"Steve Buscemi"

We’re hanging out with Steve Buscemi. The Material, how to come through doors, actor/director catnip, and yoga on the weekends. Wasa, bee? It’s SmartLess.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Sean Hayes?

  This episode of Smartless is sponsored by Google Book. You know, I'm lucky to have a lot of friends and having them over is great, but with hosting comes all the tedious stuff. The planning, keeping track of who's coming, managing schedules, making sure everything actually comes together. That's where Google Book comes in. It's a whole new kind of laptop. It comes with Google AI Pro, so you can create custom tasks with Gemini. For example, you can tell it to track RSVPs and manage your calendar, and it does that for you, even when the laptop's closed. So there's more time to focus on the fun parts of hosting. Basically, Google Book works hard, so you don't have to. Visit googlebook.com. Available in the Gemini app to Google AI Pro users

• 0:45Sean Hayes?

  in select regions for 18-plus users. Check responses for accuracy. Supervise closely. Interrupt when needed.

• 0:54Sean Hayes?

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• 1:30Sean Hayes?

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• 2:10Sean Hayes?

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• 2:51Will Arnett?

  Okay, guys, we're gonna do it. We're gonna do one more episode.

• 2:54Jason Bateman?

  That's it? This is our last episode. Listeners, this is our final episode ever of Smartless. Right before we do the next one.

• 3:05Will Arnett?

  That's right. But this is it. This is the last one.

• 3:07Jason Bateman?

  This is it for this one.

• 3:10Will Arnett?

  Goodbye, until the next one.

• 3:12Jason Bateman?

  When does it start? It's gonna start right now. So hello.

• 3:16Will Arnett?

  And goodbye.

• 3:17Jason Bateman?

  No, hello.

• 3:18Will Arnett?

  Until the next one. It's an all-new Smartless. Until the next one.

• 3:21Jason Bateman?

  Smartless.

• 3:40Jason Bateman?

  What time is it there, Sean? It's dinner?

• 3:42Sean Hayes?

  It's 5:30 PM. 5:30. I just ate. I had a piece of cod and I had some potatoes and some asparagus.

• 3:50Jason Bateman?

  So cod, that's British? That's what they do the fish and chips with, right?

• 3:54Sean Hayes?

  That's right. I had cod. But before that, I had a cinnamon roll.

• 3:57Jason Bateman?

  I'll bet.

• 3:58Will Arnett?

  Yeah, of course. That's British for "American food." Hey, do you... Are you just moving dinner earlier and earlier into the day? What's happening?

• 4:07Sean Hayes?

  Well, yeah. Well, I do have... It's funny because my day kind of starts now because LA is just waking up, so...

• 4:14Jason Bateman?

  Meanwhile, you've done a full day of rehearsal already.

• 4:16Sean Hayes?

  Yeah. Yeah. And some interviews in the morning and radio and like photo shoot.

• 4:20Jason Bateman?

  But aren't you...

• 4:21Will Arnett?

  When you say your day starts, what are you doing?

• 4:23Sean Hayes?

  Yeah, so after this, then I go... I'm writing something for something.

• 4:28Jason Bateman?

  Wait, hang on.

• 4:28Sean Hayes?

  I know, I don't wanna say it.

• 4:30Jason Bateman?

  So are you trying your hand at screenwriting or writing a play?

• 4:35Sean Hayes?

  No, I'm just, we're kind of talking it out and writing what the characters are, the development, like the outline and all that stuff.

• 4:41Will Arnett?

  Uh huh. Okay.

• 4:42Sean Hayes?

  Yeah.

• 4:42Jason Bateman?

  Will, does it taste good?

• 4:44Will Arnett?

  How does it sound?

• 4:47Jason Bateman?

  Fuck.

• 4:47Will Arnett?

  Sorry. Sorry, I forgot.

• 4:50Sean Hayes?

  The gum.

• 4:52Jason Bateman?

  It's, we're doing an audio show.

• 4:54Will Arnett?

  I know. Who was, who was the person who said, somebody said, somebody said to me once, "Hey man, can you turn your gum down?"

• 5:01Jason Bateman?

  That's a good one.

• 5:03Will Arnett?

  That is so good.

• 5:04Jason Bateman?

  Oh my god.

• 5:04Will Arnett?

  Um, sorry, I forgot.

• 5:05Jason Bateman?

  And Will, so, and Will, you're just getting started over there. Um, well, no, actually, you're, you're midday right now.

• 5:11Will Arnett?

  I'm midday. I was up this morning at 5:45.

• 5:14Jason Bateman?

  Don't need to brag.

• 5:14Sean Hayes?

  Isn't that wild? LA, New York, um, London.

• 5:18Jason Bateman?

  So, Will, what's wild? Tell me what's wild.

• 5:21Sean Hayes?

  Yeah.

• 5:23Jason Bateman?

  Different time zones?

• 5:24Will Arnett?

  Talks about how wild, let's talk about how wild.

• 5:26Sean Hayes?

  Oh, I, I have.

• 5:27Jason Bateman?

  Wait, Sean, oh, wait, no, sorry. Uh, what is it? It's, oh, it's Will. Uh, what did you do so, like since 5:30? That you're seven hours into your day?

• 5:35Will Arnett?

  So I woke up this morning, I did my octurtle, wordle, quurtle that used to be a part of with our old buddies and.

• 5:39Jason Bateman?

  You're still doing that?

• 5:40Will Arnett?

  I'm still doing it every morning.

• 5:42Sean Hayes?

  I love it.

• 5:42Will Arnett?

  And then, uh, I did a hot cold, I did a sauna, and then I did a cold plunge for a few minutes. Then I went to my morning, uh, my morning.

• 5:50Jason Bateman?

  Meeting.

• 5:50Will Arnett?

  Gathering, meeting.

• 5:51Sean Hayes?

  Very good.

• 5:52Will Arnett?

  With all my peeps. Uh, had a little coffee, came back, drove able to work, came back, worked out, and now I'm here. Had a little, quickly something to eat, now I'm here. So I've had a pretty full day.

• 6:01Jason Bateman?

  When did you shower?

• 6:03Will Arnett?

  Uh, oh fuck, I knew there was something.

• 6:06Jason Bateman?

  Yeah.

• 6:06Will Arnett?

  I knew, I'm gonna do it after, because it's just me in this sticky little booth.

• 6:10Jason Bateman?

  No, but you have, you worked out, you have a shower?

• 6:12Will Arnett?

  I didn't have time. I literally just finished, I went upstairs, I had some leftover, uh, uh, chicken salad.

• 6:17Jason Bateman?

  All I'm figuring out from this is that the workout was light.

• 6:20Will Arnett?

  It was not, it was not light. I guarantee that.

• 6:23Jason Bateman?

  Then why haven't you showered? You weren't a sweaty fucking mess.

• 6:25Will Arnett?

  Of course I wasn't. I didn't have time. I didn't want to be late because we have a great guest.

• 6:30Sean Hayes?

  All right, well, but wait.

• 6:32Will Arnett?

  Yes, go ahead.

• 6:32Sean Hayes?

  Oh, no, no, no, please.

• 6:33Jason Bateman?

  Get into it then.

• 6:34Sean Hayes?

  No, no, get into it.

• 6:35Will Arnett?

  I do have a, I do have a great guest. I do have a great guest. You guys are gonna be really thrilled. And so is, I mean, our audience already knows because they looked at the thing when they logged on.

• 6:43Jason Bateman?

  Sardinos, what?

• 6:45Will Arnett?

  Our audience already knows. Sardino, is your hearing going with your hair? What's happening?

• 6:52Jason Bateman?

  That's what happens. And the knees and the hips.

• 6:55Will Arnett?

  Our, our guest today, he has built a career out of portraying some of the most unique and unforgettable characters in recent cinema. I mean, he's one of these guys who has.

• 7:08Sean Hayes?

  Al Pacino.

• 7:11Sean Hayes?

  Burt Reynolds.

• 7:12Jason Bateman?

  McConaughey's coming back.

• 7:16Sean Hayes?

  He literally just said one sentence.

• 7:17Will Arnett?

  All better, all better. I, I, I think our guest is, I think our guest is laughing. How absurd that is, Al Pacino, out of the blue. Haven't even named him.

• 7:28Will Arnett?

  He's been nominated for Golden Globes, he's been to Spirit Awards.

• 7:32Jason Bateman?

  Here's Frostin.

• 7:34Will Arnett?

  You, oh my god. You know him, you know him, and he's done it all in, in television and film. Some of the great, some of the great Boardwalk Empire.

• 7:45Jason Bateman?

  Steve Buscemi, get him out here.

• 7:47Will Arnett?

  Sopranos. Reservoir Dogs.

• 7:53Will Arnett?

  God, you guys wouldn't let me finish for fuck's sake.

• 7:56Jason Bateman?

  Well, you've got to bury, you should have started with.

• 7:59Will Arnett?

  You can't name his stuff, because once you start naming everything he's done, you're like, oh yeah.

• 8:02Jason Bateman?

  You start with some of the voiceover stuff, you would have kept us in the dark.

• 8:06Will Arnett?

  Well, if I'd started with the animated movies, you're right, like the.

• 8:08Jason Bateman?

  One of the greatest voiceover artists next to Will Arnett.

• 8:11Sean Hayes?

  That's right.

• 8:12Speaker 03

  That's saying something, thank you.

• 8:14Sean Hayes?

  Monsters University.

• 8:17Speaker 03

  There you go, I know, I know.

• 8:18Sean Hayes?

  Right.

• 8:19Will Arnett?

  He knows.

• 8:20Speaker 03

  What about Igor?

• 8:21Sean Hayes?

  Oh Igor, right Igor.

• 8:23Speaker 03

  Come on.

• 8:24Sean Hayes?

  We've worked together a lot and never really.

• 8:26Will Arnett?

  Wait, what was Igor? No, I don't know if I knew Igor.

• 8:28Sean Hayes?

  It was an animated film from 17,000 years ago.

• 8:32Will Arnett?

  Okay.

• 8:33Speaker 03

  John Cusack.

• 8:35Sean Hayes?

  Yeah.

• 8:35Will Arnett?

  Oh.

• 8:36Speaker 03

  Igor.

• 8:36Sean Hayes?

  Jennifer Coolidge, Molly Shannon.

• 8:38Speaker 03

  And Sean, you played.

• 8:40Will Arnett?

  What a cast.

• 8:41Speaker 03

  Brian, you, you were the brain, but you spelled it wrong.

• 8:44Sean Hayes?

  No, my name is Brian, right.

• 8:45Will Arnett?

  Boy, if, if he was the brain, you guys were in trouble.

• 8:49Jason Bateman?

  I always challenge myself on that.

• 8:51Sean Hayes?

  Yeah.

• 8:52Will Arnett?

  Steve Buscemi, welcome to Smartless. God, it's good to have you here.

• 8:54Sean Hayes?

  This is great.

• 8:55Will Arnett?

  I'm such a massive have been like everybody else of what you do. Because you do so much different stuff. You are, you're such a, it's, it's amazing. And so just to have you out here is, is, I gotta say, kind of a thrill.

• 9:10Jason Bateman?

  Yeah, not, not bigger than me. I'm, I'm, I'm really aghast right now.

• 9:15Will Arnett?

  Yeah, I know, I'm a little.

• 9:17Speaker 03

  That I'm not Al Pacino.

• 9:18Jason Bateman?

  How lucky are we? We're so fucking lucky.

• 9:22Sean Hayes?

  Yeah, well, it was a shot in the dark. It was a shot in the dark.

• 9:27Will Arnett?

  Steve, where do we find you? Where's that beautiful orange room you're in?

• 9:30Speaker 03

  I'm in the Netflix building in New York.

• 9:34Will Arnett?

  Okay.

• 9:34Sean Hayes?

  Oh, hence the red background.

• 9:36Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 9:37Will Arnett?

  Orange.

• 9:37Speaker 03

  Like, sort of a soundproof room.

• 9:40Sean Hayes?

  Yeah, either that or the set of Squid Game.

• 9:42Will Arnett?

  I was gonna get to this, but we can mention it early on. You're working on it. You got your Netflix show is coming out soon, right?

• 9:50Speaker 03

  Wednesday.

• 9:51Will Arnett?

  Wednesday? It's the name of the show. It's not coming out?

• 9:53Speaker 03

  That's the name of the, it's the second season of The Addams Family Show, Wednesday.

• 10:00Will Arnett?

  That's right. That's right. Which has been a huge success. Huge, huge, huge.

• 10:04Speaker 03

  I loved the first season and I'm really excited that they cast me in the second season. I played the new principal of Nevermore. It's the boarding school that Wednesday attends.

• 10:16Will Arnett?

  Ah, I see. Nice. Well, you'd make a great principal. I don't know.

• 10:20Speaker 03

  I think I do.

• 10:22Will Arnett?

  Steve, so we always ask people like how they got started, whatever. I've always wanted to know, what was a young Steve Buscemi like? When you were a kid, were you like, seven years old, you wanted to be an actor or?

• 10:33Speaker 03

  Kind of.

• 10:34Will Arnett?

  Because I know that you had, you started with a different career professionally before you started acting.

• 10:39Speaker 03

  What was it?

• 10:40Will Arnett?

  Can you walk us through that a little bit?

• 10:41Speaker 03

  Well, I mean, when I was a kid, you know, like all of us, I watched a lot of TV and it was everything, you know? It was like The Three Stooges, which Sean, I have, again, I have to say, man, you played.

• 10:57Speaker 03

  I can't believe you got to play that.

• 10:59Will Arnett?

  Talk about a stooge. This guy was a perfect stooge. Type of casting.

• 11:06Speaker 03

  Three Stooges were big in my house, in my house, in my apartment in East, not my apartment, in the apartment I lived in, in East New York, Brooklyn. Yeah, The Little Rascals, you know, and shows like that. And then, but also, you know, like the afternoon movie that was on at like four o'clock, you know? Like that would show all these. Gangster films, you know, so I was a big fan of Cagney and Bogart and all those films too.

• 11:33Will Arnett?

  But did you see yourself doing this because like I like I alluded to you, you kind of started in a different career. And Jason's not aware of this, but but some people are. And so when was the moment that you allowed yourself and just walk us through what that career was briefly, if you don't mind, if it's okay.

• 11:48Speaker 03

  Well, I mean, I was a firefighter in the early eighties.

• 11:52Will Arnett?

  Wow, really?

• 11:53Speaker 03

  But I had been, yeah, but I had been trying to be an actor and actually I tried my hand at stand up. So it's not like I, you know, was a firefighter who then decided to become an actor. I was already, you know, kind of

• 12:09Will Arnett?

  Oh, God.

• 12:09Speaker 03

  a flailing stand up and wannabe actor who, you know, who had taken the fire department test when I was 18. And they didn't get to my name, uh, my name was on a list and they called me when I was like, I was 22, I think, when I was, when I was called. And then I was like, I'm going nowhere with this showbiz stuff, so I, I, I joined the fire department.

• 12:34Will Arnett?

  And you fought fires for four or five years?

• 12:36Speaker 03

  Yeah, I was at Engine 55 in Manhattan. In New York? Yeah, in New York, yeah. Oh, my goodness.

• 12:44Will Arnett?

  And it should be noted that you also rejoined briefly after nine 11, is that true?

• 12:47Speaker 03

  I, well, I didn't rejoin, I just, I went down to my old firehouse on Broome Street because I knew that they were there, that they had been at the site and, and I couldn't get any information. So I, on the 12th, I, I, I went there and I brought my, my turnout gear, my, my coat and helmet and, and

• 13:09Will Arnett?

  Wow.

• 13:09Speaker 03

  boots and gloves. That's amazing. And, and, and I was brought into the site by another firefighter and, and he told me about the guys that were missing in the company. And one was a good friend of mine and, and anyway, I went down to the site and I was able to. Find my company there because they had lost members. They were, they had access to like the main pile that was, you know, still burning.

• 13:41Will Arnett?

  Right.

• 13:42Speaker 03

  And, um, and.

• 13:44Will Arnett?

  This is the day after.

• 13:45Speaker 03

  I got to work with them, you know, for the rest of the week, you know, this was on a.

• 13:48Will Arnett?

  Wow, man.

• 13:49Sean Hayes?

  And were these, were these guys you kept, kept in touch with and you, and you, were they still in the same?

• 13:55Speaker 03

  No, I mean, there were some, yeah, I mean, there were some guys that I recognized who I used to work with. But by and large, it was all new, new guys and I didn't know them. And, but I got to know them during the week and since then I've stayed in touch. And now every year on nine 11, um, I attend the, uh, the breakfast at the firehouse with the families. And then there's a mass service and then there's a lunch and there's also bar time in their, in their.

• 14:25Will Arnett?

  Sure, sure.

• 14:26Speaker 03

  Do, do a, we are, they are firefighters. So there is a fair amount of, uh, uh, drinking at Tony's bar. Yeah.

• 14:34Will Arnett?

  That's incredible. I mean, that's, and Sean, you've, you've supported too. You bought a calendar every year, right?

• 14:39Sean Hayes?

  Yeah.

• 14:39Will Arnett?

  So.

• 14:41Sean Hayes?

  Steve, um, Steve had.

• 14:44Speaker 03

  We love him. Thank you.

• 14:45Sean Hayes?

  I never miss a year. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I do what I can. I do what I can. Steve, well, how did, how did firefighting find you at a young age? Was your, was your dad involved with any of that stuff?

• 14:57Speaker 03

  My dad was a sanitation worker. He worked, um, in, uh, in Brooklyn and he did that for 30 years. And so he was, he just knew the civil service, you know, like, like what, like what that job meant, the benefits.

• 15:14Will Arnett?

  The whole apparatus that keeps that city moving.

• 15:16Speaker 03

  Yeah. And, you know, the pay is good and you get good benefits. And he always, I mean, he knew I wanted to become an actor, but he would tell me, you know, just put in your 20 years and then you could do all the acting you want. It doesn't really work that way, but, but I tried it.

• 15:33Jason Bateman?

  Because meanwhile.

• 15:34Will Arnett?

  Put in your twenty.

• 15:35Jason Bateman?

  Yeah.

• 15:36Speaker 03

  Put in your twenty. Just put in your twenty, retire at half pay, and then do all the acting you want.

• 15:41Sean Hayes?

  You're right.

• 15:41Jason Bateman?

  He was noticing that you were, you were, you were, you were leaning towards acting. Um, is that because you were taking classes as a young kid? Were you doing it at school?

• 15:50Speaker 03

  I, I mean, I think he kind of knew it, that I had it in me since I was a little kid. Because when I was really little, I used to just, uh, make up stories and tell, and tell jokes. If we were at a cousin's wedding, I would like stand up on a table and just do like a stand-up routine.

• 16:10Sean Hayes?

  That's funny.

• 16:10Speaker 03

  I'm sure it was like stupid, but I was like five or six, so they, um, and then, uh, I talk about this, I've talked about this before, when I was in fourth grade, my, uh, teacher, Mr. Ricobono, he cast me in a production of The Wizard of Oz. I got to play the Cowardly Lion, and I thought, this is it. If I never do anything else after this, I have, I was so happy. And when I was on stage, I just, it was that feeling of,

• 16:39Jason Bateman?

  Yeah.

• 16:40Speaker 03

  wow, people are enjoying this, and they're laughing, and I'm, you know.

• 16:43Will Arnett?

  That'd be a good role for you, JB.

• 16:45Jason Bateman?

  Yeah, Cowardly Lion.

• 16:46Will Arnett?

  Yeah.

• 16:48Speaker 03

  I could do it.

• 16:48Sean Hayes?

  He's got the hair for it.

• 16:49Jason Bateman?

  Wait, uh, so.

• 16:51Will Arnett?

  He does have the mane.

• 16:52Jason Bateman?

  Who was, who was, was mom or dad, uh, uh, uh, somebody who was outgoing and, and sort of, uh, who, who was, who, who was leading for you at that moment? Like, who was your north star? Was it mom or dad?

• 17:04Speaker 03

  I, you know, I, in, in their, in their own ways, both. I mean, my mom was the one, when we were young, who used to take us to the movies and, and see musicals and, and comedies. And, um, and then when I was a teenager, you know, a little bit, even younger, my, my dad would take us to the movies. And we'd see things like Across 110th Street, and Cotton Comes to Harlem, and movies I just shouldn't have been seeing like that, and I'm, and, but, but it was great.

• 17:33Jason Bateman?

  Yeah.

• 17:34Speaker 03

  And, um, uh, and my dad. He had a good friend, growing up in East New York, named Peter Miller, who became an actor. And he went to the Neighborhood Playhouse, and he was in movies with Cassavetes, and he was in Robert Altman's first film, The Delinquents. And then he, you know, but he did it for a few years, and then he left and he became an investment banker. So by the time I, you know, was old enough to talk to him, he had left acting. But I still, you know, it was like, oh, Uncle Pete, and he lives in California. And I was like, someday, I'm gonna make it to California, and Uncle Pete's gonna show me the ropes.

• 18:18Jason Bateman?

  Right.

• 18:19Speaker 03

  And so there was that, you know, so there was that. But, but really, you know, in junior high and high school, I didn't do any theater. I kind of became a jock and did, and did sports.

• 18:31Jason Bateman?

  What were you playing?

• 18:33Speaker 03

  I, I played soccer and I, a little bit of track, but wrestling was my, you know, big sport that I, that I really loved. And then it wasn't until my senior year that I started to like do the plays in high school. And I had another great teacher, Lynn Lappin. He was the English teacher, but he started the first acting class. And so I got to be in Fiddler on the Roof and, and, you know, and just, it was, it was really fun.

• 18:59Jason Bateman?

  That's cool. What was, what was that first trip out to LA like? Was there one?

• 19:04Speaker 03

  Yeah, I, my, so Uncle Pete and Charlene, his wife, they lived in Van Nuys.

• 19:12Jason Bateman?

  Yeah.

• 19:13Speaker 03

  And, so I stayed with them, but I didn't have a car. I didn't have a car, and he would go off to work, and, and I'd just be like, I wanna, I wanna like see LA. I didn't know, but I didn't know how to do it.

• 19:29Jason Bateman?

  Oh, you liked 115 degrees with no trees? So no car in Van Nuys, so you just started hoofing it and enjoying, you know, the fruits of Woodman Avenue and Woodman, Sherman Way.

• 19:46Speaker 03

  But I think it was on that, I think it was on that trip because I had done a film called Parting Glances in New York. And I went out to LA to try and meet casting people and, and, and my friend Kathy Kenny, who was in that, who was in that film, uh, she was taking meetings and she would just bring me along. Like she would pick, pick me up and bring me along to these meetings. And some people were okay, like, oh, you brought a friend. But he's really good actor, you know, you should see him too. But mostly I think they were like, well, who is this guy? Like, why did you bring him?

• 20:19Will Arnett?

  Yeah, that rarely goes down well. They're like, oh, of course, let's meet your friend.

• 20:23Jason Bateman?

  Well, and then, and then so those, those first few experiences, were they, were, were you kind of freestyling? Or did, were you coming with a, a certain amount of, uh, training that you were leaning on? Or were you more of an instinctual kind of guy?

• 20:38Speaker 03

  Yeah, I had no idea what I was doing. Really, I just, I just did not know. I, I remember when I first got a manager and I was going out on meetings. And the feedback that he was getting was, you know, he's kind of so deadpan and he's like, he doesn't seem like he wants to be here. He just like is so quiet and like.

• 21:00Will Arnett?

  Sounds good.

• 21:01Speaker 03

  So then I went to, I remember the first time I met Bonnie Timmerman, you know, big casting.

• 21:06Will Arnett?

  Oh, yeah.

• 21:07Speaker 03

  Agent, I went in and I went in smiling. And the first thing she said to me is, what, what are you smiling for? Well, now I don't know what to do.

• 21:15Jason Bateman?

  Right. Right, right.

• 21:18Speaker 03

  She thought I was like laughing at something. I was like, no, I was, I was told to smile, so I'm sorry.

• 21:23Jason Bateman?

  Come in there looking crazy.

• 21:25Will Arnett?

  That's funny.

• 21:28Sean Hayes?

  And we will be right back.

• 21:32Sean Hayes?

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• 22:17Sean Hayes?

  So thank you to Glow Gummies for that. So head to glowgummies.com, that's G-L-O-W gummies dot com, and use code SMARTLESS for 20% off your next order of delicious flavors like mango, blue raspberry, and blackberry lemonade, available in bottles or small resealable bags that are for perfect on the go. HSA and FSA cards accepted at checkout. When you go low, rise up with Glow.

• 22:46Sean Hayes?

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• 23:27Sean Hayes?

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• 23:47Sean Hayes?

  Can we talk about something embarrassing besides the sound of my voice? Imagine you're at lunch. The server brings a Coca-Cola Zero Sugar while the food is still on the way. You think, "Just a sip while I wait for my chili dog." So you take that sip, but suddenly you can't stop drinking that delicious ice cold Coke Zero. The food arrives and you're just sitting there emotionally unprepared, waiting for a life-saving refill. Real Coca-Cola taste with zero sugar? It's hard to resist. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, too good to wait. Enjoy the delicious taste of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar today.

• 24:26Speaker 04

  Monday on NBC. The wait is over for St. Dennis Medical. Strap in. The comedy about doctors.

• 24:33Speaker 05

  Woo, let's get it!

• 24:35Speaker 04

  Without boundaries.

• 24:36Speaker 05

  Healthcare is a fun, fulfilling, exciting career. Is it because you're getting sued and puked on all the time?

• 24:42Speaker 04

  And they're back for another dose.

• 24:44Speaker 05

  I want to show you the secret sauce of St. Dennis: the staff!

• 24:48Sean Hayes?

  This place is hell, literal hell! Well, that's enough secret sauce.

• 24:52Speaker 04

  All new St. Dennis Medical, Monday on NBC.

• 24:58Sean Hayes?

  And now, back to the show.

• 25:01Will Arnett?

  So you kind of figure it out, though. Like, you do a bunch of different parts. I mean, you do sort of like eight, 10 movies maybe before Reservoir Dogs.

• 25:11Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah.

• 25:12Will Arnett?

  And you do a bunch of varying degrees, bigger roles, et cetera. What was... But that must have been kind of a seminal moment if I'm guessing right.

• 25:22Speaker 03

  Absolutely.

• 25:23Will Arnett?

  And talk a little bit about how that came into your world and what it was like first meeting Quentin Tarantino.

• 25:29Speaker 03

  So the script came to me from one of my early agents, Nancy Green, who has since passed away, but she was really great. And I have to back up the story because like a year before that, or maybe six months before that, she convinced me to go on an audition. For, um, it was a Neil Simon comedy and I don't remember, I don't even remember what, what film it was for. But I, I really didn't wanna go and she said, "No, just go. You can meet the casting director, Ronnie Eskel and just, you know." I went, okay, I went and there were other actors there. And they put us in like a group scene.

• 26:11Speaker 03

  We were improvising and it was fun and then, but you know, I left and I didn't get the, you know, whatever part that I was auditioning for and, uh, forgot about it. And then I got the script for Reservoir Dogs from Nancy and I loved it. And, um, uh, and I, for the fir-, I didn't, uh, you know, the first time I met Quentin was on the phone. And hearing his voice, I was just shocked because I thought I was gonna be talking to like, an ex-convict who was like in his 50s or something. And instead it was like, "Hey man, thanks for reading my script. Thanks a bunch. I'm really excited." And I was like, "Wait, is this, are you Quentin Tarantino?" "Yeah, yeah, man." You know, I was like, it just, it didn't match up.

• 26:54Speaker 03

  And, uh, but he, and he was so excited and so, and, and so enthused. And I auditioned for it twice. And then I did the workshop for it in Sundance. And it was Quentin and I and, and this is, I guess, typical Quentin fashion. He tells me I got the part of Mr. Pink as we were in the bathroom. You know, we're in the bathroom together. And he's, "Oh, by the way, I cast you as Mr. Pink." I went, "Oh, what, what? Oh, really?" He says, "Yeah." Wow. And he, and he says, "Yeah, and it wasn't really based on your audition." You know, he said, "But Ronnie Eskel showed me a tape of when you auditioned for that Neil Simon movie." I go, "But that was a comedy, like, what did you see in me that you thought?"

• 27:38Speaker 03

  He goes, "Well, 'cause you had on like a vintage shirt and your hair was slicked back and you look like a criminal." And that was just how I dressed. That was just me.

• 27:47Sean Hayes?

  Just roll out of bed.

• 27:50Will Arnett?

  No way.

• 27:50Speaker 03

  And so, thank God, I went on that audition.

• 27:53Will Arnett?

  Yes. That's cool. Isn't that amazing? How those things kind of work? Like that you just never know.

• 27:58Speaker 03

  It is.

• 27:59Jason Bateman?

  And was that, was that, would you, would you say that that film or any of the films around that started to solidify for you?

• 28:11Jason Bateman?

  What you, what you were confident in doing? And I guess the question is, at what point did you start to really kind of just dig into your "style," quote unquote? Or what your confidence was? What I have is going to work. What I have is going to take me into something that I can make a living and also can be creatively fulfilled. Like, when did you get that feeling of, I've got what I, what I, what I think it takes and I, and I, and I like that they're hiring me for this type of thing?

• 28:43Speaker 03

  I mean, that film, Reservoir Dogs, had a lot to do with opening doors, for sure. And it did a lot for my confidence, just being, just being cast. Being cast in a movie with Harvey Keitel and having scenes with Harvey was, you know, that was like a dream. I never thought that that would be possible. And then getting to meet, you know, and work with actors like Tim Roth and Michael Mattson, who we sadly lost.

• 29:12Will Arnett?

  Yeah.

• 29:13Speaker 03

  And meeting Eddie Bunker, who was an ex-convict and, you know, wrote the movie Straight, Straight Time, that was, that was based on his, on his book and Runaway Train. And so, it was just, it was just exciting to be with these people and Chris Penn and the whole, the whole cast. So, just having done the movie was a huge confidence boost. And then, you know, Quentin did us all a big favor by that credit sequence of having us, you know, walk in the parking lot and our names were underneath our, our faces, like, like as we're walking. Because before that, it was like... Who's this guy? Who's, you know, like if my name was mentioned, you know, you couldn't put a face to the name.

• 29:58Jason Bateman?

  Sure.

• 29:59Speaker 03

  Now, at least people could. And, uh, and I had something to show, you know, like if, uh, if I was up for some, something and they wanted to see what I, what I did, that was the film.

• 30:09Jason Bateman?

  Yeah.

• 30:09Speaker 03

  And so that opened doors. But I, you know, as far as what my style is or anything, I'm, uh, I never know. Uh, uh, you know, I feel like I've done so many different kinds of things and depending on like who I meet, you know, like on the street, if I get recognized, I never know what they, you know, is it from a Coen Brothers? Is it from Tarantino or is it from Adam?

• 30:34Jason Bateman?

  Yeah.

• 30:34Speaker 03

  Sandler, you know?

• 30:35Jason Bateman?

  Right.

• 30:36Speaker 03

  So some people only kind of know me in that comedic vein and other people know me from other things.

• 30:42Jason Bateman?

  Well, that's a tribute to your career, like, I mean, you're able to do so many different things so well. Um, it, it, it must be, you must have, um, a, a, a great number of choices in front of you, uh, at times and, and, and how do you, how do you decide which way you're going to go? Um, is it based on the people involved? Is it based on the, the kind of character that being maybe different than the last one you just played? Uh, how are you making your decisions?

• 31:11Speaker 03

  I guess it's different each time. Sometimes it's just such a wonderful script and, and, and, and if it's an independent film and it's a young filmmaker that's starting to come up and, you know, and, uh, I love doing that type of work.

• 31:27Jason Bateman?

  Oh, wow.

• 31:27Speaker 03

  Um, and, and then other times it is, you know, it's the people who are involved, but it, it really is the material. I mean, I try and, you know, go for the material first.

• 31:39Jason Bateman?

  The script as a whole or your particular character?

• 31:42Speaker 03

  As a whole.

• 31:43Jason Bateman?

  Yeah.

• 31:43Speaker 03

  As a whole. I mean, it used to be, there was a time when I would read a script and they'd say what character and I would just flip the pages to see when the character would be killed. I swear. Oh, I made it to page thirty-nine. Okay.

• 31:57Will Arnett?

  Would it be like where the character was killed? Or would it also be like where the character can really score? Would you look at that and go like, oh, this is a good scene? This is, you know what I mean?

• 32:06Speaker 03

  Oh, well, yeah, if I, it was a, yeah, I mean, there's that stuff where like, if it's a good dramatic part, or there was like a, like a good scene, but, but yeah, mainly I would either get, I would either get beat up, or I would be chasing somebody with a knife, or, and then eventually get, get killed and,

• 32:27Speaker 03

  yeah, it went that way for a while.

• 32:28Will Arnett?

  You, and, and, and, sir, we touched on it, Jason, you just said too, you did so many different, not just so many different characters, but so many different kinds of, you know, size of films. You've done these huge Hollywood films, and you've done these really small. In fact, you made the seminal independent film, Living in Oblivion, with our mutual friend, Tom DiCello.

• 32:47Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 32:48Will Arnett?

  Which is about making an independent film, which is one of my favorites. And, and then you just said that you like working with young, up and coming directors. Is it, is it that you like, you like the feeling of being part of that vibe of somebody who's just finding their way and exploring? Is that exciting to you? Is that what it is?

• 33:08Speaker 03

  It's, yeah, yeah, I really love that, you know? And I'm so like happy that I was, you know, part of Quentin's first film.

• 33:16Will Arnett?

  Yeah.

• 33:16Speaker 03

  Like, he, you know, that was, I think, really exciting for all of us, to see somebody like him.

• 33:25Speaker 03

  And he had such confidence in what he was doing, that that's what I think blew all of us away, that he,

• 33:32Will Arnett?

  It was such a clear point of view.

• 33:34Speaker 03

  So that, that kind of energy is, is contagious, you know? It just makes you feel good about being in this business, yeah.

• 33:41Sean Hayes?

  Yeah, you know, and, and not knowing you very well, Steve, is, is like, I get a sense from you that you're, and you correct me if I'm wrong, you're filled with gratitude and appreciation for working and where you are in life as an, as an actor. Like, I can't ever see you being a problem on any set ever, or having an issue. Like, there's certain, you know, there's many, many types of actors, and a lot of them can't wait to share all of their ideas in their back, and come to set with, you know, there's those types. And then there's other types that are just like, yes, I've studied my role, I have a few ideas, but you're in charge. Like, where do you fall?

• 34:15Speaker 03

  I think, yeah, I think I fall in to, I mean, I-

• 34:22Speaker 03

  I've worked with so many direct, different directors and I like to see what their style is and how I can be accommodating. And since I've been directing, I'm even more so because now I know what directors go through. That, you know, a lot of the times they're just trying to make the day, right? Just like, and you don't want to be like-

• 34:40Sean Hayes?

  Yeah, we talk with Jason about it all the time because I always ask Jason about the difference between being on either side. So, and you have that too now?

• 34:49Speaker 03

  Yeah, I mean, you know, it's like, well, why would I come through this door? Like, don't you think I should, it's like, okay, what do you want me to come through? Okay, good. Like, I could figure out my own motivation, like, if you want me to, or if you want me to do this. And it's only when something really doesn't feel right, like, if I can't find my way around, like, organically, why I'm doing something, or if the blocking feels off, yeah, then I'll say something, but, but generally, yeah, I just like to show up and, and kind of do it, yeah.

• 35:20Sean Hayes?

  Right.

• 35:20Will Arnett?

  As a director, do you, as a director, have you had those moments where you've had to say, "Just come through the fucking door, man"?

• 35:26Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 35:27Will Arnett?

  Just, why, why the door? Because it's the only door that we have. And you need to come into the scene. So, we need you in here to do the scene, that's why.

• 35:38Speaker 03

  Right, right.

• 35:39Will Arnett?

  Have you had those moments?

• 35:40Speaker 03

  I really can't think of anybody who was, like, that way with me and, you know, I've, I mean, I've had moments, but I, I, and, you know, being an actor, I always like to see what the actor will come up with, you know? If I have time to, like, rehearse something properly, which you don't always, I like to see what the actors do naturally and then try and, you know, and then, and then block the scene. Sometimes you don't have that luxury, you know? You just want to get in there and say, "Okay, the actors aren't here yet, let's see if we can get them to be, you know, this one here, this one here, and then we can shoot it".

• 36:16Will Arnett?

  Right, so you're like, "We're already set up for this, so this is how it's gonna go". But JB, have you ever had that, where you've had to kind of like, just go, "Fucking just do it, man"?

• 36:23Jason Bateman?

  You know what? I mean, a thousand times, because I, I-

• 36:25Will Arnett?

  Really?

• 36:26Jason Bateman?

  Yeah, because I, personally, I'm such a fan of what the camera can do to help the other- Audience understand what the scene is about. So oftentimes I'll have a huge plan already worked out about what the coverage is gonna be. And that's, that means that people have to be in certain spots. And so I'll, I'll try to encourage the actors to make a friend of that blocking. But if they, if they don't, if they aren't comfortable with it, I can pivot for sure. But Steve, with all the, the incredible set experience that you have and, and the number of fantastic directors that you've worked with. It's interesting to me to hear you say that you are, that you gravitate towards new directors at times.

• 37:10Jason Bateman?

  Because it seems like you would, you'd often be in a situation where, you know, that director might be drowning in, in the unforeseen complications of any day. And, and you might get frustrated with like, oh my God, this is, you know, it's frustrating for you to have been on so many sets that worked so well. To then be sort of extending your patience and your experience to help out a young director. I find that just so generous of you and, and is it taxing?

• 37:42Speaker 03

  But I don't really find the frustration that, that I do sometimes feel with the person who is directing. I sometimes, I've, I've just been on so many sets over the years. I get frustrated with maybe like, why did they bring me in this early? Or why, why are they shooting this first?

• 38:00Jason Bateman?

  The first AD you're yelling at.

• 38:01Speaker 03

  Why are they, you know, and so, and especially on, you know, Boardwalk Empire was the first time I had played a character like, you know, repeatedly. And for however, however many seasons that we did, five. And towards the end, I think I did start to, you know, be the guy that wouldn't, you know, like they'd call me to set and I would just go, all right, I'm just gonna sit here for another 10 minutes until they really need me. But then that kind of like, then they're like, well, he's not coming out. So now they would call me even earlier, you know, like the next time. It just, yeah, it just, yeah.

• 38:35Jason Bateman?

  Yeah.

• 38:36Speaker 03

  But I love doing that show, yeah.

• 38:39Jason Bateman?

  Then you must really, you must love, well, you tell me, do you love directing? I'll bet you do.

• 38:45Speaker 03

  In theory, it makes me the most anxious, like when I direct, I get so anxious that it's, I'm beside myself.

• 38:55Jason Bateman?

  About what?

• 38:56Speaker 03

  I don't do it enough. I just feel like I'm, you know, I'm insecure, I'm not really, I don't really know what I'm doing. I don't know about camera stuff. See, that's my, my weakness is that I'll come on set and I'll say, you know what I'm, and I'll say to the DP, I'm thinking, how about if we do this and that, and the DP will say, oh, well, you know, the light's coming in this way, and this is, and I go, oh, yeah, right, right. Okay, yeah, yeah, you're right, let's.

• 39:25Jason Bateman?

  I'm gonna go talk to the actor.

• 39:27Speaker 03

  Look to the DP and go, what do we do? Like, what do we?

• 39:29Sean Hayes?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 39:31Jason Bateman?

  And I find eight out of 10 directors work like that. Don't you find that? A lot of directors would just sort of punt all the camera stuff to the DP and the operator, and then they go and they work with the actors, which is a great way to do it as well. There's so many different ways to do it.

• 39:46Speaker 03

  Yeah, there are, but I get so jealous of directors when they say to the DP, so what do you think, a 40? Are you thinking of 35? And I'm like, what are you talking about? Why don't I know this? Why don't I know?

• 39:57Jason Bateman?

  Whatever you're doing, you're doing it just right. Keep going.

• 40:01Will Arnett?

  Of all the genres you've done, is there any genre, well, is there a genre that you haven't done that you want to do, or is there a genre that you have done and that you will never do again?

• 40:11Sean Hayes?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 40:14Speaker 03

  I mean, I really haven't done horror. I've done like a little bit, there's some TV shows back in the day, like Tales from the Crypt, and there was a show called Monsters, and, but I've never done like a horror movie, but I don't know if I could. I don't, I'm pretty squeamish, and I don't like prosthetic makeup. Like, I've done that in the past.

• 40:42Speaker 03

  Um, and.

• 40:43Will Arnett?

  Like, sitting in the chair for five hours.

• 40:45Speaker 03

  Sitting in the chair, yeah, yeah.

• 40:47Jason Bateman?

  But your, your, your ability to, uh, to ground violence is, uh, is, is awesome.

• 40:54Sean Hayes?

  That's great.

• 40:55Will Arnett?

  Oh, that's a good one, but it.

• 40:56Jason Bateman?

  Watching you, uh, deal with, with the, um, the unsettling unpredictability of violence coming on someone that is just normal. Uh, that's a bit eccentric, but like, living in our world, like, you, you just ground violence very well to a point where, oh, my God, that, that's really shocking because it seems like it's really happening to, uh, someone in our real world. Uh, I mean, I, you know, Fargo's top three films I've ever seen in my life, I've seen it more than any other film.

• 41:30Will Arnett?

  Yeah, so good.

• 41:31Jason Bateman?

  And just, just your way, just the way, not only just the, the, the violence that you're, that you deal with in that film, but even just your, your line of work in that film too, you know, that, that there's a, there's a grounded sense of, here's a guy who's, you know, dealing with, you know, uh, the underbelly, uh, of society, but he's not super comfortable with it, but, you know, he's just, he's gotta make a living and here we go, and I.

• 41:55Will Arnett?

  It's kind of matter of fact almost.

• 41:57Jason Bateman?

  So exciting to, to have, to follow somebody like you through an eccentric storyline. Um, because you just grounded all, you, you know, you know who we are. I love that.

• 42:08Speaker 03

  Well, thank you. And that, and that film was, yeah, that was another seminal one for me. Cause I had, you know, worked with the Coen brothers a few times before that. But then in that film, they, they, they really gave me a part that was throughout the film. And I loved it. And I loved that character, you know, kind of, yeah, you know, thinking he's, you know, smarter than he really is, but, you know, but he had a certain kind of confidence, you know, that he could.

• 42:36Sean Hayes?

  So funny.

• 42:37Speaker 03

  You know.

• 42:37Jason Bateman?

  Well, especially the way you, you interrelate with your, with your cohort there, Peter Stromar.

• 42:43Speaker 03

  Stromar, yeah.

• 42:43Jason Bateman?

  Stromar, yeah. Um, I just love that sort of, uh, alpha beta thing you guys had going where you're, you're just, you're the smartest guy in the world when it's just the two of you guys, you know? Then you get thrown out amongst the other characters and you're in trouble. I just.

• 42:59Sean Hayes?

  Yeah, you with a bloody face getting angry at everybody around you. Just made me pee in my pants.

• 43:03Will Arnett?

  How many, how many films did you do with the Coen Brothers? Cause you, I mean, yeah, you mentioned it. You've worked with them before, you worked with them, you did Big Lebowski was after that, right?

• 43:11Speaker 03

  Was after Fargo, yeah.

• 43:12Will Arnett?

  Yeah, which is weird. I always think of it as being before, but it was after.

• 43:16Speaker 03

  No, that was their follow-up to Fargo, which was kind of amazing. Cause they had finally like broken into the mainstream because that, cause Fargo was nominated, right?

• 43:26Will Arnett?

  Right, right.

• 43:27Speaker 03

  So now, like, everybody was seeing this film and we're starting to really, you know, get to know the, the Coen Brothers in a, in a mainstream way. And then they follow up with this film that, I remember when it came out, people really didn't know what to make of it. It took a good five years for people to like catch on, like.

• 43:46Will Arnett?

  Could it have a bigger cult? I don't know if a film could have a bigger cult following than Big Lebowski.

• 43:51Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 43:54Sean Hayes?

  We'll be right back.

• 43:58Sean Hayes?

  Let's talk about the Idaho Effect. It's a feeling you get hiking the Sawtooth Mountains at sunrise or mountain biking on hero dirt at Silver Mountain Resort, leaving you craving more. It's a feeling where the freedom to roam is real and it's found in Idaho. Idaho might just be the last authentic place in the West. Once you have this feeling, one that stays with you long after returning home, that's the Idaho Effect. Plan your Idaho vacation at visitidaho.org.

• 44:37Sean Hayes?

  Being safer on the road starts with the person behind the wheel. That's Mazda's philosophy when designing every vehicle. Their proactive safety features help keep you more aware, connected and engaged during every drive, which means your car does more than help protect you. It helps make you a safer driver, which helps protect everyone. That's why Mazda has been named Consumer Reports' safest new car brand. To learn more, visit MazdaUSA.com. Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services.

• 45:18Sean Hayes?

  Can we talk about something embarrassing besides the sound of my voice? Imagine you're at lunch. The server brings a Coca-Cola Zero Sugar while the food is still on the way. You think, "Just a sip while I wait for my chili dog." So you take that sip, but suddenly you can't stop drinking that delicious ice cold Coke Zero. The food arrives and you're just sitting there emotionally unprepared, waiting for a life-saving refill. Real Coca-Cola taste with zero sugar? It's hard to resist. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, too good to wait. Enjoy the delicious taste of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar today.

• 45:59Jason Bateman?

  And now, back to the show.

• 46:02Sean Hayes?

  And now, actors are lucky enough, if you're in one-hit anything. One-hit play, TV show. And you've had all of these things that you've been a part of that are like, hit after hit after hit, like, just kind of extraordinary. Do you, are you able to allow yourself to appreciate that and be like, "I'm kind of proud of, like, I'm proud of what I've done." I mean, of course you are, you don't have to say it out loud, but, but, or are you one of the people that kind of deflects?

• 46:28Will Arnett?

  Say it out loud.

• 46:30Sean Hayes?

  I mean, or can you absorb that? Because it's very rare for somebody to be in that many hit, hit things.

• 46:37Speaker 03

  Yeah, I mean, I'm very proud of it and I feel very grateful for it. And at the same time, I feel like I haven't been in, you know, like, I've, I've never done like a Marvel movie. I've never done, like, I haven't done, you know,

• 46:53Sean Hayes?

  Big popcorn things, yeah.

• 46:54Speaker 03

  Yeah, I mean, I did, you know, like, Armageddon and Con Air were my two, like, like, big movies that I did in the 90s. But I really haven't done stuff like that so much since.

• 47:05Sean Hayes?

  Yeah.

• 47:06Speaker 03

  But I'm, I don't care. I mean, I'm very happy with,

• 47:08Sean Hayes?

  Yeah, that's kind of what I'm saying, yeah.

• 47:10Jason Bateman?

  You lend, you lend so much credibility and artistic rigor to those films. Like, that was a, that was a very nice thing you did for those couple of films. And I'll bet you could do that a ton more if you wanted to. I bet Marvel would have you in a second.

• 47:28Sean Hayes?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 47:29Jason Bateman?

  But you are, you're just such actor and director.

• 47:34Jason Bateman?

  You know, catnip.

• 47:35Sean Hayes?

  Yeah.

• 47:36Jason Bateman?

  I, I, I hope you're as proud as you deserve to be about, you know, the, the position that you hold in this community. It is so well-earned, Steve, and.

• 47:44Speaker 03

  Well, thank you. And coming from you and all you guys, it just means so much to me. Because I really.

• 47:50Will Arnett?

  You, you, you've died. You've had some pretty memorable deaths on screen.

• 47:54Speaker 03

  Yeah, that's true.

• 47:55Will Arnett?

  Do you have a favorite? Is there a favorite Steve Buscemi manner of dying?

• 48:00Speaker 03

  My favorite was in The Big Lebowski, just literally being scared to death.

• 48:05Will Arnett?

  Yeah.

• 48:10Speaker 03

  It made no sense. Like, when I read the script, I was like, I think I'm gonna make it through this one. I think, you know, and it's like, what? He's, he's dead, you know?

• 48:19Sean Hayes?

  Yeah.

• 48:21Will Arnett?

  You also, that's so good. Have you also mentioned that you improvised in that, in that, in that audition that Quentin saw you in? And I'm sure you've improvised a lot of movies. And I know, you know, we, you, you've had the opportunity of working with so many great writers who've written, and you've mentioned so many great pieces of material. But has there, has there ever been an improvised line? I always wanted to know, like, is there something in the movie somewhere that you're like, proud of that you, that you improvised and that made it in the movie? And you're like, oh, yeah.

• 48:49Speaker 03

  Yeah, well, actually, in Armageddon, I mean, Michael Bay let us, you know, improvise a lot, you know, like, you know, I mean, we would, we would do the scene, but then,

• 49:04Speaker 03

  the one thing I remember when I was sitting on the, the nuclear weapon and I just, and I said, I was like, no nukes, no nukes. Like, that was just from me, and it made it into the movie.

• 49:18Sean Hayes?

  God, that movie was so huge, that. It was, that was such a massive hit, yeah.

• 49:22Will Arnett?

  Oh, my God.

• 49:23Jason Bateman?

  So, Steve, what, with, again, with all of the stuff that you've done and all the directors that you've worked with and the parts that you've played, aside from Marvel, is there something that you, that you hope to, to do sometime soon? And that can be as an actor or as a director. You know, are, are, are you looking to maybe direct one of those, one of those big sort of popcorn, big pieces of business things or, or, or, or act in one of those?

• 49:54Speaker 03

  You know, I've never really had a plan for, you know, and, and I've been, you know, I mean, we all get asked like, what's your dream role? And, or if, you know, what play?

• 50:06Jason Bateman?

  Or to work with somebody, a director.

• 50:07Speaker 03

  Or to work with somebody, and I, I get superstitious about, well, I've never worked with so and so, and I feel like if I say it out loud.

• 50:14Jason Bateman?

  Sure, sure, that makes sense.

• 50:15Sean Hayes?

  Although, sometimes you say it out loud and it happens.

• 50:16Speaker 03

  That's true.

• 50:17Sean Hayes?

  Because they get to hear it.

• 50:18Jason Bateman?

  What about theater? Have you, have you, I apologize for not knowing, but if you don't take Sean's-

• 50:24Will Arnett?

  No, it's okay. And apologize for taking Sean's question, but go ahead, Jason, ask it.

• 50:27Jason Bateman?

  Sean will have the follow up about anything funny that happened on stage, but, um, what, uh, do you, do you enjoy doing that, or does it take too much time off of your availability?

• 50:37Speaker 03

  Yeah, you know, I mean, I used to do, in the eighties, when I lived in these village, which was like an amazing place and time to live, I had a, um, a partner, Mark Boone Jr., who you guys may know, um, he was, uh, he's, you know, he's done a lot of great work. He was, and a lot of people know him from Sons of Anarchy, he played the character of Bobby.

• 51:00Will Arnett?

  Oh, yeah, well, yeah, I, I know Mark.

• 51:02Speaker 03

  Did you, didn't you work with Boone, I think?

• 51:04Will Arnett?

  Yeah, I did, I did work with him.

• 51:06Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 51:07Will Arnett?

  Yeah, he did Flaked, he did our show Flaked, yeah.

• 51:09Speaker 03

  Yes, yes, yes.

• 51:10Will Arnett?

  He's terrific. God, what a great actor.

• 51:12Speaker 03

  We used to write and perform our own, like, short sketches and, and, and some plays, and, um, and that was, you know, I think, I, I never felt more creative as when I was doing that, you know, uh, working with him and then working with other, uh, I, I worked a little bit with the Worcester Group, um, another playwright director, John Jezzerin, um, and I did a lot of that stuff then, and then I, when I sort of transitioned into film, I just felt like I was spoiled by, like, like all the great people and fun that I had doing that in the eighties. It was hard for me to make a transition and say like, they want me to do, what, how many, how many shows a week?

• 51:56Speaker 03

  I think the eight shows a week thing is like-

• 51:58Jason Bateman?

  Right.

• 51:59Sean Hayes?

  The dumbest thing in the world, yeah.

• 52:00Speaker 03

  It's brutal. And, and then I was just, yeah, I just, I guess I just sort of kept myself open, you know, for like film and TV stuff. The last play that I did was, um, over 20 years ago, but it was amazing. It was, uh, Simon McBurney directed it, and it was, um- Arturo Uy and Al Pacino played Arturo Uy.

• 52:23Sean Hayes?

  There you go.

• 52:23Will Arnett?

  There you go, Sean.

• 52:24Sean Hayes?

  The big star of this episode.

• 52:26Speaker 03

  And it was a, yeah, it was a star studded cast.

• 52:28Sean Hayes?

  And you were supposed to do something with Oscar Isaac, right, around the pandemic?

• 52:32Speaker 03

  We were gonna do, yeah, we were gonna do, um, it was Three Sisters, yeah.

• 52:37Sean Hayes?

  Oh, Three Sisters, right, right.

• 52:39Speaker 03

  And, um, the pandemic.

• 52:41Will Arnett?

  That was gonna be the original title of our podcast.

• 52:44Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 52:45Sean Hayes?

  It was taken.

• 52:46Will Arnett?

  It was taken.

• 52:47Speaker 03

  The pandemic put that on hold and then, and then, and then it sort of, it just kind of fell apart. But I've tried to do some things over the years, but it, but it just never worked out.

• 52:57Will Arnett?

  So we mentioned that, you know, how much you work and again, like, how many roles you've done and it's, you know, it's, obviously, it's, you're busy a lot. Where you, you just, you work a lot, you must, I don't know if it feels like you work a lot, but you do.

• 53:10Speaker 03

  Yeah, no, it does.

• 53:12Will Arnett?

  Yeah, so what, what is, what do you do, are, are you east coast based, are you west coast based most of the time?

• 53:19Speaker 03

  I'm east coast, yeah.

• 53:20Will Arnett?

  Yeah, east coast, New York, yeah, and then what's a, what's a day, what's, if you're not on set, you're not working on something, what's an average day for Steve Buscemi? You wake up and you have a, you're a coffee, tea, matcha, what are you doing?

• 53:35Speaker 03

  Definitely coffee, black coffee in the morning.

• 53:37Will Arnett?

  Black coffee.

• 53:38Speaker 03

  Just read like, you know, the times or whatever news feed is on my phone and do that and then.

• 53:45Will Arnett?

  The Post.

• 53:46Speaker 03

  I don't do, you know, like, I do yoga, we do yoga on the weekends.

• 53:50Will Arnett?

  Nice.

• 53:51Speaker 03

  For a little while I was working out, but I'm not, yeah, I.

• 53:54Will Arnett?

  But are you, are you walking around, are you going to lunch, are you going to read books, are you going to museums? Are you watching reality TV?

• 54:01Speaker 03

  No, I don't watch reality TV. I mean, I catch up on shows and movies and I like doing that and I like hanging out with friends. Um, and visiting my mom who's 92 now and she lives now like a block away from me and, and, um.

• 54:18Will Arnett?

  Amazing.

• 54:18Speaker 03

  But it's a pretty sort of, you know, uneventful life that I lead.

• 54:24Sean Hayes?

  Sounds pretty good.

• 54:26Will Arnett?

  No, but that sounds like a power down, like you need to have kind of like quiet time where you kind of do nothing a little bit.

• 54:31Sean Hayes?

  What's your drink of choice?

• 54:34Speaker 03

  My, uh, wine, yeah.

• 54:36Sean Hayes?

  Oh, wine, red, white, rosé?

• 54:38Speaker 03

  Red wine, red wine.

• 54:39Sean Hayes?

  Red wine, there you go. All right.

• 54:41Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 54:41Will Arnett?

  It's pretty classy.

• 54:42Sean Hayes?

  It's good to know.

• 54:43Speaker 03

  Hey, Will, I have to ask you this.

• 54:45Will Arnett?

  Yeah, please.

• 54:46Speaker 03

  Do you remember when we were both nominated for, uh, 30 Rock?

• 54:51Will Arnett?

  Yeah.

• 54:52Speaker 03

  Do you remember we were sitting next to each other at the?

• 54:55Sean Hayes?

  Emmys?

• 54:56Speaker 03

  It was the Emmys that happened like before.

• 54:58Sean Hayes?

  The creative Emmys?

• 54:59Speaker 03

  Yeah, the creative Emmys.

• 55:00Will Arnett?

  Yeah, the creative Emmys.

• 55:01Speaker 03

  Cause we were both nominated for 30 Rock. And we were sitting next to each other, and so was Tim Conway.

• 55:07Sean Hayes?

  Oh, wow.

• 55:09Will Arnett?

  Wait a second.

• 55:10Speaker 03

  Do you remember this? And we, I think, and we didn't say a word to each other. I think we were both kinda like nervous to talk to each other.

• 55:16Will Arnett?

  I was nervous to talk to you.

• 55:17Speaker 03

  I, well, I was nervous to talk to you, and I had just, I had, right before that, I had introduced myself to Betty White, who, who was there. And as I was walking away from her, I heard her say to her friend, "Who was that?" So I, then I was like, "All right, I'm not gonna say hi to anybody."

• 55:32Will Arnett?

  Steve, I-

• 55:33Speaker 03

  And we sat there, and, and so when they got to our category, "It's Tim Conway," and we were up, you know, I think we both knew. Before they announced his name, he ran up on stage. Do you remember this? Which I thought was such a brilliant move. Because win or lose, it was great. It was, it was so, you know.

• 55:53Will Arnett?

  He, he did that, you know what's funny? Steve, I do remember that, that's so crazy. I totally blanked on that.

• 56:00Sean Hayes?

  Did he end up winning?

• 56:02Speaker 03

  He did win.

• 56:02Will Arnett?

  He did win.

• 56:03Speaker 03

  Yeah, he did win. Of course he did.

• 56:04Will Arnett?

  He did win, but what he had done was, if you remember, in the seventies, he originated that bit that they, that they kind of, they tried to copy years later, uh, uh, um, for, uh, actress in a comedy. He originated the bit in 1975. I know it was that year because his year Chevy Chase was nominated for SNL, so it was like seventy-five, seventy-six. And they, they started listing off the nominees, and they go, "Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Tim Conway," and he walked up. And then each nominee walked up as if they had won.

• 56:35Speaker 03

  That's really-

• 56:35Will Arnett?

  Just when they do the list of nominees, and then they stood there, and then Chevy Chase ended up winning, but they were all standing on stage. So I love that he- Years later extended that bit and of course I remember that it was so fucking crazy.

• 56:49Speaker 03

  And then when he, when he took us, like he kinda like bowed and then pretended that he stabbed himself with the award and like walked off holding his heart, you know.

• 56:58Will Arnett?

  I mean, was there any, anybody funnier than Tim Conway?

• 57:02Speaker 03

  No, I know. It was just, yeah, I was so excited to meet him.

• 57:06Will Arnett?

  He, he one time, I saw a bit one time where he and, and Harvey Quorman, Harvey Quorman gets announced that he either won or was announced to come to the stage. And Tim Con, he was wearing tails and Tim Conway went and jumped on his tails and literally rode his coattails down the aisle. It was just brilliant, just working on so many different levels. Oh, God. Love it. Thirty Rock. Thirty Rock.

• 57:31Sean Hayes?

  Thirty Rock.

• 57:31Speaker 03

  I know, I miss that show. Yeah, that was so much fun to work on.

• 57:35Will Arnett?

  Um, so, so your new show's coming out, uh, uh, next, well, whatever it is.

• 57:41Speaker 03

  Soon.

• 57:42Will Arnett?

  I should know this. This is, this is my obligation. August 6th, August 6th, which is my son's birthday. So now I really remember. It's one of, one of my son's birthdays. Um, and then so what, what do we got in store for the rest of the summer, Steve? What are we looking to?

• 57:56Speaker 03

  Well, right now I'm working with, um, Adam Sandler is producing, uh, a movie. He's producing two movies. That his daughters are in. So Sonny is in one film that I'm, that I'm doing, uh, called Don't Say Good Luck. And Sadie is doing a film called Roommates. And last night was the premiere for Happy Gilmore 2.

• 58:21Will Arnett?

  Happy Gilmore 2, that's right.

• 58:22Speaker 03

  I'm in that as well. And that was so much fun seeing, you know, that film and, uh, we watched it again. Like I watched the, the first one in the afternoon yesterday, just so I would be up on all the references. And they did it. It was like, it was just so satisfying and so funny. Yeah.

• 58:40Will Arnett?

  I, I'm sure. And I think that people maybe, and you can, you can testify to this and we all can. There's almost not a nicer guy or better dude in the world than Adam Sandler.

• 58:50Jason Bateman?

  See, I differ. I, I, you know, everybody, this monster, he, I just, he's got everybody fooled.

• 59:02Will Arnett?

  I mean, he is, he's the nicest man. He's the sweetest guy. And on top of being so funny and everything, so talented, he's such a good dude.

• 59:10Sean Hayes?

  You really are.

• 59:11Speaker 03

  And he's so smart.

• 59:13Will Arnett?

  So smart.

• 59:14Speaker 03

  I've, I've worked with him since Airheads, right? Like, that was the first thing that we did together.

• 59:19Will Arnett?

  Oh, my gosh, that's right.

• 59:20Speaker 03

  And then he, you know, he's, you know, he was talking to us on set about how he wanted to like, like, do his own film. And Robert Simons, who was one of the producers on Airheads, you know, took him up on it and produced Billy Madison. And Adam asked me to do like a, a, a small thing in that, and it was so much fun. But to watch Adam over the years, because his friends used to show up on set, you know, and just hang out. And then each movie I've done with him, I notice, oh, those friends are now in the movies. Those friends are his writers. Those friends are his producers.

• 59:58Will Arnett?

  Yeah.

• 59:59Speaker 03

  And he's so, not only is he loyal to them, but, and that's what I mean by smart. He knows what brings out the best in him, and he knows that they will bring, you know, like, gold. And so, and he makes movies that he wants to see. You know, I don't think Adam ever makes something that he's trying to, you know, find an audience for. It's stuff that he really, like, wants, that he wants to see.

• 1:00:23Will Arnett?

  Yeah.

• 1:00:24Speaker 03

  That he thinks is funny.

• 1:00:25Will Arnett?

  Yeah, he, he really does. He champions people. And also, like you, he's, he's so diverse and can do so, has so many different gears.

• 1:00:32Speaker 03

  Oh, yeah.

• 1:00:32Will Arnett?

  Uh, it's, it's unbelievable.

• 1:00:34Speaker 03

  I was so happy for him that when he started doing dramatic roles, and I was so pissed off at myself that I hadn't, like, you know, like, written something dramatic for him, you know, first, you know? Because I, because I could see it in, in him. And I used to tell him that, I, you know, like...

• 1:00:50Will Arnett?

  What was it first, Punch Drunk Club?

• 1:00:52Speaker 03

  He's an amazing musician. Yeah, Punch Drunk Club was the first one, I think, that really kind of, you know, where people started to see him in a, in a different light. And then, of course, with, I mean, Uncut Gems. I mean, come on.

• 1:01:02Will Arnett?

  Yeah, forget it.

• 1:01:03Sean Hayes?

  Incredible.

• 1:01:04Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:01:05Will Arnett?

  Well, Steve, what an absolute delight. I'm sorry that we never, that you and I didn't speak to each other at the Emmy all those years.

• 1:01:12Speaker 03

  We did exchange a few words.

• 1:01:14Will Arnett?

  We had a few, but we didn't really go deep, but we were both losers. We were just losers that night. And, but what a thrill to have you, man. It just honestly, just such an absolute thrill.

• 1:01:26Jason Bateman?

  I'm so excited to have met you, Steve.

• 1:01:27Speaker 03

  Thank you so much. It's such an honor for me to be with you guys.

• 1:01:31Will Arnett?

  And Wednesday, Wednesday on Netflix, August 6th, we're look forward to it. Season two of Wednesday. Steve, just sending you lots of love and all the, all the best of luck and, and continued success. You're just the greatest.

• 1:01:44Speaker 03

  Thank you and sending love and all the success to you guys too. I love what you do, so thank you.

• 1:01:50Jason Bateman?

  Thanks, pal. Thank you, buddy. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

• 1:01:52Will Arnett?

  The great Steve Buscemi, thank you, Steve.

• 1:01:54Jason Bateman?

  Bye, buddy.

• 1:01:55Will Arnett?

  Bye, bye, bye, bye.

• 1:01:58Sean Hayes?

  How about that guy?

• 1:01:59Will Arnett?

  Talking about a guy who's done it all.

• 1:02:01Sean Hayes?

  Yeah.

• 1:02:02Jason Bateman?

  Yeah, that was, that, I'm still, I'm a little, little kind of in shock there. I, I, that, that's a guy, I'm just like such an enormous fan of his and I just, for some reason, I, he just seems like a guy I always thought I would never, ever be able to meet. You know, it's just like one of those guys that like zero circles I know or that I'm in.

• 1:02:22Will Arnett?

  He just lives like in a cool zone.

• 1:02:25Jason Bateman?

  Yeah, he's not out there fucking cutting ribbons at markets and premieres and shit like that. Like, he's just like, if, you know, if I got lucky enough to maybe be in a project with him, but, you know, what are the odds?

• 1:02:38Will Arnett?

  Wait, are you spending time with a lot of ribbon cutters?

• 1:02:41Jason Bateman?

  Oh, yeah, I bring my own scissors, you know, I'm a germaphobe, so.

• 1:02:47Sean Hayes?

  He is good, Willie, when you, when you announced him on, when you, when you were revealing and Jason guessed it, I was like, right away, and I was like, oh, yeah. And he came on, it's one of those people, like, Jay just, you're like, oh, my God, it'd be so cool to hang out with him and, oh, we're hanging out with him, like.

• 1:03:00Will Arnett?

  I know, I know. I know, it's just a thrill.

• 1:03:03Jason Bateman?

  What a fucking talent. And talk about, yeah, what he lends each project and you know he's in the cast list.

• 1:03:08Will Arnett?

  I agree.

• 1:03:09Jason Bateman?

  Oh, okay, so they're not fucking around on this film.

• 1:03:11Will Arnett?

  Raises all boats, right?

• 1:03:13Sean Hayes?

  I didn't, yeah, and I didn't know he did stand up, like, you know, like I did.

• 1:03:17Will Arnett?

  You should have tried some of your stand up.

• 1:03:19Sean Hayes?

  Oh, I have some.

• 1:03:20Jason Bateman?

  Oh, do you?

• 1:03:21Will Arnett?

  Oh, shoot, yeah, okay.

• 1:03:22Jason Bateman?

  Really? Sean, anything you're workshopping?

• 1:03:25Will Arnett?

  Yeah, let's hear it.

• 1:03:26Sean Hayes?

  What did this, what did the sushi say to the bee?

• 1:03:29Jason Bateman?

  Huh, give me a second here.

• 1:03:31Sean Hayes?

  Oh, shit.

• 1:03:33Jason Bateman?

  Wasabi.

• 1:03:39Will Arnett?

  That you really got JB with that one.

• 1:03:43Jason Bateman?

  Cause you know, there's a lot in there that is, is close to my heart. Right. The, the mock bro talk.

• 1:03:50Sean Hayes?

  Right.

• 1:03:52Jason Bateman?

  And.

• 1:03:52Sean Hayes?

  The pun.

• 1:03:53Jason Bateman?

  And, and the underused sushi mustard, you know?

• 1:03:56Sean Hayes?

  Right.

• 1:03:57Jason Bateman?

  Don't think gets a, a fair shake in this world. And then bees, of course, you know, they're my arch nemesis.

• 1:04:05Sean Hayes?

  Bees.

• 1:04:06Will Arnett?

  Bees?

• 1:04:06Jason Bateman?

  Bees.

• 1:04:07Sean Hayes?

  Do you want one more? Do you want one more?

• 1:04:08Will Arnett?

  Of course we do.

• 1:04:09Sean Hayes?

  Okay. What does an Irishman call 66% of a piece of poo?

• 1:04:15Jason Bateman?

  Huh. Well, that's two thirds of something. Two turds.

• 1:04:20Sean Hayes?

  That's right.

• 1:04:21Will Arnett?

  Oh, that's good.

• 1:04:22Jason Bateman?

  There we go.

• 1:04:23Will Arnett?

  Nice JB.

• 1:04:24Jason Bateman?

  Yeah, thanks.

• 1:04:24Sean Hayes?

  Ah, two turds.

• 1:04:26Jason Bateman?

  Yeah.

• 1:04:26Sean Hayes?

  Two turds. Two turds.

• 1:04:30Sean Hayes?

  Well, that's like, that's like a combination. That's like a.

• 1:04:33Jason Bateman?

  Here we go.

• 1:04:33Sean Hayes?

  Hybrid of a.

• 1:04:34Jason Bateman?

  Here we go.

• 1:04:35Sean Hayes?

  Hybrid. Wait, what's the opposite of a hybrid? I can't even think of it.

• 1:04:39Jason Bateman?

  Uh, gas burning?

• 1:04:40Sean Hayes?

  No, that would be a hybrid. That would be a. Vibra?

• 1:04:45Jason Bateman?

  Vibrant? No, no, not at all. No.

• 1:04:47Sean Hayes?

  Yeah, but that's.

• 1:04:48Jason Bateman?

  No. What are you fucking talking about?

• 1:04:51Sean Hayes?

  Just like a hybrid joke of two.

• 1:04:53Jason Bateman?

  Well, how about, or maybe you were going towards like, you know, you know, you got those airplanes with the jets and then the, the other planes that don't have the jets.

• 1:05:01Sean Hayes?

  Oh, that's good.

• 1:05:02Jason Bateman?

  Those are.

• 1:05:03Sean Hayes?

  Those are like.

• 1:05:03Will Arnett?

  Bye.

• 1:05:04Jason Bateman?

  Bye.

• 1:05:05Will Arnett?

  Brain.

• 1:05:06Jason Bateman?

  Bye. Bye.

• 1:05:21Will Arnett?

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• 1:05:38Speaker 06

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• 1:05:57Speaker 05

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