Ep45 - Sam Rockwell / "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"

sitting right here. But before I bring him in, let me also remind everyone stick around after our chat for some shop talk on the upcoming Oscar season between myself and our old friend Janelle Riley. Sam Rockwell, thanks for coming on the show. Appreciate it again. You are one of my favorite actors. I'm not just shining because you're sitting in front. Thanks man, than appreciated, And I'm gonna

just kind of back into this. We'll get to Three Billboards, but I've got like just a list of stuff out. Let's do it, man. Let's talk about how often do you get asked about teenage mutant Ninja Turtles? Well more than maybe then you think, um, but yeah, it's a good one. I mean it's a it's a good one in my It's a good piece of history, you know. Yeah, it's funny. It's like I saw it when I was a kid, obviously, and then later on I became a

fan of years. I'm like, holy crap, Sam rock Walls in this movie, he plays like the uh would you say the kind of I don't know, Like you're the guy who's like the new recruits for the foot Clan coming in. You're saying, hey, we can smoke cigarettes. It's just like the head thug was that was And then Skeet all Rich was my henchman. Yeah, and he was. He was a local North Carolina boy. Yeah yeah, asking me how to get an age of were in Wilmington's

now Atlanta is the new Wilming Totally. I'm from North Carolina. Oh you are, okay, so you know the deal. Yeah, it's like they get rid of all their incentives. Yeah, everybody went away so used to be hopping. It used to be hopping, you know. So that that's how I was nineteen went there did it? I never heard it went to the audition. I didn't know teenage mutant what you know? And uh, but it was. It was cool man, it was it was it was fun. It was fun to do. And I met one of my good friends

on that. He played Donna's Hello, a guy named Leif Tilden, and Josh Pie was one of the Turtles. I don't know if you know the actor Josh Piece. He's he's great. He was in Safe Man and he was one of the turtles. Yeah, it's a day job for those guys. It's a you know, again, interesting footnote in your career. Right, did you do you revisit teenage Mutant nin Turtles? I do not because I cringe because my voice is really

high for some reason. And that well you were nineteen. Yeah. Yeah, another funny thing I had will him to Phoe in that chair last week. Oh yeah, and yeah he's seen like sleeper just so William. Yeah, Paul Straighter like to work with. He's awesome man. He well, we were joking. I just saw it Um Defoe and we were talking about the stute. This crazy stupid jacket I had on Um that was really loud. It looked like it's ted batteries in it, and it was like a Michael Jackson

kind of like just watched the scene again. Last night. Yeah, and you know, Strader insisted I wear this jacket, which completely upstaged me. But it was kind of great. It kind of gave me the character. But I was I was sort of self conscious about it. Way. I think we were joking about that jacket. Yeah. Have you seen his new film? By the way, first, Ethan's in it, right, it heard its sort of a sequel to Taxi Drivers.

That's true. No, no, no, it's not. No, it's but it's definitely like it's everything Paul Schrader does in his films, like very potent in one movie. Basically it's like the most potent Pulse Rader movie. Yeah, we've seen. It's really good. Loneliness. Uh uh. I also wanted to kind of talk about early on, Uh, when did you and Jon Favreau get together first, because in the early nineties or something when you guys are actors on the scene because you had

the small role and made which I love. Yeah, and you've obviously worked on Iron Man two and potentially we're going to be cast as iron Yeah. That's a good question. Actually, that connection, very good question. Um, you know, there were a couple of things that happened, is is well he was in l A man. He was a West Coast guy. Him and Vince made their bones in in l A. I couldn't survive l A as A as a struggling actor, so I had to go back to New York and

I as I was usually the other way around. Well, some people, you know, I say that the actors, there's two l as. There's l A when you're successful, which is fabulous, and then there's l A when you're not, and that's not a good l A. So New York is a little easier when you're down and out. It was back then. You know, now it's more expensive, so but you could you could get by. I had a really cheap sublet when I was studying acting and stuff.

But I met I met Vincent and John at A. I saw I saw John somewhere and then he invited me to this like running charades party. When I met Vince and I I was a big Swingers fan, and I kind of I sort of idolized Vince. I was sort of like in awe of him, his sort of charm and Favreau and I thought they were like just kind of amazing, and so I was um. I was

very excited to be around those guys. And then you know, he said, do you want to do this little cameo and and made you could play this thug or you could play the bust this bell hop, and I said, well maybe the the bell hop and I have I have more stuff with you guys, you know, and that was more fun, and then we became friends. And then down the line, my girlfriend Leslie Bib did Iron Man, and so when they were doing press for that, um, I remember we had a dinner in New York and

they didn't know. They were nervous. They didn't know the thing was gonna be a huge hit, you know. So we had this dinner and they were kind of nervous before it came out, you know, and it was Downy and Me and Leslie and Fab and then um and then at one point he had called me him and Peter Billingsley had called me like a couple of years earlier about iron Man maybe auditioning for iron Man, and

then that sort of went away. I think down East screen tested and he was like, you know, amazing, and then he got but um so then cut too, like we're if EV and I are doing g Force. This is kind of a long explanation was we were doing G Force and I said, you know, I was really frustrated because it was hard to do the animation. I said, can we get the actors in the room together because

I feel kind of stale here. And so finally they said, all right, well fabs available, will bring them in, and so John and I got to actually do a scene together. We were the two guinea pigs and we could actually get physical, and so the scene was immediately so much better when we did it that way. And then coincidentally, he had um marvel guy, I think it was Kevin come down and say, Hi, says I want to talk

to you about something. You know, I'm debating this thing, and Justin Thorow wrote it was very instrumental and getting Fab to to sort of, uh consider me. And then when Fave sort of grasped onto the idea we already knew each other. Throw and I had a history we do the theater together. Fav was like, yeah, let's let's

do this. We're thinking about maybe one villain or maybe two villains, and so they came up with that fast talking thing and Mickey Rourke being the kind of the muscle which kind of became uh young Frankenstein in a way, you know, Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle and I would do all the fast talking and that's how that came to be. Yeah, I'm just always curious what these connections are, you know. Yeah, that's an interesting long history of and

I'm still friends with those guys. You know. I love that scene, those couple of scenes and made I mean, the character was so funny and just the way the Vince reacts to him throwing the drink. That was an improv day. That wasn't supposed to be in that scene, and they they threw me in. I was just coming to say hi, But that led to half is for family, and you know, it's it's a whole you know, because we now we've been friends for you know, over a decade,

you know. Yeah, Pete, Peter and Vince and John. Yeah, awesome. Yeah. I also wanted to talk about Heist, which I watched again last night. Yeah. Man, that's a fun that's a

fun one. Yeah. That love that movie. I love David Mammitt's dialogue is like an alien language, especially in that movie, because it's like all of the like, I don't know if that was real actual lingo amongst like Roberts, you know, calling somebody a lame you know that I wouldn't be surprised if it was, because, um, you know, Mamma does his research and he's such a obviously a great writer. But working with Delroy and and Ricky and Gene Hackman,

I mean that was just and Rebecca. You know, we had a great little love scene, pretty to a love scene, but you know, obviously Gene Hackman, I mean that was pretty cool. That was that was very cool. I was just gonna say, like the way the entire cast just tears into that dialogue too, I mean, it must have just been delicious. Seeing it was delicious. It was a lot of fun, man it. Looking back on it, I

mean it's really a good job. You know. I just got out of nowhere and I just met maham It and I kind of was kind of cocky in the meeting and he gave me the job. You know, I just kind of pretended to be a badass. Yeah, just all the line readings are so good, and like, uh, you know, obviously the Vito gets a lot of the great ones. Everybody loves the money. That's why they call it money. That's why I forget about he's my uncle in that they like dyed my hair black and I

had that black mustache. I embarrassed myself in front of del Roy one time. I did. I did like an impression of del Roy Lindo from Heist in front of del Roy Lindo. Dude, that's one kind of awesome. That's actually one of the most awesome things you were done. I embarrassed myself in front of him too once. Uh, not really, I mean I just kind of went up to him and said, you know, I really think you

should have been nominated for cider House Rules. I was at some SAG thing SAG Awards, um, I think for Green a Mile and I said and he was like, ah, you know, thanks man, but um you always feel vulnerable when you do stuff like that, you know, You're like, yeah,

hey man, you know, yeah totally. I was just trying to explain it, like I loved this line reading he had in the movie, and then I gave him his own line reading and I was like, and he looked at you like you were from Venus or he said something like that is that is the first time someone's ever said that to me. Yeah, it was like, I'm sure, I'm sure, sir. I mean it's Stephen Man dialogue and it may look like I'm texting, but this is literally

where my questions. Yes, of course, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. I mean they had to have been, like, yeah, I guess the turning point for you in some ways that you had been leading a couple of things, but this was like Clooney's I think it was his debut as a director, and you played Chuck Barris, the Gong Show host, potential CIA operative. Yes, and uh it was just you know,

Charlie Coffin's script. So just talk about working with Clooney on that movie and kind of getting that I guess vote of confidence that you could shoulder this whole movie for him. Yeah, well, you're right. I mean I've done a lot of I've done a lot of leads, but the movies that not a lot of people saw necessarily maybe Lawn Dog's Box someone like, but no, I've done it a lot of some other leads and nobody saw,

so that was kind of practice for this. In fact, there's a movie called Jerry and Tom which did a lot of that transitional shooting, like Frankenheimer used to do, like live television that Cluney did that sort of prepared me for this, and theater obviously prepared me. But um, you know, without Cluney and Soderberg, I wouldn't have gotten that job. I mean, that was the generosity of those two guys. You know. Cluney fought for me and so did Soderberg. They both fought for me. I wouldn't have

gotten that job without them, no way. Was it a uh I guess it was like a audition situation. It was an old fashioned screen test with everything with film, real film dollies and tracks. It was a real old fashioned screen test. And yeah, and I didn't know there was another actor being screen tested. But but um, yeah, that was a trip. Man. That was I had like a week to prepare really watch was it? Like? Yeah? I say, what was it like getting into that guy's headspace?

And I'm just trying to figure out it was great. I hung out with him a lot. I filmed him. We hung out. He loved Less Paul and uh we would listen to Less Paul and that's how I kind of kind of got his movements, dancing movements. We hung out a lot. You know. It was it was. It was cool. I missed Chuck. I like Chuck. When did he pass? Very charming guy? He passed recently? Yeah, it seems like yeah, it was long ago, very recently, And I think didn't Chuck Berry passed the same the two

Chucks around the same time. Maybe I could have that wrong. I don't know. Yeah, anyway, another one, Uh, this one's got an anniversary this year. Yeah, what's that assassination of Jesse James me that's ten ten years ago? Oh man, that's crazy that I will say. I will lavish with praise because I don't think a better film has been released since that movie was released. I literally the best movie of the last decade. Yes, and I just I love you know. It's a really good film, isn't it.

I I almost didn't do that movie. You know, Andrew Dominic is a very talented guy. You know, Chopper, this is an amazing film. And uh yeah yeah, Pitt and Casey. I mean it's an amazing We had some amazing people in that in that cast. You know, Roger Deakins, Roger crushing it, dude, crushing a natural lighting. Yeah, you know it just this nice idea of doing like a Victorian Western.

I'm a huge fan of the genre. So just doing a Western at the you know, in the last throes of the era, and what what were those icons like at that time? I just I love that film. I love it too, you know. I buss where I became friends with Jeremy Runner and we've found a song, good Old Rebel from the Long Riders, which we kind of stole and being extra Confederates and we renters a good singer and we sang it in the in the film for two seconds. Andrew wanted us to kind of improvise

and stuff. But yeah, I mean somebody great, you know, Garrett Dill Hunt. It's it's just a great It's got that Sam show like Sam Shepard man got arrest his soul man. Yeah, it's got that real, you know, sparse Terrence Malick feel to it. You know. What was the experience of shooting a Western? Like I always a curious about because they make a lot of them, you know, so no they I've done three of them now and

and then I just played a cowboy. I had to learn how to last so on on stage and that was a Sam Shepherd play actually, and it's it's a trip you know, you got out the horses. It's not easy. It's it's really tough. You're out in the middle of the desert and you know, people get hurt. It's crazy. I mean, it's wild. I mean for everyone. I did a western uh cowboys, you know we did um just they want Jessica chests stain and it's it's you know, it's not easy. Yeah, a lot of mud. Where did

you film the chest any one? By the way, that played? Uh Toronto? Right, we did that. Where did we shoot that? Santa fe of them out there? Now? Jesse James was in Canada, right, Alberta, Yeah, Winnipeg, Um, all over the Edmonton was it was a fun time. Yeah. Yeah, Well, like I said, I just wanted to skip a quick stone across the awesome. That's awesome. That's fine. That's awesome, dude. Three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri. It's the new film, Martin

McDonough's new film. If you loved Ambrusi and uh seven Psychopaths, you'll love this one. I think this is his best film. Actually, yeah, I think it's pretty pretty great. And as I was telling you in the elevator, I just all the films that are coming along. There's just there's a complexity thematically in this film that I think is really potent. And I don't know if it if it up to the

guys do not. It just seems like it kind of does because there's these themes of forgiveness and reconciliation going on, which is interesting. Interesting You've worked with him, Uh yeah twice now, right, yeah, twice and then the play too, So that's three times when you read a character that Martin has written. What what is it about his work on the page that grabs you that says, you know, are they are they very detailed and defined? Or is there a lot of room there to create? It's kind

of both. They're kind of very detailed and defined. The dialogues all there, you know, dialoques amazing, like a Tarantino script or a mam At script you know, uh Sam Shepherd script. And but he also there's room to play, you know, and room to interpret. And uh, it seems like all of the characters I've played Mervin on in The Behinding and Spokane and Billy and Psychos and then Dixon and Three Billboards are all derivative of like Travis, Spicle and Taxi driver or something for some reason, or

Eric Roberts in Star eight Years. You know, there's a kind of talking about Paul Trader as a kind of loneliness to all these guys. You know, just to set the scene, you play a racist, you know, a law enforcement officer in this little town in Missouri. Uh. Francis McDorman plays a woman who is looking to get justice for her murdered daughter and doesn't believe that the local police have done enough, and so she buys these three

billboards to kind of shame them. And your journey with her character is what's the heart of the film and what kind of makes it so beautiful by the end. So working with Francis, what was that like? Amazing? I mean you feel like it's you want to you want to raise to the you know, rise to the occasion, you know, and be the frasier to her Ali, you know, you want to like really get in. I mean she's incredible,

She's a force, you know. And Woody Harrelson and you know it's just the cast is John Hawks, Peter Dinklage, you know, Abby Corners to all these people. Yeah, Chokoe Vanik's great actor. Um who I did a player with the place of the other the other deputy. Um, yeah, just amazing. It's kind of cool that Martin has this sort of troop of actors. He's slowly as something like you and what he Abby were in Seven Psychos and

then uh, Colin Farrells and Seven Psychos and thens as well. Yeah, we've got Clark Peters, Amanda Daryl, we got UM's it's it's yeah, yeah man, it was in Seven Psychos. So he's got he's got a little bit of an ensemble. Yeah, there's a couple of directors out there that maintain that kind of thing. What's that like for you? As part of this ensemble that kind of gets back together with this artist to make a movie. Everyone. Well, you know, it's very fortunate to be a part of that, um,

that team. You know, I'm very lucky that I that I sort of stumbled into Martin you know a long time ago almost did this play Pillow man. I think what he almost did it too. I think a couple of people almost did it. But um, yeah, So I'm really fortunate between working with him on stage and working with him on a film set, is there? Yeah? And the obvious is there? You know how does he deal

with you differently? Well, he was pretty quiet when we did the play because John Crowley was directing, who directed Brooklyn and but when we did Psychos and the and Three Billboards, he was you know, he's obviously very hands on and and he but he's he lets you play. I mean, he let me play a lot um may because my characters are kind of crazy. I had that

experience with Frank Darribunt. I think he let me play and he didn't necessarily let other actors play because my character needed a little wiggle room, you know, a little elbow room because I'm playing like a crazy person. So you can't really like be like, okay, play a crazy person, but let's keep it in the lines. But you know, you gotta like, you know what I mean, you gotta like have a little leeway when you play crazy people. I don't think Dixon's necessarily crazy, but you know what

I mean, totally product of environment. Yeah, we'll talk about that. Yeah, how did you go about preparing for a role like that in terms of meeting people, meeting cops or anything. I met a couple of cops, Yeah, I met um, I met a couple of cops. I met one Um Deemer in l a who what he was with. I think Casey did it right along with him. And then I met a couple of Missouri cops and had them take my lines. My my dialect coach Liz Himilstein found

these cops in southern Missouri. We had we had to have some conversations, like I emailed with Francis and Martin, like where are we gonna where's this imaginary Missouri town gonna be? Is it gonna be southern or northern? Because there's a big difference in the way they talk, And so we sort of agreed that it was generally would be southern Missouri. And then I then I knew what I had to find, and so it was cool to

go down there to southern Missouri. I did it right along Um, this beautiful guy, and he introduced me all these all these guys and you know, and so that was really cool. That was really uh influenced a lot about the characters. Do you feel a sort of pressure though? Whenever I mean this is this is a very complex character, and obviously it's takes It takes place in a fictional Missouri town and the unrest out of Ferguson that is

obviously just playing on the fringes of this film. Absolutely, yeah, you know, does that provide a sense of pressure to make sure that you're not painting a caricature? Absolutely? And that's why I went down there, you know. I mean Martin wrote this before Ferguson, but um, I did. I did feel kind of obliged to find out the real story a little bit, and I asked those guys a lot of questions, you know, and uh, you know, the bottom line is I didn't see racism down there. I

mean I didn't. I I saw a lot of stuff, but I didn't. Um, but I obviously it exists. And and so you know my job. I didn't need to go to Missouri to play this part. I mean, it just helped me personally. I wanted, I had the time and I wanted to do it. But you know, um, the Dixon's journey is important, I think to that topic, you know, and I think it does say something. I'm not sure what quite what it says, but that's what's

so an enigmatic about the script. I think it doesn't it doesn't even seem like it's actively trying to say something to you, like it's trying to dictate something. It's it just the way that the themes and the characters and all the interplay comes together. It just leaves you with this sense. Yeah, and I don't even know how you put a word to it, but yeah, you could. You could put a bunch of labels. You could put you know, feminism and you know, um racism and anti ray.

You can put a lot of labels these days, um, anti violence and you know. But it's just really at the end of the day, it's a really entertaining and potent, uh screenplay, you know in movie I think, Yeah, I just wanted to touch on a couple other things real quick. You are literally leaving here to I go do some costume stuff for your new Yeah, w Bush and Adam McKay's mom. I was just to tell your ride. So I was hanging out with Christian Bale, who's yeah, yeah, yeah,

he got the eyebrows and I just saw him. Yeah he looks good man. What uh, what thoughts do you have? I mean you haven't started yet, but what thoughts do you have going into that where you're gonna play this character?

You know, uh, just trying to trying to sort of well, it's a great script that Adam wrote, and just trying to pay respect to, uh the story and what he's trying to tell and and and I really I find in watching George Bush, George W. Bush constantly on and listening to him I for the last two months, I find him to be actually very charming guy. And you know, obviously nowadays, you know, he seems even more charming. But uh yeah, I mean I'm having a I'm having a

good time doing the research. It's really fun. I sure, I assume you saw that thing. I don't even know where it was written. But after the inauguration speech, supposedly he over and said that was some weird hit, which was that with the poncho moment after the ponco Uh yeah, after after he his whole like, you know, basically should have had just tanks surrounding him or something. Bush was like that, that's funny. And uh, we mentioned Ethan you're

working with on this fum blaze. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah I did. We did Stevie's on and link later and I did look like a little three day cameo. Was that like we were there very briefly. Was we were just there to kind of help support Ethan and bad Rouge and we had a good time. Um, I hear the movie is really good. And he got these two got a couple of real musicians, you know, Sexton and a couple of really good musicians playing the parts. And it's a cool story. And you when you do you

know about the real guy the guys. Yeah, yeah, it's cool story. When I started to look into it, and he's got like an unknown playing him, right, Yeah, the guy's really good singer musician and he gets it. Man, those guys were pretty damn good. And Josh Hamilton's in it, and Ethan does some interesting stuff as a director director. Yeah, this is really a good one for him. I think he really I think he just found the right guy and then he was able to tell this story. If

he hadn't found the right guy, couldn't have done it anything. Yeah. Yeah. And then something I stumbled across when I was just looking into your your CD history was indeed Private Detectives assistant. Yeah, gig you had. Yeah, that's a long time. What's the most interesting thing that happened on that we tail the chick who was having an affair and tried to videotapers and he was really sleazy. Where was that? Um that was upstate New York or something. I was studying acting.

One of my fellow acting students got me into it. I but they I kept not getting paid and so I was like, all right, this isn't you know? It was kind of boring a lot of it. That was the most exciting thing that happened. Did you retain sleazy after? Yeah? But I mean maybe it helped your acting career and deserving behavior. And I wanted to close, but talking about Phil Hoffman Philip Moore. Hofman directed You Want to Play Last Days of Judas to Scariot and uh, huge loss obviously,

But what was working with Phil Hoffman like? Well, you know he was really, um, he was pretty amazing. I mean I miss him, like I think almost every day. You know, he was really he was a great director. I'll tell you that, and anybody who worked on that play will tell you that. I mean, he was like he was like kind of like Bobby Knight meets Sidney Lamtent. I mean he was like he was like a wrestling

coach and a very sensitive actor friendly director. He was really you know, he he he talked his talk, but he walked the walk and he demanded a lot of you and but he was very nurturing and I you know, and in the program when I did Full for Love, I dedicated at the Phil because every time I get on stage, I think about Phil and a lot of times when I get in front of a camera too. You know, Phil was the was you know, we were kind of like, you know, after it was you know,

Billy Crude up and Jeffrey right and Lea. You know, it's like I think our generation, you know, Roland and Ruffalo. You know, we kind of go I mean I wouldn't know. Billy and I were kind of like, well, what do we What do we do now? You know, what do we do now? Who are we gonna? You know, it's like that documentary, like Larry Burton Magic Johnson documentary. You ever see that thirty for thirty And they kind of upped each other's game. There was this beautiful, healthy competition

between them. And it was kind of like that with Phil. Like when I would see Phil do something, I'd be like, oh, ship man, I gotta I gotta step it up, you know, because Phil's bringing it, you know, And he didn't phone it in. He didn't want to phone it in. It didn't matter the project either. I mean something like Twister. He's like, yeah, I know he's on, he's all in, dude, he's always all in, you know, sent of a woman. But when you saw him on stage, man, I mean

he did Willie Lohman or True West. I mean, you know John c Riley will tell you. I mean he and John's John's she Riley is no joke, you know, he's a he's a real deal and m but Phil was just he would not eight times a week, you know, on stage. He would not phone it in. You know, he would he would bring it and that takes a toll. Donya. Yeah,

you know. The thing about that that really sucks is just when you lose someone in their prime, it's like, how many great Phil Hoffman performances have we not gotten? So it's just like it's, yeah, it's really sad. I sort of felt the same way about Gene Hackman. I mean when he retired, it's like that was that's over a decade ago, and it's like, yeah, he was ready. He was I mean, he was ready. He was tired. He was tired. I have to say, like dude, you've

earned it. You can quit. But like, you know, it's just like, man, we could have got some more good stuff. Just no, he was he was. I remember he was considering the Wes Anderson thing, um, the tenemomb tenem bombs, and he it's like, I'm tired, and I'm like, dude, have you seen Rushmore? That's a damn good movie. You might want to check it out, you know. I mean, I'm not saying he did it because of me, but I think there's a lot of people who probably said

to him, you need to see Rushmore. And he ended up doing the movie, you know, but um, and then that just finished him. Yeah, that was just then he did he did something with Owen Wilson to around that time with the there was a military the military thing. Oh yeah, some kind of like action lines. Yeah yeah, yeah. Yeah. He was just tired. He was working a lot. You know, he was tired. He was great and highest, He's great and higest man great hiest. Yeah. Well the movie is

called Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. It opens November. You should go see it. It's fantastic. I think it's Sam's best performance. High high five on the podcast. Thanks for coming on the show. Thanks and again everyone stick around after this for a dive into the your season with Janelle Riley. Will be right back after this now. Mildred Hayes, why didn't you put up in the billboards? My daughter

Angela was murdered seven months ago. It seems to me the police department is too busy torturing black folks to solve actual crime. Dic. I'm in the middle of my goddamn Easter dinner. Sorry, I know, Chief, I think we've got kind of a problem. Son, Sun, be good. I do anything to catch your daughter's killer. I don't think those billboards is very fair. And it took him to get out here one and like a bitch. Will it be some other poor girls probably out there being butchered?

Right now? We've had two official complaints about those billboards from who the lady with a funny eye, A lady with a funny fucking eye and a fat dnnis it's a lot of good friends that will it be in this town? To Ey you didn't have to drill a little hole in the dentist today, did you? Of course? Said, of course not. I'm sorry about angel but the town is dead set against these billboards, and it's through that

can can how about your sweetheart? No, I didn't really go, hey, fuckhead, don't say what Dickson when she comes in calling you fuckhead. We keep a case in the public eye, the pair your chance are getting. It's all. You know, if you hadn't stopped coming to church, you'd have a little bit

more understanding of people's feelings on this. Anger man just gets great anger in three two one, And as sad as the spectacle of these billboards might be, dis reporter for one hope this finally puts an end to the strange saga of the three billboards outside and put an end to shake your fucking retard. This is just a fucking start. Why don't you put that on your Good Morning Missouri fucking got broadcast? Bit. Alright, we're back. I'm

here with the varieties. Tell me again, Awards and Features editor, Yes, Jelley. We we're gonna talk about the season, which we haven't done all year. It's exciting, it's it's I think it's better to space these out because you would agree, right, we kind of start everything wants to hear me talking every day. Well, that goes with the saying for our purposes, no, So, you know, diving into the season. We've got our awards launch issue this week with Kate Winslet on the cover

for What Allen's Do film Wonder Wheel. And it's a weird year and I feel like, y we you say this, you know a lot, but it really computes this time. I mean even you know, just coming out of the award, the festival season, the early fall festival season, there's no front runner. Certainly there's not even it doesn't even seem like it's this movie versus that movie versus that movie. Like last year we had the Manchester moon Light La La Land thing. We don't even really have that. I

think we have. I think everyone agrees. Dun Kirk is probably the most muscular contender. I think movies like Darkest Hour are pretty strong. Really yeah, yeah, because just it's it's meticulously crafted and it's just gonna could be old school thinking. By the way, this gets into my old my column this week about of this academy has joined in the last two years, that members, assuming they all

accepted their invitations, accept thank you. I don't know. I don't think anyone ever says no. But you can bank on about four members and that's that's dressed saying. But they're more of like a younger generation and when very internationalized, like there's just they make a big show of the fact that I think fifty seven countries. They invited people

from fifty seven countries. So you know, this is why I think movies like Three Billboards and Florida Project could I don't want to say surprise, because I think they're both in the race, but I could see one of those winning. Yeah, I mean, and then movies like get Out by the way, they could come back, and and all these movies from earlier in the year get Out big sick Um. I know I mentioned Logan and Dunkirk

came out earlier. We're really seen like people are going to have to have longer memories than they're used to. And the other thing that drives me crazy as a columnist is I don't see any trends hard. I need to find an example of three films that add up to something that it's really hard even that it's it's it's but let's see, we've got Shape of Water won the Venice prizemas new film. I'm not as hot on it as everyone else, but his tourism certainly shines through,

and there are diehearted devotees of that film. I think it's his best work. So I also think Sally Hawkins stands out because she doesn't speak. You know, it sounds odd, but there's so many great women vuying for Best Actress this year. In a way, it's sort of you know, puts their up there as being somewhat different. You know, all those other women talk too much. Come on, it's it's yeah that I guess that's one story. Is the Best Actress category is nuts. It is nuts. So many

great performances, Frances McDormand and awards. You know, she doesn't do much press, but she's going to get in regardless. I think I love Sir Sharonin and Lady Bird. I love that movie, so I love LADYE. Ladybird is another movie that I feel like with a younger voting audience, could you know, actually win some big prizes. Um and you know, Greta did such a great job. But that she's directed before as a co director. But there's people that think that that movie is not a I mean,

obviously it's not a short thing. Best Picture on me A few things are, but I feel like stronger about it than other people. People just miss it as slight, which is really deceptive. It is not slight at all. And Greta Gerwig talks a lot about how the story is not autobiographical. Yes, she did grow up in Sacramento, etcetera, etcetera. I gotta tell that movie is autobiographical to me. That is my story too. I mean there's something about the time period too. I think it takes place what he

or something. Oh, I thought it was nineties, but I could be wrong. Maybe again, this is me making it. I graduated high school, so I think it takes place a little bit after that. And it just I saw a lot of familiar stuff in it. I mean the Timothy shallow Make character and that he's fantastic. I'm like, I know that guy. I've seen that guy. Timothy Schallom. Call Me by Your Name Yes is another movie that everybody seems very very high on, one of the most

critically claimed films of the year. Um, he's fantastic. In that he's fantastic, Armie Hammer is fantastic. Michael Schulberg Shallow Me just there's something about the way he inhabits his space as an actor that there's like, I guess there's a confidence that I don't know what it is, but there's just something about how he carries himself physically as a performer that I find really keptain How old is he? Because I think he's a lot for a nomination. I do.

I do think he's like early twenties. I think he Oldman are are pretty much our locks. And I know, um, isn't it a race to lose to Gary Oldman at this point? Well, you know, the Phantom Thread trailer dropped today and a lot of people are like Gary Oldman is sweating right now because you know, Daniel day Lewis is in a movie. But yeah, I'm a little skeptical to Daniel Lewis fourth Oscar. Yeah, I don't. I don't

think so. But the last time, not the last wow, years ago, when Gary Oldman was kind of campaigning for the contender, it's sort of got mucked up. Yeah, yeah, there's that. There's there's the idea of will his personal politics becoming any kind of an issue? I guess, uh, you know, yeah, that whole situation is a whole other thing. But again, there again, you know, the Academy is shifted considerably, and it was a long time ago. That was a

long time ago. And plus, as long as you're not a Trump Republican, I think you're exactly exactly so funny, Like you've made Gary Oldman in person right right. He seems like such a sweet, easy going guy. The funniest story. I interviewed him for Tinker Taylor. I went to his hotel room. It was like, you know, a junket thing or something. It was like eighty five degrees in the room and I was like kind of kind of toasting him, and He's like, yeah, I like to keep it warm.

I felt like I was in Dracula's castle, like I'll expected there to be like it's a blazing fire behind him. But yeah, he's the best, and he's amazing in that movie. He he's a beast. He's fantastic. And I don't think it's unwarranted either. It's you know, someone some might say it's chewing the scenery, but he's playing Winston Churchill. Churchill. By the way, if there are any actors out there who want to win a Tony, do play Winston Churchill

before the deadline, because Winston Churchills this year. It's going to win the Oscar next year, So get that Tony in there. You know, Gary Oldman? Um, no one had ever told him that he was referenced on The Simpsons when Homer says, who should play me in a movie? And Bart says, I don't know Dan Ackroyd, and Homer starts choking him and says, too obvious, should be Gary Oldman. And I told him that, like I guess during Tinker Taylor also, and he was like so tickled, And I

was like, why has no one told you? This is he? As Simpson's fans somehow apparently not because not enough. Um. Looking at the other actress contenders, there's a Net Benning with another shot on goal. You think that's happening? I think, you know, I haven't seen the movie. I just haven't heard any buzz on her. She's good, she's good, and they picked up they picked up the film specifically to

get her. I really I haven't seen it yet. I mean, she's playing Gloria Graham, right, Yeah, Jamie Bell is great in the movie. Jamie Bell is really ungraded in that. Yeah, Margot Robbie and Story this year. Uh, she you know, I guess there's the de lamb of it all. But she's just it's a fascinating character to play. I have some problems with the movie myself. I think it kind of makes but she's amazing, don't you think. I think Alison Janny is probably the front runner for Supporting Actress

for that film. Do you think so? I do? I do for lack of better contenders, because I mean, she's not fantastic in the movie, but it's just like, but I mean, who who is in that Cates strikes me as a weird winner? Really? Yeah, yeah, I mean I could see that, but you know, she is Alison Janny. Also like, there are two other fun moms in that category as Laurie Metcalf and Ladybird and Holly Hunter and

The Big Six, both of whom I love. They're both great. Yeah, you know, Big Sick is probably my favorite movie of the year. I'm a huge, huge fan of it, so I would love to see it could nominated across the board. I'm a little bummed there isn't more buzz on Ray Vermonto for that movie. I think he's fantastic. Of course, gump joke is like, gives me life. You know I'm talking about it. Oh yeah, Uh, let's see best actor,

you know, uncharacteristically thin. Uh, there's Jake Jillen hat is fantastic and strong good yeah, and and one of his best performances and really saying a lot honestly, it is especially lately He's The way that movie was shot is really intriguing to me too. I just think it's got interesting visual ideas for a movie that's kind of familiar

in some ways their story. It's interesting. People who haven't seen it aren't really aware that there's this whole I don't want even want to say, subplot plot about you know, dealing with the price of fame and being shoved into the spotlight. And when I tell them that, they get a lot more interested in it because they think it's just, you know, they think it's going to be one thing, which is good, but I'm like, it's so much more.

And he is, he is so fantastic. Chemistry with her and she's fantastic, but like the Richard treating treating that relationship in a different kind of way that the seemingly familiar relationship we've seen in movies before, a different ways. Another interesting mother in the Supporting Actress category Miranda Richardson, do you think she's a contender. I would like to, but she needed a couple more Yeah, yeah, I haven't. I was hoping to hear other people talking about her

as well, and I haven't. I would just be happy for Jake to get nominated, because what does the man have to do at this point to get another nomination. I mean, Nightcrawler was one of the best performances I've seen ten years. I don't know, I STI don't know what happened there either. Christian Bale has a performances. You see Hostiles, He's really good and he always is. He learned shy in and you know, all all the things. They're definitely coming out this year. Okay, Yeah, they found

they found a distributor, the Byron Allen's company. They had a it was it was like between them and Netflix, and the theatrical of it all was important, of course. I mean, like, just based on what I heard, you want to see that, like to see sprawling Western on a big screen and Christians great, Rosamond Pike's really good.

She's yeah, she's I've heard great things about both of them, and that's that's going to be uncharted territory in terms of a campaign too, because it's not like Byron Allen's company came in and all their people are campaigns, but they had a campaign uh structure and place, and they're allowing them to just kind of put together their own team and keep going forward. So it's kind of like

we're distributing the movie. But you deal with that, and that's it's going to be something interesting to watch on fold. Denzel Washington Roman j israel Esquires the best title in the world, but it's Dan Gilroy the I like it. It didn't do great in Toronto. They apparently are recutting it. I don't really that's so interesting because you know, um, it didn't seem like there was a great response for

some movies that other festivals responded really strongly too. What do you mean, well, like Downsizing, didn't you go to Venice and get fantastic and Venice and then tell you right, people are like and then by the time it got to Toronto, which they had not even planned to go to originally, Yeah, the reviews started just kind of sloping down. I really like that movie. I did. I liked it a lot. What did you think of the hoo it all.

I thought she was fantastic. I think it's a problematic role, but this is probably there's probably too much to go into here, unleuch, you have half an hour. But it's interesting. I heard someone say she's both the best and the worst thing about the movie, Like, you know, they have problems with the representation of the character, but they're also glad you know she's being represented and what as an actress, she's fantastic, She's I mean I loved there in the movie. Yeah,

me too. I think she can't You can't. You know, if she was a writer on the movie, maybe maybe you'd feel differently about all of it. But it just you can't get it out of your head that you know, a white guy wrote this role, and I think, you know, in faience it was two white guys. I think pieces are on their way. I think, oh boy, prepare yourself. What else do we want to look at a half Asian woman. I thought she was fantastic. There we go.

The demographic is spoken, the demographic. Let's talk about get out. Actually, it just led the Gotham Awards nomination, which was I don't think I was even thinking about it. Being in the mix. People have been talking about it, but I didn't know how real it was. Well, I mean for that specifically, because it's like I wouldn't have expected those committees to go, oh, get out, you know, you'd expect good time. But you know, so that was kind of cool.

And the movie made it. It's it's like Universal has it ted up and they've got a critically acclaimed movie probably, I mean arguably the most critically aclaim with reviews, made a ton of money and huge box off the story. My mother saw it. She didn't really understand it, but she admired it. You need to watch it again actually, because I loved it. And you know, we had Jordan on the show back when it came out. And and by the way, he is a good He is his

own best advocate. He's out there, you know, at festivals and screenings and talking and yeah, that will go a long way. So you know, I think there's a shot. I mean, I still my instinct is best picture feels hard. What about screenplay? Definitely? Yeah, I think it's in for a screenplay. And you know, I would love to see Katherine Keener. Oh I know, and I'm sorry, um, the actress. The other supporting william You know the Betty is her?

Is her name? Betty? I'm so sorry, Betty Gabriel, Betty Gabriel, she's great to did I, who's the girl from Girls? Alison Williams. Williams is Okay. That looked weird in my head when I was picturing it was like, that's sound. No, it sounds, but that's awesome. All three of them are great. Um, but Kathy Keener feels like the kind that could really sure beloved character actors. Hey another mom villain spoiler alert. I think there's two people haven't seen the movie. Well

you're why are you listening to this podcast? What did you think about all the sexes? I really liked it. People had kind of undersold it to me as saying, oh, it's entertaining, but it really moved me. I thought the performances were fantastic. It went to places I didn't expect. I am a little surprised, like I think people are talking about it, but maybe we just take you know,

good storytelling for granted. I kind of feel like going to bed for that one this year because because I saw it and tell your ride, uh I it was more emotional than I anticipated. It was the visual storytelling, like the way it was shot. Oscar winning La La and DP Lena Sangrin shot this as well. Uh, once She's falling in love with the character played by Andrea Riseboro. Just all of that was handled so perfectly. And I thought Steve Carrell was just like used properly in doses,

you know what I mean. Like, so, I really liked that movie, and it's it seemed like the reviews were well, like in the eighties or something. I don't know. Yeah, I don't think anyone disliked it, but I thought people would be more passionate or I feel like people sort of under soul. I felt that way about a few movies this year, though, as um Wonderstruck. I loved Wonderstruck. Yeah you didn't like I was so charmed by it. The score though, Yeah, I mean, can carterber Will finally win?

Has he been nominated carterber Well, yeah, I thought he'd been nominated for all the Cohen Brothers movies. Okay, so we'll check that. I think maybe he has one nomination one. Oh, that's that's and I think it might have been. Actually, I don't even think it was true, GrITT. I think his stuff was rendered. Oh it was last year, two years ago. Sorry for Carol obviously. Um, which was wonderful.

Part of the issue with Battle of the Sexes is that it's coming from Fox Searchlight, which has two hardcore contenders with Shape of Water and Three. Although I don't feel like they've given it short shrift, No, I mean they I guess they put it out where they thought it had the best chance of connecting with the box office was not great. It's ten million or something. Really,

that's really disappointing. And I think Three Billboards opens early November. Yeah. Yeah, they see that as a movie that I felt like I loved so much. I felt like it was made for me, but I didn't know if other people would like it. And I'm not a huge fan of Martin mcdid, but this one kind of blew me away. We have, you know, Sam Rockwell is the guests, the interview guests, the personer him or Willem Dafoe. I'm thinking, yeah, yeah, the two of them are at the top. Um. It

just that arc that he has to play. It's like rare and he's never really gotten a chance to because he should have been nominated for Moon. I thought he would definitely be nominated for Conviction, Like it came up in my time hop from seven years ago where I was like sure things, say Rockwell, this one just plays into all of his strength. I mean, he can be big and he goes small and scenes and it's just

it's really cool. Can I actually promote that I will be doing a Q and A with Variety and a f I on November fourteenth, with Sam Rockwell and Martin mcconnaugh talking about their collaboration over the years. Come on out, Los Angeles people, please, Um gosh, there's so many other things to touch on, but oh, I just thought of a funny kind of pun. We're talking about tough mothers and the supporting actress category. What about Melissa Leo? I was going to say the same thing, there's a there's

a mother of another sort. She's good and that that's a good movie. I'm good again part of like a massive Sony classic Stable. But I uh, I like that movie. I didn't like him. I like to score like the screenplay and the lead novitiate. Yes, what's what's the lad quality? Or Quinn is so good? She's really good. And you know, I just saw her in This is so random but death note um and she's quite good at that too.

Speaking of trends earlier, I did have an idea earlier this year that there's a lot of love stories and play interesting. That's an interesting one in that. Yeah, you know, I thought, I guess you know her her love story with God if you will, and it's it's that's a really interesting little movie, and I hope it gets some love. Does no invitiate pass the Bechdel test? If they're talking about God, that's a good I mean, unless you're just as sending. God's a guy. Yeah, so what else? What else?

Mud Bound, My Dad's pretty good, Sun Dance Foam coming back around for release, played Toronto, Mary J. Blige just probably a lock for the party. Now, those three supporting actors, Jonathan Bank, Scartt Headland and Jason Mitchell, was to stand out for you? Jason Mitchell, Yeah, he's good. Yeah, he's I mean really, you know, I mean, I don't know, Maybe I should double check with them how they're doing it.

But I think Jason Clark. I also think Jason Mitchell was robbed for a nomination for Straight Out of Compton. He was awesome in that. It was fun to talk to him that year too, because he was just enthusiastic and he's still love in life. It seems he's also in Detroit. I mean, is that going to come back around? I think so, don't you. I mean, in some categories, I don't know. Yeah, I mean it was a difficult one to write about at the time because I had some issues with the movie, and but then my my

I settled on Look, I don't know. I mean, this is a different academy, So who knows how this will land. But Bad Date lost money. You know, it's just but it'll get screeners out there early. Yeah, I feel like some of those performances, you know, could get some traction and pretty hard to ignore. Um, so much respect for Katherine Bigelow in the industry, Like, who knows, I love this film? First they killed my father? Speaking of female director, Yeah,

isn't it great? It's really good. You know. I talked to her about it, um, saying that, you know, it was it was hard for me to go into because I don't like seeing children in peril, and she said it's actually of the movie she's made her her children's favorite, and she's like, kids are more resilient than we think, and it's true, Like look at it, like I have trouble watching First They Killed My Phone. No, I mean it's like, you know, it's tough to see kids in peril.

But I remember reading it when I was twelve years old and I didn't have a problem. Then it's only when you get older and you have children of your own or you know, it means something different to you. Um, And honestly, I'd like, I don't want to give anything away, but First They Killed My Father ultimately is a very inspiring tale. Yeah, and the photography I think is the best of the year. Anthony the DP on that not

to board Janell with are you bring people? Oh god, that's a little inside joke for the long time listeners were coming up on twenty minutes and we barely scratched the surfaces. But that's kind of like a setting of the table, I guess if you will for this Oscar season, So we'll recon fab a couple of weeks. We got the post coming the Spielberg movie coming. Uh. Interesting role for Tom Hanks playing Ben Bradley because he's a very

gruff uh, temperamental character. So seeing Tom Hanks play that, that's gonna be fun and to get nominated, can't get arrested the same same or Meryl Streep, his co star in the film, like she can't even see when will she get hurt? She's gonna get that fourth oscar? But she plays Katherine Graham, publisher of the Washington Post in that movie and it's about the Pentagon papers. Uh what else do you call Thomas Anderson's film All the Money

in the World. I can't wait to see. I'm so trailer, so cool and that story is so weird trailer, but well, I just think he using your song money is a little on the nose. Money, isn't it the song they used? They used the time of the season. I'm gonna go back and watch it. Please edit this out if I'm wrong. I don't need more people screaming at me now. I'm trying to picture the trailer with money, like the Pink Floyd song. Is that in there? Maybe I watched a

fan cut. Who knows that would have been cool. Yeah, but they used time of the season and the trailer that I'm familiar with. I'm very excited for the movie. But you know they made it so fast. Um, yeah, they were. They finished shooting like mid August. Yeah. I get a little anxious when I see lots of prosthetics,

but what I've seen so far actually looks good. And speaking of you know, rapping recently, who knows if Eastwood's movie will pop out there, like I mean, I've heard that it will be ready if everyone involved is ready to it wants to put it out. Do we even

know what it's about? It? Really? Yeah, it's about the three guys on the train in Paris that subdued the would be terrorist attack on that train from Brussels to uh France, and he casts the real life guys you're kidding, yes, of course, but the story is more about their childhood and how they grew up together. So you know, you never know where you're going to get out of Clint other than under budget and the time. So we'll see if that makes it. But anyway, well we'll check back later.

That that's what we got going on right now, Jennell, thanks for coming on. Thanks for about it. Now we can put the rest of those rumors that were feuding are the rules? I just made that up, But like a couple of people have asked you put that up. I'm gonna be on Yeah, I don't really like garage anyway. We'll check back in a few weeks. Thanks, you know, IMM