Kid a Peter Hellier here, Welcome to you Ain't seen Nothing Yet? The movie podcast, where I chat to a movie lover about a classic or beloved movie they haven't quite got around to watching until now. And today's guest comedian actress writer Diana Ewan.
Surely you can't be serious. I am serious, and don't call me.
Show all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world. She walks into mine.
I don't understand.
I could have had class, I could have been a contender.
I could have been somebody.
They couldn't haven't anything right now?
Do an't see nothing here?
Diana Ewan isn't the kind of comedian, writer, actress podcaster to wait by the phone. Diana is one of the most motivated self starters in the biz, where, let's face it, everyone is kind of a self starter. To an extent, Diana wrote start in and produced the first Australian Vietnamese web series, The Hilarious fee In Me. She hosts the infectiously entertaining This Not Cast, as well as appearing on shows like How to Stay Married, Fat Pizza and The Project.
In fact, it was on The Project where I first met Diana, where she presented me with a large bottle of Vietnamese fish sauce, which still lives.
Half empty in my pantry.
It was this meeting that led me to casting Diana in the second season of How to Stay Married as the head of the Cork Asians and Instagram influenza, who had been sent to Australia to find the best Aussie wine she could and it's fair to say she definitely did not find it. In the Butler's Backyard show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Chasing Keanu reeves with a smash hit, with Time Out Magazine calling it fun, celebratory
and unapologetic and that sums up Diana herself. Oh the other thing about Dinah you need to know is actually I'll hang on a bit for that. I'm sure it'll come up in the show.
I'll give you a hint. Her podcast is called The Snort Cast.
I'm bloody stoke to have my friend Diane and Ewan on the show today.
Thanks for having me on.
I just feel like that that bottle of fish sauce really worked.
Its magic.
Didn't wait for itself, hasn't it? And there it is.
There's a little snot I've been waiting for. We'll get to that soon. Who are you and what are your three favorite films?
My name is Dannie when I'm actor a comedian, and my three movies that.
I adore is the Before Trilogy, But.
Isn't Everything We're Doing in Life, which we loved a little more.
One of my favorites.
I'm also really love Twilight's totally gorgeous, obviously, and I also really love Always Being My Maybe with Ali Wong and Keanu Reeves Sarzant.
Too such a trust him and opera.
And the movie that we are going to be talking about is Bill and Ted's excellent adventure.
Best mates current slackers but future rock gods. Bill and Ted, played by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves a set to fail an all important history exam when they are paid a visit by a man dressed in black leather who wouldn't look out of place in a certain Keanu Reeves future blockbuster, but No Rufus played by comedy god George Carlum is not sent from the matrix. He is in set. He is in fact sent from the future to ensure the Bill and Ted passed the history exam for reasons
that revealed themselves in the final moments. The Way offten movies in the eighties did, written in coffee shops over four days by Chris Mathieson and Solomon, directed by Stephen Herrek, who also was behind Critics and Mister Holland's Opus. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure may not be everyone's jam, but it did pave the way for fellow empty headstone a type such as Wayne and Garth and Beaves and butt Head who would arrive in cinemas and TV three years later.
Dining you and You've been You've been looking. You've been searching for Keanu Reeves and you find him in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.
I did last night, So okay, So basically.
Your show on Keanu Reeves and Melwanie International Comedy Festival. What does Keanu Reeves mean to you?
Look?
To be honest, I'm not a real fan of Keanu Reeves movies, right because most of them are quite violent, right, Like he shoots them twice in the head. You know it's a massacre, really, But it was a pivotal moment into a nineteen when I found him sitting on a bench looking sad and there's this meme of Keanu Reeves being sad that went around the world in twenty ten, and so, you know, comedy festival, you've got.
To get a title of a show.
Yes, So twenty nineteen I was like, yes, this is this is the show I want to do, Chasing Keanu Reeves, which is you know, when do you stop chasing? And what happens to life? And is it like Keanu Reeves sitting on a bench eating his lunch? You know?
So was this with this Keanu Ris I'm not aware of the I know that he's very meme heavy.
Yes he is.
So was this Kanu Ribs in a film or on set or just like a pap shot of him eating a sandwich on a bench.
A pap shot eating his bloody lunch and just looking quite content? Yeah, philosophical, And it became a sad that it went so viral that it became a sad Day. They made a Keanu Reeves Sad Day in June. It's coming up soon. It's just ridiculous. And he's also commented and said, guys, I was just eating my lunch, Like what do you want to do?
Eat it?
Happy with a smile.
I was going to say, if you eat your sandwich too happy in a park by yourself, that sends different kinds of messages.
I think.
Yeah, So okay, So it's quite interesting with Canu Reeves before we get to your three favorite films. But it's quite interesting that there's there's almost two phases of Keanu Reeves because you say you haven't seen many of his films because he's violent, and that I guess comes from particularly the John Wick movies and to an extent the
Matrix movies as well. But growing up, I mean I was thirteen fourteen when this movie comes out, and Caunu Reeves was not associated for a very long time with violence. In fact, he was kind of the stoner, idiot, the.
Airhead, the dude.
Yeah he really was, and so there are so many films around this where he really did. He was like really like like stereotyitle or you know, what do you call a pigeonhole and into these kinds of roles. I think he said that his fear was his gravestone. Was going to say, here last County Reeves. He played ted.
And he changed. I didn't he with the Matrix he did.
He completely went through a massive you know, reinvention with the Matrix, and I remember when he got cast in that.
Really that's what I said to Yeah.
This is a strange move, but it was a genius. And I think also what we learned and is that he is a much brighter individual and the caring individual. I have met him a couple of times with interviews, and he was completely lovely.
He wanted to be the father of my children.
Well, we didn't exchange numbers at the end, but I'm sure if I put the word out he will, particularly after listening to this. Before we get onto Bill and Ted's excellent adventure, let's talk about your three favorite films. That Before trilogy with Ethan Hook and Julie Delpy.
Yes, so Before the Sunset, Before Sunrise, and Before Midnight follows the journey of this couple who have this very non romantic relationship that's shown in these three movies, and it feels very realistic, and I yeah, I'm kind of looking for that kind of trilogy of someone following me over twenty seven years.
It is well, and that's because the first one comes out in ninety five, and the next one comes out nine years later, in nine years later, and then there's another nine years after that, right, that's that's that's and Richard Linklater, who is such a brilliant filmmaker Boyhood Boyhood.
Yeah, absolutely so.
It's that idea of that day that turns into a date kind of that improv you know, that impromptu kind of moment that you can find in life sometimes.
Ah. And it might not be a date.
This might be oh, where I'm with my mate and all of a sudden we're in a pub a beer. This wasn't part of the plan for today, or it could be something more meaningful. Does that appeal to you that kind of Yeah.
I'm just waiting on a tram in Melbourne for someone just say, how are you going to go.
For a you know, yeah, tram or at Flinder Street.
I'm just waiting for that one moment and go, oh, that's my before trilogy happening right now.
Yes, we did. I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago.
We did an episode of It's a Date and it had Dead Mailment and Jim and it was kind of based on this idea. And I haven't seen all of the trilogy. In fact, I think I've only seen the first one in bits, and I don't know why I haven't gone back and watch. I think for a long time, I wasn't aware how good the film was. I think I just maybe dismissed it as a romance film that
I didn't need to see. I think Ethan Hawk has kind of his credibility has grown over the years, you know, Like you know, I remember seeing him for the first time in Dead Politics Society and not being sure if that guy could act. You know, sometimes you see an actor for the first time you think that is that the role he was kind of.
Born to play, and that's all there is.
I must say, I'm guilty of feeling that way about Ethan Hawk and maybe carrying that a little bit. I just I think I saw him in a couple of these follow up films and I just wasn't particularly impressed. And then I think he's he is an actor. The older he's gotten, the more interesting he's gotten.
Yeah, well, I think Ethan Hawk is the actor that can play different characters. But you still see Ethan Hawk, if that makes sense. He's got particular manum mannerisms that could make you go, oh no, so yeah, I can I can see what you're saying. Yeah, you're not a real fan of No.
I'm a fan now. I think I'm talking.
I'm taking myself back to the nineteen ninety six, you know, like where I just was like, oh, Bobby, don't need to see that film?
Yes, and I'm probably wrong because it's no go see it.
And I love the filmmaker, like Richard Later is just a genius, and I love the way he goes about films. So he will come up with an idea and then go, Okay, what kind of film is this? And he did a scan of Darkly with County Reeves, which is they did almost like animated, which is incredible. And yeah, so you never know what kind of film Richard Linklater is going to do next.
Yeah, Boyhood was just bent groundbreaking, just that commitment to shoot every single year and watch these characters and actors grow. And he had his daughter on the in the movie, so that was I don't know, I just find that really beautiful to see that bond and community just really believe in this project.
So yeah, that's great. How often do you would you would you watch? Do you revisit those films?
Boy I'd probably have watched quite a few times already. I just love the soundtrack. I'm a soundtrack fan, so there's a really gorgeous song that they play through there. And you know, growing up in Australia, we didn't really I didn't have that teenage youth. My dad wasn't smoking weed, I wasn't sleeping with boys, you know. But so it's really a way for me to really understand the American culture of growing up the adolescence.
Time, yeah, puberty. So that was really nice to escape into that world.
I think we all have these films where particularly we look at America and we kind of there's this because America is very good, particularly through film and TV, showing an ideological, you know, an idea, an idyllic.
Sorry, version of growing up in America.
In the older you get, you realize, you know, there's a version of growing up in America that's you know, quite screwed up as well, and how lucky we are to be living where we are.
But but yeah, I mean, you know.
Watching films and I'm sure you know, my wife would probably point it dirty dancing and kind of go, you know, even though that's getting to the later teenager, you know, but this kind of thing, you know, that's why can't we go on summer camp in Australia. Why can't we do that? Yes, so, yeah, that's that's interesting. And then you mentioned Twilight. You mentioned Twilight with almost touch of guilt.
Yes, I love vampires. I want a vampire to suck my neck like, I want to become a vampire like I just love Edward Cullen in the franchise. And also, our family dog is named after the wolf Jacob, so it's been passed around in my family.
So the whole family a Twilight fan.
Well, that's why the dog's named Jacob.
Sometimes you can sneak and name him be that telling mum and dad who the dog's actually named after.
No, it was pretty it was the wolf.
Yes, does your dog have abs?
No, he has depression.
Because he doesn't have abs. That's why you set the bar so high that he's got to hang on.
This guy.
Yeah, and he didn't become a doctor too, you know, just part of being in the Asian household. Didn't feel the requirements, didn't for my mum's expectations.
Where about in Melbourne you graw.
Spring Ball, spring Bear, So it's like that that's a mecca for people.
You are you are, you are in there, you're right in the middle of it.
Yeah, and describe your child on how you how you took in film and television.
Oh for me, For god, I remember my my dad was a film buff. So Bruce Lee like going to the local video store and Bruce Lee, Jackie Chang, Chuck Norris, Stephen Sagull like, he made me watch a lot of violent I still remember Stephen Sagull in a movie where this woman jumps out at a birthday cake.
I don't remember that scene. It's on a naval ship.
I was watching that at seven years old, and you know, when the sex scenes come up, they put the donner of your head and tell you not to watch it. But you can hear everything. So that's that's why I think for me, soundtracks are really important. You can hear every sound and movement happen. So yeah, that was my introduction to movies through my dad, just watching all these action movies. Hans, why I don't watch John Wicker, Don't you think? Because it's just too much violence?
But I guess it's a difference between those kinds of films, isn't it.
Like there was an artistry to Bruce Lee and the way he was almost like a watching a dance. There's an art to making a John Wick film, and you know, but it is a different kind of like as an experience as far as you're watching it.
Yes, it is. It's all the senses are and it can be a little bit too for long.
Yeah, And I guess with Bruce Lee because he represented our Asian community and then tragically passed away and then his son, like I remember watching The Crow with his son where he got shot on set, Like you know that was that was our kind of connection to our Asian heritage and to see just seeing devastation of these two male actors passing away very young in their lives. So uh yeah, and you know COUNTA. Reeves is kind of Asian. I think this was his.
It's very confusing. We don't know what his origin is of everything.
You know, the representation has been great over the over the decades of his representation on screen. So if you if you can find a little bit in the Count of Reeves, you take it, then you run with it. Bruce Lee mean a lot to your dad. It sounds like because he just loved those films or because he saw like part of himself represented on screen.
I would say both of that.
Yeah, definitely, because you know, Brisley was you know, on top of his game. He was the martial arts freak who was kicking kicking arson balls everywhere, you know, and that's all sizes.
It's not like he's pointing out some guy who was the third lead in the you know, in the Screwball comedy or something that's like this.
Bruce was the man.
Yeah, he was the man.
And I look, even for me as an artist, like I do feel aligned and feel more empathy for an artist that does look like me, because then the stories are from my community. I guess on my culture, there's a bit of un more understanding. So yeah, I would say that would be probably be one. My dad loved Bruce Lay and got that into my system too.
Yeah, and then we have we can say waiting to always be my Maybe I haven't seen this one. This is this is this is a Netflix original, I think, and and this has some representation in there.
Oh yeah. Yeah.
So Ali Wong one of the biggest, biggest comedians. She's now she's just got Netflix gave eleven meal to do two specials, like she's Netflix. She's a Netflix special, you know, Yeah, just to see her progress her career from just from a comedian to a writer to starring in her own movie. That's that's goals for me, and then to madly past Keanu Reeves an alter ego of Kanu Reeves. It's like they didn't change his name. His name is Keanu.
Yeah. I was really jarred by that, but I get it.
It's a comedy and Keanu Reeves wanted to play himself.
You know.
That's that's always so great. So from till Bill and Ted to you know, always be My Maybe. You see this guy. He's really humble and really and willing to take the mickey out of him. So yeah, I love it.
Yeah, So briefly described the plot love Always Been My Maybe.
So ellyone plays.
She plays a chef, a very famous chef, and she's had some bad relationships and then she reconnects with a teenage love, a childhood friend, and they try to juggle this relationship in her rising star her career and they break up.
Uh and uh.
In that Keanu Reeve, she walks up with Keanu Reeves and comes a bit of competition and yeah, and Kanna Reeves just does weird ship.
In this movie.
I often wonder when in these types of you know instances, when the Keanu Reeves, it was always Keanu Reeves? Was it, you know, was it whoever we can get?
You know? Was he the first choice? Did they? Yeah? Did they reach out to him before they started writing?
In the later series of How To Say Married, we we cast Adam Gilchrist, famous cricketer, one of the most famous cricketers in the history of cricket, and he was he was our first choice. And you know, I was able to give him a call and say you're interested in and follow up and kind of keep him in touch with the writing. And I'm always fascinated with at what point the counter Reeves come on? At what point did Ali Wong reached out to Keanu Reeves?
From what I remember she wrote him in Yeah, she was like, I want to pass us. She got like one of the best Asian actors on the show. She said, well why not? I have the power like you got Adam Gilchrists because you're a cricket fan. That's a cricket it And I remember Adam gil I was a at girl too, so Ian Healy in the Yeah, and then you know, gil Chris took over. So I know this good. I could go in my cricket. That's another world. But yeah, you know you as a writer, you have so much power.
Yeah, well it is nice when you can get to that point, you know. I mean, I probably struggle to get count of Reeves on board by but I'll take Gilly. But if Netflix are listening, yeah, Diana's Chasing Kianu Reeves is also available for a special and you can probably get her under the eleven mill price tag.
Yes, only fractionally.
I'm just happy just to show my mum a check of some stuff.
Do your folks come to your shows?
Yeah, well, in the last probably eight years, she did. But when I first started, when we talked about this on the project, like when I was in year twelve, I did VC drama. I was in a school musical, I plat the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and I saw my mum's car drive out of the driveway at interval. Yeah, it was devastating. And I saw her doing that again when I did another musical in university and I just realized,
I can't, I can't invite you to these shows. And it was about six seven years of you know, you know, your biggest cheer squad are your parents. So when your parents aren't there to support you, you rely on your community. So I had a wonderful god family that just kept saying keep going, keep going, keep going, until in two thousand and nine, I did Miss saigone and that was the tip of for my mum. She watched the whole thing, was crying in the audience, and that was when she
realized why I was doing what I was doing. And finally she started watching all my shows and coming along and you know, and feeing me happened. And she's really proud that I'm an actor now because what she says is like, yeah, you be an actor, but lose some weight because no one wants a fat actor.
So I know she's approving.
They still work for us. I still work for us, you know.
But yeah, it's you know, you can't win the driving out.
I mean, it would have been better, not it would easy if she had said I'm not coming, like as much as that would have been hard to hear, Yes, in that moment, if you wanted her there, Because sometimes I must say, I'm happy for my parents not to come to certain things they're always invited, but to see your mum, believe it. Yeah, halftime is a footy term intervals.
That is heartbreak.
It is heartbreak.
And I still remember that moment of her picking us up then going home and being at the front door and opening the door, and I just I just remember that moment at the front of the house going, I can't do this anymore, I can't get this hurts And this was a seventeen year old going, this hurts so much.
My why, I know, the tough lover. This is way too tough for me.
When you're at that stage, you are hoping to be accepted by the audience, you know, and whatever you know of a stand up to get a laugh from the audience and all that, and when you feel that kind of I guess you know whatever it is in your mom.
And I'm sure whatever it was in your mom, and I'm.
Not sure how much you've discussed it over the years since then, but whatever it was, that's kind of her thing. And maybe there's other things in her own life that she's dealing with. It's all I'm sure confusing and all that. I'm sure it's not a simple thing, you know, from your perspective, to invite your cheerleader and to have her leave when you you're just trying to get you know, the audience to love you, and you think, well, I don't need to worry about my squad, and then you
see the lead member of your squad leave. Yes, that's do you think maybe it was? Because I think when we get into you know, let's call it showbiz, we expect that parents to kind of like, maybe no more than, you know, than they really do. Like and when you said your mom kind of accepted you when she saw you in Miss Saigone, do you think that she was
able to relate to that. Look, maybe she didn't quite get the idea of playing characters up until then, like you're playing the hunchback and is there something my my daughter's not a hunch punchback.
Of that in that?
Do you think, Well, look, my mom's a Vitamse refugee, and I understand, like now in my thirties, why she was upset because she wanted us to be successful and also to have our health in check. And for her, the entertainment industry wasn't big in Vietnam. The culture wasn't like that like in the Western world. So it was a very conflict.
Of what she'd sacrifice to get us to.
This point, and she felt like I was endangering my own my own future by going into somewhere that that not many of us had ever ventured into. So but I do understand, like I understand why my mom walked out, because you know, the hunchback is saying all these things in English, and your second language is English, so I understand like it was a language barrier for my mum.
And it's probably ridiculous that I was wearing a patch in my eye and you know, with the crooked back and just going the bells and bells, you know, But I I am. I am grateful. I don't have regrets of my mom being that tough on me and walking out, because I don't think I would have kept pursuing this career. Yeah, if I am, I'm a I kinda I kind of like to prove people wrong. Yeah, yes, and that's what my mother did to me.
Yeah.
I was going to prove it to her until I got to send up on a stage and say thanks mom for like hating my career and getting me to this place here.
So well, I think all of our parents worry when we go into this career you know, no matter where they're from and what their backgrounds are, they worry and that, you know, it's always like have a plan, b have
something to fall back on. And I think I imagine that gets intensified when and I've heard I've heard, you know, performers who parents are you know, have come out as refugees, like knowing what they went through, and it's like they had this feeling almost something someone would have this guilt of like this feels frivolous. I know, this may must
seem frivolous after everything you've been through. For me to be playing dress ups on stage must seem frivolous to you, But it's something that I need to do, and it's something that's in me.
Yeah.
And look, I remember working at nine West at Chadstone and my mum would come in to the store and said, really, you know, like she was.
Just kind of like stabbing me.
Yeah, and I look, I'm grateful for that and she's she's mellowed out and she does approve of my career now. But I have to say it was my God, family, community that really got me to where I am. And that's why I always celebrate community, because I would not be where I am. If it wasn't for them, I would have become a teacher. That was my My mum keeps saying, if you ever need a backup, be a teacher. You know so yeah, but I'm a very aspired you know,
start upper. So I'll keep I'll keep nutting it out, and I've been doing for sixteen years.
You are one of the most people in the busy, are you? You blow my mind constantly. Let's talk about Bill and Ted's excellent Adventure. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure a film I'm as sure if I've mentioned this yet, I had not seen, which made surprise. I think I was never really drawn to these completely silly comedies like I love the Three Amigos.
I love which is you know, silly as well.
But I think and I would still argue Three Megos is a cleverer silly movie than perhaps Bill and Ted's is. With that said, what did you like? I quite, you know, I quite enjoyed watching it. But what do you what do you think?
Oh?
Look, I'm the same thing. I was like, why am I watching Bill and Ted? It looks so ridiculous. I mean, the trailer is like dou dude, you know, and Counter Reeves does this kind of like look every time he says anything. And that's why I think I was being trained to see count of Reeves is like this kind of like very monotone kind of actor, like you know, it seems one dimensional.
Yeah, And like I said earlier, this was like he went through a long time where basically it was like Counters kn't act like he's not and listen, he doesn't have the range of Daniel day Lewis, but he knows what he can do, and I think and what he can do is more than he was doing here and he knew that, and I think the rest of us didn't, yes, you know, and we'll get to some of the films he was making around that time and what he went on to do afterwards.
But so you yeah.
Yeah, so it wasn't yeah, it wasn't a fan until last night.
Wow.
Yeah. I really enjoyed the chaos, yeah yeah, and the fun. They decided just to go with it, and we said it took them four days to write this.
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.
You can see that they just went oh yeah, yeah, yeah that right in that cafe. And I just really adored conus hair it was just so beautiful.
Get the better hair, definitely has better head than Alex Winter the curls, you know. I mean, I'm sure Alex's mum loves his curls. But if you're going to choose, you choose counts here.
And the reference of Missy the mum, you know, wow, and how you couldn't do that?
Now, I must.
Say why, that's the question I would ask why he did not correct me if I'm wrong. Yasny Podcasts at gmail dot com. Correct me if I'm wrong. Was there a point to Missy being so young and being because even it's so when they're at the house and his dad comes in.
Close the door and in his son's bed.
So much, that's wrong. Back then, they went for it. They went for it.
Your dad's gone for it, and you're wrong.
And I do I do admire. I don't admire that storyline. I don't know what really gave us a couple of cheap jokes about you know, do it's your mum? But I thought it was going to go somewhere at least, yeah, but it didn't. I do like that you mention it. It's just fun, you know, like the whole as far as time travel goes. There's no usually time travel adventures.
And I you know, I'm reasonally well versed because I've written a kid's book series which is all about time travel, so I've had to get my head across time travel. One of my favorite films is Back to the Future, which is inspired the Frankie Fish series. And yeah, the biggest thing you look at when you're doing time travel is how the events, the things you do, the activities you undertake. Whilst time traveling can have an impact on the future.
They could create a time paradox for results of which could cause a team reaction would unravel the very fabric on the space time continual and destroyed the entire universe.
There's none of that here. They're not interested in exploring any of that.
And I went, oh my god.
They could collect every person from every error, shove them into the phone Brioth.
I did laugh.
I did laugh when they go back to the wild West and they said, that's Billy the kid, Let's bag him. Yeah, And I thought that's what it was going to be. It was going to be they brought Napoleon back first, and then there's going to be there's there's loading bodies in a bedroom somewhere, So I thought it was it was smart that they kind of came up the trick of the something being faulty with the phone box and we'll get to that soon and why they couldn't get back.
So it was good to have Socrates or Socrates.
Along for the ride. That that was. That was fun. One of the very first thing I've noticed, actually was a shout out.
You may not have picked this up because you're a little younger than I am by quite a bit actually, But the very first song you hear is by Aussie band Big Pig, breakaway from the Oink album, which is a fantastic.
Of the snorer.
How could you not have seen Keanu Reeves It's got It's got, big, Big.
Dear. But they are.
They are They are charming idiots, aren't they? Bill And said, there's no doubt about that. Like that's what say this film. If these characters are not as likable as Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, this this does not become the cult classic it is. And and you know there are problems with this film, but but I'm not going to have a go at any It's hard enough to write comedy as you know, and have people enough people to see them, to become much loved and to survive the test of time.
It's had the recent sequel, and it had one a few years later, a bogus journey.
The recent one was Facing Music.
I may get around to watching him on a rainy day, I don't know, but all power to them for creating something, you know. And and it's like I said, it's fun. If it took itself too seriously, I think it would have fallen flat.
But they didn't. Those what it is. It doesn't care about logic.
No, just goes for it.
It just goes for it.
Yeah.
And look, I was three years old when this came out, or four years old. So yeah, for me that I kind of missed that you know eighties kind of nineties.
Yeah.
I never really watched those shows. Like I was telling you, it was more Bruce Lee and more the slick you know, ha ha, and you know, bad people getting killed. But yeah, it was really refreshing for me, you know, after a big week, just to sit down and watch something that had make no sense.
And this is why, you know, these are the kind of films that sometimes get panned, you know by by critics, it's important that these films exist. Yes, and even after watching some films we've covered for this podcast already with All about Eve and Citizen Kane and there We're all great films Full Metal Jacket, it was really lovely to sit down for a ninety minute stoner comedy in the Iron.
Me own Men, excellent.
Executi. Yes, they haven't stoned, that's what I mean.
Say we say stone but there's no there's no drugs or alcohol or swearing, which is also it's quite nice even to sit down with that.
Yeah. Do would you say it's a family movie.
I think the kids could watch it.
I invited Oscar, my twelve year old, to watch it, but he was Him and my wife were having their own little you know.
I got the date night. It's not a date night. Okay, it's not date night.
So I think I watched in the American Office, which is I completely I support that. So I watched Bill and Dad's excellent picture by myself.
Great.
Did you have a favorite? Do you have a favorite historical who? They collected?
It all love Beethoven.
Beethoven was fun.
Yeah, because I'm a pianist as well. That was one thing my mom did when I was three years old, got me onto a piano. Oh really, yes, yeah, the expectations all there. It was if I wasn't going to be a doctor, at least I could play music.
Yeah yeah, and like you keep it up, well you can you play?
Yeah, I play probably more of a songwriter than a classical player. Now yeah, so you know I can do. After four bars, I'm done.
But I just loved the.
Bit when he was in the mall and then everyone's around him.
Just I thought that was the best when they all so all the characters are loosing the mall and I feel like they knew what to do with some of the characters, and that was the best one. I thought the Beethoven one was the best one. Your Gengis came with the baseball bat. I thought it was fun. I felt like they didn't quite know what to do with Joan of arc she's just taking an aerobics class, yes, kicking someone off.
But the Genghis Khan one, it was really interesting because I was, you know, I was watching the bit where they before they take him and they had you know, Genghis car was back in Mongolia back in the day, but they probably had four white actors in that scene, right, yeah, yeah, so that was really that was good. You know even that was wasn't it wasn't it. It's not acceptable now, but back then it was the only way that could you do a story about Genghis Khan and his lovers were not from Mongolia.
They got imported somewhere.
It's how much I kind of apologize to keep going back to it. But I think, you know, age representation is so important, representation, diversity is so important.
How far have.
We come, do you think, in like even the last five years. And it's dangerous to point at a movie like Crazy for Changes and go, oh, look, everything's solved.
It's so far from being sold.
But have we with movies inmed like always been my Maybe there's the Mindy Kaling who's also such a great voice, and she has a great.
Never say never, have no, never have I ever.
Yes, It's one of those shows that you have to kind of think about a little bit, involving an American Indian teenager who's or Indian American teenager who's just finding a way, and it's really about really it's about her trying to get laid and it's so it's so funny, weirdly narrated by John McEnroe, which is hilarious. Yes, but like I said, it's not like we can never say things. Okay, rest on Laurels on the coming, go point at one or two movies or TV shows and go look have we come so far?
But where do you see it?
Well, I can just say I want more work. Yes, yes, So that's.
Probably saying there's not enough work for Asian astrand comedians or actors. And to be honest, that's why I got into stand up was that I ran out of work as an actor and I thought, this is the only way I'm going to get seen for fifteen minutes. So I better write a show, stand up on stage and be seen. And that's how you know Fee and me, which is what I co created the web series. That's how I got seen. That's how I met you on the project. You know, the fish sauce worked out.
I should have brought it. I should have that there. It could have cooked this other storm.
But then but then you like called and said, hey, I've written a character. I will love you to play it, and so you know, I didn't have the audition for it. It was kind of like I remember getting that phone call in the car and I felt I was like, wow, this is what it feels like. Yeah, you know, like you've worked so far this point and that someone saw you and you didn't have to audition. You know, the audition process and casting processes. You know, it's genuous and
an actor who's trying to make it already. So that acknowledgment really made me go, oh god, I can breathe now I got a gig.
Yeah.
So you know, those moments when someone advocates for you in this industry keeps us going and you know, Crazy Rich Asians is just one story. Always be My Baby is one story comparable to the mini stories that are on Netflix. And it's why I encourage people to keep writing like you do. You've you know now reading three seasons of How to Stay Married. You know, that's what I'm telling myself to keep writing, keep standing up, to stand up and keep showing up and.
Just be seen.
So there's we want more work and I know other fantastic Asian Australian comedian actors who want work. This is their full time life. Yeah, so that's probably the answer.
It's a great answer. It's simple, but it is. It is the issue.
And as soon as you as soon as you diversify in the writer's room, both with having diversity in the writer's room and then the way you imagine your ideas, and like, you know, maybe this character doesn't have to be a white male, you know, and we've probably even started doing it like years ago, saying let's make that male character a woman, you know, and then let's make that you know a character you know, Indigenous or Asian.
Or it doesn't matter who they are.
Let's just let's just open this casting out, yes, and see who rolls up and who you know.
Who has just play?
Yeah, exactly, Just have an open arena, because you know, I get it. In every industry and workplace, it's clique. You want to work with your friends. I totally understand that. But but then yeah, it will it will restrict on how you know and invite into your circle. So I try to be inclusive. I try to know all the Asian Australian performers just so I can keep tabs on where they are. Because what happened and for most of my career when I started out, was that I was.
Competing with five Asians for one role. So it's been crazy.
It's really toxic, you know, competitiveness between Asian actors. You're right to compete for the one role, you know, so and so right now I'm just going, no, you've got the job.
Good on you.
So what do I need to do? So I now use as a stimulus to go what what else can we do? What else can I do? To get up? And you know, stand up has been a really beautiful evolution kind of like Keanu Reeves like he does the movies, but he's also evolved his career into something else. Yeah, which is you know, reading a book for an hour on YouTube which I've listened to, you know, like it. Acting isn't his number one. We've talked about it on my snortcusts about how you you don't rely on, you know,
being the comedian. You diversify your work so that you know, like this podcast or writing your book, you just diversify your career so you're not just pigeonholed into one place.
Well, it's always I always find you always need to be working on something that is just for you in the initial stages and hopefully later on becomes you know, for lots of people, and you can invite people into help with it or you know, and then it's just
for your audience. But but I feel like you need to have something you're working on where you're kind of go and that's it's almost I find it really exciting where I've kind of got this idea and I'm not letting anyone know about it yet, but I've got it and it's going to work on work on it a little bit more to find this, you know, before I kind of take it, you know, to marketing.
You like, it's really exciting. But I think you're right.
I think in this industry you just need to, particularly in Australia, you need to and you do it so well. I mean, well everyone's kind of gone to Twitter and TikTok and you have like this gone LinkedIn is my baby, Yes, and you're killing it.
Yeah, thank you. I know it's ridiculous.
Yeah, yes.
I think when you came on the project, I said, oh, you should like massive on LinkedIn. I said, you won't want to check that. I think I think you're thinking Facebook or something. LinkedIn I think is that where people go for like they haven't got a job or something, and but like you have, like you have built an audience there.
Yeah.
Yeah, because there's no creatives on there. It's f Linder's boring, so boring, And I decided to go and then dance, and then somehow on that journey diversified and told them, hey, I'm actually a comedian.
Hey, I'm actually an actor.
To oh look, I've got a I've got a show called The Snort Cars and I interview comedians during a lockdown to talk about their processes of how to be funny because business people they want to be funny.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's why they tune in because no one's going to give them a workshop about how to be funny. And what I found and you know, with the lockdown and everything in comedy festival canceling last year was that we as comedians just relied on the final product, which was standing up on stage.
But there's so much process for us before we.
Get on stage. And that's why the Snort cast is important, because I wanted people to see the process of how you got to be where you are here instead of the final speak Netflix special. Yes, you know, and the audience really loved it, and you know, they stayed on, like we went over time with your interview because they were so immersed in how you've created your work and your world and it wasn't just I'm a stand up comedian.
Yeah.
So that's what I'm trying to show on LinkedIn so that they appreciate the press off the arts, because our process isn't appreciated, you know. Yeah, So that was really wonderful for me to do that on the show.
Yeah, that's great. So it's so impressive, so impressive.
Back to Bill and Ted, I did like, in fact, let's play, we went to that Beethoven at Beethoven seen before It is. I think it's one of the standout scenes le's have listened to it. I mean it really is. It really is just score and some some chaos, but it is. I found that sequence the most enjoyable in the film, where you know, it's a classic American shopping mall and it's just fun.
And the people from all eras just kind of figure out what what is the mall?
What is this?
Why is this piano playing music to me when I'm not touching it?
And the joy that Beethoven feels when he, you know, and he hears the electric kind of or the synth, What do what you call it a synth of the electronic organ is fun yeah.
No, and I think we could hear.
I don't know if it was on the clip as well, but Napoleon going down a water.
Slide, yes, which I thought was funny as well, when they go when you get it, where will where will Napoleon be? And Waterloo is final stand.
I'm sure they try to get abba for the rights, but it was fun played by an Australian actor, Terry Camileary.
That's que at Australian references in this show.
Well, the song the song yes Yes, and counter Reeves shot the Matrix in Sydney.
Did live in Sydney when he was like one to three years old. Yes, his dad was a diplomat, so they traveled a fair bit.
Research. Well played.
I did want to find myself wondering during why We're Bill and Ted chosen Yes and then you kind of you do learn that lariety, but it's again it's so flimsy, but it doesn't matter. It's it's you get to when you make a film, You get to build your own boundaries and your own world and your own culture within that. And this very early on lets us know they don't care and in a really you know, endearing way. This is not this is not the time travel, this is
not back to the future. This is this is Bill and Ted's And it reminded me to a degree of like Life of Brian in a way where you can see how money Python had these ideas of sketches almost set plays that you would put in the time of Jesus. And this is an American version where you go, okay, what if we put these meatheads in these you know, with these historical figures and then there's kind of sketches in a way, it's not as sharp in my mind as Life of Brian. I think Life Brian is one
of the all time great comedies of all time. I don't quite have this in that realm, but you know, you can see if you're generous enough to see.
I have to check it out. I haven't seen it in Life of Brian. Life of Brian, Okay, that's on my list.
That is you know, for a lot of people that is maybe up there. You know, well, it's the greatest comedy of all time. But it comes with its own you know, like it's piss take of religion. So depending on where you stand on on religion. But yeah, generally, I mean, I just think this is a fun film.
You guys are really us what number we think enough?
Sixty nine dudes.
I have I don't have any any bad feelings to anyone who might rate this as their favorite film.
Good on you.
Yeah, I think it's a joyful, joyful experience, like the two two teenagers rocking it out in their garage music ship and then listening to each other.
And their mates and they kind of they kind of got each other's band. Yes, you know that's lovely.
Yeah, and you know they then blow it up with his presentation out of nowhere, like the text working.
Again, don't care, we do not care. We don't care about that, We don't care about the dad's now happy. You know the military whole military school mistakes that are just kind of like whacked in their shoehorning there, like the whole at the start, you're going to military school if you don't pass the examle.
And you just reminded me in that scene when they do the presentation, Ted's dad comes into the theater. Yes, and I just remember it's like when my mom came, like save dad, he didn't go to military school.
Oh that it was. Yeah. Wow, I just had a realization. There you go. I really love the.
Movie watching it again straight away. We love a we love a fun fact. And I did love the It's always nice and watching old films and seeing the old eighties graphics. I did like actually when they went to Socrates and they said the only They quoted Socrates by saying, I think the only wisdom is knowing that you know nothing, and then.
They say that's us. It was that was pretty perfect.
So, pricks, the only true wisdom consists of knowing that you know nothing. That's us dude. Oh yeah, let's bag them.
Yeah's you am on em?
How's it going, Unbill?
This is ted.
We're from the future, so grantis mm hmm.
Now what.
I don't know.
Philosophies with him, all we are is dust in the wind dude, dust Win dude.
Oh ah hums, oh no, flank Cornios, let's get.
And I also like the fact that they just walked up to Socrates.
The Socrates is in the middle of this kind of at the academy I imagine, you know, in ancient Greece, and and Billing to just just walk up to.
Him and just touch the.
Quite days of our lives. Yeah. I did also love at the end of the before they do their their tech heavy, unrehearsed presentation, the the jock who's making the speech, he knows nothing, but he just pulls out. They're like, yeah, go team or whatever he says, and that's enough to get the cheers.
Well, you know Americans they love their sport, don't they. Y Yeah, that's where they live on.
But it kind of what it does quite cleverly, I think, is subtly raises like makes you feel that Bill and Ted are and have been the underdogs in this that they aren't. We don't really see them with any other friends, you know, so we just assume they probably you know, they haven't got girlfriends. They they've got each other, which is nice, and they.
Don't go into the sadness like oh this is really sad.
Yeah, it's kind of like, oh it's okay, yeah, you know dude. And then when they pick up the two ladies back in the medical legal times, I think, and he does a speech you know, I'm trying to woo her and they get turned on by it because of a song lyric or something like there's no there's this beautiful. I wouldn't say cockiness, but you know they were. They were really in tune with them who they really were.
Even though there's nothing in their brain. There was just like it's missing from the teenage because there's.
Nothing in there. There's nothing in their brains, but their their hearts are full.
Yeah, because you know Bill and Ted are both there, and there's two you know, English maidens.
I am Ted of San Dimas and bring to you a message of love.
From who?
From from myself?
And what is this message you speak of?
Uh?
Oh, you beautiful beabes from England for whom we have traveled through time.
Will you got the problem with us? In San Dimas?
We will have a most triumphant time.
It's Bill who gives Ted the advice. He's not he's not even looking out for himself at that stage. You know, he's helping. He's made out. He's quite quote a song lyric, and I'm surprised in that moment they didn't maybe quote I think he comes up with his own lyric.
I'm not sure it's based on but I'm surprised I.
Maybe didn't pull out like a classic, you know, goofy kind of song lyric. Whitney Houston song lyric or something.
I will always love you, Yes, yeah.
I'll believe the children of the future.
I want to dance with somebody.
Yes, but hey, it survived this long, it doesn't need my help. There's some fun fact before we go in the original script. So they wrote the script over four days in coffee shop, which I mentioned. I'm imagine that was the first draft because they were changes made as they went along. So in the original script they went and basically Bill and Ted were responsible for all the tragedies of the past, like the Titanic, the Hindenburg crash, So all these things, a terrible thing that happened, Bill
and Ted were responsible for it. Kind of it's a little bit like Forrest Gump in a way. That was Forrest Gump was obviously there for a lot of history's great moments, and in the I think in the Book of Forrest Gump, if I'm remembering correctly, he was like there was a lot more stuff he was there for, like really massively significant moments, and I think, if I might be wrong, but maybe there were things that also
kind of went wrong that he was there for. So Forrest Gump, I think comes out about five or six years after this, so it's an interesting little kind of crossover.
Wow, the valley is very different.
I think Robertson Makis was going for something a little different than Stephen Herrick was with Bill and Ted in the original script. Also, the time machine was a Chevy truck, but they thought it was too similar to the Dolorean in Back to the Future, which is I think a
good call. The weird thing about that is, and I'm sure our audience is already ahead of me, Diana, but they went with a phone box, which of course is the most famous time traveling device out of Doctor Who, which dates back to i think nineteen sixty three, So Americans being Americans, it was slightly a strange pivot.
Yeah, you like.
Finally one for music fans here.
It's worth pointing out when Bill and Ted traveled to the future and see their adoring fans and the you know, they tell them to be excellent and all that. The center most future Dude is a man by the name of Clarence Clemens, who is the sax player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street and he's most famous for his solo on the classic Springsteen song Born to Run so that is Clarence Clemens sitting in the middle there. Wow, you a Springsteen fan?
Yeah? I loved one of his songs, Secret Garden. Do you remember, Yeah, very.
Current, All the hardcore spring Springsteen songs always go for Secret Garden.
That's the first time I get it's obvious. It's too obvious, Diana.
Pop culture looking at it.
Hey, thank you so much for joining us. I know this podcast comes with homework, and it was only ninety minutes. Yes, you know you avoided the two and a half hour you know, classic the epics. Yeah, where can people find you? Where are your handles?
Yes, my handles, so you know, with a pandemic, I pivoted with all my handles, so all my handles are at real done and a win.
You can find it all there.
You can check out the snort Cast by just popping the snort Cast on every social media platform. You'll find the snot casts and listen to interviews. But yeah, let's mean, I'll we do still doing stand up everywhere somewhere, So just just follow at Real Dona.
Wind, fantastic and honest Snore Cast. An idea of joy singers, don't who else.
Is Steph Tisdale, yourself, Silly Piccola, Luke McGregor, We have Copping, Kevin coppeneriet a full bonanza, snorters on the.
Show, a lot of that, a lot of our great mates to there is a fantastic podcast. Check it out. Diana, thank you so much and great to see you.
Thank you, And I'm going to say one thing, be excellent to each other.
Dude, dude, Yes, indeed a feel good film, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, And hopefully that was a feel good chat with the amazing and I just I love the way she goes about it.
And I'm sure you could be hearing a lot more. And Diana's mum's listening. Your daughter's great and I know you, I know you know that now, and she's gonna be fine. She's going to be working many for many, many years in this crazy show business. So thank you Dane for coming by and chatting about Bill and Ted's excellent Adventure, a movie I had not seen, Derek Mayers Castaways Studios. Had you seen you or you had seen I know you had seen Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure because you
had you had grabs ready to go. Are you wearing a Wild Stadion's hoodie.
I sure am. I love my Wild Stallions.
What's your favorite? Is there a favorite wild Stadian song that you.
I've got to be honest with you, I don't know any.
Are there any?
No?
Well, I think we have to wait for the future where they they, where they get good for them to you know, dominate the universe and bring peace and order to the galaxy.
I love the concept of the Wild Stallions. Myself and a bunch of friends are doing a similar thing where we just bought some instruments less than a month ago, and we were attempting to just play them for just so as we're not just sitting there watching TV. I suppose we just out.
It's like a.
Widget to add to our drinking. Do you have a Do you have a band name?
Yes, we're calling ourselves Midlife. We're all fans of a band called Mildlife and messed with the graphics. H nice cose graphics first, music musical talent later.
And then Eddie van Halen third. You'll get him in there. I'm sure we're having a great time. It was a fun chat with Diana. It was so interesting hearing her journey as well. I know we often really stay focused on the movie that we're talking about, but it was it was particularly this film there wasn't as much deep diving and Bill and Ted's as there was something like all about evil, there will be blood.
So it's great to hear her journey, Derek.
We invite people to email us at Yasny podcast at gmail dot com.
We love hearing from you. Have we got a letter that's caught your attention this week?
I'm very interested in one from Mario Go to Maria. He's written in with an interesting angle here on chopper, so I'll start here. Hi, Peter, I just wanted to send this note to tell you how much I've been enjoying listening to your Yasney podcast. Not only are yourself and your guests extremely interesting, funny and entertaining, but it has given me a reminder of how much I actually
love watching movies. Nice I also find myself watching them in an entirely different light now, paying extra attention to the performances, the scenery, and in particular the music score for some reason.
So thank you for your work. Ah.
Well, that's that's lowly and that's lovely to hear, and it's you know, I like that we can do this podcast and people will get different things out of it. Sometimes there's people reliving one of their favorite movies. Sometimes that is enjoying the conversation we're having with the guests. Who brings so much to this podcast obviously, but if, yeah, if we are pointing out some things that maybe you haven't noticed about films and films in general, then that's fantastic.
I did see Mario's letter and he did also no little story, a little personal story he had based around Chopper, and I'll just give you some of the highlights. So he went with the cee Chopper at Hoyts High Point in the year two thousand. It's been about ten years as they finished high school. He went with his best mate Tony and they're totally immersed in Eric Banner's performance. They're loving it there on the edge of their seats
every scene. And then one scene comes up and it's a famous scene with Neville Bartos, of course played by Vince Colossimo, and he's obviously asking for cash. Everyone loves that scene and he says, of course there's no cash, and never Bartos asked that the other bloke in the room.
He says, Robbo is any cash, and Robbo says no cash, superbly delivered by Robbo with his one and only line in the movie, Mario says, the shocking part for us was that Robbo was actually Tony's mate Sammy from foot Grade High school, a guy we hadn't seen in years, and the last place we expected to see the bloke was up on the big screen. To this day, we don't know how he got the role, as he was, in his words Mario's words, the furthest thing from an actor.
But rumor has it he was plucked up the street in local Newport while walking his two Roddies, dressed in his trademark trackies and thick gold change around his neck. I hope that story is true. I don't know if it is or not. It's apparently a rumor that got around Newport, but I hope that's how Sammy got cast as Robbo. That sounds that sounds brilliant. I hope that's true. Thank you Mario for that letter. Do you have that story is true?
Well, I just did a bit of a check on the IMDb and I looked up the filmography of Robbo and it's the only entry Chopper Robbo two thousand. So that's the only Sam Hooley entry in IMDb, so he didn't go on to an acting career or have one before.
But it is saying that the role of Robbo was played by a Sam Yep fantastic. Well that's true, then I'm taking it to the bank.
I love it.
Maybe Sam needs to get at and Walky's rot wheelers a bit more often to get some more roles. Going to see him back on the big screen next week on the show. Very excited to have a second member of Untie Donner joining us here at the Casways studios for You See Nothing Yet. Mark Samuel Bnano will be joining us to discuss a movie that well, we're always going to get to and I'm surprised it's taken until
halfway through season two to get to it. It is the awesome Wells classic, the film regarded perhaps by many as the greatest film ever made, Citizen Kane.
We will be discussed with Mark next week. I love Mark.
I love the stuff he's done with Arnie Donna, the stuff he's done outside of Arni Donna as well. He's a fantastic bloke, very funny man, and I can't wait to see what he thinks.
I feel it.
There's a bit of pressure on with this one. You know, it's Citizen Kane. It's a classic, so you know it's not well, there are classics the film we're talking about, but this is like genuinely regarded as the classics. So fingers Cristi is a film I've seen many times. I'm sure many of you have to. Let's see what Mark Samuel Bnaro feels about it next week. And you ain't
seen nothing yet, Rosebud. And so we leave Old Pete save fan Salt, and to our friends of the radio audience, we've been a pleasant good name.