Alexander Skarsgard, Vol. III

Sure, Alexander Skarsgard can be the leading man of your dreams but what he really wants to do is play a socially awkward android. And that's what he's doing in MURDERBOT, his new Apple series. He joins Josh at this live taping at the 92nd Street Y to discuss his journey from TRUE BLOOD to BIG LITTLE LIES to THE NORTHMAN to here, plus why he's more competitive with his dad than his brother. UPCOMING EVENTS 28 YEARS LATER Q&A with Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, & Danny Boyle 6/1 in NY -- ⁠tickets here⁠ Gary Oldman in LA 6/3 -- ⁠⁠⁠tickets here⁠⁠ Check out the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Happy Sad Confused patreon here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! We've got discount codes to live events, merch, early access, exclusive episodes, video versions of the podcast, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:31Speaker 01

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• 0:59Josh Horowitz?

  Sexier vampire, Eric from True Blood, or Bill Skarsgård's Nosferatu?

• 1:06Speaker 03

  Nosferatu, that's...

• 1:10Speaker 03

  That's like...

• 1:13Speaker 03

  Pure sex, right?

• 1:14Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 1:15Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:16Speaker 04

  Prepare your ears, humans. Happy, Sad, Confused begins now.

• 1:24Josh Horowitz?

  Hey, guys, it's Josh. Welcome to another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused with Mr. Alexander Skarsgård. On today's episode, that tall drink of water who happens to be an amazing actor starring in the new Apple TV Plus series Murderbot. This is a fun one, coming at you in just a moment. Before we get to Alexander, though, as always, a bunch of reminders for some really cool events coming up and opportunities for you guys. As always, if you like what I'm doing over here, hit us up on our Patreon. That's where we're doing, we're actually doing a lot of cool stuff right now. We have a new offer that is just out for folks that want to subscribe and get exclusive autographed posters.

• 2:04Josh Horowitz?

  From the likes of Tom Hiddleston and Austin Butler and I mean Glenn Powell. It's like there are a dozen 25 different options there for you guys. So check out patreon.com/happy say confused for some exclusive offers and early access to all the stuff we do here, including discount codes for our live events. And we have a couple of live events that I want to mention quickly. June 1, New York City, come on out because Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor Johnson and Danny Boyle are joining me to talk 28 years later. Maybe my most anticipated film of the year, top three. It's certainly one that I've been waiting for for many years and this cast is stellar. So happy Danny is back in the fold.

• 2:49Josh Horowitz?

  Can't wait for this one and that's an early sneak peek. We're going to show some clips, have a great chat. Information on how to attend that event is in the show notes. Then Los Angeles, hear me out, I'm coming your way. June 3 with a icon, a legend, Gary Oldman. Couldn't be more excited for this one. Gary shaped my love of acting, filmmaking, what he is able to do. He's a chameleon. He's obviously now on slow horses, killing it there, but we're going to talk about his career from Batman, Harry Potter, The Professional, True Romance, JFK, Sid and Nancy. I mean, I could rattle off a dozen more great Gary Oldman performances. June 3, Los Angeles, tickets are going pretty quickly.

• 3:34Josh Horowitz?

  Already I think our, our tier one, our front tickets are sold out. So, but it's a small theater. It's a relatively small theater. So get in on that. Los Angeles, spread the good word. Gary Oldman live on stage. It's going to be a special night. Okay, today we're talking about Alexander Skarsgard. He is currently starring in a new series. It's really cool. It's called Murder Bot. It's based on a series of novellas that has, I think, a big following as I understand it. He plays an android, a adrogenous android who really doesn't want to have anything to do with human beings. It is satirical, funny, smart, weird.

• 4:14Josh Horowitz?

  Has some action in there. It's a lot of different things. It's a big swing and it's no surprise that Alexander was attracted to this material because he has such cool, interesting taste as an actor. This is a live recording we did at the 92nd Street Y in New York. So you're gonna hear the excited audience that came out for Alex and they had just seen the first two episodes of Murder Bot, which drops on Apple TV Plus May 16th. So check it out. And this is a great conversation about the show, but also, of course, we talk things like True Blood and The Northman, which I continue to be obsessed with. He's got a really dry, fun sense of humor that I always enjoy vibing with. I think you're

• 4:56Josh Horowitz?

  gonna dig this one. Alexander Skarsgård and me taped at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Enjoy. Hello. Hi, everybody. Okay, save it for Alex. He needs it more than I do. Thank you guys so much for coming out tonight. I'm Josh Horowitz. I host the podcast called Happy, Sad, and Fused, and this is a live taping of the podcast. Welcome to it, guys. This is gonna be a lot of fun. Alexander Skarsgård is a fantastic talent. I don't need to tell you guys that. You've just seen his latest fantastic show for Apple TV Plus. It's called Murder Bot. This New York audience got a sneak peek. Did you like? Yes, you did. Of course you did. The show premieres May 16th for the rest of the world, but they

• 5:39Josh Horowitz?

  got a sneak peek because they're special. I don't need to sell you an Alexander Skarsgård. This guy can do everything. He can be a hero in Tarzan. He can be an idiot in Zoolander. He can be a vampire in True Blood. He can be a Berserker warrior in The Northman, Big Little Lies, Succession. Let's just bring him on out. Alexander Skarsgård, everybody. Here he is.

• 6:15Josh Horowitz?

  Wait, I was supposed to-

• 6:15Speaker 05

  I love you too!

• 6:19Josh Horowitz?

  I was also supposed to say the greatest living actor. I just remembered that.

• 6:22Speaker 03

  You didn't say that?

• 6:23Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah. Do you want to do it again?

• 6:25Speaker 03

  No, I wrote the notes before, so...

• 6:27Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 6:29Josh Horowitz?

  Welcome back.

• 6:29Speaker 03

  Thank you. It's good to see you. Thanks for having me back. Thank you, guys.

• 6:36Josh Horowitz?

  For the record, I'm not that short, he's just that tall. I just want it clear. When did the growth spurt happen? Was it like six inches over one summer? Did it all happen-

• 6:46Speaker 03

  No, I was kind of always pretty- My dad, who's also almost my height-

• 6:52Speaker 03

  Yes, my dad.

• 6:56Speaker 03

  He was very short till he was 16, and then he grew like this much over a summer. But I was always quite tall.

• 7:04Josh Horowitz?

  Do your shorter co-stars resent you? Are there a lot of apple boxes involved in kind of just making sure the eye lines work? I mean, that has to be legitimately a source of-

• 7:14Speaker 03

  Yeah, I've had ditches being dug for myself so I can walk in a trench.

• 7:21Josh Horowitz?

  The Skarsgård ditch, the famous Skarsgård ditch.

• 7:25Josh Horowitz?

  All right, before we get to Murder, Bock, congratulations. I was telling you, this is a really unusual, fun show. I want to show you an image, and I just want you to explain yourself. We've never talked about this. This is your IMDb profile photo. Tell me what this is about.

• 7:41Josh Horowitz?

  So, do you have power over controlling your own IMDb profile photo? Because you're a powerful Hollywood big shot.

• 7:49Speaker 03

  Apparently, this is the most popular photo of on my IMDb page, so it comes up.

• 7:54Josh Horowitz?

  Is that how it works?

• 7:55Speaker 03

  I think so.

• 7:57Josh Horowitz?

  Do we want to explain the context?

• 7:59Speaker 03

  Do we need to?

• 8:03Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 8:03Speaker 03

  It's fashion.

• 8:06Josh Horowitz?

  Okay. Would you rather do this without your pants on, the podcast tonight?

• 8:10Speaker 03

  It's liberating. No, that was for, um... I forgot. No, it was for-

• 8:17Josh Horowitz?

  How often do you show up at events without your pants? That you remember not-

• 8:20Speaker 03

  Well, I know that, I know, I know why I had that stupid idea. It was because it was like MTV Movie Awards in LA. And the year prior to this photo was taken, um... Zac Efron.

• 8:33Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 8:34Speaker 03

  Zac Efron had taken his shirt off-

• 8:36Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 8:37Speaker 03

  At that award show. And then I had this stupid idea, I was like, "Well, I also want to show some skin."

• 8:43Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 8:43Speaker 03

  But I wanted to take my shirt off because that's been done, so then I'll take my pants off instead. I thought it was funny, but now I'm gonna live the- This is gonna haunt me for the rest of my life.

• 8:53Josh Horowitz?

  We can take it off the screen and, now we-

• 8:58Josh Horowitz?

  All right.

• 8:59Speaker 03

  And now that it's off the screen, I can mention that the, uh, well, you've seen the first two episodes of the show, and my good friend, Mr. Jack McBrayer-

• 9:08Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 9:09Speaker 03

  -was on the show. It's actually his underwear I'm wearing in that photo.

• 9:14Speaker 03

  So those tighty-whities were Jack's.

• 9:16Josh Horowitz?

  I love it.

• 9:17Speaker 03

  Because I was living in New York at the time, and the show was in LA, and I was staying at Jack's house. And I wanted to wear crisp, nice, white underwear for that look.

• 9:26Josh Horowitz?

  And Jack is the go-to guy for-

• 9:27Speaker 03

  Jack provided. Yeah.

• 9:29Josh Horowitz?

  Where did, I was very happy to see Jack pop up in this. I know you guys are close. When did the love affair with Jack McBrayer begin? You guys clearly have a-

• 9:38Speaker 03

  We met on, he did a movie called... Was it Movie 42?

• 9:44Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, yeah, that small film-

• 9:46Speaker 03

  Skits, like, yeah, yeah. So he did a scene for that with my, at the time, girlfriend. And, and I came to set to visit, and-

• 9:59Speaker 03

  Six months later, I did not have a girlfriend anymore.

• 10:02Josh Horowitz?

  But you still had Jack.

• 10:04Speaker 03

  Fifty years later, I still had Jack. Yeah.

• 10:07Josh Horowitz?

  Amazing. Okay, let's spread the good word of this very, very cool show. Murder Bot, I have to admit, when I heard the name Murder Bot, I heard you were cast. I'm like, okay, this is a Robocop kind of thing. This is like, it's gonna be a killing machine? I'm down with that. This is gonna be fun? That's not this show. What did you think when you heard the name?

• 10:25Speaker 03

  I had the same reaction. I was expecting something, yeah, kind of way more of a self-confident protagonist, a strong, tough, self-assured, kind of assertive. So I was incredible. I didn't, I wasn't familiar with Martha Wells's novels, the novellas, before Chris and Paul Whites, the showrunners, the writers, had reached out.

• 10:52Speaker 03

  So, yeah, I went into it going, all right, sci-fi, action-adventure, Murder Bot. I don't know. And then you meet this socially awkward android who just wants to watch space soap operas. And I was like, I love this character.

• 11:07Josh Horowitz?

  Most relatable character of your career.

• 11:09Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, I really did. And then I went back and I read All Systems, read the first novella that the first season is based on. And, yeah, I was in. I just thought it was such a unique, weird, different character.

• 11:23Josh Horowitz?

  Do you like to know, like, why people think of you for something? Because, you know, like, I could imagine you asking Chris and Paul, okay, androgynous, socially awkward robot, why me? Like, or do you not even want to know?

• 11:38Speaker 03

  No, well, and who passed before you came to me?

• 11:46Speaker 03

  Give me the long list of actors that didn't want to do this freaky. That's what goes through my head every time, yeah.

• 11:53Speaker 03

  Yeah, no, I, I...

• 11:57Speaker 03

  I don't, I'm too insecure for that.

• 12:00Josh Horowitz?

  So what was the, what was the opportunity on the page when you read this? That excited you in terms, from an acting perspective?

• 12:06Speaker 03

  Well, I came off the Northman Infinity Pool.

• 12:12Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 12:12Speaker 03

  And two incredible experiences, but pretty draining and intense and dark, twisted characters.

• 12:23Speaker 03

  And this was just totally so different and I thought it was funny and irreverent and weird and, and then I really enjoyed my conversations with Chris and Paul. I really, I thought they were so smart and lovely and funny and, and there was an opportunity to do, and, and again, the, the fact that it went in a completely different direction than I expected. And it was big, fun, action-packed sci-fi, but again, centered around this really weird, unexpected protagonist and its relationship with this, this team of scientists.

• 12:57Josh Horowitz?

  Is, is the prep different for something like this? I mean, you know, we've talked about these very physical roles throughout your career, whether it's the Northman and Tarzan and like, there's so much about that as the physicality. And the physicality is important here, surely, but I don't know, I would imagine there's like a different set of assignments for this. You can't write like a backstory. You can't do a diary for the murder bot.

• 13:17Speaker 03

  No, not really. I mean, the, its memory was wiped, so like, it was just like, and that was great for a lazy actor.

• 13:24Josh Horowitz?

  I know.

• 13:25Speaker 03

  I mean, I'd love to do prep, but my memory was wiped, so.

• 13:29Josh Horowitz?

  You made the choice, not me.

• 13:31Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 13:34Speaker 03

  No, and I, I, I wanted it to be, I thought about the way murder bot would communicate. I wanted it to be very, a strong contrast between the way it communicates with the team members and the way the inner monologue, the voiceover goes. Like, I wanted that to be, have a very different cadence in it. And, and a sparsity to it, like that it's, it's.

• 14:04Speaker 03

  It's a certain economy to the way, like, it only speaks when it absolutely has to. And it's very transactional, it's giving or receiving orders. It's not, as you can see, it doesn't like chit chat, or like, small talk, or any, like, it's... And that kind of informed the physicality as well. I wanted it to be, there's nothing unnecessary about it, it's all very deliberate.

• 14:28Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 14:28Speaker 03

  You only move when you have to move. And in that regard, the space condom helped, because it was very rigid.

• 14:37Josh Horowitz?

  Is that what we call it?

• 14:38Speaker 03

  Well, it's like, it looks cool, but underneath it's like, thick latex, you know? So it's like, it was rigid. And that helps, it was like, yeah, with that kind of, for the posture.

• 14:50Josh Horowitz?

  Do you pre-record the voiceover? Like, how is, how are you playing to that? Because, yes, you are, you have kind of two different stories going. You have the physicality playing off of narration and vice versa. How do you accomplish that? How do you make sure they sync up?

• 15:06Speaker 03

  We still haven't cracked that, we're still trying to figure that out.

• 15:08Josh Horowitz?

  Not sure.

• 15:09Speaker 03

  But it was kind of trial by error, and we, it would be, whatever served the scene, sometimes, um... We would pause, and someone would read it off-camera.

• 15:24Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 15:24Speaker 03

  Um, sometimes, I would just like, think it in my head, and we'll, and we would... And sometimes, we wouldn't even take, even if it was a long chunk of voiceover, we wouldn't... We would just like, play through it with the other actors. And then like, have enough coverage that you in post could make sure that you had enough space for those moments.

• 15:45Josh Horowitz?

  Yep.

• 15:47Speaker 03

  But it was kind of whatever we needed. Sometimes, we tried it without the voiceover, and there's actually, because obviously, the other characters can't hear it, but there were moments where...

• 15:57Speaker 03

  They would be like, "Actually, can we have someone?" And, you know, the first AD would just read it off-camera because it would like, it helps us with timing and stuff.

• 16:05Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, I always think of like, I've been on, I've been able to visit a few sets. I'm always, it always makes me laugh when I see like a scene where there's like, you're in a club, there's like a dance sequence, and there's no music playing.

• 16:16Speaker 03

  That's always the case, yeah.

• 16:17Josh Horowitz?

  It's horrifying.

• 16:18Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 16:18Josh Horowitz?

  It's absolutely like, that's the acting challenge.

• 16:20Speaker 03

  And they ask you to dance, and there's no music, and you're like... It's rough.

• 16:26Josh Horowitz?

  Hard enough with the music. Take it away, it's torture.

• 16:31Josh Horowitz?

  I do, as much as I love this show, I just, I think I want a full series of the rise and fall of Sanctuary Moon.

• 16:38Speaker 03

  I mean...

• 16:39Josh Horowitz?

  That's the show.

• 16:40Speaker 03

  That is the show.

• 16:41Josh Horowitz?

  That's, that's my show.

• 16:43Speaker 03

  Yeah, so even if Murdobot doesn't get picked up for second season, Sanctuary Moon will.

• 16:51Josh Horowitz?

  That does feel like, I don't think it's in the episodes, I don't want to ruin too much, but you like a good crazy wig, I feel like. You like a nice, different wig.

• 16:58Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 16:59Josh Horowitz?

  You're a sucker for that.

• 17:01Speaker 03

  Well, yeah, that's in a later episode.

• 17:02Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 17:03Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 17:03Josh Horowitz?

  Tease, coming up. This guy in a weird wig.

• 17:05Speaker 03

  It's something, yeah, there might be a little cameo moment there.

• 17:10Josh Horowitz?

  So, yeah, I mean, you're removed from that, so are you just enjoying that as just like, I mean, you get to see Jack and friends in that.

• 17:16Speaker 03

  Oh, it was the best. It was, I was very, very excited when Jack wanted, we shot it in Toronto, and he flew up and to do that, and it was just such a fun contrast to the tone of the show, our, the Murdobot show, so it was, and shooting those little snippets, because it's only like, we never really have a full scene, it's just like bits of scenes. And I was just like, what happens between, because it's like, the tone is so weird, and these characters, and these relationships, I want to see, I want to spend a whole like half hour with these, with these characters.

• 17:53Josh Horowitz?

  So what, okay, what are the shows, what's the show you would sit down on the couch and happily watch and just separate yourself from society for a day or two? What's your show, or shows?

• 18:10Speaker 03

  Kind of a sucker for any of Armando Iannucci's work, like The Thick of It or V.

• 18:16Josh Horowitz?

  Yep.

• 18:17Speaker 03

  Those are, I think Alan Partridge.

• 18:22Josh Horowitz?

  Yep.

• 18:23Speaker 03

  One of my all-time favorites. Those would be like, that I can just go back and re-watch and just like, and the writing is so good. It's just phenomenal. It's like one of those where I pause and rewind and just like, taste the words. It's so good.

• 18:39Josh Horowitz?

  That must have, Succession must have fit.

• 18:42Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 18:42Josh Horowitz?

  Fit into that for you.

• 18:43Speaker 03

  Well, Jesse Armstrong, who created Succession, obviously, has worked with Armando. It's like that school of, um, yeah, that was a real treat when you had an opportunity to kind of work on texts that was so phenomenal.

• 18:59Josh Horowitz?

  So, because that's the classy route. You're, you're obviously shielding us from your, your guilty pleasures, from your Real Housewives or your, there's, there's something else that you're not saying, that you would, you would watch.

• 19:12Josh Horowitz?

  Open your heart. Open your.

• 19:13Speaker 03

  Well, I, I don't, I mean, and I would.

• 19:17Josh Horowitz?

  You would say.

• 19:18Speaker 03

  I would say if I, I don't watch any.

• 19:20Josh Horowitz?

  No reality.

• 19:21Speaker 03

  Reality shows.

• 19:22Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 19:25Speaker 03

  So, in terms of like guilty pleasure.

• 19:33Speaker 03

  I kind of got into biathlon.

• 19:40Josh Horowitz?

  Like, like a, like a triathlon, but a biathlon?

• 19:42Speaker 03

  Well, it's like they ski and then they, it's marksmanship, then they shoot.

• 19:48Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 19:50Speaker 03

  And then they keep skiing.

• 19:54Josh Horowitz?

  I'm sorry I asked.

• 19:57Speaker 03

  And it was, and I don't, I'm not particularly interested in weapons nor skiing.

• 20:02Josh Horowitz?

  But the combo.

• 20:03Speaker 03

  But the combo, guys.

• 20:06Speaker 03

  It was kind of fascinating and it was like.

• 20:08Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 20:10Speaker 03

  Because some of them are great skiers and some are... But they can't shoot that well. So then like they're ahead and you think they're gonna win. And then they blow it. You know, they missed the target. And then someone else is like not as fast. But bullseye. And then they end up winning.

• 20:24Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 20:25Speaker 03

  It's like an Olympic sport. It's a real... I'm not making this up. Like, you know, like... That's right, biathlon.

• 20:32Josh Horowitz?

  I'm just... My inner modog is doing the edit point of cutting this out of the podcast.

• 20:37Speaker 03

  Come on, there are a lot of biathlon fans out there.

• 20:39Josh Horowitz?

  So what would your two... What would your biathlon sports be? What would your two...

• 20:44Speaker 03

  Well, I'm focused on this now. Skiing and shooting. Rifle.

• 20:49Josh Horowitz?

  But you're not interested in actually shooting? Or are you a good skier?

• 20:53Speaker 03

  No, but a combination, my friend.

• 20:54Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 20:56Josh Horowitz?

  Again.

• 20:56Speaker 03

  Can't have one without the other.

• 20:58Josh Horowitz?

  Extreme regrets.

• 21:06Josh Horowitz?

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• 21:50Josh Horowitz?

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• 22:34Josh Horowitz?

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• 23:19Josh Horowitz?

  So let's make it easy for anybody who wants help to get help. That's where Rula comes in. Here's the thing, a lot of online therapy platforms don't actually talk about. Most don't take insurance. That means you're either paying out of pocket or signing up for some very expensive monthly subscription. Rula does it all differently. They work with over 120 insurance plans, so the average copay, I can't get over this, it's just 15 bucks a session. So basically two of your lattes, okay? A pretty good deal if you ask me. That means you can get real therapy from a licensed professional without breaking the bank. And Rula doesn't just set you up and leave you alone. They give you that therapist and then they're along the way, the whole journey with you to make sure your care is working for you and you're actually making progress, hitting your goals.

• 24:03Josh Horowitz?

  This can all happen right away, guys. With Rula, appointments are often available as soon as tomorrow. There are no wait lists. There's no frustrating back and forth. They make it easy. Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high-quality therapy that's actually covered by insurance. Visit rula.com/happy to get started. That's rula, R-U-L-A, dot com slash happy. You deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget.

• 24:33Josh Horowitz?

  Do you relate to the socially awkward part about Murderbot? You're... I don't know why they're laughing. Obviously. But your business is predicated on being charming in a room, on the set, at award shows. When does the socially awkward side of you kick in, if at all?

• 24:53Speaker 03

  I'm not... Murderbot is definitely more of an introvert than I am, but I can 100% relate to the feeling of, like Murderbot's first scene with the whole team when the helmet is off, of trying to figure out how you fit in to the room, what the vibe is, the dynamic, and like, and...

• 25:20Speaker 03

  Yeah, it was just like tapping into that and then really leaning into it hard. Like, and then just like, alright, I've felt that, but then this is an extreme version of that. Of like, and eye contact is a nightmare and like, all that kind of...

• 25:35Speaker 03

  So like, with most things, like, if you have one point of connection, like one thread or something at least, and they're like, alright, I can, I can, I've got something to build on here.

• 25:47Josh Horowitz?

  Build better, but then on steroids a little bit.

• 25:49Speaker 03

  And then on steroids, then you have like the Murderbot reaction to it.

• 25:53Josh Horowitz?

  So how are you, small talk with like an actor you admire at a party? Is that something where like you try to initiate and then like you have deep regrets? I'm just, I'm saying my own problems right now. That's how I feel. Do you, do you have that kind of thing? Or you feel like you're, you're clearly more comfortable in your own skin than I am, in mine?

• 26:14Speaker 03

  Well, I just like, I get filled with self-loathing if I start to...

• 26:19Josh Horowitz?

  Yes, this is what I want.

• 26:20Speaker 03

  Like if I start to talk about something I'm really not interested in, and I know that it's boring, but I'm doing it because I don't want it to be like an, a void of like conversation.

• 26:35Speaker 03

  Then I'm like, God, I've been talking about the weather for five minutes now. We're like comparing LA to New York again. This bores me. And then, yeah, then I can relate to Murderbot feeling like, get me out of here.

• 26:51Josh Horowitz?

  Got it. This character from the books, I haven't read the books, I'll confess to that, but I know that the character does mean a lot to the neurodivergent community. Is that something that's been discussed on set? Like, it's rare to see that kind of character in the center of a story.

• 27:10Speaker 03

  We didn't discuss it on set or try to emphasize it necessarily on set.

• 27:17Speaker 03

  I was fascinated by a character that was relatable to a lot of people who maybe not, maybe wouldn't relate to like your stereotypical action hero. Like, again, that like confident swagger of being like someone who would like just own any room they walked into.

• 27:39Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 27:39Speaker 03

  I thought it was really refreshing to have a story with a protagonist that was really uncomfortable in social situations. And I do think and hope a lot of people can relate to that and feel that.

• 27:58Josh Horowitz?

  Would you say you have a, is your opinion of humanity in line with Murderbot's opinion?

• 28:08Speaker 03

  I mean, on bad days, for sure.

• 28:11Josh Horowitz?

  Today.

• 28:14Speaker 03

  Yeah. I can relate.

• 28:19Josh Horowitz?

  So you've shot this first season, 10 episodes. You've obviously done series work in the past. I mean, when you sign on to something like this, you immediately see the opportunity to, I presume you'd like to do more of this. Like, there's opportunity there. There's excitement there to continue with this character.

• 28:35Speaker 03

  Yeah, I mean, if the stars align, if it's, we have a wealth of...

• 28:42Speaker 03

  Martha's written several nobellas and so there's definitely potential for other adventures.

• 28:51Speaker 03

  But yeah, at the same time, we've got to, it's like one step at a time.

• 28:55Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 28:55Speaker 03

  Focus on this and then we'll see what happens.

• 28:57Josh Horowitz?

  You kind of alluded to this. I'm curious, like, how much do you find in your career, like, one role is reactive to the other? Because the last time we chatted was The Northman.

• 29:05Speaker 03

  The Northman.

• 29:06Josh Horowitz?

  Right. So coming off of that, Infinity, and then like these kinds of roles that couldn't be more diametrically opposed to this one, do you find often you're like, as soon as you're done with one thing, like, get me to the other side?

• 29:19Speaker 03

  Yeah, I mean, there are definitely moments where, I think it's, I find it difficult to pinpoint what it is. I think it's like an amalgamation of many different things and where you're at in life, what goes on in your head, what you've recently worked on. In this case, it was, yeah, I think I was, I needed a palate cleanser after a lot of psychologically disturbing characters.

• 29:53Speaker 03

  Even though I don't, I'm not very, I can switch off. It doesn't, like, it's not like I'm constantly, like, while shooting The Northman, I wasn't like, living as a Viking Berserker for a full year, like, in that headspace, or pretending to be a clone for six months, like we did in Infinity Pool. Like, I can definitely switch on and off, or I think that's, or I have to in order to function. But, but that said, creatively, it made me excited to kind of, to do something, go in a different direction and discover something else and do something tonally different. And this is definitely tonally

• 30:38Speaker 03

  different. And a character that was just like...

• 30:42Speaker 03

  Sardonic and dry and all, but like, really kind of sweet and likeable.

• 30:48Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 30:48Speaker 03

  I thought that could be nice.

• 30:50Josh Horowitz?

  You're saying the Northman wasn't sweet and likeable? He's a sweetheart.

• 30:54Speaker 03

  Yeah, he just needs a hug.

• 30:55Josh Horowitz?

  He just needs a hug. A berserker that needs a hug. We'll do a little bit of greatest hits. We've chatted about your amazing career throughout our times together. But going back, we all know, son of the great Stone Skarsgård, of course. When you read about your growing up with him and your mom and your brothers, I often feel like it comes up, a bohemian lifestyle, dinner parties, dad walking around naked. Are all of these three things true? And is it all a combo at the same time?

• 31:27Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 31:27Josh Horowitz?

  Separate things? Are there dinner parties where he's walking around naked?

• 31:31Speaker 03

  Hundred percent.

• 31:32Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 31:34Josh Horowitz?

  Have you carried on that tradition?

• 31:38Speaker 03

  No, it was a lot of

• 31:42Speaker 03

  caftans or preferably nude.

• 31:44Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 31:45Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 31:45Josh Horowitz?

  Interesting.

• 31:46Speaker 03

  He was not a fan of clothes.

• 31:49Speaker 03

  In his home.

• 31:50Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 31:50Speaker 03

  Or, I mean, occasionally outside as well. But yeah, no, it was it was all true, yeah.

• 31:58Josh Horowitz?

  Your perspective in recent years, like, it's so, like, I keep having the quote-unquote, you know, nepotism conversation, right? Especially in recent years where it became like the New York Magazine cover story, the whole thing. And suddenly it was like, nepo babies are the worst thing ever. I mean, you made your bones, like, you established yourself through a series of really cool choices throughout your career. But I'm curious, like, your perspective on that discussion in recent years? Because you've also talked about, like, Zoolander doesn't happen unless you're in the right place at the right time. You've said that.

• 32:29Speaker 03

  Oh, yeah, yeah, no, I got

• 32:32Speaker 03

  Zoolander because my father was working on a movie in LA and I was visiting. I was on vacation. I'd just started acting and I didn't have a representation and my dad's manager was like, "Hey, I'll send you out if you're interested to an audition." I was like, "Oh, that sounds fun." And it happened to be for Zoolander. Hundred percent.

• 32:57Josh Horowitz?

  So I guess my question-

• 32:57Speaker 03

  Hundred percent Nepo baby. Like, that was all like, that would not have happened had it not been for my dad.

• 33:02Josh Horowitz?

  Got it tattooed on his back, proud Nepo baby.

• 33:04Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 33:05Josh Horowitz?

  No, but like, do you feel like, did you, was there a period of time where you felt you had something to prove that like, you could stand on your own? Obviously by now, you've established yourself 10 times over. But was there a period of time early in the career where you were like, "I need to prove that I'm my own person as opposed to my dad's son?"

• 33:22Speaker 03

  I think I...

• 33:26Speaker 03

  Even though I got all those jobs because of my dad, I...

• 33:32Speaker 03

  I was adamant about not taking his advice or asking him for advice or him guiding me in my career.

• 33:45Speaker 03

  Like, I would never be like, "Hey dad, this script, can you read it? Is this good or not? Should I do this?" Or I was, to my own detriment, I probably should have done that more, but I was like, "No." Like, I wanna make those choices and even if they're terrible, I wanna...

• 34:06Josh Horowitz?

  Make my own terrible choices?

• 34:07Speaker 03

  I wanna make my own terrible... I'm a big boy, I can make my own terrible choices. So in that regard, I think it was to kind of like, clear my own path and find my footing in a way.

• 34:19Josh Horowitz?

  And should be said, we've talked about this before. It wasn't like it was smooth sailing. There was like, after Zoolander, there was years of unemployment and-

• 34:25Speaker 03

  Yeah. I thought it would be smooth sailing because that was my first audition.

• 34:30Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, like, it was easy.

• 34:32Speaker 03

  And it was Zoolander. Ben Stiller, like, shooting here in Manhattan was amazing, amazing. And I thought it was, I was like, "This is a walk in the park, it's so easy." And like, you just walk in and go like, "Hey, Ryan, what's up?"

• 34:45Speaker 03

  I'm Stellens, kid. What's up?

• 34:48Josh Horowitz?

  Pour some gasoline on you and then light you on fire. It's perfect. That's the dream, yeah.

• 34:52Speaker 03

  It's a dream. But then, yeah, after that, it was like six years of crickets.

• 34:56Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 34:56Speaker 03

  Nothing.

• 34:58Josh Horowitz?

  Things started to pick up. Generation Kill, and then really...

• 35:01Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 35:02Josh Horowitz?

  And then True Blood, which really was a good...

• 35:06Josh Horowitz?

  Were you ready for it? I was stealing myself, in case.

• 35:10Josh Horowitz?

  How immediately did... What do you recall the early days of when that started to be broadcast? Do you remember like a palpable change in how you were perceived in public, in the industry? Was it a kind of a quick, a quick thing?

• 35:24Speaker 03

  No.

• 35:28Speaker 03

  It was... So Generation Kill came out in 2008. And no one recognized me after that.

• 35:40Speaker 03

  It was... I love that show. It's like I'm incredibly honored and proud of being part of that. It was... But it was a small, limited series.

• 35:54Speaker 03

  That, I mean, it...

• 35:57Speaker 03

  You can't compare it to True Blood, like in terms of like it was... And even after the first season of True Blood, I was, I don't know if you remember, but like the first season, I had a long blonde wig.

• 36:07Josh Horowitz?

  Yup, yup.

• 36:09Josh Horowitz?

  I remember!

• 36:12Speaker 03

  So the show was picking up steam and was getting very popular, but I would, yeah, I still didn't get recognized. Because my hair was short and people like that... And I was only in like, I think, six or seven episodes the first year.

• 36:26Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 36:27Speaker 03

  I noticed a difference when season two started. And I looked more like myself.

• 36:37Speaker 03

  And I was shooting something in Shreveport, Louisiana, when... Oh, ironically, where True Blood takes place.

• 36:49Speaker 03

  I just realized that.

• 36:52Speaker 03

  So we shot True Blood in L.A., but it takes place in Shreveport. I was shooting something else in Shreveport when season two aired. And then, yeah, that's when I noticed that like, um...

• 37:04Josh Horowitz?

  What were you noticing? Like, what did you?

• 37:06Speaker 03

  I'm famous.

• 37:09Speaker 03

  Yeah, that's how I felt.

• 37:10Josh Horowitz?

  Just stares, just people whispering?

• 37:14Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, where people coming to, because there's only one hotel in town, really. And so people would come and wait in the lobby.

• 37:23Josh Horowitz?

  Is there something you wish you knew about handling fame back then that you know now? You've had time to figure it out.

• 37:30Speaker 03

  I've learned nothing over these past 50 years.

• 37:32Josh Horowitz?

  Really?

• 37:32Speaker 03

  Really, no, I'm like, it's just like, I don't think so.

• 37:38Josh Horowitz?

  It does seem like there's certain, like, there are people who are either born to kind of like, take it in and just enjoy it, and then, I feel like it's unhealthy to enjoy it too much. Like, I don't trust the celebrities that are like, "This is awesome, all this attention."

• 37:52Speaker 03

  Right.

• 37:55Speaker 03

  It's awesome.

• 37:56Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 37:58Josh Horowitz?

  Really?

• 37:58Speaker 03

  No.

• 38:00Josh Horowitz?

  I don't trust you.

• 38:06Speaker 03

  I don't know.

• 38:09Speaker 03

  It never got that crazy where I was like, where it was like, I was, I was really, um...

• 38:19Speaker 03

  It never got that bad where I, where it became a real issue. Like, it was just like, um, for someone who for quite a few years hadn't worked at all, I was like, "I'm on a show that I'm having a great time on, and wait, people really like it."

• 38:34Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 38:34Speaker 03

  Like, they drove to Shreveport to say hi and take a selfie at our hotel. I was like, "This is kind of cool."

• 38:45Speaker 03

  It would have been different if like, they broke into my hotel room, but that was the case, like, you know?

• 38:49Josh Horowitz?

  Now we know our boundaries, everybody.

• 38:50Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 38:51Josh Horowitz?

  We've said it.

• 38:52Speaker 03

  Yeah. Selfie in the lobby, good. Breaking into hotel room, not good. Yeah.

• 38:58Josh Horowitz?

  Sexier vampire, Eric from True Blood or Bill Skarsgård's Nosferatu?

• 39:04Speaker 03

  Nosferatu, that's like...

• 39:08Speaker 03

  That's like...

• 39:12Speaker 03

  Pure sex, right?

• 39:13Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 39:13Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 39:15Josh Horowitz?

  There was full Nosferatu nudity. He really went for it.

• 39:17Speaker 03

  100%.

• 39:18Josh Horowitz?

  Wow.

• 39:18Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 39:19Josh Horowitz?

  What's your unbiased review of what Bill did? The voice, the physicality? It's a pretty amazing performance.

• 39:26Speaker 03

  I thought it was okay.

• 39:27Josh Horowitz?

  Okay. That's fair. That's fair. Spoken like a true brother.

• 39:34Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 39:36Josh Horowitz?

  When I spoke to Bill a few months back, he says you guys have never gone up for the same role. It's never happened. Is that true, as far as you can recall?

• 39:44Speaker 03

  Yeah, no, we haven't.

• 39:45Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 39:46Speaker 03

  And Gus, our other brother Gus Duff, I don't think we've been up for the same role either.

• 39:54Speaker 03

  That's what keeps us together, I think. It would've been even harder if it's...

• 39:57Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 39:59Speaker 03

  Yeah, so in that regard, I don't feel... There's... We're not, in that regard, competitive. I think it would've been harder had we all been vying for the same roles and like...

• 40:10Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 40:11Speaker 03

  Oh, you're close to getting something. Because the thing is, if you don't get a role that you really want, you never want to hear about that project again. Like, you don't like... You don't want to be reminded at every family dinner.

• 40:25Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 40:27Speaker 03

  Like, how amazing...

• 40:29Josh Horowitz?

  Right. Oh, it was good for you. Great. Congratulations on Pennywise.

• 40:33Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 40:36Speaker 03

  That you really want it, and then for the next two years, you're going to be reminded, like...

• 40:41Josh Horowitz?

  It's complicated, yeah.

• 40:42Speaker 03

  How amazing it was, how fun it was. So fortunately, we don't have to deal with that.

• 40:45Josh Horowitz?

  He claims that the reports that came out about a year or two ago that you guys were both up for Lex Luthor were totally untrue. He said you guys actually talked about it and said, "Have you heard this?" "No." Like, do you remember when the rumors were going around that you and Bill were both up for Lex Luthor?

• 41:02Speaker 03

  Did Bill and I talk about this?

• 41:03Josh Horowitz?

  He claims that, his story to me was-

• 41:05Speaker 03

  Maybe we did, I just have a terrible memory-

• 41:07Josh Horowitz?

  Well, you set the record straight. Were you up for Lex Luthor?

• 41:09Speaker 03

  100% not.

• 41:10Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 41:11Speaker 03

  Like, I, I don't, like, no one told me, at least.

• 41:14Josh Horowitz?

  Okay, okay.

• 41:17Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 41:18Josh Horowitz?

  Your relationship with the superhero genre, we talked about Thor way back when, you did an audition, like many actors did way back then. You also went up for Captain America, is that true?

• 41:28Speaker 03

  No.

• 41:29Josh Horowitz?

  Okay, that's not true. Okay, we're setting the internet-

• 41:31Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 41:32Josh Horowitz?

  Rumors straight. It's somewhat surprising that it never, that it hasn't happened yet for you. Is that because you didn't chase it, you actively went in the other direction? It just, the timing didn't work out, that the right role didn't come? What was your attitude about the superhero thing?

• 41:50Speaker 03

  Well, was it 2008, '09 when Thor, when that all happened? I did audition, like, half of Hollywood for that.

• 41:59Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 42:03Speaker 03

  But I haven't, no, I haven't, I don't know, I haven't auditioned for anything since. I haven't chased anything in that universe since then.

• 42:18Speaker 03

  I don't know, like, I-

• 42:21Speaker 03

  I've read a couple of things, like, that are slightly with, like, the superhero theme. And I'm not, I'm, I'm, I'm, it's not that I don't like the genre, but the stuff that's come my way hasn't, I guess I haven't responded really to the characters.

• 42:37Josh Horowitz?

  Well, it's also, like, I mean, Tarzan, obviously, is its own kind of superhero in a way. And that was kind of like, I feel like, the one time where you really leaned in to that kind of classical, kind of, like-

• 42:45Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 42:46Josh Horowitz?

  Leading man, I'm just gonna go for it.

• 42:47Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 42:48Josh Horowitz?

  Right?

• 42:48Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah.

• 42:49Josh Horowitz?

  Was that, I don't know, what did you learn from that experience? I mean, that's a huge physical role, I know you talked about, like, that was as extreme as it got for you.

• 42:58Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 42:59Josh Horowitz?

  In some ways, are you happy you're not, like, making Tarzan 4 right now? Like, you could've-

• 43:03Speaker 03

  I mean, it, yeah, I mean, it was-

• 43:07Speaker 03

  An extraordinary experience and I'm so grateful for having had that. But it was also a full year of my life and where I was completely isolated from friends and family and I loved it to be away from friends and family.

• 43:29Speaker 03

  So please get me another one.

• 43:36Speaker 03

  But I think I'm creatively the happiest when I get to jump between when I find myself on set going like this is weird and wild and this is very different from what I've done before.

• 43:53Speaker 03

  And ever since, like those seven years on Triplett were fantastic and it was like the most fun character.

• 44:02Speaker 03

  But even though it was Eric Northman and working with incredible people and like again, great script and it ticked all the boxes. Towards the end of it, there were moments where I was like, it didn't feel repetitive because the storyline was so crazy, but it's still, I was still playing the same character. There was a part of me was like, I'm the happiest when I get to jump from something like Infinity Pool to this weird android and you know, like Succession. Like it's just like, so what's the question I'm trying to answer? Superheroes?

• 44:47Josh Horowitz?

  No, I get it. I mean, this is self-evident in your career. Like when I look at your body of work, yes, there are some kind of classical heroes, but more it's really the weird, the morally questionable. Like you gravitate towards, you have a mixed bag in the best possible way of characters.

• 45:05Speaker 03

  Yeah, well, thank you. You're 100% right. No, but I think part of, and then that's probably also why it got exciting when something like Tarzan came up, because that was like, because that was like very much like a big tent pole Warner Brothers, you know, action, big budget thing. And I was like, I haven't done that before. That sounds awesome.

• 45:27Josh Horowitz?

  That was a weird role for you.

• 45:28Speaker 03

  Then that was weird and different. And then after that, it was fun going back to like weird little indie movies, to go back to that. And then Northman, and you know, it's like, if I can jump around like that, then I'm thrilled, I'm very happy.

• 45:44Josh Horowitz?

  We haven't mentioned a lot of key performances in your career. Big Little Lies is obviously one that has to be special for you.

• 45:51Speaker 03

  Thank you.

• 45:52Josh Horowitz?

  I've talked to a lot of the actors from that series. They all loved working with the late, great Jean-Marc Vallée, who was clearly an actor's director.

• 46:01Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 46:02Josh Horowitz?

  You've worked with Nicole a couple of times. What are the first things that come to mind for you in terms of why that experience remains, I would imagine, put on a pedestal for you?

• 46:12Speaker 03

  I mean, it was just such a dream job. It was to, the way Jean-Marc trusted the actors and just kind of cleared the space and it's like, alright, here's your dance floor, go for it. And we'll, there's lots of, we weren't confined to like lighting or tape marks. It was just like, this is the space, natural lighting, and go do your thing, and we'll follow you around. And the writing was so good. It was so twisted and

• 46:53Speaker 03

  interesting, this relationship. And to have the privilege of diving into that with someone like Nicole Kidman is like, yeah, one of the highlights of my career, for sure. It was extraordinary. Very difficult and challenging, but, wow, what an experience.

• 47:18Josh Horowitz?

  Northman's come up a couple of times here. I'm gonna keep talking about it because I'm obsessed with that movie. It's so fantastic. Speaking of Nosferatu, Robert Eggers. Is that the hardest film you've had to make in your career? Is that, it sounds like that was a tough one on many levels.

• 47:34Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 47:37Speaker 03

  Rob.

• 47:38Josh Horowitz?

  Are you going back to it right now? Are you like in your head PTSD?

• 47:42Speaker 03

  Rob is a goddamn nightmare.

• 47:45Josh Horowitz?

  He's very meticulous.

• 47:46Speaker 03

  Huh?

• 47:46Josh Horowitz?

  He's a meticulous filmmaker.

• 47:48Speaker 03

  Yeah, I love that man and he's incredibly talented. But it's challenging because it's all, almost every single scene is shot as a oner. Like there are no cuts and that's fine if you're doing like a small, character-driven drama in a, you know, in an apartment, but when you're trying to do a big epic Viking movie with 30 Vikings fighting and 200 extras and you're still doing it with just one camera shot, you know.

• 48:22Josh Horowitz?

  Couldn't we try it a different way, Rob? Couldn't we just break it up a little bit?

• 48:26Speaker 03

  It was, but I try to kind of approach it with excitement and be like, this is, shouldn't be possible and it's gonna be really hard and frustrating and exhausting, but, but again, I knew going into it that this was Rob's way of working and we'd worked on the project for several years before we got to it. So it wasn't like I was shocked on set, but it was just like, so I had time to kind of

• 48:52Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 48:52Speaker 03

  mentally prepare for it, like, all right, this is gonna be with Jaren, his DP is incredible. But I knew that this is quite unconventional way to shoot an action epic adventure movie. Like it's, it's, because you know that you're gonna have to do the whole fight maybe 30 times on, and it's a weird feeling when you do it and every bit of the scene works and you're like, you're completely depleted by the end of it, but then there was like a goat in the back doing something weird and you're like, can we cut around, oh god, no, we can't cut around it because there's no coverage.

• 49:33Speaker 03

  So it's, yeah, it was physically and mentally the topic, because it was also, we shot it during lockdown.

• 49:39Josh Horowitz?

  Right, right.

• 49:40Speaker 03

  We were one of the first big productions up after, so this was like in 2020 before the vaccine was out, so it was like, we were completely isolated for a year and I was on a weird diet, just training, eating meat and like didn't really see my friends and family, so another great year for me, yeah.

• 50:04Josh Horowitz?

  Send them to a far remote place.

• 50:05Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, never been happier.

• 50:08Josh Horowitz?

  But the sense of satisfaction, it's like the way you talk about it is the way I've talked to actors who have worked with David Fincher, for instance, have talked, where it's like, the actual experience is rough. Like, it's grueling, it's taxing, you're depleted, and then you see the finished product and you're like, it was worth it. Like, I mean, this is art that's gonna last.

• 50:27Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 50:28Josh Horowitz?

  And that's why you do it. You don't do it to have fun, you do it to make something great.

• 50:33Speaker 03

  And actually, I didn't have to wait a full year for that gratification, even when, it's like winning the Super Bowl, when you finally, on take 32, when you finally get it.

• 50:47Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 50:48Speaker 03

  And that goat is not doing something weird in the background, and Rob and Jerry are happy, it's the greatest feeling ever. Because it's not like, alright, well, we've got more coverage, we'll work overtime. It's like, it worked, and then it's an extraordinary feeling, so it almost made it worth it.

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• 52:17Josh Horowitz?

  We've kind of alluded to this before, but I look at the resume in like recent years. My sense is like you like doing the small bits too. For Friends, for Weird Things, like you show up, you show up for your buddy Michael Shannon, for Eric LaRue, you show up in Atlanta, you show up for Documentary Now, small part in Lee. Like it feels like you're like, you're down for a little mini weird adventure if a friend calls you up. Is that fair to say?

• 52:43Speaker 03

  Oh, 100%.

• 52:45Speaker 03

  I mean, it's in each of those.

• 52:51Speaker 03

  They were all like, you know, Michael Shannon was a dear friend, or is a dear friend. And when he's like, "Do you want to come and work?" Of course you'd, "I'll do that." The Documentary Now, John Mulaney wrote that script and it's like the Werner Herzog, Klaszki spoof thing. It was one of the funniest things I've ever read.

• 53:13Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 53:14Speaker 03

  So like, it's like a small thing, but like it was incredible. It was so hilarious.

• 53:22Speaker 03

  Kate Winslet calls and like, "Do you want to play my husband?" What, I'm going to say no?

• 53:28Josh Horowitz?

  Does it take me to an isolated place away from friends and family?

• 53:33Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 53:35Speaker 03

  No, so it's like.

• 53:39Speaker 03

  It's just about finding those collaborations that you get excited about.

• 53:42Josh Horowitz?

  Well, that's also the reward as the career continues. You like accumulate these amazing relationships and then, you know, they come back around in different ways.

• 53:50Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah.

• 53:51Josh Horowitz?

  This is a question from one of our Happy Second Fuse listeners, a fan of yours. Tricia wants to know, asking about a movie that appeared, that was announced a few years back, The Pack. You were going to direct a movie. Is that still on the list? Do you want to direct a movie, whether it's that or something else?

• 54:08Speaker 03

  It's hard to get a movie made.

• 54:09Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 54:10Speaker 03

  I've realized that. So we'll see, we'll see what happens in the future, but potentially, it's never been.

• 54:20Speaker 03

  It's not like, oh, I'm acting, but I'm gonna transition out of acting to direct now. I think if it's the right project and the right timing, I'd potentially be down for it.

• 54:34Josh Horowitz?

  You were, as I recall, a massive Star Wars fan as a kid, like we all were. Do you resent that your dad got into Star Wars before you? A little bit?

• 54:45Speaker 03

  I'm trying to create as much family fractions as possible. Yes. I mean, yeah. Because there was, between us, siblings. No competition or...

• 54:58Josh Horowitz?

  But?

• 54:59Speaker 03

  But the old man?

• 55:02Speaker 03

  He's going down.

• 55:04Josh Horowitz?

  Gets to work with Denis Villeneuve.

• 55:06Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 55:07Josh Horowitz?

  Got Star Wars.

• 55:08Speaker 03

  Yeah. Retire already.

• 55:16Josh Horowitz?

  No, it's fair. It's fair. So when are we gonna get you in Star Wars? What do you want to play? You would be a great Jedi.

• 55:22Speaker 03

  Anything. I'll do anything. Like, Baby Yoda.

• 55:26Josh Horowitz?

  Little tall. Could get into that Wookie costume very easily.

• 55:30Speaker 03

  Papa Yoda?

• 55:31Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, Papa Yoda. Yeah.

• 55:33Speaker 03

  Yeah, I don't know.

• 55:34Josh Horowitz?

  Your game.

• 55:35Speaker 03

  Or Stormtrooper, number 67.

• 55:36Josh Horowitz?

  That classic character, yeah. All right, we're gonna end with this. The Happy Second Fuse Profoundly Random Questions. Are you ready, Alex?

• 55:44Speaker 03

  Profound...

• 55:45Josh Horowitz?

  Profoundly Random Questions. Yeah. You got this?

• 55:48Speaker 03

  I'm nervous.

• 55:51Josh Horowitz?

  It's gonna be okay.

• 55:52Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 55:53Josh Horowitz?

  Have a drink of water.

• 55:54Speaker 03

  All right.

• 55:55Josh Horowitz?

  Dogs or cats?

• 55:58Speaker 03

  Dogs.

• 56:01Josh Horowitz?

  Bill had a really vociferous argument for cats. It was one of the most tense exchanges of my career.

• 56:06Speaker 03

  Bill did?

• 56:07Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah. Like, he laid into me about cats, just so you know.

• 56:11Speaker 03

  He doesn't even like cats.

• 56:14Josh Horowitz?

  Just gonna tell you.

• 56:15Speaker 03

  We grew up with dogs. Like, we've had dogs...

• 56:17Josh Horowitz?

  I don't know what he was doing, but he was...

• 56:19Speaker 03

  Our whole childhood was just like, surrounded by big dogs.

• 56:22Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 56:24Speaker 03

  Mom has two big dogs.

• 56:26Josh Horowitz?

  Thank you. You were always my favorite Scar's guard.

• 56:30Speaker 03

  He's lying. He doesn't like cats.

• 56:32Josh Horowitz?

  I think he also said he related to being a cat more.

• 56:35Speaker 03

  Bullshit.

• 56:36Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, thank you. What do you collect, if anything?

• 56:46Speaker 03

  Was it Summer Olympics?

• 56:51Josh Horowitz?

  I mean, that's an event.

• 56:52Speaker 03

  All I remember is like, this is like...

• 56:56Speaker 03

  Where you had to kind of, when you ran, you did this? You rubbed a little button?

• 57:01Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah. Thanks for that gift that will go on.

• 57:07Speaker 03

  It's gonna be great for your podcast.

• 57:13Speaker 03

  Someone out there can help me with this, because it's real.

• 57:19Speaker 03

  And you could cheat by like, turning it upside down and rubbing it on the rug.

• 57:30Speaker 03

  And it was like, high jump and sprint.

• 57:32Josh Horowitz?

  No, I remember this game. I actually, I really do, legitimately.

• 57:35Speaker 03

  That?

• 57:38Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 57:39Speaker 03

  It's the greatest game of all time.

• 57:40Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah. Getting hot in here.

• 57:44Josh Horowitz?

  This is the Dakota Johnson memorial question. She asked me this once. Would you rather have a mouthful of bees or one bee in your butt?

• 57:53Speaker 03

  One bee in the butt, I think. Right?

• 57:56Josh Horowitz?

  I think that's the right call.

• 57:56Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 57:58Josh Horowitz?

  What's the wallpaper on your phone?

• 58:02Speaker 03

  It's just black.

• 58:05Josh Horowitz?

  Killian Murphy has a black home screen as well. You two share that.

• 58:09Speaker 03

  Ooh.

• 58:12Josh Horowitz?

  Last actor you were mistaken for?

• 58:19Speaker 03

  Not mistaken for, but a lot of people have worked with my brother, Peter Skarsgard.

• 58:26Josh Horowitz?

  Don't spread that. Great actor. Not a blood relation, for the record.

• 58:29Speaker 03

  No, but that's something that happens a lot.

• 58:31Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 58:33Speaker 03

  Just work with your brother, Peter.

• 58:36Josh Horowitz?

  So close.

• 58:37Speaker 03

  Yes, so close.

• 58:38Josh Horowitz?

  What's the worst note a director has ever given you?

• 58:45Speaker 03

  Oh.

• 58:54Speaker 03

  So many bad ones.

• 58:55Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah. Give me five if you want, whatever. We're here for you. What do you got? What jumps to mind? You don't have to name the director, but you could.

• 59:07Speaker 03

  Sometimes when they're... I've gotten notes like, "I need to feel more. I'm not feeling it. I need to feel more."

• 59:16Speaker 03

  And I don't really know what to do with that.

• 59:19Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 59:20Speaker 03

  It's like, "All right, I'll act better."

• 59:26Speaker 03

  Because that's like, "All right, now I feel like... I feel terrible." I'm acting all the time. Like, I'm definitely ready for another take now.

• 59:35Josh Horowitz?

  That's a good one. Okay, finally. In the spirit of Happy, Sag Confused. Who's an actor who always makes you happy. You see them on screen, you're automatically in a better mood. What jumps out?

• 59:44Speaker 03

  Oh. Was that a question?

• 59:45Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah. Actor you love. Makes you happy always.

• 59:48Speaker 03

  Well, I... As a child of the 80s, like, in 80s comedy, I would say it was like Steve Martin.

• 59:59Speaker 03

  Was... yeah. I mean, I was gonna say Chevy Chase as well, but like, those, like, but yeah, I'd say probably Steve Martin.

• 1:00:05Josh Horowitz?

  There's just more volume of great Steve Martin. What's the Steve Martin 80s comedy of choice?

• 1:00:09Speaker 03

  I mean, The Jerk, probably. Yeah. But, I mean, Fletch is also up there, isn't he?

• 1:00:15Josh Horowitz?

  Fletch is... I mean, if you want to quote Fletch back and forth, I can do that.

• 1:00:18Speaker 03

  I will not.

• 1:00:21Josh Horowitz?

  And a food that makes you confused. You don't get it. Why do people eat that? That's weird food.

• 1:00:33Josh Horowitz?

  Do you sense the anticipation in the room? How people are waiting?

• 1:00:36Speaker 03

  This is gonna be a good one.

• 1:00:44Speaker 03

  Well, it's Swedish, but... So I... But Surskroming, I've never really gotten...

• 1:00:50Josh Horowitz?

  Remind me what that is?

• 1:00:51Speaker 03

  Well, you know, Surskroming. Classic Surskroming.

• 1:00:56Speaker 03

  That confused me, because it's... I've... It's fermented herring.

• 1:01:00Josh Horowitz?

  Oh, okay.

• 1:01:01Speaker 03

  Not to be confused with pickled herring.

• 1:01:03Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 1:01:04Speaker 03

  Delicious.

• 1:01:05Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 1:01:07Speaker 03

  But Surskroming is fermented, so it has like... Yeah, it's... Wrong run.

• 1:01:12Josh Horowitz?

  Yep.

• 1:01:15Speaker 03

  But I'm... I want to try it.

• 1:01:17Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 1:01:20Speaker 03

  Because it smells awful.

• 1:01:21Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 1:01:21Speaker 03

  And I... I've... But I hear that if you have a small piece of it on a flatbread with some potatoes and some... Some sour cream.

• 1:01:30Josh Horowitz?

  No!

• 1:01:32Speaker 03

  It's incredibly salty.

• 1:01:34Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 1:01:35Speaker 03

  But apparently, in a small, just tiny amount of it...

• 1:01:42Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 1:01:43Speaker 03

  As you can tell, I'm confused, but I'm willing to try it.

• 1:01:46Josh Horowitz?

  It's a good sign of a food where...

• 1:01:47Speaker 03

  No?

• 1:01:48Josh Horowitz?

  No!

• 1:01:50Speaker 03

  I get a thumbs up from the audience.

• 1:01:51Josh Horowitz?

  Okay, okay.

• 1:01:53Speaker 03

  You know what, next time?

• 1:01:54Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 1:01:55Speaker 03

  I'll bring a can of Surskroming.

• 1:01:57Josh Horowitz?

  There you go.

• 1:01:58Speaker 03

  You're not... You know? You're not... In Sweden, you're not allowed to open it in your apartment.

• 1:02:03Josh Horowitz?

  Because it's just so strong to eat?

• 1:02:05Speaker 03

  It reeks the whole house. Well, like, they'll evacuate the whole house.

• 1:02:08Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 1:02:09Speaker 03

  So you have to eat it outdoors.

• 1:02:11Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 1:02:11Speaker 03

  You can't do it inside.

• 1:02:13Josh Horowitz?

  Get your tickets now for our next...

• 1:02:14Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:02:15Josh Horowitz?

  Really smelly event.

• 1:02:17Speaker 03

  We'll have a little Surskroming feast.

• 1:02:18Josh Horowitz?

  There you go. Thank you, guys, so much for coming out. Murder Bot, as you know, premieres this Friday on Apple TV+. Spread the good word. Good luck with the show, man.

• 1:02:27Speaker 03

  Thank you.

• 1:02:28Josh Horowitz?

  Always good to see you. Everybody, Alexander Skarsgård.

• 1:02:35Josh Horowitz?

  All right. There we go.

• 1:02:40Speaker 04

  And so ends another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused. Remember to review, rate, and subscribe to this show on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm a big podcast person. I'm Daisy Ridley, and I definitely wasn't... You should do this by Josh.

• 1:03:00Speaker 07

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• 1:03:44Speaker 07

  It's high drama, cozy vibes, and absolute couch detective energy. Grab your throw blanket and hit subscribe. Search Murder She Watched wherever you listen to podcasts, and let's solve this thing together.