WEBVTT - Actor and Podcast Host Jesse Tyler Ferguson On Making Friends And Dinner Dates 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:01.960 I love how nervous you are about this. It's literally 0:00:01.960 --> 0:00:03.760 you're doing the exact same thing, just for longer. 0:00:03.880 --> 0:00:06.600 Let me start with the intro part and we'll jettison 0:00:06.680 --> 0:00:07.280 into whatever. 0:00:07.080 --> 0:00:07.480 You want to do. 0:00:08.600 --> 0:00:11.000 Hey, thank god you're here. It's another one. 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:12.520 What's it called. 0:00:15.840 --> 0:00:18.520 Thinking out loud? Here? You are so glad you're listening. 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:21.760 And I'll tell you why everyone loves Jesse Tyler Ferguson. 0:00:21.960 --> 0:00:24.479 You love him on Modern Family. Of course, he just 0:00:24.520 --> 0:00:27.000 finished up doing Take Me Out on Broadway, which is 0:00:27.040 --> 0:00:29.920 an amazing funny play. He was great in that. But 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:33.199 now he's got his podcast called Dinners on Me, and 0:00:33.360 --> 0:00:35.920 I want to talk to him about that and find 0:00:35.920 --> 0:00:38.560 out who does he think he is doing a podcast 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:42.600 interviewing people, That's what I do. He's an actor, he 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:46.280 reads scripts. But you know what, it's a very good podcast, 0:00:46.400 --> 0:00:48.360 and he's got a lot of star power in Los 0:00:48.400 --> 0:00:51.560 Angeles to pull out people that we dream of having. 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:53.680 On this one, we're going to talk about things he's 0:00:53.720 --> 0:00:56.640 afraid of, like doing a podcast, doing things he's never 0:00:56.680 --> 0:00:59.840 done before, being in front of a live audience. Also, 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:02.640 my favorite part of this will be when you hear 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:05.679 him talk about what it was like wrapping up eleven 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:09.000 seasons of modern Family. It's a story that I don't 0:01:09.040 --> 0:01:12.120 think it has ever been told, and we hear it here today. 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:19.320 It's fantastic. Jesse Tyler Ferguson. 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:21.919 Hello, Hello, podcast friend. 0:01:22.480 --> 0:01:25.119 You know you have a podcast. You're going to teach 0:01:25.160 --> 0:01:27.479 me how to do a podcast? Exactly where do we start? 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:30.199 Where do we start? 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:32.480 Where do we start? Are you serious? 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:33.240 Absolutely? 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:33.759 Oh my gosh. 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:35.320 Well, first you set up your phone like you just did, 0:01:35.400 --> 0:01:37.520 and you start a timer. Yes, and you make sure 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:40.080 that you can talk for at least forty five minutes? 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:41.200 Is it forty five? No? 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:42.960 How long are your podcast? We go like thirty to 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:43.399 forty five? 0:01:43.480 --> 0:01:43.640 Right? 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:47.480 Okay, see, mind's a little longer the way that I'm doing. 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:50.000 So, yeah, do you want me to just like launch 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:51.840 it and tell you, like, well, my Batley podcast. 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:54.160 I want you to do the podcast. I'll just say to. 0:01:54.240 --> 0:01:57.480 Do the podcast for you, just say that's why I'm here. 0:01:57.760 --> 0:01:59.200 I see, thanks for showing up. 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:04.000 Ye. Yeah. So when you first started doing dinners on me, 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:07.320 that's right, did anyone look at you and go, okay, 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:10.000 we're in the podcast world. Listen, here's what we think 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:12.960 you should do. And they gave you a little background. 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:15.760 Right, we'll get you so that this concept was actually 0:02:16.320 --> 0:02:18.160 brought to me. It was it was something that was 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:18.600 pitched to me. 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:19.280 I never wanted. 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:21.119 I never thought I would do a podcast. That never 0:02:21.240 --> 0:02:23.440 was I wasn't looking to do one. I was about 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:24.799 to say I didn't want to do one, but that's 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:26.640 not true because I'm actually doing one and I'm enjoying 0:02:26.680 --> 0:02:29.760 it immensely. But it was a concept that sort of 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:32.720 existed in the brains of these producers over at Sony 0:02:32.760 --> 0:02:34.880 and Neon Hum and they thought I might be a 0:02:34.919 --> 0:02:37.000 good idea to match up with it, and so they 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:39.840 pitched this idea to me, and I really liked it. 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:42.359 It takes it sort of straddles the world of the 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:46.160 culinary world and in a long form interview with a celebrity. 0:02:46.280 --> 0:02:50.280 So I take these groups different people out to I'll 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:52.079 say groups of people, but it's only one on one. 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:54.240 But there's a group of people that I have taken 0:02:54.280 --> 0:02:57.360 out to different restaurants, and we just have a really 0:02:57.480 --> 0:03:00.440 nice conversation over a great meal, and. 0:03:00.360 --> 0:03:02.280 We talked about the restaurant we're at. We talked about 0:03:02.280 --> 0:03:02.720 the chef. 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:05.919 You hear us order you hear us talk about the 0:03:05.919 --> 0:03:07.760 food we're eating, but then beyond that, it's just a 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:09.240 really great conversation. 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:14.040 So backing up, when you have friends at the house, yeah, 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:19.480 do you refine yourself in just regular conversation interviewing them? 0:03:19.639 --> 0:03:22.239 I mean, do you have interview conversations. I have many 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:24.680 friends who are like I feel like I'm being interviewed sometimes, 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:27.520 but they're just great conversationalist. Yeah, yeah, yeah, are you 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:27.960 that way? 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:28.560 No? 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:31.880 But now that I have this job, I find myself 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:34.960 not like practicing on my friends, but like, you know, 0:03:35.400 --> 0:03:38.160 definitely trying to get into that mode of like delving 0:03:38.200 --> 0:03:42.160 further into an idea than I might have before. It 0:03:42.160 --> 0:03:44.400 has made me a more curious person for sure. 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:48.600 Yeah. I have this one friend who's a restaurant owner 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:50.920 in Santa Fe. Okay, he just sold it, but anyway, 0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:53.120 he would come out to each and every table and 0:03:53.160 --> 0:03:55.400 he would put his hand on your shoulder. Yeah, and 0:03:55.600 --> 0:03:58.640 just he would start. It was like a magical moment 0:03:58.760 --> 0:03:59.360 with him. 0:04:00.280 --> 0:04:00.680 Was his name? 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:04.960 He owned the bull Ring, the Steake Cash what elevis? Yeah, 0:04:04.880 --> 0:04:07.280 where have you been? I said, Well, you know, we 0:04:07.280 --> 0:04:09.080 were on vacation last week's we weren't in it. Where'd 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:11.880 you go? Yeah, and then it begins we were in Maui. 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:16.599 I love Maui, my daughter got married, there were you? 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:18.920 Where are you in Mali? And then it begins. 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:23.680 It's like politicians are the same way. They they figure 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:25.680 out like something that you have in common and they 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:28.680 latch onto that and they are great conversationalists mostly. 0:04:30.360 --> 0:04:31.280 Yeah, no, for sure. 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:32.480 I uh. You know. 0:04:32.720 --> 0:04:35.960 Julie Bowen always had this phrase that she would say, 0:04:35.960 --> 0:04:38.640 you know, a conversa you want a conversation highway? Right now, 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:40.520 we're in a conversation culd a sac like we went 0:04:40.560 --> 0:04:43.320 a highway right, you know. And she's a great conversationalist. 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:46.320 She was my first guest on my podcast actually, and 0:04:46.360 --> 0:04:48.120 I was so relieved that she was because she could 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:51.600 literally hold a two hour conversation with the tree Like 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:54.520 she's just like she's inquisitive, and she's like even if 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:56.560 she's not getting a lot back from you, she's gonna like, 0:04:56.880 --> 0:05:00.320 you know, just keep the conversation going. And she's just 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:05.359 a great conversationalist. So I love that that concept of 0:05:05.400 --> 0:05:07.400 finding a conversation highway. 0:05:07.680 --> 0:05:09.680 You know. I spoke with Mo Rocca. We were talking 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:13.560 about this earlier on the previous podcast, and he was 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:16.800 going to do an interview with Eva Maurice Saint okay, 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:21.600 and he had heard that she just wasn't the best conversations. 0:05:21.720 --> 0:05:23.600 He's like, oh great, here we go, Okay, I have 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:25.159 to do an interview with someone who doesn't like to 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:28.119 be interviewed. So he said, what I thought of doing 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:31.039 in a brilliant idea. He was looking at her bio 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:34.039 or whatever. He discovered she was born on July fourth, okay. 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:39.480 So his opening question was what was it like celebrating 0:05:39.480 --> 0:05:43.839 your birthday with fire tis? And she immediately opened up. 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:44.800 Oh interesting. 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:46.720 The smile came on her face. She said, you know what, 0:05:46.760 --> 0:05:49.000 that's so great. You asked me that my dad used 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:51.640 to tell me those fireworks for me for my birthday 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:54.400 and so and then it'd be great icebreaker. 0:05:54.560 --> 0:05:56.240 You know. It's so interesting because. 0:05:57.480 --> 0:06:00.200 You, as as someone who gets interviewed a lot, you 0:06:00.360 --> 0:06:01.880 do hear a lot of the same questions over and 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:03.680 over and over. And that's not a fault of the 0:06:03.720 --> 0:06:06.160 interviewer like that. These are questions that I think people 0:06:06.240 --> 0:06:08.360 want to know. But there does become a point where 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:10.239 you're like, oh my god, how how do I answer 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:10.679 this question? 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:11.440 In a new way. 0:06:11.720 --> 0:06:14.440 So when you find that's a great example of the fireworks, 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:16.920 like something that she probably had never been asked before, 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:20.880 and it was immediately prompted a fresh answer and then 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:24.240 a great conversation I'm sure follow it afterwards. And so like, 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:27.200 I'm trying to do the same thing with these people 0:06:27.360 --> 0:06:30.200 who I'm sitting down with, and you know, I get 0:06:30.200 --> 0:06:32.280 like six pages of research on them, and I can 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:34.240 kind of tell just from the research that's done, like 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:37.280 what they've probably talked about a lot. And it's not 0:06:37.279 --> 0:06:39.440 that I want to avoid those those topics completely, but 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:41.640 I want to find a different way into them or 0:06:41.680 --> 0:06:43.800 find like maybe an angle that they haven't come out 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:46.400 that story from. So that's sort of my job before 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:49.200 sitting down with these people. And then every once in 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:52.440 a while, you'll get someone who has done very few interviews, 0:06:52.440 --> 0:06:53.960 and that's really exciting because it's like, oh, I got 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:56.680 to sort of like see what this person's all about 0:06:56.720 --> 0:06:59.560 and hopefully introduce some facts about this person to the world. 0:07:00.760 --> 0:07:03.840 Being interviewed is a that is the most frightening thing 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:05.680 in the world to me, because I mean, I'm always 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:08.040 the interviewer, yeah, always, So when I had a book 0:07:08.040 --> 0:07:09.840 come out several years ago. I had to go out 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:12.320 and do the press this and that, and I would 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:15.520 I would get nervous. It was weird having the tables turned. 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:17.920 I'm the exact opposite way, Like it's it's a new 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:20.400 thing for me to be the interviewer. So yeah, I 0:07:20.440 --> 0:07:21.600 totally understand what you're saying. 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:21.880 Yeah. 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:25.080 And then the other argument is, well, you are a 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:28.600 guy who reads scripts and sometimes ask to improv off 0:07:28.600 --> 0:07:31.680 scripted material and there's an outline for what they want 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:33.600 you to do in front of a camera or whatever. 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:35.480 Now there is no script. I mean you could have 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:38.720 prep and some research, right, there's no script. 0:07:38.760 --> 0:07:43.240 It's it's improv You're improving for over an hour, and 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:45.640 that's scary to like kind of fly without an at 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:49.640 I love having a script, you know. I I don't 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:52.360 know if I am the greatest improver, but I do 0:07:52.440 --> 0:07:54.880 feel like I am a good conversationalist. 0:07:55.400 --> 0:07:57.520 Well, and that's it, It's just a conversation. 0:07:57.640 --> 0:07:58.160 Yeah. 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:02.440 Another thing I love about interviewing people when you find 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:06.320 the great storytellers, Yes, they really understand the concept of 0:08:06.600 --> 0:08:10.160 here's the opening picture exactly, here's the meat and potatoes, 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:14.880 and then dessert and payoff great storytellers. We can't get 0:08:14.960 --> 0:08:15.440 enough of those. 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:17.960 Tell me a story, you want me to tell you 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:18.480 a story. 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:22.480 I know it doesn't work that way, but yeah, people 0:08:22.480 --> 0:08:24.720 who have that magical way of telling the story. My 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:28.640 dad was an unbelievable storyteller and it was always humorous. 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:32.800 It was always like down home Texas. And I never 0:08:32.920 --> 0:08:36.439 could really master that, and he never really was. He 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:38.679 wanted to be proud of his son. The guy who 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:41.120 could tell the story. Never could, right, So I went 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:42.040 into radio instead. 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:42.400 Yeah. 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:47.440 My grandpa he is, you know, was. He's no longer 0:08:47.440 --> 0:08:51.000 with us, but he's Irish and he but just he was. 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:54.000 That says a effeck right there. He was. He was 0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:55.920 the guy that would always stand up and like tell 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:58.720 a limerick or reside a poem or tell a really 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:02.240 great story after, you know, at dinner. And so I 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:03.800 feel like I have a little bit of him and 0:09:03.920 --> 0:09:04.640 me for sure. 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:07.920 Well, Okay, in addition to acting, you said earlier, you've 0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:11.280 done other things. You hosted a James several James Beard events. 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:11.560 Yes. 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:13.800 Yes, the James Beards are basically like the Oscars for 0:09:13.800 --> 0:09:17.480 the culinary. And it's so funny because I made that 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:21.679 reference during the event that I hosted for them, but 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:25.000 I called I called the Emmys the James Beards of 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:28.480 the TV world. Okay, appreciate it, I'm sure, because you know, 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:30.760 they're always being compared to, like you know, the Oscars 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:32.880 are the Emmys. But anyways, it was It's a room 0:09:32.920 --> 0:09:36.840 full of just the top of the top of the 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:40.880 people in the culinary world, chefs and restauranteurs and small 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:44.280 a's and it was a very fancy room to be 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:47.040 in and a group of people who I respect immensely, 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:50.360 and hosting that that event for them that meant so 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:52.319 much to them was really nerve wracking. 0:09:52.400 --> 0:09:54.400 Well that's why I wanted to go there. So when 0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:55.960 you don't have a script there, but they have, they 0:09:55.960 --> 0:09:57.200 have an outline what they want you to do. 0:09:57.320 --> 0:09:59.080 I definitely scripted some stuff for myself. 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:01.400 Yeah, but you're up there and it is it's a 0:10:01.400 --> 0:10:03.480 live crowd nerve wrecking, really, yes. 0:10:03.520 --> 0:10:04.960 And it was the first time sort of doing like 0:10:05.000 --> 0:10:08.600 a big hosting a big awards show. It wasn't televised, 0:10:08.600 --> 0:10:10.760 of course, but like I was in a big auditorium 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:12.600 and it was you know, I was managing the audience 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:15.760 and keeping things moving and it was really fun and 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:18.200 it would do terrified. I did very well. Yeah, yes, 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:20.120 well they had me back twice because I did so good. 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:22.559 So I know I did a good job. And I 0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:25.880 can't say that with confidence and I'm not being an egomaniac. 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:28.400 I did a very very good job. 0:10:28.760 --> 0:10:32.320 Well, good for you. I mean, live audiences scare the 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:32.840 shit out of it. 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:33.600 Oh they're terrified. 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:36.520 I mean, we'll host our big jingle ball concerts at 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:40.520 Radio City Musical or no, no, at the Madson Square Gardens. 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:42.280 Sure, I've been to one of those jingle balls. 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:44.760 The thing is about those is everyone's in the dark. 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:47.200 There's fifty thousand of them. It doesn't matter. But if 0:10:47.200 --> 0:10:48.080 you're in a room. 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:50.160 Full of people you who are actually paying attention, Yeah, 0:10:50.280 --> 0:10:51.960 we'll talk about like that's what theater is mean, people 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:54.200 actually paying attention to what you're saying. But you know 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:57.560 it's scripted again, so exactly, and I rehearsed well for it. 0:10:57.600 --> 0:11:02.719 But going up on rehearse scripted is it's terrifying. Did 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:03.840 you watch Jury Duty? 0:11:03.920 --> 0:11:04.079 Oh? 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:08.679 Absolutely, we had we had him on you Donald on yes, 0:11:08.840 --> 0:11:12.040 six six Donald, he was the Nico. 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:14.640 And what I mean, I just I would love to 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:18.520 meet him. He's so wonderful and sweet and the heart 0:11:18.520 --> 0:11:20.559 of that show. But that you know, I thought a 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:24.280 lot about that show was completely improvided, improvised based, and 0:11:26.280 --> 0:11:29.960 you know, these these actors, who are all great medians 0:11:29.960 --> 0:11:34.440 and greatizers, were brilliant, like went with whatever story they 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:36.880 thought they needed to go with. But like I had 0:11:36.880 --> 0:11:40.240 such anxiety as an actor watching that because like I 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:43.720 was looking at James Marsden, who is a great improviser 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:45.959 as well, but like he was the most like kind 0:11:46.000 --> 0:11:47.959 of I guess, you know, if you're going to categorize 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:51.240 one of them as like, uh uh, mostly an actor, 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:53.800 it was you know him, like he's not necessarily that's 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:55.800 not where he lives in Breeze and in the improv world, 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:58.400 and I was just having so much anxiety for him 0:11:58.440 --> 0:12:02.200 having to sort of like navig gate that storyline for 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:03.240 ten episodes. 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:06.040 I thought it was so well done. 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:08.000 I love that it was, you know, And to hear 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:12.160 the background story as we were talking to Donald about Donald. 0:12:11.880 --> 0:12:15.840 Right and Ronald Ronald Ronald, I think I said, Donald, Okay, 0:12:15.880 --> 0:12:16.680 well I threw you off. 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:19.679 Follow your lead. But James on as well the day 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:23.120 before and they were talking about how well you know 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:26.680 it was edited beautifully, beautifully because you know, every once 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:30.959 in a while, Ronald Donald Ronald would get like something 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:33.600 was so strange would happen it wasn't real and he 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:36.719 could yes, so they would. They would purposefully make the 0:12:36.760 --> 0:12:39.319 court proceedings long and boring to. 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:42.120 Like outweigh yeah, the ridiculousness. 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:46.400 You can't just go crazy situation after crazies and someone 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:47.439 would be like, what's going on? 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:49.680 But they said they would. They would go three or 0:12:49.720 --> 0:12:51.240 four hours. 0:12:50.760 --> 0:12:55.200 Of just mundane yeah, wow, to counteract and the ridiculousness. 0:12:55.280 --> 0:12:56.480 But look how brilliant it turned out. 0:12:56.520 --> 0:12:58.040 And it turned out great, and obviously like we're not 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:01.199 using any of this, any of this three hours of 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:09.760 mundane ness. 0:13:11.520 --> 0:13:13.480 Just go back to James Beard for a second. Do 0:13:13.559 --> 0:13:15.640 you follow? I mean, are you familiar with his work 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:17.640 and who he was? Did you ever go to his 0:13:17.679 --> 0:13:18.600 townhouse for dinner? 0:13:18.640 --> 0:13:20.800 And I'm aware of all of it, but I haven't. 0:13:21.040 --> 0:13:23.360 I don't know a ton about him. I mean, I've 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:24.839 learned a little bit when I was hosting that the 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:27.280 awards themselves, but I don't know a ton. 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:27.640 Now. 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:31.040 I read a little bit about him in a bio 0:13:31.080 --> 0:13:34.200 that was written and if I were. If I were 0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:37.120 an actor, I would I would want that. I would 0:13:37.120 --> 0:13:38.720 want to be James Beard. Of course, he was like 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:41.840 eight feet tall and fifteen feet wide and bigger than 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:45.160 life guy. But you know, I don't think anyone's ever 0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:46.560 tried to tackle that role. 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:51.520 No, no, are you? Are you suggesting I perhaps. 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:57.120 It would take a lot of makeup, it would have 0:13:57.160 --> 0:14:00.000 to thicken you up a lot. But he's just He's 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:02.080 just one of those roles. I'm not an actress. Who 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:03.760 am I to say this, but that just seems like 0:14:03.760 --> 0:14:06.280 a juicy juicy Oh my god, just tell all about 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:08.720 this guy, because he had a crazy off the grid 0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:11.040 live right that was he was very famous for here 0:14:11.400 --> 0:14:14.559 right right right. Are there any people in history or 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:18.560 any people that we're all familiar with that you often think, God. 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.160 You know the one that comes up a lot, And 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:25.000 it's I think it's because I portrayed him sort of 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:28.840 in an episode of Modern Family or they they they 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:31.640 said that I resembled him in an episode, But it's 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:32.600 Vincent van Gogh. 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:34.800 You do, uh huh. 0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:37.520 And I went to the Art Institute when I was 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:39.360 actually hosting James Beard Awards, I went to the Art 0:14:39.400 --> 0:14:43.200 Institute of Chicago, and that's where his portrait is housed. 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:45.480 And I took a photo of myself next to his 0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:47.600 portrait and put on like my Instagram page, and I 0:14:47.720 --> 0:14:50.040 just like that took it to a whole other level, like. 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:51.360 Did you see do you see it? Though? 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:52.440 I do see it? 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:52.720 Right? 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:53.680 I think didn't. 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:56.680 William Dafoe just recently play him, And I can't remember 0:14:56.720 --> 0:14:59.880 who was biopic. I think it's sort of been done already. 0:14:59.880 --> 0:15:02.800 But you know that seems like something that there's probably 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:06.200 a story there. I could see myself playing Vincent van Gogh. 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:07.440 But well, if you have to do more than just 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:10.520 look like there's yeah, no true, you can create your 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:11.080 own Vincent. 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:15.840 Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, but the base of it's there. Yeah. 0:15:15.880 --> 0:15:17.920 So what's going on in Hollywood? Now? There's a writer 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:18.560 strike going. 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:20.800 To riders strikes? We're both doing podcasts? 0:15:20.960 --> 0:15:24.440 Yeah? Really? No or in dividing when you're hearing this, 0:15:24.520 --> 0:15:26.040 maybe they all worked it all out. 0:15:26.320 --> 0:15:29.280 I don't when is this going to air? In like 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:31.040 a few days? I think we got I think we're 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:32.400 safe to say it's still going on. 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:35.680 So give me your feeling about how it is being 0:15:35.720 --> 0:15:39.920 an actor? Yeah, and did indeed this podcast you're doing 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:40.960 come from it. 0:15:41.000 --> 0:15:42.880 Did not did not come from the rider strike. 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:44.760 It's a happy accident that I have something to focus 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:46.160 on during the writer's strike. 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:46.360 You know. 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:49.760 I I was in Los Angeles. I just moved to 0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:51.840 Los Angeles and the Writer's strike of two thousand and 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:56.440 eight last one, and I was I had just finished 0:15:56.520 --> 0:16:00.720 a series called The Class that ran I think nineteen episodes, 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:04.040 and it was canceled, and then the rider strike happened. 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:07.760 So I was had uprooted my life and moved to 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:11.480 LA and I was, you know, with the intention of 0:16:11.920 --> 0:16:15.680 after this my show was canceled, I was going to 0:16:15.720 --> 0:16:18.440 stick around and just sort of like, you know, see 0:16:18.440 --> 0:16:20.480 what could happen for me in Los Angeles since I'd 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:24.160 already made roots there. And then it was like nine months. 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:25.880 I think it was one hundred days. I don't know 0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:26.600 how many months it works. 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:28.920 It was right around hundred days. But you know, there 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:31.040 was just nothing. There was nothing at all, and it 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:31.960 was a little scary. 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:32.800 How did you survive? 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:38.560 I had saved some money from the the the series 0:16:38.600 --> 0:16:40.920 I had done. I was not paid super well because 0:16:40.920 --> 0:16:42.560 it was my very first TV show, so my quote 0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:47.360 was extremely low. But I I I think I might 0:16:47.400 --> 0:16:50.280 have borrowed some money from a friend. And then also 0:16:50.280 --> 0:16:52.680 I was going back to how to New York rather 0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:56.760 than doing some workshops of different theater projects, which you know, 0:16:56.840 --> 0:16:58.040 kuching ku ching no. 0:16:58.080 --> 0:17:00.400 Money in that. But you know, he. 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:03.720 Was keeping me artistically satisfied somewhat, and I kind of 0:17:03.760 --> 0:17:06.000 feel like ready to throw in the towel and be like, okay, 0:17:06.000 --> 0:17:09.639 well after this strike is resolved, that probably would end 0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.720 up just moving back to New York. And then Modern 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:13.439 Family happened. 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:17.800 So in Wow, that was how many years? Eleven eleven seasons? 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:18.600 Eleven seasons. 0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:22.920 Yeah, yeah, Now that it's in the rear view mirror 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:26.080 sort of, I mean, do you do you respect the 0:17:26.320 --> 0:17:30.000 enormity of that show? I mean, Modern Family when you're 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:31.640 in it, I'm sure it's different than when you're. 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:32.000 Done with it. 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:34.200