BRUNCH: Interviewing Steve Zahn

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Our guest, we've talked about it many times on this show. You may remember him from movies of your childhood like suburbia, saving silverman, that thing you do. Maybe some recent things you're watching like righteous gemstones, silo, perhaps the new anaconda. We did the old one. Wish this man was in the old one. Steve's on. So glad to have you. Welcome to the show, man. Thanks for having me guys. I wish I was on the couch. We wish you were too. We got our boy Nick Cage here instead. But we'll move him if you want to come over. I'm going to send you a pillow. Me. If you don't mind, send us a pillow, either a full cuddle one. That's fine for me or a candle. You could send us a prayer candle too. We have those. That's right. You can get those made. I pray to your candle, man. You can make a bobble head. It'd be fantastic. Well, well, Steve, we've chatted a few times on Instagram and the other day, he slid into the DMs with basically a trailer, a link to say, Hey, got this new movie coming out. You should check it out. I'm like, all right, I love Steve. Let's hit play on this. I was, I was crying in my office watching this new trailer because it was so well done. It's for this new movie called She Dances, which I believe is out today as of what you're hearing this. Tell us how in the world this movie came about, man. And then we'll tell you our thoughts on it. Well, like, like all independent films, it's just, it's just, it's a marathon, man. It's a long haul. And this started literally five years ago, almost like right now, five years ago, when I took my daughter to her last dance competition. It was a national dance competition. She represented Kentucky and it was really fun and my wife couldn't go. And we had a blast and it was at the Gaylord Hotel in like Nashville, which is like the nuttiest experience. It's the craziest hotel ever. It's got like, it's, it's insane. And if you've been there, you know what I'm talking about, water parks and all kinds of stuff. Anyway, so, um, yeah. So it was just really great experience and it was really funny. There was like a cowboy convention. It was really strange. Like, and I kept talking to my buddies who are my producing partners and they kept saying, Steve, we got to do something about this world, man, this subculture. And that's how it started. And then we kicked it around and just came up with this story. And it's really pretty simple, you know, um, but a friend of ours, Jason Reed, who's great, great producers, produced tons of big stuff. He called us out of the blue during COVID and was like, I really want to, I just want to produce something. I just want to tell a human story. I just want it to be simple. You know, lacking all cynicism. And I said, well, he came to the right people and we, and we pitched him it. And he was like, yeah, but there's got to be an obstacle. So we added this. We all talked about it. We were like, what's the obstacle? And we're like, oh, it's grief. They're dealing with death. You know, they're doing the best they can. And sometimes that's not enough, but, um, yeah. It's a, it's an extremely touching story. We all had a chance to watch it. I'm currently in the throes of being a dad of two daughters, four and two. So I, I'm, I'm, I'm in the, you know, the beginning stages and they're showing signs of, of dance, right? They're showing signs of artistic creativity. And I'm excited for it. But I also remember going dance world's not for me. Like I hear it's so expensive and no thank you, but I'll tell you what, man, watching this, your interaction with, with your daughter in this world, all of a sudden kind of changed my thoughts about having daughters growing up in that world. And it was probably amazing for you to be able to like tell that story. Cause this was essentially your world that you've lived in with your daughter, Audrey, who this is her first movie she's ever been. She plays your daughter in the movie and she's incredible. Oh, thanks. And she is, I think. It's not, I can't say it because I'm her dad, but even though I'm her costar. But I, I gosh, but hey, first off, it's cheaper and hockey. Unfortunately, it's either hockey or dance in my, in my family right now. Just saying a lot of gear. My son played lacrosse. So I spent a lot of days on the road staying at, you know, Marriott sweets and whatever. Yeah. It's a world that has been a part of our lives. And my son danced too. And they were very young and we never, we never suggested anything, which is kind of like open the, you know, the, the, the, the curtain to, to all subcultures. And this was one that they latched onto, which is interesting because mom was a Broadway dancer. We met doing a national tour by, by birdie. She was a hoof her. She's extremely talented dancer, singer, actor. And so it was just kind of fascinating when the kids at three and six or three and five were like, we want to do that. We were at a recital, but it's crazy as a dad. You get, you, you just, they pick the sub, they pick the thing and then you're just along for the ride. And then all of a sudden you become an expert. And you're hauling, hauling, you know, a four slant trailer with horses. You know, that there could be that too. Yeah. It's kind of easier to grab a purple bag and run around with it and go sneak, you know, buy Chick-fil-A and smuggle it into it. But yeah, it's a world that, that I know really well and the competitive dance world. And even if you're like a dancer that didn't compete, we're at those, those studios. And you, you just took dance. This is a movie that pays homage to you. And when we talked about it, it was like Audrey, my daughter's name is Audrey. I was like, there's not a movie that represents this, right? She's like, no, there's like dance moms, which is a show in Mackenzie Ziegler who Yeah. Yeah. is in the show was on dance moms. But it didn't, it didn't show, I don't know. The truthful version of it or like the more heartfelt version of it, I guess maybe. Yeah. So, yeah, a fictional representation of that. And, and we knew this, this world so well that we knew that with the small amount of money that we'd have to shoot, we could make it look a lot bigger because we knew the dance studios, we knew the theaters, we were connected here in Lexington with all these people. But if you drove past our shoot, honestly, it would look like we were delivering kegs to like a restaurant. We were that small. Well, I mean, so I will tell you this, my three year old son is, you said hockey's, you know, not cheap. He's into golf. And, and so now I'm dealing with that. And I, golf is a wonderful hobby for me. And then he saw it, he saw me swing a club. And then he saw the pro swing clubs. And then now he can swing a club better than I can at three years old. And now I'm going down that rabbit hole with this. So I kind of feel you. And I really do kind of wish that I could, you know, rather just maybe bring a change of clothes and the Chick-fil-A that you're talking about, rather than having to like, I thought it was fun buying a golf club for him. And now I'm realizing that this is not going to be the way it is. So the dance, like getting to watch this just kind of really reminded me though, that number one, those are the moments that are, those are the fleeting moments of fatherhood, parenthood, you know, of really getting to like spend the time and watch them learn and grow. And then especially in the movie, watching them become, watching them become somebody that those other younger, the next generation is even looking at. And how important that was. And I think that's another big thing speaking to like the representation you're talking about, you know, of this world. Dance moms is not what I want to watch and want to understand about this, man, personally. But in a sense, this really gave some really wonderful insight. And it was just those human moments are what really shined through for me, I guess. Yeah, I mean, it is interesting how, I mean, and that's, it's the perfect, we thought it was the perfect vehicle for that simple human story, right? And it really is, it's really simple. And your families can watch it. It's like, Rick and I were like, hey, let's write an independent cinematic independent American film for families. It doesn't pander, right? Yeah. I mean, most of these movies, this would be the subject matter, the hidden subject matter would, they'd hit you over the head with it. Yeah. And we just, we just whisper it a few times and then it sneaks up and it karate chops you in the throat. And, you know, and it really, it really sneaks up and it's kind of a trick we do. But there's, we're not breaking ground. We're not reinventing stuff. We were just kind of like talking about like, hey, you know, do they make movies like, I don't know, when I was young, like mask, you know, or like breaking away, you know, these kind of human stories that weren't really about anything. What a kid with a wild face that has a cool family. Right. You know? Oh yeah. That's about it. Well, and I could even take it back even to, it seems like it's been a common topic lately, but, you know, we've talked about like, you know, Rocky isn't a boxing movie. No. It's a human picture. You know what I mean? It's about him, not boxing. No. And he loses. He loses, right? You know? We won't forget that. Yeah. I mean, we watched that movie. There's hardly any boxing in it. There's none. Yeah, very little. It's crazy. I mean, these long scenes that are just like, it's just the well-crafted kind of, I mean, most people, I think if you, if you put that, that movie out there now, oh my God, producers would just start freaking out. Right. We'd be like, we need to streamline this. Do you know how many times I heard that? We need to streamline this, guys. Damn. We need to streamline. What does that mean? Yeah. What do you mean? Just be specific. Cut stuff? Yeah. Okay, great. What do you want to cut? What scene do you want to cut specifically? Are you asking? The first five minutes of the movie. Really? Yeah. Oh, well, no. We're not going to do that. Oh, it's like, and then you get to a point where you just go, you know what? I don't care. You know, it works for me. And if, and if, if you get rattled and you want to switch off and just go swipe, great, go. But we're just going to, we're just going to try to be truthful and do the best we can. That human element to me was really special because you guys, you guys are all dads. I'm working on it, by the way. It's going all right. But, good luck, kid. Yeah, I appreciate you. The aspect of being a son too, or like being a daughter in Audrey's case, you know, watching you be a dad on screen here, really, it really worked for me because my dad came and supported, playing a band came and supported my shows when I was really young. And that meant the world to me. And to see you, and he's, you know, it's pretty hard, hardcore music, not his kind of thing whatsoever. So like your character in this dancing is not really your thing whatsoever, but you learn to enjoy, you learn to, like you said, you learn to like know everything about it. I felt that that was a really, really special thing to watch you go through, your character go through in this. Yeah, he has an epiphany. Yeah. Because he's estranged because there's a death in the family. Correct. And so, and that's not a spoiler alert. But they, they, and so he's been separated, right? And he's been, he even says, I haven't been on one of these in, I can't even remember. So he has to, I remember the first, one of the first times I would go watch Audrey dance when she was starting to morph into this real dancer, kid to real. And I would sit in an audience and I would see her do with a group of people, you know, do a big group tap number or whatever. And I was just, I couldn't believe what I was watching. Like that's my daughter. Those performers are amazing. And you go, Oh, right. They spend four hours a day, you know, five days a week dancing, sometimes six days. And you just get this. It's like your dad coming to see you play. Yeah, maybe it's not his cup of tea, but man, when you, when you want your kids, like just kind of like take on something that you are, that is, it wasn't something I handed you with something they found on the room. You know, it's just, it's insane. And then in my case, now I'm making a movie about it. And all along Rick and I were like, well, Audrey's got to be the person, right? And we all knew that she'd be good. We just didn't know she'd be great. She's fantastic. I think there's a, there's a moment in this speaking of, it's kind of more focused on it's kind of more focused on your character throughout most of it. But there's a moment in this where she takes this movie over and I think it becomes her movie. And that moment, I wanted to ask you, was that a kind of conscious decision when you were writing this to have her kind of take this movie over? Yeah, it was. And it was in the cut as well. That we, we found the original script. There was a, there was another scene where, where her dance teacher talks to her and she wants to leave. And this is interesting because her performance was so good. And she had so much power and maturity that wasn't necessarily on the page page, but she brought forth in her performance and it changed the cut. We were like, you know what? She doesn't need to be told anything. It's, she already knows. Have her decide and invite me to talk. Right? And it was kind of like that to begin with, but it's just kind of interesting when you, when you, when you're going through a cut and how drastically things can change. Not that that was that drastic, but it was, it was, it was important. And it's what I love about the movie. She's the one that helps her dad. You know, he's, he's the one that's covering up everything, you know, and dealing with a lot of stuff. And again, doing, doing the best he can and being kind of a goofball. And she's the one that, that, that makes them talk about something that they haven't talked about. Yeah. And that, that thing also to me too was really well done. And the fact that like haunt is maybe not the right word, but that's the only one I have right now. Like Jack does sort of haunt this movie. It haunts your guys' relationship for sure. Yeah. I was really well done and, and especially the culminating scene as we talk about it. It coming to a head and make, and making the audience realize what's actually going on underneath the surface was, was really special. I, thanks. You know, that's Rick Gomez, my partner, and he directed it. Here's a, here's a great example. Like my son was the PA on this. The son's a great writer, but he's, he was just, I'm in a PA. He's paying his dues. Yeah. I love it. And he had a bunch of guys were shooting a short in this office yesterday. Nice. Love it. Yeah. Anyway, Rick just said, hey, can I go grab, is it okay? Henry, if I grab you and just shoot you down in the park down here, we're shooting in my town. It's like 1600 people railroad track down the middle. We got two lights, one blanking, one works. And he said, yeah, sure. What do I do? He goes, just stand there and our DP went around him with like VHS. He went around him with all these different and Rick said, he was like, I just want to, I don't know. I think I might need this. I was like, need what? I was like, I'm just going to shoot Henry and sure enough, in one of the cuts that he showed me, he was like, I added Henry as a representation. He's like mind blowing. He's like another character. That's really prominent. And it's not a really cool moment. And Kobe told in our editor, like that first image of him just turning without any sound. It's so powerful. And that was Rick. That was just kind of thinking on the fly, you know, and on the fly on a small movie like this, you got five minutes to do that. Yeah, super important. What I do want to point out to our audience, you know, like our audience is mainly, you know, 30 to 55 year old males who are like, yeah, saving silverman, you know what I mean? But, but here's the thing. Of course. But here's the thing of why it's so important to our audience is like, you know, we came out hot out of the gates being like, it's about dancing. It's like, hold on a second. This is this is an important movie because it's it's a human experience. Like you just said, I mean, you have this dancing element. You have this father child aspect. You've got an incredible representation of like adult friendship with Ethan Hawke here. And he's like your old friend, right? So like this was probably pretty natural for you. Oh, Ethan and I go back to like 92. I think you hear that. Can you hear that train? Heck yeah, man. 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Every style, every home. Listen up. That means you. Yes, you. We know you're pointing at yourself. When it comes to party power games, we've got a place made for all sorts. From the experts to the drama queens. It's May the JC. The finance bros. Look at those stocks lads. We'll stick with slots. It's what we're good at. And not forgetting you. Yes, you, the one listening. Because at party power games, we've got all sorts of games for all sorts of tree calls. Eligibility rules in terms of conditions apply. Please come by responsibly. 18plus, CamelAware.org. Yeah, no, no, no. This is, you know, I'm not gonna, you know, this is a human story. We're not trying to dig out a group of people. You know what I mean? And, but I can't tell you how fun it is to watch this with with an audience. And that's the other thing that's really important. Like we're trying to get people to go to a theater and watch this. If they go to a theater and watch this, then we have a shot. Because then it expands and people, more people know about it. And then we have a life, right? And so we've been showing it at film festivals. I've seen it. I've seen it 50 times. And I love it. Because people go in with an idea of what they're going to watch because of the title and the poster. We all do that. And they walk out going, holy shit. That's not what I expected. And it's so great to have that reaction. And again, it's because there's no gimmicks, man. It just slows down and tells an honest story. And in a day where you're told, well, in the trailer, they're going to swipe within eight seconds unless you have something really exciting to show them. And in that world, I think it really fits. And it's an angry world right now, man. Movie like this is important. We got really off the rails recently. I don't know if you ever heard about a movie called Snack Shack. Came out in 2024. It was like our favorite film of the year. And this reminds me of it because it's just an independently done movie that is just so good and so heartfelt and funny. And like Ron Livingston's hilarious and just it's so funny, but it makes you feel the feelings. And we need movies like this more than ever. And I really hope people will go see this because it runs in our movie. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. No, I said runs. Sorry, I speak too fast sometimes. Like, Ron, you know, Ron was with Roe, his wife, and they were in town. He was like, because she played, you know, my wife. Rosemary DeWitt. Right. So he came in and then Ron was like, can I be in the movie? Yes. That's a really good Ron Livingston. Yeah. He was like, oh, is it just a scene with Steve? I'm like, yeah. I laugh so hard when it's such a great scene. But yeah, it's a really funny movie. It's not, you know, it's correct. It's really a comedy, but, you know, it just kind of hits home. That's all. The thing I'll say about that is I've said about like some of my favorite songs, some of my favorite music, like they take their time and they're not afraid to just use time and take their time. Because otherwise it's a song made for the radio. And if you don't have your course and your hook in 30 seconds, then it's just not going to be playable. It's just not palatable for, you know, the mass audiences. But it's really fun and it's really exciting to see movies start to do that. We saw it with like Snack Shack. Now we get to see it with She Dances. And they get to take their time telling you the story rather than saying, here's the hook. And I hope you're hooked in and I hope you don't swipe away from it. And so it's really refreshing to get that start getting that back, it feels like. Yeah. I mean, getting it back is really is the operative word. Everything's cyclical, right? Yeah. Yeah. So we go through these like these like artistic like, you know, music, right? It goes, you know, it goes through the same kind of cycles and then it gets, it gets really cheesy and then there's, you know, then the dance and this and that. And then all of a sudden, wait, who's this man? That's Nirvana. You know what I mean? Like then things change and then all of a sudden everybody tries to morph towards that. And then the real artist can go like, no, I'm not going to do that anymore. I want to do this. And so it's just the cycle, right? And so movies, the same thing. I grew up, my favorite movies are, you know, are considered boring as all get out, right? So, you know, watch The Deer Hunter. Yeah. I mean, you know, there's a, there's a wedding scene in there that's like 25 minutes long. It's insane. I mean, you watch people get drunk in real time. It's crazy. But there was something really cool about that because I love movies like that because you, you feel like you're a voyeur. You feel like you're really watching something that you're not supposed to watch. And you're not in real tight. Watch these old directors, man. They choose when they move in. Spielberg's old movies, whatever. It's like, you know, there's. Everybody's acting together in the same, same, you know, in the same shot. It's really cool. I liked it. I liked a lot, especially speaking of the director's choices. I really liked a lot of the screen, split screen stuff here. I really think it like added a lot to, especially your guys' kind of dynamic going on in the film. Yeah. We wrote that in. Oh, really? Okay. Interesting. We wrote it into the script because we thought, you know, and at the beginning of the film is that, that's that split. Yeah. The split screen that goes on for quite a while. But what you see is these two people, this dad and his daughter parallel. Yeah. And you're like, wait a second, they're in a car together and then the car stops and then they go into their, oh, they're related and they don't live together. Oh, then they call each other, right? And so we had to choreograph this thing. It was really hard to shoot this. I bet. They shot first and then the second day after I shot my side and I wore a hearing aid. Right. And I listened to the scene so that I could time things with the garbage disposal or we, you know, us doing the microwave at the same time. There are cuts in there, but we intended on it being two wonders. And I get a little nervous when I watch it with an audience in the room. Because I'm like, oh, just hang in there. But it's so important because it lays all that track. And when you do that and you say no to the people are like, come on, let's go, let's go. You go, it's going to save us time in the end. Yes. And I don't have to write scenes that make you look stupid. You know, where I'm like, well, you know, why is dad over there? Well, dad, you know, my apartment sucks and I wish I could be, you know, it's like the whole thing with alcohol. Yes. Like, like, You don't really touch on it, but it's there. We can figure it out. It comes apparent. He's dealing with it. We can figure it out. You don't have to spoon it to us. And the thing is, like, the moment in our movie where it was going, where it should have, you know, when he finds the vodka and the freeze. Oh, God, it's amazing. Really funny. But nine out of 10 movies, I get drunk. Yes. Yeah. And you, and you mess it up and the daughter hates you. Coming into the scene all fucked up and then she's pissed. And then we go in the parking lot and we yell at each other. And then we, then we make up later and everything's cool. And then we win. Yeah. It was really, it was really refreshing to see you. I mean, it's a funny bit, but you're like, oh no. As an audience member, I'm just, oh man, it's going to do this. And then you pour it out. I'm just like, that's the kind of, you know, bender and breakfast club moment. And then it's just like, you know, it's for toothbrush. It's it, you know. Yeah. Yeah. And you go like, no, we're not going there. We're going to do something different. Yeah. And that's, that's again, that's the refreshing part. And again, it would, would have been easy to just kind of like, kind of hack some of that up to, especially the, just you getting, you getting that liquid, but it's just like watching you do that. And then after that, it could have been very quick cuts of you like having a borderline, having an internal conversation with the glass or something while it sits on the counter, like, and cutting back and forth. And it's just like, but you didn't. And it's just like, no, yeah, I'm just going to, well, that's got to go away. So I can get my toothbrush. Brush put away. It's like that. There's, there's comedy inside of that. That is, it's just really, it's just, again, it's just refreshing, man. It's just refreshing. Cool. Yeah. Yeah. We, I mean, I'm really proud of it. I really am. I mean, in fact, I mean, you know what, you know what's crazy? I got my home movies in this. My home movies are in the movie. It starts with my stuff. You know, I'm a young dad. My kids are like, I don't know, four and six or three and five and that, you know, it's so cool. I saw that with you in it. And it's, I don't, it's got to be the first movie ever where the two leads, you see their home movies. Probably, right? It has to be. And it's, and it was such a great thing to use. So I'm just saying like, it's, it's a snapshot of my life. Like my wife sent it, my son's in it. My, you know, Rick's wife is in it. Rick's wife is our producer, our editor, Kobe, or the two, the couple, the brother and sister that are buying the Ethan's company. So it was all hands on deck. Everybody was just kind of like in it. But then I think about that. I told my daughter at, you know, some screening and it was like, hey, this is forever. I said, you're going to be, you're going to be a grandma. I'm going to be gone, man. You're going to be able to show this. Isn't that cool? That's so cool. It's going to be cool. Just, yeah, that's just more legacy. You know, grandma grandpa in the background. Wow. You know, it's really cool. And then for that, for then, for that to become like something that is watchable and affects people. And it's actually, I think a really good film, a great film, maybe. Wow. That's pretty cool, man. It's better than like, I mean, not to knock on any Marvel movie. Again, I do it on a show a lot, but like it's very, very personal. I even watching the trailer before the movie, obviously, I was just, this is a very personal movie, but then those scenes or those home movies are added and like, no, this is extremely personal. And those stories are the ones that I really want to hear. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. It's a real deal. So I think that's a great thing. Steve, let me ask you a question, man. So you, I think you really came into your own and you've had a long, amazing career, but when you started really taking on the form of the dad in movies, dude, I'll tell you what, man, I knew that I saw 8-Bit Christmas before I had my first daughter and you sort of like spoke to me in that movie of like, hey, man, this is going to be your thing. And you really, I got so emotional at the end of that movie, hadn't even had my daughter yet. What is it, what is it about your life and like your career that really led you to just being such a, such a good dad on screen? I don't know. I think, I think that's just like, by chance. I mean, it's a lot of comments. It's just weird to have a career for a long time where you go from like the pot head and then you're like the janitor and then all, and then you're like, what am I now? I'm kind of in between stuff. And then your first time, you're like, oh, my dad, no, that's awesome. And, and so then people start recognizing you as this dad, but the dad parts with it. So that's not just like the drug dealer, which is just kind of the same part. Dads are all over the place, man. You can play all kinds of different dads. And so, yeah, I don't know what it is, but, and now I'm starting to morph it. You know, all of a sudden I'm the older dad. My kids are in college now. Like, oh, okay. Yeah. Apparently with thumbs up. Yeah. Did that, is that me? Try it again. Do it, do a thumbs up on screen. See what happens. Yeah, but I did like, oh, no, you can't do it. No, you can't do it. We'll never have that on the back. We'll never have it. Yeah, but we got it on record. So yeah, but then, you know, and eventually I'll be like, you know, the old guy going like, hello son, you know, whatever. What? I don't know. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not. Now I want that character. That's a cool thing about it. All right. So what are you working on? I was needing an old guy. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. I think you'll be really great in that too, Steve. I think that the old guy, just the old guy. Well, but okay, if we're, look, if we are going to get onto some of this, I'm just going to say the most outlandish thing that you, look, I thought vacations were going to be a much bigger problem in my life because I was going to run into some guy who was actually a murderer and perfect, perfect getaway. Like dude, terrifying shit. Okay. Yeah, that was really, really terrifying movie to me. I love that movie. That was, yeah, that was David Tooie. That was a great script. And that was a tough one because when, when I talked to him about it, I was like, man, you got to get this absolutely right. You can't screw this up. Like you, the minute you, the minute you wink or tip your hat or do the wrong thing, the movie's over. Yep. You have to really commit because one of these people is the bad guy or whatever, two people. Yeah. And there's only, there's only six to pick from really. And so you have to sustain that for the longest time. So that's why I thought it was like, it was a real challenge. And I remember just playing that part. I thought, I never went to work thinking I was that guy that you're talking about. I played him like I was just, I was the nerdiest, you know, fish out of water. That's who I was playing. Never, never did I turn my, you know, one time the director was like, Hey, maybe you turn back. Look at them. I was like, why? Because, you know, I was like, Oh, no, no, no. Don't go there, man. Away. Well, that's, that's what I mean. We talked about, we've talked about that so many times of, of the, like you said, one wink or you, you leave the camera lingering on, on, on his, on an expression for too long, just one, two seconds, maybe too long. Right. You gave it away. And like, we don't want, you don't want that. The story like the music cues. Like people, your audiences are really savvy. They are. Audiences are smart, man. And, and you don't, if you, if you mess with them at all, that's our movie. If you, if you know, if you laid too much out there, it doesn't pay off later. Yeah. Yeah. You know. Yeah. I thought you were talking about, you were going to be scared of truckers. That's where I thought you were going to. Well, well, yeah. A joyride holds up. That's a good move. It is great. And it does hold up. I mean, even without, yeah, technology and all that, you know, CBs, they still use. Of course. They still do. Well, I mean, there's, with such a, look, it's, it's not like we didn't bring you here so I can, so we can, can totally gloss and glaze on you and everything. But in the same vein, it's like, you know, we were talking about it. It's like, Steve, you just, like, man, you just, you don't miss really much. And you have such a, we've seen such a range out of you from movies like we're talking about, like on right now, to the dad movies, to the comedy. And so it kind of makes, my biggest question is, is probably like, what's your favorite, where's your, where's your favorite place to kind of sit and, and live in on, in your movies? Oh man, I really don't. I try not to, this is, is honest as I can be. I try to stay as naive as possible. I, I, you know, I consider myself a storyteller and, and now I've produced and, and, and worked the whole thing. But I really try to stay as naive as possible. I, I, I still get excited when I read a script and there's a character that just pops out. And it's not preface too much. And I go, oh, I want to play that guy. Yeah. You know, and I get excited. Then I know that I can be good. Right. And, and then if, if there's other great people that are just excited and a great director, that's really, you know, a great DP and all of a sudden, all these other aspects that can contribute to a great film, then it may be a great film. But all I know is this part right here, I can access this and I can do. And so I don't have a plan. Okay. Okay. I don't have a plan like, you know, it'd be really good if I did something really serious next and then just go crazy and do anaconda. It doesn't work like that. Number one, I don't have that power. I don't have the control over what comes through the zeitgeist in my, you know, from my, you know, my people like, here's the offer, you know. So, and then sometimes you got to work, man. Yeah, sure. You know, we're not all, you know, making 20 million a movie. Most actors are not. We got to go work, you know. I'm imagining that Lenny, was Lenny from that thing you do? Was that one of those characters you saw and you went, oh man, that's me. You know what? That when I got called, I was living in Jersey, I was living in Pennsylvania in a cabin, long story, but my wife and I lived out there. I think we were going to be married then, but I got a call like, hey, they're going to do a staged reading or just a read through of a film in New York. We go do it. I'm like, yeah. You know, they didn't pay. It was just kind of a favor, like go in and they wanted actors to come in. And I said, yeah, I'll do it. And I go in and I go to the read through and Tom Hanks is there. Okay. Oh, what's happening? Like what movie is this? No, that's what I meant. You're like, wait, what? What am I reading? Wait, this is written by, okay, that's your fake name. I got it. And so I did the read through and they laughed really hard at my read through. When I read the story and then after he came to chase me down, he was like, hey, that was great. Wow, we want to make this movie. And I was like, yeah, great. Good luck with it. And then he called me like a couple of days later and that was it. Did you say, did you say, when he said, oh, it was really great. Did you say thanks Tom or thanks Mr. Hanks? I said, thank you, Mr. Sir, sir. Okay. That's good. Hey Admiral. Yes. That's good, sir. Yes. Captain Forrest. We hark on all the time when we cover movies like that and we covered that thing you do and we're all musicians, but it's important to us to see on-screen musicians actually kind of play their instruments and fret their instruments in the right way and then the drummer beyond beat. You're a musician, correct? Was that a form to you? I have a lot of friends who are musicians. I hate that. I have a knife, but I'm not a Navy SEAL. It's kind of like, yeah, I've been in a YouTube video before, but I'm not an actor. Exactly. So yes, I play guitar. And all of us, I think other than John Schaek was pretty, Tom Everett Scott never played drums. That's crazy. Oh my God. That's wild. That's insane. Like that's, you just magically found a guy who looks like who you want and is like, can like do it. We rehearsed with our instruments for the longest time. I'm going to say it was like total maybe six weeks without any script work. Wow. And Tom and Gary Getsman, their whole thing was they just, they didn't want to worry about, remember this is film, this isn't digital. Sure. The film's valuable, right? You got to load it and the whole thing. It just changes everything. So when we were doing those big performance pieces, those scenes, they didn't want to have to worry about who's on the solo and who they just wanted to be free. So they said, you guys need to be on it. And we got to work. Yeah, we were, we got to a point where we were playing playback, but we did the read through, the initial read through at Culver Studios in LA. And we all dressed up. We had skinny ties on everything and that people come to a read through it's just like whatever. And the band, the stage was set up. And when we got to the music, we went up on stage and played. It was the coolest read through people. It was like, oh my God. Yeah, that was insane. That was so fun. 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Your infrastructure stays current, so your business never slows down. Visit everpeerdata.com to learn more today. With EverPeer, you're not just in the race, you're built to win it. It kind of changes. It's like that thing you do is a big one. Saving Silverman. Diary of a Wimpy Kid because there's a bunch of like anyone from like 23 to it's like grew up with it. Yeah, it varies. It's kind of strange. And then sometimes like national security, it'll be a big deal. Sure. The comedies are big. Joyride. Yeah. That's a testimony to your range though of like it probably just depends. You can see them coming down the street and you're like, okay, that is a 35 year old male. So he's going to say he's going to do saving Silverman. Totally. And then if anybody comes up and says like, hey man, I love strange wilderness. I go like, yeah, that's cool. You love smoking pot. Right. Speaking of those people, I'm going to come out and say like, saving Silverman is like one of my favorite movies. I do. I do all the time. We did a top 50 rewatchable movies of the 21st century and that was one of my picks. It's wholly rewatchable. One of my favorite comedies of all time. And remember that movie was pan. It wasn't really. I actually did not know that. It really didn't do much. Studio didn't, you know, didn't, I've never, it was like number one. And that's the thing that always blows me away. You know, you go do these like retrospectives of your life or whatever and go to, you know, film festival and they're like honoring you with the golden popcorn thing, whatever. And they always bring out these movies like Happy Texas, you know, they'll go through the list, you know, even that thing you do like Sarah flop. That thing you do second place, they're really disappointed. Happy Texas played in one theater. You know, they're all, none of them were these big monstrous hits. I think the only, the only water cooler show I've ever been in that was like, where everybody saw it and I, and it, and it, and I knew it in the moment was White Lotus. And that was late. That was late in my career. You know, I'm in my fifties. So it's been interesting, isn't it? But would you rather have, I mean, this is an interesting thought. Would you rather have the one gigantic movie that goes away? Or would you rather have that one that flops and builds? All that, yeah. No, I want all the things that sit in people's brains and people love to watch the stories that are part of their subconscious. I don't have a problem as someone who's trying to figure me out. You know, I just, I'm just like a picture in their brain. They're just like, as I get older now, people are more specific, but I went through a long period where people just thought they knew me, you know? Sure. And I thought that was a compliment. I was like, this is good because I'm an actor, right? So I want to be behind a mask, right? That's the whole point. I want to be able to shape shift in front of you. And if you know everything about my business, then guess what? I can't shape shift in front of you anymore. That's very true. Just thinking about my life. And that's part of the reason why I've always lived on a farm. Number one, I like it dark at night. I like to fish. Number two, you know, but it's not because I hate somewhere else, but it also keeps me just kind of like, I like, I like just the use on the other side of my brain, you know, and not thinking too much about it because it'll drive you nuts. Well, to be honest with you, man, like you, you reaching out to us and coming on the show, I was Oklahoma nervous to be honest with you. Like you are that kind of guy to a lot of people, especially us in this room. Like when we covered that thing you do, it's like, why is he the best part of this movie? Right. And then you think of the range, like Rescue Dawn is a movie that actually really disturbed me. That's actually, I mean, but that sort of range is just like, well, he's in that the guy from Saving Silverman, the, the crater catcher. Yeah. No, that's, it's, I'm so lucky, man. I mean, you know, I don't know how that all happened. I don't know, you know, I mean, I can tell you why that happened. I think it's because I made a call, you know, it's like, I called you guys like, I am trying to promote my movie, man. You know, it's like Verna Herzog is going to make a movie out of my favorite documentary. Can I please talk to him? That's crazy. Yeah. And it was like, yeah, you want to talk to me once you come to my house and I'll cook you a steak. And that was it. Wow. And, and, and then I'm doing that movie a year and a half later, you know, 40 pounds less that can happen without von Sempeck or whatever. You say fun, Zempick? Von Sempeck. He's called eating salmon and vegetables. Oh, weird. And maybe like working on your farm and like being outside. And then I ran a lot. I don't like that part as much. I got bad knees, Steve. I got a bone spur. Oh, dude. Hey, that was so funny. I saw you on that. Was that like the today show? I don't know if you guys saw this interview. They go, how'd you, how did this happen to you, Steve? And he's like, he brings us huge story of like, well, I was chasing a horse and, and just so happened that I also had bones per surgery the next day. Unrelated, unrelated to that horse. Yeah. But you're on a morning show and it just doesn't work ever. Like, you know, you do the, you do Seth Meyers and, and jokes and everything land. Morning shows are just like really hard to do. They're already thinking of the next thing they're going to ask. I heard a lot of, oh, three and a half hour show that's just really kind of like, boom. And then cut to here and cut, you know, it's like, and they have you on for a 30 second segment. Right. If you tell one joke that goes a little too long and it's like, panic. We can't get to the weather on the eights. On the eights. It's eight, oh one. We can, we have to skip it. Shoot. Well, the man, the fact, the fact that you did take some time to talk to us is amazing. We are huge fans. Our audience loves you. And I think one last final pitch to everybody out there. I mean, really we, we haven't steered you wrong. I mean, we do deal in nostalgia. We talk eighties, nineties, two thousands, but when there's something new out there that is worth it, that hits that vein, we always talk about it. And I really, I really hope people will go see she dances because we were lucky enough to see the screener. I'm going to take my wife actually over the weekend. I'm so excited for people to see this movie. I can't thank you enough for helping me pitch this thing. And it's like, again, it's like a little movie and you, all these big movies, man, you're going to see Mario Brothers is in 3,500 out screens. Sure. You know, ours is in 50. So it's like, it's, it's, it's a long, it's a long life. Hopefully it just lays out there and people start discovering it and they go, whoa, this is really good. You need to go see this. So we'll see. Best of luck, man. Dude, what, yeah, we'll, we keep talking about it. We absolutely, and it is, if speaking on that, that point too, I mean, the movie is very much speaking to the nostalgia. If it starts with your own home, man, I mean, Me, come on. What's more nostalgic than that? And you get people who are like, is that AI? Go know that backyard, dude. Yeah, exactly. And that's when, when you see you as that young man, you know, that younger version of yourself with your kids, I thought I'm like, how the heck to wait, how'd they do that? Wait. It busts me up every time I swear. I swear. Oh, I can't imagine. And it's, I can't get through this thing. Surely talk about it with that. Yeah. And the cat, the cast is incredible. Your daughter's amazing. You, I wrote down a few quick names. Saniqua Martin greens out of this world. She's incredible in this. Star Trek. Along with Michael Cudlitz too. Michael Cudlitz. Yeah, that's right. He came in for one day. He's a one day baby. Yeah, he came in for one day. He was in Vancouver, flew to Kentucky to do one scene for us. Wow. And he said, you know, it's because Rick and he and Ron were all in a band of brothers and band of brothers and they are truly a band of brothers. And it's like, Hey, will you do this for me? He almost parachuted in. I swear to God. I can't tell you it like I've, I've watched band of brothers a few times through and yeah, millions people have obviously it's just like, but man, when I, when I made the connection of Rick and him in that and then it started to spiral with Michael Cudlitz and like just, right? I was just like, I started making all these little connections and it's just such a weird, small world thing for you. For all friends, whenever the main dance mom, she's my pal. She was so good. She's amazing. Mackenzie Ziegler. Amazing. Yeah. That was her first, was this Mackenzie's first role? She nailed it, man. Mackenzie's first role and her and Audrey and we, we, to get them to be like sisters, it was, it was, we did this old fashioned thing. It's called rehearsal. Oh, weird. Oh. Yeah. Remember that? It's like, yeah, you're, you're, you guys play music. Can you imagine just going and just going like, what, what, beef flat? Cool. Go. Yeah. We rehearsed all of our questions before he came on. The St. John to be good. No. And if you have the plush pillow, you could prop it up in front. No. See? We'll wait. We will replace Nick, Nick Cage with you if we can get one of these. I'm telling you. Just saying. Okay. Wait, hold on. Last, last question. What is on your hat? What is the picture on your hat? Oh, that's, that's Billy Jack. Oh hell yeah. Yeah. You know that, you know that, that, that old independent film, Billy Jack? Absolutely. And he was like, it was just the, the tiniest movie in that like 1973. And he's like this like native guy in this small town in like New Mexico. And he's like, protects the kids at the crazy, at the kind of the hippie school outside town. And it'll go in town and they'll be surrounded by all these rednecks. And then he, he like karate chops all of them. And he's like with one, two. And so my friend was like, Hey, you live in Midway, Kentucky. And it's like 1600 people. And he was joking. He was like, Hey man, you should get a Billy Jack hat. That right. She did a Billy Jack hat and get some jeans on with no shoes, barefoot. Just walk around just looking for fights. And I was like, that's hysterical. I'm going to get one. So then I went online and the only Billy Jack hat I found was this baseball cap with Billy Jack's hat on it. So have you walked through town with no shoes on and jeans yet? No, I got a phone in this hat though. Yeah, I do that all the time. But people point and laugh. They don't want to fight. No, no, nobody wants to fight anymore. Only online. I'll fight you online, but not to your face. Okay. It looks so, you're adorable. It's the Lexington Lerker. We've read about it all over the place. Yeah. Well, Steve, thank you again so much. It was a pleasure talking to you. I hope the movie kills and can't wait to speak to you again on something else. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. You've got my number. It's Wayday Wayfair. From April 25th through the 27th, you can score the best deals for in and around your home, guys. Like up to 80% off with free shipping on everything. 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