Robert De Niro

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Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of Good Hang. This is a very, very special one. We have Robert DeNiro with us today. Robert DeNiro, the King of New York. If New York was a person, it would be Robert DeNiro.

And you know what Frank Sinatra saying, if you can make an interview with Robert DeNiro, work here, you can make an interview, work with anybody anywhere. We are very, very excited that we have him. We're gonna talk about so many things. We're gonna talk about Goodfellas. We're gonna talk about him hosting SNL and what that felt like.

We're gonna talk about how much he paid for his first New York apartment in Rance. And we get into it. What a pleasure and a privilege to have Robert here. And because it is so special and he is so special, I'm doing something a little bit different. I'm gonna ask a few people to talk well behind his back and to talk to me about him.

Because I just want, I wanna get prepared. You know, like he's such a good actor. He prepares so well, I wanna do the same. So we're gonna talk to Rachel Dratch, my good buddy Rachel Dratch, who starred with him in the world famous Debbie Downer at the SNL 50th. We're gonna talk to Seth Meyers, who is always an incredible friend and support and who interviewed Robert Bob DeNiro a couple of times.

And we're gonna talk to Jane Rosenthal, his longtime producing partner who started the Trebeca Film Festival with him, knows him so well and is gonna give us a question to ask Robert DeNiro. So let's get started and see if we can get Dratchy on the Zoom. Drude? This episode is brought to you by Uber. You know those little choices you make that give you more comfort throughout the day.

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Learn more on the Uber app. Rachel! Hi! Hi bud! Hold on, let me plug in my headphones.

Oh my God, headphones! I can't ride the headphones any longer than they've already carried me. Look at that! Gross! Okay, well, that's there, but you know what?

Other than, oh, there's- Oh, now there's another nut. Overall good, overall. Kind of misses this progress. Wait, I'm just trying to think if I need better light. Listeners, Rachel's just adjusting.

I mean, at this point in our lives, why are we not surrounded by ring lights? I know! You know? Yes. That looks good.

Also, a nice lip. Well, thank you. I put an effort for you, polar. With a lip, and that's about it. You get a lip.

You get a lip babe. Drew G and I had dinner last night. So nice. We did, yes, yay. And I told you that I was interviewing Robert De Niro.

And I needed some help. I'm shy around big name celebrities. And I don't know, I'm just going to say this. You can use this or not. I always thought you were very good when we were not so you were very good at talking with celebrities when we were standing around like the host, you know, waiting for the scene or whatever.

And I would be quiet as a mouse in the background. And so it's good that you're doing this podcast because you're good at it. Thanks, dude. I'm glad it's not me interviewing De Niro. That's what I'm saying.

I'll just clam up. But you're one of my close friends that has worked with him. You guys have worked with De Niro. You have shared the screen with Bobby. Bobby and I have shared the screen.

Yes, that's true. You have. You shared the screen. And tell Bobby I say hi by the way. You seem to be like, oh, no.

Bobby, I'm now committed to calling Bobby. Well, I'm going to call him Bob because that's what. And you know, there's nothing worse than anybody calling somebody by their first and last name. So Robert De Niro, what do you think? Right.

I am nervous because he doesn't seem to really love to talk that much about himself. And also he feels like our generation's actor. He really has been in everything we grew up watching. And that was and his stuff was always a little too adult growing up. It was like his stuff was like the scary movie or the violence.

Yes, his stuff was like, you felt like an adult when you got to kind of watch his stuff. Yes. You got to do some comedy with Bobby. Yeah. I was thinking about this because not only did I get to comedy, but he also hosted back when we were on the show way before.

And I was remembering what that is. I don't remember if I got to see him, but I remember I submitted a scene where I was doing an impression of him, like in front of him at the table. And basically all my pride, well, you can't see this if you're listening, but my pressure was just going like this. It was just like a face. It was probably not much more.

It describes. Listeners, Rachel is doing an impeccable impression. Well, it's a great one because you kind of back up, you close your eyes and you kind of get your mouth over like a, you know, that's all that's always anyways, it didn't make it to air. Yeah. Okay.

So, yeah. So I think we, you know, Paul and I were going to write a Debbie Donner for the anniversary show. And then like you get the list of like who's available out of all the stars. And then I think Paul, it was like, we got De Niro, like De Niro with Debbie Donner was just like such an appealing, you know, prospect for us to imagine him. To explain what do you mean by list?

Like just so people don't know the SNL 50 is what do you mean there was a list like there's a list of like who would be willing to be in a scene, you know, for an anniversary scene. So there's a list of the stars that were going to be there that would be willing to play in a scene. And then we got to have him say like he was just trying to get a drink at the bar and she's bombing him out. And I think our favorite line was about like her saying you don't want to use a plastic straw because micro plastics are probably taking up residence in your testes. And then when he had his like flip out of me, he's like, I don't want to hear about the plastic in my balls.

And then he went to throttle me and we wrote in that he like goes to strangle her. But then I was in the rehearsal. I was like, you know, if you want to actually strangle me, you can't. And then he actually strangled me in the scene. I was like, I'm getting strangled by Robert.

No comedy person. Everything's going to happen to them. So that was a fun thing to experience. I've told you in Paula this, but my favorite part is when he calls you Deborah. Yeah, excuse me, Deborah.

Yeah. But I kind of go like on a body when I'm dealing with someone that's like a huge icon. And I was definitely nervous about being in a scene with Deiro, like even though he was perfectly nice and he was like giggling and he was willing to be there and play in this comedy land, of course, but but I still get nervous knowing that it's Deiro, you know, I would say one thing that you two have in common, Rachel. What is this? Look at this face.

Is that you're both in an extroverted business, but you're quite shy. Yes, that's true. I think he's shy. Luckily, Jimmy was there to smooth out all the social edges. Yeah, Jimmy Fallon also in the scene.

He's very good at that. He's really good at that. Well, I'm going to bring up Debbie Downer to him and talk to him about SNL because I do think that like there is this comedic side that we, you know, we've gotten to see over the years, but my experience similar to yours is like a very kind of like fun and nice and quiet gigly person. Yeah. I'll go to another person about Bob and try to get some more info and get ready for our interview.

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Hello. Seth. Are you wearing new glasses? I'm wearing my cheaters. That's right.

You have cheaters now. I think Paula Pelsa first person I ever heard say cheaters. Seth, you look great. Oh my God. Thank you, polar.

Did you get a facelift over? What are you doing? What are you doing? You always said you wanted me to announce on the pod. That's because you used to say my face had a few parts that had a bad hang.

You would point to different areas and say that's a little bit of a bad hang. Yeah, that's right. Guess where I'm talking to you from? Moth is Vineet. My childhood bedroom and bed for New Hampshire.

Wow. What other desk would there be a bobblehead of me of the update desk? I bet your childhood bedroom is similar to mine, which is my parents have now put things about me in my childhood bedroom as if I would like that. It's a living museum. It's a living museum.

Yeah. Like old press, like an old timeout article from 1997 framed. People don't know that the White House would be sleeping in Lincoln's bedroom. It's a lot of clippings that Lincoln's mom saved. It's got the old shovel that he did his homework on.

That's basically all it is. Who made that bobblehead? When was that made? After you left, we got a lot of room work. I mean, you know what's out of you left?

The fact that there's a literally it would be great if it had been a two person bobblehead that my mom had just sawed you out. That was at one time my mom learned how to solder. What are you doing in your childhood home? I'm doing a charity event in the history of New Hampshire. And I'm sure by the time this airs, it will be too late for anyone if I took it if you came.

God bless. Seth, and you asked me to ask you this. You do a lot of charity, yes? I ask you to leave out the top of that. I am constantly doing charity.

It's a little tiring. Oh, I bet. But it's worth it. You know, I always say it's worth it. And my good deeds are the wind beneath my wings.

Yeah. It's what you get out of it. It's not the people you help. I just think of all the good things I do. Yeah, I know.

And not the people because you refuse to meet them. Oh, you know, most of the charities are food for pets. They're mostly animal based. I feel like people take care of themselves. People can take care of themselves.

You get into jail as a person to yourself out of jail. Exactly. You're an animal. You don't know what you're doing. Much of what's gone wrong for you as an animal is the fault of people.

I'm just doing it best to clean up. Well, you are doing an active charity today, actually, because you are getting on and helping me because I'm going to speak to Robert De Niro. I'm quite nervous and you've already done it. And I... Always nervous.

I will say, I wish I could tell you not to be nervous. I've been nervous every time I've talked to him. Okay, how many times have you spoken to him? I think I'm at 20 times in my life because of his time on SNL. Okay, sure.

I will tell you this, I've never been able to pull the trigger and call him Bob. No? No, I can't bring myself to do it. It just feels too familiar for a legend. So should I just call him Robert De Niro?

And Mr De Niro? Mr De Niro, that seems too much. I did do this once and it was not... I did once call him Danny DeVito. And that I cannot recommend enough you don't do that.

Robert De Niro is like, everybody knows that name. He's so famous. I, again, because I'm aware of how little you guys do. I did a little research before Danny DeVito. And I look back because he's our second season.

He's the first time he hosts. And so he's about 25 episodes into our run on SNL. I think he's the first true legend who hosted the show over there. And it's very surreal to work with legends. And the wonderful thing about when he showed up, and it never beats the point where I was like, oh, he's just like us.

But he laughed so hard at that table read. Yes. And he laughs just like Robert De Niro. Yes. It's so much fun how much he laughs like Robert De Niro.

And he laughs. He's an incredibly generous laugh for, to the point where if you early, if your sketch was early and you laughed at it, you might think you'd written a perfect sketch and then like 25 sketches and you're realizing like, oh, he's laughing at everything. I want to try to get that energy today. I don't know. This is for anybody.

For anybody about to listen to me or Bob's not laughing. Seth, look, okay. It's maybe it's because he's so moved by the conversation. Oh, well, I mean, it's actually, hey, a lot of people think I'm a might even say my best quality is my sense of humor. But when I did good hang, I was just choked up crying most of the time.

People still ask me if I'm okay. Maybe I'll get to Niro to cry. You think? Maybe you never know. We'll see.

Tell him you thought Groden carried midnight rent. Looking back to you, agree that Groden's name should have been first. It's immediately burst into tears. Seth, get serious. I'm about to interview Robert De Niro and I need her.

Okay. You've done it. Here's something you should know before you interview Bob. And this is a genuine. And you did just call him Bob.

I'm going to call him Bob to you. Okay. Bob gives great answers. There's a lot of important information in his answers. I think he answers with authenticity.

What he does not give are long answers. I'm going to tell you. And I think it's one of the great things about De Niro. When Bob has made his point, he has no need. Like a lot of us do.

He and I, I think, will over talk. Yeah. You know what I mean? An interviewer with us often is wondering when it's their turn to get a word. Often when we're being interviewed, we both see this, which is just someone going like, that's enough.

Or like this. Sometimes when they point at the watch. I'm going to guess, I'm going to look into your future and think there's not going to be a moment where you're going to be like, oh my God, buddy, wrap it up. Right. Like maybe there'll be some moments where I go and what else?

What a thing. I mean, I feel like the fully realized Robert De Niro is not, he does not need to hear his voice more than he feels is necessary. No, I mean, I think it's something interesting to talk to him about is the idea of like, he seems quite introverted for such an extraverted job. I mean, he is like, he feels like his characters and his work is where he's able to, like, you know, he's spoken about it. He's quite a shy person.

Yeah. It's very, and part of that, you know, shyness is I think what allows you and I to be intimidated. But the reality is he's not, you know, he's not bored or put off by people. I think he is just genuinely shy. I know I've told the story.

I apologize if I told it to you, but I remember the first, uh, table read to do with him. I like ran to get in the elevator to go home on a Wednesday night and I ran in not realizing he was the only other person in the elevator. And so then the door closed and again, it's only, it's only 17 floors, but it felt like the longest, because it was just me and Robert De Niro. And he was very, he was complimentary too about how the day had gone, but like in very, and a few of us amount of words he could be. I mean, it's going to be hard not to turn into Chris Barley and just be like, dear Hunter, like, like, oh, so good.

That's the problem with interviewing legends. I in fact, the first time De Niro was on my show, he directed a movie called The Good Shepherd, with a new image of Lee and Matt Damon. He's only directed one or two things. And I really liked it. It's right up, it's a C.I.A. movie.

And I remember the first time he was on my show as a guest. I told him, I, hey, I really like that movie. And he was like, no, thank you, it was amazing. And then the next time he was on my show, I think again, from that moment of not feeling awkward. I was like, hey, by the way, I really liked it.

And he's like, no, I remember. I didn't like four years. I'm like, oh, right. Like, just because he's quiet, doesn't mean he's not hearing you. But I liked it.

And I like that he's like, yeah, I wake in and tell me every time I'm here about a movie. I did 2006. I'm like, I got nervous. Well, yeah, I'm genuinely nervous. I don't get, you know, I think you're similar.

I'm not, don't get that nervous. I mean, I'm sure with your, you've interviewed so many people, you probably, it's very rare that you probably get nervous, right? Well, it's always that. It's always somebody who was, you know, iconic when you were young. Yes.

That idea that not only are you talking to them, but you're talking to them because they, like, they got in a car and came to where you worked. And yeah, and you look, you turn and look at them and you're like, you're talking to me. Oh, very nice. And now you've blown it and I can't use it when he's there. I can't believe you blew one.

You have one, by the way, every interview with DeNera, you get one, you're talking to me. And I used to do it with you. Go on, go on. I already blew it. Before we finished, Dr. Achee talked about how fun it was to do Debbie Downer with Robert

DeNiro. And I do want to talk to him about comedy because he's done a lot of it and he's a new one. Meet the parent, another meet the parents, which is going to be a big hit. I'm sure, but what did you write when you were when he was hosting, do you remember stuff you wrote for him? You know what I wrote?

And this is a wonderful call back. If we were doing a Herald right now, this would be the last meeting. I did a sketch called Pranksters where I played a kid on Nickelodeon hosted a prank show. And the first time I did it with Wonka and the second time I did it with DeNiro. And the game was that older gentlemen had recorded their pranks and their pranks were vicious in nature.

And so it would be like a kid would come on first and his prank would be like a put up rubber, you know, a catam would be like I put a rubber spider in my teacher's drawer. And then DeNiro would come out and the neighbor borrowed his lawnmower. So he hid in his garage and then cut him up with a chainsaw. And the thing I'll remember about it, or the thing I do remember about it, is Jim C. I was a commercial parody director as an old legend.

You know, again, we filmed the first take and Robert DeNiro got covered in, you know, whatever putting type substance was supposed to be blood. I just like, they just sprayed him with it. And I remember Jim was like, all right, let's clean him up and take him from the top. And I was like, and DeNiro just looked at me and said, can we get it? And I was like, yeah, yeah, we got it.

He goes, okay, goodbye. Like, it's a perfect take. But I had this moment of like, I don't want to have written a thing that makes Robert DeNiro take a full shower to shoot a second take. And again, we just did a low-end podcast about the party Mr. Bernard's, which was...

That's right. That's right. What is it we're going to burn? It's where he basically was just happy to play the corpse. And then the last thing I'll say is we couldn't get Martin Scorsese to do this, but those glasses do look a little bit Scorsese-like.

Well, you just, and I know this might feel weird, but we're going to do something to the zoom where we're going to pretend that your Martin's going to score Scorsese first time. Hey, he's the best. Hello, I'm working on them. Oh my God. Ask him about this. Ask him about that.

He's the best. Thank you. That's perfect. I'm going to put that on a loop. And then I... is this weird? Could you just cut that up inside it to Lauren?

If you're like, you know, this is why, then you let him do more impression. Totally. Yes. And you know what? I'll also send it to Martin Scorsese and be like, no, no, no, no, no.

Sadly, I miss you. I know this is weird, but show us all the inside the drawers. I'm not sure. I'm telling you, my saying is wrong. Just show us one thing.

Oh, what do we got? And this is from... 82 Champs? That's you? Yeah, by football.

82 Champs. People are forgetting 82. People are jeans. You're playing football. Rear ending injury at 82.

I think they said it was a lady wrist. All right, Sethi, I miss you. I could talk to you forever. Thank you for zooming from your childhood bedroom. And thank you for helping me out with this because it is a big deal.

It's a big interview. I appreciate your help. I would love you to start by saying Setho's high. And if you don't, you're very... I mean, very mad.

And I'll tell him that you loved his movie. I'll tell him again. And I'll say he thinks you forgot. I'd say Seth would love to tell you he likes something else you've done, but it's really that's just it. Thanks so much for doing this. And I'll let you know how it goes.

Hi. Jane? Hi. Thank you for doing this. Great to see you.

I mean, I feel like you do so much great work for the city, so much great work for the industry, and so much great work with Bob. You and Bob have worked together for what? 30 years longer? It's seven, eight, almost 38, but who's counting? I mean, it was your period. He was...

We were doing so many things together. I remember him calling me one day and saying, what do you think about exposed brick? And I said, is that a script I'm supposed to read after? I'm supposed to meet. He said, no, in your office, I thought we should see in the last walls.

Exposed brick, a new thriller. Yeah, exactly. So we do this thing here where we always try to speak to somebody who knows our guests to get a little bit of insight before we talk to them. And I imagine more than most people, Bob has a lot projected on him. And what do people get wrong about him?

What is one of the best things about him that people don't know? He's funny. He's got lifelong friends. He can tell who somebody is by how long they keep their friends. And he's had the same group of friends going way back.

And he's funny and he loves the conspiracy theory. We should get into some of them. He loves good food. It was during Irishman. And we premiered at the London Film Festival and then we were supposed to stay over.

And he was like, no, let's go to Paris. A group of us, let's go to Paris. And we got on a plane. It was probably like 11 o'clock at night. And there was some restaurant that he insisted we go to.

Of course, the place was closed, but they said they were closing and whatever. And it was like, Bob's on his way. Yeah, we're going to keep it open. We're going to keep it open. And okay, the site from where we were jet lagged.

You had like the London Film Festival. There we were seeing in this restaurant because he had to try, you know, whatever. And it's like one, two in the morning. And you're knee deep in snails at this point. Yeah, exactly. But he loves it. He loves trying new things.

I mean, that's a, you know, ever since the origin of his art, like artist parents, like I do feel like he enjoys, he's like NST. Like he enjoys beautiful things and things done well and people who are good at their jobs and like in a lot of different mediums. And I know you're the same way too. I mean, that's where the Tribeca Film Festival now celebrating his 25th year is exactly that. It's like a compendium of talented people who have all different kinds of points of view and you're, you know, using your currency to support their visions.

Basically, it's really, it's really something. Thanks. We try. Is there a question you have for him today? Something you'd want to know?

Big or small, something that you think he wants to talk about? Also, what does he not like to talk about? It probably doesn't like to talk about like, how did you gain weight and lose weight? I love it. I love this. Fantastic. You just saved me 25 minutes of.

I mean, I feel like Bob doesn't even really like to talk about acting. You know, he's been famous for so long. So, you know, how did his kids look at him? He shows his daughter Helen a lot of movies. And he goes to movies with Helen all the time. How old is Helen? 14. So that would be a nice question.

What have you and Helen watch lately that you'd like together? Yes, as opposed to he and Gia, who's three. And he goes off about Miss Rachel. Amazing. Maybe we can get Bob to talk about his favorite Miss Rachel moment. That's a great question.

Because I would like to know what he's watching and responding to. Because if you're a New Yorker, it's about the present moment. This city moves fast and it keeps moving and things change and you have to stay present and current always. The one thing about Bob that I find so amazing, if you said to him, okay, well, on Tapsi Driver, on a Brax tail, on silver linings. I mean, just almost on any movie, like where you shot the movie on six avenues. No, no, we really shot it on eighth Avenue.

And when it was the northeast corner, and it was a little deli that's still there. It used to be a smile. It was a now it's like this. We were on the second floor and he couldn't. I mean, he goes into such, I mean, he has a photographic memory.

There's two things he doesn't remember, but he is like why he calls me sometimes. So like call me and then say, do you have anything you need to tell me? No, you called me. Oh, when I remember I'll call you back. I mean, but he's, you know, he can pretty much tell you where things were shot up to the exact corner and what was on it and what's on it now.

Oh, that's fantastic to know. That's really helpful. These are great questions and thank you for helping me prep for this interview. I'm a huge fan of yours and huge respects. I think here. Thanks so much, Jane. Great talking to you. And I hope I see you soon.

Thanks, bye. I have to say, I know you don't love interviews. Thank you for doing this. I'm already worried that nobody told you that you were doing this today. I looked at my schedule. I said, Oh, God. So, but I'm fine.

You're like, how can we get out of this? No, because we're going to talk, but I know like you're, you know, you've described yourself as kind of a shy person at times. And I don't think you like to talk very much. Sometimes I don't. Yeah. Well, I know what's the point.

Okay, well, I'm going to, I'm going to ask you a favor. I get paid by the word. If I don't meet my word count by the end of this interview, I'm screwed. I think it's really interesting that you've described yourself as a shy person and a shy kid because I think there's a lot of introverted people in this business. And I don't think people always assume that about people that are actors. Would you consider yourself an introverted person? In some ways. I am. Yeah, some ways.

I am. Okay. I have to talk more. Okay. At least 10 more words. Okay. I have to fill the quote. Okay. Were you a shy kid? I was quiet.

I was quiet sometime, but I would have to speak up. I would. Yeah. I think being an actor, it allows you, I would say this is still to be the other characters that you would normally not know at all. This way, it gives you a little taste of what they would be like in that experience would be like. And so without having really paid a price, you're aware of the price, whatever that character is, you know, when I'm around people who are quiet because there is a difference between quiet and shy.

Yeah. When I'm around people that are quiet, I mean, I noticed that a lot is projected on them. And then also I feel like a responsibility to keep talking. Right. Does that happen to you a lot? You mean with me? Yeah. I don't mind that. I bet. Because you talk and I can just listen. I have friends who like to talk a lot. We get along real well.

Well, we're going to get along because there's going to be a point in this interview where people are going to be listening to me be like, Amy, please be quiet. But as preparing for today, and you know, we're talking about we're in New York City, you know, you're celebrating 25 years of track a film festival. I feel like there's no other person that personifies the city more than you. It's like if the city was a person, it would be you. And I'm sure you've been told that, but it really is true. There is a directness and a sense of the present moment in you. There's a, you know, New Yorkers are not necessarily overtly friendly, but they're secretly kind.

Yeah. I say, yeah. Yeah. And there's a like an ambition and drive that's that's you've had throughout your entire career. And your history of being in New York, like, you know, I'm always fascinated by kids who grew up in New York. It just seems like a fairy tale. What was it? What was it? Like, what was it like when you were a young person? Could you describe it to me?

Well, I grew up in the village and, you know, it was I had I hung out in Little Italy for years. And that's how I know Marty. It's called Stacey. Marty was hung out with his other friends on another street. And I hung up with my friends.

What street were you on? What street was he on? He was on around Prince and Martin. I remember I was an analyst, and we lived and I was Ken Mayer and Mulberry or Bloom sometimes. I mean, it's really amazing. You grew up with two artists parents. Like, you know, you had both your parents were artists. Your mom was a poet and a painter.

Your dad was a painter. Like you were around. And a poet too. You were around art all the time. And I know art's still really important to you. When you were growing up in New York, do you remember that art scene? Like, did you ever meet Warhol? No. You never went to the factory? No.

You ever see like a fan? I mean, New York, you always see somebody walking past you. Did you ever meet a famous artist during that time? Like the 50s and 60s? No, I wasn't too much really into art. It was because my father and mother, you know, he'd take me to a gallery that he had that he was old money by from.

And that was it. I mean, it wasn't. Yeah. I mean, I know when I moved to New York, I saw Lou Reed walk down the street and I remember thinking, okay, I'm in the city. Was there somebody that you used to see in the city and be like, that's a that's like a quintessential New Yorker? No. When I was a kid, I saw Alan Arkin. Yeah. Once I had a columnist from New York, I'm sure I'm not sure where, but maybe it was all about it. He's a New Yorker spirit. He has my favorite line in Glen Gary Glen Ross in the film when he says shoes boots. Yes. You know that? No, I mean, I mean, I guess I know Amanda.

I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I saw the original production with Bobby DeBalle and John Savage and beginning who else. Oh, John Savage, incredible. You and I do have one thing in common, which is I think our first semi-professional productions of something was from a similar show. You were the lion, the cowardly lion, in Wizard of Oz in fourth grade. Yeah. When I was 10, yeah. I mean, yeah. Okay. And I was Dorothy around that time. Oh. And I'd like to know what you brought to the role of the lion.

I don't know. I like to, I said my lines and that was the part I was given. Okay. Okay. It's a funny part. Yeah. It's a good song. Yeah. Did you sing? I don't know. I didn't know that part I didn't do. Yeah. It was, it was for so long.

I was 10. Yeah. The last question in that time frame that I wanted to ask you is it felt like you knew from a very early age what you wanted to do. Yeah. All in all I did. I was drifting in that direction or gravitating in that direction.

And do you find that you get older? I know I do that. Like that's one of the things you wish for anybody, especially your children is just do whatever you want to do. You know what you want to do and do it as well as you can. Yeah. Totally. You know, and if you really like it, you'll try to do it as well as you can.

You started out doing in the very early in early films like a lot of comedy. A couple of like. Well, I did greetings, high mom with the pama and then another comedy we did was the Intouchables years later. You know, a little thing about the Untouchables. Do you know what I'm going to say? Maybe not. I don't think he worked with you actually, but there's a gentleman in the Untouchables guy named Dale Close, who says the titular line in the movie. He says you think you're untouchable. Don't you?

Tell Close, yeah. I think he was seen as with Elliott Ness with Oscar. And he was a Chicago actor. Yes. And he he formed an improv theater that I studied out in Chicago.

I grew up in Boston and then I moved to Chicago after I graduated college and studied at Second City. Yeah. Yeah. And he had this like kind of new theater call at the time. It was called Improv Olympic improvisational Theater.

And Dale is kind of one of his like brushed with greatness claim to fame as he's in the Untouchables. Okay. Yeah. I enjoyed doing it. So there's Viola Spolin and that's ahead of you. Yeah. That is ahead of you. Yeah. That is ahead of you. Yeah. I tried to go ahead. Yeah. You know, Dale Close used to talk about Nichols in May and that and that like Second City being formed. And back then there was a I don't know if you ever were in like there was a big kind of controversy about whether or not improvisation was its own art form or tool.

Did you ever do improv when you were? Well, we probably movies and with the palm out, you know, in Greetings and High Mom, you kind of another movies here and there or you have the script, but you can go off it and always make the points and don't get off on a tangent and stay in the right direction. It's okay. Do you like to like get it as scripted first and then improvise? I know directors like to tell you to improvise, give you the situation and tell you to improvise.

I worked with a director who would sit down and go over what was written and then he'd say, what do you think about this? It was kind of loose. He opened it up and it worked out. Yeah. I feel that way by improv sometimes it's exciting to be allowed to do it.

And other times it feels like this is a little too loose. Yeah. Yeah. You got you don't know. The one thing I don't like seeing is a movie that goes off in the direction and maybe the director likes what they're doing and but they let it go too far too long.

It goes off on another tangent and you forget what the situation is and that's important. Or like everybody's speaking the same way. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

I we used to make a joke when we were when we were doing the TV show that I was in Parks and Recreation. We used to make a joke like, do you want us to do a take that's longer and less free? Right. We'll give you that. Yeah.

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Thanks. I just want to ask you- You're very nice. Well, I have a hot take. You're the best actor of our generation. But I think there's just so much to talk about in all those films and I know so many of them are different parts of your life.

Do you watch your old films ever? No, but I've always been wanting to watch all the movies I did from the latest one all the way down or the other way. So the earliest ones just go through them all, but it's easier said than done. That would be like your own festival. Yeah, I just, you know, I make comments and somebody said, well, I'll write your friends.

That's a great idea. I wasn't sure, but there's no downside to doing that. So just knowing I wanted to get a sense of what I've done and where I could go, what's missing in that, that I could make a choice of something different. That's interesting to look at your body of work and also to like visit old friends. I imagine what it must be like.

Yeah. Can I ask you about? So I won't get deep about because again, we don't have the time, but we want to talk about the present stuff that you're doing. But can I ask about one specific scene in one specific movie? Yeah.

Okay. So good, fellas. A lot of people's top five favorite movies. It is still the test of time. Incredible cast, incredible performance by you and so many people in that film.

There's this wonderful scene with you on the rainbraco where Lorraine is playing the wife of Ray Liotta and she's kind of worried that he's fallen out of favor with the rest of the- the rest of the organization. Right. And you, Jimmy, you kind of play like his patriarchal, what would you say? Like, Is he a big young man? Like his mentor? Yeah, kind of his mentor. Yeah. And there's a scene where she comes to try to get some help from you and you ask her to walk down and Ali to go get some beer closing up for her.

And it's just, it's a perfect example of real tension. Yeah. Can you tell me what you remember about shooting the scene that day? I think it's a perfect scene. Well, the thing that I was concerned about is just that as Marty was, I remember, it's just that you don't know what he really is doing. Is he setting her up or not? And so it's just making this, which happens in life too that way. You know, same thing.

Okay. So, you know, just be very casual and God knows what will happen to you. Could be nothing. It could be something. Did you make a decision as an actor to know what you thought was going to happen? I think I thought more than something would happen. Yeah.

But my main thing is to make actors, if everything's good, you know, I'm just going, you know, it's such an incredible lesson in how to create suspense, intention, and also to remind people that people don't often telegraph what they're going to do. Right. No, no, no. I mean, you never telegraph, Bob. Can I call you Bob? Yes.

I should have started it. That's good. But you never, there's never, we never, ever see you ever doing that. Even you've never indicating. It's just, and it's one of the millions of examples of that I think in that scene.

Well, it's important to not, you know, indicating an acting is indicating. And so you say to an actor who's just watched the scene or something, not in a negative critical way, but you can't, you don't indicate or you are indicating. So it's better not to, you know, in life people don't do that. They just do. They're very good actors, people in life and it's life and it's real. And the way you behave, it could be life dependent.

For me, it was a great example of a woman's intuition. She has an intuition there that's very strong that she listens to that saves her life. And then she comes home and says, I don't know. And she's starting to kind of gaslight herself a little bit like, I don't know, I just got scared. And it's, I think a beautiful journey for that, for her character of like, what's real? When you do a scene like that, what is Martin Swear says he's like, how do you know you got it? What does he say?

I can't remember. It's been a while. But I think Marty, you know, basically said, you know, you're gonna go, she wants to go in the U.N. I'm going to go in there. And then we get what's set up. But the whole thing is to show the ambiguity. We don't know. We don't know. We see it very possibly something could happen, but at the same time, it couldn't. So that's part of the whole reason the scene is done. A one piece of it.

Do you like when a director says, we got it? I don't hear too much. We got it. Well, it's okay. It's good.

We just like when you could say we got it. I guess. But on the scene and what it is. You say like, it's good. It's good. Yeah. But low key. Yeah. I mean, just, you know, say Marty, Marty says he got, we's happy. We talk to you. We got this piece. We got that.

He'll say, yeah, we're good. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that happens in a second. Like you just mumble that to each other. Are you suspicious of people that are like, I guess I'm projecting, but I'm a little suspicious.

Sometimes when people are too like, I don't know, when they're flattering me. Sure. Well, you know, it's funny. I don't mind the one a director or somebody tries to tell you very good or certain types of good. It's good. And because it's like when I was I did the last time, I was with Eric Kazan and we came out of a looping stage and he said, you know, that was great because he was like, I was really, you know, just got it.

I said, well, thanks. I feel good. Even though I'm not sure you really meant it, but I'm happy with you. He said, he got a little offended. I thought I didn't believe. I said, no, no, I said the effort is the most important thing.

You know, it's like telling your child when they do something, they show you something. Isn't that nice? It's great. You know, oh, well, it's a problem. You know, it's real. You believe it. It is.

That's right. It's true. I know what you mean. And it's a fine line though. And it's a fine line in that moment. But as a director, you must also feel the urge sometimes to take over if somebody's not a strong captain.

Well, I don't like to be in that situation. I don't put myself, if I'm in with the director, maybe certain things, but I trust them and I trust me and I'm not going to mess with them and play games. We have an objective to achieve and we're there working together. We don't want to waste time, you know, with any nonsense. And the other thing in the many years of incredible work that you've done again, which we can talk about forever, what are some skills that you had to learn for parts that you still maintain or retain?

Well, I practice a lot with the saxophone in New York, New York, but I never kept it up and I regretted that because I did work very hard on it. I did everything phonetically. But it's the skill that you can't take away. That's real. So I just wish I made something that I would practice even half an hour every day to keep.

I feel that way about instruments. I can't play. I can't play any other instruments. No. I wanted to play the piano, but one thing I want to play is another thing to do it.

I don't feel like an instrument when you sit down at it, you think, I'll be able to play this. And then you can't. No, I wish. My mother tried to make me take piano lessons. I was five and I had no interest in it. I was a drudgery.

I wish I wasn't smart about it. Yeah, I do regret not being able to play an instrument. Well, there's still time. There's a series. Okay. And then do you ever use TikTok because I want to show you something. Do you know what a thirst trap is?

No. It's basically like hot pictures of people. But TikTok loves you and they make videos of you in different movies. And can I show you? Yeah. It's going to make you feel great. Oh, good.

I mean, I feel like these are to make people feel good and this one is specifically for you. But look at this. It's usually sexy music. Look. These are young pictures of you and young kids making this.

Look, look at you. Listeners, Bob is staring at this as it. Look. I don't know. I guess just good job of being so handsome.

Oh, well, thanks. Let's talk about some comedy stuff because we met, I think, for the first time or at least in my mind for the first time. Although I'm sure in various early times when I moved to New York, I probably followed you down the street without you knowing. But at SNL, 2002, you've hosted three times. Yes.

You obviously have done it more than once because you liked it. What do you like about doing it? You think about it? It's so fast. It doesn't give you time to think.

You've got a change. Can there's a different costume, this and that. Boom, boom, boom. They've got the cards for you. It's so fast.

You can not worry about failing, if you will, whatever that means. And just have fun with it. I have a real image stuck in my mind of Donna, the woman who pulls you around and changes you. Yeah. Right. Is she still there? Yeah. Oh, wow.

She's incredible. She's kind of the one that should write the book. She knows everybody makes this. No, exactly. And she, I remember us doing it was my second year. I started in 2000.

That show after 9-11 was my first SNL. Oh, wow. And you hosted it first in 2002. You were being pulled by Donna while you're dressed as Siegfried, I think, from Siegfried and Roy. Oh, okay. Go ahead. Do you remember that? No.

You should look at those. Better not to look at that. Yeah, probably not. Maybe when you go back over your cannon of work, just like this. Let us keep that up. And what I was going to say is like, you know, you are a person that people like to do impressions of.

Is that weird? No, I mean, it's kind of flattering. Alec Baldwin does really good impressions. Great for you. And I, and I, and I, and I, and I wondered he did, he did, he did, he was on the, I forget what talk show he was on.

And he was saying, commenting on the Godfather reunion with me and Al and Bobby Duval and Francis and Taya Shire and, and Jimmy Colin and everybody. And, and he said, did you see that? And he said, you know, they're talking to the hero and Al. They told they're talking. He's just making the way he makes fun of you. It's just hysterical.

You know, how we're all mumbling. You don't want to know what you're saying. What we're saying. Well, you have what I love about what I love about you, Bob is when you're laughing and when you're upset, it looks like the same face. Okay.

It's kind of you're quiet, Laffer. Right? Would you say? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, sometimes if it's, I would have a more, a more voice to slap depends.

Yeah, yeah, okay. We're almost done. We're at 45. Okay. I like you. I like to know how long things are going to take. So we're almost done. Okay. So here we go.

I feel like a lot of a lot of your career has been defined by lasting partnerships, people that you've met and continue to work with. And I think it is a sign often of like somebody's character that they maintain friendships and partnerships throughout their life. You've talked a little bit about Martin Scorsese and the ways that you guys have, you know, it's really something that you grew up around the corner from each other, mean streets was based on people that you knew. Yeah. What is it like to have a friend in this business for this long?

I think it's great. And I, when we say it's kind of amazing that Marty and I were aware of each other. We had a mutual friend who passed away, but he was making rest in peace. He was, I did a movie called Alto Knights and I, he, Marty and I did this, well, he, there's a documentary about it was a link and send him when they wrote the script. Nick Belladgett wrote this. I said, how do you know about this place called the Alto Knights? I said, well, I, you know, it was a crime reporter down there and a reporter and I knew this social club was actually, that's a place I used to hang out in.

And so my friend, one of my friends, which he remembered things that I had forgotten, went on there and stuff like that. So it was interesting and they were terrific in the movie. So it was a nice thing. I think I would love to meet Nick and I would have left to met Nora. Yeah. Yeah.

Meryl Streep. Meryl. Yes. You know, she claims that you're not very good at charades. Yes, I know. I can probably not.

I think we did it somewhere. I was not inspired. That's my fault. Well, you can try harder next. I will. I will. Where did you meet her for the first time? You saw her on stage?

Meryl, I went with Mike Chimino to, and it's funny because I went to the double wears Prada thing and we had at Lincoln Center and they had the tent right across from where I saw her do the chariosh as I think it was in Raoul Julia. And Mike Chimino and I went because for that part, thank you for the dinner. So that's the first time. I don't even know if we went backstage. I'm not sure.

But she, you know, she had it. You have worked together a lot in many different ways. What's so wonderful about working with her? Meryl's a great actress and so skilled and smart and just terrific and very funny and great sense of humor and she's just a wonderful person. Yeah. Ben Stiller, you're back with Ben again. You've done quite a few features with him. Does he still run all the time as you run every day?

He's in good shape. I guess he does. I don't know. I see him run too in front of the satin on him. But he does something. He does something. He's very funny together. What's been your experience?

Well, Ben, he has a way of when he reacts to what you say, which is kind of a funny line saying, my character Jack, he'll go, uh-huh. He has a way of commenting on what you just said, saying that it's not too smart, a little stupid, but I'm giving you the respect. But he has a way of commenting on it. So there's three different things going on at once in his reaction. And he's very funny. Yeah, the status between the two of you is just such funny.

Give me a letter. And you join him again in your new film, Fokker in Law with Ariana Grande, who was in here. Who was in here? Who was in here? What did you think of working with her? Ariana was terrific. Yeah. Nice young lady, terrific.

Yeah. A real throw. Perfect for it. And Jane Rosenthal. Jane. Well, Jane and I worked together for 37-38 years.

And we had a thing last night at the Chanel party and they had to contribute to her for all the things together. I'm not 25 years old. I'm a trabecafone festival. Amazing way to amplify new voices and use your currency. I mean, it's, you know, it's really, I mean, I was speaking to Jane earlier and we were saying it's wild how everything is now 25 years ago.

Yeah. I mean, it's like, it's been a really, really, really, I mean, it always is an intense period in New York, but the past 25 years have been something else. Yeah. Yeah. So before we get into that and Jane had a question for you, I got very quick.

This is speed round. Hot takes. Okay. Okay. It can be slow round.

But NYC Hot takes. Do you remember the cost of rent of your first apartment? I think it was $75. Where was it? An Irving Place. Was it a studio? One bedroom. One bedroom. 75 bucks.

It might have not even been a one bedroom. It might have been a one bedroom. It might have been a one bedroom. It might have been a one bedroom. You put it right in there. Yeah. Favorite New York museum? The Metropolitan and the Museum of Modern Art.

Do you have any paintings that you go back to? Like that? Like, are you like, you know, my mother or father might have something in the Museum of Modern Art? I think I'm not 100% sure. Really? I don't know. I know what Jane would be.

It was tough, but I think yeah. MoMA if you're listening. Yeah. Well, sushi order. What do you order? What's your favorite?

Well, I would say we say Black Car to Black Car is good, noble. And pizza order. What do you get when you get a slice? As long as it's a pizza place. I'm happy. What kind of pizza do you like? Pepperoni and so on.

Okay. New York restaurant. Best New York restaurant that you don't own because you own a few. One that I'd say I don't want to say because I don't want to give it away. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You don't want to blow up the spot as the kids say.

Yeah. Which you would know if you weren't stuck. Yeah. Yeah. When you get into taxis to people, taxi drivers.

Yeah. But I don't get in cabs. Maybe once a while or two or something. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

And when you walk down the street, you like to walk in the city, everybody does. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You've spoken about how like there's you know, what the best thing about the city is you can just be blending in a part of it. Nobody cares.

The people have peripheral vision. And if they see somebody physically like me, I'm older and stuff. I look like an older guy. You know. So they're not on TikTok. Not on TikTok. They're not going to look at you. They're peripheral vision that doesn't make them interested in looking at you anyway.

I just walk in. I get not recognized much. When do you listen to any music when you walk to? Are you a podcast person? I like to listen to music in the car. I ran around a lot of cars. I feel here and there. And I read the paper and listen to music.

All these are smooth. All these. Certainly all these from the 70s. Yeah. But there for music. Yeah. I mean, there's a station I listen to.

I don't know. Serious. That 70s and 80s. Like. Yeah. It's got music. I used to always hear and listen all the time.

It was almost unconscious. You know, you're so much brought back so many memories. And as it does now, it's channel 16. The blend is called. I know exactly what that channel is. It's great. Yeah. It's the music that we like better lives to. Yeah.

And then last question is we spoke to we always try to talk to somebody who knows our guest. We get like, you know, we kind of talk well behind their back. And Jane and I were talking earlier today. And we were talking about the festival and talking about you two and your long history together. And, you know, she just I thanked her as I would like to thank you for, you know, the film festival.

It started at a time when the city was really hurting and that coincided with for myself personally starting SNL. It was like, okay, being alive sketch variety showed during a time when York was really had, you know, had just suffered through 9 11. And it was like the city really needed and you and Jane and so many other New Yorkers stepped up for the city during that time. And I know a lot of people were grateful for it. And I asked Jane to ask you a question. And she had a sweet one, which was what what have you in Helen? You're 14 year old. Seeing recently that is is she, you know, I trying to tell her that we should look at movies.

She looks at things like Stranger Things, which got me into it. She into I saw a movie called House Made. Yeah. Yeah. I saw another movie that she, you know, I'm walking by her while she's watching. And I can say that's not bad.

And just walking by, I get a sense of the film that I see. But I don't like to look at those. So I wind up looking at it. She wants to look at it. I'd rather find classics that she could look at or movies.

Did you show her anything that she liked? Because I have teenagers. It's hard to get them to like what you like. No, it's hard. It's hard. Yeah.

And she does very little on the, you know, on her iPhone at this point, keeping up her on the wraps. Yeah. And so, but yeah, that's the. But Helen, you should do Stranger Things. Yeah. Yeah. And you like that. Oh, yeah. It was good. That's good, right?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And so is there anything for your last, my last question with you? And by the way, congratulations on Fockerenwell coming out big new comedy movie that we need right now. And I just want to say as we wrap, you know, I, I, I just personally want to thank you for like doing what you do speaking out in the way that you do about where we are in the world.

There's a lot of people that are asked to speak truth to power. And they're usually, you know, members of the margins. They're people that are young don't really have as much. Currency or a footing as other people. It's often people of color. It's often women. And to see a person like yourself, the age that you are and the status that you are, it reminds me of the best way I can describe it is when it's like if someone's giving a terrible speech at a wedding and they're ruining the wedding.

Yeah. And the wedding is America. And, and there's another adult who says like, we don't talk like that. That's not how you're supposed to treat people. This is insane.

Yeah. It makes everybody feel very safe. And so I've seen you do it over and over again. And I really appreciate it. Thank you.

Yeah, it means a lot to a lot of people because you're standing up for a lot of people who don't have the power to do that. So thank you Bob. And thanks for doing it over and over again. And this is going to be a real switch of root because I can't believe I just made you cry. I feel incredible right now. Hold on. We've got to get your tissues.

Thanks. We've got good hang tissues for you Bob. But it is true. It is true. It is, you know, there's not a lot of men who in your position who do that.

And white men of a certain age, like who, who frankly, you know, have a ton of power and don't use that responsibility in a way that they could. So thank you. Of course. No, I'm sorry. It's so upsetting to see what's happening in this country. And it's so crazy. Yeah. It's not like it's in a way that's better that is so blatant because this will happen again. And people and this guy will influence people and they'll come up and they'll say, well, I can do it this way that way.

And we have to always be on guard with what's happening now. What do you say to people who feel very hopeless? Because that hopelessness sometimes paralyzes people. I understand that. But you have to fight. You have to fight. If you don't fight, you're not going to get anything. You're not going to. And you have to fight. You have to join people. I just say, use this example, Jason Crow saying that courage is contagious.

And you know, the other thing in the negative feelings can be contagious too. But why not have courage to be contagious and stand up and you might find out it's not so difficult. And people will stop the nonsense that they're doing. It's just out of control. Well, it is when people like you do that, it makes it easier for other people to do it. So thank you. I hope. And then I'm going to use a word, hope. I know what you keep using it. I mean, whatever, you know.

And what are you watching these days to make you laugh when you're feeling really? Well, another one is one in family. I watch my daughter put me on. It's very funny. And just a good one to watch. There's a million of them. It's great. And you can just crank through them. Yeah. Yeah. They're very funny, likable people. It's well cast.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think the comedy right now, and I know you've talked about it, but like when things get particularly stressful in the world, people want to watch that rupture and repair and that way that people are getting along and they just need some kind of self soothing.

And yeah. Yeah. I texted the SNL ladies Maya and Paul and Rachel and Tina because I knew we were talking today and I was like, do you have any questions for Bob? And they were all saying they have a really fond memory of when we were doing the read through, you just laughing a lot. Oh, yeah. No, I love SNL. I think it's so if I always see movies, I say that's a great skit from this or something else.

I think it's from this or some political situation. This is a great one that SNL will do. Yeah. When you were growing up, what was comedy like? What kind of comedy were you watching in your house? What did you like? Well, when I was kid with Sami Castello, the three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, there was a theater called The Laugh movie on 42nd Street and not only comedies.

And I would go or maybe they'd have a Frankenstein movie or something like that or Frankenstein meets Sami Castello or something. But I'd go there every weekend. I'm Saturday, take the subway. There's nothing like watching a comedy in a theater. Yeah.

Do you remember when SNL premiered? Yes. It was a show with Rob Reiner. Was it Rob Reiner? George Carlin, I think, was the first. It was one of the few we... One of the early ones was Rob, yeah. He did a thing where he was playing like a Wayne Newton type character or something.

And he kept singing and singing and singing and singing and what's going on and on and on and on and I'm saying, this is good because he's not stopping when you'd expect him to. And I thought that was great. I like this. Did you feel like at the time you were sensing this was like a show for you? I mean, it really was your generation's like anti-establishment.

It was really, yeah. I'm curious, you and Lauren are both examples of longtime New Yorkers who have been working for a very long time and been successful and famous for a very long time. What do you take from working with him? I think he's great. Lauren, I think I use him as an example of someone who had the show going all these decades and is able to do it.

Compared to what goes on with the Clow Show with Trump and all that, he doesn't know what he's doing. It's just a good example of leadership. I agree. And it was kind of on display on the SNL 50th, which was a very special evening that you got to be a part of. And for people that didn't see, what did you get to do on the SNL 50th show? What did I do? I did the thing with Debbie Downer.

Which was fun. Was it fun? So, can you explain to people what do you remember doing in the sketch? What was your motivation? What was your character?

Well, the most important thing to me was not to, even though I can laugh and rehearsal and enjoy, you kick out when you do it, you got to do it straight. You have to really commit to it. So don't do any indicating, just straight on what you're supposed to do with that person as if it was a real situation. And that's how I looked at it. I spoke to the writer, Paula Pell, and she said it was her dream for you to get upset at that character.

And to call her Deborah, Deborah Downer. So, look, Deborah. And I think you should fake-strangle her. Yes. Rachel Bradcheth.

Yes. She was great. I mean, that character really makes me laugh because to your point, people like that make me really angry. And to be like, hey, cut the shit. Yeah.

That was a good skit. Should we end by just quickly watching you and Debbie Downer? Okay. Bob, thanks for doing this. I got through it.

Did you hear it folks? We got through it. And that's what I want my guests to feel. Okay. It wasn't bad.

Wait a minute. That's a great review. It wasn't bad. Yes. I was surprised you want to straw.

Okay. What's that? Microplastic. We're all walking landfills. Residents in your testes.

I'm going to talk now and you're going to show it. Keep this conversation. Last day came my balls. I was looking at my life. So I came in tonight to get a little freaking break from our world right now.

Which is like living on the road in a full day. Do you ever start leaving Halperin in the microplastic saga? Here comes the strength. Thank you very much. Enjoy that.

Bob, thanks for your time today. Thank you. I really, really appreciate it. Thank you, Bob, for coming on. What an interesting conversation. It's really something else.

I just wanted to take this moment for our polar plunge to just basically, I don't know, just speak to the past version of me because moving to New York City in 1996, being an actor, if you had told me 30 years later that I would have a podcast, I would say, what's a podcast? And then if you told me you're going to interview Robert De Niro and you're going to be talking to him about acting and you're going to be talking about SNL, a show that you will have been on, it's just nuts. And New York City remains my favorite city in the world. I've lived here for 30 years. Sometimes in LA, but let's not talk about it.

I just have to say the fact that I get to be here, that I feel like I know the city and that I get to talk to people who represent how much the city means to me is really something else. So my plunge today is plunging back into the time machine and telling my younger self to hang on because good things are ahead. So hope you can all do that too. Thank you so much for joining us and see you soon. Bye.

You've been listening to Good Hang, the executive producers for the show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weisperman and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by the Rainer and Paper Kite for the Rainer production by Jack Wilson, Kat Sallane, Kai McMullen, Alea Zanaris, Bridget Keerlings, Paige Garberini, Mel Roman, and Drew Van Steenbergen for Paper Kite production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weisperman. Original music by Amy Miles.