WEBVTT - CONTENT KINGS -PHIL LLOYD - POPULATION 11 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:01.760 It's in the news today, but it was actually on 0:00:01.840 --> 0:00:05.880 TV Reload the podcast last week. Hey guys, welcome back 0:00:05.920 --> 0:00:08.520 to TV Reload. Thank you for clicking and downloading on 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:13.280 today's episode with Phil Lloyd, Creator, showrunner, executive producer from 0:00:13.280 --> 0:00:16.680 the latest stand original series Population eleven, which is now 0:00:16.760 --> 0:00:20.160 out on Stan Australia. Phil Lloyd is an Australian actor 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:23.840 and scriptwriter and partner in the production company Jungle Boys. 0:00:24.040 --> 0:00:26.599 He is best known for his acting roles as Miles 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:30.320 Barlow in the Australian TV series Review with Miles Barlow 0:00:30.560 --> 0:00:32.839 and the comedy series At Home with Julia, where he 0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:36.879 played Tim Matheson, the partner of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. 0:00:37.159 --> 0:00:39.479 I personally love his work on The Moodies and The 0:00:39.479 --> 0:00:41.919 Moodies Christmas series, and I'll ask him a little bit 0:00:41.920 --> 0:00:45.760 about that in our chat today. Population eleven is inspired 0:00:45.840 --> 0:00:49.400 by true events the missing case of Paddy Moriarty, which 0:00:49.520 --> 0:00:52.560 was the focus of the Netflix documentary series The Last 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:56.120 Stop of Larimer. Population eleven is about a man who 0:00:56.120 --> 0:00:59.840 goes missing from a tiny town of only twelve residents, 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:03.000 and he's a strange son who journeys from the US 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:05.920 to find him. The series is very funny and it 0:01:05.920 --> 0:01:08.920 gives you a chance to disappear into its world over 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:11.200 twelve episodes. I will say it has a bit of 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:13.640 a darker twist to it as well, so bear that 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:16.440 in mind. I will ask Phil about his thoughts on 0:01:16.480 --> 0:01:19.600 the documentary that shares the same premise, and his answer 0:01:19.760 --> 0:01:22.880 for that is actually really surprising. We will unpack how 0:01:22.920 --> 0:01:26.480 to write for global audiences and if he's writing changes 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:30.119 from writing on shows made for Australian audiences. Phil will 0:01:30.120 --> 0:01:33.319 share his casting decisions on the lead and why Ben 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:36.160 Feldman was right for this role. Plus we will get 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:39.400 some insights into his collaborators who had worked with Geen 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:43.200 Smart and Andy Sandberg on previous roles for Stan Australia. 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:45.760 There's actually so much to unpack with Phil and his 0:01:46.319 --> 0:01:48.880 really fun to talk to. So sit back and relax 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:50.920 as we dive just that little bit deeper into the 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:54.320 world of Population eleven. Phil, could I just say I 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:56.200 went and got a cup of coffee to start this 0:01:56.440 --> 0:01:59.120 because not that I don't like these shows, but I'm 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:02.840 covering Survival, I married at first Sight and Australian idol 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.920 at the moment, and so what a fricking delight it 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:08.200 is to sit here with you today, who is a 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:09.720 genius content creator. 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:11.600 You're so kind, Thank you. Papa. 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:14.239 Evan's a little bit of a hall cleanser compared to 0:02:14.280 --> 0:02:15.240 those shows, for sure. 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:17.880 I also want to start by talking to you about 0:02:17.919 --> 0:02:21.280 how much I loved The Moodies. My partner will walk 0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:23.280 into the room and see that I'm rewatching it for 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:25.680 like the hundredth time, and he's like, what is it 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:28.639 about this show? You're obsessed? I just loved it. 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:31.799 I'm so excited when people text me at Christmas time 0:02:31.880 --> 0:02:34.880 every year, you know it comes around it's that seasonal show, 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:37.320 so and you know what, I particularly love it when 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:38.440 people haven't seen it before. 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:40.000 So people see it for the first time. 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:41.720 But it doesn't matter who you are. It's such an 0:02:41.760 --> 0:02:45.320 accessible story because it's so accurate about Australian Christmas. Is 0:02:45.440 --> 0:02:47.080 just so accurate about Aussie's you know. 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:47.560 Yeah. 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:49.919 I think it's an amalgamation of a lot of people's 0:02:49.919 --> 0:02:53.040 families really, certainly from me and Tryin. It was sort 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:56.639 of a compositive various people in our lives and relatives 0:02:56.680 --> 0:03:00.400 and those kind of awkward Christmas dinners and stuff. I 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:02.919 think that's probably why it's relatable. People have been there. 0:03:03.160 --> 0:03:06.079 It's so relatable. I feel like it's like a porthole 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:10.040 into time really. But you know, Ian Meadows, Patrick Brammel 0:03:10.200 --> 0:03:13.160 and Jane Harbor, just to name a few. Everybody's so 0:03:13.240 --> 0:03:14.480 fantastic in it. That's crazy. 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:17.160 Oh yeah they are. They're brilliant. It was such a treat, 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:19.000 such a joy to work with them, and you know 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:22.639 when you shot that. So we had this house Moody Christmas. 0:03:22.639 --> 0:03:24.600 We had the house for about three months and so 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:27.359 we kind of moved in and just hung out there. 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:29.520 We actually became kind of like a family because we 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:31.959 were just rehearsed there. We'd hang out there all the time, 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:34.040 even when people weren't shooting on set. 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:35.800 They just go and hang out. The landron on the 0:03:35.800 --> 0:03:36.280 couch is and that. 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:38.200 So it kind of felt like we were kind of 0:03:38.200 --> 0:03:39.720 a mini family living in this house. 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:41.480 You know what. I have to admit, though, this is 0:03:41.520 --> 0:03:43.280 going to sound really strange from someone who's watched the 0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:46.440 Australian version of the Moodies, I have not seen the 0:03:46.600 --> 0:03:47.400 US version. 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:49.800 Well, I'll be interested to hear what you think. Obviously 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:52.880 I'm biased. It's different, it's not quite the same, but 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:55.520 that happens with remakes. I mean, it's so hard to 0:03:55.560 --> 0:03:58.880 get a remake right. Obviously, the Office, the US Office 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:01.560 did it very well. I think that's only because they 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:02.880 ended up making their own show. 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:06.960 I was just curious, how does that translate though, particularly 0:04:07.000 --> 0:04:10.960 with that particular show, which felt so Australian centric, you know, 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:14.200 hard to translate that to the US it was. 0:04:14.720 --> 0:04:16.400 I mean, Trent and I didn't end up ended up 0:04:16.440 --> 0:04:19.159 not being the writers on that. We were EPs. But 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:21.560 in the end it's sort of had a few go 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:24.320 rounds and like it took about six years to finally 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:26.119 get up, and by that stage we kind of moved 0:04:26.160 --> 0:04:28.520 on to other things. So it was actually some US 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:30.840 writers that sort of took it over. And it's kind 0:04:30.880 --> 0:04:33.320 of like it uses the framework of the Australian one 0:04:33.360 --> 0:04:36.520 and you know, the same characters and rough storyline and stuff, 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:38.160 but definitely different. 0:04:38.160 --> 0:04:39.839 I'll hit you up on socials and give you the 0:04:39.960 --> 0:04:42.039 I'll give you the debrief on what I alas do. 0:04:42.360 --> 0:04:44.120 This is not what we're talking about today though, we're 0:04:44.160 --> 0:04:47.520 talking about Population eleven. But I just what an opportunity 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:49.880 to talk to you about that particular show. You know, 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:53.400 what's interesting about what's happening with streaming services, particularly with 0:04:53.480 --> 0:04:55.560 STAN Australia is you know, we're seeing a lot more 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:58.200 content that's global based. And I mean, you grew up 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:00.599 writing on things like Home and Away When and Losers. 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:02.800 There's so much to your back catalog. What is it 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:05.920 like now that you're writing for global audiences versus what 0:05:05.960 --> 0:05:09.120 you had been doing writing for assis A couple of things. 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:10.479 I think times have changed. 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:12.839 I think there was a time ten twenty years ago 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:17.000 where it was quite like Americans, specially I use the 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:19.160 example of America's they're the biggest market, I guess, but 0:05:19.720 --> 0:05:22.960 in general international audiences there's pretty bit less of an 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:26.880 appetite to see shows from other places on TV. Like 0:05:26.920 --> 0:05:28.680 I think it would have been to get an Australian 0:05:28.800 --> 0:05:31.479 show up on a network in America was pretty hard 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:33.719 because there wasn't really a It just didn't sort of 0:05:33.720 --> 0:05:36.320 translate over there. But I feel like now with the 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:38.920 onslaught of all the streaming, all the streamers and that 0:05:39.040 --> 0:05:40.960 it has kind of opened the world up, It made 0:05:41.000 --> 0:05:43.760 it much more accessible and sound. Now audiences all over 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:46.440 the world are exposed to shows from all over the world, 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:49.039 and I think that has really helped, so you can now. 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:51.599 So you know, when we were talking about population eleven 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:53.720 with Lionsgate in the US, that was much more of 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:56.719 an open conversation, which was great. So there's that, And 0:05:56.760 --> 0:05:59.400 I think in terms of writing, I think you just 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:01.919 sort of I mean, at Jungle, we always try to 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:04.400 do ideas that can travel. It's one of our things 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:06.280 we want to focus on. Is this this show going 0:06:06.320 --> 0:06:09.239 to be enjoyed by people overseas? Is it an idea 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:12.640 that's universal? Has it got universal themes? Is this sense 0:06:12.640 --> 0:06:15.360 of humor? Translate all that sort of stuff. So we 0:06:15.480 --> 0:06:17.680 sort of go into it with our eyes open, trying 0:06:17.680 --> 0:06:18.720 to make shows like that. 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:21.040 I think that's definitely been my mindset. 0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:23.839 I found myself laughing a lot, but I found myself 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:26.839 laughing a lot while watching this because it felt very accessible. 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:30.360 Being Australian feels less colloquial. Like I think what had 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:32.479 happened for a long time where in Australia we were 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:35.200 sort of just writing either, you know, like very dark 0:06:35.279 --> 0:06:38.440 themed shows. We've now moved and sort of progressed to 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:40.680 telling more of a broader story that I think is 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:41.839 a little bit more accessible. 0:06:42.000 --> 0:06:43.920 I agree with that, and I think that's some Yeah, 0:06:43.960 --> 0:06:46.440 I guess in many ways, I think TV in Australia 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:49.080 and TV writers and that have sort of matured and 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:52.400 style and taste and everything, so that hopefully shows are. 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:54.760 I mentioned Home Away before, and I was thinking, when 0:06:54.760 --> 0:06:56.080 I have you today, I want to ask you this 0:06:56.160 --> 0:06:58.080 question because you wrote on that for I mean, you 0:06:58.120 --> 0:06:59.520 were in and out of jobs on Home and Away 0:06:59.520 --> 0:07:01.240 for a while. Did you have a favorite character that 0:07:01.279 --> 0:07:04.080 you wrote for while you were there? Do you end 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.920 up liking a particular character more than the others? 0:07:07.200 --> 0:07:09.760 Yeah, for sure, the USO your favorites you write for. 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:12.440 For sure, there's always particularly a show like that. I 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:14.360 mean that you get so used to them and and 0:07:14.480 --> 0:07:16.800 you know, some characters you can be better at than others, 0:07:16.840 --> 0:07:18.480 Like you can you can write that dialogue a bit 0:07:18.520 --> 0:07:21.080 better than others. I found the trickiest thing on Home 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:24.280 Away was, you know, writing teenager dialogue without trying to 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:26.560 sound like and all the white guy trying to. 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:28.640 Talk how the kids would talk. It's something I found 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:29.480 that the biggest challenge. 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:32.280 But probably it doesn't sound like a cliche, But I 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:32.880 loved Alf. 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:35.720 I mean I love Alf just because he was he 0:07:35.840 --> 0:07:38.480 just is that show and He's iconic. 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:42.280 He's that character. And I love Ray, Like, Ray's just 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:46.720 so lovely, Rama's so awesome. Yeah, he's being able to 0:07:46.720 --> 0:07:49.120 write stuff and hear him just come out of his mouth. 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:49.960 It was really fast. 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:52.560 How often? How tempted are you to put flaming hooligan 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:54.480 or whatever it is, you know into his mouth? Like 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:55.880 is it too much of a crutch? 0:07:56.280 --> 0:07:57.440 It can, but you got you can't. 0:07:57.480 --> 0:07:59.280 You can't do too much because you know he'll just 0:07:59.320 --> 0:08:01.640 take it out of it's it's too much, that's that's 0:08:01.680 --> 0:08:02.760 too many firemens in a row. 0:08:02.800 --> 0:08:04.640 There, I'll get to that kind of get to find 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:07.360 where the level Isn't that? But yeah, he's great. Well. 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:10.640 Population eleven is inspired by true events the Missing Case 0:08:10.680 --> 0:08:13.960 of Patty Moriarty, which you know was the focus of 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:17.360 that Netflix documentary Last Stop at Larima, which by the way, 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:19.480 was such a bonkers documentary. 0:08:19.640 --> 0:08:21.000 Yeah, you know, I haven't seen it yet. 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:23.640 Oh I know all about obviously, I know all the 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:25.760 stories because I've read, you know, I got the audi 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:28.880 for Population eleven to reading you know, original newspaper headlines 0:08:28.880 --> 0:08:31.080 and that. You know, I started watching and then I 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:32.880 stopped and when you know what, I'm not going to 0:08:32.960 --> 0:08:35.160 watch this yet because I'm still in the middle of 0:08:35.240 --> 0:08:37.720 making our show and I don't want to. I just 0:08:37.720 --> 0:08:40.800 don't want to be mentally comparing it or be influenced 0:08:41.000 --> 0:08:43.080 in any way. So I'm kind of waiting until our 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:45.120 show drops and then I'll go back and watch it. 0:08:45.200 --> 0:08:46.679 I feel like I want to watch that with you. 0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:48.720 This is crazy. I was like wanting to ask you 0:08:48.800 --> 0:08:51.040 about you know, what did you think of this documentary? 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:53.679 I remember watching I stumbled across it and it felt 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:57.200 very like Australian Tiger King, Do you know what I mean? Which, 0:08:57.440 --> 0:08:59.800 you know that genre at the moment is really fascinating 0:08:59.840 --> 0:09:03.600 to me. There's something quite comedic about the story, but 0:09:03.640 --> 0:09:05.920 the fact that they're all true stories is also kind 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:06.599 of disturbing. 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:08.920 The thing about that struck and like, I get all 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:11.280 that you don't have to have seen the documentary to 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:13.559 get and that was the thing that attracted me to 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:16.600 this idea is actually not that someone went missing, like 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:18.560 the whole people living in a tiny town and someone 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:23.200 goes missing obviously shocking and harrowing and horrifying and just 0:09:23.240 --> 0:09:26.480 an incredible mystery because he's still missing and no one 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:28.439 knows what happened. I mean it's just bonkers and. 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:31.440 How could no one know anything? I find that incredible. 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:33.120 It's kind of like the Missing plane, you know what 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:33.840 I mean, like. 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:35.760 Yeah, no one knows anything? 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:36.679 How can know? 0:09:37.000 --> 0:09:37.720 No one knows nothing? 0:09:37.760 --> 0:09:39.680 It's the big thing that hit me was like the 0:09:39.800 --> 0:09:42.640 characters and like, what kind of person chooses to go 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:44.680 and live in a place like this in the middle 0:09:44.720 --> 0:09:47.800 of nowhere in a really hot, harsh environment. 0:09:47.960 --> 0:09:49.000 Not particularly beautiful. 0:09:49.040 --> 0:09:50.560 I mean it is, it's got its own rugged beauty, 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:52.880 but come on, like it's so isolated. It takes a 0:09:52.880 --> 0:09:55.080 particular kind of person to do that. And that's what 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:56.960 fascinated me. And the kind of people that go and 0:09:57.000 --> 0:09:58.880 live in these places. Often they're just they're running away 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:00.959 from something, or they're trying to dis appeared themselves or whatever. 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:03.559 So that that whole thing is really what I wanted 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:05.240 to capture and Popo eve them. 0:10:05.320 --> 0:10:07.440 Yeah, it reminds me of that Radiohead song how to 0:10:07.440 --> 0:10:10.800 Disappear Completely? You know. But the story, I guess was 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:13.960 begging to be mined for a limited series in my opinion, 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:16.440 But how did you decide to take the comedic group 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:18.720 with this? I mean, not that this is a strict comedy, 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:20.480 Like I don't want to say that, but straight away 0:10:20.520 --> 0:10:23.640 we've got Katrina very funny in your opening sequence, it's 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:26.480 very funny, but here we are laughing at something that's 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:27.880 kind of a little bit disturbing. 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:30.760 Yeah, it's we always wanted that to be the tone, 0:10:30.760 --> 0:10:33.280 which was it's kind of like dark but comedic, sort 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:37.720 of dangerous, dangerous and dramatic, but funny, like with comedic edges. 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:40.120 We like that, you know, that's that's the stuff we 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:42.640 like to make, and that felt like the best way 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:44.800 to tell the story. But also I didn't want to 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:48.000 make like another like you know, like Mystery Road, those 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:49.959 kind of shows. You know, I love Ministry Road. It's 0:10:49.960 --> 0:10:52.640 such a I feel like, such a masterpiece in many ways. 0:10:52.920 --> 0:10:54.080 But that's that's that thing. 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:55.120 I didn't want to make that thing. 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:57.079 I didn't want to make like an outback noir or 0:10:57.200 --> 0:11:00.800 really slow moving, sort of moody kind of I really 0:11:00.840 --> 0:11:03.160 wanted it to be sort of pasty and a bit 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:06.560 nuts and crazy, and really with these funny, weird. 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:07.079 Edges to it. 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:09.480 I feel like that's just a different way to tell 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:10.880 a story in the outback, because I feel like we've 0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:13.760 seen a lot of outback shows obviously in Australia. But 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:16.160 Tom even with the music and that the choice of music, 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:17.800 it's a bit punk, it's a bit sitt of out 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:20.120 there and it's a bit off pudding at times, and 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:21.800 that's the kind of vibe we wanted to go for, 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:23.760 just because it felt a bit fresh to us. 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:26.160 I always think of the desert. The outback of Australia 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:28.760 is quite scary to me, Like it's almost like the ocean, 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:31.400 you know, you don't know what's underneath, like there's something 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:34.760 very mysterious and very I'm actually frightened by it. I'm 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:36.040 frightened by the outback. 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:36.600 I get. 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:40.000 I get that it's have you been to the territory 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:42.640 or wa or yeah, out back places? 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:45.400 Yeah? Now, I mean my family we always went on 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:48.120 family holidays and so we sort of would mix it up. 0:11:48.160 --> 0:11:50.280 But I guess it's my child brain that I'm going 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:52.680 back to. But I was quite scared of those places, 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:54.120 like it was uncomfortable to me. 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:57.920 Yeah, it's so vast, because it's so vast and there's 0:11:57.920 --> 0:11:58.880 just you can go. 0:11:59.120 --> 0:11:59.840 I mean you can drive. 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:02.240 I've driven all around the East Kimberley in that and 0:12:02.280 --> 0:12:03.920 you can drive for an hour or two or not 0:12:03.960 --> 0:12:06.640 see another human or another car. It is kind of freaky, 0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:08.800 and so it is kind of a place where we 0:12:09.160 --> 0:12:12.360 feel like anything could happen, and we certainly. 0:12:12.080 --> 0:12:14.120 Wanted to capture that vibe. And I think that's why 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:15.959 people do go there. I mean, when I first went to. 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:19.040 The territory, I was really struck by how many people 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:22.000 were from somewhere else. Like I would say fifty percent 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:24.360 of the people I met were not from the Northern Territory. 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:27.440 They were from all the other states of Australia and overseas, 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:28.480 and they come there. 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:30.080 It was a bit like the wild West. They come 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:31.320 there just to make a go of things. 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:33.920 And I think the speed limits back then we're still 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:36.800 like open speed limits like one hundred and thirty. 0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:37.120 Or something like. 0:12:37.120 --> 0:12:37.880 Well, who's finding it? 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:39.880 We go its outside the city. You could go as 0:12:39.920 --> 0:12:40.800 fast as you wanted to. 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:43.160 It's a bit nuts, and who's going to stop you 0:12:43.200 --> 0:12:45.600 because it's so vast there's not many cops around, So 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:47.800 it's you know what I mean, Like it's yeah. 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:50.120 Apart from Katrina who's asking you to breathe in her face, you. 0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:52.880 Know, yeah, And that's why she is the way she is, 0:12:52.920 --> 0:12:55.880 because she's she knows that. She says, this is my 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:57.840 little fife tone. There's no I can kind of do 0:12:57.880 --> 0:12:59.640 whatever I want here as a cop. There's no one 0:12:59.720 --> 0:13:01.800 here to really police me. I can get away with it. 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:06.640 Having Trent's hands on this, you know, is amazing because 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:10.480 he's had such huge success with Hacks and Brooklyn ninety nine. 0:13:10.600 --> 0:13:12.160 I guess that would open a lot of doors in 0:13:12.240 --> 0:13:15.440 terms of international audiences now checking this out. Is that 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:17.480 why you brought him into this project? 0:13:18.040 --> 0:13:20.880 No, I've known Trent for decades, Like we went to 0:13:21.040 --> 0:13:23.520 UNI together, and you know, we're very close, and I've 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:25.880 made a lot of stuff together, and you know, I 0:13:25.960 --> 0:13:28.800 always wanted to Trent to direct this just because he's 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:32.400 such a great comedy director and he's you know, we 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:33.280 work very closely. 0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:34.960 We've known each other for a very long time and 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:36.880 have done so much stuff. 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:38.320 Together, and we just have a we have a real 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:41.400 shorthand together in how we make comedy. So I always 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:43.760 wanted him to be a part of this and to 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:46.520 direct direct the first few episode. But the fact that 0:13:46.559 --> 0:13:51.000 he's been so successful overseas is also great. I hope 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:54.319 people do tune in because he's directed so much great. 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:56.240 Stuff we'll put that on the poster. I mean it 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:59.760 is on the poster. Yeah, did you get any good 0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:02.520 stuf Alreway's out of him about Gene Smart or Andy Samberg? 0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:04.920 Not really just just their total pros. 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:07.240 I remember him saying that, you know, like on Brooklyn 0:14:07.320 --> 0:14:09.680 ninety nine, like everyone's. 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:11.280 So good, Like all the actors are so good at 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:11.720 their job. 0:14:11.880 --> 0:14:13.640 He said, director, he's kind of easy because you just 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:15.360 sort of rock up and they do a take and 0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:17.040 they sort of rip and they that's all. 0:14:17.440 --> 0:14:19.520 It's really funny and it's kind of like, Okay, well 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:21.560 that was great. Do you want to try one like this? 0:14:21.720 --> 0:14:23.880 He said? It's pretty pretty easy because they're also good. 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:28.800 I watched SNL for Andy Samberg's era of SNL. I 0:14:28.840 --> 0:14:31.000 tapped back in. I think it was like series forty 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:33.520 or something when he came on and watched like a 0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:37.360 good six years of that SNL just for him so funny. 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:39.080 So yeah, he's so good. 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:41.720 How did you secure Ben for this for this role? 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:43.720 And what made him right for this role? Like what 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:46.640 was what was the journey with finding your protagonist? 0:14:46.840 --> 0:14:47.120 Well? 0:14:47.440 --> 0:14:50.600 Ben, I mean I've always liked Ben. I've always liked 0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:53.000 the characters that he's played. I first came across him 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:54.680 in mad Men. I know he's one a lot of 0:14:54.680 --> 0:14:56.440 other stuff, but that was when I first saw him 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:59.200 in Madmen, and I don't know, I just kind of liked, 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:02.160 liked his performance and his character. And then he was 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:05.720 also in Silicon Valley, which I really liked him in that, 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:08.840 and then yeah, other like A then Superstore, and I 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:11.080 just felt like he's a andy really had to be 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:14.000 someone who you could really sympathize with and want to 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:15.880 go on this journey with it, Like even though he's 0:15:15.880 --> 0:15:19.480 doing he's made some bad choices in his life, He's 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:22.600 he's got flaws, he hasn't always done the right thing, 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:26.320 but still I still wanted someone who could make him 0:15:26.360 --> 0:15:28.840 likable and sympathetic and make you want to go on 0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:31.240 this journey with him. And I feel like Ben. 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:33.640 Really captures that. He's a really good actor. He's done 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:34.640 some beautiful. 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:37.320 Performances dramatically, but he's also got a great sense of humor, 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:40.360 really funny, and it feels very organic and natural, so 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:42.840 he can sort of blow between the two quite easily. 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:45.280 So Yeah, I was so thrilled when sent him the 0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:47.840 script and he read it and he said yeah, I 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:49.640 was looking for reasons to turn this down, but I 0:15:49.680 --> 0:15:50.280 really like it. 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:51.400 I really want to do it. 0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:53.960 And I was like, yes, when people say that sort 0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:56.240 of stuff, I always get like, is that insulting? I'm 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:58.440 looking for things that are you know, to turn this down. 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:00.280 Well, I think I think the prospect of coming to 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:02.720 Australia for a few months was like a big obviously, 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:04.960 that's a big ordeal to leave his family for a 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:06.520 few months and come over here and had all these 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:08.920 plans and that. But Tom ultimately he said, oh, I 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:11.080 just can't. I've been waiting for something like this and 0:16:11.080 --> 0:16:12.840 I don't think I can turn it down. So he 0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:15.760 creatively really wanted to do it, which was awesome, and 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:18.080 he was a really great creative partner. He was like 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:19.600 right into it, the whole thing. 0:16:19.680 --> 0:16:21.880 So, well, it's a lot of heavy lifting. You know. 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:25.480