"Aubrey Plaza"

(upbeat music) - Hey, Shawnee, I was just thinking about, I'm just going, I'm getting really reminiscent of the old days, I was thinking about it. - Well, it was just thinking about, back in the day, you just be able to get 10 bucks out of manufacturer hand over ATM. So I was so broke and I'd take 10 bucks out, and then I could buy a pack of smokes, and I'd go to hot and crusty, and I could get a coffee, and a Danish, and for 25 cents, I could buy a New York Post, and then I'd go to the 87th Street entrance to the 86th Street station on the upper west side, and I'd wait for the subway doors to open, and then the last second, I'd run, and I'd hopped to turn style. Before they had the big thing, it was just a little turn style, Shawnee, and I'd hopped so that I'd time it, so I'd run in and beat the fair to get on the subway. In case there was a transit cop there, you know what I mean, and then I could. - Yeah, welcome to "Smartless." (laughing) Welcome to "Smartless." (upbeat music) - I'm gonna keep the gum very low. I've turned it down to one. - Oh. - Is this a suppressant gum type of nicotine thing? - The medicinal gum. - I just have, I have a lot going on. - Yeah, and you need to today, Shawnee. - Okay, yeah, yeah, it wasn't very easy. - You know what I mean? - Don't they have like, they've got sprays now. Can't you just like spray your, spray your mouth? - Do they really? - Yeah, they've got like a nicotine spray. - What do you mean, you just do a spray? - Yeah. - And it sticks me. - Yeah, like Binnaka, remember Binnaka? Where Binnaka go? - Yeah, Binnaka. - Binnaka is still happening, I think. - Is it really? - You know what makes your breath worse? Oh, I can't say, can we say the name? - Those little tabs, those mouthwash tabs. - No, no, no, they do not, wait. - You mean the little sheets? - Yeah, a little ton of sheets. They make my breath worse. - Yeah. - Really? Who said? - Yeah, you, your mom. - No, 'cause I use those constantly. - The little tongue. - No, I know. No, but for me, I don't know what they do. - Well, obviously we know that your breath is much more about your gut. But you know, the thing that J.B., it's about your gut. - It might be all the ground beef you have for breakfast. - Yeah, it could be, yeah. You have spaghetti bulinias and a doughnut on the same plate, you're kind of headed to a road down the road of disaster. But here's the thing I know about J.B., that he hates more than just bad breath. He hates a heavy breath. - Yeah, that's just true. - Right, J.B.? - Something hot, warm, and yeah, like a blanket. - We were on the golf court, we were somewhere and we were in like a golf cart together and he goes, it turns me, with the look of utter, just heavy lead, disgust on his face. And he goes, and he goes, "I can smell your laundry detergent." (laughing) - Yeah, but that smells good. - It does, but it was too funny. - It was funny, they were just saying. - I must have been feeling a little extra grouchy that day. - I know. - Why am I naturally grouchy? What's wrong with me? - I don't think I'm not naturally grouchy. I'm just not unnecessarily chipped. - Giddy. - Yeah. I mean, do you guys like-- - Well, sometimes you are. - And they're just like, and you can tell they're not really in that good of a mood. They're almost like keeping you at arm's length by how happy they are. Hey, hey, how's it going? Go, good to see you. It's like, no, no, I wanna bring you in with, I'm not full of shit over here. - Right. - I'm, that's a funny thing. - Hey, how are you? - One of the, one of the many, many presidents of NBC when Will and Grace is on the air. Have you guys heard of that show? - Yes, yes, yes. - Okay. - Wait, Will, that's one I said that I wanna try to see one of these days. - Still not ringing about, I'm so sorry, it's still nothing. - Wait, so one of the presidents came in, you know, one day and was like, something wrong with Sean to somebody and they're like, no, he's fine. Like, what, what's wrong? Well, it just wasn't, just wasn't chipper. And so it's like, you know, to your point, if you can't, some days you just don't wanna, you just wanna like, just talk like a person. - Yeah, you don't want real today. - I know, and that's the, yeah, I think that for the most part, we're pretty real with each other. We're pretty honest about where we're at. - I don't know. - Yeah. - But I guess the difference is that you don't, you hope people sort of like, they won't drag their stuff into your, your, your meeting, your time together. Like, I'm accountable for my own, my own stuff. I'll put it in a little, in a little drawer. I'm not gonna drag my bad. - Yeah, but I, but sometimes we, sometimes we record a lot. We make one of these a week. - Yeah. - And sometimes life happens and you end up getting on and we start recording and you're in, you are where you are. And there's, - Yeah, right. - I had, I gotta add somebody, I had a thing that came up on you, you're going on that thing on threads. It's part of, it's kind of like, it's almost like, you know what it is, right? It's Instagram's Twitter basically in the way. - Yeah, yeah. - Meta in something, somebody put my name in, and they were talking about the show and they were like, "Oh, I hate hearing him tell his story." I didn't even, I was not looking for it. Like, I mean, I was like, thanks, Meta. I was like, no, I didn't even, and it came up, and I wanted to be like, thanks a lot. And then it was just like a litany of like, yeah, I don't really like that guy. You know what? - Look at the talking about you. - Yeah, and they're like, and I hate hearing his stories. I don't even listen. I hate that guy, and you couldn't stop rating. - And by the way, you can't, how can you? And literally came up with my thing, and so much of it was so unbelievably mean spirited in this way that I was like, whoa. I don't know what you were like. - And they talk about things that are like you. - I'm like, wait a second, like you. - Yeah, but that's not about you. That's about that. - Didn't you wanna chime in, Willie? - Mm-hmm. I did this good, this gal said something like, he seems like, like, what did he say? He looks like, he looks like, he looks like a perpetual ex-husband or ex-husband or something like that. - He's fucking, I'm doing my best over here. Thanks a lot. - He looks like an ex. And it was so like, it was so weird. - And then the mean spirited comments after were so rude, I was like, I kind of wanted to go like, hey, I'm a human, I can hear this. - You wanna just like drop your phone number and say, you know what? Just call me. - Call me, and let's talk this through. - Listen to that big kind of thing. - What did I do? - It would be kind of fun. - Why don't we bring somebody on that hates us once a week? - Listen, you'd have no, definitely I'd have no, there's no shout out to people who would love to chime in about. - Hey, books itself. - Awaiting list. - By the way, what they think I am, which is amazing. - Anyway, God can't say, you two are two beams. - Just ungracious. - And you know what a third beam of sunshine is. - Uh-oh. - Guys. - Yeah. - Today we've got a guest who's a real kick. Okay, this gal Palavars is about as funny as they come. She's as dry as Burnt Toast. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world, she's been nominated for Heaps of Awards. She's one plenty of them as well. She's a producer and an actor. Most important, she's one of our friends. You guys, please welcome Miss Aubrey Plaza. - Oh! - Get it out here. - Great. - Wow. - Great. - Well, do you remember when she was your girlfriend? And she was also my daughter at the same time? - Yes. - What? - And what? - See, I thought you were both playing pedophiles in that. - I mean, what are you talking about? - You're the one who's been commenting online about me. (laughing) - We did a digital short for, what was the problem? - Oh, that, I saw that. - Orbit, orbit. - Yeah, orbit. - Orbit, gum. Orbit, orbit. - Orbit. - Orbit, orbit. - Orbit gum. - Orbit gum, yes. Thank you. - That was a commercial? - Yeah, it was like a, like a digital ad. - I don't. - You were not compensated, really? - I honestly, the only thing I remembered was I thought you were both pedophiles and one of you was my dad. - Wow. - I was the dad and the pedophile glasses. And then we'll show it up as the two old to be dating my daughter guy. - Yeah. - And. - Oh, right. We were dating. - It was really funny. - And I was in, I guess, like. - And then what role did the gum play? The gum, the gum, I put in a stick of gum and then all of a sudden you seemed like a good choice for my daughter, right? Wasn't that kind of the bed? - I don't remember. I don't remember. - Was that on television? - No, it was on the computer. - It was on the computer. - You were fantastic, Aubrey. - I did that happen. I don't remember anything. - Well, I remember you came to us with the idea, you were like, "How can we get gum going again?" I think it's exactly what you said. - Probably, that sounds like me. - Gums, remember, you've always been a big advocate for gum. - I've got a friend that doesn't chew gum because he doesn't understand why you chew something and not swallow it. Like, he just literally doesn't understand the concept of it. Is that kind of like, if you think about it, kind of makes sense. I feel that way about dancing. I don't understand why you just kind of just move your body and the rhythm of the sound you're hearing. It's like, "Why are we doing that?" - That's a really tough. - Fuck me. - No, I understand that. I'm not proud of it. It just somehow didn't just go with the idea that you win the win. - It feels good when you connect. It feels good when you connect the part of your body at the same time the music is doing. - Aubrey Plaza is on our show, guys. - Wow, that's going on. This is insane. Aubrey, I want to get down. [BLANK_AUDIO] You take obviously I know that so I'm not gonna get into that. I know it makes you take its gum Well, it's it's gum. It's been a minute. I went up trying to think I saw you I saw you last summer I feel like I saw you over the summer. Yeah, I saw you where where where we we were out east as we say Okay, well on Long Island Out of you, which I'm always corrected because I always I would say up up east I'm going up state or up whatever. I know who does that you know, who does that too? Who does that? Incessantly is polar yeah, she says up she says up for everything I think you need to be two hours north of Manhattan to be upstate Right, I don't know. I just don't know that I'm learning about the Long Island. It goes the other way Well, it does go east, but it does go kind of north - it is kind of England Aubrey Plas is on the code of day everybody Hey, well, um Sean you want to start with a little a little Sure, I she knows that you know I adore you. I run into it the gym Sean. I was at your opening. I forgot to I forgot to text you What a second you were we were at the open Oh my god, Jason was saying about this. Okay, walk us there. Wait. We were the opening when the lights went out Yes, I was yeah, we weren't at the opening. Where when were we there Sean? You were the deck the day after the day after Wait, no, you handled that great by the way. You were awesome. Thanks. Thanks You went to the show you went to the show. Yeah, and you enjoyed and Sean was great And then you did not go back and say hi to him. Oh, here we go. No, I bolted them in and it was over Jason thoughts Okay, I understand nobody wants to talk after No, they don't know well or well Sean does and then he wants to take a picture in the elevator Yeah, we could make an elevator while people are standing Scotty takes all those photos I know he does bless him. Now Aubrey you're you're you're you're a theater gal you've done your you've done your runs at What is it ATC and a couple other hot spots? I've seen on the wikipedia page Generating when you say it like that. I've done on two plays But yeah, well, it's two more than I've done. I'm very jealous But uh, but you're so you're more seasoned than I am so you might have a take on this I have heard that it is polite um polite and an industry norm To if you're famous and the person in the play is famous well then you kind of have to go backstage and say hi I'm famous you're famous and enjoyed your your show and if you don't Then that is you're effectively saying I didn't like the piece. No I that this is what I hear well not the opening there everybody was there very in play Not at that opening that right the opening is it just too many people there. It doesn't matter either way to me honestly It's where to go. I know, but I guess one tour was there Wow and winter and she emailed me after you and a man nice. I really did mean to email you you were I really mean I meant to Yes, it went to or winter Um winter I think because it's to you are in a winter. I don't know what you're um Aubrey. I remember the I said this to you before many times and I know I'm we've run into each other a million times and I love you is the first time I met you which is I um I was in Amy puller's trailer. I was on the set of parks and wreck and the whole Amy lives in a trailer. Yeah, and and you were sitting there with Aziz and Amy and just tons of other Every like people on the crew other people something a pack trailer is I it was there was lots of people in there And I said I said look to you and I go what do you do on the show? Do you work in the crew or You said I'm on the show Really I don't remember that that's okay. I felt so bad and I emailed you a long email after you felt you felt bad enough that you wanted to bring it up again today Yeah Remember remember what I saw to you and then I met what did she did she strike you as a as a as a No, you were the quietest one like you didn't say anything in the trailer. So I was just I didn't know what was going on I didn't even realize I was on a television show for like two seasons. I do believe I do believe that Yeah, now uh, so let's go let's let's stay with parks and wreck um is it true? wiki says that you talked Mike sure and Greg Daniels into changing the park to be a little bit more How it became how it is how it became it wasn't originally that true untrue What do you mean like as the show went on? No, no like when you went in there and you first met with them You were like the part was written a certain way and you were like yeah, but wouldn't it be funnier if it was this I don't Well, I don't think they had technically written it yet, but I remember I went I remember I went in for like a general meeting And I had no and I really didn't have any idea how much like weight Was on that meeting because I was I didn't have anything else and Jones set you up with that general Alison Jones I came out because I was screen testing for Judd Apatow's movie And that was huge for me because I was like plucked out of nowhere And then I was in LA for a week and I hadn't really been to LA. So Alison was like do you mind if I just send you on a couple other meetings And I was like are this is your agent supposed to do it lately. I didn't have any night Nice lady wait wait uh Plaza. We didn't have an agent. What were you doing where were you where did she pluck you from and how You see she found me at um Horehouse Don't problem problem Hard out there. No, don't say that plaza. I was at Howard Beach Queens in a whorehouse I was I was doing you see beat shows and I was it was I don't know actually she I think it was yeah was I was doing UCB and And then and Judd was doing like a very wide casting call because he wanted to cast an unknown Comedian to play this part and so I made it up the ranks like Like sending my videos and and stuff and then I made it and then I kind of like made Alison saw my tape I somehow got a tape to her with the scene Um, and then I and then yeah, so then it was like I made it all the levels to the point where they were like And now you're gonna come to LA and do a screen test. Yeah, and were you like on did you Did you have uh like your own sketch group at UCB or Yeah, I was like I was in a sketch group called that's my booze Uh-huh with with who are your contemporaries at that time that any Cuz I remember You were little after I wasn't hanging around at UCB as much of them but like it was like because I remember a Z's and those guys and Riggle And she and those guys back in those days when they were all there Yeah, like a Z's a Z's and I were kind of in the same class, but a Z's wasn't really doing like improv so much But he would but he would be in the sketch, you know Part of it and then like You know, it was like crawl and men's ucus and pally and Zach Woods and Lenin Parham and all those guys like were kind of Above me. Yeah, like uh Anthony King and case Spencer and Joe Wanger and all the and Chris getherd and Yeah, go on, but they they were kind of like so much tellers seniors when I was like a freshman Yeah, but I was kind of young and I was friends with Them and I was like dating Joe Wanger at the time who was kind of running the school Like the yeah, there's a fly I don't know that now it's over here. It's anxiety. I have to move my arms like this. Were you Were you would you go to like ask out on Sunday nights and or at least watch or I would yes These are all yeah, I mean and when I was a yeah, I would I would watch I would stand in the back I would see I would meet you back then like back before we became friends No, you're kidding. No, don't don't say like I'm I'm sure we met. I don't remember anything You miss sketch comedy everyone was drunk and those that's true Yeah, I love I miss sketch comedy. Yeah, I would love to do like it's still happening, you know, you guys It's not going on where yeah, no, you can find it by the way Uh does you you see be still going yes Hello. Yeah, I don't yeah Guys anybody can answer this It's changed right? I don't know. I think it I think it was gone like somebody bought it or then it went away or something and now it's back It's a very different. It's a yes, it's back, but it's a different I'm so I feel I do feel very removed from Because I was I never did even UCB in LA like UCB LA to me was like what this isn't right? We're right Anything you were only New York. I grew up on eighth avenue. I was in that Christina's basement. Yeah And we will be right back And now back to the show All right, so then upright citizens brigade for for for Tracy and and the rest who don't that that is an improv sketch place You go and you see you you yell sort of a prompt to the to the talent of those stage and they was that was ask at that was the one So when they would do like a herald that's one type of basically it was a place that was created by by Amy Polar and by Walsh and Matt Besseren and Roberts right and they came from Chicago and they created this thing They were a sketch group of prices brigade and then they created this whole theater school and stuff in New York back in the day Yeah, like second city and they would do those heralds like you said Sunday nights to do ask at Jason Which you went too many times and I was on a herald team. That's how that's the thing you wanted to be on a herald team That was the main and a herald was that where you have a suggestion and then you kind of bring everything back And you're kind of telling a long-form improv go ahead Jason But yes, so my explanation was a tenth of a lawyer who's going to be no No, mine was gonna actually be one one of the rare chase and short things. I was going to get to this is a place where you go where there is no pre-written dialogue. - Yes. - You then, Aubrey Plaza, went on to start your acting career. Yes, with the scripted stuff. And how did you find that? How did you find that transition where you have to now instead of making up what you say, follow what is already pre-written, a typical actor journey? - I mean, I always, that's what I love movies. I'm like a movie person real. I mean, I love comedy and improv, but for me, it was always like, how do I get to the movie's part? Like that was always. - And what was the first, what was the first stuff? Were you doing some of that scripted stuff while you were also playing around over there? - I mean, I tried. I was like, you know, auditioning for whatever I could when I was doing comedy stuff. - Right. - But it really didn't start so you came out here to LA? - Yeah, I mean, I really, truly did have like a big break moment. Like the ju-- - With Parks and Rec. - Funny people, funny people was technically first, but like-- - Oh, funny people, yeah. - You know, I've told the story. - So then you got that Judd's screen test, you got it. - Yeah, so basically like, I went out to LA for one week and I got, I booked funny people, Parks and Rec and Scott Pilgrim versus the world in one week. - Boom. - Oh my God. - Wow, that's crazy. - Boom, but a bank. And it was like, what? - Did Allison, did Allison cast Scott Pilgrim till? - Now it looks right. - Did Allison cast Scott Pilgrim till? - Yeah, she sent me on all those meetings. And like the Parks and Rec meeting, like not the backtrack was like, they hadn't written the script yet and Mike and Sharon Greg Daniels were in the room and I just went into Mike's office and I was just having a casual conversation with him and he just-- - You know what Allison booked? You know what Allison booked that week? Michael Sarah. Let's talk about Michael Sarah. - Wait, what, she's got Pilgrim here. - But didn't you guys, you guys did it for a while, right? Didn't you guys date for a while? This, this was, but this was news to me when I was reading Wikipedia this morning. Well, he's our baby, right? - He was my son and you were my daughter at one point. - Oh, sorry, okay, sure, sure. - You know, so it was like-- - Okay, okay, cool. Well that's kind of-- - Yeah, I booked him back that. - booked him back, Tim, real good. - booked him back. - Well, we found her first cut. There we go, we found her first here. - Oh, what? - No, I'm kidding. - But Wiki said it was 18 months. That's a significant relationship. That's a good thing, right? - Wasn't it? - That was a long time ago. - We know, we were, we were gonna get married for a second. - And we're still very good friends. I love him so much. We almost got married. We drove across the country together, eating a bag of edibles, crumbs of edibles. And we drove to Vegas with the plan to get married and then get divorced right away. So we could call each other our ex-wife and ex-husband forever. Because we thought that would be a really good bit. - That's a great bit. - Yeah, that is a good bit. - But then I think it was a combination of being too high and paranoid. And then at that time, he was just very, very famous at that time. He like really, if you remember, like when Nick and Nora and all that stuff came out, he was super bad, he was so recognizable that like we, when I feel like we got in line at the county office or something and then everyone started running and we ran. So that's kind of all I remember. - Wow, the fame saved you. - Yeah, he was too - The rare case. - I'm pretty sure that's how it went down. - Yeah, we bailed, but. - Yeah, it was like, what? (laughing) - I'm gonna stay in, again, what the great, great Wikipedia has laid out for me here in going in chronological order. And I'm sorry if this is a, we don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, but it is, I think you've talked about it before. There was, at that time, you had a rare stroke that a young person, rare for a young person of a stroke. - Yeah, I did, I had one, I was 20, so it was before them, but it was when I was in New York, yeah. I was doing, yeah, I was doing UCB comedy stuff. I was in college. - What, you've got Sean's attention. Sean's, Sean's running from a stroke every day. - Oh, you did, yeah. - He's, no, I didn't know that. - Tell me, wait, how did you, how did it, like, how did it happen? And what did you feel? - It happened like, truly in mid sentence out of nowhere. It's a horrifying, - You just started exploring your words. - It's a horrifying story. I had taken my sister to a Hillary Duff concert the night before. - Sure. - Yeah. - And, you know how that goes. And then, and then I, I was having lunch in Queens. I went, I took the subway, I was feeling normal. I had my coat on still. I walked into my friends' apartment in a story to have lunch with them. And I was telling them about the Hillary Duff concert. And I said, like, Hillary Duff, and then I stroked out. - No way. - And I kind of, the first thing that happened was like, my right arm was numb, and I looked down, and I was confused. I wasn't slurring, but I was looking at my arm. Like, that's not my arm. It wasn't even numb, it was just not connected to my body. And then, - Wow. - Then I kind of blacked out for like a second. And then I came to, could move my arms, but I couldn't speak, 'cause the blood clot was in my language center. - Oh my gosh. - So it was like, not even slurring. It was just like, not talking. - Not talking. - But I could understand everything. That was how. - And how does somebody at 20 years old get a blood clot or get a heart attack or whatever, or stroke? - I don't know. It's a, honestly, it's a mystery. I, I think it was birth control or the tricycle. That was the only thing I was putting in my body. Like, I wasn't on drugs or, you know, doing anything weird. So, it was a real fluke. Like, and even to this day, like, I still have to, you know, whenever I go to the doctors, I have to fill out, like, my history and. - Right. - I've seen top neurologists. I've been tested for, you know, all the blood disorders and clotting disorders and everything. And it's just like, I really think it must have been birth control, 'cause they have that on the label. - So then, did they, were you fine right then or did they take you to the hospital? Like, how do they fix? - I was not fine, 'cause I wasn't, I wasn't talking. And so, my friends were like, first, of course, thought I was doing a bit, and they were like, stabbing. And then, they realized, like, something's wrong. And so, the paramedics came. - And sorry, are you lose it at this point? Like, are you aware? I'm like, this is happening to you. - I'm aware, like, it's a really weird thing when you have a stroke. I've read books about it. And it's across the board, really similar experience that people have. You know what's happening. And your brain, it really makes you understand that there's your brain, and then there's something else going on, which is very profound. Think about, because I was, whatever that other thing is, was watching my brain malfunction. And so, I was, me was aware that my brain wasn't working right, so it's this really fucked up thing where you're like, wait a minute. Like, my consciousness is operating on another level. And so, people would talk to me, and I would know how to respond to them. I would know the answer, but I could not get it through the pathways of my brain out of my mind. - Did you, did it, I mean this, did you, after that experience, did it give you a sort of a different sense on, I don't know how to say, like spirituality, did you, do you feel like a, do you have? - Yeah. - As you said, because you're sort of conscious or whatever this other thing that's operating. - Yeah, did it change your life? - Yeah, did it change the way that you look at stuff and look at spirituality and stuff like that? - Yeah, like 100, like 100 million percent. Like I definitely, - Honda P. - Honda P just felt like, all right, well, if that's true, then like something bigger is, something bigger is going, I am very fascinated with that. - Yeah, well do you, do you, do you, well, so I, when I say, I guess it did change, but were you, I don't know, it sounds like such a sort of sweeping, were you a spiritual person before, but did you have, what were your thoughts on that kind of stuff before? - Well, I grew up, I grew up Catholic. I grew up very Catholic. I was, I went to all girls, you know, I went to all girls Catholic school in my whole life. And so, you know, my spirituality was like very wrapped up in like saints and God and Jesus and, you know, and things like that. But, but, I would say that I've always, I feel like I've always been a spiritual person. You know, now I've shifted into more the dark arts, you know. - Hmm, oh, ghosts and, yeah. - Sure, yeah. - Okay, you're like, by the way, can I get a sample of your guys blood after this? (laughing) - Then she goes, don't bother, I've already got it. I've already got it. - It's my stick, the whole witch thing. But no, I am, and I think I did really stop, at least for some time, for some time, like sweating the small stuff a little bit. Like I felt, I did have them, I did really feel like, wow, ate the trauma of something like that happening so out of nowhere, changes the way your brain is because you're like, well, okay, if that can happen like that, then the fuck else can happen and what's the point of, you know. - Right, you're not walking around thinking like that can happen like today. Are you like? - Not anymore, but I was after that. I was very happy to see you. - Yeah, I would be too. Did it make you less cynical, do you think? - I think, yeah, I think so. Yeah, I feel like it with that contrary to popular might straighten you out. Well, no, I don't think that you're cynical I at all. I don't so but you would so but you would never take Birth control whatever that thing is now right because I probably wouldn't I mean that was if that was the one for But if that was the one thing that you could kind of point to well There's a baby inside of me. What's that hold hold Wait, what did you say? What is that? No, I said there is a baby inside of me right now. Is that it that's true story? That's true. Yeah, that's true That's very exciting I know it's shocking isn't it? No, it's really cool. That's really maybe number one. Yes That's right number one Exciting I want I'll just say this. I want today was a big day. I went to the doctors today Yeah, and my dog is also went to the doctors Also, but my dog's getting a scan right now. I got a scanner earlier I'm not kidding Ultra sound on her stomach She'll be back when is she back To a clock. We'll find out what's I think she's okay She had to get an ultra sound on her stomach and then I got an ultra sound on my stomach and there is a baby in there Oh Excited for you. Yeah, and it already has like a cloak and a little hat Gonna come out Let me ask you something if you if the ultra sound was if you got the old stand out at the vet I would recommend that you know No, no, Jason. I think you know that we did I did accidentally go to the vet first, but that's why I was late Aubrey, I'm so happy for you. I just I just think you know that I just think you're such a great person and Oh, you'll be so nice. I'm really happy for you. Yep. Really really happy for you. That's so awesome You've always got your oh, you're so funny and you're so Just I'm so excited about being a mom. I mean, this is you're gonna be great. I am. Yeah, I've always I've always wanted I've always wanted to see what that's all about, you know, just seems so interesting That's how incredible. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Congratulations. Is it all great news? It's very very thrilling I mean, you've been so busy too. I mean you are yeah, I work. I feel like you are first of all I was realizing last year I want to talk about this because I don't think it got enough and I you and I texted about last year I watched your movie Emily the criminal and I know it's long gone and whatever I thought that was such a great movie your performance in that was so so good Plaza. I mean, thank you Really? I don't know if you guys thought what an awesome movie and what a great performance All I know is every time I see you and any I didn't see that that particular one, but every time I see you in anything I'm always stunned by how How confident you are in being still I just find it is it's it's such a it's so it's so in I don't know it's not attractive or infectious is not the word I'm looking for as an audience member I'm just I'm drawn in and I can't stop watching somebody who's so comfortable Not helping me as an audience member knowing what's going on inside your head You know like I lean forward and being able to do that JB like in a in a drama where you have to be very sort of vulnerable Very real and then being able to and also do it in comedy you have so you have such facility with all of it And I think it's really impressive and so I just I hope people go back and rewatch that and then continue to watch the newer stuff But I wanted to say that you know I thank you for saying that I love that movie that was such a baby of mine that that film I'm so proud of it like I just want this script was so good and I was like as a producer You know just like if we could just it really taught me that it is Always the fucking script. It's like it is this fucking script I'm like if we shoot the script exactly how it's written the movie is gonna be good Yeah, and it was we didn't compromise and that was what I was so proud of we didn't really didn't compromise the script And then the movie turned out great and obviously so many other things have to happen and make you know to make that happen But I yeah, it taught me that where did you where did your where did your where did you taste for? What your particular style where did that come from was you were one of your parents? Particularly dry was there was there an actor or an actress that you really admired Coming up. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah, I don't even think I mean I don't even know it's hard for me to really have perspective on that at all because I feel like the draw the deadpan Yeah, maybe I've oh maybe that's how I wasn't really always like that grown like that wasn't like really my thing But then I think that the things that I got cast in first like character wise for me like I'm not saying like Oh, I'm a method actor, but like I do think that like I capitalized on this persona Early on because the funny people role was really Based on you know, and I know it wasn't officially said, but I'm pretty sure that it was based on Jeanine Garoflo And so and I kind of knew that and I studied her and her stand-up right also incredibly dry and hilarious Right, and she was like, you know, she's such a hero of mine like loved watching her And then the parks and red character was also kind of born out of that same there was a lot of stuff that there was a zone there that I was like I can do that Are you ever are you ever do you ever allow yourself to think somewhat strategically about well Maybe I should play a part that shows that I can do the all the the other side of the spectrum as well I mean is that do you are you one of those actors that that considers that kind of thing? I mean that I think I think when I was on parks definitely because I was always like get me out of Give me out of this zone. I got to show people what I can do You know, so I was always like, you know dirty grandpa was an example where I was like get me that fucking part like That has nothing to do with But but now I'm more just like I just want to be I just honestly just want to be in Something good. I don't even care. It's not even about oh, I want to you know blow everyone away with my performance But I want to be in movies that people remember watch more than once. Yeah, I don't just Float away into the ether that it's like they never that never happened and the producing effort is is in that in that direction Yeah, is it to sort of like Start to like cook your own food right and as opposed to just react to the phone ringing and yeah I mean, I want I'm still an actor like I'm still like word. Why is no one calling me like? Yeah Where am I? Hard to believe No, no, no, no, no I get I get a lot of I get a lot of I'm in a very good I'm very grateful for my you know position whatever I get it off her things of course, but like I still have that like actor thing Where I'm like yeah, but a producing I think was at first Very much about like all right. Well, if I'm not gonna get you know offered parts that I really want then I'll just fucking do it myself Right, but now it's more, but then I really but I really I went to film school You know, I studied film and why you and why you studied directing and producing and I truly love the craft of filmmaking Like I really love movies. So like you know, it's also has nothing to do with acting and it's really about just Start, you know, making something from the very beginning to the very end and seeing it through and being like, you know How can I make a great? Yeah, do you have a favorite movie this year? The Oscars was like a month ago No, did you love any of those? This year was really tough for me. Yeah, I just could not get into any of it I will say and I don't understand why Eddington I know got everyone's pretending that movie didn't happen Right, and I don't want to hear it. Yeah, that movie's great. So like what everyone's I love that movie totally What the hell was that? Where did that go? I don't understand apparently like it wasn't embraced at can where it where it premiered It is the story goes Yeah, that was a stunning movie. I thought that was incredible Regarding this mother fucker. I'm sitting on a really stupid pun that it gave but it's too far removed from what we were talking about But just go for it now. No, but it's just like OCD now. I just want to get it out The momentum so all we're stopped. Oh, you were saying the parts are coming and then you know the parts that you want They go you made me if you could do some parts for fun, you know, and they that you could call them Parts for recreation. You know what I mean? I'm just saying What I'm saying is had I said that back then I wouldn't have had to stop And this is why people hate me on the show. Well, I get it. Well, I get it. We'll tighten it all up. Yeah We'll be right back And back to the show All right, well, I I want to I want it. Is there a Delaware right? That's where we started. This is where the Asked to but I was going to ask like because I've only known you as an adult I'm fascinated with who you were as a child and were you this dry and funny and witty and were your friends Did you have like a circle of friends that shared your sense of humor or were you like I? I mean I definitely, I was definitely a shy kid up until when I discovered theater like very classically like, you know, I went to like the Wilmington Drama League which is the community theater I learned at and when I was like 11 and I started to see oh people are pretending to be other people this sounds really fun and so then all of a sudden I kind of understood that that was an outlet for me and then I and then I think I came out of my shell more and then by the time I was like you know in middle school or whatever I was like funny and then the and then your summer program at NYU that was sort of like okay there's sort of a bridge has been built to to the to the big city and that's kind of how that is that how that role work? Well I think like I had a friend who's a comedian Neil Casey who you probably know well um writer really funny community you know you know Neil I think I do it too yeah he's a old school UCB guy but yeah yeah yeah him and I grew up together he was a little bit older than me but he went to the old boys brother school he introduced me to John Waters movies and to and to UCB the thought parade says and forget show on those own television and kids in the hall and Mr. Show and we got into like stuff like that as a teenager's like young teenagers and then I started to really become like a comedy freak and and then develop like my love for films and movie you know I mean I always like I always like black out when people ask me I know I don't forget was there any other like was there any other occupation or or industry or career that was that was battling your your your your your your growing dream for this to be an actor like was there any other thing that you were thinking about maybe going to to college a study no this is it you were all in fucking dope I love that I was all I was all I was like all in I was mom and mom and dad were okay with that what what what what what what did they do were they like they were okay with it my my dad it was in the finance world he was a stockbroker and my mom was a lawyer no pressure to to go into either one of those professions from them nope my parents were really young when they had me they were 19 when they had me and they had nothing when I was born like really like hustled and worked their way up in the 80s yeah and like I learned from them like how to you know hustle yeah um and it didn't matter like what field you were in it was just like they're that that's what they taught me and and my mom I think also like she went to night school and I was a baby to be a lawyer and stuff but she's a really introduced me to like Saturday night live and she's got she's loves theater and movies and I think in another life she would have been doing what I'm doing yeah so they've got to be thrilled for you then because you just oh yeah they're self-created they're so psyched yeah well let's let's let's stay there with Saturday night life so you were you were a page at one point at at 30 runs that's cool I didn't know that and then a bunch of years later what what you she comes back and she hosts Saturday night live that must have been very surreal that was crazy crazy right right that was crazy I was a page 2005 it was right after I can't remember was after the stroke I think it was before the stroke I don't know after the stroke but I was at an intern actually as in the 30 rock building which is higher or lower on the power scale it's weirdly higher than a page it really you would think that because an intern doesn't get paid but a page does right but a page gets paid so you would think but like no a page works for the network the interiors of the show exactly and I was not a very good page I was like fucking round too much what was your problem my problem was I was hungover pretty much every time so I have to throw up in the um trash cans in the hallway like mid what does a page do there well if you don't get an assignment which I never did maybe once I got one um which means like you get assigned to a different a different show like the coveted position was the Saturday night live pages um to get assigned on SNL but if you don't get assigned you're just giving tours you're you're you're on the circuit you're giving tours oh yeah oh wow and then I would love to yeah what would be so great about being an SNL page um is it is it just the fact that you get to hang out there at the desk and you go like basically mission control where everyone is passing by and you just get to be there you just get like watch what's going on it's pretty amazing and like meet celebrities and get them coffee like whatever it's like so then when you come back as a host were you um did you talk with them more did you was it just sort of just like a private order no I would never talk to a page never no of course I mean every time I go on that building I'm like you know I know I still know the security guards like yeah it feels you know that building is so like it's such a family vibe there like it's the best and like I'm still I love my bosses when I was because I I was an intern at SNL and a page but I was an intern in the design department with um you know Akira and Keith Raywood and Joe and Eugene and the design of the sets or the costumes or the set designers for the show and then I did my when I hosted I did like my monologue about that and I had those guys like come on stage it came totally came full full circle but they were all yeah I mean I I love I love going back there was was it emotional at all when you were hosting him yeah really trip it's tripped out it was very trippy it's like it's weird yeah yeah it's very weird oh I think that's great when you so when you grew up you grew up in Delaware is that correct yeah and then you and then you moved right to New York after right like when you're a kid yeah I mean I moved to yeah to go to college to go to oh so Delaware your whole you know up until you were at college and then you went to college in New York had you been to New York before then and seen it like I want to go there and all that or yeah I mean I yeah because Delaware is really only two hours south of the city people like think it's like five hours away yeah it's really close I take the train about time um and then you and then you went out to LA so you basically my question is um because I always talk about Scotty about living in like in a small town somewhere because we're we're constantly on either coast in New York or Los Angeles back and forth back and forth all the time and there's something appealing about living in a small town somewhere like outside of a city but I think I might go out of my mind a little bit because I do need the two isolated yeah and I do need the the stimulation of the noise and are you like that um yeah yeah yeah I yeah I like the city I like New York I'm back in New York you know are you back in New York now I'm back in New York you are yeah I'm back so you wouldn't be able to move back to a small to a small town again Sean you wouldn't be able to do that either I don't think I want to want it but I don't think I could I I would last right um but but maybe yeah I don't know so sometimes I feel like I could but what where I grew up wasn't there was a it was a small town vibe in some ways but Wilmington Delaware's like it's a proper city also so it's not like super and you want and you want to raise your family in in a city like you are now I yeah I mean I wasn't you know it's not totally thought through but I'm like yeah I mean at East Coast for sure I'm my family's in Philadelphia and Delaware mainly so I loved like one of the reasons I came back here um was for that so I can get on the train and go home you know yeah my grandmother yeah how are you when you go on on a location like when you're shooting something that's in a faraway place yeah on location yeah like like white lotus for example like are you okay being disconnected from a major cosmopolitan city for a long period of time yeah I'm like very adoptable like I feel like I would I'm if I go someplace and I'm there for for one day and I'm like this is it this is my life for the rest of my like I'm very I think I would be okay like in jail you just make it your home right yeah yeah I'd be like this is what I have to eat and this is where I say that when I get into an elevator I'm like if it breaks down this is where I'm at this is this is here for several hours that's not true that's true you know that's true you kept that you know I know I know I know I know but I love he kept a bottle of value in his elevator at his place in case it broke down so he wouldn't drink out so this goes this is an absolute fallacy what you're saying right now there's a recent proof of you not being okay being stuck in an elevator but I went through what is that therapy called I went to that therapy I've a game EMDR yeah what no like what is it called when you're electro therapy you go you do the thing you're afraid of EMDR and now there's got shock therapy anyway exposure exposure therapy yeah so I did that with an out with the subway and then I got you you just just open up your trench coat what's going on no I did it I did exposure therapy and I got I got over it let's let's talk about white Lotus for a second that what where did you shoot that sissly sissly five month or it was like four or five months and so and then one month in room. - Wow. - Wow, that's pretty nice. - That's pretty fun. - Yeah. - That sounds pretty, pretty good. - It's pretty. - It's good. - Is everything okay, Jane? - Jay, are you okay? - I'm hearing something in the other room. It's probably the Alexa chirping off. - Fuck. (laughing) - So Jason just get attacked by a Roomba. - Did you know electronics and revolting? - Is it true that the scripts are really secretive when you're doing White Lotus, like you're not allowed to talk about them. It's like doing Star Wars. Is that, did you have a problem with that? - I didn't have a problem with it, but yeah, I mean, you're not supposed to, 'cause he writes all of them, so you get all of them. You've read all of the episodes before you. - Wow, that's so cool. - He being Mike White. - Mike White. - Right, but is there a big secret you can't say on these shows, right? It's about somebody that dies, right? And that's the thing they don't, to anyone, to the boat. Like what is, what are they're trying to keep it secret and lock down? - Oh yeah. - Because at the center of each one of these seasons is the reveal murder, the murder mystery. - The murder? - Yeah, I mean, I didn't read other people's lines and other people, I didn't even know. - Wait, you're not giving the pages that you're not on? - No, she's giving me that. - No, you are. - Oh, she's giving it. It's a worry. - Because I've heard of productions like that. You're only given the scenes that you're in. - I just go bullshit, my line. - All right, all right. - Remember? - Yeah. - No, I didn't read. My season was different, nor maybe slightly different, because, or maybe it wasn't different. I don't know the secrecy. But I don't, yeah, I actually, like, I read the scripts obviously, but I was so focused on my storyline that I was, I didn't even really know what was going on. In the rest of the show, at all. But I will say, I just was Sandra Bernhardt, who's gonna be on the next season. - Great. - And I was hanging out with her last week, and I was like, did you get all the scripts? And she was like, yeah. And I was, and just, nothing. - Tighten up. - And I didn't care. I'm not like trying to get the secret out of her, but like, she had that white lotus look in her eye. - Sandra Bernhardt, you know it well. - Did you guys all see King of Comedy way back in the day? - Of course, Sandra Bernhardt. - One of my all-time favorite movies. - Yeah, I wrote that movie. - Yeah. - What do you have coming up that you're super excited about? 'Cause I know you got a lot of projects going on. - Oh, the, well, the main thing that I believe, and I believe this is like dropping the day that this comes out, which is today, which is Kevin, my new animated series that I co-created and starred in and produced on Prime Video. - On Prime Video. - On Prime Video. - On Prime Video. - And let's tell our listeners what that is about. This show, Kevin. - It's a Kevin. - It's a Kevin for me. - And it's a lovely title. What is Kevin? - Oh, God. Kevin is a cartoon based on a real true story that was about my actual cat that I shared with Joe Wenger when we lived in a story of Queens. At the time that we were talking about Will, all the UCB era, and we had a cat named Kevin, who was an alley cat. We actually had two cats, Kevin and Howard. They were brothers, but this Kevin survived longer. So the show is about Kevin. But the show is basically about a couple that is living in Queens based on me and Joe that break up and they have to tell their cat because in the show, animals and humans interact. And they tell Kevin, like, we're breaking up. So who are you going with me or him? And Kevin's like, you know what? I'm not going with either of you. I don't want to be with you. I want to go out on my own and be with the single cats. And I want to play the field. So Kevin goes and lives at a shelter with all the other single cats. And they kind of, they date owners and see and decide, you know, negotiate with humans and decide. Maybe I'll live with this guy. I don't know. And who's playing Kevin? Kevin's a voice by Jason Schwartzman. Nice. Who's so funny. Because Kevin's this kind of like neurotic cat. He's got to really messed up butthole that he's fixated on, constantly talking about his weird butthole and therapy and. And he's just got a lot of interesting. Jason wrote the music for the show too. Jason wrote the theme song which is so fucking catchy. You know, Jason's a killer drummer. Yeah, he's a crazy good drummer. He's so talented. Yes he is. Yeah, he wrote the theme song. It's awesome. It has this like really like, yeah, early 2000s, like Indy Rock vibe. And then the cast is just insane. It's like John Waters plays Armando the Cat. Who's this kind of. Right, wow. Snobby, Persian Cat, queen that lives in it in Queens. Whoopie Goldberg plays a hairless freak cat. Amy Cideras plays like a little yappy dog that's bossing everybody around. Oh, yeah, she's. I play a human among other things. I play a drunk spider and different kinds of characters. Oh, great. That's great. But you didn't have to play two or three characters, you know. You didn't run out of people you could have gone to. I mean, you got, you got will is done quite a bit of voice work. Sean, son, son, son, son, son, if you ever get tired of playing multiple characters, you know, just saying. I will. So that is a really good cast, yeah. Isn't it? It's fucking stacked. And the guest stars are amazing. The whole, the show is really, really funny. We've been working on it for since before the pandemic. You know, animation takes so long and it's, it's, it's really funny. I'm so proud of it. I think people are in love with it. I can't wait to do it. He used to do a show, a weekly show on serious XMU, where he'd play all sorts of like, you know, deep, deep, yeah, deep independent music cuts and it was, it was so good. I used to listen to it every week. I'm such a fan of his in every way. He's a good guy. Yeah. His taste in music is so. Really good. So good. Yeah, I really, really good. I wonder if he, is he, he's not, I think he used to be in a band back in the day. Yeah. But he's not, he's not like his dad and now he's the theme song to Orange County. Isn't that right? Yeah. Oh, the show Orange County. Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wait, wasn't that on while we were doing a rest of development? It sure was. At the same time. Yeah. It sure was. Yeah, I wonder if he, I think he's like in a dad band right now. How great would that be? That is cool. But those, don't put him in that. He can be. Well, but he's a dad. Okay. But that doesn't need to be his identity, man. No, it doesn't. You know, he's a visual side gig. So. Well, listen, Aubrey, we hit it. We did it. Okay. Two minutes past our time already. I mean, you're amazing. Aubrey, you're so good. You're so good. Firing on all cylinders. Congratulations on the incredible news. Thank you. Thank you. Awesome. Really, really awesome. Thank you, guys. And, and the birth of your new show today as well. Good one. Good one. So just, um, you know, celebrate the whole round here. Yes. Thank you for doing this. Thank you for birthing this episode today. Fucking too much. Yeah. Too much. That was too much. We'll turn that later. Great to see you again, Aubrey. Plaza. Why? Love you so much. Love you too. Love you too. Yeah. Just so happy for you to the best. You're the best. You're the best. You take care of yourself. I agree. We're going to watch Kevin. It's Kevin on Amazon Prime starting today. I'm vlogging on right now. Are you the reviewer and me now? Says the me. Me. Kitty likes to scratch. Says the post. It's the perfect show. Yeah. There we go. Don't ruin it for me. You're right. We love it. We love it. We love you. Thank you. Enjoy your day. Bye, honey. All right. Goodbye. See you down the road. Bye, Plaza. Bye, yeah. Bye. That's Aubrey Plaza. There she came. There she went. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What a pleasure. What a pleasure. Yeah. She's, I love her particular talent and taste and style. Yeah. She's real cool, as the kids say. She's real cool. Yeah. Well, she just does something that I think a lot of actors are not really comfortable doing, which is, you know, like, I don't know. Believing that there are enough. Exactly. And that they're not, they're not screaming their performance at you, you know? Yeah. I mean, she has, she's just, she has so much, I don't know, again, just sort of facility with all of it. It's amazing. And that, honestly, I mean, I always, I've always been a fan and sort of biased. But then when I said, last year when I saw that, Emily the criminal, it was just, it was like another layer, like another really rich, heavy duty layer. I was like, wow, this kid, I'm not, not kid, that sounds almost, you know, this, this person is, that's just got it all. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know? Yeah. And then I think about, and then I look at JB and I'm like, what is, what's missing, right? What's missing? Yeah. How is he still going? What am I going to say? Cause he's just so, he's in a negma, I don't know. Well, no, it's not your, Billy, I guess as a talent, you're great. You got so much help. But as a person, you're like, you got the personality of a way more. driver. I know. I just leave you alone mostly. Yeah, I guess. But I'm reliable and I'll get you there on time. But then it's basically nothing, right? You don't mean like that's real fun. But it's nothing, like you put your hands on me. Expensive, but like not even there. So expensive. That's the other room. You're so you've pressed yourself out. You have price yourself. No, no, I have, I have a goodbye. Did you take some? I know you do. Well, I was going to say, um, what's this hat today? I don't know. There's something today. This is Gumbard West. This is my high school. It's a castle on a hill. Is that something you purchased? He doesn't, you don't wear a lot of things that you buy that you buy. No, they gave this to me. And I never thrown out of freebie. I know. I was like, this is like somebody's production company. Yeah. I know. And I'll bet the sweats are the sweats are the college I went to. Uh huh. The sweats are the college. The has the high school. And this is somebody's company. I don't know how it is. That is pretty crazy. I didn't realize it till now. It's so great. Well, maybe one of these days you got to get yourself out to a store and actually buy something. There we go. Smartness is 100% organic in artisanally handcrafted by Rob Armjurf, Bennett Barbaco, and Michael Grandterry.