah, I love it.
Danny Kurtzman (03:49):
He was the one who was the only executive
producer on Good and Bad Things.
He was the only one I couldever imagine being executive
producer on Good and Bad Things.
He has carried our film fromthis post-production to where it
is today, and he's now myclosest best friend.
Lainie (04:08):
And how did you guys?
Okay, so you both have musculardystrophy.
Do you have the same type ofmuscular dystrophy?
Danny Kurtzman (04:13):
I don't even know what you have.
To be honest, I just thinkyou're just like disabled,
that's it.
Who?
Estela (04:20):
needs labels.
Danny Kurtzman (04:21):
Who needs labels .
Yeah, I know I have musculardystrophy Again.
I don't really know what to dowith that, but I got FSHD facial
scapular hematodystrophyDiagnosed at nine years old,
early onset, and I don't knowtoo much else.
I just know I'm disabled and Ijust live my life that way.
I've thankfully been gettingmore involved in my specific one
(04:44):
recently with this film, whichhas been awesome with FSHC
Society and MBA.
But yeah, we can go into it.
But with the film I didn't diveinto specific things with
disability because I thinkthere's no need.
We all are disabled.
I think when we start labelingourselves, it starts dividing us
(05:05):
instead of uniting us, in myopinion.
So we just gave my character adisability and let people just
do what they wanted with thatfrom Red Tooth, which is a form
of muscular dystrophy.
Lainie (05:23):
Because this film was so amazing and awesome and someone
who's listening, who's my age,in their 50s, married, might be
like what am I going to get fromthis film?
Because it's about dating andwhatnot.
Sometimes the label, so tospeak, for people who have
disabilities, it makes itrelatable.
Danny Kurtzman (05:40):
Oh, I have muscular dystrophy as well.
It's cool.
We all have muscular dystrophyas well.
And it's cool, steve got, weall have.
Mostly we all have a musculardystrophy on here, like my other
co-producer, shane burkow's,got muscular dystrophy, like
it's just been really special,yeah steve, tell us how this
film happens like.
Estela (05:58):
Where and when was this idea born and how did it end up
on our TV screens?
Steve Way (06:12):
Funny enough, I was not part of that process at all.
Danny brought me on when thefilm was already done.
He reached out to me with a lotof fire emojis, yeah.
But he said, hey, for this,this film, I did an EP.
Did you watch it?
What's the vocal?
I watched it.
This was during the writers,after strikes.
(06:36):
I had no work, so I watched itand immediately I saw the
potential.
Estela (06:43):
I saw the potential.
Steve Way (06:46):
We saw how universal it was.
You don't have to be disabled,you're not going to get into it.
So we got out of Zoom.
Two days later we had a go in,and then we spent the next six
months prepping for our firstfestival, swaymas, and we won
(07:10):
the two major awards.
Danny Kurtzman (07:13):
Wow.
Steve Way (07:14):
And we're like, oh shit, we got something here.
Estela (07:19):
Yeah.
Steve Way (07:20):
So we did a year-long international worldwide
festival run and now we're onstreaming for purchase and
rental.
Wow, and we did this in a year,which is unheard of.
Estela (07:40):
Absolutely yeah, it's like farm to table, like express
lane no-transcript happenedorganically but I really feel
(08:07):
like it was.
Danny Kurtzman (08:09):
Just the purpose of this movie was to really
have it be driven from us.
The disabled community like itwas.
The original concept was mybest friend, shane stanger, but
I call him an ally, supporterand part of our community
because he's been a part of mylife for so long, just like Rami
(08:29):
is with Steve, and he allowedme, with all support, to inject
my disabled voice and story intothis film and to just really
tell that from an authentic lens.
But yeah, we went and wetargeted all the best disabled
festivals out there.
We did target other ones and wedidn't really get into those,
(08:50):
but that's okay because we endedup where we needed to end up.
We premiered a role atSlamdance Unstoppable which
focused on disabled filmmaking.
We took down the grand jury andthe audience awards there and
then that rolled us into, Ithink, one of the most panical
parts of our festival run, whichis real abilities, new york
fabulous festival that's held innew york city and the people at
(09:14):
the top.
They're just incredible humanbeings and it was one of the
specialist nights I've ever had.
I mean it was over like 50disabled people in the audience.
The energy was electric,emotional.
It was over an hour-long Q&Adone by Lawrence Carter, who's
like the godfather, in myopinion, of our community in
(09:35):
film, and then people justwanted to stay out of it.
So we really leaned in thecommunity constantly throughout
the journey of this film.
Even after that we're just likewhat do we do with with this?
We don't need to go into theconversation of a studio.
But we decided that we wantedto take it upon ourselves to
keep pushing it and we hiredthis amazing individual called
(09:56):
Annalisa Shoemaker, who's alsodisabled.
She took us on and did a 51theater AMC run where we sold
out multiple theaters to reallyget the word out about the film.
At that time, which was notthat easy with no marketing
budget, we brought on Shane andHannah Burkow, who were just the
(10:16):
individuals and voices of loveand able love in our community
and they championed us throughall that.
And then we're at thisbeautiful point where we have
this movie out through rentaland we're just calling upon our
community again to help us getthe word out, because it's just,
it's gotta be us.
This one thing.
Lainie (10:36):
We.
I saw the movie, as I said,this weekend and it was just
relatable to anybody, regardlessof disability, but for those we
don't want to give too muchaway because we do want people
to download and rent it andabsolutely watch it, and we're
going to put all the informationin the show notes.
But the general gist of themovie is that a disabled man,
danny, you have a roommate who'syour best friend, who's also a
(11:00):
caretaker informal caretaker,not a paid caretaker a friend
who cares for you and who youcare for, and you're navigating
a little bit of the onlinedating world.
So that kind of gives a littlecliff note, little version.
But, danny, how much is itbased on your life?
Is this your life or is itfiction?
Danny Kurtzman (11:22):
It's very much my life.
That's my bedroom, where yousee a lot of the scene shots.
Yeah, it's my life.
There's no spoilers I'm goingto give away, since we declared
that already, so I won't giveanything away.
There's one part and if youwant to DM me later and ask me
what the one part is, I'll tellyou.
But yeah, everything is comingfrom a experience of mine, all
(11:47):
the way from, yeah, the, themain boy in the middle, and yeah
, we just I could describe it asa modern day love story.
Oh, it's a modern story withfinding a partner, but it looks
like you're dating what it'slike with your parents, loving
your parents and having yourparents involved in your life
and, as a young adult,friendship, love, caretaker,
(12:11):
love and then, ultimately, themost biggest thing is self-love
that those really can be asimpactful as you want them to be
, or they can be, unless youlove yourself and allow yourself
because as individuals, abledor disabled we we screw that up
a lot we can destroy a lot ofgood in our lives ourselves
(12:35):
without any exterior thingscausing it.
Estela (12:38):
I think that's the biggest love story of this all
is just loving yourself andknowing that you are perfect and
that you are worthy of anythingthat you want I love how
diverse, like you said, therelationships are in this film
because it's a love story aboutyou and your best friend and
there's just so much there, it'sso rich and obviously the
(13:00):
romantic love interest and thenyour parent, and I think it also
speaks to like the dynamicbetween wanting and being
independent and successful andthen having to rely on people
for physical support when youhave a disability.
And I also love I was tellingLainey earlier the artistic
(13:23):
value of this film and just theway the scenes are shot and the
slow moments that are just sopowerful and they speak so
loudly Things like you grabbingyour phone and wrapping your
hand around your phone in themorning in bed, and how a lot of
times everyone misses if you'renot living with a disability,
(13:45):
because we don't see the extraeffort that it takes to do a
simple task.
And as somebody myself who hashand weakness and a disability,
I really appreciated thatrepresentation of just the
simplicity of doing something asordinary as grabbing your phone
.
So I wanted to celebrate justthe artistic value of this film.
Lainie (14:09):
I love the scene in the bathroom.
So many of us struggle withasking for help or taking help
too.
I have a husband in here who'sdisabled from temporary disabled
from running okay, and it's,can I help you with it?
Nope, I'm fine, I got it, I gotit, got it.
And it's can I help you with it?
Nope, I'm fine, I got it, I gotit, got it.
And like when you have alifelong disability, but when
(14:30):
people come from a place ofreally wanting to help and then
just let me help cause they'reimpatient, you know what I mean.
And I loved that scene becauseyour best friend, that your
co-star, like he genuinely.
First of all, he asked you, canI help?
And then he you're like yeah,you know what I'm like, could
you put the toothpaste here onthis toothpaste?
(14:50):
Yeah, that would be helpfulthat's special.
Danny Kurtzman (14:53):
You brought so much things like the first
office.
Yeah, like the details of thoseshots I met the other parts of
the movies I wish I could takecredit for them.
I can't at all.
Those are all Shane, shaneeverywhere.
He's a beautiful director.
This is his first movie.
He's going to have an insanecareer ahead of.
(15:13):
To just have that vision andstay in those moments with me
and just watch those thingsunfold, like most editors, most
directors, would have been likeyou got to get to the point.
Get to the point, keep itmoving, just let the camera sit
not too much movement, and justlet the people enjoy and get
comfortable with Danny, which isjust so beautiful.
(15:35):
Brad Dyer, jason the movie,incredible friendship,
heterosexual love stories haveme that we experience as
disabled people is something sopowerful and unique and so deep
in love that needs to be toldover and over again because
those are the real relationshipsthat we build.
And then laying to you the helpthing, like where, steven, we
(15:58):
had this movie, that we knowwhat we can do with it and where
we want it to be.
And we got to this moment wherewe're like we gotta ask for
help, like there's nothing wrong, like we can't get there and do
what we want with this moviewithout asking for help and not
doing it from a inauthentic way.
It's just real.
Okay, how can we work together?
(16:20):
How can we help you?
How do we align on this movieand what you have built in your
voice to end up doing what weall want to do, which is create
change now for our community,rewrite our own story, what it
means to be disabled now,together, and we're all doing it
.
We're all doing it differently,but we're all doing the same
(16:41):
thing.
And and we all come togetherand if it's a movie, if it's
something else, whatever it is,it's got to be something and
we're just excited.
Estela (16:51):
We're excited for you.
Steve.
I want to take it over to youabout your show Rami, and what
that journey has been like foryou and you play the other side
of this as like the best friendto the main character, and what
are some of the themes andthings you found to be powerful
(17:14):
in your show in your career sofar all right.
Steve Way (17:17):
I think that's a journey that started in 2001,
when we first met, when webecame friends.
And then, when we were 14 andwe got into high school and we
started making videos togetherand then that evolved into
(17:42):
stand-up comedy and then acting,and then Rob began his show.
Then the overall name isfriendship.
It's the complexities and theuncomfortable side of friendship
.
My character is not afraid tocall him out.
(18:07):
My character is not afraid tobe real with him and just be
like you're a fucking idiot, butfrom a place of love.
I'm not attaching him.
I'm just like bro, I love you,you're my brother.
(18:33):
What are you?
You doing when you're goingdown a bad path?
And I think that's realfriendship.
Spoiler, spoiler.
I think episode 8 of AtlantaCity.
I don't know if we got that far, not yet.
Save it, it's the best.
Danny Kurtzman (18:50):
But anyway, atlanta City, I don't know if we
got that far Not yet, okay,save it, it's the best.
Steve Way (18:54):
But anyway, robbie shows how great of a friend he
really is and it's somethingthat we don't talk about.
But that's Robbie the person,because he allows me to tell
(19:15):
these stories that we don't seeanywhere else, and then Janet
can attest to this.
The most authentic stories arethe most honest and it's the
ones that people are afraid totell because of just how
(19:40):
American society operates.
I'm so grateful for all of it,for Robin, for finding for me he
wrote my part.
The studio saw it.
It was like great, I was goingto play Steve and Robert Stevens
was going to play Steve and Iended up having to audition for
(20:04):
my own role.
Danny Kurtzman (20:05):
I didn't know this.
I didn't know this.
Estela (20:10):
Wow.
Steve Way (20:10):
That was real.
Lainie (20:12):
Wow, and they said you did good as Steve.
Danny Kurtzman (20:15):
They approved.
Lainie (20:18):
They had a lot to compare to.
Steve Way (20:20):
Yeah, I was just Steve.
Estela (20:23):
What you just said right there is the ableism is real.
You literally have to auditionfor a role to play a disabled
person, meaning that for so longwe've had abled-bodied people
acting and portraying the rolesof people with disabilities, and
(20:47):
one of the many problems ofthat is that you're not really
telling the authentic experienceand story about disability.
You are doubling down on thesocietal biases that have been
behind so many of our barriers.
Today and Lainey and I talkabout this in our workshops you
have the hero, you have theperson who has to overcome their
(21:11):
challenge or their disability.
Then you have the charity casethe poor me.
I can't do anything for myself,I need help, I need money.
And then what's the third one?
Oh, you got the villain.
Lainie (21:22):
The villain, but see okay, steve, in all honesty, I
haven't watched your show, butI'm adding it to my notes right
between all the Taylor Sheridanshows.
I need to finish up.
It's right there.
It's right on the list.
I'm like I'm on to Lioness,season two now.
So I'm sorry, but it's going tobe on the list.
But what you just said, estella,those media stereotypes
(21:46):
Honestly, dani, in your movieyou were like in all realness
being.
You represented all of them,because that's what human nature
is Right.
It's multifaceted.
You are potentially going towatch this, are going to come
away with.
It is okay, especially ourlisteners here who say to
(22:16):
themselves no one's going tolike me, no one like.
Why should I even?
What do I put on my profile?
Why would anyone want me?
Maybe they're married, dating,never married.
Maybe they're divorced andlooking for a relationship and
their disability has progressedor they have become disabled.
But that's a constant theme.
It's what I loved is that allthe things that happen not all
(22:40):
the things, but the scene whereyou're meeting for the first
time okay and like all of us canrelate to that.
Is he gonna like me?
What if he doesn't like me?
What if he doesn't like me?
What if he walks past me.
I was sitting in such, withoutgiving any spoilers, are they
gonna no show, are they gonna?
I didn't know what was gonnahappen.
And then I was also relating itto myself.
(23:03):
Oh, you said it in the movie,danny.
People oftentimes don't lookhow they portray themselves.
I went out with some guy whosaid he was at the time 40 and
he was definitely 60.
People lie.
And so that brings me to whenyou're talking now like that.
I've seen the movie and peopleall over who are listening are
going to see this movie.
(23:23):
For sure they're going to paythe whatever it would be.
Half the cost of one ticket togo to a movie is what it costs
to buy this movie on Apple TV,If you can buy it or you can
rent it.
I rented it.
I think it was like $6.99 orsomething, and Steve's show,
which we're going to put in theshow notes, is on Hulu, but
Danny's movie and their Dannyand Steve's movie is on Apple TV
(23:45):
.
It was less than the cost ofone ticket to go to a movie and
it was awesome.
But what it gave me for peoplewho are in this world of should
I put myself out there is itgives you encouragement, it
gives you hope, it gives you allthe things.
And what it taught me the mostis you don't know, you don't
(24:07):
have to use your like.
A lot of people use theirdisability as an excuse not to
put themselves out there.
It might be that the persondoesn't like you because of your
disability, or it could bebecause of five other, five
thousand other reasons why youdon't jive, why you don't have
chemistry, and okay, I'm talkingon and on, but I like that part
(24:27):
.
Danny Kurtzman (24:28):
Yeah, it's not a spoiler, but that's probably.
There's a shot in that sceneand yeah, we all go through
those dating things.
And there's a scene where I amnot comfortable showing my
disability on the dating app.
We've all been there.
You've been on a dating app.
You're disabled.
Do you lean into it?
Do you wait till you later?
What's your deal?
It's something we all gothrough.
(24:49):
And then you ask the name ofall your people to deal with
this too.
Like, how do I present myself?
Is this the right photo?
Do I look good?
It goes through everything.
The VFX that she puts in thisis incredible in that scene.
But there's in that first day,maddie, my prospective partner,
(25:10):
and the girl I'm going on a datewith.
First, she comments on my hairfirst, and then there's a shot
where she puts the straw fromone glass to the next.
I caught that that's my favoriteshot of the whole movie and
it's just when you want to findyour person too much.
(25:31):
We settle too much.
We're like, oh, this personjust likes me and I'm not
finding anybody else, so I dealwith everything else and just
settle.
Dude, that's the same peopledon't settle.
Your bar is set high, youdeserve everything and all of it
.
And when that thing like thathappens and you don't have to
ask when that genuinely justthat person or individual does
(25:54):
that for you you're like that'sthe moment probably give way a
little spoiler, but you have tolook for that scene.
You gotta find that shot.
When that happens.
That's when the movie flips andyou're like this is what you
all should want to get this wallshould have.
We all will have it's's thefeeling right.
Lainie (26:12):
It's the shared or whatever the word is for meant
to be.
But it's a feeling.
It's not like some one thing.
It's like she did that actionthat was meaningful to you.
It's the feeling like, yeah,this person is worth my time and
the settling.
Danny Kurtzman (26:28):
To give it away, though that was not in the
script.
Wow, it's Jessica ParkerKennedy being Jessica Parker
Kennedy.
Wow, beautiful human being everbeing herself, seeing me as an
actor and a friend of hers andlove interest in this movie to
genuinely doing that for me.
Lainie (26:50):
Wow.
Danny Kurtzman (26:51):
It exists everywhere.
Jess is one of them are verygrateful to have the movie along
with brett dyer.
They are just the most insaneco-stars and I would never have
been able to pull this movie offas a first-time actor in a
leading role, without them.
Yes, incredible.
Estela (27:08):
You and you just maybe first love the movie even more
because that moment is genuine.
And two, you basically justdescribed what Lainey and I talk
about so many times.
That was a green flag Right Inthat moment.
Lainie (27:23):
Or not a flag.
We did a whole episode on redflags, so now we're like what's
the green?
Estela (27:28):
Yeah, so I think showing people the green flags as well.
Steve, I know you have to run,Steve maybe you could share
maybe one green flag, one redflag and then what you really
hope the community comes awaywith from this film and from
your show.
Steve Way (27:46):
Oh man, one red flag, one green flag.
I think I did it.
(28:06):
To tell you, I'm probably notthe best judge at that, I think,
when it comes to flowers withthe dating.
Lainie (28:15):
I'm pretty horrible at it and I will be the first to
admit that.
Steve Way (28:23):
But honestly, I think it's someone who is just not
open to the idea of just gettingto know someone with a
disability.
I always tell your friends,women I date if it's ever too
(28:48):
much for you, just tell me.
I will never fault you for that.
It's not your fault.
I know it's a lot, I get that.
But I think there's adifference between that and then
just being like you can't walk,so what value do you have?
(29:12):
I've had mothers of women I'vedated say he's disabled, so how
can he provide for you?
How can he take care of you?
Put him in a hospital, ignorethe fact that their daughter
just said oh, I like them, makesme happy.
(29:34):
It's that very one-dimensionalthing that I'm afraid needs to
be disabled and it's thosetropes and stereotypes that
we're dismantling.
So I think, in some of theinterests that comes with that
(29:58):
great fight, a woman who likeswrestling.
Lainie (30:06):
I love wrestling like actually watching wrestling or
actually wrestling yeah, anywoman with strong arms, yes.
Danny Kurtzman (30:23):
I love that.
Thank you very much.
You think so this guy is.
Just the amount of women inthis guy's life is yeah, it's
insane.
I've done it for a year and ahalf and he's had what?
Three or four girlfriendsalready.
It's ridiculous.
All toxic as hell.
But this you know what I like,so yeah they have strong arms,
(30:45):
daddy, yeah, they have strongarms oh, they have strong arms,
but they also have strong earlydays.
I don't know or red flags orred flags.
Steve Way (30:54):
In my opinion, okay, so I will see myself out.
Danny Kurtzman (30:59):
Yeah, you go out with Rami.
Thank you thank you.
You go out with Rami, thank youyou go out with Rami in
Brooklyn tonight, you go break aleg amazing.
Good luck, good luck love youcall you later, thank you, steve
, we love you too yeah, I don'teven know if I'm going to be
able to answer these questions.
Yeah, I just call them.
(31:21):
Trust me, you got feelings.
Think like it's just.
Yeah, I just can't trust yourgut.
Feelings are everything.
That's.
The only thing we can reallyknow is the absolute truth, and
just communication is key.
There are also just things thatalso work.
Yeah, we have media is verypowerful and for however long I
can even think of, media haswritten our story on what it
(31:43):
means to be disabled, and thatstory is very big and it's very
strong, and when you becomedisabled or you enter this world
as disabled, you immediatelyhave no kind of choice but to
accept that as your story, untilhopefully now and that's what
my I hope to do here.
But yeah, we accept thesestories and then we go into
(32:06):
dating and then it becomes redflags on red flags because we
immediately tell ourselves thatwe are not worthy, that we
always have to muster up more tomake this person want to stay
around, that we're always justgrowing up and we're never going
to be good enough.
And that's not the truth, andwhen you enter that into a
(32:27):
relationship, it's never goingto result in love or happiness
for you.
So, like all I gotta say is doyou and focus on you and enter
into any relationship knowingthat you are worthy and that you
can.
That person is lucky to be withyou because if you don't,
there's just going to be endlessamounts of red flags.
(32:48):
It's never going to end andyou're going to be the reason
for those red flags.
Lainie (32:51):
Plain and simple wow for people who are like on these
actual dating apps.
I know you're not you don'tclaim to be an expert.
You're not an expert, but youmade a movie.
You have experience like how doyou like?
Maybe a big red flag is likepeople who are who want to date
someone to like I don't know adating app.
He puts they because too manypeople have fetishes, and I
(33:27):
don't even know.
I really don't understand, butI understand he's five feet tall
and like people he doesn't wantto just date someone who thinks
that they're getting, has anidea of what they want, and
maybe they're practicing withsomething, or I don't know.
I don't know what the word is.
I'm practicing with somethingor I don't know as a, I don't
know what the word is.
I'm messing this all up, butyou know what I'm saying.
Danny Kurtzman (33:46):
Yeah, I mean, we're in an interesting time and
education is key and there's nowrong questions.
You are curious and you havequestions, ask questions and,
foremost, from disability towhat you identify as a human
being in the dating world.
Uh, but yeah, in terms of apps,don't do it because it's just
(34:07):
what you have to do it becauseyou want to do it.
Um, they're not fun.
I'm not gonna lie.
Like, even when you do enter itwith power and confidence, then
you're you're going up againstalready ableist algorithms that
aren't going to benefit us.
I see it all the time and am Ion them?
Yeah, do I see it as?
(34:28):
Like, this is what I'm going toend up finding somebody Like,
if that happens, cool.
But ultimately, like, just beyou.
Like you see somebody that yourun into on a dating app that
happens to have their likehandle for instagram, or you
meet someone out just like, justgo say hi, and instagram and
dms are my best dating app.
(34:50):
Because you find someone that Ifeel like I connect to in the
real world or even connect to ontheir profile on the dating app
.
Like, I will take it into myown power to say, hey, this is
who I am.
My Instagram represents mebetter than this app does and if
you're interested, we shouldtalk.
That's kind of what I do in mydating world when I was.
(35:11):
When I do that aggressivelyright now.
I'm just again very busy withthe movie and that's my love
first and foremost, and I don'thave time to be doing all the
other stuff.
But yeah, that's how I look atit.
They can.
We live in a society that dealswith we, we measure things on
likes and matches.
That's bullshit.
(35:32):
That's not how we should bedoing these things.
And don't get into that mix.
Don't allow them to swoop youinto that, because it's only
gonna end up in red flags andtoxic stuff.
Do it for you, do it because youwant to do it and if you find
someone that kind of makes youfeel those little things like
let's get back to the OG lovestuff.
(35:53):
Like then, when you get thebutterflies, when you see
someone, you're like thatperson's sexy or you know that
person's got this energy aboutthem, then say it, tell them
like and they can.
It's not like you're beingpervy or weird, like you can say
it in a genuine way, like Ilove your energy right now.
Let's talk and if the persontakes it off as aggressive,
(36:15):
that's what then?
That's them like.
You're not ultimately beingaggressive.
So just say say hey, I likewhat you do, I like how you
dress, I like who you be, I likeyour passion or heart.
Just say it and I promise youfrom my experience, that comes
off as sexy that comes off Onehundred percent you just saying
(36:38):
that right now I'm like rightthere, I'm in, can't confident,
confident dude.
Lainie (36:41):
I'm in, can't confident, confident dude, not really in.
You're like the same age as mychild and I'm married.
Like that is.
That's the best is when someoneis just like confident as hell
and comes in and as you knowwhat you're really like honestly
, your energy is contagious, orI am.
I find your laugh likebeautiful and you and that's hot
(37:04):
, I think so you guys can allpay us what you would pay the
dating app.
We'll take $150 via Venmo no,just kidding Danny for the movie
, for people who want to seethis movie or maybe they don't
know that they want to see thismovie why should someone see
this movie?
Danny Kurtzman (37:22):
Wow, I actually I've had so many interviews and
that actually hasn't come uplike the way you just worded
that.
Why should people come see themovie?
Even I've been saying it's morethan a movie, it's a movement.
I am a huge lover of film andtelevision.
I'm a huge fan of arts.
I watch movies all the time,like wanting to either escape or
(37:44):
relate or feel something.
And a lot of the time we do getdisappointed in the way things
are represented or the waythings are done.
Our film's just real.
It's just.
It was two best friends who cametogether with no initiative.
We're not like, hey, we'regoing to sign on with X, y and Z
and we're just going to makethis thing, this huge thing,
(38:06):
like we just wanted to dosomething special together that
will live forever.
It resulted in this beautifulmovie that a lot of people are
being impacted by, that peopleare connecting to, and it's not
just one part of the movies.
Everyone has their little thingin this movie that they're like
that's or that and that's justso awesome.
(38:31):
And if you do love this movie,if you do end up going to watch
it and rent it or buy it, shareit.
Text the person you think aboutwhen you're done with it and
you're like either you gottawatch when you're done with it
and you like either you got towatch this or this made me think
of you and then go, like itmaybe connects with you.
Go do the work on yourself andalso go do the work in this
(38:53):
community, because I'm talkingto people who are building I'm
built a platform and a voicethat is making a difference, and
I'm just kidding this communityand I love it so much and I'm
so proud to be disabled, butthere are people that have been
doing this way longer than Ihave and they're just incredible
human beings.
Go find them, go find theirvoice, go find their platform,
(39:16):
go follow them, go subscribe totheir YouTube channel, go buy
their book, go listen to theirpodcast.
Go buy their book, go listen totheir podcast, because there's
so many talented people in ourcommunity actors, writers,
directors, whatever it is.
So if you love our movie, it'sjust the beginning, because this
movie wouldn't be what it wasif it wasn't for all those other
people.
I hope you go find all of themand, yeah, just feeling the love
(39:41):
right now.
So thank you.
Estela (39:43):
Yes, you are like medicine for the soul and heart.
Today, I know for me personally, I'm sure for Lainey, and I
think, mission accomplished.
I think you have createdsomething that will live forever
, that will move us forwardcloser to where we all want to
be, and I want to personallycongratulate you.
We want to personallycongratulate you.
We want to personallycongratulate you.
(40:04):
We want to say thank you, youare a phenomenal actor.
There's nothing but a successahead for you and Steve and the
rest of the people involved inthis film.
Lainie (40:15):
Absolutely so, dani.
This is only our second taperecording of 2025.
We're a little behind, but ourgoal is to ask every single
person, which we did most of,what does embrace it mean to you
.
Danny Kurtzman (40:33):
Well, for me, specifically, just to love my
fullest self and don't run awayfrom it or shy from it just
because things from the outsideare making you feel like you
need to be quiet or need tochange, because we all were
(40:53):
created for a reason and I thinkwe just need to, and it's
easier said than done.
It took me 33 years to embracethis 20 something being disabled
, that it took me to embrace itand I did the work.
I found a coach who's alsodisabled.
His name's Carson Tuller.
(41:14):
Again, these are the people whoare doing the work.
Go find him on Instagram, gofind his website.
He is the most beautifulindividual I will ever meet.
He changed my life and hehelped me embrace it.
He helped me really love mydisability and love myself and
listen to my gut and tell methis is not your story, this is
(41:35):
not your truth.
Go rewrite your own story,rewrite your own truth.
And the moment I did that, thismovie happened.
Steve entered my life.
I've been on a journey like noother and it's only the
beginning.
So I am embracing it to themoon right now and I hope, I
hope this kind of gets people toat least embrace a little bit
of themselves or start thatjourney, because it's a journey.
(41:57):
It's never easy.
You don't just wake up and belike this is me fucking you?
No, it takes time and you gottaget comfortable.
There's many times where Idon't embrace myself.
I hopefully I don't let thatlast too long.
But I do it and again, I don'tshame it, I don't run away from
it.
I'm allowed to sit in thosedisempowering states and then
(42:21):
hopefully get rid of them.
But yeah, embrace.
Lainie (42:24):
Love it and people can reach you.
I'm assuming Instagram.
You've referenced Instagram afew times.
They'll go into your, not yourlead DM box, but your second DM
box.
You can put them into theprimary box, depending on who
they are.
Danny Kurtzman (42:38):
They DM me and I will likely.
I will definitely respond.
I've been doing my best.
I'm a little busy right now,Pretty amazing.
Lainie (42:45):
You must be getting a lot.
This is a major movie on AppleTV.
You guys, we're with the star,danny Kurtzman, and you guys, we
want you to check it out.
We're going to put the links in.
We're going to market this allover because, very much, you are
helping our community in somany ways, so many, countless
ways.
Plus, you really made Estella'sweekend.
(43:07):
She's been very sad about theworld and you made her smile and
it's worth it.
People, you pay it back bywatching it, because Estella
loved it.
She loved the art, she lovedthe camera angles, she loved the
rawness of it, and so you gotto check it out, yeah, so follow
danny kurtzman,d-a-n-n-y-k-u-r-t-z-m-a-n.
Estela (43:33):
And also good, bad things on instagram and find
your way to this movie and thenshare with everyone you know and
then do the work basically.
Lainie (43:42):
Yeah, and I love the title.
By the way, the title's awesomeGood, bad thanks, Very cool.
Danny Kurtzman (43:46):
All right cool.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Lainie (43:49):
Thank you, bye everyone, thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!