Films To Be Buried With with Brett GoldsteinTony Hale • Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein #304
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Join your host Brett Goldstein as he talks life, death, love and the universe with the wonderful and very fun indeed TONY HALE!
It is likely that you know Tony from his stellar turn in Arrested Development as Buster Bluth, but if not, a cursory glance at his IMDB will reveal a TON of works that you will certainly be familiar with. Tony's a joy here as he and Brett check in and catch up on so much, including Veep, shakey hands in Sopranos, bad acting teachers, unity via Taylor Swift, being in Inside Out and the second one, spirituality and altogether so much more. It's such a good one. You WILL enjoy.
Look out his only films to be buried with. Hello, and welcome to Films to be buried with. My name is Brett Goldstein. I'm a comedian, an actor, a writer, a director, a wood chipper, and I love films. As ro Hinton Mystery once said, the human face has limited space. If you fill it with laughter, there will be no room for crying. Try telling that to Pixar and they won't hear it. They're monsters inc over there. Every week I invite a special guest over. I tell them they've died. Then I get them to discuss their life through the films that meant that most of them. Previous guests include Barry Jenkins, Sharon Stone, Mark Frost, and even Bed Ambles. But this week it is the brilliant Comedia actor and award winner mister Tony Hale. Head over to the Patreon at patreon dot com. Forward to That's Brett Goldstein, where you get about twenty minutes extra stuff with Tony. You get a secret, you get more questions, You the whole episode uncut, an ad free and does a video. Check it out at patreon dot com forwards. Last Brett Goldstein, Tony Hale is a magnificent actor. You know him from Arrested Development, you know him from Veep, and soon you will hear him inside out too. I'd never met him before, and he was such a lovely man. We had such a good time. I really think you're going to love this one. So that is it for now. I hope you're all well, and I very much hope you enjoy Episode three hundred and four of Films to be Buried With. Hello, and welcome to Films to be Buried With. It is me Brett Goldstein, and I am joined today by an actor, a comedian, a legend, a four key, an angry bird, a blues brother, a soprano, a inside out, an emotion feeling, a vibe, a genius, a hero, and a legend.
Again.
We can't believe he's here, but he really is. He's a multi award winner, he's an Emmy Award winner, married to an Emmy Award winner. They called himself the Emmys. Please welcome. He's here, and he's alive, and he's he's in everything you love and he's really here. Please rume to the show. It's the brilliant, It's tiny.
Hail Ah, thank you man. That was so nice. I need that to play over and over in my house.
You could, we can loop it for you, tiny Hale. I'm a fucking huge fan. Let's let's get out of the way. You're brilliant. You are, You're actoutely brilliant. We've we've never met. I've seen you across I've seen you across the crowded room, and I've looked longingly in your direction, and I've thought, don't say alive. I thought, don't ruin it. You know I I do.
I do have the reputation of being like, get away from me.
I've said, is he approachable? People say he's very in excess, he's notoriously difficult. I was looking at your just to you know, just to check. I was looking at your CV. Either you're very lucky or you've got very very good taste, because everything you've done is a banger, and it's sort of like you're a hit machine.
Tony. How that's very kind. I wish I could say that it was it had anything to do with me. I mean, they probably saw the brokenness in me, but I wasn't in a place to be like, oh, I think I'd like to do this, and I think i'd like to do. I mean, I was just so and continued being so thankful for a gig that I don't Back then, I didn't have that kind of choice. I'm just I feel very fortunate to be a part of those you know.
One thing I can't find and you must forgive me. Did you ever do stand up? No?
Or were you a sketch guy or nothing? Sketch guy? Sketch guy? Did you study that? Did you train in that?
No? I mainly studied theater. So at this place called the Bureau Group in New York, and it was well at first I went to this one place I won't say their name, but it was just like the guy was just a douchebag and he was super arrogant and all the students were walking on eggshells around him, and we were doing Meisner and you know Meiser needs you need like a safe place, which is a type of acting theory, and everybody was just like wanting to please him and be like did you like that? Was that real enough? And all this kind of stuff and and it was so fear based. And then I went to this other place called the Barrow Group, and he this guy named Seth Barris just like brought play back into acting for me and kind of like took away the work aspect of it. Like this other place they'd be like Tony, great work, man, really really great work, and I'm like, what's happening And just kind of like he brought the playback and then I got back into sketch comedy and it was just it was a real gift that that place.
Big gift was that first place A very fancy Yeah.
It was kind of like it was a two year program and it's like you have to have an interview with him and he's like he like he like gives you the Godfather blessing, like do you go forward? Do you not? And it was just such it was just like an ego worship place and everybody's like you got in, you get it. And by the way, looking back, it's like he let you in because you paid for it. I mean he just wanted a check. But but then you know, you it makes you appreciate the good ones, and I thankfully found the good one.
You know, I've never been a fan of the knocked them down to build them up school of it seems to me absolutely mad that.
Well, I'll tell you. Why I'm not a fan of it too, is because we already do that to ourselves. You know. It's like we're already I'm already the master of that master telling me you know I got that voice loud and clear. Yeah, so true.
And it's also like there I was once in I went to a class and there was like a girl on her own on stage and the teacher basically sort of bullied her until she cried. And then when she cried, she said, remember that, remember that, that's it, that's it, And I'm like, I don't know if that's it.
It's not. And it's also like, what is she going to remember the error of standing in front of you trying to cry? That's that's not going to bring it next time. I don't know. It was. It was crazy.
Yeah, I'm glad you found your you found your face. And when you did, what was your first thing you did? Was it soprano? As you did first? That's fun.
I was an oncology nurse and I put chemotherapy in Uncle Junior's arm because he had cancer, and that was it. And I remember that day. I was because back then, this is in the late nineties, Sex and the City and the sopranos were like the gigs to get the jobs to get in New York, and I was mainly doing commercials. I was always kind of like the you know, the quirky guy who's not all there, and I was those were my commercials, very having a good time. And I got that soprano's job and I was like, oh, this is it. And I was so nervous that when I get really nervous, my hands will shake. That's kind of the way I have you know, that's kind of how they manifest sometimes. Yeah, and some likes even if I'm on stage, I have to put kind of weights in cups to kind of keep them from shaking. Sometimes, like I'll be totally calm, but then my hands will shake, so which, by the way, that douchebag teacher pointed out a lot and I was like, yeah, that's gonna help man, Thanks dude. But uh So, anyway, I was doing sopranos and I was giving chemo and that my as we're shaking because I was just so nervous. I'm surrounded by like all these like hyper masculine, you know, gangster types, and I'm just like it was a disaster. But I was in heaven. I was still like, this is the best day of my life. That's cool.
I'm such a huge, huge, huge arrested development van When you started that, did you know day one? This is fucking special? This one? Oh, we like this might not work, are you not?
Well? We never really knew if we're going to be around because the critics loved us, but the ratings were really bad, and so we just never knew if we were going to be around it. I was so thankful to get a job, Brett. I was just like, that's all I wanted was a sitcom. And I was around like Jeffrey Tamborn, Jason Bateman and Will Arnett and all these just like Alia Shocket, all these great actress and actresses, and I was like, I can't believe this is happening. So I was kind of not really present a lot of it. But what I did realize later is that people were not used to comedy being dense. They were very much used to drama being dense. So it's like they you know, paid attention in crime stories and like, what does that mean was but in terms of layers of comedy, they weren't. It was like they were used to like a one two punch. It was like, you just they just kind of want to be fed the comedy and Arrested you really had to pay attention, like this meant that. And you know, he's like he went into the blue Man group because he thought it was a support group for depressed men, you know, and then like his blue hand, his blue hand shows up somewhere else and that meant that, and that meant that, and like it took time. That's why it became popular on Netflix because people could go back and really study it, you know, in the DVDs, like they gave him time to do it, and so at the time, it just wasn't People just didn't really understand what to do with it.
Was that a fun job?
It was fun. Veep was really fun for me because I was older and I was a little more relaxed. I felt like I had a little more experience under my belt. Arrested, I was so overwhelmed and I was so like, what's happening, Like I just and I never knew if I was doing something right. And thankfully I was playing like a batshit manic character, so I could just you know, act that way that I was acting in my life. But I was so I'm not kidding. I think I gained fifteen pounds in the first season because I would eat everything, and like they would, you know, I mean, you k know, have been on set, like you'll have before lunch, they'll pass around like an entire lunch. And I was just like, I come from New York where I was living in an apartment in Harlem, and I was like, you never say no to food, and so I just started consuming food. And I was just so don't know if I was having a good good I was just overwhelmed that first first time, Yeah, fair enough.
And then by vape you were like, okay, I know.
By Veep and and I was more real. I mean I was more relaxed. So like I think I was probably a little more easier to easier of a hang, you know, like I was having I was having a good time and so and then actually when Netflix brought Arrested back then I was a little more relaxed, like you know, it's just with that with time, I got a little bit uncomfortable. Let me say this though, because with the me as a person, maybe not, but like the material was so bad shit. Unarrested It was just like an actress playground, like it was you. The storylines were so nuts. And my favorite thing was when I would get a new script because back then it wasn't emailed. You know, you would you would get it, someone would bring it to you. Yeah, and I would just be turning the pages like you are kidding me, like my hands eaten off by a seal and you know I have a relationship with lizaman Manelli and like I'm just like what, like this is crazy like that. That was a lot of joy of like this, this is so cool. You know what am I up to you this week? I get it hook? Yeah, yeah, I get a hook.
And Veep is improvised sometimes some Bite size did they have improv in Bite Size?
No arrested, There was no improv It was always mainly on the page. And then Veep, I'm sure you've heard Amanda you new cheese kind of process. But he'll he'll have a script and then he'll he'll want us to kind of put it on its feet just for a rehearsal, and then we'll just see, you see if it gels. And then out of that, like funny bits will come up and all that kind of stuff and then if many times are brought into the script, but on the day it's totally cemented, it's totally sad.
I did not know that. That's interesting. So there's rehearsal in the middle of the writing process, not on set totally.
And it was all these writers in the UK. We be rehearsing, just standing around with their notebooks, just like you know, jotting things down. And when I first got there, I was like, oh, I'm I'm gonna be fired because I I didn't know if I was supposed to come up with bits. Yeah, but he was more just wanting to see if it geld and a fun stuff came out than great, but it was we would have, you know, two weeks of rehearsal before we would shoot two episodes, which is a real rarity, you know, as you know in television. Yeah, yeah, you don't really have a rehearsal.
And right now you are currently in now you may not know this tone. You may never have listened to my podcast before, but in the middle of the year I do an end of the year Films of the Year special from the year before because I like to wait until I've really seen all the films from last year, so I don't do it December. I did usually do it like Jude really, yeah, that's fun. When we did the Films of the Decade when it was twenty twenty, my film of the decade, greatest film of the decade was Inside Out. I think is a very profound and it's a film that I don't ever want to watch again because it made me so sad, like it made me ques some but I think it's like genuinely such a profound sort of way of illustrating the mind and the message you need the sadness for the happiness. Like It's just I think it's an incredible film, and you are now an inside Out to which I am scared of watching because I'm righty it will destroy me further. Have you seen it? How do you feel about it?
No? I have not seen it. I'm seeing it next week. But to your point, I had the same reaction to the first one, and I really appreciate you saying that I don't want to see it again because I feel that way with most films. I don't like watching it again because I don't know if I'm not going to have the same magical experience what that I did the first time, so I kind of don't even try because I kind of want to. It's like a sacred space but inside out. You know, I've seen portions of it since I was doing this one. And you know, when Joy says realizes that she has to involve sadness in order to help Riley, and and and Sadness touches the ball and it turns blue and she sends it up and Riley, you know, feels sad for this time. I'm like, well, you know, it's just every every emotion in me just shuts down, like it's just it so resonates. And I don't know if you know the whole story behind that, but it used to be fear and joy. So when they were when they were yeah, when they were first doing the whole concept, it was supposed to be kind of the partnership was fear and joy, and it wasn't working. And that's when they realize, oh, this needs to be sadness and joy, and sadness is what is used in the very end to bring healing or just to kind of help Riley grow in that process.
It's really something, and they fucking picks up. I think it's well, no one underwrites them. Everyone else picks as very good. But in terms of the writing that they seem to do and the rewriting and the fucking there's there's probably not much better guying on in in cinema. And I'm very worried about inside out destroyment.
Well, the thing that's beautiful about inside out too, which I'm sure you've heard, like there's the four new emotions of anxiety and on we embarrassment and envy and having a my daughter's no. Eighteen, but having walked through those teenage years with her and seeing how those four kind of overtake yeah, you know things, And I just wish I had that as a tool when I was in those years because I remember when my daughter's name is Loy and when she was on wis kind of bored them and she's French and she's on her phone. She's like she's really always tired. And I remember when my daughter was you know, kind of like that, and I was always like, LOI come on, let's do something like get up. But just having the affirmation that that's a part of the process, you know, like that's to kind of like give her that break and also not just me, but for her to have felt seen, you know, like, yeah, I feel like my life is spinning around and embarrassing and all that kind of stuff like you see me in that. I mean, it's going to be an incredible tool I think for parents.
Is it a continuation for the director because it's further understood inside Out came from his own daughter, from wanting to understand why she'd been such a happy kid and then she suddenly was and you can understand some of the changes that she was going through, and that was the inspiration for it. And I'm assuming inside Out too, is that once she became a teenager.
Yeah, I know that Kelsey Man, who's directing it, it came from it, like a he was pitching the second one. It came from that personal experience. So I know that's a lot to do with it. And just that, I mean, just the overhaul that happens. I mean, and not just with my daughter, just I remember with me, just that kind of like everything just you don't even know what's happening to your body, and you're starting to live in narratives in your head that are just feel so real of what are they're thinking about me? And I wish I could be that. I mean, it's just all this kind of like Douche take over. You know.
Well, all right, I guess I'm gonna have to watch it.
Yeah, I think you're gonna really like it. Man, I think you're gonna like it.
Yeah, Well I will see it, but I'm gonna have to go and see it on my eye with a hoodie because I'll be a wreck.
And I don't want to know. I want you to. I want you to openly cry, and I want you to be proud of it. Shut up, Tony. Yeah, I'd like to tape it, so I'll come with you in our video, the whole thing.
Tiny, I've I've forgotten to tell you something and I should have told you at the beginning, and it's fucking insane.
What I want is the two hundred times you've had to say this. I want that on loop. I want that transition over and over and over and over and over and over. That's a much hard news sharing with somebody, I know.
And what's wait about it is you think I'd have learned something from how difficult it is, And yet maybe this is something you learned from, like a film that Pixar. Is that something that difficult to tell? You just block it out? And I'm just surprised.
How you know this? How you know this? Brot? Like, how are you able to share this with people? Is this a gift you've given?
Well you died just to bring you up to speak?
Yeah, oh yeah, I assumed that. Yeah, how do you know that? How do you know? Do I know? Yeah? Oh?
Because I am at the door. Oh you're at the door?
Yeah? Oh what Okay? Is this? Like? Is is this a gift you've used often in people's lives?
Like just choose it about two hundred and ninety.
I just feel like there's other ways you can use this gift, Like you could help a lot of people, maybe.
By saying it before my heads out.
Yeah, some something like the police could use you somehow, Like I think this is a gift, but I mean, if you want to sell it's just use it for podcast reasons. Man, I get it.
The thing is I could use it to help the police.
But I'm busy. Oh I see, I get it. I get it.
I'm busy, okay, and I'm not sure what what good is it doing? Well, I'm going to the police and they've died. They died, they died. They'll figure it out when they get it.
That's true. But you could at least talk to it. I mean you're talking to me. You could talk to the.
Who killed you? Who killed you? Have you been kidding?
Well?
I was going to ask how you died, Teddy? But have you been?
I was not killed, but I should I was not kill Okay, did I share with you how I died? Please?
I'd loved you too.
I was thinking about this, and I died eating my favorite meal. It was a quarter pounded with cheese fries and then mcflurry from McDonald's. And that's actually true. That is my favorite meal. And then I went to sleep and just didn't wake up. That's that sounds like a great time for me.
So how old were you when this happened? What's your dream death age?
Oh, i'd say my dream death age. Well, it's not a dream bread because it happened. So I guess, I guess, I'm I guess I'm about eighty seven. Okay, yeah, eighty seven? Yeah.
But have you ever had a mcflury? I have had a mcflurry. It's a good last meal. It's really it's just what you have in it.
Eminem's okay, yeah, yeah, but I just didn't wake up and that just sounds great.
You had a massive cornery.
I don't know. Yeah you did.
I'm just like you.
Oh oh okay, damn. This is a gift, Brett, This is a gift you really need to like tap into. Man. I'm basic told you. I'm busy money. You're busy making money? Man? Oh sure?
How much money there is in telling people how they died once they've died?
Not really? All right? I just okay. Hopefully maybe after this you'll be inspired to use it for good. It's a good idea.
I'm not saying that. I'm not saying this isn't good, but okay, but there are better uses for it. Tell me, really, do you worry about deaf? I don't know, Okay, I don't. I will say not dying per se.
The maybe the how I die is something I wonder about. It. I hope, I hope I have a mcflurry and die in my sleepy you know. But it's that's something I do think about.
Do you think that's enough to I do? Can you tell me what you think it is for me? I'll tell you if you're.
Right exactly, man, this gift. I can't wait to see what other layers it has. My faith is is a large part of my life. It's very important to me.
And when I die, I'm probably not Probably I'm excited to meet and hug and see the being that has strengthened.
Me and loved me and walked with me throughout my life.
I like that very much. And I'll tell you what you could have it?
Oh really, oh, Bret Brett, I have been I have been waiting for that. Oh damn, man, I.
Never had someone wanting to hug it. I like that.
I think I think, I think he's gonna hug me much harder than I'm gonna hug him.
Well, yeah, he's but stronger. Yeah he's out.
I mean, look at me.
Pretty powerful. Luckily you're in heaven's a going to cross your binds. But could date anywhere else, anywhere else.
That's true. And I also think the whole idea of heaven, I mean, it's been a kind of a interesting. I don't know if there is a separate heaven, if there's kind of a if our earth will be restored and redeemed almost one day. This is it's almost a what was broken is now healed.
So cleaned up.
Yeah, I think I have. Yeah, because in kind of the faith community, a lot of it, it looks kind of like a new Earth or just restoration more and just healing. So we live obviously, as you know, in a very broken world that can get really dark and that will be restored kind of a thing. Well, you can have it, Oh, Brett, please do pre san it. This is just my lucky day. Man I oh, I have been waiting for this. I didn't know it was going to come in the version of you, but mane, that's a real West for me. Yeah.
A lot of people get here and they go who's that and you say, hello, you know who I am? Yeah, and they go I don't, I don't and I go, you just do it.
Well, And then you go, well, you might want to spend some time getting to know maybe.
Yeah, you might want to listen to some previous vodkas.
What number am I? By the way, I.
Can't tell you exactly, but you're probably around the very early three hundreds.
Dude, you are really putting money over helping others with this gift you've been I know, I know. Well that's okay. That's why I'm here. I sent me to tell you that your gift is bigger than this.
I'm like, shop, God, just keep hugging him. This isn't an of your business is having to do with me. This is about Tony. Give him the hug. Right, So you get to heaven, which is like a bit nicer, and God gives you a big hugging. Everyone's very excited to see you when it's filled with your favorite thing. What's your favorite thing? Laughing at Oh my god, it's it's like a madhouse. Everyone like the kind of laughing.
My buddy Greg Bradman and my other buddy, Dusty Brown, when we get together, it's like painful laughing. It's the kind of where you're you. You have moments where like I think I'm gonna hurt myself if I if you guys keep saying stuff, and that's that's just heaven to me. That's it.
It's all maniaco laughing everywhere you go. And everyone's very excited to see you, but they want to talk about your life. But they want to talk about your life through film. Can you imagine why did you.
Bring film into it? I like talking about death, right, Come on, we can talk about. Is this about film?
I never have enough talking about death.
Oh you have a gift, man, don't transfer to film. It's a gift. All right.
Well, I'm interesting that you're not worried about death. You're one of the few people who don't worry about death.
No, well, be to be clear, To be clear, I think again, the act of dying is not something that I get exactly mean, I don't know how happen because yeah, because that's obviously can be very very scary, and also my loved ones that really scares me. But but dying and that what the act of leaving their theraft does not, does not scare me.
Do you think that that is in part to your faith or have you? Have you always been that way? Was there a time where you used to be anxious about death and that gone? Like I'm I'm I'm asking this because it's unusual. Most people tend to say, oh, yeah, I worry about dying. Now you know, I worry about death.
I used to think about death a lot growing up. And then I mean this, there's this that sounds very maybe cheesy, but my relationship with God is so so personal and knowing that there's a there's a power that's much higher and much bigger than me that is guiding me and over. This is so assuring to me that I just know there's a bigger there's a bigger reason that I'm going to be then, just it's like another It's like to me, it's like when you fall asleep and you just kind of go to it. Please, maybe on a dream. You know, it's just that kind of a transfer. What is it not passing on? Somebody said it once anyway, So it's it's it doesn't it doesn't have the sting of fear to me. Now, keep in mind, plenty of plenty of things have I mean, I've done with anxiety and fear in my life and plenty of things, and that's not that's not necessarily what.
I'm well, I'm afraid we're gonna have to talk about films now. Okay, I've just had it. They've just said, They've just said everyone in heavens like, yeah, but we do we do like films here Okay, okay, I.
Mean you're going from like majors to minors, but all right, here we go.
I don't know, it depends on the films. The first thing they want to know is what is the first film you remember seeing?
Is that the first question they're asking Brett. Yeah, is that what they're saying. Yeah, I'm just please please share this gift with the world. Please share this gift. I do I do in ninety minute best? Okay, okay, okay. So the first film, No, no, my memory is not great and total fairness, my memory is not good. But the first film I remember seeing was Breakfast Club. That was That was the because I was a kid of the eighties and that was the first film I remember seeing.
Do you see the cinema?
Yes?
Do you have siblings?
I do have siblings. I have a I have a brother who's a lawyer in Atlanta and a sister who's a social worker. And I'm North Carolina. Where are you in the order? I'm youngest anthe they call me aunt just they actually they call me aunt. It's not even Anthony, it's Aunt Aunt. I was like, well, that's that's going to help the shame that I mentioned earlier. So yeah, I did not. I don't know who I went with, but I remember seeing it and it just resonating. I thought it was the coolest because it represented every group in high school. To me, it was kind of like obviously the really popular girl, and then the jock, and then the goth girl and then the nerdy kid. And I was definitely in kind of the nerdy the nerdy group. But I just I'd never seen anything like it before. Did do you?
Did it make you unto act? Do you remember that a little more? Like you just no?
I think I just know. I don't. How would always do theater in high school and it was like when of course I'm just blanking on his name, Judd Nelson, when he started dancing on the when they were all kind of rocking out, and just that sense of that I can speak for myself, but watching these groups which are so separate come together in a time of crisis and like thinking like, oh, that would be cool, because in my head I'm thinking, well, that would be cool if she actually thought I was cool. And then you know if oh man, they're so kind to like the dark goth girl, but then she kind of put him to shame, Like you just kind of saw these power dynamics going on. You know.
I watched it again recently on the plane because I'd gone through a phase. I I loved it when I was young, and then I watched it and I thought it was shit. And then I watched it again and I was like, oh, it's it isn't shit. And there's a bit in it that's really interesting which I'd forgotten, which is like towards the end where I think it's Anthony Michaelho says will we all hang out on Monday when we're in school? And she's like no, And that doesn't change, it doesn't get resolved.
No, But also like what a powerful thing to do for a filmmaker to do, just to be like, no, let's stick to the truth that they're not going to hang out. Yeah, And what pisses me off it was her that said it. You know. It was just like because he probably been like can we you know, and she's like that in front of um it which click were you and were you a jock? We did?
We don't sort of have that in England the way that they are in American films.
What what group? What group were you in? Would you say I was like a chameleon? Yeah? Yeah, I think yeah, it's just sort of I was a little bit of that. I was a little bit kind of like I'll be whatever you want me to be if you like me kind of thing I was. I was very much that, like you want me to wear black and be God, I'll do it. You know what is the film that made you cry the most? You a crier? I am a crier. I like to cry a lot. Actually, you know, ashamed of it like me. I don't think you're ashamed of it. Shut up. I oh, I'm going to get those tears, dang it in this ninety minutes. I uh. The thing that the there was a lot and and inside out is one of them. I'm not kidding, it's right. It's right here because I said, they realize the sadness is a part of the equation. But the other one that made me really cry was this sounds dark, But the Hours? Did you see The Hours? Yes? And it was late yep, it was like the nineties in New York and I was in a real I was going through a really hard time and that movie there's just so much despair and so much existential thought, and I was just feeling really low and seeing in film just the questions they were asking and then the way that I don't know, it just it was. It showed the power of just just being seen and not giving answers for me, because I remember just crying in the theater, being like I'm I wasn't like suicidal, but I was just really suffering and really sad. And I was like, that's how that's how I'm feeling, you know it just because a lot of times, and you know this, it's like people when you're in heavy places, they're just like, you know, it keep going and that's it's going to get better, and which is great, but just it was like it was like the movie was sitting with me and just being sad with me. That's what it felt like.
And do you think that sort of made you feel better? Because it was like, yeah, yeah, just feel this depressed.
It did. It was heavy, but it was kind of like yeah, and it's actually, yeah, something else, but that's yeah, that's I think there was just a lot of power to kind of like when I was saying about inside out too, of like these teenagers seeing them these versions of their emotions and not even giving answers, but just like, yeah, I feel that I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy for feeling that. Yeah, but I cry a lot, like I cry at commercials, YouTube video and mainly cry. If somebody sends me a YouTube videos of like soldiers coming home, I'm like, yeah, bye bye bye bye. Uh I can't. I can't and I'll write back, my wife will send it to me, and I'll just write nope, nope.
I'm not doing it.
Nope.
You've really justified The Hours. That's really interesting. I think that a film that The Hours I struggled with because I kind of was like, what's the point of this. It's so depressing that I feel like, what are you telling me other than life is really really depressing. But I had never considered it as your side of it, a feeling seen and it making you feel less Alie, so you've changed, You've changed my life.
You're welcome to add to that. I think maybe because those people in the movie, you know, the Nicole Kidman character and the Ed Harris character, they really the balt was going so much into the depression that they just couldn't. And I still I did have hope, and I did have another side working with me, and so it wasn't as dark as them. It was at least I felt seen for that side. But back then, maybe it might have been back then when I was in this faith community. There wasn't a lot of allowance for you know, just feeling sad. It was just like hope, hope, hope, and it's like, you know, God, all emotions are valid, you know, and you're in this This life is shitty and you got to walk through it. You know.
What about being scared? What's the film that scared you the most? Do you that being scared?
No? I don't. I don't like being scared and I'm playing fear inside out too. Nightmare and Elm Street was definitely the worst because that and actually that's the last horror movie I've seen, no way, Yeah, that's the last one I've seen. Because here's the thing, like I get why people I don't get why, but I can somewhat see that people get a kick out of seeing scary things. I was so petrified because you know, Freddy could get into your dreams and he could like it was you weren't escaping from him. That was the whole kind of brilliance of that film. You couldn't escape. And my brother came in with one of those gloves with like the nails on the or the knives on the fingers and just heat. To this day, feels bad about it, but I was so trying, I was so terrified, and to that I just never I can't separate. There's also this there is so much fear in the world. I'm like, why are we sitting in a room and being scared together? And maybe some people, I know, it makes them feel alive or they like they feel safe in the fear. Maybe that's a component of it. But I'm like, oh, there was I remember I never saw it, but there was one film where someone's like in the basement and they're like, have you checked I'm inside the house. That whole thing. I just heard that line. I never even saw the movie and I just heard that line, and I will I remember as a kid or like being in a house and being like, well, they're in the basement. I mean it's like I have enough of it. I have enough of a creative imagination to be like some people can see this stuff and go, oh that's fun. I see it, and I'm like, someone's after me. I gotta I gotta protect me and my family from what I just saw.
Yeah, well, I believe that the point of them that it's like from what I understand that it's like a roller coaster, that there's a safe way of cathartically exercising your fears, so your body goes through this like adrenaline of rash. There's someone that has all that. But at the end of the day, it's just a film and it ends and you're purged of those terrorsts, supposedly, And I think that in my experience, and I like horror films, that's true, until occasionally you go too far and then you watch one that fucks you up forever and you go, I regret that one. Yeah, like that one didn't end when the film ended. They're now in my.
Yeah, and I would I would say that times a hundred for me, like I can't. There's no one that I want to walk away and go close the chapter on that I'm walking into my house and convinced that you know, Jason's in my home, I'm not gonna lock all the doors. Ever since I was a kid. I don't know if it's because the night might own the street or I saw something, but I had this irrational fear of looking out the window and just seeing a guy staring back at me, or like closing a shade and just having a guy right there staring at me, forget it. I just forget like I'm already I'm already freaked out. I don't need to pay money. I'll watch CNN and be justice freaked out. You know. It's like I can't. I just have a hard And my wife is fascinated by it because she's like, you are an actor, like you know, this is not real, and like she'll watch the heavy shows like Handmaid's tail or just heavy stuff, and I just can't. It's too much for me. And she's like, you're an actor, how do you not? And I'm like, yes, it's different when you're performing it. Then when for me when I'm watching it, because there's something in my head that's like, yeah, that might not be real, but that happened to someone in the world unless it's like unless it's like fantasy or something, which I like, like Lord of the Rings and all that kind of stuff, but if it like really could happen, I'm like, that happened to somebody. So why am I wanting to watch a representation of that unscreen? You know, I don't know. I do interesting. You're sensitive, so he's too way too sensitive.
Yeah, I get it. What is the film that you love people don't like it. It is not critically acclaimed, but you love it unconditionally.
Unconditionally is a stretch.
But with conditions, with condition.
But probably one that I grew to love is I had to see the Taylor swift Eras Tour film with my daughter, I think four times, and I was like, I need medication after each but like, because it was this bonding time with my daughter, I grew to love it. And we would sing the songs together and then I might every now and then find myself play her songs in my car because it like I remember that connection we had watching you know the movie together because she went to the concert. I didn't go to the concert, but we would. She would want me to see the movie and we would go. And even one time she was having a hard time and I said well, and I said, well, let's go to the Aerostour. Let's go to the movie and watch Aeros Tour.
I love it becoming a thing where you're like you're sad, right, you seem sad.
We should be going.
Let's get no night.
We need to go watch the other high school musical. I remember watching that with her as a kid, and it was like a nice like she loved it and it was a nice like bonding experience.
That's very sweet. Well those are Tyler Swift saved cinema, so we are grateful.
I mean, she is just printing cash. She used for good. She saved cinema. She did see. Now that's an example of how you can use your gift for good. Brett, you might want to take notes. I'm so glad. I'm so glad God brought me here to share this with you. I think this, this three hundredth episode is a moment for you.
So you're saying a wrap up, wrap up the podcast and just go to the police station and just tell them where all the bodies are.
And now listen, if you can have a conversation with me, a dead person, you can have a converse. I mean think we're talking thousands of people you can have a conversation with. I mean you have to be on a podcast might to have these conversations. You could have them and then you could say I talked to them and this is the person that came at him with a knife.
I'll say I told him this is the person that came out with and their favorite film is Eat.
And then the police will go okay, I don't read about them, can you? Can you go to jails? Like No, I hear you. But the one that they're really embarrassed about that they saw was high school musical.
Yeah, there is swifty, Now there are swifty. Okay, hey, may, but I don't really share about tails. I want to know exactly the details of the murder. No, no, I totally hear you. But the thing that really pricked their heart was inside out too.
What is a film that you used to love? Oh, you loved it, Tony, you loved it, but you've watched it recently and you've got I don't like this anymore because you might have changed.
Not the film. I might get a lot of flat, but big chill, it's the big chill. Go on, okay, many, Yeah, this is a classic film and I recently saw it. And there's there's a scene where I forgot her name, Mary something. But there's a woman that there's a character in the film who's having a hard time getting pregnant. She wants to get pregnant, and Glenn closes, character tells her husband, Kevin Kleining, you know what, I want you to sleep with her tonight. And I'm gonna set up the room and you guys, you guys have fun. And then the next morning they're just glowing and everything is like, isn't that great? And I'm like what. I was watching it because I hadnt seen it a long time, and I was like, yeah, ah, what just happened? And it was. I mean, I've been married for twenty one years. I don't know. I mean, I'm sure they're out there, but someone be like, you know what, here's my husband. Just go up to my room. I'm gonna make the bed really nice. You guys have sex, have a bit. Are you gonna tell me something I don't. It's time for me to reciprocate. You could use your gifts. You tell the gift of marriage to magnate other people. Oh but God, God is really using both of us today. I did not know that until today. Something I was like jarred by in the movie is true? Is your death? Today? They say, wonderful gift? Oh my gosh, I can't wait to tell all my friend. I can't wait tell my wife this. Actually she's going to I think she's going to be really receptive. Man. I am so glad I came today to thank you.
Thank you, what is the film that means the mice to you? Necessarily the film itself is any good, but the experience you had seeing the film will always make it meaningful to you too.
Oh, goonies, go on, Because that's that's another thing. I want my ringtone on my phone to be Brett going go on, go on. Hello.
That could be your text message you let go on go on?
Yeah, goonies because I remember seeing that and I was a kid who had pretty bad asthma, and the main character carried around his inhaler and I always had. I was always so embarrassed to carry on min inhaler and I had. I was in and out of like I had asthma atacks all the time, and my mom would like attach three of them to me on the during the day. And when I saw that movie and the lead character had asthma and used his inhaler, I was like whoa, And it was just I was just not expecting it, and it was really like, okay, okay, me be Maybe I'm not what I think. Maybe it's not cool to have asthma, but like if he can have asthma, then maybe I'm not such a freak. Maybe I could be a lead maybe I could be a lead character. Just the adventure of that movie, I mean it to me it was every fantasy. I mean it was the film is one big escape room almost. It's like they they go through all these things and then they I mean I remember playing the bones on the piano and just thinking, oh my god, don't hit the wrong note to the stone's gonna fall and they're gonna fall down, or I mean just all this like going down the slide and all the surprises. It was just, man, it was just it was every fantasy you want. You know, you're just like and then kind of thinking like is that gonna happen? And then not just that there's treasure at the end, which is like obviously every kid's dream, and then who is who is the guy with not the monster but like he had really the big guy. Yeah, that guy with like the strand of hair, and just how the kid loved him and I'm forgetting their names now, but it was just it was really a great, great package. That's a lovely that is a lovely answer. And Richard Donner directed it. I mean a lot of people think Spielberg directed it, but Richard Donner directed it.
Richard Donner is in the Rob Randy category of like, he's one of the greats, made so many fucking classics and they're all completely different, different. He's amazing Spielberg producer. But yeah, you directed it. Yeah, what's the film you might relate to?
I would say, maybe not related to, but I the one that I had Probably maybe this might be the last question too, that I might be mixing these, But Punch Drunk Love was one that I just I don't know. There was something about his awakening, like Adam Saylor's awakening in the end when Philip Sumer Hoffmann, he just he just lets Philip Seymour Hoffman have it, and just that kind of growth pattern of just getting out of yourself and working on yourself, and and just in the way Paul Thomas Anderson did it. I remember, there was so much that's really hard to put into words because there's so many things that happened in that watching that film for me, of down to like the transitions, those those color bars. It was the magical realism of it all and how it was done so authentically, and him bashing the window and all the sisters and and the piano like was like where the what the does a piano me? You know, it's just what's going on? And but leaving that question up there and not answered, you know, and just like and everybody kind of interpreting it, and but and just like him him making a mistake and then it just blowing up and then just like go in and just facing it off. And and oh in that time when he's in the car with a is it Emily Watson? I think? But and he's in the car and and someone he bashes him or something, but he just steps out of the car with the bat and it's just like just you's just like damn straight man, just like yeah, yeah, I mean he just let let them have it, let them have it, Let Philip Seymour Hoffman have it. And at the same time balanced breaking down with his brother in law in that room where he started crying. So it was just this like all levels of humanity. I just I love that movie. That might have been the last question actually instead of Goonies. Goonies might be the one that I related to the most because he asked me, I.
Mean, listen, it works, it works at both. Do you know that punstrung love? Do you know the theory that it's about Superman, that he's Superman.
Do you know that? I don't know, but I get I know what my Google search is going to be tonight.
Wowman. Anyway, have a look. I have a think about it later.
It's also also just like the surprise that Paul Tammas saying, I mean I Magnolia when the frogs come out of the sky, and it's just like he's fucking amazing, amazing and just but able trusting the process enough to just leave it with the question, you know, just leave it with a question and not feel the need to answer it or put a bow on it. Like leave it, you know.
It's just the thing with Magnanilid with the frogs. I once read this thing Magnanali is one of my late top ten films, and the film is about death. And he had written it and made it after his dad died. And I believe he said that the feeling when his dad died was so unfathomable. He was like, frogs may as well rain from the sky.
Wow.
And that was kind of the That's where Magnania came from.
It's like that amazing, and what I love about it is even seeing Punchdrug Glove for the first time his work, or maybe it was, but anyways, but the process, I so was in it, and I was so trusting it that when frogs came or I just was, I just went along with it, you know, I didn't because he just carried it in such a masterful way. You know, the best.
What is the sexiest film I've ever seen? Tonyhow what films have you been in?
Brog? That's the answer from me.
No, uh, the sexiest film I thought mine was Mulan Rouge because because when I grew up it was like the sexiest was like Poor Key's and about last all these kind of things, and even today it's like how far can we push sex?
Like how far? And then it's just pretty much sophomore porn, you know. But Mulan Rouge was damn dude. Like I remember being in the car and hearing you McGregor's voice and being like pretending I was him singing, singing that song and then when Setne comes down from the sky in that club and just like it was the it's the one of the most romantic movies. And boz Lermann what he it was just it's eye candy and it's so beautiful and just when they meet on the roof, and I mean, it's I just think it's really sexy.
It's a great movie. That that's my favorite of his. I love it.
There's so many Brett clips. I went on my phone. I got I gotta get I get it. I gotta record this stuff. Oh we are recording it perfect, I got ye.
Now, what is objectively objective? Objectively the greatest film of all time might not be your favorite, but it's the.
Gad that's that's a little catch I would say for me. For me, Lars and the Real Girl is my one. I think one of the one of the best movies by you are fucking shit me.
Do you know you will not know this. The first thing that I did was the first big film that I co wrote and acted in, is a film called Super Bob. You won't know this at all. But in the making of it, I think you're about to say, but Lars and the Real Girl was our like template, was our like thing we watched for tone and mood. We were obsessed with. That film was a brilliant, brilliant film.
It's it's so I mean, I could talk so much about it but we're and obviously Ryan Gosling has a blow up doll, and you know, it's he's isolated and he connects to the blow up doll and all this kind of stuff. But the scene, so many scenes, but the scene that I just fall a pardon is when he's putting the doll to death. And it's not just that, it's when the community comes together and sits in the living room and just sits with him and doesn't say anything. And I'm like, that to me is like a version of the hours sitting with somebody and just being sad with them, you know, like it's a picture of what I believe God has given community for to see each other, to walk with each other when I think God does with us like it's it's stunning. It's really stunning. And I think the acting is obviously great, and I love that movie.
I love that you've said that has not come up enough. It's a fucking great film. I also I think it was like not successful enough because I think because the idea, the premise of it sounds like a jike and it's seems it's absolutely not what the film is. A man with a sex style. You're sort of like it is not that film, and it is that film but beautiful, but and just.
And it's not even it's not even the grief process. But it's how that community accepted that doll, you know. And I mean obviously they're probably walking around going that doesn't that's a doll, right, But they were like, you know what, for him to heal, we need to come alongside him and be like introduce this doll into the community. It's just like, come on, man, it's so beautiful.
It is what is the film that you could or have what's the mist?
Over and over again? I think Breakfast Club I could watch over and over really because and I don't say that about Lars and the Real Girl because Lar's and the Real Girl is so emotional to me that I don't want to. I don't want to, like, what's the word, dissipate it or just to kind of thin it out. I want to keep the power of it. But Breakfast Club has a real nostalgia to it for me, and it's not just a nostalgia. It reminds me this is this is getting I don't want to get dark, but it reminds me how fleeting this business is and how fleeting life is. It's like when I every now and then you pass by a graveyard and you're like, yep, yep, that's going to happen. That's gonna happen. And you know, you look at breakfast Club and obviously those people are you know, still alive, but you know older, and they used to be the shit and they're you know, you know, somebody else is the ship. And it's super cyclical. And it reminds me of do not give power to something that doesn't can't hold it because it's it's fleeting, you know, and we can make good stuff and we can try our hardest and we can love, you know, but it's not about that. It's about so much more and it's just it's always a good reminder. So I always go back to that be like, yeah, I'm giving a lot of power to this business. That is it's cyclical and it's fleeting, and I need to kind of shift myself a little bit. Really good, really good, you're really good at this. I don't know, man, I don't know. Man. I'm telling you you're the one with the gift that is not is not sharing it. I'm just here.
I'm just here to to to share serve you.
I just don't think this is the place you have to stop sharing it. I think you need to use it for a greater gooft You can talk to dead.
Very busy, tiny god, it's.
Fleeting, man, it's fleeting, and it's cyclical. But you can do like eternal ships, like you can really speak into dead people's lives and like kill them from the inside out. Anyways, if you ever't want.
To tell me, I appreciate it.
Okay, I have a feeling money is going to take precedence. But okay, you're in comedy. You're very funny. What's the film that made you laugh about? That's what they want to know? What do they they want to know? It? All right? The film that I have, I have several, not several, out of a few. Bridesmaids made me laugh for hard, hilarious, and all of the Christopher Guest movies make me laugh really hard, especially Waiting for Guffman. Waiting for Guffman. It's so well done and at the time it was so new and it just was I mean, Catherine, Katherine O'Hara, I want, I want to say Katain Hahn, but I get Katherine O'Hara. I met her once and I just, I mean, obviously because of Shit's creak and stuff, but it's like she you know you we hear the like genius words run around a lot. It's like genius, genius, and it's like it can kind of get watered down, but she really has a touch of the genius where I'm like, what she does with character is it's so special and so specific and funny to me. I just I love her so much. And then Melissa McCarthy and Bridesmaids that scene where she's you know, pooping in the sink and and just has all the puppies, takes takes off the puppies from the bridle shower and she's like, listen, man, they gave them to me, so I took him. And I think rose byrne in that is so funny. I mean, every it's just a really good obviously. Kristen Wegg oh oh, I will say this what I enjoy watching. I don't know if they're doing for Christopher guests, but my favorite thing to watch is the Bridesmaid bloopers on YouTube because watching them watching them crack themselves up is so so funny. I will look for that.
Yeah, Tony Haile, you have been an absolute fucking delight. Beyond the delight. I've loved this. However, when you were eighty seven years old, you had a quarter pounder with cheese with flies and flurry and eminem at flurry, and you went home to bed. You got in your bed and you peacefully closed your eyes, and then in your sleep you had a massive coronary and you're explained, Oh, it's a huge, huge, like huge, oh you know, like horror your chest like a sleep first.
First, I want my family to see that.
I know, but that's luckily lucky for you. I'm walking past river coffin, you know what. I'm like, It's late at night and I'm like this this Tinese place. I don't want his family see it. So I come in the room and I I was chest explaining this sleep. We didn't feel anybody.
It was.
There's everywhere, and your wife's asleep. So I'm having to clean.
It's like.
You're bigger than I was expecting. So I'm having to like quietly.
Just like we don't need to get into that.
Okay, put you in the coffin, jam you in, right, But it's absolutely jammed in the there's there's jam. There's no room in it. There's only enough room for me to slip one DVD into the side, all right, man, and on the other side, O fat movie. Now yeah, okay, okay, great, well, it's my fault.
I did.
They were out of the right size coffin. It's just very small coffee. Okay, it's having to do with you. It's decide the coffee, all right, Okay, there's only enough room to to put one DVD in the side if you just take across to the other side. And on the other side, which is also here, it's Maybe night every night. Everyone's laughing. What is the film you are taking to show the people of heaven and f when it is your Maybe night?
First of all, great job, all right, sure, great job, great job, Brett. My answer to that is, for twelve years, every summer, my family gets together and I do a little iMovie clip with music, and I put all videos together on the side movie and they're like twelve minutes long. I would combine all those into a DVD and I I would lay those up on me. That's what I want to take. That's a really nice sense. Do you walk into people's home. Do you just freely walk into people's homes in addition to speaking into their lives?
Yeah, but always with a coffin, like as in, it ain't great for the people in the house who aren't dead, like it is always like oh.
And they also don't make it up, so it's like sometimes they just cut you.
Okay, you'll like it because sometimes I make a noise because they're banging the coffin up the stairs.
Like a large cop because I'm a pretty big dude.
This is also it's on me a bit because it's probably more efficient. We can bring the body downstairs, but I bring the coffee up.
But man, I exploded like full on, like yeah, you were some kind of popcorn. So that was it was a mess. Well thank you for doing that man that mental locke.
Say oh yeah, yeah, they didn't see any of this.
Casual. That was worse, no worse.
Tell me, is there anything people should be listening to, watching looking out for in the coming weeks and months? Inside Out Too? I believe it's the main one. Is there anything else?
Inside Out Too? And then that series I did Italy is coming out. It's called The Camera and it's on Netflix on have you heard of the Netflix? The Netflix?
No?
Is that? Yeah, that's it's nice to support a startup company, so we're we decided to go with them.
Is it a comedy drama?
It's a very dark, dark comedy takes place during the Black Plague, and it's really fun. This woman, this incredibly talented woman named Kathleen Jordan, was the showrunner and a lot of a lot of your people, a lot of ukres.
Yeah, yeah, Toney, thank you for the inspiration. And I and I've really enjoyed our time together. And perhaps I will use this gift for for better.
That'd be nice.
And I hope that you use your gift of of marriage that we've now worked out the what it was for.
I just cannot wait to tell my wife. I really think she's good to love it. Can I tell her that you approved? All right? Yeah? Absolutely? Yeah? Yeah, okay, great. I mean cut to you going like coming home and be like, well, your husband died, so I'm Brett. I'm Brett. That's dark, all right, dude. It's so nice meeting you man, so nice. I've loved this. Have a wonderful death. I will stopped the recording. Good day to you.
Sir so that was episode three hundred and four. Head over to the Patreon at patreon dot com Forward Slash Break Girls team for the extra secret chat and videos with mister Tony Hale. Go to Apple Podcast, give us ADVI style rating and write about the film that means the most to you and why it's a lovely thing to read and people really like reading them and my neighbor more in cries. Thank you so much to Tony for being so open giving me his time, being so brilliant. Thanks to Scrubier's PIP and the Distraction Pieces Network. Thanks to Buddy Peace for producing it. Thanks to iHeartMedia and Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network for hosting it. Thanks to Adam Richardson for the graphics and needs to Ladam for the photography.
Come and join me next.
Week for another excellent guest. But that is it for now. In the meantime, have a lovely week and please be excellent to each other.
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