WEBVTT - Only Perfect Once with Alex Edelman 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:02.480 Hi Catherine, Hi Chelsea. 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:03.320 How are you. 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:06.600 Oh, I'm well, I'm just a stoy and my oorca. 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:08.799 I know it's week two for you. 0:00:09.039 --> 0:00:11.479 I know it's very very relaxing here. 0:00:12.280 --> 0:00:15.000 Anything exciting that you are doing on a regular basis. 0:00:15.280 --> 0:00:18.079 Well, I'm supposed to be in full vacation mode. I 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:21.240 could not find my LSD for this trip, so we 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:23.560 looked High in Love in my house in LA and 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:26.680 we could not find it. Got lost in transport, so 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:29.480 I don't have my usual toolkit here. So it is 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:32.440 just very much being in the present moment with my family. 0:00:34.400 --> 0:00:37.920 It is very much in the present moment. So a 0:00:38.000 --> 0:00:41.280 lot of the left, and there's a couple still, a 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:43.800 couple of stragglers still here. And then I have a 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:45.159 new group arriving tomorrow. 0:00:45.280 --> 0:00:46.320 Oh that's exciting. 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:49.000 The best development is that the guy that works at 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:52.040 our house, he makes sure that I have a frozen 0:00:52.200 --> 0:00:55.440 mango dackery every time I come home from a bike ride. 0:00:55.800 --> 0:00:56.520 Oh lovely. 0:00:56.840 --> 0:01:00.400 It's like I'm not even eating food anymore. It's there's 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:04.760 so much caloric intake from those dackerries that it's like 0:01:04.800 --> 0:01:05.959 a full smoothie meal. 0:01:06.240 --> 0:01:07.640 I mean, if it's the same guy as a couple 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:10.080 of years ago, and he's always handing out orange drinks. 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:15.240 Appral sprits, dackyries. Yeah, it's really good times, really good ones. Well, 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:16.600 the good news is I had a great time with 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:18.959 my nieces and nephews. Though we all bonded big time. 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:23.960 They all really really appreciated the trip, and yeah, all right, 0:01:23.959 --> 0:01:25.760 we're just one big fucking happy family. 0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:26.520 The Handlers. 0:01:26.840 --> 0:01:27.320 I love it. 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:30.480 I was talking to your nieces and one of them 0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:33.080 mentioned that you had told her whole family when they 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:34.880 stayed with you during the pandemic that they needed to 0:01:34.920 --> 0:01:36.479 go get family therapy, and. 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:38.280 That you called the therapist on them. 0:01:38.760 --> 0:01:40.040 I did, I did? I did? 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:43.160 I mean, listen, if you're a sister, can't call the 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:43.840 therapist on you. 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:45.640 I was like, we're gonna do a therapy session. 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:46.960 And I sat them all down in front of a 0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:48.680 zoom and then I was like, what the fuck. 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:50.640 Am I doing here? Why do I have to be 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:52.160 in this session? It's for you guys? 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:52.960 Use myself? 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:53.440 I know. 0:01:54.080 --> 0:01:57.000 Excellent, Chelsea. What should people write in about this week? 0:01:57.120 --> 0:02:00.440 Roommate problems if you're if you're having an affair with 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:02.720 a married man or a man who is a girlfriend 0:02:02.920 --> 0:02:05.520 or anyone who was a girlfriend or significant other, please 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:07.600 write in call in, we want to talk to you. 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:09.639 And also roommate problems. 0:02:09.639 --> 0:02:10.919 Love those those are very juy. 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:13.799 I've had a lot of those in my life, so yeah, 0:02:13.840 --> 0:02:16.079 and they always get messy because it's like that's supposed 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:18.680 to be sort of your safe space, and I don't know, 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:19.519 it gets very messy. 0:02:19.600 --> 0:02:22.440 Very that's right. 0:02:22.720 --> 0:02:25.320 I once had a roommate who had a tramp stamp 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:28.520 of the Cleveland Skyline. I think that tells you everything 0:02:28.520 --> 0:02:30.600 you need to know about a person. No shade to 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:31.560 our Cleveland listeners. 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:35.440 Of course, that's a pretty big tradise. No, it was. 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:37.240 She was so proud of it too. 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:39.000 Yeah. 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:40.840 Oh, I do have a I do have an update, 0:02:41.080 --> 0:02:43.400 one that made me respond to this caller with hell 0:02:43.440 --> 0:02:44.040 y ask girl. 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:44.960 Okay, great. 0:02:45.080 --> 0:02:48.440 So this was from the Joan Biez episode that we did, 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:51.400 and she had bipolar disorder and had to kind of 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:53.400 like go into some treatment and was back in with 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:55.360 mom and sort of struggling with like what's my place 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:57.160 in the world as I go back into the workforce. 0:02:57.840 --> 0:03:01.760 But Abigail says, it's been about seven months since I 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:03.720 was on the show, and I have a wonderful update 0:03:03.760 --> 0:03:07.320 to share. Thanks to your advice, I interviewed like crazy 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:10.360 and only applied to jobs I was genuinely interested in. 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:13.560 After some time, I landed a position at the Museum 0:03:13.600 --> 0:03:16.640 of Fine Arts, Boston, which I just adore. It's been 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:18.920 a great joy to be immersed in art, and I 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:20.400 feel that I've found myself again. 0:03:20.960 --> 0:03:22.160 While I'm still living at home. 0:03:22.240 --> 0:03:24.520 I will never forget what Chelsea said about being under 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:27.080 her parents until she was in her thirties. I'm currently 0:03:27.120 --> 0:03:29.400 in the process of rebuilding my life. Thank you for 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:32.240 your wise words of wisdom then and now. I so 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:33.160 appreciate you. 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:36.440 Gail, What do you mean under her parents until she 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:39.080 was thirty? She's talking about me being under a reliant 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:39.960 on them until. 0:03:39.760 --> 0:03:41.880 I was Maybe I would, but you didn't live with 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:43.840 your parents when we were thirty. Right now, you came 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:44.480 to La. 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:47.800 Fucking kidding me, kidding me. I once tried to have 0:03:47.800 --> 0:03:49.920 my dad moved out here to La and my family 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:52.040 vetoed it. They're like, Chelsea, can't handle that. What are 0:03:52.080 --> 0:03:54.520 you doing? I was like, what, I've got the money, 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:56.160 I've got the space. We could just put them in 0:03:56.200 --> 0:04:00.800 the next room and know what you're talking about. 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:04.960 Chelsea. Our guest today is Alex Edelman. I just watched 0:04:04.960 --> 0:04:06.640 his special just for us. 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:09.600 I met Alex first in Vegas. This is when you 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:12.240 were dating Hannah Einbinder and I was, oh, this was 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:14.960 the night you were there, the night I got together 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:16.400 with Joe Coy for the first time. 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:17.760 No, no, we didn't get together. 0:04:17.920 --> 0:04:20.200 He was there and that was when I decided I'm 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:21.479 gonna I'm gonna date him. 0:04:21.600 --> 0:04:24.119 I remember that. I remember you talking to us about 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:27.880 that and he like, I think he loved the guy. Yeah, 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:30.279 Joe also used us. I'm not sure if you remember this, 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:34.080 but Joe used us all as like proxy gamblers. We 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:36.760 all went to like a blackjack table and I was like, 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:39.000 I'm gonna stay, and Joe was like, You're gonna hit. 0:04:39.040 --> 0:04:40.680 And I was like, I'm gonna hit, and so like 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:43.840 Joe was like, and Hannah is like I'm gonna stay, 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:46.839 and just like you're gonna stay and Chelsea and he 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:48.560 was like go down. Like it was. It was actually 0:04:48.600 --> 0:04:50.520 like kind of amazing. And at the end he was like, 0:04:50.760 --> 0:04:53.400 you want eleven hundred dollars. I'm like, no, Joe, you 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:55.080 want eleven hundred dollars. 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:57.800 The real good luckturem there, just so we're clear, is 0:04:57.839 --> 0:04:58.320 fucking me. 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:01.120 I'm the gambler, and I'm the one who wins, and 0:05:01.160 --> 0:05:02.960 I'm the one who gives money to everyone so that 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:05.960 they win. Okay, so let's not get that fucking twisted. 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:10.120 Then I knew Alex, of course, so charming and lovely. 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:12.479 And then I kept hearing about his show, which is 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:15.280 called Just for Us, which was playing in New York, 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:17.760 and all of my friends were talking about it. Everyone 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:19.920 was going, everyone was going, so obviously I had to go. 0:05:20.279 --> 0:05:23.000 I went with some friends and it blew. I mean, 0:05:23.040 --> 0:05:24.159 it blows everyone away. 0:05:24.279 --> 0:05:28.000 And he recently won a fucking Tony for it. How 0:05:28.400 --> 0:05:30.760 fucking awesome is that it was? 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:33.840 It's so crazy. It feels like such a weird, like 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:37.279 make a wish thing. Everyone's like, good for him, you know, 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:39.960 good for good for this guy, and gosh, buddy, here's 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:42.920 a thing to keep going like it really is so 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:45.120 so nice. But yeah, it's so weird to do the 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:47.599 show and then your comedy heroes and the people that 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:49.719 you look up to just start coming like I remember, 0:05:50.080 --> 0:05:52.320 I just saw Chelsea in the audience. I'll never forget it. 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:54.480 She was like sitting on the aisle and I heard 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:57.239 the laugh and I was like, what, Chelsea's here tonight, 0:05:57.360 --> 0:05:58.919 And then like I looked down in the audience and 0:05:59.000 --> 0:06:01.720 they see Chelsea, and I was like I kept having 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:03.120 you not look at her because I want don't want 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:04.200 to be like, what does Chelsea you think of that 0:06:04.279 --> 0:06:07.960 shoke is enjoying the story like I did the show 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:11.600 like this, Like I was looking over well you. 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:16.159 I mean, you had legends every single night coming to 0:06:16.200 --> 0:06:20.080 your show. You had everybody like Steve Martin and shit right, 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:23.320 like you had crazy people that you were taking pictures 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:25.400 with that you or I would see you posting every day. 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:28.479 So that must have just felt incredible to have so 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:31.479 much support from the community that you are in. 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:34.719 It was just nuts. And also I felt like a 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:38.760 real imposter syndrome. Although also it's nice to do a 0:06:38.920 --> 0:06:41.040 thing that people are enjoying. Like I have done a 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:43.520 couple of solid shows, not all of them have resonated 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:46.640 like this one, and so and like you've experienced this. 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:49.520 We've talked about like you are so prolific in terms 0:06:49.600 --> 0:06:52.279 of like writing new material and doing new tours, and 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:54.080 it's so hard to like put away a thing that 0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:56.880 is really successful because you've you've worked so hard and 0:06:56.920 --> 0:06:59.360 so long, and I know you worked things out on 0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:02.000 the road times, so you'll like get to a place 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:05.320 where it's like finished and cruising in a way that 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:07.440 it wasn't at like the beginning of a tour, and 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:09.200 then you're like time to film it and put it out. 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:14.360 Like it's a totally it's a real like exhausting mind 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:15.880 fuck experience. 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:18.840 Because you were working on this show for about six years, right, Yeah. 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:20.320 I mean I worked on it for a year and 0:07:20.320 --> 0:07:22.680 then I sort of put away for like a year 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:24.760 to work on a television show. And then I was like, 0:07:24.920 --> 0:07:27.240 all right, I'm going to recommit myself to my show 0:07:27.600 --> 0:07:30.840 in this year of twenty twenty. And then like after 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:33.760 two months of like a four month tour, the whole 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:36.160 thing shut down and we didn't come back until twenty 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:38.800 twenty two. But like I've been working on it in 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:41.800 massaging this thing for you know, like robber Craft, I've 0:07:41.800 --> 0:07:43.240 been massaging this thing for you know. 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:47.239 And now it's a special on HBO or on Max. 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:48.800 I should say, yeah, it's. 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:51.040 On It's on Max and air on HBO. Like it 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:54.040 really like it's the coolest thing that's ever happened to me. 0:07:54.240 --> 0:07:57.280 So I know, Okay, So tell for our listeners who 0:07:57.280 --> 0:07:59.520 are not familiar or haven't seen The Special yet, let's 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:02.600 talk about it. Why don't you tell us about it? 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:04.080 It's very fucking funny. 0:08:04.240 --> 0:08:06.600 Well, it's obviously it's kind of special. It's full of jokes, 0:08:06.600 --> 0:08:08.800 but there's a story at the center of it. I 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:11.120 went to this meeting of white nationalists and queens and 0:08:11.160 --> 0:08:13.440 eventually one of them was like, sorry, but this guy's Jew, 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:14.960 and I'm like, yamma Jew, and so like that's what 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:17.360 the show is about. It is like this meeting, and 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:19.720 there are obviously tangents and stuff like that, and there's 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:22.720 like a cute one of the white nationalists and so 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:25.720 there's like a little daydream about that. But yeah, it's 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:28.560 mostly it's mostly about this meeting. And there are lots 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:29.560 of other stuff. 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:31.160 A lot of the twists and turns, but basically the 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:34.160 crux of the evening is you're meeting with a white 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:38.760 supremacy group, white nationalist group and them discovering that you're Jewish, 0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:42.880 and then your reaction to that, which was what fear. 0:08:43.480 --> 0:08:46.680 I mean, not really, it was mostly a conversation. You know, 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:49.360 it was mostly like, hey, maybe there's stuff we can 0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:51.280 talk about, and it turned out there wasn't. But like, 0:08:51.920 --> 0:08:55.840 it's just just an argument. Guys, listen, you just come 0:08:55.880 --> 0:08:57.880 over for Shovis. We'll figure it all out, you know. 0:08:57.920 --> 0:09:02.080 But like, but it really there's actually a critic once 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:05.640 pointed out correctly that not much happens is that, like 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:07.640 I go to this meeting and I eat a muffin 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:09.640 and then they find out that I'm Jewish and I leave. 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:12.560 But in between it's a useful like inflection point for 0:09:12.640 --> 0:09:16.200 like conversations and like some tensions and some characters and 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:16.719 stuff like. 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:20.040 That, a lot of tension. I always like terrified the entire 0:09:20.080 --> 0:09:20.920 time watching it. 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:24.160 Well, that's why it's so enthralling, and why so many 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:26.640 people are you know, so interested in seeing it and 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:30.120 talking about it and you're getting awards for it, is 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:32.320 because it is touching on a subject matter that people 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:36.880 are loath to tackle a and you know, it makes 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:40.280 people nervous. So many people are so conflict avoidant that 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:42.520 they don't even want to hear about anything like that, 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:44.760 you know what I mean. Luckily, there's a whole other 0:09:44.800 --> 0:09:47.200 group of people that feel the opposite, but. 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:49.200 You've done that a lot. Like That's one of the 0:09:49.240 --> 0:09:53.680 reasons that I think you're your uh beloved. Seems too simple, 0:09:53.960 --> 0:09:56.800 but like you are because you tackle difficult stuff and 0:09:56.840 --> 0:09:59.679 you're pro and not only you prolific, you like I've 0:09:59.679 --> 0:10:01.480 always I preferred comedy that was like a little bit 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:04.040 of a high wire act. I've always preferred comedy that 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:07.240 took a little bit of like, we just have so 0:10:07.320 --> 0:10:09.800 much comedy, and there's so many funny people, and there 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:12.839 are truly many brilliantly funny comedians. But now I think 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:15.400 we want a little like you want great comedy, but 0:10:15.440 --> 0:10:16.959 you also want a little bit of like insight, or 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:18.520 you want a little bit of daring, or you want 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:21.440 like someone to talk face to face with someone about 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:24.360 race or about drugs, and you've done this in your 0:10:24.400 --> 0:10:27.400 specials and your books and your series is and so like, 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:31.480 I think that's a really it's like a weird imperative 0:10:31.559 --> 0:10:34.720 now for comedians who aren't just uploading short clips to 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:38.120 Instagram or TikTok, which is like a perfectly acceptable, fine 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:40.720 important way to like build your following. But I've always 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:42.960 been team long form, and I think when you're like 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:45.679 team long form. You have to give people like a little. 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:49.240 Like you know, yeah, well, because you want an arc, right, 0:10:49.280 --> 0:10:50.960 You want to beginning, a middle, and an end of 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:53.960 a story, because that's what you are. You're telling a story. 0:10:54.040 --> 0:10:56.920 And some comics are just telling jokes. But a lot 0:10:56.960 --> 0:11:00.280 of comedians all are telling stories that that hour is 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:03.360 one long story. So tell me about how you're dealing 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:07.040 with all of your success and everything. Because I run 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:09.400 into Alex all the time. We run into each other, 0:11:09.440 --> 0:11:11.960 so at social engagements all the time. He's the first 0:11:11.960 --> 0:11:13.920 person I see every time I go anywhere. I said 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:15.800 to him the other day at that Kevin Hart brunch 0:11:16.320 --> 0:11:18.319 that Kevin showed up two and a half hours late, 0:11:18.360 --> 0:11:21.719 to tell me how you're handling everything, because we've had 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:24.200 a couple of conversations and I'm curious. I know that 0:11:24.240 --> 0:11:25.000 you're special. 0:11:25.360 --> 0:11:28.320 I mean, my family always did say that that was 0:11:28.360 --> 0:11:33.520 a concern of theirs, that I was special. But look 0:11:33.720 --> 0:11:36.760 I in terms of success it all. First of all, 0:11:36.800 --> 0:11:39.360 there's a huge amount of imposter syndrome, like I said. 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:41.200 And second of all, still are you still feeling that 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:42.640 imposter syndrome. 0:11:42.400 --> 0:11:44.200 A little bit? And also like a little bit less 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:46.720 just because I'm doing new stand up for the first time, 0:11:46.840 --> 0:11:48.600 and like I had a show at Netflix as a joke, 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:50.680 which was like an hour and a half of material 0:11:50.720 --> 0:11:53.760 that wasn't just for us. So that was really like comforting. 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:55.400 To have great good for you. 0:11:55.920 --> 0:11:58.199 I know what that'll be. I don't know if it'll 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:00.640 be like another show. I'm pretty tight from doing this 0:12:00.679 --> 0:12:03.080 one for years and years and years, but yeah, that 0:12:03.120 --> 0:12:05.360 could be a good thing. And it's amazing to meet 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:07.600 like really interesting people, Like I went to this I 0:12:07.640 --> 0:12:09.319 got to be one of the Time one hundred this year, 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:11.560 and I had like a really fulsome conversation with this 0:12:11.559 --> 0:12:15.080 Skuy Motoza Zisa, who's like a Palestin Indian photojournalist. I mean, 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:19.200 had like a really visceral, intense personal conversation about like 0:12:19.679 --> 0:12:22.839 this thing that obviously he and I have probably very 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:25.240 different opinions on. You know, some things we agree on, 0:12:25.280 --> 0:12:27.760 some things we don't. And so like it's really cool 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:29.960 to be in new spaces meeting like new people, and 0:12:30.000 --> 0:12:32.120 like it's amazing to be like a Time one hundred person, 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:34.400 or it's amazing to like get a Tony Award, and 0:12:34.480 --> 0:12:37.839 so like, yeah, I really enjoy like getting to go 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:40.080 to some stuff. But I've also like learned to say 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:42.120 no a little bit. The last couple of months. I 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:45.120 used to say yes to everything because there wasn't very much. 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:47.680 It's very manageable to say yes to everything, but now 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:52.680 sometimes like it's just not feasible to go. And also 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:57.600 not to be too like granular here, there's something very 0:12:57.720 --> 0:13:03.240 concerning about your iteration techniques taken away. I used to 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:05.920 just like nurture things at like open mics or small 0:13:05.960 --> 0:13:09.120 work in progress shows, and now you know, when I 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:11.720 try to put work in progress shows on sale, it's 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:14.760 nice that they sell in tiny rooms, like very small rooms, 0:13:15.160 --> 0:13:18.280 but the expectation has changed, and the idea that I'll 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:20.320 be able to sort of like labor away at something 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:22.720 tricky for a long time until I get it right, 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:25.440 that's changed a little bit. So like that's the element 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:29.880 of like success that concerns me. And also sometimes people 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:32.360 will feel comfortable saying a lot of stuff to me 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:34.160 that I was like that I'm like, oh gosh, I 0:13:34.200 --> 0:13:36.800 would never say that to another person, or I can't 0:13:36.800 --> 0:13:40.120 believe you're saying that to me, And like what my 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:42.800 director passed away right before we started on on Broadway, 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:44.960 and he was my best friend. We were really close, 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:47.240 and you know, sometimes people come to me in the 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:50.640 street and want to talk about him, and I'm like, okay, 0:13:50.880 --> 0:13:52.720 you know, I want to write something about him at 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:55.040 some point because he was because they think about him 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:57.360 every day, and he's still like, you know, a big 0:13:57.400 --> 0:13:59.480 part of my mental capacity. But someone came out to 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:01.000 me after a show. I was like, is it true 0:14:01.040 --> 0:14:02.360 that your show would have been a little better if 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:05.760 your director was still alive? And I was like, my god, 0:14:06.040 --> 0:14:08.400 it's like funny. I was like, I can't believe you'd 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:11.679 say that to me, and he was like, and by 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:15.360 the way, yes, a thousand percent would be better if 0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:18.320 Adam was here, but there's nothing I can do about that. 0:14:18.880 --> 0:14:22.200 And also like, yeah, I'm I just people ask me 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:25.200 a lot for my takes in Israel and Palestine, speaking 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:28.480 of Motaz, and like when I had that conversation with Motaz, 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:30.760 someone took a picture of it and I wound up 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:33.680 in the newspaper, and I'm like, that's fine, but I 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:35.720 still need to be able to have those conversations. I 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:37.880 still need to be able to talk about tricky things 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:40.000 with like an aspect of grace that you would afford 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:42.960 a person as opposed to an entity, So like that 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:46.600 is really tricky and really scary. And also I'm stretched 0:14:46.640 --> 0:14:48.800 pretty thin, so it means it's hard for me to 0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:53.200 like give correctly of myself to like friends and family 0:14:53.240 --> 0:14:54.840 in a way that I used to be able to. 0:14:55.120 --> 0:14:59.320 Like now it feels like a lot of times good 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:01.560 once in a life stuff is happening. So even though 0:15:01.560 --> 0:15:04.040 I've learned to say no, you know, I just can't 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:06.360 show up for people in the way that I used to. 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:09.080 And I think that that will affect my friendships and 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:12.360 affect my ability to like date, and affect my ability 0:15:12.400 --> 0:15:14.880 to like be a you know, like a person who 0:15:14.960 --> 0:15:19.640 is like regular as a like a constant struggle between 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:21.960 these like exciting new things that I get to do 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:24.200 and the person that I still like very much want 0:15:24.200 --> 0:15:27.000 to say sorry. I hope that answer is like I'm 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:30.320 being extremely transparent about like my biggest insecurity about this, 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:32.480 but like, but for the most part, my life is 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.240 very similar to the way it was before, with the 0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:37.000 exception of like now I get to go to like 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:39.000 the Tonys or like I got to go to the 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:42.480 met Gala, So like that's a very very salubrious event 0:15:42.520 --> 0:15:44.600 to get to go to. It's very but like at 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:46.600 the end, I still like page an uber home and 0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:48.480 like wait a few minutes for surch pricing to go 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:50.280 down until I get the uber. You know, It's not 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:52.280 like I'm rich now or anything like that. 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:54.360 I think what you're saying about your family and your 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:56.720 friends and everything, I think that always finds its balance, 0:15:56.920 --> 0:15:59.840 you know, because you're like at the beginning, not at 0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:01.680 the very beginning, but you're at the beginning of a 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:05.240 long career. And when you are in this phase of 0:16:05.520 --> 0:16:08.920 excitement and offers and opportunities, it is very hard to 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:12.440 say no. And family and friends always understand that as 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:15.400 long as that doesn't become your defining thing, like that's 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:18.680 all you care about. I've had that struggle before too, like, oh, 0:16:18.760 --> 0:16:20.560 I've got this opportunity, but I'm supposed to go here 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:22.720 with my family. And I always err on the side 0:16:22.720 --> 0:16:25.200 of family because that really is the most important thing. 0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:25.720 And I have. 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:29.400 Flown, you know, made plans where I've had to fly 0:16:29.560 --> 0:16:32.400 around the world in twenty four hours to accommodate everybody, 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:35.120 you know, But I always do find that it is 0:16:35.200 --> 0:16:38.600 worth it because your bandwidth is the most important thing. 0:16:38.880 --> 0:16:42.680 But as long as you are constantly filling your cup up, 0:16:43.160 --> 0:16:46.320 you are more readily available to give to the people 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.000 in your life that deserve your attention and your space 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:49.720 and your time. 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:52.320 You don't ever want to give that away, you know 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:52.840 what I mean. 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:55.360 Like people are understanding in the beginning, but those are 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:56.720 the people that are going to be there for you 0:16:56.760 --> 0:16:59.000 when times are good or when you're struggling with something 0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:02.680 or something's disappointed. So it is a tricky balance, but 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:03.880 it's totally doable. 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:07.080 Yeah, It's just like when there's like when the special 0:17:07.119 --> 0:17:09.399 came out, there's a really intense like period of like 0:17:09.520 --> 0:17:14.400 pr and so it's still like intense and also very nice. 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:16.600 You get to like do things like like this. You 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:20.080 get to talk about your like project at the same time, 0:17:20.240 --> 0:17:23.080