Kevin Pollak • Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein #179

even talking about anymore? Every week I invite a special guest over. I tell them they've died. Then I get them to discuss their life through the films that meant the most of them. Previous guests include Barry Jenkins, Kevin Smith, Jamila Jamil and even Ked Bamble's. But this week it's the brilliant comedian, actor, writer, producer, director and movie star mister Kevin Pollock. Huge announcement. I'll be doing a big live Films to be Buried With live at the Southbank

Center on Saturday, the twelfth of February. Come along, bring a date. It's going to be a good one. Tickets are available at Southbank Center dot co dot UK and Plosive dot co dot UK. We'd love to see you there. We'll do a Q and A after you can tell us the films that mean the most of you, Me and the super special guest that I'm not announcing yet. Oh,

we'll have a right old time. Head over to the Patreon at patreon dot com forward slash Breck Golstein, where you get an extra twenty minutes with Kevin, where we go deep talking about beginnings and endings. You get a secret, You get the whole episode, uncut, ad free and as a video. Check it out over at patreon dot com forward Slashbreck Golstein. Last bit I've had minted last season two is all available now with the season one on Apple TV Plus. You can watch the whole show one go.

Super Bob is now an Amazon Prime, as is Soulmates in a lot of countries. I don't know all the countries is. It's in a lot of amb a look free you'll find it so Kevin Pollock. Kevin Pollock's a fucking movie star. I was so excited to have him on this. He's in a few good Man. He's in the Usual Suspects, he's in Casino, He's in pretty much everyone your favorite films. It's quite amazing that he wanted to do this podcast. We recorded it over zoom. He

was an absolute pleasure. I think you're gonna love it. So that is it for now. I very much hope you enjoy episode one hundred and seventy nine of Films to be Buried With. Hello, and welcome to Films to be Buried With. It is I Brett Goldstein, and I'm joined today by a podcaster, a writer, a producer, a stand up comedian, a poker player, an actor, and most of all, a movie star who is in more films than maybe even I have seen. Please welcome to this show.

He's a legend in his own lifetime and in yours. Please welcome. I can't believe we've got him. He's really here. Put your eyes together. It's mister Kami Pollack. Thank you, Please be seated. Can I allowed to correct the introduction? Most people are very flattered with how you introduced them. I've listened to dozens of episodes. Disciplined. You've got nice, well done for the most part, but I do have notes on the air. Yeah, well it's just if you've

been around as long as I have. Well, since we're both stand ups. Um, you know how in the beginning of your stand up career, all you have is your introduction when the audience has no idea who you are. Yes, right, So, so you're a little overly controlling on what the MC or whatever you call them says about you and the moment you get any sort of credits. Those are even more important than anyone gives a shit about. So yeah, so I would go to I would I would throw

in director. If not international direct, I'm sorry that I didn't. I actually thought I had said that that is that's and then maybe even award winning director. It's you know what, it's not a competition. Let's go, let's go back. No, no, I'm no, I don't want no redos, no reduce. I'm forcing you to keep this part. What do we direct her? Just whack that in the edit? Ah fuck no, no, no, we'll be We'll be truthful and record my absolute shame.

Here's the thing that Kevin Pollock, if I may say, the problem with doing your intro is often if you have listened to the show, I'll expand on people's cvs. I'm making a thing. You have done so much stuff, more, I think, more than any person I've ever had In the podcast you're like Wikipedia page is like seventy five pages, just rooms and rooms of credits. You've done more than you have had hot dinners. I think you've done more, more, more types of jobs. Plus you're in so fucking many

amazing films. Like you more than anyone. You must be who are you? Yeah, it's amazing. Well, if I may quote you, when we first met at the evening before um, was it the evening before the Emmys? Was that the thing? Yes? I think it was. Yeah, we met, which I was very excited about, having been a fan of the show with our friend Sue Dix and you. I think one of the first things you said was do you want me to cry? I was trying to get a gauge on whether you know. The thing about it about all

this credit stuff is when you meet someone. I mean, there's a reason my book is titled How I Slept My Way to the Middle. So as a character actor, you know, there's this face right which potentially is more of a door opener than the name. Many times you hear the name and someone says, oh, yeah, that sounds from about you. Who is that? Or or I'll be in line the grocery store and someone will turn around because they recognize me from my voice, which really must

really freak shout. But I'm sure there's a point in here somewhere. But I do feel at some point that when you have all these credits you mentioned and all the stuff that you know, you get to a place where you're joking about it just to not have to talk about it much. Right, So I'll say, I don't know the exact number of films I've done ninety one, but I will say that six of them are quite good, which is so well, six out of ninety one is

actually a horrible, batting average. But but you're not wrong in the sense that they're probably if I were more truthful, that maybe there's like eight, I could expand out to almost ten that people have come up to me and insisted is their favorite movie. So yeah, but but but that includes films that I don't like at all. So that's why I'm a little more concerned. Obviously, we want to know which which one they are, But I don't

know if you'll say that. I did want to ask you if if you have an answer, and maybe you don't, what's the favorite film that you've been in. What's your personal favorite? Because you have been in some classics. Well, one of the difficult things from listening to your podcast when preparing which I like to do to be a guest on it is the sort of definitive ellen of having to choose number one. Yeah, so that's the difficult things.

So for me, there were three truly life changing moments, Barry Levinson's I Will Dare say Masterpiece avalon, I went from just being a stand up comedian to people thinking I was a New York trained actor, which made me laugh endlessly because I had no I've had no formal training as an actor. I'm not proud of it, it's

just what happened. And then the next one was, of course a Few Good Men, which for every actor, that goal line in American football terminology is going from auditioning to getting offers, right, So that's what happened after a Few good Men, And then a couple years later, I'm on the set shooting Usual Suspects when my agent called and said, Martin Scorsese wants you to be in his next film set in Las Vegas, also written by Nick Palleggi, who wrote Good Fellas with de Naro and Pesci and

Sharon Stone, arguably her best work, which I didn't know at the time of the phone call, certainly, but anywhoo, so those three kind of three and a half four things were um yeah, you know, just honestly and truly Jettison Forward, Momentum and Beautiful Movies, two of which shot by by Bob Richardson. Oh wow, yeah yeah, if you good man named Casino, are we allowed to talk about we can cut this. If no, what you were doing in Wales? Was that a secret? I think we can.

I think it was announced. Okay, So you were in in a film that meant a lot to me as a kid, and then you are now in the TV show of this film. Well, I'm in one episode of the television show that would do for me. Yeah you want to name it. You're also multiple multiple award winning co star also also at least an episode. So yeah. So thirty four years ago I did this movie that Ron Howard directed, George Lucas produced, um Sword and Sorcery Fantasy thing, and it was the first real movie I did.

I did sort of a bad Dino de Laurentis rip off of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad Mad World with a bunch of comedians that well, I'll just say this about it. Bred it opened on an airplane and there's only playing on flights between San Francisco and Los Angeles, so you had to have a round trip to see the whole film, and people still walked out. I've got material on these bad movies. What was it called Million Dollar Mystery? I think it was called yeah, really really bad.

But I got to know Rick Overton while doing it, and he's the one who had worked with Ron Howard on Gung Ho. And so when Ron Howard was going to do Willow, he wanted Rick Overton as one of these little brownie characters, these seven inch tall guys. You could argue they were the C three PO and R two D two of Willow, the sort of comic relief guides or whatever. So anyways, Ron said, I pick five guys that you could improvise with, bring him in and we'll do one at a time and figure out who

the other Brownie's going to be. So because Rick Overton suggested me, and I went in and that's how that happened. And I will say one of my all time favorite parts though that movie, Rick and I shot on the largest blue screen facility, which was up in northern California, ILM. Lucas Ranch Facility. Thing. I was born and raised in

Northern California. My father came up because I'm finally in a movie that's big time with Ron Howard directing and George Lucas producing, and I introduced my father to George Lucas, and my father says, I really loved et And to George's credit, who's not known for his sense of humor, George said, so did I, Yeah, which was pretty good

comeback for Well, yeah, how was it? In seriousness? You did this film thirty four years ago and now they're making a TV show same cuss, same same story, continuation of it. How was it to return to that world, et cetera? Was it w was it easy? Did you hate it? Did you love it? Completely surreal? I would say. Ward Davis, who plays Willow in the movie and now the series is the only series regular from the movie.

Joeanne Wallly, I think, is in a few episodes from she was in the movie, but I don't think anyone else. I think I'm the third AnyWho. So this time I did get to go to Wales. Originally shot the movie in Wales in New Zealand and which we would watch on the monitor before we would do our scenes on the blue screen facility thirty four years ago. So yeah, sure, when the agent calls and says, you know, they want you to do your character from a movie thirty four

years Yeah, it's just ridiculous. It's absurd until I got on a zoom with Jonathan Kasden, son of Lawrence and brother to Jake, Jake the other very successful writer writer director. Right, So John then, like yourself, grew up with the movie and never let go and then pitched pitched it to Disney Plus as this new giant, sprawling world and yeah, there you go. It was great fun would recommend. Well, you know it was early October and Wales. I think

you know what that means. It rained every single second of every single day. It was um it was grim. You know how you you know how you make um friends on the awards show circuit, you sort of bump into other people who were nominated around the same time. So Andrew Scott would last go round for Marvelous missus May's Landrew Scott was cleaning up with Um freeback and

so we sort of became friendly. And then Jamie, my better half, and I Jamie who you met at that evening before Um, who helped me a lot with my list by the way, So Jamie and I became friendly with Andrew Scott and we were going to go to Paris and London February of twenty twenty, about five weeks before the world shut down, not knowing it was going to And when we told Andrew Scott, it reminded me of my Wales experience. He said, you're going to be

in in the UK in February, it's gonna be green. Yeah, that's a quote, and he was not wrong, and we've we've said it many times, but yeah, so this time Wales was obviously not as bad as it's going to be in February. And also I am an Anglo file for sure, so anywhere near the UK. My mother's father and my grandfather was born in Leeds, so I guess I'm technically half half her and I've been told I can get my British passport because of us as well.

My mother's father. AnyWho. So I've always said this affinity and the idea of going to Wales was very exciting and the experience was pretty damn cool. Right do you forgive me for not knowing this? And genuinely I'm sorry if you do. Do you still do stand up on

on a occasion? After Wales? I had another thing to shoot at the end of October, so I rented a home in Hempstead where I had my birthday dinner with a few friends, one of which is our mutual friend name dropping uh mister Ricky Gervais and Jane joined us, and yeah it was lovely, but he was talking about my film stuff at the dinner and also had a much less gentle entree into oh fuck, I forgot you do stand up right? Fun? Yeah, I never think of you that way. So it's kind of weird. It's the weird,

weird left turn in my career. I started I as a stand up nor formal training as an actor, and then you get to LA and you just auditioned for everything. I mean, two weeks before Avalon, I think I auditioned for Full House, like with every other comedian in Los Angeles. And that's That's the turn I would have taken had I got that job. And then after Avalon a few good Men and then really by Usual Suspects and Casino

in ninety five it was over. I kept doing stand up, and I, you know, would people would come see the dramatic actor. I guess he does stand up. I don't know, you know, is that sort of thing. It really did fuck with at that point twenty years. You know, I'd been at it a long time already, and it was a very, very bizarre thing. So I rarely get to be the funny person in these movies. In fact, in the case of a Whole nine Yards, I had known the stars of Matthew Perry, Bruce Willis through other things.

And when they were speaking with the British director Jonathan Yes, Jonathan Lynn, they said, you know, Kevin Poll could be great as Yanni Gogel act And Jonathan said, right, yeah, you know, I mean not get it. He he's very diverse. I've seen Usual Suspects, I've seen a few good Men. He's very diverse. But you know, fellas, this is a comedy, and as the story goes, Bruce Willis or John McClain, as I always call him, grabbed him firmly at the shoulder and said, that's what he is. He's a comedian.

So it's it's really been this painful struggle thing of it was my first love, and I it's still the happiest plays on stage. So you think an audience was turning up guying almost like, well, let's see this guy try stand up rather than often often. I mean I had a couple of stand up specials and they had their own following, but the film We Are just overtook and commandeered my alleged fame to the point where, yeah, it's weird to have such platitudes of success as an actor,

and then I still have to do clubs. I can't do theaters because I can't sell enough tickets, you know what I mean. That's fucking that's fucking weird. Now I don't I don't mind clubs, and I I've obviously performed them my whole life, and so now when I say I perform standard on occasion, it is because it is a theater and someone has demanded that I show up sort of thing. Because I've just heard too many trays of drinks hit the ground over the last forty years.

You know, it's depressing that. Yeah, you know, in England it's not like that. You know, in England we have intervals. We have intervals, you buy drinks. There's no like service happening during the size and that's why you like probably largo. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, no drinks at all. Yeah, it's such a weird thing that you're in the middle of a bit and three hundred drinks of being saved and sorry, sorry sorry in your life. Yeah yeah, And I'm a storyteller. I don't

really do jokes, so I you really. In fact, I remember that turn where I committed full time to the stories, and I remember hearing silence for the first time and thinking, you know, a comedian would panic if there's too much silence, but I actually ended up thinking, oh, fuck, they're listening, they're actually listening. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fuck Kevin Potock, Fuck, can you forgot to tell me something? Yeah? How could

you tell I've forgotten to tell you something? I mean, it's difficult for me because I'd listened to so many episodes and I know that you're a multiple award winning actor now and I don't buy this bit at all. So wait a second, Well, hanging. I forgotten, so maybe you you know, maybe you could, maybe you could jog my memory of it. Well, yeah, no, I can help you with this. I didn't I say I was going to tell you, So I didn't. I say something important

to tell you when you do the podcast. But I can't, for the life of me, For the life of me, I cannot remember. What do you remember? Do you have an inkling? I do, and it might be difficult for you to wrap your brain around, more so than even remember. Well, sure, because we've been talking so long, and I think I've been somewhat engaging. But I'm dead. I've died. I died. You're dead. I died. Fuck. I knew it. I knew

it was something. Yeah, it was something vaguely important. But you have been you have Maybe that would be a great title for my second book, vaguely the vaguely important. H how did you die? Did God? I'm so sorry? So this was this was difficult because my instinct was on set doing better than average work. Yeah, slightly better than average work. Um, And then I I was jogging my memory and ideas through Jamie and she said, oh, no, you're gonna die and you're fucking Tesla because you're not

paying attention. So wow, that's that's the other option. But don't they self drive? Isn't that the point? I mean, they do, but I I do like to you would distract it? Yeah, yeah, No, I I do like to be involved in the actual driving of the car. I'm crazy that way. You're driving your Tesla and I'm learning how to drive it while I'm driving. Yeah, it's it's truly an engineering I'm not a car guido. Yeah, but this damn spaceship is is engineering masterpiece, and so I'm

fascinated by way too many aspects of it. And it's not that I'm it's not that I'm not paying attention to the road. It's just not paying attention. I'm not paying any attention to life. Right, And do you do you drive into a wol You don't take anyone with you to you? No, I don't take anyone with me. I do I drive into you know, the very first one I had, I did rear end someone in the fast lane of the four oh five Freeway on a

Friday night, a week before Christmas. If you could imagine going down to the Irvine improvacy, an old pal Dana Carvey to stand up. True story and it was stop a goat traffic, and you know, you glanced away for two seconds and I tapped somebody, but it was enough for the air bag to go off. And by the time I turned back and asked the couple we were with in the backseat, is everyone okay? My cell phone rang and it was I'm not kidding Tesla headquarters, asking

is everyone okay? Now. The writer's embellishment of that is that we looked up and Elon Musk was on a rope ladder from a helicopter above us with his hand out. When you crash into the back of someone, and I'm seeing everyone was fine. When you go out the cards talk to them where they like, holy shite, even better? Even better they were. They were cranky because it's a Friday night and they were going somewhere. But when the police arrived, the police said, holy fuck, a few good men,

we got this, and that was there you go. I'll I slipt my way to the middle. I just that face every now and then it really comes and it really helps you evade the law. Tell me this did do you worry about death? No? I don't worry about the act the moment I think about being present and not letting any more time slip by or take it for granted. So I'm much more I'm spending too much time thinking about being present and being present then contemplating

death or what it means. What do you think happens if you may contemplate it for a second, what do you think happens? Die? Well? I just heard an episode where one of your guests did believe in the afterlife, and you were so delighted because I apparently you'd had too many people a long who just don't aren't buying it, and and this woman was was very u effusive about uh, and you were so delighted. I thought, well, I yeah, I I'll use some of my award winning acting talent

at an appropriate moment. No, I um, I am a big science guy, which is why I struggle with life after death. But also because I'm a science guy. You can't destroy energy, Yeah, it turns out it can't be destroyed scientifically, So I don't know what that means or how it manifests next. But one of my answers to one of your upcoming questions will expound a little bit on this. Okay, okay, I'll tell you where that energy. I'll tell you where that energy, guys, Kevin Pollock, You guys,

straight straight up to heaven. There's a heaven, baby, and you're in it. You've got there in the end, and I tell you how you got there because you were vaguely important and slightly better than average. That was the requirements. Yeah, so so great, I'm in. He's filled with your favorite things. What's your favorite thing? Should I say movie watching? Because of the nope? Um, I guess. I've been hosting a weekly poker game in my home since we moved in

to this particular one eleven years ago. You know, I had a table custom made, and I have a friend who I said, you should go to poker dealing school. I'm about to change your life by dealing this game. And so you know you mentioned poker in the intro. It is certainly one of my favorite things. Okay, Well, to Heaven is filled with inveterate gamblers gambling. Yeah. The wolves are made of poker chips, the chairs are made of felt, and there are croupiers as far as the

eye can see. And everyone is very good at poker, but not as good as you, but enough to keep you on your tights anyway. Oh, that was a great episode of The Twilight Zone. Are you a Twilight Zone fan? Go and tell me. There's a gambler who doesn't realize he's gone to hell and he keeps winning what he thinks is his angel. Sebastian Cabot plays the what we think as an angel. He's actually brilliant, but the guy keeps winning, and eventually he's like, he gets bored because

nobody wants to always win. The tooth as a poker player will remember the hands they lose more than the hands they wins. Like stand up gigs, tell me this, yep, what They're very excited to see you in Heaven, very excited. They're all huge fans. They want to talk about your life, but they want to talk about it through the medium of film. And the first thing they ask you, what is the first film you remember seeing? Mister Kevin Potter. Okay, because I'm one of your older guests, be the oldest.

I had to look up the movies I knew I was six years old, and so I had to look up the movies of that year to help me sort of do a little math and there were a couple of movies that I absolutely know I saw in the theater when I was six, but I won't lie. I do not know which was Fay So it was either Jason and the Argona Amazing, amazing, truly amazing, Ray Harryhausen, stop motion stuff. And then the other one was It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad w Wow with all these

comedians and brought you. Yeah, I've seen both. I love both. And so do you remember where was this happening? Where did you grow up? If I may in northern California, my mom would take me to matinees and she would later tell me that long before I did impersonations, which sort of became the cornerstone of the stand up back. In fact, any one of these questions, you can ask Christopher Walkin, just so you know. Now, I know it's

become very pedestrian to do Christopher Walkin. But I don't know if you know this, but if you Google search the phrase Christopher Walkin impersonation, sometimes you'll get as many as sixty thousand search answers. That's how pedestrian it's become. There's five pages on YouTube dedicated to Asians doing Christopher walkin not kidding, and they're fucking hilarious. I'm number one on that Google search now that in six dollars will get me a coffee at Starbucks. It's really a bullshit

sort of brag, but it's it's a fact. So I'm just saying you can ask any one of these questions of Christopher Walking. My mom told me that when I was six and she would take me these Matt Mays, I would walk out of the theater as someone in the film, not doing an impersonation, just transfixed by a performance, not even the actor. That's nice, and I do remember that that was the big thing that remains to this day. If the film is good, I will get lost in it and I will want to stay in it and

live in it. And Purpa Rosa Cairo was very amazing. To do you do you have siblings? Can I ask? I have one brother two years older. See'st it? So when you were going with your mom, we're going with your bropper as well? It was just you too. No. I mean I'm sure at some point yes, but my memories were just my mom taken me. That's very sweet. Kevin Pullet, what is the film that scared you the most, and do you like being scared? You haven't done a lot of horror, as I say, Uh no, I don't.

I'm not a big fan of the genre itself unless it's a brilliant film that also happens to be incredibly scary. So you know, the obvious example, or maybe most awarded example, would be Silence in the Lambs. But The Thing right was one of the scariest easily. But I'm so old that I know a lot of people have said The Exorcist, but I'm so old that when I was probably just out of high school or still in it a little, that movie came out and it was like you had

to gear yourself up to go see it. People were passing out, they were puking, you know. When it first came out the theaters, it was something no one had ever seen. And you know, it's a bit trite all these years later, but I watched it recently, you know, older and wiser. I watched the exist and I was really impressed. Like I was like, oh, this is a fucking good thing. It is incredibly it's raby, sort of serious, and the and it's a very long build and it's dark,

that's fun. Crazy build the first thirty forty minutes. We don't even we haven't even Metayer. It's bizarre where what you know, we hire an editor? What's happened? Um? Yeah, with the with the build up. So I appreciate that you had that experience, but still imagine it's the seventies and you're seventeen eight. What I'm what I mean is we all to build up that everyone had in the seventies. It isn't a sort of slucky It isn't a fun

film like it's. It's very fucking heavy. And so to go in with that bird up thinking oh is this going to be scary? After it to deliver on this is horrifying. Yeah, yeah, I really mean back to that, no one had ever seen anything like that element is impossible for you to experience. Did you go with someone? Was it like a couple of friends, had to have a few drinks, well underage but needed a couple of drinks, had to leave the theater at one point to go

to the bathroom to sort of breathe through what was happening. Yeah, it was. It was harrowing. But in terms of all of that nonsense taken away just a filmgoing experience. I would say Alien for the haunted house, scary movie, and the Thing for the monster scar right, right, answers, Riddle me this, What is the film that made you cry? To miss Kevin Pollock? Do you cry easily? Do you a cry well? As you get older? You cry the drop of a hat? Yes? And I don't know why

it's always a drop of a hat. Yeah? Why does that say said? Why not? Why are we not crying at the drop of a shoe? People whose hat was it? Yeah? I tend to I realize I tend to cry more about hope than heartbreak when something's incredibly hopeful. Another trite movie. I think that's underappreciated because it's a holiday film that is actually a perfect film, and the structure of it from a writer's standpoint, it's a wonderful life? Is its design?

Is it's otherworldly? Yeah? And the hope in that film probably caused me to cry more than than most films. Yeah. I mean, you're quite you're quite right. What is the film that people don't like? It is not generally critically acclaimed, but you love it. You don't care what anyone says. Jamie really helped me with this one because I was struggling to try to figure out what movie that's shit. Usually if a film is outright pan and hated, I'm

sort of in line. But Cable Guy as a singular comedic performance, again from a guy who Jim Carrey had sort of established himself with those first two movies out of the you know, right out of the Gun when in in the beginning of that career, Yeah, and The Mask.

They were both I think within the same Yeah. In fact, I remember he came out of the Academy Awards to present and his film, one of those two movies had just become the biggest comedy opening in history, and he walked out of the Guts to present and his opening line was, so, how was your weekend? I thought that was pretty good. But but his performance in The Cable Guy was it was not this big giant slapstick it was it was it was a caricature of design. But um, yeah,

I thought it was a dramatic performance that was hilarious. Yeah, it's a really interesting doc film. That Also there was a stigma that he was the first actor to be paid twenty million dollars for that movie, which I promise you was a big, big, big, big reason people hated it. Yeah, I agree, I agree, and yeah they were just ready to his horrible Yeah, what is the film that you used to love? You loved it very much, you've watched it recently, and you do not like it anymore for

whatever reason. This is going to be controversial. Here we guy drap In. This is a movie that's beloved and it's complete bullshit. What is it? Tutsy wow, wow wow? Exactly tell us everything. Yeah, here's the deal. There's not a redeeming quality about the lead character. He is a horrendous, narcissist, horrible person and to everyone in his life. And I refuse to root for him, this fictitious character. And also he's a man in drag every single second, and no

one is saying, are you with Lakajrapho? What's happening? I don't. I reject the premise. It's now the performances around it, Sydney Pollock, Charles Derning, Bill Murray, Terry Guard, Jessica Lang, they're all breathtakingly wonderful and what Dustin is doing to me is complete horseship. But I will say this also, Tom Cruise is the reason Rain Man is a great film. Dustin Hoffman won the Oscar, but he is a single

note performer throughout the entire film. His character has no arc, he has no He's one note all the way through. It is the arc and ride that Tom Cruise's character goes through that we root for, that we live vicariously through and and care so very much about that film. So I'm not saying and also, you know that wonderful story of Laurence Olivier on Marathon Man. Just in case, well, I want to qualify a little bit by saying, Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate is one of the all time

great performances. It seems like I've not I know him a little bit personally just to say hello, and he's super sweet. But he and and Alpaccino suffered, I think from a very similar thing at some point. I don't know what year it was that Alpaccino became an old black blues player, but dear god, it gave him awards for yelling and guess what, that's all he did. And now he's got to touch everything. Hands move, they're gonna go over here. I believe there's a time when we

can't move things. So these guys are all about tricks and shit, and it's I don't buy it and I don't care about it, and so yeah, so so Dustin's performance is um, it's it's a man in drag and I don't. I just I don't. I don't, I don't buy any Okay, you may have this answer. It is your films to be buried good. I did talk about because he came up on someone else's list a well ago.

But the only thing I don't get about to see is the ending spoiler alert is that he pulls off his makeup and he's like, I'm a man, I'm your brother or something, and thinking that that will get him out of this soap opera. But I'm like, you've just opened a whole new set of storylines for your character. There's no way that's the end of your story. Like the writers are going rubbing their hands together. Thank god,

Now we've got three seasons left, you know what I mean. Yeah, You've just you've just given us a house, especially honest Bob brilliant, thank you yeah yeah, And and and the voice that he does throughout the film, it's just, oh God. And then I'm dorsh. I'm Jack Dorsey, you know whatever it is. When he comes out of the makeup, I'm your brother again. All the performances around him are just breathtaking.

Sidney Pollock was one of the all time greater and truly and his work and that that film is one of the funniest things in it. Have you directed yourself? No? So. The first thing I directed was a documentary called Misery Loves Comedy, the premise of which is do you have to be miserable to be to be seen it? Oh? Yeah, so I it's great. I directed that. Yeah, I've seen it. Yeah, a couple of Brits. I got Um Coogan, I got Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. I get Stephen Merchant. I

think I did. Anyways, it's about sixty annoyingly famous funny people and interviewed them all these questions and so they they wanted me to be on camera a little bit and you just hear my voice on occasion. I have a real problem with documentarians who put themselves at the center of the That really annoys the shit out of me, and so I I didn't. And then the comedy I directed,

The Late Bloomer. I was a gun for hire. And they wanted me to do one of the parts, and I said, oh, I can cast much better than me. I got JK. Simmons six months after he had won the off, and so I gave him the upgrade. Yeah, I don't know what your experience has been, like you've I'm always fascinated by people who can direct themselves like this, just the just the sheer sort of logistics of it. Are you running? Are you running back to the monitor

after every take? To what's yourself? For you? You know? And the and the I think getting past the embarrassment of going, yeah I was perfect at that take, but we need to go again because you went or do you know what I mean? Like the the Yeah, and also you see it in their eyes it's difficult. Yeah, And I would think you if you're acting in a scene with the director who's at the opposite of you would probably see in their eyes not them being in

the moment, but rather studying your perfective. Yeah. It's fascinating. Yeah, Yeah, Kevin Pollock, what's the film that means the nice to you? Not necessarily the film itself is any good, but because the experience you had around seeing that film will always make it special to you, Kevin Pollock. Yeah, so I thought about this one and as many times early on

as my mom took me to movies. It's sort of accentuated when my father finally took my brother and I both to see Blazing Saddles, and I saw my father laugh uncontrollably, almost like a lunatic, which was a little unnerving. But also I was laughing at the same time, and it was a connection between us that ran much much deeper than what we had previously. So that was ridunculously impactful.

That's second nice. Yeah, yeah, it was. Yeah. I mean my dad was not a man of many words, so you know, to see any outpouring of any emotion was just spectacal. In fact, I sidebar and you may not need this, but when my parents brought home Bill Cosby's first comedy album, only if they'd put in the liner notes, you know, will become most prolific serial rapists in history. You know, maybe we don't listen to you. I don't know,

but it wasn't in the liner notes. So and they would play that first album on the stereo high five, the seven foot wide piece of furniture. And when I watched my parents laugh uncontrollably at the guy talking from the furniture. That was a epiphany. As soon as no one was around, I sat in front of the high Fi by myself and listen to that album over and over and over and over and over and over again until I could stand in front of it and lipsync, not knowing that lip syncing was a thing or that

I had created something. I was just interacting. I was just playing, and I wanted to be the guy telling those stories that made my parents laugh uncontrollably, And it all sort of started. And then my mom came home one afternoon when I was doing that and literally caught me and said, I mean knee jerk reaction. You're doing

that for the zookers at Passover. So my first performance at ten was the painted out white brick fireplace that had a little stage, and I lip sync the Know and the Arc routine off the first album It And was that a British term for killed it? Okay? I crushed it. I was my first experience performing it in front of anyone. Thankfully it was relatives, and I didn't know what I would Every comedian will learn which is never performed for your favorite Oh, God, there's nothing. Oh buddy,

don't do it. But this is different. This was a precoci just ten year old lip syncing what would become one of the greatest stand up comedians of all time. So it's his material, it's his voice, he's he's killing. I'm just this precocious ten year old mimic lip syncing. Yeah, that's great. I clear my throat when he does on the album and I'm a start. That's basically what is

the film you must relate to? Okay, So, I in my twenties and probably thirties, was dangerously jealous as a as a boyfriend, and when I saw Albert Brooks's film Modern Romance, one of the most hilarious movies about an insanely jealous guy and what we're capable of putting ourselves through. Have you seen the film? Tell me? Well, so you know, Hi? He goes to the like CVS, Hi, do you have

a doll? You pull a string and says Mary, I'm sorry you This the obsession of m oh no, no, you're you're not gonna wear that dress outside, are you? We have some sewing to do. There's men out there. They rape, that's all they do. Holley. Um, you know, this guy was just so I got to laugh at him and then myself and the ridiculousness of being obsessively jealous in control? How is your jealousy these days? In the beginning, because she's considerably younger, it was a tough go. Ye,

it was a tough go. Yeah. Yeah, there was a learning curve for me. But I think it also had something to do with I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member. So I'm suspicious of someone who says, yes, completely get that. Yeah, if you if you love me, you're an idiot. Well if or if you love me more to the point, you're a suspect, and I have to I have to unravel this case. But you have got better on the O jealousy. Yeah, thankfully, the majority of the fifteen years

has been jealousy free. That's great. I mean, every now and then it comes up. I don't invest too much in things like saying I'm a scorpio, but apparently that's one of arguably the single most jealous nature people. I don't fucking know. Yeah, it's definitely my DNA and I am interesting. So I've calmed the hell down, and every now and then I'll get a pang, but I'll recognize it and say, oh Jesus, buddy, take it, Jamie. I'm about to say something, and I know what I'm about

to say isn't fair, but you cannot go that today. Yeah, we've got some showing to do. Christopher Wilkin, what is the sexiest film you've ever seen? I'll be honest with you, Brent, this is easy. I've been wedding quite some time. Truth to be told for you to ask this question, and I feel strong about my answer that you haven't had anyone say it A and two's It speaks to the nature of what sexy is the film, of course, Butch

Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. When I saw the film, which I saw many times in the motion picture theater, I instantly fell in love with Catherine Ross. I wanted to be the man she chose from all the men. But also there was no one sexier than those two fellas. And I didn't have confusion I had I had draw to be them. I wanted to be with her and be them, and all three reasons were sexy. That was sexy. So there you go. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. There is a reason you are the top of thirty

three impressives. That was excellent. Tell me this. There is a subcategory to this question. You can answer as yourself or as Crystal Woke, and the subcategory is troubling by his Worrying widnes a film you found. Yeah, I've heard. I've heard tell of this on episodes I've listened to. And again I've got a couple of you know, I think it has to do with puberty for me, when you're sort of shocked by the physical development in your parents. And it came at a very young age, Bye Bye Birdie.

I was probably preteen. And and Margaret does some sort of dance with a low cut top. I think it might be at the end. It's either at the beginning or the end. And she is doing things that a nine year old or whatever I was had not experienced watching and things happened. And then the other one I loved a Shot in the Dark. Yeah, and I don't know if it was britt Eklin. There was some either

britt Ekland or brit Eckland type in that film. That British blonde slide over byte that became oh, an obsession, an obsession, a real instant bone So a Shot in the Dark is this hilarious comedy where I'm just falling in love with the comedic genius and then she comes on screen and I don't I don't even see Peter Sellers. Yeah, I mean, there's nothing troubling about and Macao presecling, but I will accept. Well, the troubling part was simply that

these were not films to get boners at. Neither one were designed to be sexy. Might think it might have been a podcast films to get by is at We'll be out there to dot com. Uh. Objectively, what is the greatest film of all time? Might not be your favorite, but it's the pinnacle of cinema. Yeah. I struggle with this one a lot. It's the word objectively, my struggle, Brad Goldstein. And I do want to qualify it that I am a genuine fan of yours, and I am

not a fan of most people, let alone perform. I'm, I'm, I'm very well, it's I'm you know, you're you've We've seen too much, we know too much, and and I see through most everything just reeks of of of effort, and it makes me a little uncomfortable, and because it's there's a sadness behind. Oh you poor things, Stop trying so hard. So when I do like someone or performer or film, there's an effortless quality about it. So the objective, objectively speaking part takes me, in my opinion, out of it.

It just asked me to sort of acknowledge a great film, which I'm happy to do. Now I'm going to also, well, I realize I'm coming full circle around to answering in the vein. I believe you're asking the question and taking my being objective to taking myself out out of the equation terms of endearment. So James L. Brooks, through poker,

became a friend plays occasionally in my home game. He had already won countless Emmy's, having created The Mary Tyler Moore Show and co creating Taxi and then of course The Simpsons. But his very first time at the at the Helm, first screenplay that he wrote that he directed, first, first, first. He's the only human being in history who can say the following my very first time directing a film that I wrote. The film won Best Screenplay, Best Director, and

Best Picture. It's never happened to any other first time. And for those reasons, I think, objectively speaking, it's a masterpiece. Because I was thinking about, you know, it's got to be Cube Break, it's gotta be some movie that maybe I'm not a fan of. And then there's the obvious choice of The Godfather because it's perfect and it's epic

and it's changed the way people thought of film. But then I thought of my friend Jim Brooks, and I realized, Nana, I love that that is, objectively speaking, in a category of its own. So that's a perfect tense and I'm going to give you twenty seven points for it. And what is the film that you could or have? What's the mist over? Again? So this changes over time. I did see Butch casting to Sundance Kid twelve times in

the movie theater. I wanted to be in that world as a teenager, and I didn't want to leave it, so I just kept going back to it. But I then became obsessed quite recently with Once upon a Time in Hollywood. I want to spend at least an hour every day with Brad Pitt's character in the car, just driving around LA traffic. Yeah, so I saw it a couple of times in the theater, but then once it's on the streaming and whatnot not. I've probably seen it

fifteen times. I'm a big fan of the filmmaker in general, but this one man oman oman oman it just have you read the novel? I listened to Jennifer Jason Lee read the Audience, which I highly recommend. I read the book. I loved it, really really loved it. The novelization, Yeah, it's great. What Kevin Puddock, we don't have to be negative? What's the West film you've ever seen? Okay? This was another tough one, and I had an answer, and that

was Jamie. She's not just the brains of the outfit, but I've I've had to come to grips, which I can't actually function without it. So I told her what my choice was. First of all, I agreed with an earlier guest of yours. Now you see Me okay was a fucking insult and the and the review should have been now you see me now you wish you hadn't? Oly, God, was that insulting? Just the earnestness of those performances was But when a great filmmaker makes a self indulgent, bad film.

I find that the most difficult and painful. So I was talking to her about it, and she said, yeah, do you really want to go out of your way to shoot on that filmmaker? It's a good answers. The answers not really, and that's why she's the brains of the outfit. So I decided to make it a little more personal. I'm in a truly horrible film, and the reason it's so painful is that it's my favorite comedic performance in a film of my own. The film itself

is complete shite, soup to nuts. I can't be objective about my own performance. I just know the doing of it was a joy. Comedically. I've never experienced the Feds the film the Whole ten Yards, so the Whole nine Yards is pretty damn good. I would put it in my I've done ten good things, but the Whole ten

Yards is unwatchable. It really is garbage. But I got to wear prosthetic makeup and play the father of my character from the first film, this eighty year old Hungarian mobster with the shock of white hair and the lou Wasserman big goggle glasses, and it was a joy. Beyond description. So that made it's so much more painful, and and I had to really embrace how shitty this movie is.

So did you know why you were making it about? No, it's it came out of the wheels a few times on certain days and you're like, oh, that's not what we was in the script. Why are we doing this? Yeah, got yeah, Yes, you're in comedy, you're a comedian, you're very funny. What's the film that made you laugh the most? Okay?

So again, the singular answer is The Struggle. As a member of the Writers Guild since nineteen eighty seven, proudly from from a writer's standpoint, page per page, jokes on the page, there's no film funnier than Arthur the original. The remake is unwatchable, garbage and should be set on fire. The original written by a I think thirty year old who died maybe a couple of year years after the film came out. Steve Gordon was his name, and they

shot that film for several years. Nobody known in the studios. Who cares about a rich drunk No one's going to care about this guy. But it's not just Dudley Morris performance, which is flawless and revelatory. It is page. The amount of jokes on every page of that script is insane. Then, my favorite comedy of all time is The in Laws, and it has to do with the performances there again, remakes set it on fire. I would argue that the film The in Laws performances and script is pound for pound,

the funniest film ever made. And then Jamie, the all around perfect person, reminded me that we went to see No Country for Old Men in a theater and that is such a dark comedy. At times, I laughed so hard and loud that when the lights came up and the movie was over, the three people in front of me stood up, and one of them turned back to me and said, well, I guess I'll see the film again some other, some other time, because I had ruined it. I do have when when something is you know, when

you laugh involuntarily. I don't know what your laugh sounds like when you laugh involuntarily. Mine is pretty loud that no one expected that. Unset It's nope, no, no, no, You're not going to get No Country from Men. But there are there are times of Javier Bardem's performance that are so fucking funny to me, dear lord, he's amazing. I saw him being the Ricardo's thank you very much,

and he is so good. He is just like you're just like, fucking now, that is one of the most charismatic screen actors, Like you're just like he's he's just love it. I think he's I agree, I think he's Mount Russian War. There are a few actors like Jeff Bridges, who's done flawless work and twenty amazing films that one different than the other, No one more diverse. Starman to Baker Brothers or whatever. Yeah, beggar or sexy too, you know, all of it, all of it. And I would say

Harvier bur Dam is the same thing. It's a different performance every time. And there's nothing this guy kid, Yeah, yeah, Kevin Pollock, you've been amazing. Now, However, when you were in your tesla, it was the fifth tesla you'd had, looking at all the buttons, you're pressing all the buttons and you drive straight into a wall and you died on impact. And Elon Musk appeared in a helicopter. But I was walking past with a coffin. You know what

I'm like, And I said Elon. Yeah, don't worry about it, mate, I got it. And he went, is this no pictures? Is gonna look bad for us? I said, don't worry, we'll make it audio. I'll be fine. And anyway, she went straight back up in his helicopter, which then turned into a rocket. Enough he went to march and yeah, yeah, I get the state you're in there. I mean, it's a lovely car, but you've made a real mess of it. I have to get I have to chop out the

fucking door, have to chop out bits of metal. You're it's all over here. Anyway, I get you plus bits of the Tesla into this coffin. I stuff you in. It's absolutely rounded in there. There's only enough room in it for one DVD. But I then find out you've already got one in the coffin. I look, I have to lift you up again. And underneath it there is the film that you're going to take to show everyone or movie night when it's your turn in heaven. And

that film is fantastic, mister Fox. That's right. You're happy with that. I am very happy with that. It's a lovely film, a really lovely film, and a lovely choice. I need one more and more. It's a fucking brilliant film. I really like that. That was too too many percents. Way, yeah, let's let's shoot for the metal. You know it is um. I love Rushmore in the Royal Gene Hackman's performance in the Royal Town of Bombs is a comedic clinic that

is almost unmatched. Yeah, but the fantastic mister Fox just in terms of I don't know everything of creativity, performance surprised the Light. A big fan of critters in general. Bill Murray as the want to see the badge accountant or something fuck me? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's magical. It's magical, it really is. Kevin Pollock, is there anything you would like to tell people to listen to, you, to look out for to watch coming up for you and out

of your three hundred upcoming projects? Thank you for waiting for season four of The Marvelous Missus Masel the those of you who give a shit about that particular show. Sorry, we got pushed to February, but thank you for your patients. So I would I would invite you to forgive us and tune in in February. Look, if you want your hammers in a day, sometimes two. Then you get missus Maiso for free, okay, And the other thing is the

other thing is I um. After ten years of hosting the Kevin Pollock Chat show at the at the Forefront, back when you had two thousand and nine, when you had to explain to people what a podcast was, I gave it up in nineteen after ten years and four hundred episodes. I was done with podcasting. And then about two years ago I started a all improvised comedy podcast with some brilliant improvisers I saw at the Westside Comedy Theater and hand picked them and they're brilliant and amazing,

and yeah, it's called Alchemy. This. So if the idea of an all improvised comedy podcast where we do three scenes that we're all seen suggested by fans either through patroon or through emails, if that interest you at all, with brilliantly fast, fearless funny fuckers, then check out off for me. This that's funny. However, you get your podcast, and of course Willow will be with us scene. That's right, Willow.

And the other reason I was in the UK better things the Pamela ad Lane Show amazing, Yeah, all right, Kevin Pollock. I really appreciate your time. I'm very grateful for you doing this. Thank you. You've been wonderful and I hope you have a wonderful day. Good day, sir, Thank you very much. So it was episode one hundred and seventy nine. Head over to patreon dot com forwards Brett Colstein for the extra twenty minutes of chat, secrets and video with Kevin. Go to Apple Podcast. Give us

a five star rating. But don't tell me about the show. Tell me about the film that means the most of you and why it's very nice thing to read. I'll tell you that much. Thank you so much to Kevin Pollock. Kevin Pollock, can you believe it? Thank you Kevin for doing the show. Thanks for screepings Pit and the distraction Pieces of Network. Thanks to Buddy Pieces for producing it. Thanks to ACAS for hosting it. Thanks to Addam Richardson

for the graphics and Lisa Linum for the photography. Come join me next week where my brilliant special guest I believe will be the wonderful and hilarious Danielle Pinock. So that is it for now. In the meantime, thank you for listening. I hope you have a lovely new Year, and please be excellent to each other.