Craig Robinson, Can You Take My Name Off the List, Please?

Published Sep 3, 2024, 7:00 AM

Craig Robinson took the bit role of Darryl on The Office into a career-launching mainstay in the ensemble. After years of sharpening his skills on the road as a musician and comedian, Robinson took off. From Chicago school teacher/ club bouncer to Def Jam Comedy Tours and Hot Tub Time Machine, Robinson discusses the time he auditioned for The Fourty-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, how a keyboard changed his comedic stardom, and the proper way to drink absynth with Danny McBride. 

Oh my god, look at the amount of Star Wars figure sus Man has in the background.

Let's go This ain't really even it. I'm gonna be I'm not even gonna lie, man, this ain't even it. I went to storage to go get them, and I missed one box, and then I looked online on how much these bad boys are worth. Holy shit, I bought these almost ten years ago. These things are worth so much money right now. Side show. I'm trying to bude you.

I saw an article saying people who invested in Star Wars Legos like smartly or Legos smartly. Actually they're more valuable than most stocks.

I have.

A warehouse like the Indiana Jones at Raiders that are lost arc. You remember the end of that movie. I got a warehouse of Lego in storage somewhere.

So when are you going to sell it?

When the stock hits matt, when everybody's like sell, sell, sell morning, I want it. Yeah, listen, I turned fifty. Let's just jump into it.

Let's jump into it. Fifty years old.

Fifty best mate, My best friend bought me two heads to animate and the heads with replaceable mouths. What and eyes are of me? And Zach braf.

Oh yeah, that's cute.

Well let's tell you. I see I always see how much he's doing his stop motion animation and using these really cool looking heads. So I track down the guy who makes these heads.

Julian Clark. What's up, bro?

You get a Julian Julian Clark, I guess is his name. And he's very talented. And I said, as I'm sure you know Donald Faison is your biggest fan. Can you please? You know what? Can you make a head for me? Of me and Donald? And he's like, oh man, for Donald, I'll race those through for his birthday and he's in the UK, but he shipped them and now Donald can animate with our heads when he does his animation.

Crazy.

They're really cool. You should do like I was thinking. I was hoping you would do like clips from the podcast.

All right, I would love to do that, but you guys have to choose the clips, because well you can choose you as as Scrubs goes, you know, when it comes to listening and watching the show, I've only done it once.

And no I'm saying it again. No, I'm saying I don't mean from Scrubs. I mean you could think of a funny moment from the podcast, and do it?

Can you think of a funny moment?

Well, you know what I want to do.

I know exactly what I can do.

You just copy the with the girl with the voices artist Chico always thinking the same thing. Just just copy Cheeko Artists because she always picks good clips.

She gets great clips.

Yeah, Chico artists. Though, I was thinking, remember the one when we were talking about our our vast deference and when you got your tubes tied.

I do remember getting my tubes tied, and we.

Were putting our hands on our balls and trying to feel our vast deference.

I can feel my vast deference.

I know that's came up. So I was thinking that maybe that could be a good clip. You can animate our two puppets talking about trying to feel our vast deferences.

Oh my god, it's a lot of grabbing the cock area.

I know, but it would be funny the puppet that both puppets putting their hands down and feeling their balls and trying to feel each other. No, that's that's not what we said. We weren't feeling each other's I go donald touch a ball, such a balls and then you go, okay, I'm grabbing them.

I'm okay, we' all right, bet we're going to do that.

And there was another word we couldn't pronounce. I forgot what it was. It was. It was it was some piece of the anatomy. Remember Dane looked it up online. The different intricacy of the testicles.

Dude, I'm gonna be honest with you. I don't remember. I was stone.

This can be oh man. Anyway, Donald had a nice birthday party. He was he was really worried that he wasn't gonna have a party at all, and he had an amazing party with a barbecue truck and a Holy Grail Donuts truck and all his loved ones. It was very nice.

It was wonderful and I a you happy to truly truly appreciate everyone who came through. It was great to see Bill Lawrence, Randa Winston, John Crier. I love you guys, Thank you so much.

John, John c.

McGinley came all the way from the other side of the earth to get here.

Well. People love you, man. People showed up for you, and I love them. It was a nice party.

Yeah, it was a nice party. It was nice.

To see all your family. I haven't seen your family in a while.

Your mom, my dad was up in the place.

Crazy brothers.

My brothers smoked a lot of weed with my brothers this weekend and that was fun.

Yeah. I didn't know that your secret weed smoking spot was the animation room. I guess it all makes sense.

Yeah, I mean that's how you get away from everyone. Yeah, I'm gonna say something. I was my animation room is so dirty right now, and I was so nervous about people seeing it because I don't want this to be a reflection of who I am, you know. And so when I remember you walked in and you were, oh like you laughed, and I was like, this motherfucker does not like my flth right now, and he's being judgmental.

No, I wasn't me judgment of what happened was. I didn't realize that all the adults who go to hot to smoke weed away from the children do it in the animation room. So when I walked in the animation room, I was not expecting to be hot boxed by the weed.

Oh that's what that was.

Yeah, but your animation room is sick. It's so cool.

Well, now, it's even sicker because it's got two new animatable heads of your next project.

Better use our heads, Oh it will. I don't want to see those other old heads.

I mean you're going to see those two, but we will be involved now.

I want to focus on us.

It'll be focused on us because.

It'll be good content for promoting the podcast, just like just like, remember we used to commission those those little animated videos.

Yeah, what was the name of those guys.

What were they called? You eld TV something to Tuna to TV, Tuna TV, Tuna TV, something like that.

Those guys were dope. They wished me a happy birthday. Actually yeah, and uh, and they don't.

Do us anymore. They used to do it. They used to, well, we used to commission some, but then they used to just do them on their own. But they don't do it anymore.

No.

I think they have a deal with the ladies of the office.

Oh really, the office.

I could be speaking out of my asshole.

Why because you you follow them and they do a lot of office ladies content.

I've seen some office ladies content. I think they do all everybody. If you have a podcast and you had a funny moment, they like to, you know, they like to find.

It car cartoon CARTOONA come on, why did you stop doing us cartoon cartoon?

We should do a jingle for cars.

Well, I saw you at the Meg the Stallion concert. Look like you were having fun.

I had a blast. Great.

I mean I wasn't there. Don't get me wrong. I didn't see you because I was at them.

No, No, that would be shocking.

What would you would you been surprised to see the Stallion so initially been surprised.

I wish there were so many street men friend groups who were like wrapping every single word. I was like, oh, y'all are fans fans?

Okay?

Cool?

It was fun.

It was like there were there were a bunch of goth people there, which will get shocking.

It was just everybody loves Meg. The animal.

Is Meg is Meg like lgbt Q like.

In that, like the queers love her.

I would also just say that because she's such an open anime stand and like she's a very vocal nerd. She's like her album covers is based off of a character. I think a lot of people feel free to like let their freak flags fly at a Megan concert.

You know, it was.

Through anime is anime? That is that what anime is? I don't understand. I noticed that anime is a lot of people are watching it right now, but is that a part of the Is that a part of the culture.

Also, yeah, I think you know, when Daniel and I were kids, Cartoon Network split itself into two parts of Adult Swim at Night and Cartoon Network in the morning's Cartoon Networks for children at night, you got Adults Swim. Adult Swim introduce a whole generation to a ton of anime that they might have missed otherwise. And now you know, Sony has frenchy role which she does a lot of. Like as shows are airing in Japan, they also will air simultaneously hear, which is new. So the culture has just really blossomed over the past couple of years.

And Meg the Stallion is outspoken for loving anime.

Yes, she's just up as favorite characters somebody brought there. There's a very popular anime called One Piece. Someone brought their manga and she was like asking them which their favorite characters were, and she signed their book and stuff. I saw several girls in different anime character costumes, uh there, So yeah, it was it was a good time.

So One Piece is so interesting. There's like two thousand episodes of One Piece. Man, it's been going. My kid watches one My Roco freaking swears by One Piece. Man, it's a good show. I love Zoro, he loves what's the kid's name? Uh, what's the dude's name? Yeah, loofy. I guess it's in. I guess it's all in. Uh Japanese? Is that correct?

They have English dubbed ones. But he could also just choose to watch the Japanese song.

Not a lot of not a lot of English dubbed ones. Just the English duble ones are on YouTube, is what I'm finding, and not streamable, And so I kind of like that he has to read this.

Ship one totally true. I'm listening a lot of times. The Japanese voice actors are really nailing it, and it's sort of hit or miss when we get.

Our subs over here.

But there should be there should be some available maybe on who I know, on who you can change your settings, like h the sailor moon stuff was on Japanese until I've figured I had to change the settings and then I could get the English due.

But either way, great show. Super fun.

More importantly, let's talk about hawk to a girl. She's taken over the nation.

I don't know who she is. I've heard men talk about her education.

Jo, Well, how have you missed all the hawk to a memes?

I was at Meg, I was busy.

Yeah, well, she took over the earth.

The hawk to a girl has like she she is a superhero now pretty much.

She could probably run for office and win. She became. She became so popular. I don't think I've ever seen so many memes of a person. Some of the memes are so funny, though, I have to say, but it's no.

Reaction of men after they hear the hot.

And people got really creative with the memes, though I never my Instagram.

My favorite one is my favorite one is guys, you can howk too and spit on that thing too?

You know, I don't know why do you think she went so viral?

I mean that ship.

I know. I don't think men really want to hawk to a girl.

I want a HOWK tool?

HOWK to of you?

That would be one of the I would be like.

Right away once in a while.

I can't.

She can't. It couldn't be like the go to like every time.

No, No, it'd be too much because.

I'd be like, look you eight, I could see the dorito too much.

Oh my god. Yeah, I don't know how many men really want to be howked to it? I think it's just it's because it's funny. Because the way she said it was so funny.

Oh, sometimes you gottat.

I thought you'd like him because she has that casey.

Cobb accent she does, and I did like that.

Yeah. I thought I thought that you'd particularly find joy in it because of her southern accent.

I did have joy in it, all right.

Craig Robinson is here? Is he here? Daniel? Yes he is. Oh my god, this is very exciting, a very funny man. Have you ever met him in real life? Donald? I haven't a couple of times.

Man, this is gonna be funny.

I'm very excited. All right, let's count of said Donald.

Shure.

We made about a bunch of dogs and.

Stories. Yea, here yeah, here spec.

Yo.

Hello. And you know Crank can harmonized with that ship Crank you almost harmonized.

It was a two part that could have been a three part? What is good?

Craig Robins, Hey, how y'all doing? Can you hear me?

Oh yeah, the show Welcome to the show Man.

Thank you very much. Let's go on.

What's a guan, What's a gone Boy?

We're so happy to have you on the show Man. We're big fancy. You make us laugh a lot.

Thank you.

I feel the same way about y'all. I've been in love with y'all for a money long time. It's always good to see you pop up on commercials and all that kind of stuff.

Man, you know, no one our peaches the Hut, Craig Robinson, No one our peaches.

You, Craig.

I have so many questions for you now. I don't think it's I'm not sure if we've ever met in person, but Donald was just bragging that you guys have met a bunch of times.

We met, for sure.

I remember the first time I met you. It was at the MTV Movie Awards. No, it wasn't that. Wasn't that them TV Movie Awards. All I know is I ran up on you and I was like, you're the funniest black man alive. Right now. You look like.

You never know what's gonna come out of Donald's mouth because he really loves Ganja and it's really you never know what's gonna come out of his mouth. You know, we just Scrubs rewatch. We just did a Scrubs rewatch podcast, and for Donald that was watching Scrubs for the first time.

No way, really, yeah, man, I'm like that with The Office.

I don't watch I haven't seen all of them, so it wouldn't be like the first time, but some of them like, oh.

Okay, this is cool. Did you do you like The Office when you watch it? I do?

I do. I like it.

I love it, and I and I and it kind of you know, you get to miss it a little bit. Uh uh. And it's hard to not watch it if I like to see it. Come on, it's hard to not It's hard to turn away.

It's weird.

It really has that a second coming the Office, right, I mean to me, sometimes it feels like The Office is more popular now than ever.

It feels like it's popular now than it was back then. The kids have picked up on it. The people that watched it back then are now rewatching it with the kids. It's crazy.

Yeah.

The pandemic, man, really, you know, gave people chance to just kind of like go through it and then restart it and go through it again. It's it's uh, it's one of the things people keep on at night.

Yeah, I mean, oh, man, we used to me and my before me and my wife were married. Not only do we watch Ship during the while it was running on telephone, we would watch it syndicate at nighttime and on DVD and stuff like that before we went to bed, just to laugh, to make sure we had a good laugh before we went to sleep. Man, that show was freaking amazing. Man, I don't know, with an sinse yeah, with intent like like I just remember, like I remember when it first started, we ran it too. Kazinsky had like some party and me thinking.

Always mess up John's name. You missed the R.

My bad. We ran it well from New York, you know what I mean. We don't really pronounce the R.

But it's so funny every time you mentioned John's name, you fuck it up somehow.

So we ran into Krazinski at ye nailed it at uh at uh some party, and I remember thinking to myself, there's no way these guys are going to be able to uh get the success that the British one got. And then within like literally after the first episode, I was like, this shit is funny and in the first yeah that I'm telling you, we can go into it. Ricky could come after me. It's cool.

Craig tell us about what was like getting that park. You know, I always like to hear people's audition stories of what the process was like for getting the office.

Well, let's start at the beginning. So I love dead.

Pan comedy, right, so that's just you know, Harvey Korman and you know Leslie Nilsen, Peter Sellers, those like just people who could you know, be the craziest things are going on and they're just like, like, nothing's happened.

That's always been attracted to me.

So with that in mind, one day I was on the plane and I saw the British Office. I don't know what made me watch it because it's like soda color, so drabbed.

It just looks like it. But I was like, I've watched and I was cracking up.

Did not see it anywhere, And then one day I just saw a poster of David Brent.

I was like, Oh, that's so boy. And so fast forward to the audition.

I went in and at the time, Jerry Minor and I had a song out Somebody's fucking my lady, I don't know.

So uh so we did. So we did.

We performed it in a few places, a Comedy Central, Wars that Bill Maher, we did on a couple of sketch pad too, and uh centric entertained show. But anyway, it was out, you know, and and it was getting some It was like a sketch and a song and one and all that, and and I went into the office audition and.

Greg Daniels, you know, is leading in.

It's like twelve other people, and he's like, hey, I saw your uh I saw that song you did. He said, really, it doesn't get any funnier than that, which which to me was like it should have been like a big boost. But to me, I was like, oh no, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna be as funny as one whatever I already tell.

So uh uh, you know, you wented.

And then we were we read somebody the confessionals to the camera, you know, some of those paragraphs whatever, and and you know, then next thing, you know, I was on the offices Daryl Maze.

Did they did they write it? And obviously I mean it goes without saying they did, but they knew that you could play the piano and singing. So did he always did you? Did he always think say to you, I'm going to put that in the show.

No, there was the only thing I was ever really privy to.

Knowing was that, Like one day Mindy told me, hey, yeah, we're writing something a relationship, you know, for for you and I.

That's the only thing I ever knew. What was everything else?

I didn't know what was going on on the show?

Show up to work and just improv is that that's not what was it?

Like? Well, we know it was always a fun run.

It wasn't like, okay, make up the sing but you know, it was always uh, you know, you get your your couple in and then you just go.

That was kind of case with Scrubs too. We would we would get it as written and then play and and I really feel like, just from watching the Office and loving it, it feels like you guys were doing that too.

Yeah, it's a lot of they let the camera run and you know it was fun. Man and Steve and Rain and they brain is just won't stop. He's not stop with it. But uh but yeah, yeah, Steve was incredible. He could turn it on and off. It was an amazing, amazing thing to be a part of. Man, I'm so honored and I watch it and I'm still in all that I was a part of it, Like because I watched the ones I'm not in, I'm like, what where did I fit into this?

This is this is crazy fit in great?

I mean, yeah, man, You're incredible that.

Now.

Now tell us about how you got any music? Did you start? How did you become such a talented musician?

Now I know that I know that you started in Chicago, if I'm correct, at school.

Born and raised my mother, Rest of peace, Flora Robinson.

Uh.

She she was amazing musician. She she was first chair of Cello and college. And you know she's sang like an angel. She was minister music at our church. So the music is in us. You know, she was playing and singing when we were in the womb, so you know it was there was no getting around piano lessons in our house.

So uh it was since day one.

One of my earliest memories is banging on the piano and running up and my grandmother was watching me while my mother and father would work whatever, and uh my sister was at school. And my early memories of banging on piano and he running up to the kitchen to my grandmother saying, hey, how was that? Grandma? She s that's a beautiful baby. And I went back and just down. I remember that being like just a kid doing that.

Man, M and that and that and and that just went all the way from teaching at like, I find it really interesting, man, because you know, everybody has a journey and a path and people's paths man, Like, you know, I knew I wanted to be an actor at a very young age. You were teaching kids, man, you were you were, you were bringing up kids. And then all of a sudden stand up and then like how did how did that all?

How did that go to?

Yeah?

So I was in college right and I was studying, you know, uh to be it was coming out to be a teacher, and uh, I get something happened with comedy. Comedy jumped into my life and chose me. I like to think comedy chose me. And I knew I was going into the director of comedy. But ess in college, so I knew I had to finish and have something to fall back on as far so that became uh.

A teacher became that.

But uh in college I started studying and trying to figure out because I was just like, I can do this, man.

That is because I played. I played too much.

I was that dude, you know, you play too much, always joking, always silly, never serious about anything.

Comedy is the first thing I took series.

And so, uh, once I got out of college and started teaching music, I would teach during the day, then I would go and I was actually a bouncer at a nightclub. And and then also but wait, I was the guy who went to get the bigger guys. Hey, you know, I wasn't like, you know, so uh so, but but then so it was that. And I also I would I would do comedy, you know, at night every night that I could. So uh so it was like teaching and and and you know, I was burning caunt on both ends. But I was trying to figure out, you know, how to put these five minutes together? What have you? And and I had to getting a spot on Deaf Comedy Gym while I was teaching out Chicago and Indiana, and then the first it was Indiana, but then it was Chicago, and uh, when I was in Chicago, I ended up getting spot on Deaf Comedy Jam and then came back to school and it was like, mister us.

That must have been a huge brain for you to get on deaf comedy jam.

Oh it was, yeah, it was everything it was.

I got recognized the night I was on there, like it went bowling and supposed like, hey, it just sucks, Like.

Let's take a break, We'll be.

Right back after these fine words. When did you start putting the music with the comedy, because that's so unique. I love it, Like I know gallifan Akus does that, and obviously Steve Martin did it with the band job, but I just I love comedians that have the ability to combine music with their comedy. It's a very unique trade. When do you start doing that?

So I can tell you exactly. I did about two or three sets without the keyboard. So one was called Hecker was Heaven announced in Chicago, and what they would do is you get three people in the audience have a rubber chicken okay, and then other people have scorecards. So you get a total of eight minutes if you can make it. But you get three minutes and nobody hecking. You get to start doing your thing. And now after three minutes, they ring a bell and if you get all three chickens from the three different audience members, you got to get off the stage. The first time I went, I said to them the girl, I'll said, sign me up. I was, I was ready and she said, you know it's hard, and I was like okay, and then uh, I think like Dion Cole went up and James Hannah and b Cole and Corey Hoaking, all these Chicago killers, and I said, went to the girl, I said, could you take my name off the listeners? They got crunched, they got crunched another they were crushing, and I was just like, I was so new, you know. So the second week I went and I said, I'm going up, no matter what, going up, sign up. And I went up there and I got two chickens, and whatever reason, I was like, I'm not getting that third chicken.

And I cut out before the third one.

Right.

So then the third week I went back and I took my keyboard and and it wasn't just random take to keep you know, I've been making people laugh at the keyboard church, and you know in school, I'll play for girls on the phone and you know, sing my way in and some panties whatever.

So the third week I went to the keyboard and.

Was it was it just was magical and it was all she wrote and I started, you know, I went from there.

It's so unique too. I think people are so happy when they see it because, you know, being able to combine music with your humors is refreshing.

You know, it's so fun. It's a it's a marriage that. Uh. I'm glad, I you know, was blessed with uh to do them all right.

I want to go back, So I want to go back now. So then where did the apatow game come into play? Because like, out of nowhere, there was a black dude in the Apatowl game. It was not me.

Donald was Donald was jealous, but then he had to be like then he had to be like, damn, that fucking dude. It's funny, man.

So you know, auditioned for auditioned for forty year old virgin I didn't get it. I think it was the Jane Lynch roll. I think it was the Jane Lynch the manager. I think so, if if memory serves correct, that's what it was. But but I'm not sure. But then I went in for for Knocked Up and I had a great audition and and and then that just just getting to do that scene was was crazy because I was, you know, I had no money. I was I was working in Vegas that week and I had to get you know, buddy passed to go back to l A back and forth, so make the.

Flight, you know.

And then I got there and uh, you know, we were waiting around stuff, and uh, I didn't know. I didn't know Leslie Mann was Judd Appletoe's wife at the time. So okay, I said to I was like, hey, you want to hers, you know, and I'm just you.

Know, think of a young actor coming up to you, like You're like well. She was like no, I'm good, and I was like okay, okay.

So when the scene started that the top half was scripted and the bottom half was improv and I was like, you know, y'are you know you can't have an old, pregnant bitches all that stuff. I'm so glad I didn't know it was she was his. I'm so glad I don't know she was his white or outside of probably be like hey, you guys, come on in the club.

It's cool, yeah, right right, right right, and.

Hold let me let me let me, uh Zach, I gotta give you props and and thank you because you tweeted. That's one of the nicest things about me in that scene, like I.

Did I don't remember, but I remember you were hilarious. What did I write you?

You were like, Man, that was it was so I wish I could remember. Man, you know, I probably have to go back seven ten years, but it was.

It was.

It was a beautiful like you know, push.

That makes me so happy.

Man, dude, you're famous, So what do you take it?

Thank you? Well, back when Twitter, back when Twitter was not so toxic, I used to love blowing people up on there, like people who were when I saw new talent, I'd be like, everyone, look at this guy. Listen to this song. I used to I used to love doing that.

I'm glad I made shout and shouted me out for a scene in the movie.

So yeah, well you were fucking hilarious and that.

That's funny in the movie, and that whole movie is funny. What I look like, I can't even let I can't even let I gotta let you. Uh point one and a half, one and a half. What did you make?

Did you make all that ship up.

Yeah, the bottom half was the top half of you know, it was Judd was.

Hey, you know I get the runs from all the stress and you know the uh and then Judge it's just dope. Heachs left the camera go and and he was giving me, you know, energy because he repeat my lines.

To make sure they got on.

Yeah, and it was it was stuff you know that didn't make it in there, like hey, we don't have placenta insurance. So that was that was just such a special role in moment because I remember going to I see who was it the that they sing eighties music, you know, the Spasmatics, And I went to see that one night they used to have at the Dragonfly you know I'm talking about uh yeah yeah over there in Hollywood, and and I and I went over there and one of the editors was like, hey, we keep adding more stuff, you know to your monel And it was just like just random, like what so, yeah, that was beautiful.

I heard that about Judd. I heard these the most fun because he just keeps rolling and rolling and rolling, and like they say, he still shoots film and and and like and and the and there's like all these stories like no one. No one shoots more film than Judd Apatow.

Yeah, man, he gets it here, he gets it all, and uh, you know he knows what's up.

He's been so uh. You know, you guys are a really good team when when you work together, because that's you guys have made.

It's like the five of them, right, isn't it five of y'all? It's you Jonah seth Uh Jay, everybody that was in this is the end you got like that became another group.

James, James, James frank Over, how did that?

How did that? Like you guys were all judge guys and then you guys just all spread out and did your own thing. Like he's bounding down. That ship is Danny. That ship is hilarious. Man. The stuff that you guys did with freaking will let him learn. It gets me every time. Man, my god, Doug, listen, listen, listen. I watched I watch your stuff because I know it's gonna be funny, and I know you are surrounded by such good people and the and the stuff that y'all put out is so good. So whenever I see y'all, whenever I see you, I'm like, I'm gonna put it on because I know Hot Top time Machine. I gave that ship a shot because you was in it. And that's it was hilarious, you know what I mean, Like nobody was gonna go see Hot Up Thomasine. That's the craziest name in the.

World's on a plane though, you know what, You're gonna get.

Hot Top Timas. She turns out to be a fucking really good movie, man, like a really good movie.

That's where That's what people saw too. On a plane. A lot of people saw that.

But man, I wish I could take credits say oh, yeah, I was in this group and we switching it.

But I've always been a hired hand, you know what I'm saying.

Danny knew well we were shooting up Express he was He was like, hey, you want to come hang out and you know, work on such and such a he was talking about Eastbound and down. He was like, we'll be in Wilmington, man, shooting on the beach and uh and then it just so happened.

Just a good god, is it just so happened? My office schedule, like the one week I had off.

I was it was the week they wanted to be for Eastbound, So that happened, you know, a couple of years.

In a row.

That's so lucky when it works out, right, when all of a sudden, just the universe is just in aligned with.

Because how many times has it been like you no work, no work, no work, Three projects need you for October fifteenth, and you're.

Like, yeah, that's how it goes exactly exactly. You were like, you never go exactly exactly are you never go away? You never go away. You finally plan a trip to just do something with your friends and family, and they're like, that's the week they need you. That's how Hollywood works, right, all of a sudden, you're sitting around for months and months and months and like, I'm gonna I'm gonna go away. That's the week they want you. This is the end. Looked like it was the most fun movie to ever make. Donald, I know you love that movie.

I love that movie. I watched that movie still. I love that movie. The fact that jof freaking survived the Rapture, I don't know how you did that.

And it was like these three genres right like like you got the the weed, you got the comedy, you got horror, like all blending together. It was crazy and yeah, we shot for like two three months in New Orleans, so so.

That that crew was you know, we had some fun. Man. One night we went to see BBD at the house of my and I just remember.

It was one of these nights where you don't know what time it is and the sun is out when you came out the club, it was.

It was dope.

And the one time Danny and I went and we had some of that, we had the day off. What's that the crazy alcohol absent.

Danny down.

Danny seems like he is the character he plays.

Danny is more laid back that way, more laid back to that character. He's a family man and all that.

But but he's a fun guy's super cool, super cool.

Let's take a break.

We'll be right back after these fine words. No man, Joelle, you got any questions for for the legend here?

Hey Joelle, Hey Craig, how you doing. I actually wanted to promote in small Indie you did. I interviewed you probably don't remember.

I interviewed you like twenty seventeen at south By Southwest for Morris from America. Yeah, remember this film I Love you in that movie. I think it's so special and cute and heartwarming. It was my favorite film I saw that year, and I think about it all the time. I'm constantly recommending it to people. And I was like, Lisen screg is here, let me tell our audience also to check out More's from America.

I love what it.

Thank you, Joel.

You know it's about this kid, Morris from America and I'm his widowed father. So we're in Germany and you know, he's like thirteen and he's you know, it's accumbing of age story. So he falls in love with this girl who don't really care about him, but you know, she kind of plays with him. You know, it's a it's a cool little movie, man, And it's like I said, it's coming of age, not necessarily comedy, but there's some funny moments. But I have a you know, I have a nice monologue in there that I actually it was another beautiful moment.

People were.

You know, however, when the Oscars, people like say their opinions on who sheol get a not here at all these bunches of articles whatever, somebody wrote Craig Robinson for Moores for America, should you know what should be nominated?

I was just like, dang, you know, let me ask you a question, did that turn you on to drama? Are you really considering.

I've done some drama, but are you like.

Are you are you thinking? Like, you know, maybe I need.

To I bid one to sink my teeth into some more drama.

Yeah.

Any opportunity there is out there, you.

Know, you may only get on up was fabulous, Like so by my dad's a big like music.

I mean, yeah, Joell gives good hugs, but she's also like the biggest movie nerd we know, so she knows all the fucking deep cuts.

Hey that and then what's the other super underrated movie your Oh, Dolomite, which I raged about. Nobody giving that movie any kind of oscar shine, Like every talented BLA person makes an appearance as a stellar job like Dolery Murphy didn't.

Get nominated for dolom No.

That would be received zero nominations. And it's one of the best.

Mind, I didn't see it. I gotta admit watch it's that I didn't see it. But did you work with Eddie?

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

What was your Eddie experience like? Because Donald and I are are the biggest Eddie fans in the world.

What the second and third biggest.

You can't say that to people. The list is gonna get longer and longer and longer.

If you look at celebrities that have gotten shout outs in love on this podcast, Eddie's probably number one.

Yeah, it's all.

Working with Eddie makes made me a better actor because he's talking to me in the scene and I'm I have to.

Block out, I swear, you know.

So it was so it's like enable to focus and be that and then not every second be.

Like who's who anyway? Eddie, you know, you know, he he he was cool.

The one of the best moments I give you two one was I did an improv. He wasn't he wasn't there, and I said, the improv, you know, it's it's a time period seventies.

So it was a lady who looked like Sandy Duncan Sandy Dunkin.

So I said, so, I said, uh, I said something Sady Dunky.

Right, and then the director. Then Eddie came.

Up set and director was talking and then he said yeah, uh Sandy dunk and Dada, and then Eddie started talking to He said blah blah blah, say yeah, Sandy Duncan's funny and I was like.

So uh.

And then the second moment was he would bring his guitar to set and like so in between lighting, he's just jamming. One day we all set, there's the piano.

Oh my god, so he's playing.

And I sat downside playing. So now he was like, oh, you played for real Hans.

Guitarist.

Yes, yeah, yeah, he can play. He could play.

No, like yeah, it.

Was yeah, yeah, he was just he was just jamming.

Did you lead it or you followed him?

I just I just, you know, got in where I fit in. I heard the chords.

I love that Eddie plays guitar. That's a little I didn't even he's never I don't think.

I wish I had.

I wish somebody had recorded that, but it lives in my memory.

He's got weaket Beverly Hills cop What number is it coming up?

Four?

Five, four or five?

I think it's five. I will be seated, well two three, I guess it's four.

He came back with a vengeance.

Huh.

Yeah, he playing around and then the uh coming with America And.

There's not many numbers, but is it four or five?

He crushed that SATs it's four all right.

Well, listen, there's not many fourth versions of movies I go see, but I will be seated for Beverly Hills Cup four and Donald. I'm bringing you to the theater.

Go to the theater to see Beverly Hill.

Donald doesn't go to the theater anymore. But you will go for Beverly Hills Cup four. Yeah, because they got everybody back. They got Balky, No, they got freaking uh what's his name is?

Is bogamil back?

I don't know. They got they got uh Jodd ryinghole his bag.

Yeah, I'm excited to see that.

I'm excited. Uh uh your face you're still hooping.

Nah, Man, that's a rap's knees, lungs, all of that ship.

Man.

I done smoked my way off the basketball court. Bro. That's a rap for me.

But he's gone all in on his son. He's his son is really good.

My kid plays basketball, and that's what my week is, me traveling to gyms at night time so he could get his workouts in. And then on the weekdays, I mean weekends, he does tournaments every now and then, and so that's where I get my basketball. Joe, I run into a lot of people who I played basketball with back in the day. Uh at these at these gyms. Uh like uh, I ran in the Mike Westfall. The motherfucker that plays the punisher. What's that dude's name, the dude that played Yeah, man, that motherfucker be up in the gyms too, with h watching his kid. You know what I mean?

Like, you know, you know he got hands hands.

No, I know, listen, listen, yeah, all of these cats. Listen, don't get Frank Grillo. Frank Gorilla will fuck somebody up. Dude, he got hands to man, all these superhero motherfuckers. Man, for real, there's a reason.

That they got cast.

Yeah, there's a reason.

But your kid is really good, Donald Tom Yeah.

Yeah he's getting there'll be all right.

We just had a birthday party for Donald, and the talk at the party was how good your kid is at basketball? I knew he was good, but.

I was late for the party because, oh my.

God, Donald was late to his own birthday party, which is the most Donald faison thing I've ever experienced.

Well, I was late because I had to see this kid play ball.

And now let me tell you the story. Let me tell you a story. So we get his wife says, come to the party at uh at three point thirty, right, So we get there at like four, trying to think we're coming fashionably late. A bunch of people at the party and I walk in the house and on the big screen TV in the TV room, there's a there's a kid's basketball game on the TV. And I'm like, what are they watching the kids basketball game for? It's supposed to be a birthday party? And then Casey's walking around and she's like, Donald's supposed to be here, but he's still at the game. Look you can see his head. And she points out it's a live stream from the kids game, and she's she goes, he won't answer his text, but that's his head right there. And so Donald didn't want to leave his kids basketball game to come to his own birthday party.

It was fun to watch. It was the chip too.

That's honorable.

Yeah, man, I put a lot of money and effort and work into this kid after he was born. I'm very I don't want to say proud, because.

Why can you not say proud a.

Little it's a little sinful in this conversation to be like, I'm so proud of this boy. The boy's nice. He got game. I can't do that ship, so.

He he's doing that. Was a beast.

He is. Because Donald Donald's brother Donnie is really really, really good at basketball, at least back in the day. He was right. And so Donnie took me. Donnie took me aside, and he was like, no, no, no, for real, this kid is good.

He got that killer instinct.

Well he's not intense yet, but he's so he's having fun and he does well having fun, you know what I mean. But there are a lot of kids out there that are really good right now at ten years old. That it's it's surprising that their tend the pandemic and the availability of coaches now, Like when I was a kid, we would watch TV and then go outside and play basketball. Now these kids don't necessarily even watch TV. They watch YouTube and then they go to a coach, and a coach trains them, and they go to you know what I mean, there's a trainer that trains them. There's all of this stuff, and so the kids now are way more skilled than we were. So my ten year old, if I was ten and I ran into it, if I hot tup time machine back to and brought him with me. He would destroy me. Man, he would destroy me. He would It would be a rap within he would be He would probably shut me down.

Your brother, Donna was saying that Rocco, your son, reminds him of you a bit in that a practice. He wasn't always killing it, but the second they turned the cameras on and the second there's people watching, he's is crushing.

Yeah, he goes on when the lights are on. That's the That's a trait that I think all my family has. When the light's are on, man, you better put the show on it. That's it's time to work. It's kind of kind of I suck it auditioning, but I'm good when I get the job.

Right right when it's go time. What do I Craig?

You?

You have you have children then? And they played sports and all.

No, I'm single.

So you posted a happy Father's Day thing and you were at a game. But I wasn't sure if that was like your kid or not.

No, I wouldn't like you.

I don't have You're like me, dude, I don't have any kids and I'm single.

We have a girl. I have a girlfriend who It's cool, but I don't have the kids.

Well, I'm trying I need someone to go out with because every time I try and hit up Donald, like what you're trying to get into He's like, I'm trying to get into bed. He was at his party, going he was at his party, being like, you had a buzz on and we're in the pool. He's like, no, seriously, I will be in bed in probably like three hours. And I'm like, no, there's there's a party at your house. He's like, I don't care. I will be in bed three hours.

I got family members that fall asleep while the music is playing. They'll sit in a chair and just everybody's dancing around them for you know.

Oh yeah.

So you know there's the kind that sit there and pretend that they're and they pass out. I'm one of those that can do that. I will sit down in the chair.

I know all about that life. Man. We need to prioritize sleep.

Yeah, really, especially in this business that we in seventeen hour days.

I know, I got the aura ring on and I wake up every morning and I'm like, how'd I do How'd I do it? And when I had a good night sleep, I'm so happy about it.

How about what's your rim like? What's your rim?

My rim? Oh? Myrim. I'm not going to tell you about my rim. If you want to know about my rim, we should probably do it. When Craig Robinson's not a guest on the show, I will tell you all about it, but not with Craig.

Here.

My sleep is good. What's your rim like? Well, it's like a balloon knot Donald, Greg. We try and we we have a thing on the show where we talk a lot about whiteboarding and manifesting and making the next chapter of things we want to have happened in our lives and career come true. Uh, do you have any what's happening for you? What's the next thing that you're putting on your on your real or your proverbial whiteboard that you're manifesting to have happened in your life.

To be on name that tune.

Get the funk out of you? Serious? That could happen?

That's actually it's happening this week. I'm going to okay a fly in Ireland tonight.

Really yeah, I feel like you should host you should you could host that show here in the United States.

You know, I mean, hey, they already got a host.

Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Homegirl from from thirty Rock the Blonde, what's her name? Jakowski jack Grokowski and then Raddy Jackson is on that too, So I'm going to play you know for a couple of days.

Uh in Ireland.

Well, tuning into that show without you hosting is going to be a no for me. Dog all right, Greig Robinson, thank you for taking the time. We appreciate you.

Thank you so much.

Likewise, right back at you, man.

That's nuts, man. How great was he?

He's so great. I love that he remembered some tweet I wrote, like however many years ago and that it meant something to him. That always makes me feel so good. Like, you know, I used to be on Twitter all the time, and the fact that I like called him out for being funny and he remembers it that makes me feel happy.

Well, I mean, he genuinely is a funny man.

I'd love to work with him, man, I love him straight up.

I think we would have a great time with that whole gang. To be honest with you, I.

Would just love to like, like really work with him and somehow work in the fact that he's such a funny musician and the piano.

Player, like I sing with him.

Yeah, you can be good for the T mobile ads too. I was just gonna say, he be a new neighbor in the neighborhood.

Yeah, but he's got that pizza the Hut stuff.

Oh, he's a pizza.

He's the king of He's the king of. He is pizza the like for what is it now, seven years something like that. He was in the commercials and now he's the voiceover. He's the voice of Pizza Hut now too.

I don't know. I don't see these ads because I don't watch sports.

Yeah, really, there's a whole.

There's a whole like I like ads. I like funny ads obviously, but if you don't watch sports or any live TV, you don't see them.

Yeah.

I don't even our T mobile ads because I don't want of sports.

Somebody.

The lesson is, the lesson is I need to get into sports.

Well, there was a great hockey match last night.

Did you watch it?

I did not, But the Panthers wound up beating the Edmonton Oilers, which is amazing because it looked like Edmonton was going to come back from a three zero deficit, which is unheard of in sports. It rarely happens, like you know what I mean. I think it's happened in baseball and in hockey it's happened a few times. But in the NBA it doesn't happen.

Uh.

And they almost made the they almost made the comeback. But at the end of the at the end of it, all the Panthers came through.

Yeah.

See how I do That was sports Corner.

Yeah, and that was Sports Corner. And now it's time for the Hawk to a corner. The sponsored by Hawk Tua.

That is a great that is it's not a hawk, it's Hawk.

Hawk to someone. They like someone made up, someone made us, I sent you, I sent you. They made like a Marvel looking poster as and they put her in a costume and it's like the new movie Hawk Tua.

And she's got wings like hawk rings Hawk.

All right, audience, we love you Donald. Anything you want to say to our beautiful audience, besides.

Who tank Forever? Who Tank Forever? You know, everybody likes little ass play.

They do they do. That's what we've heard. That's what we've been told. Joelle, anything you want to tell our beautiful audience.

No, thanks for coming on this journey. With us so far.

I'm really enjoying our new interview style. If there are people you guys think we should interview that you haven't seen or heard us talk about, like ping us on the social let us know about it, We'll try to get them in here.

Yeah, Dan and Jewel are still uh, you guys are still on Twitter?

Right?

Or are you Joel? Or just down Twitter?

And I am on the Instagram, but on Instagram much more than Twitter. Twitter is kind of the firefield right now.

It's not indible.

Yeah, what is going on? Like, what is going I don't even know?

Anyone on social media is nothing but hot to the other. Social media is nothing but freaking the other one inolytical political political political political.

Political, that's just like where people I don't hate political, Jewel, you really hate hard to We get it. It's not our fault. We didn't propagate it.

The show too.

Like is Facebook by the time this air? No, Facebook is crazy? This the worst Facebook.

Look, I didn't look Facebook. Facebook is so old to me now it's like, you know, like my parents like Facebook is old. It's he was like, that's all this at.

That's what grandparentsing out appreciate.

That's where my that's where my mom is, my dad, my mom's friend, my cousin, my aunt, solo.

You know on Facebook, we don't go anywhere. You're there, all right. That was a great show. Thank you Craig Robinson for coming on Condos Out, Donald Boss ex Stories.

That show we made.

About a bunch of talks and nurses in Canada.

I said, here's a stories neat all should know.

So YadA around you here, yeahda around you here.

Show is that

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