July 23, 2026 • 7 mins
Actors Jake Johnson & Mary Steenburgen talk new sports comedy 'The Dink' and more!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Fun with Mario Lopez seberl Morio Lopez joining me right
now from the Apple TV news sports comedy The Dink,
Jake Johnson, Mary Steen Bergen, How are you guys, Well,
I'm well. Congrats on the new film It Looks So Funny,
a sports comedy about pickleball, produced by Ben Stiller. Coincidentally,
(00:21):
I just put a pickleball court in my backyard, so
much for yeah, Hey, come on, we have parties.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Great thing about pickleball.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Kids could play, my parents can play, and it's a
bit of a phenomenon. So it's great timing. What's the
what's the premise of the movie.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
It's about a former kid who is a little tennis prodigy.
My character is dad played by Ed Harris. Wanted me
to be the best. When I was seventeen, I faced
a young Andy Roddick and he beat me. Kind of
fell off. My father runs a tennis club in Alta Dino,
La Canada area. Courts are coming up. They want more
(01:02):
of the space. Ed Harris hates that and wants to
take him down, so he sets up a duel for
a tennis match, and the winner of that gets the courts,
and my character wants to represent the tennis but I
get hurt, and so I start playing pickleball to recover
in order to be able to play tennis. And I
meet Mary Steenberger's character, who's a pickleballer.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
I love it. You know what's ironic about that, as
I recently read an article where pickleball injuries are so
on the right because a lot of the senior folk
play and it's a little twitchy, right, so they're tearing.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
The owls, ripping their achillies. But it's still like booby.
But you know, they gotta be careful out there. They
gotta be careful out there. But this is this sounds
like so much fun. I'm definitely gonna worrio.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
You.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
I mean about older people.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
It's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I'm one of the older people.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
What I was expecting, sir, I will say, to be fair,
Mario has torn all of those things. He's a jiu jitsu.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
That's right. I've torn everybody says toilet kill. I've torn
it all. But people. My point is, people do pickable
and they.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Think it's safer. Its You gotta be careful still, you
gotta be there, especially if you're of a certain age. Now,
how much pickleball experience. Did both of you had prior
to this movie?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
This woman played.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
Uh No, I had played for exactly two months before
they call me and tell me about the movie. And
so I was a beginner. To be honest, I'm still
a beginner, but I'm a better beginner now than I was.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
And I had had none. I didn't know much about
the game. I had heard about it. But when I
first heard about this project, Sean, the writer is an
old friend. He told me about it was so funny.
His story is similar to Dusty's arc that really happened
to him. He was playing in Beverly Hills with some
older women and they were talking a lot of trash
to him, and then they all became friends and would
(02:54):
invite him out to coffee and he would go. But
then he was like, I think I'm becoming friends with them,
and I really like that, and this is all getting
so strange. And so I got into pick a Ball
in order to do the movie because I loved the
idea of the movie so much.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
It's great. No, it looks funny. I've seen I've seen
the trailer. It looks really funny.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Great cast too.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
You mentioned ed Harris, ben Stiller, Patton Oswald, Christine Taylor,
and then you got Andy Roddig and John McEnroe appearing
as well. Where did y'all shoot the movie? Did you
get to stay in the States or we.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Shot it in Altadina, So we were here, but at
the country club?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Was there?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
We were in you know, lots of talabas. Nice, but
it was an l a movie.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Hey, that's great, that's great. I love that and Jake,
you also have a TV series on Apple TV called
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. Reviews have been great. Congrats on that
For people who may not be familiar. What's that one about?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
H That is a thriller about a woman who gets
involved with like a the the underbelly of some like
sketchy stuff. But I play her ex husband and I'm
a custody battle with her for our dog her. So
she's involved in a lot of madness and I'm involved
in a custody battle.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Got it?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Got it?
Speaker 1 (04:05):
That's a promise, But it's a great show.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
I highly recommend it.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Nice and Mary, you've had such an incredible career of
films like Parenthood, Philadelphia, Back to the Future, of course,
Step Brothers. What set did you laugh the most on
Step Brothers?
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Oh? Wows A close second though, Oh nice, ink is
right up there. Yeah, and that's really a compliment because
I loved doing step Brothers because I love to laugh.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
No, it just it's so funny. That's awesome that it
was such a fun said too, is a true random
question that you were originally discovered by Jack Nicholson.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Yes, wow, Yes, here in New York actually a few
blocks from here. I was not supposed to be meeting
with him. I met with a casting director and then
I said, torre you casting anything in particular? And she said,
I'm casting a movie call going South, but I don't
think I can get you in on it because we're
going to just have you know, famous actresses. And I was, like,
(05:11):
you know, in a comedy improv group and I was
a waitress, and so I said, well, I'm going to
go sit out there and wait until you maybe give
me a script. And then I go out there and
I'm sitting down and I'm thinking I've got to go
back in and apologize because that was so pushy. And
then I see these two and I hear this unmistakable
voice going, are you waiting to see me, and I
(05:33):
realized Jack Nicholson is not in la He's in this
office or something.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
And then I look up and it really is him.
He said, are you waiting to see me? And I
said no, and he goes, he grabs the script and
he goes, here, come tomorrow. You've got ten minutes tomorrow.
And that was the moment that changed my life.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
That is such an awesome story, you know, and goes
to show there really are no rules when it comes
to Hollywood.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
I guess right, it's pretty crazy.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
That is cool.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
I ended up having this screen test with a lot
of huge stars at Paramount in La It was my
first time to go to La Wow. And I was
on my way home on the last day. I'd run
out of all my money and I went in to
get me for the one night's hotel bill from the
Chateau More month that they owed me, and they I said,
(06:24):
would you mind giving it to me in cash because
I've got a head home from my waitressing ship And
he's smoking a big cigar and he goes sit down
and worry about a kid. You're on the payroll.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Now, Hey, that's so cool. What a great time. Thanks
very sing that that is awesome. Well, guys, congrats on
the film. I look forward to checking it out and everyone.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
Plase Mario, it's fun a pickleball court.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
I'm a pickleball guy. I'm gonna be all over it.
The wife and I are looking forward to it and
everyone please be sure to check out the new comedy
The Dink, which h's Apple TV Plus on July twenty four.
Earth and Uh, I appreciate your time. Thanks for checking in.
Take care, guys with Mario Lopez
Fun with Mario Lopez seberl Morio Lopez joining me right
now from the Apple TV news sports comedy The Dink,
Jake Johnson, Mary Steen Bergen, How are you guys, Well,
I'm well. Congrats on the new film It Looks So Funny,
a sports comedy about pickleball, produced by Ben Stiller. Coincidentally,
(00:21):
I just put a pickleball court in my backyard, so
much for yeah, Hey, come on, we have parties.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Great thing about pickleball.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Kids could play, my parents can play, and it's a
bit of a phenomenon. So it's great timing. What's the
what's the premise of the movie.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
It's about a former kid who is a little tennis prodigy.
My character is dad played by Ed Harris. Wanted me
to be the best. When I was seventeen, I faced
a young Andy Roddick and he beat me. Kind of
fell off. My father runs a tennis club in Alta Dino,
La Canada area. Courts are coming up. They want more
(01:02):
of the space. Ed Harris hates that and wants to
take him down, so he sets up a duel for
a tennis match, and the winner of that gets the courts,
and my character wants to represent the tennis but I
get hurt, and so I start playing pickleball to recover
in order to be able to play tennis. And I
meet Mary Steenberger's character, who's a pickleballer.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
I love it. You know what's ironic about that, as
I recently read an article where pickleball injuries are so
on the right because a lot of the senior folk
play and it's a little twitchy, right, so they're tearing.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
The owls, ripping their achillies. But it's still like booby.
But you know, they gotta be careful out there. They
gotta be careful out there. But this is this sounds
like so much fun. I'm definitely gonna worrio.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
You.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
I mean about older people.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
It's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I'm one of the older people.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
What I was expecting, sir, I will say, to be fair,
Mario has torn all of those things. He's a jiu jitsu.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
That's right. I've torn everybody says toilet kill. I've torn
it all. But people. My point is, people do pickable
and they.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Think it's safer. Its You gotta be careful still, you
gotta be there, especially if you're of a certain age. Now,
how much pickleball experience. Did both of you had prior
to this movie?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
This woman played.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
Uh No, I had played for exactly two months before
they call me and tell me about the movie. And
so I was a beginner. To be honest, I'm still
a beginner, but I'm a better beginner now than I was.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
And I had had none. I didn't know much about
the game. I had heard about it. But when I
first heard about this project, Sean, the writer is an
old friend. He told me about it was so funny.
His story is similar to Dusty's arc that really happened
to him. He was playing in Beverly Hills with some
older women and they were talking a lot of trash
to him, and then they all became friends and would
(02:54):
invite him out to coffee and he would go. But
then he was like, I think I'm becoming friends with them,
and I really like that, and this is all getting
so strange. And so I got into pick a Ball
in order to do the movie because I loved the
idea of the movie so much.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
It's great. No, it looks funny. I've seen I've seen
the trailer. It looks really funny.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Great cast too.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
You mentioned ed Harris, ben Stiller, Patton Oswald, Christine Taylor,
and then you got Andy Roddig and John McEnroe appearing
as well. Where did y'all shoot the movie? Did you
get to stay in the States or we.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Shot it in Altadina, So we were here, but at
the country club?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Was there?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
We were in you know, lots of talabas. Nice, but
it was an l a movie.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Hey, that's great, that's great. I love that and Jake,
you also have a TV series on Apple TV called
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. Reviews have been great. Congrats on that
For people who may not be familiar. What's that one about?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
H That is a thriller about a woman who gets
involved with like a the the underbelly of some like
sketchy stuff. But I play her ex husband and I'm
a custody battle with her for our dog her. So
she's involved in a lot of madness and I'm involved
in a custody battle.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Got it?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Got it?
Speaker 1 (04:05):
That's a promise, But it's a great show.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
I highly recommend it.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Nice and Mary, you've had such an incredible career of
films like Parenthood, Philadelphia, Back to the Future, of course,
Step Brothers. What set did you laugh the most on
Step Brothers?
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Oh? Wows A close second though, Oh nice, ink is
right up there. Yeah, and that's really a compliment because
I loved doing step Brothers because I love to laugh.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
No, it just it's so funny. That's awesome that it
was such a fun said too, is a true random
question that you were originally discovered by Jack Nicholson.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Yes, wow, Yes, here in New York actually a few
blocks from here. I was not supposed to be meeting
with him. I met with a casting director and then
I said, torre you casting anything in particular? And she said,
I'm casting a movie call going South, but I don't
think I can get you in on it because we're
going to just have you know, famous actresses. And I was, like,
(05:11):
you know, in a comedy improv group and I was
a waitress, and so I said, well, I'm going to
go sit out there and wait until you maybe give
me a script. And then I go out there and
I'm sitting down and I'm thinking I've got to go
back in and apologize because that was so pushy. And
then I see these two and I hear this unmistakable
voice going, are you waiting to see me, and I
(05:33):
realized Jack Nicholson is not in la He's in this
office or something.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
And then I look up and it really is him.
He said, are you waiting to see me? And I
said no, and he goes, he grabs the script and
he goes, here, come tomorrow. You've got ten minutes tomorrow.
And that was the moment that changed my life.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
That is such an awesome story, you know, and goes
to show there really are no rules when it comes
to Hollywood.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
I guess right, it's pretty crazy.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
That is cool.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
I ended up having this screen test with a lot
of huge stars at Paramount in La It was my
first time to go to La Wow. And I was
on my way home on the last day. I'd run
out of all my money and I went in to
get me for the one night's hotel bill from the
Chateau More month that they owed me, and they I said,
(06:24):
would you mind giving it to me in cash because
I've got a head home from my waitressing ship And
he's smoking a big cigar and he goes sit down
and worry about a kid. You're on the payroll.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Now, Hey, that's so cool. What a great time. Thanks
very sing that that is awesome. Well, guys, congrats on
the film. I look forward to checking it out and everyone.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
Plase Mario, it's fun a pickleball court.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
I'm a pickleball guy. I'm gonna be all over it.
The wife and I are looking forward to it and
everyone please be sure to check out the new comedy
The Dink, which h's Apple TV Plus on July twenty four.
Earth and Uh, I appreciate your time. Thanks for checking in.
Take care, guys with Mario Lopez
Host
Mario Lopez
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. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!