Elijah Wood, Vol. III

Elijah Wood has been a part of our lives for all of his life. Before he was even a teenager he'd worked with the likes of David Fincher and Robert Zemeckis and in the decades since has become a permanent part of pop culture history thanks to his role in THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Now Elijah, always a big-time genre fan, is mixing it up in READY OR NOT 2 and seems poised to make a return to the shire in THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM. He joins Josh to talk about it all. SUPPORT THE SHOW BY SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! Quince -- Go to Quince.com/HAPPYSAD for free shipping and 365-day returns. Rula -- Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.rula.com/happy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #rulapod #sponsored Limited Time Offer–Get Huel today with my exclusive offer of 15% OFF online with my code happy15 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://huel.com/happy15.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ New Customers Only. Thank you to Huel for partnering and supporting our show! 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.

• 0:00Josh Horowitz?

  The last actor you were mistaken for?

• 0:02Speaker 01

  Most recently, I think it was actually Tobey Maguire, which does still happen, and it's always for Spider-Man. It's not for any of Tobey's other work.

• 0:12Josh Horowitz?

  In what context? What do you mean?

• 0:14Speaker 01

  It's just, "Hey, Spider-Man." Like, no, no, no.

• 0:19Josh Horowitz?

  They literally say, "Hey, Spider-Man?"

• 0:20Speaker 01

  Yeah, I won't correct people.

• 0:21Josh Horowitz?

  Maybe they think you're actually Spider-Man, not Tobey Maguire. Maybe they, like...

• 0:24Speaker 01

  Maybe you're right. Maybe I've got it wrong all this time. That's possible.

• 0:29Speaker 02

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

• 0:36Josh Horowitz?

  Hey, guys, it's Josh. Welcome to another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused. Today on the show, it is the one and only Elijah Wood. From Lord of the Rings to Ready or Not 2, we're talking everything and anything, Elijah Wood. This is a fun one. Thanks, guys, as always, for checking out the podcast. Thanks for watching on Spotify, on YouTube, subscribing, whatever you're doing, keep doing it. And if you have not subscribed yet, what are you doing with your lives? Just do it already. Come on, guys. Before we get to Elijah Wood, who is always a gem, easy to talk to, a cinephile. He's the best. A reminder, if you like what I do, check out the Patreon, patreon.com/happysadconfused to get early access to episodes like this, all our episodes, bonus materials, merch, autograph stuff, access to our live events. We're doing a live event with Stanley Tucci in May.

• 1:21Josh Horowitz?

  That's already selling very, very well. Get your tickets now. Patreon.com/happysadconfused. Check it out. Support us over there. Helps us make more stuff over here. Okay, Elijah Wood. This guy does not need much of an introduction, but I'll just say, he's been doing it all his life. He's been doing it with class and just, and a plum. He's so relaxed in his own skin, has a good head on his shoulders, and has the stories to tell. We talked in this one all about everything from, yes, Lord of the Rings, of course, a little sneak peek at The Hunt for Gollum, which, safe to say, I think we're gonna see Elijah in. And we also go back, Back to the Future, The Good Son. I mean, this guy's been making movies since he was a kid.

• 2:05Josh Horowitz?

  The Faculty, so much to talk about with Elijah. And also his new film, Ready or Not 2. Here I Come, which is of course the sequel to that hit film from a few years back starring Samara Weaving. She's back. Catherine Newton's in this one. Sarah Michelle Gellar. Big ensemble, big, wild, fun ride. Highly recommend it. Check it out in theaters right now. I know you guys are gonna enjoy this one. I certainly did. So without any further ado, here is me and the one and only Elijah Wood. Here we go. Elijah Wood, back on the podcast.

• 2:34Speaker 01

  Hey, for real. This is exciting. I'm sorry.

• 2:39Josh Horowitz?

  Not have to match your energy. Hey!

• 2:41Speaker 01

  Hey!

• 2:42Josh Horowitz?

  It's good to see you, buddy.

• 2:43Speaker 01

  You too, man.

• 2:43Josh Horowitz?

  It's been a while.

• 2:44Speaker 01

  It has, yeah.

• 2:45Josh Horowitz?

  2019 was the last time we did the podcast. But yes, I saw you at Comic Con for Toxic Avenger.

• 2:51Speaker 01

  That's right.

• 2:52Josh Horowitz?

  But I was gonna say, last time, the full-on podcast.

• 2:55Speaker 01

  So that's pre-pandemic?

• 2:56Josh Horowitz?

  Pre-pandemic, pre-a couple additions in your life, I believe.

• 3:00Speaker 01

  Pre-children. Yeah. Just before, actually, because our son was born in 2019.

• 3:04Josh Horowitz?

  Well, congratulations all around. We're gonna talk Ready or Not 2 today. We're gonna talk, you know, all sorts of career stuff, as always, because Elijah has some of the best taste in the business. And it's always fun to talk to you about that stuff.

• 3:13Speaker 01

  Thanks, dude.

• 3:14Josh Horowitz?

  So first of all, talk to me a little bit about, well, talk to me about just like how your life is different now. I mean, I'm not, you know, I don't need the particulars of being a parent. That's personal. But you're living a different life than you were when we last spoke on the podcast. Has it changed work attitude, priorities? You were telling me about showing films to your kids. Just give me a snapshot of your life now.

• 3:36Speaker 01

  I mean, it's a massive change. Yeah. I would say a massive addition, right?

• 3:41Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 3:41Speaker 01

  Like, of course, there's changes, but it's, there are two additions to my life that are really significant and wonderful and enriching. And so it, yeah, renewed focus, you know, new priorities, I think, work-life balance, which is always important to me. I mean, even before I had kids, having a balance between what I did in my time versus the films and other things that I would work on. So I was never one to constantly be at it. It was always important for me to have breathing holes and just, yeah, balance. So that, I guess, just becomes more important when you've

• 4:22Speaker 01

  got two children at home, that you want to prioritize making sure that you're spending time with them. And that has been Honestly, the adaptation of that has been really easy. And you were saying it's also getting to be the fun time. They're at the ages where they can start to appreciate Yes. the pop culture that you and I were both obsessed with as kids. Totally. And that was something that, you know, before I was a parent, I was so excited at the notion of being able to show my future kids one day, you know, the films that I grew up watching and loving, music that I grew up listening to, all of the culture and the things that we get excited about. And we're now, our son is six and our daughter's four, so we're at that age now where they're actually able to start to see these things.

• 5:03Speaker 01

  And hear these things. Music has been a huge part of our life, so that's been since they were born, but movies is new. So like, recently, my wife and our daughter went to New Zealand to visit a friend. And so my son and I had our first kind of week together of just father and son's time, which was awesome. He was really excited about it and I was really excited. And my wife was like, it's okay, you can definitely watch this one movie without us. It'll be such a great core memory. Pre-approved. And that was Back to the Future. And so we watched the first Back to the Future and he loved it. And he's got friends that have seen the film, I think. So it was like in his, in his purview as this thing that he wanted to see. And he was aware of the fact that I was in the second one.

• 5:48Speaker 01

  I was gonna say, did he recognize Video Game Boy and Back to the Future 2? I don't think he actually recognized me. The scene, he was set up for it. Like, he knew that I was in the back of the cafe, excuse me, in the context of the scene. And that I was one of the kids trying to work a video game or help Michael J. Oh, no, to learn from Michael J. Fox how to play the game. And so he knew what was coming, but then I think he saw me and it didn't register. Cause I was a seven-year-old kid. I would hope he's not like daddy, like that's a different daddy. So I don't think he recognized me. I paused it and was like, do you, and he was like, yeah, I recognize you. And then we just carried on.

• 6:26Speaker 01

  But that was so, what a treat to be able to show those films. We watched the whole trilogy. It was incredible. And then the last night before my wife and daughter came home. I was like, I wanna, I wanna eke out one more movie. And showed him Neverending Story. Neverending Story for me, it, growing up, I remember being really freaked out by Gmor.

• 6:46Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 6:47Speaker 01

  And obviously, Artax dying was, is super gnarly, but Gmor specifically, the kind of eyes, his teeth, the way his animatronic mouth moved.

• 6:57Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 6:58Speaker 01

  Really freaked me out as a kid. So, we were watching the movie, and he was clearly loving it. And we get to that part towards the end, and I'm watching him, and he was fine. And I was like-

• 7:10Josh Horowitz?

  We can take it. Yeah, we, we, I think nowadays, you expect, like, we're a little bit, we don't, we don't expose kids to as much as we were exposed to. Safe to say, I think, generally in pop culture, right?

• 7:20Speaker 01

  Dude, I have a seven, my brother's seven years older than me, so he was exposing me to horror films-

• 7:25Josh Horowitz?

  Same, I had an older brother.

• 7:26Speaker 01

  Way earlier than I should have. And I loved them, I wasn't traumatized by them, but I think I thought, you know, oh, my son, my theoretical son, before I knew him, he'll be able to watch, like, Halloween at seven or eight. I'm like, oh no, that's, no, there's no world in which, especially when you get to know your own children, you're like, they're not ready for that.

• 7:49Josh Horowitz?

  But yeah, but even like the kids, I mean, I think of like Dark Crystal. Dark Crystal has some imagery in there-

• 7:53Speaker 01

  It's gnarly.

• 7:54Josh Horowitz?

  Pretty intense.

• 7:55Speaker 01

  It's gnarly. I floated that idea of Dark Crystal to my wife, and she's like, it's too early. Yeah. It's too gnarly. I don't know if that's gonna be right.

• 8:02Josh Horowitz?

  Um, okay, so you're promoting, I do wanna give some love upfront. No, no, no, I wanna make sure we, we, we give some love to this, because it's such a fun sequel, Ready or Not 2, Here I Come.

• 8:10Speaker 01

  It's a blast.

• 8:11Josh Horowitz?

  You're, you're back from South by Southwest.

• 8:13Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 8:14Josh Horowitz?

  This, how did it play, I mean, this must play so well with an audience.

• 8:17Speaker 01

  It played really well.

• 8:18Josh Horowitz?

  South by's a great place for it.

• 8:19Speaker 01

  We premiered at the Paramount, such a great classic movie house, theater in Austin. It was packed. It's, I mean, this movie's sort of designed for a South by Southwest audience. I mean, some of the best film festival audiences, I think, or just movie-going audiences in the United States are in Austin. The real film lovers there, and they show up for movies in a big way, especially at that festival, and this is a real crowd pleaser. You know, it's a ride of a film.

• 8:47Josh Horowitz?

  Yep.

• 8:48Speaker 01

  It's very like the first in terms of its tonal balance.

• 8:51Josh Horowitz?

  Yep.

• 8:52Speaker 01

  That first movie, it gets categorized as a horror film, and by virtue of the fact that there is a lot of blood in the film.

• 8:59Josh Horowitz?

  Sure.

• 9:00Speaker 01

  Fair amount of death. It I understand.

• 9:03Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 9:03Speaker 01

  But it's not scary. It's it's a it's a game of hide and seek that you're watching this woman try and survive a night and it's funny. And wild and kind of fun absurd concept. With this these wealthy people running around the house. It's a blast and Samara Weaving is so good in that film. So I I saw that in the cinema and was just totally utterly blown away by it. And this movie serves a helping of something very similar. Whilst doing what you want a sequel to do, which is like it expands the narrative and broadens it and gives you a deeper understanding of the events of the first film.

• 9:38Josh Horowitz?

  A lot of reasons I would imagine that this this appeals to you. A you like the first one.

• 9:42Speaker 01

  Love it.

• 9:42Josh Horowitz?

  Same filmmakers. It's you know what it's gonna be. It's gonna deliver.

• 9:45Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 9:45Josh Horowitz?

  Uh, you get to scream hail Satan.

• 9:47Speaker 01

  Yes, many times. I say hail Satan a lot.

• 9:50Josh Horowitz?

  You get to basically Dom like an Eyes Wide Shut-esque like wardrobe towards the end.

• 9:56Speaker 01

  Um, yeah, there's definitely a ceremony. Yeah.

• 9:58Josh Horowitz?

  Um, and you get to work with David Cronenberg.

• 10:00Speaker 01

  I know.

• 10:01Josh Horowitz?

  Come on.

• 10:01Speaker 01

  Which I found out when I was in my costume fitting on my first day of work on the movie.

• 10:06Josh Horowitz?

  Seriously?

• 10:06Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 10:07Josh Horowitz?

  That's.

• 10:07Speaker 01

  Avery, our costume, our costume, um, designer. She was like, do you know who's playing Chester Danforth? And I was like, no, who is it? David Cronenberg. I was like, what? Oh, my God. Instantly, I was so nervous.

• 10:19Josh Horowitz?

  It's like a Make-A-Wish foundation for you. This is like giving the dream for you.

• 10:22Speaker 01

  Total dream. And he was incredible.

• 10:24Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, he seems like a sweet guy.

• 10:26Speaker 01

  So sweet, so kind. They're very much in in deference to the filmmakers. They're to be an actor.

• 10:32Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 10:33Speaker 01

  Um, and very open to talking about his work and past and you never know, like.

• 10:38Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 10:38Speaker 01

  Is it gonna be annoying if I ask questions, you know?

• 10:41Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 10:41Speaker 01

  Uh, and he was lovely.

• 10:43Josh Horowitz?

  What's the, yeah, I mean, there's so many from his filmography. I think The Fly is all timer. It's maybe one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time.

• 10:50Speaker 01

  Totally agree. Yeah, same. I'd say that's my favorite of his films.

• 10:53Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 10:53Speaker 01

  But I mean, there's so many. Videodrome 2, holy shit.

• 10:56Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 10:56Speaker 01

  I mean, it he's a legend and just also hearing stories about how he started, which we got into like his very first film. I'm now forgetting what his, was it Sisters? No, that's that's the Palma.

• 11:08Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 11:11Speaker 01

  I can't remember the name of his first film.

• 11:13Josh Horowitz?

  Um.

• 11:14Speaker 01

  We should know this.

• 11:15Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, we should. Between the two of us. It's okay.

• 11:17Speaker 01

  So story went, he, uh, there was no real film. Um, way to get an independent movie made in Toronto or Canada at that time.

• 11:28Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 11:29Speaker 01

  And he ended up going out to Los Angeles and having a meeting with, um, uh, what's the legendary sort of B-movie?

• 11:39Josh Horowitz?

  Corman.

• 11:39Speaker 01

  Corman. So we had a meeting with Roger Corman. And Corman was like, oh, great. I'll finance this. This is right up our alley.

• 11:45Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 11:47Speaker 01

  And then like a

• 11:48Josh Horowitz?

  Shivers?

• 11:49Speaker 01

  I think it was Shivers. Nice one. Thank God we got that. It was you. So then there was, there was an opportunity to get the movie financed in Canada and he was, he took Canada. But that is like a real sliding doors moment. Like when he told me this story, I was like, you're that, your fate could have been so different if you'd been in Los Angeles and started in LA. But instead he started in Canada and kind of really helped to be a major founding father of the, of the independent film scene in Canada.

• 12:19Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 12:20Speaker 01

  Which is really amazing.

• 12:21Josh Horowitz?

  I mean, you also come at it from, and I was going to get to this later, but we've talked before, obviously, SpectreVision is a huge part of your life and

• 12:27Speaker 01

  It is, yeah.

• 12:28Josh Horowitz?

  Producing a ton of really cool work.

• 12:30Speaker 01

  Oh, thanks, thanks.

• 12:31Josh Horowitz?

  Um, and obviously the environment has changed, is just rapidly changing for independent film.

• 12:36Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 12:37Josh Horowitz?

  I mean, luckily horror, which is kind of your bread and butter, like your favorite genre, arguably.

• 12:42Speaker 01

  Yeah, horror and, and just genre in general.

• 12:44Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 12:44Speaker 01

  Like genre films, movies that are harder to categorize.

• 12:47Josh Horowitz?

  Right. But it seems like there is that core audience. It's, it's kind of, it's still, that is undeniable.

• 12:53Speaker 01

  It's always viable. There's always a market for it.

• 12:56Josh Horowitz?

  What is the environment for you right now, like compared to five or 10 years ago when you were starting SpectreVision? Like, what's your?

• 13:02Speaker 01

  Well, I mean, five, five or 10 years ago, we, we started the company partially because we felt like there was a void in the United States.

• 13:10Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 13:11Speaker 01

  To make the kinds of horror and genre movies that we loved, both from the past and largely being made at that time in Europe. So the time, you know, there's, there were the sort of like the French new wave of horror with like, um, martyrs or inside.

• 13:26Speaker 01

  And then, you know, there's the orphanage, there's Let the Right One In. There are these examples of horror and genre that took their, the, the sort of drama seriously, but then had these sort of exploitable elements. But you could remove these exploitable elements and still have a compelling story.

• 13:40Josh Horowitz?

  Yep.

• 13:41Speaker 01

  Which was very much the approach in the 1970s as well, before the slasher took over.

• 13:45Josh Horowitz?

  Yep.

• 13:46Speaker 01

  And then it just becomes about rinse and repeat. And no shade on those, because those movies are great too.

• 13:50Josh Horowitz?

  Sure.

• 13:51Speaker 01

  But I think We were really interested in creating a space for those sorts of movies. These movies where in some ways you could remove the genre elements and there would still be something underneath that was compelling. And that was happening concurrently with Hereditary.

• 14:07Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 14:08Speaker 01

  And The Witch. And these things all just started to percolate around the same time. And so now we are 12, 13, 14 years down the line and horror is in this extraordinary place. I wouldn't say we're in the Renaissance anymore because I think it's past it being surprising.

• 14:27Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 14:28Speaker 01

  That horror and art and great casts, that, you know, great actors can be in horror films, like all these ideas, I think we're well past.

• 14:38Josh Horowitz?

  Sure.

• 14:38Speaker 01

  That being a surprising notion. But I think we're just, we're in, we're coasting in this, in this place where it's not going anywhere. And every year there are extraordinary genre films made and, and, you know, by a 24 and now Neon has really doubled down in the horror space. And it's just wonderful to see. So it's, I guess it's maybe even easier to get across some of these wilder ideas because there's a real appetite for it. That doesn't seem to have gone anywhere.

• 15:08Josh Horowitz?

  Well, it's also like when like things like The Substance crosses over.

• 15:11Speaker 01

  There you go.

• 15:11Josh Horowitz?

  And is like.

• 15:12Speaker 01

  Right.

• 15:12Josh Horowitz?

  An Oscar movie.

• 15:13Speaker 01

  Right.

• 15:14Josh Horowitz?

  How far have we come?

• 15:15Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 15:16Josh Horowitz?

  Right?

• 15:16Speaker 01

  Exactly. And so many incredible voices emerging, you know, the Irish filmmaker who made Hocum that's about to come out.

• 15:24Josh Horowitz?

  Right, right.

• 15:24Speaker 01

  He had premiered a film at South by Southwest a couple of years ago. That was really significant and got a lot of people's attention. And now he's got Hocum coming out where he's got a bigger cast. I don't know, it's like, there are great opportunities and I think people are seeing it for the artistic genre that it is. And it's getting, it's getting great respect. I mean, even Nicolas Cage showing up in Long Legs.

• 15:50Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 15:50Speaker 01

  And putting in an unfucking believable performance.

• 15:54Josh Horowitz?

  We just had Micah here like last week talking about that.

• 15:56Speaker 01

  Oh, and Micah's so great as well.

• 15:57Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 15:58Speaker 01

  I don't know, it's, it's, and the possibilities are endless at this point.

• 16:03Josh Horowitz?

  Is theatrical like super important to you for all of SpectreVision's work? Like how are you, is it kind of a case by case basis? Is it's?

• 16:09Speaker 01

  Of course it is.

• 16:10Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 16:10Speaker 01

  Yeah. You want, you want there to be at least a small release, you know?

• 16:15Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 16:15Speaker 01

  Theatrical's important, I think, obviously.

• 16:19Speaker 01

  The movie getting made is ultimately king, so by the means for which it can possibly come together, if it happens to come through with a streaming-only situation, sometimes those are the deals that you make just so that something can get made. But I think, I think increasingly people want to protect the theatrical release.

• 16:45Josh Horowitz?

  Which is great.

• 16:46Speaker 01

  You know, so I don't know, it's important to us. It's important to see movies in theaters, especially genre movies. They're sort of designed for that experience.

• 16:52Josh Horowitz?

  Totally. And we were just saying, so yes, you had a great response at South by. I would imagine you've had so many really formative, special moments at premieres, at festivals. Do any one or two jump out at you when I say like, an indelible memory of one of your films premiering and feeling that emotion in the room? What jumps out at you?

• 17:12Speaker 01

  Yeah, wow. There's a few. They're all at Sundance, actually.

• 17:17Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah?

• 17:18Speaker 01

  That festival has been such a special place for myself and for SpectreVision over the years. So seeing A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night at Sundance, and really feeling the love for Lily in the room, and being so proud of her and the film that she made, was a really emotional experience. Mandy, seeing Mandy at the library, I believe, was...

• 17:44Josh Horowitz?

  Midnight movie, I assume?

• 17:46Speaker 01

  Electrical. Yep. It was midnight. And similarly, The Greasy Strangler, which had walkouts, and was just so, it was a special kind of thrill.

• 17:58Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 17:59Speaker 01

  To bring that movie, which is a real test for the audience, to whether it's your thing or not, and it certainly is mine, and knowing that it wasn't going to be for everyone was just delicious.

• 18:10Josh Horowitz?

  It really says something about you. The biggest smile creeps across your face when you're talking about The Greasy Strangler.

• 18:14Speaker 01

  I love it. I just got to work with Jim. I was lucky enough to be asked to participate in the Skittles commercial for the Super Bowl.

• 18:21Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 18:22Speaker 01

  And Jim Hosking directed it.

• 18:23Josh Horowitz?

  Amazing. Who would have thought?

• 18:24Speaker 01

  And Jason Kazvarti, who did the production design on The Greasy Strangler, and also on the Daniels films, did the production design of it. Pretty cool. Small world.

• 18:42Speaker 03

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• 19:27Speaker 04

  You've got your favorite blanket, a freshly poured drink, and a cold case burning a hole in your streaming queue. You're not just watching true crime, you're running the investigation from the comfort of your couch. Welcome to Murder She Watched, the podcast where we recap, dissect, and slightly overanalyze some of the best and craziest true crime documentaries on our favorite streamers. Did the spouse do it? Why is the shady neighbor wearing leather gloves in July? Why did this guy agree to be interviewed in this documentary? We ask the tough questions that you're often just screaming at your TV. So every week, we break down the twists, red herrings, and absurd documentaries that have kept you up all night.

• 20:11Speaker 04

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• 20:28Josh Horowitz?

  So on the acting side, for something like this, like for Ready or Not 2, you know, key supporting player, you've played the lead, you've played the supporting character, you've played the day player, you've done it all, right? In the course of your career. And they're kind of different tasks, in a way.

• 20:42Speaker 01

  Yeah, one bears more weight than the other.

• 20:44Josh Horowitz?

  But also, I've talked to so many actors who say, like, it's a real test to, like, just dip in and out of a movie, to, like, stay in the tone of the rest of the movie and have, like, three scenes. Can you talk a little bit about, sort of like, that as a challenge for you as an actor? Do you find each rewarding in their own way? Or are you, like, craving a... A meteor role now, or are you happy with character roles? Like, where are you at right now?

• 21:07Speaker 01

  I mean, it's always specific to the project, right? I think.

• 21:16Speaker 01

  I don't, yeah, I think the only struggle is the sometimes not feeling like you're a part of the whole. I think the joy of making a film, or at least being a part of a, either the ensemble or a lead in the film for the duration of a film.

• 21:30Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 21:30Speaker 01

  Is feeling like you're a part of the family.

• 21:33Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 21:34Speaker 01

  And a part of the whole, right? And that can be a small role or a big role. It sort of doesn't matter. But it's really being about, you know, being there for the duration of something. Popping in and out can be very satisfying. In this case, I was there for most of it, so very much felt like I was a part of the team.

• 21:51Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 21:52Speaker 01

  You know, popping in like, say, on Rachel's show on I Love L.A. And just doing those two days. The joy of that is getting asked to do something absurd or fun.

• 22:03Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 22:04Speaker 01

  That just exists in this sphere that serves their greater whole. And that's a joy.

• 22:09Josh Horowitz?

  And everyone's like, very excited, probably. You come on, it's like a jolt of energy.

• 22:12Speaker 01

  They were, they were amazing.

• 22:14Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 22:14Speaker 01

  So that, that has its own pleasure to it.

• 22:16Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 22:17Speaker 01

  But I would say that the, the only thing that lacks is the leaving, like, leaving it.

• 22:21Josh Horowitz?

  Sure.

• 22:22Speaker 01

  You know, like, it lacks the, sorry, it lacks the, the, the being a part of it.

• 22:26Josh Horowitz?

  Fair enough.

• 22:27Speaker 01

  What I'm used to on a film is just, again, like, that, that extended sense of being a part of a family.

• 22:32Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 22:33Speaker 01

  That's what I love most about working in film and in TV is that, that, that ultimate sense of collaboration. And that can be tricky, even on something like Yellowjackets.

• 22:43Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 22:44Speaker 01

  Which is a huge ensemble. And Walter, you know, per episode that he's in, it could be two, maximum, three days of work.

• 22:52Josh Horowitz?

  Sure.

• 22:53Speaker 01

  And so I'm really back and forth. And so it's hard to find a sense of that ultimate cohesion.

• 22:59Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 23:00Speaker 01

  Cause I'm, you know, Walter's sort of in his own little silo.

• 23:03Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 23:03Speaker 01

  Not necessarily a part of the, the larger whole. So that, that's the only thing. I get to come in and do really weird, fun shit. So that's joyful, you know, you know, every situation has its its challenges and and is different as well.

• 23:18Josh Horowitz?

  Um, all right, let's bounce around some random stuff because you had such a career that I could like, we've had many conversations and we'll never repeat ourselves because there's so many things to talk about. But so early on, how early is is your David Fincher experience? When does David Fincher direct you into Paula Abdul music video?

• 23:35Speaker 01

  I was eight. I think I was eight years old.

• 23:37Josh Horowitz?

  Most actors like work their whole lives to get to Fincher. You knocked it out like right at the start.

• 23:41Speaker 01

  Sure. Before he started making movies, yeah.

• 23:43Josh Horowitz?

  So he doesn't strike me as like the most nurturing director with all due respect. Like, how was he with kids? Like, was he?

• 23:51Speaker 01

  I remember him being great.

• 23:52Josh Horowitz?

  Really?

• 23:53Speaker 01

  Yeah. It was, um, it was a really pleasant experience. You know, we were all, all of the kids were tasked with being adults. It was like they were recreating the Robert Palmer video with young kids.

• 24:06Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 24:07Speaker 01

  And then I, I don't know where my concept came from, but I was a sort of executive in an office, like heartbroken, breaking a pencil, you know, with great angst, kind of running my hands through my hair, looking out a window. Um, and he was really clear with his direction. I don't honestly remember much.

• 24:27Josh Horowitz?

  No, that's fair.

• 24:28Speaker 01

  About that.

• 24:29Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 24:30Speaker 01

  Just that it was a fun experience. And I remember meeting Paula Abdul.

• 24:33Josh Horowitz?

  Was that meaningful?

• 24:34Speaker 01

  It was great. She was a huge singer at the time.

• 24:38Josh Horowitz?

  Of course.

• 24:39Speaker 01

  You know, that album was massive and so I definitely knew who she was and it was very.

• 24:43Josh Horowitz?

  Did you ever meet MC Scott Cat?

• 24:44Speaker 01

  No.

• 24:45Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah. I wonder what percentage of the audience knows who MC Scott Cat is at this point?

• 24:50Speaker 01

  Was he only animated?

• 24:51Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 24:52Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 24:53Josh Horowitz?

  I mean, not in my mind.

• 24:54Speaker 01

  Opposites attract, right?

• 24:55Josh Horowitz?

  Opposites attract.

• 24:56Speaker 01

  Opposites attract. It's a great video. I have since run into Paula Abdul.

• 24:59Josh Horowitz?

  Really?

• 25:00Speaker 01

  And she definitely remembers me from that video, which is so funny.

• 25:02Josh Horowitz?

  That's amazing.

• 25:03Speaker 01

  Very cute.

• 25:04Josh Horowitz?

  So like, how aware, like, when did you start to become aware of, I mean, you're working with like some amazing filmmakers early on. We referenced like, it's, I mean, it's a bit part, but you're with Zemeckis, then more meaningful with like Barry Levinson.

• 25:15Speaker 01

  Barry Levinson, yeah.

• 25:16Josh Horowitz?

  Avalon. I love Avalon.

• 25:18Speaker 01

  Me too. Richard Donner.

• 25:20Josh Horowitz?

  Richard Donner, Radio Flyer.

• 25:21Speaker 01

  Yeah. And I didn't, the significance of those directors at the time was lost in me. Like, I didn't realize that Richard Donner had made, I think I knew he'd made Goonies. So that was clear to me and a big deal. Um, in fact, when we were making Radio Flyer, Stephen visited.

• 25:37Speaker 01

  And Lucas, George Lucas came to visit Seth too, which was like.

• 25:41Josh Horowitz?

  That you knew.

• 25:42Speaker 01

  Both, I mean, both, yeah, I knew who those people were. Certainly. But Donner, I don't think I knew, I didn't know The Omen, it was before I'd seen The Omen.

• 25:48Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 25:48Speaker 01

  So there's certainly like, great works of Donner's that I hadn't yet been exposed to.

• 25:52Josh Horowitz?

  I'm kind of surprised you never, correct me if I'm wrong, you were never directed by Spielberg, you've never.

• 25:56Speaker 01

  No, never got to work with Spielberg.

• 25:58Josh Horowitz?

  Strange.

• 25:58Speaker 01

  Things that he's produced, and been around, like, around, um, Deep Impact he produced, so that was at.

• 26:05Josh Horowitz?

  Right, that was the first, like, DreamWorks, that was one of the first ones, yeah.

• 26:06Speaker 01

  One of the early DreamWorks films, yeah. Mimi Leder was the director.

• 26:10Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 26:11Speaker 01

  But he, he produced it. So, yeah, around, you know?

• 26:13Josh Horowitz?

  Can you make the case for Deep Impact over Armageddon? That was the big rivalry at the time, that was.

• 26:18Speaker 01

  Two such different approaches to the same thing, and it's so, yeah, it was really funny at the time, actually, because it was like, a big part of the conversation.

• 26:26Josh Horowitz?

  Totally.

• 26:28Speaker 01

  I mean, our film is a, a, a less heightened, more realistic approach. It, our film is really emotional, it's like, it's on the beach, it's like, people ultimately recognizing that they're, they're likely going to die, and then what do you do with that information? And I thought it was, it was a beautiful script.

• 26:49Josh Horowitz?

  You're saying Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler, Animal Crackers, is not emotional? Ben is coming in, he's gonna, he has the counterargument.

• 26:57Speaker 01

  The Ben Affleck, I think one of his greatest, greatest contributions, and I think he'll agree, is the commentary.

• 27:02Josh Horowitz?

  Commentary track.

• 27:05Speaker 01

  On some other level, it's a masterclass. Everyone aspires to be that.

• 27:10Josh Horowitz?

  I know, just.

• 27:11Speaker 01

  It's great, just taking a commentary track to another level.

• 27:14Josh Horowitz?

  Bring back the commentary trucks.

• 27:15Speaker 01

  I know. Well, they're on, I mean, Criterion still does them, I just got to go to the Criterion.

• 27:20Josh Horowitz?

  I was gonna say, you're coming from the Criterion closet to Happy Sack Confuse, what a, what a downgrade, I'm so sorry.

• 27:24Speaker 01

  No! No, not at all.

• 27:27Josh Horowitz?

  Did you prep for Criterion, or did you?

• 27:29Speaker 01

  I did. I, I, I didn't want to walk in, it's funny, I think I thought I would be really overwhelmed, and it is a little overwhelming, it's quite tight, and there's, it's everything.

• 27:40Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 27:42Speaker 01

  And I, I was just afraid that I wouldn't be kind of.

• 27:47Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 27:48Speaker 01

  I didn't want it to be too random. So, yeah, I, I, I pre-gamed, and kind of stuck to that, and I'm really happy with the choices.

• 27:55Josh Horowitz?

  Deep Impact over here, Good Son over here.

• 27:58Speaker 01

  Yeah, right.

• 28:01Speaker 01

  Classic Criterion.

• 28:02Josh Horowitz?

  Good Son, back in the day, that was like Heat. That was like, that was like De Niro, Pacino. It was like Macaulay and you. That was the equivalent.

• 28:10Speaker 01

  Oh, my God, that's really funny.

• 28:13Josh Horowitz?

  Not that far off of the kid actors at the time.

• 28:16Speaker 01

  Right, certainly in that regard. I see what you mean. I get it. You can make that connection. Sure.

• 28:24Josh Horowitz?

  Like, was Macaulay, like, were you, like, going up for the same roles? Like, did you have peers that were like?

• 28:29Speaker 01

  I don't know. We must have.

• 28:31Josh Horowitz?

  You would think.

• 28:32Speaker 01

  We must have.

• 28:33Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 28:33Speaker 01

  We're the same age. We're, I think, he might be a little older than me, but not by much.

• 28:38Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 28:38Speaker 01

  About the same age. So, yeah, we would have gone for the same things, I would have thought.

• 28:42Josh Horowitz?

  Is there any indelible memory that sticks out when I say The Good Son to you?

• 28:45Speaker 01

  Yeah. Well, we had a really great time making it. I loved working with him. It was a blast. We were just two kids, you know? We would spend time between setups. There was this great sort of forested area next to that main house that the movie takes place in. We'd run around and, like, play with sticks and, uh, we were just kids messing around. Um, one memory is that there was a, we shot the whole thing in Massachusetts, like Gloucester, Mass. And there was a haunted house. There was like an old house that they turned into a haunted attraction. And they gave tours, but they didn't present it like a haunted house, haunted attraction. They presented it like a ghost tour.

• 29:27Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 29:28Speaker 01

  In a more formal way. But they did have, like, staff in different places creating things like that you couldn't see, things falling over, noises, which was really fun. I remember doing that with him and a whole group of us went. It was a blast.

• 29:43Josh Horowitz?

  Where are you on, like, the experiential theater experience thing now as an adult? Like the Sleep No More?

• 29:48Speaker 01

  Loved Sleep No More.

• 29:49Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah?

• 29:50Speaker 01

  Loved it. Um, I had seen, because that, that theater company is called Punch Drunk, and they're from the UK.

• 29:55Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 29:56Speaker 01

  And I had seen, a number of years prior to Sleep No More coming to New York, they did a production of Faust, but in that same approach.

• 30:04Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 30:04Speaker 01

  Which is essentially taking a classic piece and then recontextualizing it in a different time period, in a different place. And their, their Faust was in sort of the American South in the 1940s or 50s.

• 30:15Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 30:16Speaker 01

  And it was awesome. That idea that you can kind of follow the action or just explore the space is so fun. I really liked.

• 30:25Josh Horowitz?

  I just get self-conscious about being roped in, like brought in, like I mean.

• 30:28Speaker 01

  I got brought in at Sleep No More.

• 30:30Josh Horowitz?

  But you were cool with it. Obviously, that's what you do.

• 30:32Speaker 01

  Loved it. Loved it. Is this very rare that you, because there are a number of, I don't know how many per show there are, but there's like fifteen to twenty one-on-one experiences, apparently.

• 30:44Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 30:45Speaker 01

  And I had such, one such one-on-one. And I was pulled into Sleep No More, and I was pulled into a bedroom, and this woman brought me in and sat me at a vanity in this front of this mirror. And she's like.

• 31:01Josh Horowitz?

  It's like I have ten questions about Lord of the Rings for you right now.

• 31:04Speaker 01

  She's like talking about this dream she had, looking at me in the mirror, and then she picks me up and pulls me into a closet, takes my mask off, which actually that may have happened in front of the mirror. Anyway, got very close to my face where I was like, what is gonna happen?

• 31:17Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 31:18Speaker 01

  I felt very charged. And then she handed me a, like a locket, and she said, this will keep you safe, and thrust me back out into the play. And the thing that, like, that didn't have any, end up having any meaning.

• 31:29Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 31:30Speaker 01

  Or connection to the play. But I felt in that moment like I was in the world and that I was a part of it. It was really powerful. I loved it. But yeah, you've got to be willing to.

• 31:41Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, like the, the.

• 31:43Speaker 01

  Have that wall being broken down and be vulnerable.

• 31:46Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, the closest I've ever come to like having like a heart, heart attack and stroke in my life, I think, was I went to Jonathan Groff's Just in Time Broadway Musical, and he, and he picked me up out of the audience and started dancing with me.

• 31:57Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 31:58Josh Horowitz?

  I mean, I can do this. If I know I'm on camera, if I have to do this thing, but I, no, come on.

• 32:03Speaker 01

  Right. It's too vulnerable.

• 32:04Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 32:04Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 32:06Josh Horowitz?

  Okay, some.

• 32:06Speaker 01

  And now they've done Phantom of the Opera.

• 32:08Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, they're doing that. People are loving that.

• 32:09Speaker 01

  It's an immersive thing.

• 32:10Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 32:11Speaker 01

  Which sounds incredible.

• 32:12Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah. Okay, some, some rumor control over the years that I, that I noticed, some more substantiated than others. You did, you did mention this. You auditioned for Moulin Rouge.

• 32:20Speaker 01

  I did, yeah.

• 32:22Josh Horowitz?

  I mean.

• 32:22Speaker 01

  I mean, I'm sure everybody did.

• 32:23Josh Horowitz?

  A lot of people did, but like I've talked to Baz and many actors that have, and like his auditions are famously very like ornate, interesting, like, like they're like the full-on camera tests.

• 32:32Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 32:33Josh Horowitz?

  Do you remember anything about it?

• 32:34Speaker 01

  Mine wasn't a camera test, so it wasn't in costume.

• 32:36Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 32:37Speaker 01

  But I had to prepare two songs.

• 32:41Speaker 01

  Embraceable you and one other that I can't remember. And I went to a voice coach to learn to like work on singing. And then I think there was a scripted part as well. So it was both a song and a scripted part. And it was, the exercise was really fun.

• 32:59Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 32:59Speaker 01

  It was terrifying. I mean, I find, I, I find auditions to be terrifying.

• 33:04Josh Horowitz?

  Okay, sorry, this is gonna be a therapy session then.

• 33:06Speaker 01

  It's still to this day, I've never really gotten over it.

• 33:09Josh Horowitz?

  Nor should you. It feels like it's such an artificial process.

• 33:12Speaker 01

  Again, it's very, it's very vulnerable and I put a lot of pressure on myself. And like if I have an audition coming, like let's say it's a Friday. The Wednesday and Thursday are pretty shot.

• 33:24Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 33:24Speaker 01

  I'm

• 33:25Josh Horowitz?

  Just in your own head.

• 33:26Speaker 01

  Just in my head, running it, preparing it. I can't really relax until the audition's over.

• 33:32Josh Horowitz?

  Luckily nowadays, it's like it's self-taped generally.

• 33:34Speaker 01

  But it's funny, I don't, I don't, yeah, totally. But I don't feel that way on set. Like I don't.

• 33:38Josh Horowitz?

  It's a different thing though.

• 33:39Speaker 01

  It is a different thing and the scrutiny is different. There is no scrutiny really. If you've gotten the role, it's because there's already belief in you and you're there for a reason. That being said, the first day of, of any film or TV show, I do have that sort of like first day jitters and a little, and I don't know if it's imposter syndrome, but a little of like, well, oh, they could, they, this could go wrong.

• 34:03Josh Horowitz?

  It's early enough, they can make a change.

• 34:05Speaker 01

  I think every time, in a very healthy, not like crazy neurotic way.

• 34:09Josh Horowitz?

  This is the constant conversation on this podcast for 12 years. Don't worry. Every actor worth their salt feels that.

• 34:14Speaker 01

  Yeah, I go through it every time and it's, it is a reset. It's, cause the thing about making film, even if you've been doing it your whole life, is it's new every time.

• 34:24Josh Horowitz?

  Doesn't matter. The resume does not matter.

• 34:25Speaker 01

  No, it doesn't matter because it's not the same experience. It's not the same expectations. It's not the same role. It's different every time. So. You have to psych yourself up and get into that place again. And then you find, you know, every time I find it and I get, find my comfort zone and love the process.

• 34:43Josh Horowitz?

  Well, it's also you know.

• 34:44Speaker 01

  That first day is always.

• 34:45Josh Horowitz?

  Well, you, you know, it happens. I mean, I literally named drop for a second. I talked, I talked to Ryan Gosling for the podcast yesterday.

• 34:50Speaker 01

  Did he say the same?

• 34:50Josh Horowitz?

  Well, he famously, he gained 60 pounds for the lovely bones.

• 34:55Speaker 01

  Did he talk about it?

• 34:56Josh Horowitz?

  A little bit, very briefly.

• 34:57Speaker 01

  That's pretty cool.

• 34:58Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 34:58Speaker 01

  Oh, good on him, man.

• 34:59Josh Horowitz?

  And, and I mean, imagine that.

• 35:01Speaker 01

  But that's also a really vulnerable thing to talk about, like, and I love that. I love, I also love that he did that. I know it didn't work out famously and there's, for whatever reason, but I also love the commitment and trying something and it failed and it didn't go in the right way. And I just think, and having the anxiety of like, am I the right person for this? And, and that, in that case, it made him make that choice. And there's something.

• 35:26Josh Horowitz?

  No, and he follows it up with Lars and the Real Girl and it's all fine.

• 35:29Speaker 01

  And god damn, that movie's so great.

• 35:31Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, totally.

• 35:32Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 35:32Josh Horowitz?

  This one feels not real. Did you ever audition for Batman Forever for Robin?

• 35:37Speaker 01

  No.

• 35:38Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, it's out there somewhere. I don't know.

• 35:39Speaker 01

  Oh, that's funny. No, definitely not. I wouldn't have been old enough, I don't think.

• 35:43Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, the math didn't quite work for me.

• 35:45Speaker 01

  No.

• 35:45Josh Horowitz?

  A little, you, you're a bit younger than Chris O'Donnell, I think.

• 35:47Speaker 01

  Yeah, definitely younger. Like by maybe 10 years or a little, maybe a little less.

• 35:52Josh Horowitz?

  Um, briefly, I want to mention, I mean, I, you know, I love The Faculty. I know you love The Faculty.

• 35:57Speaker 01

  I love The Faculty, too.

• 35:57Josh Horowitz?

  That must've been meaningful for a number of reasons. I mean, Robert Rodriguez was so hot then. He was like coming off of some really big success. What was it? It was after, from Dust Till Dawn?

• 36:05Speaker 01

  Dust Till Dawn would've been the, the movie he did before it, yeah.

• 36:07Josh Horowitz?

  So he's as hot as he ever was, but also knowing your love of genre.

• 36:11Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 36:11Josh Horowitz?

  That was that a bit, was that probably the first kind of like genre horror adjacent film maybe you did back then?

• 36:16Speaker 01

  It was, yeah. And that was like, not at the peak of teen horror, but it was definitely in that zone.

• 36:24Josh Horowitz?

  Scream, Halloween.

• 36:26Speaker 01

  Kevin Williamson wrote the original draft of The Faculty.

• 36:28Josh Horowitz?

  Right, right, right.

• 36:29Speaker 01

  And.

• 36:31Speaker 01

  Maybe he was originally attached to direct. I don't know if that's true. Um, but it was a thing, you know, there was like a thing happening and I remember reading the script and thinking. This is one of those films.

• 36:42Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 36:44Speaker 01

  But then Robert was attached to direct and I was like, this is, this changes.

• 36:49Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 36:49Speaker 01

  Not that I didn't like the script and what the script was doing, because I did. But knowing that he was going to be the one to put it on its feet.

• 36:58Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 36:59Speaker 01

  Felt like it would be a really fresh kind of film for that genre.

• 37:04Josh Horowitz?

  And it was.

• 37:04Speaker 01

  Uh, and it was.

• 37:05Josh Horowitz?

  It's fun also to think of like you, you're kind of the veteran in that group, like Josh Hartman, I think it was like his second film, Joanna Brewster, it was like her first.

• 37:13Speaker 01

  Right.

• 37:13Josh Horowitz?

  You're the veteran on set. You had more experience probably on set than Robert Rodriguez at that point.

• 37:17Speaker 01

  That's so weird to think about.

• 37:18Josh Horowitz?

  But it's true.

• 37:19Speaker 01

  That's wild, yeah. That film was really significant for all of us and we had so much fun, man. It felt like summer camp.

• 37:27Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 37:27Speaker 01

  For like four or five weeks. It was awesome.

• 37:31Josh Horowitz?

  More Happy Say Confused coming up.

• 37:38Speaker 05

  I'm Anne Foster and I have never watched the show Spartacus, Blood and Sand.

• 37:42Speaker 06

  And I'm Gina Berry and I've watched this show numerous times.

• 37:46Speaker 05

  On our new podcast, Nefertv, we discuss TV shows and movies set in ancient history. This season, we are discussing Spartacus, Blood and Sand.

• 37:55Speaker 06

  Follow Nefertv, that's N-E-F-E-R-T-V, wherever you get your podcasts.

• 38:02Speaker 05

  Reality TV is messy. Pop culture is louder than ever. And the internet. Completely unhinged. Welcome to Roxanne. And Chantel. The podcast where cousins Roxanne and Chantel break down reality TV, celebrity drama and the stories everyone's texting about. We recap the shows. Spill the headlines. And sit down with the stars themselves. No filter. No boring takes. Just the tea. New episodes every week. If it's trending. We're talking about it. This is Roxanne. And Chantel. Let's get into it.

• 38:39Josh Horowitz?

  According to my notes, you were in something called Lord of the Ring. I don't know. I haven't seen it. Is that a good one? Should I check that one out?

• 38:46Speaker 01

  Lord of the Rings is alright.

• 38:47Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 38:49Josh Horowitz?

  If I go into your home, can I see evidence of Lord of the Rings? Or is it all like in closets?

• 38:53Speaker 01

  In subtle ways. I don't have a lot of my works ephemera in the house.

• 39:01Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 39:02Speaker 01

  We have a lot of art and other things.

• 39:04Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 39:04Speaker 01

  That I and my wife and I have collected. So there's those things that.

• 39:09Josh Horowitz?

  Related to Lord of the Rings?

• 39:10Speaker 01

  No.

• 39:10Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 39:11Speaker 01

  No, just in life, just general stuff.

• 39:13Josh Horowitz?

  Fair enough.

• 39:13Speaker 01

  But there is like a really rad oil painting of Orthank.

• 39:23Speaker 01

  That's about this small. That's above our coffee machine. And I love it. I love it so much.

• 39:29Josh Horowitz?

  Reminds you every day. You see it.

• 39:31Speaker 01

  It's in an old kind of classic frame. It just looks like a miniature painting. And it's beautiful. Great oil painting. That like blink and you'd miss it. It's not, it doesn't, it doesn't like.

• 39:42Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah. You don't have like a glowing display with like the feet anywhere?

• 39:46Speaker 01

  No, no. No, that's the only thing. And then there's, then you go to our kids' room and there's like stuffed animals that people have given me. So there's like Frodo is represented in there, in their space. And then there's some over the garden wall stuff. We've got, we've got an over the garden wall art piece hanging up in our guest room.

• 40:03Josh Horowitz?

  Nice.

• 40:04Speaker 01

  And I, cause I love that. There was a really beautiful, there was a 10th anniversary last year.

• 40:09Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 40:10Speaker 01

  Or the year before, the year before last, it was the 10th anniversary and they did a, um, an art show at a gallery in Los Angeles. And I bought an art piece that was really beautiful.

• 40:21Josh Horowitz?

  I had the opportunity to have Sean Bean on the podcast a few months back.

• 40:23Speaker 01

  Oh, cool. I haven't seen Sean in a long time.

• 40:25Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, I know. And he doesn't do that kind of thing. I was very honored that he did the long form. He was great.

• 40:29Speaker 01

  Great.

• 40:29Josh Horowitz?

  And he told a great story about like his famous speech where he's like looking down and like talking, you know, it's a very solemn speech. And he revealed that he, he was like looking down because the, it had been rewritten at the last second. And he was trying to like summon the word. He couldn't, he didn't know the words.

• 40:44Speaker 01

  Oh, wow.

• 40:44Josh Horowitz?

  Does that resonate with you at all? Was like, when you think back, was there any line or scene in particular that like, the language was so challenging?

• 40:53Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 40:53Josh Horowitz?

  That it's, that it tested you?

• 40:57Speaker 01

  Not so much that the language was so challenging, but I that resonates with me, that idea of the rewrites coming in at the last second. They were constantly being rewritten, and in the best way, not in a kind of like panic way, in a way of like honing, constantly honing, which was also largely what the process of pickups were. It was like watching the movie, looking at what it needs, what's it missing? How can we enhance it? So that was a constant process of iterating and making it better. And so the rewrites were a big part of that, and it was just so common.

• 41:37Speaker 01

  Like, you know, we'd have like pages slid under our door at midnight, and then we'd wake up and be like, oh, fuck, there's a new, you know? So it was it was it was constantly staying on top of that. So that idea that a speech like that, which is such an important thing, an important moment for the character, would have been something that they would have paid extra attention to. And and and that was a that was a constant thing. It was a big part of our reality.

• 42:06Josh Horowitz?

  Is there an example of like a now iconic scene that you're like, oh, my God, like, when I think back, like, it was such something, it felt like last minute that we even came up with it, or kind of nailed it?

• 42:15Speaker 01

  I wish I had a great example.

• 42:17Josh Horowitz?

  Let me ask you this instead, all good?

• 42:18Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 42:19Josh Horowitz?

  What's your proudest like moment in the film from an acting perspective? The films, rather. Like, is there like a scene that you're like, you take pride in just from the sheer challenge for you as an actor, looking back, that you accomplished it?

• 42:30Speaker 01

  I mean, I think the entire sequence on Mount Doom as Frodo is just falling to pieces and is unable to sort of see clearly and is remembering the Shire and that the emotion that overtakes Sam with, you know, I can't carry the ring, but I can carry you, like, all of that was.

• 42:54Speaker 01

  We were so aware of how important that was.

• 42:56Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 42:57Speaker 01

  And so I have a visceral memory of the making of it. And the sense of, you know. I think we had a sense that we had gotten it as much as you can in that moment. But the relief of having done it. And then seeing the movie and seeing that it all worked in the way that you'd hoped, I think. So, yeah.

• 43:18Josh Horowitz?

  Pretty soon, I think Andy Serkis is gonna be sitting there.

• 43:21Speaker 01

  Yes, he is.

• 43:22Josh Horowitz?

  He's coming by, I think, for Animal Farm, which has been in the works for a while.

• 43:25Speaker 01

  Great, yes, it has been. I've been so keen to see that.

• 43:28Josh Horowitz?

  Same, same.

• 43:29Speaker 01

  I'm sure you're gonna have to grill him about Hunt for Gollum.

• 43:33Josh Horowitz?

  Oh, I hadn't heard. Is he making a Lord of the Rings?

• 43:36Speaker 01

  He certainly is.

• 43:38Josh Horowitz?

  He is making a Lord of the Rings movie. You may or may not be in it. We'll dance around that, but all signs are pointing in the right direction, it would seem.

• 43:45Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 43:46Josh Horowitz?

  I mean, we're all very curious of like, I'm very curious, like, what this even is, kind of, like, trying to imagine.

• 43:51Speaker 01

  That's reasonable.

• 43:52Josh Horowitz?

  How this fits in, how it honors the legacy, how it can possibly live up to what Peter did.

• 43:57Speaker 01

  I don't think it has to.

• 43:58Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 43:59Speaker 01

  I don't think it has to, because it doesn't bear the weight of the trilogy. It's not the trilogy. It's not those books.

• 44:05Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 44:06Speaker 01

  But it is certainly excerpts from the books.

• 44:09Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 44:09Speaker 01

  And it is characters from the books, and it is all canon, so I can say that.

• 44:13Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 44:15Speaker 01

  It just doesn't, it's a, it is a side quest. It's a side story. I think it'll provide a lot of context for Gollum and an understanding of that character that we only got a bit of in the prologue. In two, was it? I think in Two Towers, I think, where we see his transformation.

• 44:33Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 44:33Speaker 01

  So we'll get to, I think, well, I don't think it's revealing much, because I believe the premise has been released, but I think we'll get to see more of that.

• 44:40Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 44:43Speaker 01

  And I think. I really, I know that this was something that was super important to Andy and I'm sure he'll talk about it, but like, the why, the why of it. And I think they got to, they got excited at the notion of a nugget of a story. And then they had, and then they wrote it and realized that they had found the why. Like, why are we doing this? Well, this is why we're doing it. So it's, it's filled with integrity. And it's also filled with, you know, the crew is largely the same. Certainly, the larger creative team is essentially the same creative brain trust as the original film. So it's, you know, same production designers. It is the same makeup and hair team.

• 45:27Speaker 01

  Obviously, wet effects are doing all of the physical effects. So it really is like a coming together of the original team. And then at Franville, Peter, they're all involved in the writing and producing. And so, it just, yeah, it's loaded with so many people who are a part of the making of the trilogy. Devoted to making sure that they get the world right and the context right, and these characters, do right by these characters, and tell a really fun, compelling, great new story incorporating these characters.

• 46:00Josh Horowitz?

  I'm also excited about beyond the returning folks.

• 46:04Speaker 01

  And I say that as a fan, I'm genuinely stoked.

• 46:06Josh Horowitz?

  I mean, it's a tough act to follow for someone to play Aragorn, but Leo Woodall, if that's true.

• 46:11Speaker 01

  Right. That is true. That is true. Those are tough boots, man. That is tough. I can't imagine. But that's gonna be great.

• 46:20Josh Horowitz?

  Maybe an Eternal Sunshine reunion, you and Kate Winslet, if rumors are true.

• 46:24Speaker 01

  Right. Well, she was announced.

• 46:26Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, I think so.

• 46:27Speaker 01

  Yeah, she was announced. So, yeah, oh, right. So if Frodo were to, right.

• 46:31Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah. Frodo's gonna have a mustache, apparently. There's our exclusive. I think you'll appreciate this as a cinephile like myself. I do this with some guests. This is the Happy Say Confuse Movie Matrix. A bunch of just questions. You tell me what pops in your head. For instance, are you an Alien or Aliens guy?

• 46:50Speaker 01

  Alien.

• 46:51Josh Horowitz?

  That tracks.

• 46:52Speaker 01

  I adore that film. Aliens is great.

• 46:54Josh Horowitz?

  The best haunted horror, haunted house sci-fi movie ever.

• 46:58Speaker 01

  Absolutely. Absolutely. All practical effects. There's not even really much in the way of VFX in that film.

• 47:03Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 47:04Speaker 01

  So it really stands the test of time as well.

• 47:06Josh Horowitz?

  Do you have a favorite comic book movie of all time?

• 47:11Speaker 01

  Um, first thing that came to mind was Kick Ass.

• 47:14Josh Horowitz?

  That's a good one, yeah.

• 47:15Speaker 01

  Kick Ass is really great.

• 47:16Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 47:16Speaker 01

  I remember seeing a really electric screening of that at Buttonumathon. Do you remember Buttonumathon?

• 47:21Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, I never went sadly, but yeah, I know, I know. Yeah, yeah.

• 47:24Speaker 01

  It was great back in those days. Um, yeah, I love Kick Ass. There's plenty of others that I love, but I'll just go with that.

• 47:32Josh Horowitz?

  That's a good one. Um, do you have a favorite, I don't know if you're a James Bond guy, favorite James Bond film of all time? Or James Bond actor, either way?

• 47:39Speaker 01

  Um.

• 47:44Speaker 01

  God, Bond film, um, Majesty's Secret Service.

• 47:48Josh Horowitz?

  Okay, yeah, a lot of people love.

• 47:49Speaker 01

  Love that film.

• 47:51Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 47:53Speaker 01

  And, you know, Goldfinger is great in terms of like the, the classic.

• 48:00Josh Horowitz?

  Yep.

• 48:03Speaker 01

  But yeah, I, I would say maybe my favorite Bond is Majesty's Secret Service. It's great.

• 48:08Josh Horowitz?

  You'll have a, a good, a cool one for this, I think.

• 48:10Speaker 01

  Oh, an additional, uh, comic book thing, I would say, just in terms of film or TV.

• 48:16Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 48:17Speaker 01

  Um, Lindelof's Watchmen series.

• 48:19Josh Horowitz?

  I was hoping you were going there.

• 48:21Speaker 01

  Is, is masterful. It's like, it is the dream of what you can do with a piece of IP like that.

• 48:27Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 48:27Speaker 01

  And to, to take it where they took it and make something that isn't the comic.

• 48:34Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 48:34Speaker 01

  But that carries on the lineage of what was established is just astonishing.

• 48:39Josh Horowitz?

  The reveal of a.

• 48:40Speaker 01

  Taking it to race relations in the States. It is just, and the score.

• 48:44Josh Horowitz?

  I know. David Bowie, like kicking in at the right moment with the, the reveal of Dr. Manhattan.

• 48:49Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 48:49Josh Horowitz?

  Love it. Obsessed.

• 48:51Speaker 01

  It's really incredible.

• 48:52Josh Horowitz?

  Uh, what's the scariest movie ever made? You, you're equipped for this one. You got this.

• 49:02Speaker 01

  I find Begotten to be pretty terrifying and uncomfortable.

• 49:09Speaker 01

  But the movies that scare me are not out and out horror films, so like

• 49:17Speaker 01

  it's often the movies that are dealing with humans doing really heinous things to each other.

• 49:23Josh Horowitz?

  I'm with you. It's like Funny Games is like

• 49:25Speaker 01

  I was just gonna say Funny Games is a very uncomfortable watch.

• 49:29Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, because it feels so damn real.

• 49:31Speaker 01

  It feels very real and it's very nihilistic. There's nothing, there's no rhyme or reason to what's happening. So yeah, that movie and Climax.

• 49:45Josh Horowitz?

  Oh, I've never seen it. Okay.

• 49:46Speaker 01

  Oh, man. Gaspere noyes film?

• 49:48Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.

• 49:50Speaker 01

  It's a blast and it is a descent into hell.

• 49:54Josh Horowitz?

  Sold.

• 49:55Speaker 01

  It really, it starts out being this super fucking rad dance movie and it's based on a true story. I think he'd heard some, he'd read some news blurb about a group of people who got high and resorted to violence, like at a, like a party or something. And he was so inspired by that that he wrote Climax and it is that movie, it is that thing. It is like people that, that take something and they, they have like a psychedelic experience and it goes south. And it is really gnarly.

• 50:30Josh Horowitz?

  Sold, sold.

• 50:31Speaker 01

  It's fucked up.

• 50:32Josh Horowitz?

  What's the funniest movie ever made?

• 50:35Speaker 01

  Oh, man.

• 50:42Speaker 01

  Well, in tribute to Rob Reiner,

• 50:46Speaker 01

  this is Spinal Tap.

• 50:49Speaker 01

  It's a hard, it's hard to pick favorites of all time.

• 50:52Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, I get it, I get it.

• 50:53Speaker 01

  But I think this is Spinal Tap established a genre that didn't exist prior to its creation. There was really nothing, nothing that set the standard for the idea of a mockumentary quite like that.

• 51:05Josh Horowitz?

  Yep.

• 51:06Speaker 01

  Certainly Christopher Guest carried it on after, after making that film in such an extraordinary way. But that movie is, is perfect. Such an incre, and it's, Rob's first film as a director. It doesn't, and then where his career went after that. You know, watching that incredible tribute that Billy Crystal gave at the Oscars, just by literally articulating each film in a row is just such an astonishing series of movies that that in many ways bear no relation, you know, at times where it's like Misery is in the middle of that.

• 51:44Josh Horowitz?

  I know.

• 51:44Speaker 01

  It's just.

• 51:45Josh Horowitz?

  He made like seven classics essentially in a row.

• 51:49Speaker 01

  Yeah, in a row.

• 51:49Josh Horowitz?

  Something like.

• 51:50Speaker 01

  I know.

• 51:50Josh Horowitz?

  And they were all different genres.

• 51:51Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 51:52Josh Horowitz?

  He's like Billy Wilder.

• 51:52Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 51:53Josh Horowitz?

  Essentially.

• 51:53Speaker 01

  Absolutely.

• 51:54Josh Horowitz?

  Um.

• 51:55Speaker 01

  So, yeah.

• 51:55Josh Horowitz?

  As a cinephile and a foodie, you're equipped for this, what's the go to movie theater snack?

• 52:00Speaker 01

  Oh. Well, if I'm at an Alamo Drafthouse.

• 52:05Josh Horowitz?

  And you can go a little.

• 52:06Speaker 01

  Pickle spears.

• 52:07Josh Horowitz?

  Okay.

• 52:08Speaker 01

  Yeah, it is fried pickles.

• 52:10Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 52:11Speaker 01

  Um, and then in general popcorn and for candy, I like, um, Sour Patch Kids. Big Raisin Nuts fan. I like throwing the Raisin Nuts in the popcorn, a little salty, a little sweet, it's a good textural mix, uh, and I do like a movie hot dog.

• 52:32Josh Horowitz?

  Wow, that's your.

• 52:34Speaker 01

  Brave.

• 52:35Josh Horowitz?

  Brave man.

• 52:35Speaker 01

  Thank you. That's the word you're looking for.

• 52:37Josh Horowitz?

  Or stupid, I don't know. Um, will you indulge me in one more rapid fire game?

• 52:43Speaker 01

  Please, yeah.

• 52:43Josh Horowitz?

  Okay. Happy second few profoundly random questions for Elijah Wood.

• 52:46Speaker 01

  Great.

• 52:46Josh Horowitz?

  Dogs or cats?

• 52:48Speaker 01

  Dogs, but I do love cats, but dogs.

• 52:50Josh Horowitz?

  Do you have dogs now or?

• 52:51Speaker 01

  Yeah, two dogs.

• 52:51Josh Horowitz?

  Nice, same, I've got one, but she basically takes up the space of two.

• 52:56Speaker 01

  Amazing, what kind of dog? Big dog?

• 52:57Josh Horowitz?

  She's a pit mix.

• 52:58Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah.

• 52:59Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, all muscle.

• 52:59Speaker 01

  Cool.

• 53:00Josh Horowitz?

  Um, what do you collect?

• 53:02Speaker 01

  Records primarily.

• 53:04Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 53:04Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 53:05Josh Horowitz?

  Favorite video game of all time?

• 53:08Speaker 01

  Whoa.

• 53:14Speaker 01

  I mean, there's like nostalgic ones.

• 53:16Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 53:16Speaker 01

  I remember Super Mario Land on Game Boy and beating it while I went, I was on location in Seattle and I just remember beating it and being so thrilled and loving, and that theme song is like legendary to me. But favorite of all time, I mean, that's so hard. I would probably say.

• 53:38Speaker 01

  It's gonna be a LucasArts adventure game.

• 53:40Josh Horowitz?

  Oh, yeah.

• 53:40Speaker 01

  Um, Tim Schafer, I'm such a huge fan. I've gotten a chance to do voices for his games. He has Double Fine now, but he was a big instrumental part of my sort of teenhood, right? So like, um, uh, the sequel to Maniac Mansion, which is Day of the Tentacle. Um, the, uh, the Monkey Island games.

• 54:06Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 54:07Speaker 01

  Full Throttle. I don't know if you remember Full Throttle. Um, Grim Fandango.

• 54:12Josh Horowitz?

  Mm-hmm.

• 54:13Speaker 01

  Another one that I don't think he was a part of, but Sam and Max Hit the Road. These are all like LucasArts classic point and click adventure games. And I just, the dig was rad, which Steven Spielberg produced.

• 54:22Josh Horowitz?

  That's right.

• 54:23Speaker 01

  So if I was gonna pick one, um, I'd probably say, let's go with Monkey Island. That would may, that may have been my entry. I think my entry into that style of games was Curse of Monkey Island, I think, is the name of the first one.

• 54:38Josh Horowitz?

  How are we feeling about Zach Craig or and Resident Evil coming together?

• 54:42Speaker 01

  I feel great. I, I have the ultimate trust in that man as a filmmaker.

• 54:47Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 54:47Speaker 01

  Um, I don't think he does anything that isn't through committing a hundred percent to integrity and like doing things the right way. My understanding too is that it is not a straight adaptation of the game, which I think is really smart. It's like another idea and the game world is the background to that idea. It's sort of what, the way it's been framed to me. And I just think that's super smart because it, you don't then have to bear the weight of the IP in that direct way, but the atmosphere of it becomes the, the tone of the film.

• 55:24Josh Horowitz?

  Totally.

• 55:25Speaker 01

  So I'm thrilled and I have the ultimate faith in him to deliver. Weapons is, I mean, as a follow-up film. Shit, man. It's so unexpected and is not a straight horror film. It's almost like Rashomon. It's like trying to, you know, seeing things from different angles, trying to decipher a mystery at the core. And then there's this whole witchcraft element that you then discover that's fucking awesome.

• 55:50Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 55:51Speaker 01

  The fact that Amy Madigan won the award is just a thrill, another win for horror movies. And it just shows that that's where we're at. But yeah, I'm stoked for Resident Evil.

• 56:02Josh Horowitz?

  The Dakota Johnson memorial question, she asked me this, I ask everybody, would you rather have a mouthful of bees or one bee in your butt?

• 56:10Speaker 01

  Bee in my butt?

• 56:12Josh Horowitz?

  Bee goes inside your butt.

• 56:15Speaker 01

  Oh, in my butt?

• 56:16Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 56:17Speaker 01

  Yeah, I don't want a mouth of bees. This is Dakota Johnson's. She came up with the question?

• 56:22Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 56:22Speaker 01

  That's, she's cruel. I love it. That's super fucked up.

• 56:26Josh Horowitz?

  What's the, what's the wallpaper on your phone?

• 56:31Speaker 01

  It is the logo for Mutant, which is a company I'm a co-owner of.

• 56:37Speaker 01

  Yeah. Do you know, do you know what Mutant is?

• 56:38Josh Horowitz?

  I don't.

• 56:39Speaker 01

  I'm sure you're familiar with Mondo.

• 56:41Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 56:42Speaker 01

  So the, the former creative directors of Mondo left Mondo.

• 56:46Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 56:47Speaker 01

  And were looking for, they were at sea looking to like replatform or find jobs or ultimately try and find a way to stay together. And myself and SpectreVision, as well as other colleagues, including Tim Leeg from Almond Craft House and, and original Mondo as well, gathered resources and replatformed them under Mutant. So they, it's collectibles, it's posters, it's movie soundtracks.

• 57:13Josh Horowitz?

  Love it. We'll check it out.

• 57:14Speaker 01

  So it's that logo is my wallpaper.

• 57:16Josh Horowitz?

  The last actor you were mistaken for?

• 57:21Speaker 01

  Most recently, I think it was actually Tobey Maguire, which does still happen. And it's always for Spider-Man. It's not for any of Tobey's other work.

• 57:32Josh Horowitz?

  In what context? How, what do you mean? Like they like?

• 57:34Speaker 01

  Hey, Spider-Man. Like, no, no, no.

• 57:38Josh Horowitz?

  They literally say, hey, Spider-Man?

• 57:39Speaker 01

  Yeah. Yeah. And, yeah. Yeah. I won't correct people.

• 57:43Josh Horowitz?

  Maybe they think you're actually Spider-Man, not Tobey Maguire. Maybe they like?

• 57:47Speaker 01

  Maybe you're right. Maybe I've got it wrong all this time. That's possible. There's been a lot of Spider-Mans too, in the interim years.

• 57:54Josh Horowitz?

  Right, exactly. What's the, what's the, what's the worst noted director has ever given you?

• 58:02Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 58:04Speaker 01

  The worst note.

• 58:08Speaker 01

  Ivan Reitman, and it wasn't in a, because I wasn't in a movie that he directed, told me once in an audition that I was, um, acting.

• 58:17Josh Horowitz?

  Was this the Kindergarten Cop story?

• 58:19Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 58:19Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah, I'm sorry.

• 58:20Speaker 01

  That was a bummer.

• 58:22Speaker 01

  That was a bummer for me in that moment, but the worst note, I don't know, it's gonna be something like

• 58:29Speaker 01

  that lacks specificity.

• 58:32Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 58:32Speaker 01

  Right? So just like, do it better, or?

• 58:34Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 58:35Speaker 01

  I don't know.

• 58:35Josh Horowitz?

  So you prefer more of like a very like practical kind of note?

• 58:39Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 58:40Josh Horowitz?

  Would you, do you prefer kind of like faster or an emotion or none of, or?

• 58:46Speaker 01

  I don't know. I mean,

• 58:49Speaker 01

  everybody has their own.

• 58:50Josh Horowitz?

  Line readings? Were you on that?

• 58:52Speaker 01

  It depends.

• 58:53Josh Horowitz?

  Okay, okay.

• 58:54Speaker 01

  It depends. You know, it's funny. I think there are some directors that have real specificity. And like, working with them is to fit within the context of the thing that they're creating.

• 59:05Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 59:05Speaker 01

  Which I also love.

• 59:06Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 59:07Speaker 01

  Like, because I'm a part, if we're here, it's because we want to be a part of that.

• 59:10Josh Horowitz?

  Yes.

• 59:10Speaker 01

  Thing. Not just have autonomy to do what we want to do. So I don't know. It's like, I, I'm open to so many approaches. I, I'm not rigid.

• 59:21Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 59:22Speaker 01

  In my approach, or how I do what I do. I'm there in service of the thing. But I guess a bad note is just,

• 59:34Speaker 01

  the, and it, it really only just feels that way at the time, where you feel like you've done something and someone comes up and repeats what you've just, the thing you've just done.

• 59:42Josh Horowitz?

  Right.

• 59:42Speaker 01

  That has happened.

• 59:42Josh Horowitz?

  I've heard that one, yeah.

• 59:43Speaker 01

  That, that's it.

• 59:44Josh Horowitz?

  Yeah.

• 59:45Speaker 01

  Where.

• 59:46Josh Horowitz?

  In your own head, you're like, wait a second, I just.

• 59:47Speaker 01

  Like, you've made an adjustment, right? And you've, you've consciously, for whatever, organically made an adjustment. And then someone coming up and asking you to make that adjustment.

• 59:58Josh Horowitz?

  Then you're in your.

• 59:58Speaker 01

  Has definitely happened. And I've, I've always been, oh, yeah, sure, yeah.

• 1:00:02Josh Horowitz?

  And then you just do the same thing.

• 1:00:03Speaker 01

  Just do the same. Or just lean into that adjustment more. But that, I guess that's the only thing. But otherwise, I think, you know. As long as it's, as you're being led by somebody that knows what they want and how to articulate it, you know?

• 1:00:16Josh Horowitz?

  He's malleable. David Fincher, Zach Craig or you can direct him however you want. Um, congratulations. Ready or not to, here I come.

• 1:00:23Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 1:00:24Josh Horowitz?

  That is the film. Check it out, everybody.

• 1:00:25Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's rad. If you liked the first film, you'll love this film. It's a blast.

• 1:00:29Josh Horowitz?

  Super fun. Congratulations on everything.

• 1:00:31Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 1:00:31Josh Horowitz?

  Fatherhood, SpectreVision, in that order. I was gonna say not in that order, in that order, I think, of importance.

• 1:00:35Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 1:00:36Josh Horowitz?

  Um, it's good to see you, man. Thank you for stopping by.

• 1:00:38Speaker 01

  Thanks for having me.

• 1:00:39Josh Horowitz?

  Appreciate it.

• 1:00:39Speaker 01

  Anytime.

• 1:00:41Speaker 02

  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 prepared to do this by Josh.

• 1:01:00Speaker 07

  Most writers have written really terrible stories. My name is Vince DiGianni and I am no exception. The only thing different about me is that I kept them all. Now I'm going to force my very talented actor friends to read them with me.

• 1:01:13Speaker 08

  I want to read that like a man in his 50s or perhaps 40s if he was as large a smoker as the scent surrounding him suggested. Wow. Drag him, Vincent.

• 1:01:24Speaker 07

  There are teen slashers where every character sounds edgy as hell. There's sci-fi giants that read just a little bit too much like giant penises. And there's a murderer who enjoys musical theatre for some reason. And occasionally, something I wrote 15 years ago will be much, much worse. Only after a few minutes did I realize that if I thought about a certain thing or said at a time when something was said or thought by, what am I reading?

• 1:01:50Speaker 08

  What does that mean?

• 1:01:51Speaker 07

  We're gonna laugh, we will probably cringe, and I may even cry just a little bit. Listen to Character Development, a comedy podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.