"Claire Danes"

(upbeat music) (sighs) That was a good drink. Speaking of drinking, things up. Welcome to Smart Less. - Smart. (upbeat music) - Smart. - Smart. - Blast. - So, listener, you've missed 10 seconds of this, of this, another attempt at us doing a podcast where I mentioned how fresh will looks and then will seem to imply he knew his way around the verbiage of a facial. And I had a facial scheduled for the other day because my wife is very. - What was the dude's name? - You, my wife's very diligent about getting me a facial, making sure I get a facial every six months. And I gotta say, I don't push back a lot. - Yeah, because it feels good. - It feels comfy. - It's comfy, it feels good. I feel weird with a tiny bit of pre-pubescent facial hair on my face. And I wonder if it's just wasting my time in there. I don't know what the effectiveness. - They do a lot of guys like that. I forget to shave a lot of times too, but I just got one last week and it was really bad. - Yeah, well, that's what I was gonna ask, how often am I the only guy here? - No, again, I'm like once or twice a year, but the last one I had, I didn't, this is no offense to anybody. I just didn't understand a lot of what she said. So, she was, you know, I was. - Anybody take any offense to that? - Well, I just didn't understand her. I just didn't understand. - If you want to do a limitation of what she said, I'm gonna do it all. - And then we'll decide if it's offensive. - I do not want to. I just am stating, in fact, I did not understand. It's probably my problem. - I was trying to, I was trying to, I was trying to drag you into deep water. - Let me just, can you just reveal what continent she may have been from? - Oh, that's good. - Something Eastern, Eastern Asia. - But not Eastern European. 'Cause I know. - No. - A different accent. - But for, well, anyway. - I feel like I've had a couple of facials in my time as well. I think I've probably had eight total of my life. And I think they've generally been Eastern European, Eastern European bent. - That's right. - Wait, you're saying, you're under oath now, sir. - Yeah, yeah. - You understand? - Only eight facials in your life. - Maybe 10. - Yeah. - God. - Honestly, honestly. - Really? - Yeah, I do like them. And it's one of those things. It's kind of like massages. I always forget. - Yeah, honestly. - I do it. And then I go, oh, this is great. - Yeah. - How many times have you had your fingers and toes done? - While the facial. - No, no, no, no, no, no. - Are we talking, are we talking Maddie Petty? - Yeah, that. - Okay. - Yeah. - And I would say. - I would say. - Less or more than your face. - I got my first, my first time I ever had a Petty Cure at Maddie Kerwin for the day. - When I was 30. No, but I was about 31, probably 32. - Yeah. - And it's been, what, 30 years? - So that's over 25 years, seriously. - So that's like 25 years, and so I would say, I probably have, I don't know, 25. - So more on the fingers and the toes. - Oh yeah, really? - Generally not the fingers. Generally just the toes should they get kind of gnarly. - Right, and you do like an open toe shoe. - I used to, but I used to wear a lot of flips. - Well, you don't wear socks ever. - And I never wear socks. So my heels get kind of grossed, they get cracked. - You wear underwear? - Yes. - Okay. - Why are we focusing on, Jason never wears underwear? - No, there was a stretch there through a rest of development where I went command over somewhere. - And then he would go to, then he'd go for a pee, and then he'd wrap his unit and toilet paper for the wrap and everything. So, all the driplets, and then Russian to get back on camera. And then 20 minutes later, like in between setups, he'd like pull out this disgusting toilet paper and put it in a 35-calon trash can. - On set, true story. So, wow, so many pennies often facial, not so much. - Not often, I mean, I probably got one in the spring. Many pennies. I like going at like 9 a.m. I go to a spot. I've gotten a few times, I like going at 9 a.m. - This is disgusting. - Right, by the way, says you. You live like a pampered prince. Have people knew how you live? - Dude, I don't have a, I don't have a target time. I like to hit my manny petty's on, you know, at my, what was at my spot? Is that what you said? I have a spot. - I have a spot over here. - And it's always fingers and toes at the same time. You ever going for just the one? One or the other? 'Cause you should grab for time. - Feet, oh it's feet. - It's primarily feet. And you also like, 'cause they rub your feet. - So it feels like a soak, don't I? - But I would say 25 years, probably 25 times. That's the average of one's feet. - Shawnee, what about you? - I've gotten a many petty. The last one I got, she scrubbed my calf so hard, they broke out into hives after it was over. - It was definitely Eastern European. - It was not a thing. - No, that was on large minds. - But that's nothing to do with fruits doing the calves. - Yeah, it was terrible. - Well, listen, thanks for the weird morning chat. - Wait, wait, hold on one second, I forgot. I have something I need to say and announce. - Oh no. - I'm gonna be doing a show call me. - Sorry, we're out of time. (laughing) - Great heavy you on the show. Show the best of a second. - Whatever you're doing. - Good luck. - You got to it. - All right, so let me know. - This is a one act. Where is it William's town? - This is a show called The Unknown. It's a one man play, which is now, I guess people are calling them solos. It's written by David Kale, directed by Lee Silverman. It's at Studio Sea View in New York City for 10 weeks only. Tickets aren't sale now at the UnknownPlay.com. - Wait, when does it start? - January 31st. - January 31st, I mean, I just say publicly here. I've said to you privately. I just think it's so frickin' admirable and badass that you raised your hand and said yes. - I know. - To doing a one man show is like, I mean, you know, seeing Krasinski do his thing and our buddy Billy Kratup has done it a lot. - Yeah, by the way, that's the same writer-director of that show. - Yeah, I just, it's like what a monumental thing to take on. - You convince me, I'll go see. - I just, I'm so checking my schedule. - I get it away, I'm known, I'm known what will happen. (laughing) - I'm so proud of you, Shawnee. - Thank you, thank you. - 'Cause it's very, just sit back and not do anything and just enjoy, but you're challenging yourself and it's rad. - I'm not going to come, but I do think that it will probably be good. - All right, well, thank you for that. - Yeah. - Who are your co-stars? - Yeah, so it's this. (laughing) - That's my friend who listens a lot. The UnknownPlay.com, that's where you're taking it. - The UnknownPlay.com, and it starts the end of January. - Yeah, that's it. - Get your tickets now, I will be there with bells on. - Yep. - Let's get to our guest, we're gonna ask her what her hygiene routine is, I'll bet it's significant. 'Cause you know what? - This is called self-care, it's not hygiene, it's self-care, by the way. - All right, self-care. - She's been impressing critics and audiences for over 30 years, you guys, achieving incredible success, yet finds herself even more relevant today than ever before, okay? She's been awarded multiple Emmys, Golden Globe, Sags, all that crap, and she's been named one of times most influential people in the world, and that's something none of us can say. - Never will. - She's Yale educated, also, you can't say that. She's a proud mother of three, you can't say that, and she's very kind to the women of Afghanistan. - Can you guys say that? - No. - Guys, let's welcome Chris and Clara's girl, the one and only Clare Danes. Come on out. (laughing) - Hi guys. - Oh my God, good morning. - Good morning, man. - Hi. - I mean, she's everything. - It's really nice to meet you. - Well, I'm glad. - And you. - You are. - Yeah, you have all had more facials than I have, I think. - Truly? - Is that true? - Come on. - Yeah, really? - Occasionally, I'm gifted a facial by, I don't know. - Right, like a start gift from an agent. - Yes, something like that. And I'll go. - I'll start gift. - And I enjoy it, but I, yeah, I forget to. But I do get, my nails done weekly. - Yeah, okay. - All you do is. - It's like my office. I get a lot of work done. I never do the fingers. I experimented with the gels for a little while, but that was quite stressful because, I don't know. - And it's also a whole different look, right? I mean, I've got two daughters, and I'm starting to get educated on the gels versus, let's have discipline and let it grow out naturally. - Yeah. - I feel like it is, it is a cultural statement to have gels on. - It is, and you can't, you have to go back to get them off. So that is the hard part. I, that made me feel kind of panicked and claustrophobic. - Or you can be on the volleyball team and then they just come off naturally. - Right, well, but I don't play enough volleyball. - I like the way JB couches it in. - Oh, my daughter's helped educate me like, "Bush shit, I think you live, baby." Nice fucking drawing. - So we can gel sessions. - How many times does he go like, "Oh, well, my kids really, I'm like, no, you like it." I like gel. - Yeah, I like it. - I used to drag my, my, my son's iris. our eldest son, with me to the salon and I got it, he had about five, he had had enough. Until then, and then I had to bribe him with like an iPad, no, no, but I just really enjoyed that experience of going with him. What about all fancy dancing? Does he get the feet and toes done? Very, very occasionally. Yeah. You got to keep your man tight, you know, or you the kind of gal that likes their guy to have a little bit of, a little bit of dirt under the nails. It depends what kind of dirt, if it's like cute upstate dirt, sure. Right. That's very cute dirt. Because some women, I'm not, you're some women, they kind of turned off by a guy that actually keeps himself very clean and I'm one of those guys, I would turn a woman off like I understand thread count, I understand candles and things are going down, I'm for it. Yeah. I'm not like a man's man. No, no, no, no. That's a quote. You won't find me on a horse in like this, I'm e-mailing this worthless merch people right now. We got a new hoodie coming out. I'm not a man's man. I'm not a man's man. So, where are we finding you? What part of the world? What side of the United States are you on right now? I live in New York City. Yes. So, this looks like it could be a brownstone too. It's a brownstone. We've been here not for very long, we've been here about a year because we had this oopsie daisy third baby. Oh, she's going to love your man, she got to be careful. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not. Yeah. That was, I was so old when that happened. I was 44. How old is the baby? She's two now. Oh, okay. Wait, you got pregnant at 44? I sure did. Gully. Yeah. Are you good for you? I didn't think it was possible. I really did. It's rare. So, no, it was, I was terrified, but it was okay. Can I use the term blessing? What a blessing. It was. How did you find, how did you find having a surprise, as you said, a surprise blessing at that point? Well, you know, it was, it was actually really interesting. Yeah. Because I didn't, I, I did not foresee this at all. And it was weird. Suddenly, I felt like a funny shame. Really? Like, like, I was, yeah, like I was, I was naughty, like I'd been caught, like, um, uh, fornicating past the point I was meant to, and I was weird because I was, and I, and it was, it was like, I found an edge that I didn't, I hadn't been quite conscious of. Yeah. And like, there's a certain, like, I was going outside of the parameters a little bit. Right. And I, and I, and it, that wasn't, that was a while. How was the, what's the, what's the age spread with the, the, the kid right before it? Um, so Cyrus is 12, he'll be 13 in December, Rowan and our second boy is seven. And then Shay. Yeah. So, there's about five years between each. Wow. That's perfect. But it's a trip. And I, a toddler in this last one, uh, is a girl, a girl. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I know. I got really, really lucky. Like, my, my, yeah, my OBGYN was like, you know, you're having another boy. But no, turns out you would have been pissed off. You definitely would have been pissed off. I would have been delighted, um, but I am more delighted that I, yeah, that she's pretty cool. And, um, and she loves the two, two. Oh, yeah. Who doesn't? Who doesn't? Uh, I am noticing that this, this five year gap is very good, uh, my, all this is just left the house for college. And the fact that I've still got a, a 13 year olds, I've got another five years of, like, before, before I get really, really depressed, um, is great instead of just, uh, usually that usual gap of what, two, three years or something like that, um, yeah, you get built in. I say, I've got a five year old and an almost 17 year old, as of next year. Right. Yeah. It's, it's kind of a trip. It's great. It's a five year old, uh, dog. Yeah. Yeah. Sean, you're done. You're going to be moving into a three, three pretty soon. Let's be honest. Um, sorry. Do you take him to get pedicures to do? Do you have to bribe him with the iPad as well? Uh, no, I don't, I don't go, I don't go often enough despite, no, I'm chasing Sean about his dog. Oh, it's Sean's dog. Yeah, exactly. How often do you get Ricky's toes done? Once a week. I'll bet. Once a week. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, those that nail grinder for a dog, I, like, I don't know how they sit still for that. Well, they, well, they, you tie, you tied their neck around the thing. So they stay on the table, what, you know, what are you doing? I'm a monster. And then Ricky gets up. No, I'm kidding. Uh, great. You're coming to the letter. Shampita. Here we go. Where do you go, Sean? No. Cause he's going to, so you have to get brushed him out every week and all this stuff in Washington. He gets real dirty. Anyway, who cares? The time you wash your own dog, Sean. When he was a puppy. Yeah. Years ago. You're absolutely years. One of the time you wash your own dog every, almost every day. Liar. I sort of got love. You actually do live in an area with sidewalks and streetwalks and front yards. I would walk dogs. I'd have a dog. They're clear. They'll be right with you today. Yeah. What about dogs there on the city? You have a dog there in the city? I had a dog. I had a schnoodle for about 16 years. His name was Ouija, but he had passed. Oh, great name. And then we adopted a cat when we were filming a season of Homeland in Morocco, Harold Hamza. And he was a bit of a nightmare. He pissed on everything. Those Moroccan cats. Was he still with us or no? You know what? After a really rough five years of dealing with this like urine soaked sofa furniture. I had to re-home him, which was very stressful and not obvious. But found this saint in Indiana, this woman who has a cat sanctuary. And then three months into that arrangement, which was actually ideal. We got weekly photos and reports and things. He died. Oh. And like there was clothes. Cloth. I don't know. Depression. The whole thing was wild. From the rough streets of Casablanca to a pretty christian situation in Indiana. Yeah. And then so when Ouija died, we had Harold Hamza and then we adopted another cat, Mary as in like Christmas, our son Rowan named her that when he was like three in the middle of the summer, it was very confusing. And we said, why did you, why Mary, everybody thinks it's Mary. It's not. Yeah. He said, I just thought it was a good name for a cat. That's a great reason. Yeah. Anyway. Wait. Claire, how do you and Jay, how do you guys know each other? Did you work together? We don't. Really? I mean, we've had a conversation maybe. Right. It is, it is sort of surprising because we've both been banging around in this thing since we were kids. Yeah. I know it's, it's a little weird. You guys had a conversation where, where was the location, Jason? We'll probably be right with you. Jason, I'm not asking you. I'm asking Claire. Why? Because I want to get the truth. I think we like had a conversation on the phone and I don't even really know why, but we did. We'd be surprised at how short he was. Sorry. Go ahead. No, do you know what? You go, it was because it was a, I think it was like the same day that my parents delivered my schnoodle to me, they went and picked him up in Kentucky, they live in L.A. I live in New York, but you know, and I was filming in L.A. and they delivered this tiny little animal to me in my hotel room in L.A. and I just, I had just talked to you for, you know, curious reasons. It was a nice conversation. No. But where did you go up? I grew up in New York. You did. In Soho. Yeah. Oh, well. In the city. In the city. Or go the name of your company. Yes. Is that, is that, is that the address of the, the place you grew up in? Crosby? Crosby. Well, actually, okay. Yes. I grew up on Crosby Street. My parents were artists and they moved to Soho, you know, in the late 60s and when it, you know, because it, there were all these factory buildings that were closing down. And you actually had to legally prove that you were an artist to live there because there was a assertive effort to, you know, transform it. And they're trying to retroactively now charge all these finance bros that have gone in there and bought these artists lofts for, really? Yeah. Anyway, like you, you now have to prove that you're an artist to maintain this sweet deal on those places. Oh, I didn't, I didn't know that. Yeah, they're trying to get it through. I don't think it'll happen. Oh, that's fascinating. Wait. And then they went on to do different things and my dad was a, he had been a photographer. We still had a dark room in our loft. My entire childhood, a vestige of his, you know, from his time as a photographer. But he was a contractor and had a company called Overall Construction. And now my production company name is Overall Production. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. And my mom ran a toddler school in our loft called Crosby Kids. Wow. - Oh, that was weird. - Yeah. - And then I started acting and got jobs, which was very sad. - Yeah, how'd that start? What was the impetus for that? - I always knew I wanted to act, and I danced as a kid, and occasionally dance companies would come to my class, looking for a young talent and I would get hired, and I started performing every so often in these black box theaters and the Lower East Side to 12 people and loved it. And then started taking acting classes at least Drossburg, just like down the street for me now, which is very funny. - And how old were you? - Same, same, I was the same. - Oh, really? I was 10, but it was like on a Saturday, and most kids were there because they're, you know, it was either that or like tennis class, but I was just so invested in the experience, like the such an earnest nanny about it. - Yeah. - And then there was a performing arts junior high school called PPA As Professional Performing Arts School. It was its first year of its existence and I went. And then I met kids there who were professional performing people, and you know, discovered what a headshot was and what an agent was, and how to, you know, get them. And actually that dark room came in handy because the woman who was renting it out kind of swapped rent money for headshots. So she took my headshots and then I, I had done some student films when I was a kid. - Yeah. - And so I had like something to show an agent. And you know, my first job was law and order. - Of course, classic. - Yeah, that's cool. And how soon after that did you get one of my huge fan of, and I'm sorry, you get asked all the time about it, my so-called life, which I used to watch all the time. - Oh, that's so nice. - Yeah, I loved it. I loved it. - Yeah, I was 13 when I did the pilot. - Wow. - And then it did not get picked up. And I, yeah, I'd book onto public school my whole life, but then they made a chunk of change and could afford to send myself to private school. So I went to this fancy school called Dalton. - Sure. - And then halfway through my freshman year, they actually did pick up the show. And I went to make the rest of it in LA and stayed there for four years. My parents followed me. My brother's seven years older. So he was already at college at this point. So we were kind of available to have this adventure. - And so were you working in correspondence with Dalton or did you enroll in a different school in LA? - Yeah, for that first year. And then eventually I went to Lise Françaix in LA. - But they were literally there, yes. - On motor? - Yeah. - Yes, you bet, yeah. - I tried to get in there, they wouldn't have me. - But yeah, like maybe we went five days a year, and but I was mostly like two years from that point on sets. - We'll be right back. And now back to the show. - I remember my so-called life it had, it kind of had that, it was critically acclaimed and so it was kind of like sputtered a little bit. It lived in this weird place where everybody loved it, but the network didn't know what to do. - Yeah, I mean, I didn't know. - Am I right about that? - Nobody really watched it while it was on. And we didn't even complete a full season. We didn't make it to the 22, you know, Mark. - Yeah. - We got canceled at 19 episodes. But then it had a pretty, you know, the people who did watch were devoted and passionate, and they made a ruckus. And then it got bought by other, it aired, like it was on an MTV audience. - And so it was, and then it found its audience kind of after the fight. - Tom Preston picked up. - Yeah, yeah. Now, am I right that your mom was your manager during this period? - Yeah, kind of like by default. I mean, she was, you know, I was a kid and she was with me all the time and yeah. - When did that, I ask only because my parents were my manager as well, and it was complicated. Was it, did you disengage from that before it became? - Yeah, it was, you know, it made sense for a period of time and then it made more sense to just be mom and daughter. - Right, yeah, it wasn't uncommon. Most kids, their parents, yeah, yeah. But then once they start, you know, you're paying them a percentage, and then that's kind of weird. - It changes your relationship with your parents. - Yeah, well, I mean, by definition, if you're the employer. - Yeah, yeah. - Yeah, that's really complicated. - Okay, grab me a coffee real quick. - Yeah. (laughing) - But I was very, I mean, we were all just so stunned by this, you know, nobody anticipated this at all. - Yeah. - We were just like, totally naive. And, you know, then they, we moved to LA the day after those North Ridge, that North Ridge earlier. - 1996, '94, '94, '94, '94, '94, '94. Sorry. - And it was a wild way to parachute into our new reality there. 'Cause everybody was just ash in and traumatized. - It must have been horrified like two days before you're set to leave, your bags are packed, you see on the news, the place we're going, just got shaking. - Yeah, yeah. And then it was a week of aftershocks. So we imagine it was like, you know? - Oh my God. - And it was like, it was a very apt metaphor for what we were feeling already, you know? - Right. - But yeah, so, and, but then my parents really loved it. My mom went to grad school in her 50s. They came back to their, their art. - Yeah. - So she went to a school called Otis and showed up my dad built like his and her studios in their backyard, and they're, you know, full circle. - You just jared my memory 'cause my father was, my dad was also a photographer, and he took-- - He was a tire screech. - All of us, it takes photos of all of us, his kids all the time and blow the pictures up and put them-- - (laughing) - Put them up on the wall. - And put them up on the wall. - Yeah, zoom lens, what's going on? (laughing) - And when you put those photos just above the sunshade in the car, so he could just look at them and was going down the highway. - You guys. - Oh. - Wait, did he process his own photos? Sean, did he-- - Yeah, so he had a dark room in the basement, and he would develop them there, and then he would put them on the wall of the house, and it was really cool, but weird for that. So did your dad do your photos and your headshots and all that? - No, no, he didn't, but no, I mean, he didn't really take many photos of people. He likes a landscape. - Oh, oh, I see, I see, I see, okay. - He does take photos of us, of course, all the time, but that's not-- - Yeah. - People don't tend to populate his image. - So, was your mom as a sculptor? Is that-- - No. - My mom does, yeah, she was a textile designer initially, and now she does, she's a lot of etchings. She does do a lot of sculpture, and she paints-- - But both being artists, where you just sort of, kind of obviously it's in your blood, but did you kind of think from a very, very early age that arts is going to be your path, 'cause I think your brother's a lawyer, is that right? - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - So like, how was it, was it kind of predetermined or no or no? - Well, it was a pretty creative environment, that's for sure. I mean, they had a lot of art materials everywhere. It was fun, we had, also, we had, even before the baby school, we had a trapeze and a trampoline and a swing. - All these dirty hippies. - Yeah, yeah, it was like that. - Wow. - And all of our furniture was like found off of the street and my dad collected these old signs, so it was funky. And they had fun tools. They had a light box, and I was at a very, at a very unfair advantage with my like school projects, because-- - Right, right, yeah. - Yeah, we had a lot of-- - And your brother just said, "Screw it to all of that, I'm going into law." - Yeah, I mean, he's creative. He was very athletic, he was, I don't know, yeah, it was, but then I did that show, I did that show finding your roots. - Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. - Uh-oh, would you find out? - Well, many things, but my mom, my dad's mom, Claire, who I'm named after, she died when he was nine. So there was very, very little information about her. I knew nothing about her and people, of course, ask, are there any people in the form of arts in your family? No, a lot of visual artists, a lot of academics, but not, but it turns out she went to Northwestern, I must have been in the '40s, so I'm-- - That question in Chicago? - Yeah. - Cool it, wow. - And God hurt-- - Yeah, easy show now. - And got studied theater and wrote her masters and the role of dance and Shakespearean drama and had directed plays and acted in them, and I had no clue-- - How about that? - So it was in your DNA a little bit. - Yeah, I was pretty moved by that. - Did you like her time in Illinois? (laughing) - I had no idea, I don't know anything beyond that. - But yeah, anyway. I also had my ninth great-grandmother was hanged in Salem for being a witch. - Wow. - What are you talking about, ladies? Is that true? - Yes. - You found this on the-- Yes, well, how did they how did they find that out what do you do are we like legal doc? Through other witches Yeah, yeah, you would crystal ball you idiot Wow Hanged hanged I know I learned that word. I didn't know it before then so wait so did she practice which wrapped in all that I mean is no no actually she was she was the oldest woman to be hanged She was 72 she was a widow, and I think she was just like Low hanging fruit like she was just an easy scapegoat. Yeah, how about that one crossing the road I think maybe I mean who knows but yeah, like that we there are reports because this she was went to court and everything but people accused her of what it was it of up like cursing their cows and then and put it like and and then the cows would rear on their hind legs and She would penetrate people's dreams and like yeah What is it what's your what year is this a wonder a long time ago. I don't I don't know like would it be the 1500 1600 17 or maybe 17 or 18 after 18 probably Hundreds in Salem. Yeah, North Carolina No, no, no, there's a few different salums. Okay. All right Between 1692 and May 1693. Oh, you got a Google machine. Yeah I'd access to cool. That's what it says. Wow. Okay. Why would I go more than 200 people were accused it claims That's it the Salem which people were found guilty 30 30 were found guilty 19 of whom were executed by hanging Yeah, so you're your ancestor was one of them. Yeah for cursing for cursing cows. Yeah, yeah dream penetration All right, she had it coming Mark. Let's put it on the corner everybody. You're dream penetration. Go ahead Marching through the cannon of of your career here Let's let's let's go let's go to 96. Let's go to Romeo and Juliet Oh my god, the the working with Bazz Lerman was like what was that set like was it it was I remember when that film came I was like oh my god like the production design and like this big swing on this classic and Really like what was it was it nerve-racking or exciting to be on something that was taking such a big swing and it was such a big project Yeah, all of the above it was a total dream. I loved it. It was it was intense We filmed in Mexico City And I haven't been since I loved it, but it's like and then it's a unruly You know vibrating brilliant place. Yeah, um, and Yeah, it was a whole thing felt very charged and alive and Scary and fun and Bazz was wonderful and we was very clear about making this Accessible and exciting for everybody the way Shakespeare, you know Also intended his work to be every once upon a time. Had you done some Shakespeare prior to that and have you done after? No, I haven't and I hadn't there was like a month where I read everything in Iambic pentameter, you know like the serial boxes and right But but yeah, it it was No, it was it was amazing. So you so you you did so then I hear you you you're saying you did some research there for at least a month Um, I think I read a book on Iambic pentameter, right there's there's my question. How diligent are you? What kind of actor are you are you are you the one that like it does a massive amount of research? You got a little nerdy about it But not every not every role ask that of you. I mean, I don't do it for the sake of it I do it if I you know actually need to learn something right right now I'm about to play a pediatric neurosurgeon, and so I'm like reading some books Yeah, you should know surgery. I sat in on a brain surgery No way, I want to know all about that. I wouldn't be able to do it. It was why did you pass out? No, but but the I asked like I heard about somebody recently who who sat in on one of those. I think it happens a lot Yeah, it happens a lot and and the surgeon's assistant Did say like you may think you're about us, but if you have the thought, oh, I might faint you're fainting and we can't have that happen So please let me know You feel seated. Yeah, and I don't know there was like a half an hour or I was there I was doing some conscious breathing Wait a minute, so you so you're standing there while the brain is open and they're working on the brain Yeah, what was the moment that started to get you a little a little bit I might be starting to pass out here was it lifting up the scouts when the residents were prepping The the head for the actual surgeon to come and do his work But yeah, so they cut the scalp and they peel it back and then bore four holes into the skull Yeah, and then there's like I think it's called the German or something there's a there's a thin layer of Skin that they have to suture they suture the corners and then they hoick it up like a tent And then you have the brain ready Yeah, but wait, but wait, what about the part where they take a like a bone saw and they cut the piece of the scalp That's right, so they do the four holes and then they cut with the saw and then we lift it up and they never and the brains exposed Yes, oh my god Yes, it was I actually I really understood in a different way that we are Vehicles yes, we are cars. Yeah, and we are not our bodies Like you experience ourselves and the world through our bodies That was like that was a profound thing. Yeah, that you don't really know that in a different level Yeah, so did the person that you watched was a success and all that yeah She had a brain tumor and then she didn't but it was a lot of tumor It took a long time to suction that out But but is it wild like the kind of access we have I What it was very embarrassing because they have something called a time out where everybody in the room has to announce themselves and and say why they're there What really just make sure he's cognizant. I'm sure I'll be playing Yeah, I'll be playing you in a month and I wait a second. There's in the operating room There's a let's go around and introduce ourselves. Yeah, mm-hmm Just so everybody's accountable. They don't already know each other this team They do I think it's just uh, it's a ritualistic thing just to kind of get everybody focused and then they announced what the procedure is gonna be and so everybody knows They're in the right way like you heard all the stories. It's not a big deal. It's just right You've heard all the stories about like they took off out the wrong kidney or they took out the something wrong It's because that's why they announced everything so this is why we're here. This is what we're doing. This is who I am This is what we're yeah, yeah, I mean the people that do this that's I know and I have to say like our sets are so much more protected You know, look I was vetted. I would you know, I had a badge and everything but I wasn't anybody But it felt relatively porous like you know on a set the feeling is so Can be so serious. Yeah, like we are actually saving it was much more serious than it was in the oh I went to an event recently and it was a very sort of Hollywood event And they had dogs and looking into the cars and stuff and I'm like motherfucker Nobody's coming for our stars It's so true everybody's over it. Yeah, I was very humbled by it but But yeah, so so in those kind of cases I will do yeah and like for homeland I I had to figure out how to be a spy and got to go to Langley and meet those guys and and also had to figure out What it was to be bipolar that was fascinating When I played temple I had to learn about autism that you know So yes, some in some cases you have to do a nice little sit-com for you, you know Multi-cam and you know, it's just this is JB's dream by the way. Sorry. Claire. He's just walking through his dream JB, what time do you roll into your parking spot on the car today? Don't you I mean you have played a taken on a voluntarily a lot of very heavy parts and you do them incredibly well Does it ever get exhausting to be believably in a space of of of waitingness? 12 hours a day for years and then it's hard when you're first trying figuring it out, you know and and Once you are sort of oriented within the character and you've kind of made sense of her it gets a little easier. It was very cool in homeland to play somebody for so very long. Yeah, you know like You you had kind of played your backstory you lived your backstory. So you and and you know the actors that you're working with so Very well, you know like it was just That was amazing to have that um fluency and that and that juice, you know um Yeah, get it finding the momentum is always the the toughest part um and But I have to say like if the writing is good Yeah, it holds you it carries you like doing a kind of technically Easy scene, but with bad writing is so much harder than doing an exacting scene that is really well-constructed and with a team that can actually support you. You guys were together for how long on that show, eight years? I felt like I think it was like, we did eight seasons, but it was about a decade and total. And you and the great Damien Lewis too, right? I love that. Yeah. I don't know. I'm just on the fan. And what about the travel on that? Was it nice to visit those parts of the world, the way that I'm imagining you were traveled and looked after? It was. It was nice. But I was also, you know, I'd just gotten married when we started the show. I had Cyrus in my second season. Then I had Rowan, I guess, a few seasons late. I guess I had Rowan in our penultimate season. So making a family while globetrotting in that way was challenging. And Cyrus grew up in all over the place. He was a toddler in Cape Town. He went to kindergarten in Berlin. He went to school in Casa Blanca and can't eat couscous to this day because he had it every day, a bunch. Like when he was a little guy and a playground here in the city, you know, come up to people, his other kids and say, you know, my name is Cyrus. I speak English. You know, it was just not a given that they did. Yeah, what is it? What is it? I had a mom who was a flight attendant for Pan Am and so that we did a bunch of traveling. And as a consequence, I don't like to travel because I did it at an age where it was just inconvenient because I was so small and I missed my friends. What is his relationship with travel nowadays? Well, now, well, then homeland ended and it was very like careful what you wish for because, of course, I was desperate to just be anchored at home and then I never got to leave the like and meet we wrapped and then we were, you know, in the COVID era. That was a trip. And now and now we're working really hard to figure out how to remain employed and local. Yeah, it used to be like script, director, actor. Now it's location, location, location. That's how you decide what you do. Kind of. I mean, I'm sort of making a joke, but basically for the next 10 years, we just have to, you know, find jobs in the neighborhood. What about going back to some of your theater stuff? Doing that? I mean, I know it doesn't pay the bills as well, but imagine you guys are all right. Yeah, I mean, I would definitely be open to that. But yeah, lately it's been a limited series in West Texas. I'm a little too hinder with the Tony award-winning Sean Hayes. Yeah, I love this. I love this casting. Jason, keep going. Yes, it's a two-hander. You and Sean Hayes. Yeah, okay. I do it. This is a new take on the odd couple. I love it so much. We're gonna switch roles every, every four weeks. We'll be right back. But you know what, Jason's right. You would be, you would be good at comp. I saw you in Portlandia because I was a huge fan of that show. You're so, you played like, oh, that's right. I forgot. I did that. Yeah, you play that one. That was so fun. I did. I read a terrible acting coach. Yeah, I remember a wildly pretentious acting coach. That was really funny. Really funny. Oh, that's sweet. Thank you, Fred Armson. He's the guy. This guy, this guy, this guy's royalty. All right. I mean, he's just, he's just put out an album I hear of sound effects. Amazing. That sounds about right. Yeah, it's about right. Check and check. Yeah. I love it. I didn't know that. I love. All right. So we're leaving Basleurman and we're moving under Francis Ford Coppola with the Rainmaker. Let's talk about it. Did we, can I just say something about Romeo and Julia before we get off it? So you got, you do that. And it has such a huge impact. And by the way, lasting impact, that film, it, it must have been a bit of a life changer. I mean, you would already sort of made a lot of waves with, with, with my so-called life in that area. And then you do this. And Romeo and Juliet just must have changed everything. You're, you're much more visible. You must have felt that like your life. Yeah, I did feel it. And I have to say, I didn't quite know what to do with all of that. I was a little thrown by it. Were you? Yeah. Yeah. What was the big jarring thing? Was it the press? Was it people stopping them on the street? Kind of the attention. Yeah. It was a different kind of attention. Yeah. And I just, you know, didn't know how to focus, like what, how to, how to work with it or where to direct it. I was a tiny human still. Right. And then it's like, oh, look who's getting coffee at the coffee bean and tea leaf type stuff, right? Yeah. I just thought, oh god, like, well, I don't know. I, I, I, I, it, it made me anxious. You're sharing yourself with, with a whole world. Yeah. Yeah. And I thought I was supposed to know how to be like a movie star and really didn't. And, and now I realize, oh, don't worry about it. It's not really a thing. What did you do about that? I, I, I, I think I read that you're, your friend of therapy like all of us. Sure. Was that helpful? Yes. Yeah. Yes. I've been in therapy since I was six. I'm a New Yorker. Right, right. And it's a great resource. If you have a great therapist, you've been with the same therapist the whole time. Dangerous if it's not. Since I was about 18, yeah. No way. Oh, yeah. Great. I'm going right after this. I go in and out. Like I, I take very substantial breaks. Yeah. I'm back in now. And I'm glad of it. Have you ever lied to this therapist? Maybe by omission. Yeah. I don't think I've ever explicitly lied. I just forgot to mention that. But, yeah, there's sometimes. There I asked Sean once. Right. Sean, remember, I asked you if I ever came up in your therapy. Yeah. Everybody does. Everybody in your whole life does. How do I do, Sean? Yeah. Well, it's private. It's private. It's confidential. What are you doing? I'll call your therapist. I'll just. You're in Colorado. I'm a call. Hi, Nikki Jason. Did I guess right? Is it a man or a woman? Me? It's a woman. All right. Yeah, yeah. Nikki, huh? Nikki Glazer. Nikki Glazer. Unbelievable. Yeah. We get it all sorted out. She'd be an amazing. She would be. She would. She would. She would be. Yeah. All right. Let's do Francis Ford Copeland. I want to get to Steven Dolldry. Okay. You know, I do like these directors. I mean, you've been in some great great movies. Or great actors and directors. I mean, golly. What do you think is the, what is the most impactful thing you've absorbed, learned from any of these actors? You don't even need to say which one it is. What do you think? Yeah. What changed your life and how it applies either to you in life or professionally? Okay. Okay. Here's the story. So my first audition ever, I was 12. It was again in some theater, not like low-reside kind of situation. Right. And I don't know what's happening. And there is a guy in like having his audition. I can only hear him. But he's like, sounds like an exorcism is happening. It's like he's thrashing about, you know, and he comes in and he's like stripping with sweat and he's just like vibrating this manic energy. And it was Philip C. Moore Hoffman. But I was like, holy shit. What's supposed to happen in there? What am I supposed to be? What am I following? Like, what am I walking into? What do they expect of me? I don't even for the kid that same day. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, so I don't know. I mean, I didn't know how, I mean, I sort of knew how extraordinary these people were when I first started, but not like I do now. I don't know how, you know, wildly rare and absurd it is to get to collaborate with people of that genius. Have you noticed that, you know, like from, let's say, Meryl Streep to Leonardo DiCaprio, like is there, there are so many different ways to go about doing what it is that we do. Some, as we were talking about earlier, some are very, very specific and surgical about it and very prep-oriented. And others just sort of just kind of wing it and keep it all natural. And the performances are equally great. Is that been a bit of an eye-opener for you? Okay, so the thing I remember about Francis is that he, you know, he kind of asked a lot of you, but it was all in a playful spirit. So he gave everybody the homework assignment of writing, you know, six pages of backstory for their care, you know, okay. And I remember there was a scene where I was meant to be very distressed and crying and the big, and I sat on the chair and it was actually like a block of ice. That was, you know, and that he thought might help elicit some, you know, some feeling. He had a teamster scream at me. And I kind of was like, okay, I didn't need it, but I, I was 17, I guess. And, um, but actually I was very touched that he just cared that much, like that he was invested, that he felt present with me, that he was committed to creating something special with me. That was the thing that actually got to the feeling was that, I don't know, that I, and I remember on that set, like it was something kind of magical that happened and ineffable, like suddenly you landed on that set and you were held by it. Like you knew, you were oriented, you felt grounded in whatever reality you meant to be in, in the place, and that was his doing, but I don't know how he did it exactly. And the same is true of Baz, a totally different approach. He did not have teamsters yell at me, and actually it was almost surgical, the way in which he directed. I mean, he knew exactly, it was very prescriptive, but. - Was it result oriented? - No, like he just was very, it's so, so, detail oriented. - Yeah, okay. - You know, and he builds the world, and it's really ornate, and it's really hyper-considered and stylized, but he wants a free feeling performance from his actors, and that's why it's often exciting, the world, because it's that contrast. - So it creates a sort of a, yeah. - But yeah, I mean, and I have to say, there are a lot of directors too, not these guys, these guys are brilliant, but I think I'm always surprised by the number of directors that are actually really terrified of conflict and visceral feeling. They would rather you not, you know? And they don't even know that they're guiding you away, like they want you to make choices that's gonna take you further from actual expressive feeling, you know? And you know, and you're like, but why are you doing this? I want, because you want to be at a remove from it. Like you want to, you know, so there are those directors too. - It's too real. - Sean, you used to pay a guy to yell at you, right? - Yeah. - You put an ad in Craigslist or something. - I still do. - Yeah, I still do. - You just use yourself on a block, guys, too. - Yeah, yeah. - But I think even, you know, the privilege of working with people like Meryl and Leigh, like is, yeah, they're insanely gifted. And they're, you know, and capable. But they're also, you know, figuring it out, you know? Like nobody gets to just like, you never get to a point where you're actually confident. I mean, so you're never phoning it in, like ever. - Yeah, I know that you're producing a lot of the stuff that you do as well now. And what about, did you ever get behind the camera on a homeland? - No. - Any desire? - No, not really. I mean, I kind of, if I had the time, I would like to shadow a director just so that I could learn more about the parts of the process that we don't have access to because I'm curious. But not with the intent of really doing it myself. I am enjoying producing. - Yeah. - I like, you know, being part of the conversation, like those consequential conversations about what it's gonna be and its entirety. But yeah, I don't, directing seems really hard. - Yeah. (laughing) - You wanna put it? - Yeah, yeah, I think that's it. - So Claire, you know, aside from, I love what you said now, it used to be script director, blah blah. Now it's location location. I love that. That's so interesting and true and I get it. But how does that, so that factors in with, your days consist of momming and parenting and being home with the kids, yeah. And making sure everything's taken care of with your husband. - When you're not working, all right? - When you're not working with the other. - Yeah, you try to just bank the hours. - Yeah, so did you get any time during the day when you're not working to do something for you? - Yes, for sure. - Shides of any petty. - Yeah. - I like the yoga. - Yeah. - I like a little hot yoga. Yeah, I have like lunch with my friend. - Good, good, good, good. - Sure. - Book club. - Oh, really? - Yeah. - Wait, so you go to yoga and then you read a book. I mean, God damn, I wish I was like. - It sounds like doesn't Gianmani didn't pause and that's how his day is going to put it in. - Yeah, so, yeah. - Do you live with Paul Gianmani? - Yes. - Hot yoga, it just sounds so nice. - No, he can't do it. - It's, well, it's, first of all, yoga itself, you're sweating because you're stretching is just sort of like being trapped in a hot car, in a virtuous, but then to actually, well, we're gonna go ahead and we're gonna pre-heat the car. - Yeah. - It just seems like, what the fuck? - Jason, it's your nightmare. It's wetty and really smell of the unwashed and then getting sweatier. And then you've got to walk across the floor when you're done. - Yeah, you do. - Take very carefully. - Totally. - And you're splashing through the fucking puddles of these. - So you sound like you really know it. - Oh, dude. - You've done this. - I did, I knew it and I was like, I'm good. That'll, that'll do it. - It was just one class for you. - It was maybe one and a half, something like that. Yeah, I just, if I'm gonna sweat, I wanna be active. I don't wanna be holding a pose and feeling my pores open while I'm still. (laughing) - It's really hard. I wanna get to, this trailer for The Beast and me rocked my world, I watched it three times in a row. I cannot wait to see the show, which is out now. November 13th, it launched. I'm assuming it's doing very, very well. But this looks like, you got that pain in the ass, Matthew Reese, but besides that, it sounds like, oh my God. It's a state of Wales, and just talent free. I don't get it. - I know. - Never got it with Reese. - He's a little wooden, but, you know. - I'm gonna text a little, you know. - He has a charisma that, you know. - He looks so, so good. I can't wait to see you two go at it. Is it good, is it seems? It's gotta be. - Yeah, it's, I think it's good. I think it's fun. It's a, yeah, I had a blast making it. - Where was I shot? That looks like, isn't it? - Dangerous thing. - Dangerous thing. - Who do you play in it? 'Cause it's about a guy who's a murderer or something or, right? - She's a writer. - Yeah. - I'm a writer. Yes, a pretty successful writer. And I, you know, won the Pulitzer, was kind of cresting in my, you know, success. And my wife and I, and our small boy move to a pretty affluent suburb in Long Island. And then tragedy strikes, I'm driving the car with our six-year-old son in the back and we get hit by a drunk driver and my world is ended. The marriage dissolves, falls apart. And I am kind of creatively paralyzed. I can't produce any work. And I'm rattling around in this, you know, gorgeous, but neglected home needs a lot of work and suddenly I can't afford it to pay for it. And suddenly this man moves in next door who's a pretty controversial figure, like a real estate sion and, you know, very famous, very moneyed and, you know, and a little problematic, maybe. And he has a wife who had committed suicide and there's a lot of talk about his involvement with that. And he wants to create a jogging path in our little suburb. And I am, you know, the Kentankerist writer, I'm the only one who objects. And it's dumb, but he can't let it go. And he insists on taking me out to lunch to persuade me to, you know, agree to this thing. And we get to, and then suddenly we were sort of repelled by each other, or I certainly am of him, but weirdly, like kind of excited to by each other. Also, and I tell this story about my son and the guy who's responsible was just under the limit when he finally had, you know, the breathalyzer done and, you know, and was never held accountable and still lives in town and he can see, I've kind of avoided feeling the difficult feelings and just fixated all of my grief on this man and that man has committed suicide. And I don't know what to think of that. And I, and I decide to write a book about him and really as a way to figure out if he did, in fact, kill this guy on my behalf. - Oh, I love it. - Also, because he just wakes me up creatively. - It's dark, is it dark and troubling? I think the most troubling thing about it is it's produced by Conan O'Brien, that to me. - Yeah, I mean, that-- - You got his grubby little fingers in here. - You want to talk about a mass of tasks? - You want to talk about a talent free. - Talk about a Josh Mad Cousin. - This, son of a bitch. - But it's kind of like a cat and mouse story and it's a little Hitchcockian and it's fun. - Yeah, it looks great. - A great scene partner you got there with all those things of Madness. - Yeah, it's just so great. the snake and the mongoose had you guys did you guys know each other beforehand? You or Matthew? No, no. But just a dreamboat. Right. I mean, he's the loveliest human. Charming kind and talented. So smart and so very good at what he does with the community, with the act and business. Well, easy. No, I like it. Nice guy. He's a great guy. Yeah. You're taking well. Okay. Back on it. Yeah. And you're in your back with Howard Gordon there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That was fun. Very, very cool. Who's Howard Gordon? He was the creators of homeland. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I needed 24 and ex-violence. Well, listen, we owe you three minutes and 40 seconds. We're over. Sorry. You know, it's like, I can, I can, I can, I can, the, the, violate the time even further that you're, you're fantastic. Thank you for doing this. Oh, my pleasure. This is so fun. Thank you, guys. Yeah. Yeah. Everybody watch the Beast and me. It's on Netflix. Yep. The great Claire Danes. Claire, we love you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Bye. I don't know how to do this. I slam it. It's the thing, right? Yeah. Slam it. My Claire Danes. Lovely, lovely woman. Been a part of our world for a very long time. That's, that's 30 plus years. I know. My so-called life when, when it was on MTV was such a, was such a huge show for you know, our age. I mean, it was a, it's like a game. It was like, I was like our Dawson's Creek, you know what I mean? Anybody? Seven Tevin Dawson's Creek. I got to say, I missed it. Oh, I loved it. Which is not too surprising. It came out. Here he comes. It wasn't Jared Leto in that too. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. Isn't that crazy? What a couple. Yeah. She's been, I just, you know, this is a hard business. It's even harder for women for some stupid, unfair reason. And the fact that she's stayed so relevant at such a high level doing such great work. Yeah. She was a kid in stuff that, that ain't easy. It's really, really admirable. She's had an incredible career thus far and seems not anywhere. She's a big deal. She's one of the, she's one of the great. She's just got a big life in general. She's got three kids and she's doing so much. Yeah, we didn't even get into her charity work that her, she and her mom do for the women of Afghanistan too. Which is pretty cool. But what are the light? What are the light? You know, I mean, you know guys, it's not that hard. If you guys just, just, just concentrate a little bit more, you could be charismatic. You could be warm. You could be, you know, people that, that, that people want to talk to and are charmed by after you're done speaking to them. There's no way. No, I think you could do it. Of course you could do it. You could. I want you to listen to this interview back and just focus on her and just focus on just her magnetism. Okay. Well, she's just, she's engaging and she lives. I'm going to do it. How am I ever going to do it? I'm going to do it. You know what I'm doing. I'm, I'm just, I'm hanging, I'm hanging. Bye, my friend. Bye. Bye. I'm coming up with a bye. Come in with a bye. I love it. Bye. Smart. Bye.