Natalie Portman Returns

[0] Welcome, welcome, welcome to armchair expert.

[1] I'm Dan Portman.

[2] I'm joined by Natalie Padman.

[3] Well, my name is very close to hers.

[4] It is in PMP.

[5] Yeah.

[6] NPMP.

[7] And a P -Man.

[8] I'm sorry, you're on empty?

[9] No, N -P -M -P -M -P -M -E are here.

[10] Empty M -T -Mptys are here?

[11] P -Mans.

[12] The P -Monts and the Padmonds.

[13] Natalie Portman.

[14] She's an Academy Award -winning actor and a producer.

[15] She's a neighbor.

[16] She's a friend.

[17] That's a previous guest.

[18] She's not a friend.

[19] That's an exaggeration.

[20] She's an acquaintance.

[21] Yeah.

[22] Very friendly acquaintance.

[23] Okay, that's nice of you to be, like, really open about that.

[24] Well, I don't want to act like I'm friends.

[25] She doesn't want to be friends.

[26] There's no, you know.

[27] Well, she's busy.

[28] She's very busy.

[29] She did Thor, Black Swan, Closer, Leon, V for Vendetta.

[30] Very, very busy.

[31] Very.

[32] She, and this might shock you what she's been busy with.

[33] Yeah.

[34] She started a soccer team.

[35] Yes, women's soccer team.

[36] Football, if you're in Europe.

[37] Sure.

[38] Cross the pond.

[39] Down south even, maybe.

[40] Or neighbors at the South?

[41] It's a very cool team.

[42] And apparently the games are so fun.

[43] So fun.

[44] Yeah, in person.

[45] We got to go.

[46] We got to go.

[47] I really want to go.

[48] Since we interviewed about this, I've bumped into like three different people who've go to all the games.

[49] And they're like, they're the most incredible live experience.

[50] Yeah, I'd like to go.

[51] The team is called Angel City FC.

[52] And they made an incredible documentary, a documentary series that's out now on Max, called Angel City, taking you from the inception.

[53] of the team to them playing their first season.

[54] It's really well done.

[55] Yeah.

[56] And I think it's important to know that Natalie isn't like a sports person, but they're, you know, she was drawn to it.

[57] She was drawn to it because of equity.

[58] Yes.

[59] And it's cool.

[60] And she's done an incredible job making it just that.

[61] Please enjoy my very good acquaintance, Natalie Portman.

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[66] How's your day so far?

[67] Truth but told, it's okay.

[68] It's okay.

[69] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[70] I appreciate the honest to answer.

[71] That's what we do, you know.

[72] So, you know, so many people are just like, yeah, it's great.

[73] Yeah, I've started too many things, and one of the things involves two of my best friends in Michigan, friendships and business.

[74] And now when your friend's calling, you have this like, I don't want to deal with it.

[75] Like, it's just gotten real murky.

[76] And this morning, I was like, okay, it's time to really confront all this and figure out what we're doing.

[77] I totally get that.

[78] Do you work with friends?

[79] I'm pretty strict about not.

[80] Yeah.

[81] My husband loves working with friends.

[82] Okay.

[83] And so I started kind of dabbling in it because I'm like, am I missing out?

[84] Yeah, he's having so much fun.

[85] Yeah, like, of course it would be way more fun.

[86] So I started doing it a little bit.

[87] Some of it's been amazing.

[88] Yeah.

[89] And, oh, wow, I've been missing out.

[90] And some of it brings up tricky, tricky stuff.

[91] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[92] Because part of me thinks it's kind of like in movies, if you're lucky enough and you get enough leverage, you can pretty much pick who you work with.

[93] Right.

[94] There's all these, like, fake goals that you think you want.

[95] But the ultimate goal is really like, if you ever have the say -so that you can travel as a carnival from town to town with people you love, that really.

[96] is the thing that is most coveted or you should want.

[97] So then you think, well, I guess I should apply that to every other area of my life.

[98] But then, yes, it gets a little trickier.

[99] Yeah.

[100] It also requires so much good instinct from everybody involved of like knowing how to navigate all the interpersonal and professional.

[101] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[102] Well, welcome back.

[103] The only other time we did this, you were in Australia.

[104] I'm going to remind you if you've forgotten.

[105] You were in Australia And you had some weird internet provider called like Gumbi or Gobo.

[106] Do you know what I'm talking about?

[107] I couldn't tell you what it's actually called, but yes.

[108] Australians come up with the cutest words for everything.

[109] I agree.

[110] So are the Kiwis.

[111] They're into baby talk.

[112] Like you have Ingy Brecky tea in the morning, put on your Trekkies.

[113] Baddies for bad guys.

[114] Everything becomes adorable.

[115] Yeah, it's like playful baby talk, but it's not annoying.

[116] I listen to a bit of it.

[117] morning and I'm screaming at you the whole interview because I think I'm like I have this anxiety that you can't hear me through this bad internet and you're in Australia too that's in my head like whoa she's on the other side of the planet so my volume was regrettable is what I found and I'm excited to be in person but I'm also happy to be in person this is great first time in the attic yeah I feel like overall I can just kind of lower my energy I'm blasting towards you I bet even down under it was a lot to consume it was great I loved it I didn't notice any over volume.

[118] I probably did because I was sitting next to you.

[119] Yeah, you were probably like, why are you screaming?

[120] It's not going to get louder.

[121] You're not going to make the internet work better.

[122] But that was November of 2020, and you were in Australia working.

[123] What were you shooting?

[124] Thor 11th, Thunder.

[125] Okay, great.

[126] And we were at the height of COVID.

[127] Yes.

[128] And I was working with the awse -est Aussie, Chris Hemsworth.

[129] It's always lucky to be down under with someone who knows what they're doing.

[130] I would imagine it's like being at Disneyland with Mickey Mouse.

[131] Is that an accurate analogy?

[132] Yes.

[133] I mean, he has so much more depth.

[134] I would not want to compare him to Mickey Mouse, but he is quite iconic in Australia, for sure.

[135] Yeah.

[136] How can he even move around?

[137] He can't even move around here without, I'm sure, getting stopped non -stop.

[138] He's very noticeable.

[139] I've always had my size as a camouflage.

[140] Yes.

[141] And he has his size as like a sore thorn out.

[142] Yeah, he can't really hide.

[143] Yeah, he's a lovely person, and his wife is lovely, and it was amazing to get to have them kind of bring us into Australian, idyllic life.

[144] Is that the only one you shot there?

[145] The first one was in New Mexico.

[146] The second one was in London, and yes, this was the only one in Australia.

[147] And do I have it right, the history of those boys?

[148] They grew up, like, underground in one of those way, way out back.

[149] They had, like, kind of a trading post the dad did or something, but they— Oh, I don't know that.

[150] I think they lived in one of those regions where people have to live, like, kind of subterranean because it's so hot.

[151] No way.

[152] Yeah, I think they were in the shit.

[153] Like, they have the real outback heritage, I think.

[154] Last time we talked, I was applauding the fact that you seem to be like a step ahead of us in that your personal friendships tend to be people we interview pretty quickly after that.

[155] Yuval Harari was the example I gave last time.

[156] So I wanted to start by asking you, what are you consuming right now?

[157] Let's start with book.

[158] Okay.

[159] Do you have it a book obsession right now?

[160] I'm reading the postcard by Anne Borest, who is a French writer right now.

[161] But I recently read an awesome book about animal senses called An Emense World.

[162] Have you heard about this?

[163] Yes, we had him on.

[164] Ed Yong.

[165] Talking about walking his dog and all the different things that the dog is experiencing.

[166] And the senses that like the birds have, I mean, crazy.

[167] I know.

[168] I love with the dogs that he wrote that when you let them sniff on their walk and you don't like tug them away from the gross stuff they're trying to get, they're happier and play more and everything.

[169] And it's changed the way I walk my dogs for sure.

[170] I'm like, just let them explore.

[171] Yeah.

[172] I'd argue it ruined me walking.

[173] So we had him on and then now ethically I feel like I have to let them sniff.

[174] But if you do, you don't ever go anywhere.

[175] Even in our neighborhood where I don't think there's all that much canine traffic.

[176] They are so interested in everything.

[177] Well, there's like a whole world.

[178] Yeah, that we don't know.

[179] They can tell what mood the other dogs were in by the smell of the urine they put down in it's insane it's amazing i recently read this i don't know if it was in his book but do you know why dogs wag their tail no ha natalie they have a specific pheromone that says i want to play and they're wagging the tail because that's how they distribute the pheromone no way yeah so we've been like noticing oh every time they're frisky they're waving their tail so we'll go oh they're happy but really what they're doing is trying to spread out that Let's play.

[180] How cute is that?

[181] That's cuteness embodied in a scientific fact.

[182] I love it.

[183] Let's play pheromone.

[184] I need a system for that because that's kind of how I feel all the time.

[185] Like, okay, yeah, enough of that stuff.

[186] Let's get down to the plane.

[187] Okay, so that's a good book.

[188] How about a documentary that you've seen recently?

[189] Oh, I loved Fire of Love about the volcanologists in love.

[190] It's like this couple who, are obsessed with volcanoes, and they would go fly when they heard something was erupting and just go be there.

[191] Oh, my God.

[192] It's so, so beautiful.

[193] They died doing what they loved, right?

[194] I mean, that's right in the trailer.

[195] No, no, but it's in the trailer.

[196] It's very early on in the documentary, too, so that you can kind of see.

[197] But, I mean, Death by Lava is very original.

[198] It is.

[199] I'm not for it.

[200] It's very sad, but it's also very beautiful.

[201] Yes, it's a true love story, right?

[202] It looked beautiful.

[203] And I wanted to watch it.

[204] And I don't know why we didn't get to it.

[205] Okay, that's a good one.

[206] Yeah.

[207] Well, there's other volcano one that's also sad.

[208] We didn't want to watch that one.

[209] Did you about the one in New Zealand that erupted and there was like a tourist group on the volcano at the time?

[210] A lot of survivors are involved in it.

[211] And then, yeah, there's a dock and there's a bunch of survivors.

[212] But a lot of people died.

[213] And they're all heavily burned the survivors.

[214] It's gnarly.

[215] It was recent.

[216] It was in the last couple of years.

[217] years.

[218] Many people were filming the whole thing happened because people go to see it.

[219] Yeah, it's like a tourist thing to do.

[220] Like when you go ziplining in Hawaii, it's like you go here and you go to the volcano, but steam erupted.

[221] Not lava.

[222] Not even cool enough to death by lava.

[223] I know.

[224] That's horrible.

[225] But the cute one that you're talking about, I haven't seen it.

[226] I'm deducing all this from the trailer.

[227] They're pioneers in a sense, right?

[228] They're doing things that maybe shouldn't be done.

[229] Well, there's scientists who study it and how to help people living in those regions, kind of have morning signals and stuff.

[230] But there's like the passion with the earth's opening into fire.

[231] I mean, it's so beautiful.

[232] Yeah, they're being pulled into the void.

[233] And the footage that they took.

[234] The stuff I saw, they're next to the lava dipping things in it and really interacting with lava.

[235] But I've never really seen any of that anywhere.

[236] It gives you, again, like similar to that young book, just like wonder for what is going on under our feet.

[237] It's so crazy.

[238] I feel like you could play her.

[239] Oh, you should maybe do it.

[240] The French.

[241] French, uh, volcanologist.

[242] They're both French or she was?

[243] They're both French.

[244] They're both French.

[245] And have you perfected a French accent?

[246] I have not.

[247] We actually moved back to Paris recently.

[248] Oh, I didn't know.

[249] We're not neighbors anymore.

[250] We're still neighbors.

[251] Okay.

[252] But also not.

[253] Also not.

[254] But someone was telling me that their accent got too good.

[255] Someone else who had moved there, but the French wasn't good.

[256] So people thought they were just dumb because they like spoke with a good accent but made all these mistakes.

[257] Oh, really?

[258] And so it's kind of unmotivated me to get a good accent because I feel like it's my constant excuse.

[259] But don't you find that you mock your husband and imitate him?

[260] Are you in the one relationship with no mocking?

[261] He doesn't have much of an accent in English.

[262] He obviously speaks French like a French person.

[263] Sure.

[264] Like a little dolphin.

[265] Natural, natural, natural.

[266] I'm curious, Kristen said you have a good Paris masseuse story.

[267] Oh.

[268] It's best if Monica tells it, because I've not experienced the pleasures of him.

[269] I didn't even think about him.

[270] Oh, my God, you have to see him.

[271] Okay, so it's such a long, this is taking up a lot of your time.

[272] But I'm really curious.

[273] I think this will serve you, though, in the end.

[274] It's worth taking.

[275] So Kristen, our friends, Molly, and Amy, they went to Paris four years ago, maybe.

[276] And they say to Bradley Cooper's apartment.

[277] Amazing.

[278] It's relevant.

[279] This is kind of sadly relevant.

[280] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[281] I don't know if it's sad.

[282] Well, because it came through the management.

[283] Right.

[284] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[285] So they asked his manager if there was any good place to get a massage or something.

[286] And they were like, oh yeah, there's this guy.

[287] He'll come to you.

[288] They're like, great.

[289] He comes over.

[290] Loran.

[291] His name is Gabrielle Laurent.

[292] They text us all.

[293] We just had the most insane massage of our lives.

[294] It was so sensual, and he understands the female body.

[295] And we took him to dinner.

[296] They took him to dinner.

[297] After the massage.

[298] They each came out, and they were all fucking rattled, right?

[299] They were, like, shook.

[300] And they're just all, yeah, they're all, like, fucked up by it.

[301] And then they end up going out to dinner with them, which is fantastic.

[302] And then he says, well, let me write up.

[303] rub you gals down again, we'll do it at my apartment.

[304] So then they go to his apartment in parents.

[305] Yes.

[306] And I think he makes them like a little charcutory board or some kind of advertisers and there's wine.

[307] Yeah, round two of it, he delivers again.

[308] And let me be clear, he's not penetrating anyone.

[309] Don't fill in the blanks.

[310] I would assume they would not be super stoked about it.

[311] They were like moved, though, like moved to the core.

[312] Like he did something to them.

[313] So then they come back and they're like, Monica, him.

[314] In your life, you are going to get a massage.

[315] Like, it's like on my bucket list or something, something I have to do.

[316] It's like, okay.

[317] And I'm feeling a little, if I'll be vulnerable, probably jealous.

[318] So I'm like, we'll see.

[319] I'm a little skeptical of this.

[320] So then I went to Paris last year and they're like, now's the time.

[321] And so they WhatsApped him and arranged for me to go.

[322] And then him and I are chatting.

[323] And he's like, tomorrow's the day.

[324] Really building it up.

[325] He's like, do you want an hour, two hours or three hours?

[326] Like, something insane.

[327] And I was like, three hours.

[328] Or a weekend.

[329] Yeah.

[330] I mean, I'm in Paris for like 24 hours.

[331] I don't think I can spend three hours there.

[332] Which you now regret.

[333] Yeah.

[334] So I said, I'll do the two hour one.

[335] And he said, okay, well, two hours is really two and a half hours because there's like a sauna portion.

[336] I'm like, a sauna at his apartment.

[337] Okay.

[338] So I get there and he sits down.

[339] He wants to learn about me. And he said, just so you know, sometimes people cry and that's okay and this is an experience.

[340] And it's like, okay.

[341] And I'm getting at this point.

[342] Hold on a second.

[343] I just want to check out with Natalie because I saw her get intrigued.

[344] Yes.

[345] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[346] The crying portion.

[347] The light in my eyes.

[348] I can feel you already moving towards his life.

[349] Are you moving towards or away?

[350] No, she's doing towards.

[351] I'm getting the number.

[352] Okay.

[353] I'm curious.

[354] Okay, great.

[355] I'm curious.

[356] So then he says, okay, we're going to go into the sauna.

[357] And at this point, I'm feeling like I think Kristen has told him to have sex with me. Like I started to really get in my head about it.

[358] It's like, no, because I don't want to do that.

[359] I'm trying to be a little like.

[360] Light boundaries.

[361] Yeah, yeah.

[362] And he's like, okay, you go in the sauna and then you shower.

[363] And I was like, what?

[364] And then also I thought, do you wash your hair?

[365] Like, then what?

[366] So you shower.

[367] Cut your toenails, cut your finger.

[368] nails.

[369] Do I wear underwear in there?

[370] And he said, no, nude.

[371] And I was like, okay.

[372] Can I add one thing that you left out?

[373] He's handsome as hell.

[374] Oh, yeah.

[375] Yeah, he's really handsome.

[376] So then he was like, well, you can wear these and it's like some horrible paper sort of underwear thing.

[377] Like, obviously not wearing that.

[378] I'd rather be nude than out of style.

[379] Exactly.

[380] The whole time I'm in the sauna, I was like, he's going to come in here.

[381] He's going to come in.

[382] I'm waiting for that door to open.

[383] But he doesn't.

[384] Keeping it very professional.

[385] I do this weird shower, half hair in, half not.

[386] I put the robe and I come out and he's like, okay, do you want music with lyrics or without?

[387] I don't know.

[388] Whatever you think for my.

[389] And he's like, well, for your first time, I think without.

[390] Yeah, yeah.

[391] It starts small.

[392] So we go into the room.

[393] He says, all right, you know, face down.

[394] You can put that towel over you.

[395] Oh, yeah.

[396] Earlier, he said there'll be a towel over you the whole time.

[397] Don't worry when I was like, was I wonder where or whatever.

[398] And so I get in there The towel is a dishcloth Like it is a napkin I mean I That's the cheat I'm getting under So then I'm like arranging it so that it's just over my But and just like halfway up my back Barely covering anything He comes in and I'm like this is bad This is not going well and then he starts And immediately I'm in right in They were right He just knows what he's doing.

[399] I didn't cry.

[400] But it was erotic without.

[401] I mean, I shouldn't say without because he did touch my boobs.

[402] You're going to have your nipples touch.

[403] Just full disclosure.

[404] I don't know how comfortable you feel with Natalie, but you did say it on here already.

[405] Yeah.

[406] Definitely by the end, Monica, was extremely aroused.

[407] I was just like, okay, if he were to get on me right now, that'd be fine.

[408] I'd welcome it.

[409] But not after.

[410] As soon as it was over, it was over.

[411] I needed to leave.

[412] He wanted to chat a little bit.

[413] Maybe have dinner like the other gales have done.

[414] He's used to getting dinner out of it.

[415] He is.

[416] He is.

[417] This is why you always buy someone dinner before everything.

[418] I do think he adjusts per person, though.

[419] I wonder, what does he do to Bradley Cooper?

[420] Exactly.

[421] I don't know.

[422] This became a big debate.

[423] The wives were all wondering which husband would be up for a massage from him when he gets to L .A. And I, of course, am happy to do that.

[424] I'll have an answer for you, I think, in October.

[425] Amazing.

[426] What happens with a man?

[427] I will check back in.

[428] You'll probably have your independent relationship with him at this point.

[429] Yeah, exactly.

[430] I'll already be at the bistro with him.

[431] I'm so excited for you.

[432] I hope you do the whole thing with the hors d 'oeuvres at his apartment and the whole nine yards.

[433] It's really something.

[434] It really is an experience.

[435] It sounds very French.

[436] Yeah, exactly.

[437] Exactly.

[438] Do you have any follow -up about that?

[439] Just what are your thoughts on that whole experience?

[440] I think it sounds like a cultural immersion.

[441] You as an anthropologist, of course, want to investigate.

[442] Absolutely.

[443] Just for the sake of science.

[444] Did you see Triangle of Sadness?

[445] Yes.

[446] I love it.

[447] I love that movie so much.

[448] What a movie.

[449] It's so fun to see something entertaining that also has meaning in it.

[450] It feels like usually those two things are separate.

[451] Totally.

[452] I love that movie.

[453] Yeah, the way that social commentary is unfolding in that movie.

[454] You said it actually on our last interview.

[455] I'm trying to think exactly how you phrased it.

[456] And maybe it's from Angel City, you said it.

[457] But I heard you comment on that women aren't generally invited to be full people, right?

[458] Like they're not good or bad.

[459] If you give them power, they can be terrible.

[460] They can be great.

[461] There can be anything, any other human being.

[462] Right.

[463] Right.

[464] Like, it's really frustrating when people say, like, if only women ruled the world, there would be no wars.

[465] And you're like, do you think we're not human?

[466] People don't have the ability to be corrupted by power.

[467] Leopatra or Catherine the Great.

[468] Like, we've had some female leaders.

[469] They acted like leaders.

[470] Yeah.

[471] Yeah.

[472] I'd like to think I'm myself as a feminist.

[473] I also am reminding people like, no, we're all totally susceptible to all the terrible things.

[474] Nothing inoculate you from that.

[475] If you look at women as humans, then you will be like, oh you could be anything you could be good or bad so i particularly enjoyed the aspect of triangle of love which is like soon as that woman had the power yes she had a boy toy yes and then the boy acted just like he well resources are there she wants this i'll give her that i want resources i was like that's the real force on planet earth status power resources all this primitive shit that we've kind of distilled into like is it male or female or what's it's like i think everyone can be a scumbag or a hero depending on on what context or circumstance they're in.

[476] Also, I love what we see as valuable, how it shifts so dramatically.

[477] We're like, oh, yeah, all these people who have all this money but can't actually do anything.

[478] And then all of a sudden, you're like, oh, wait, the most essential things, that's what's valuable.

[479] Pretzels.

[480] Yeah, exactly.

[481] The skill of being able to catch the fish is actually the most valuable.

[482] Right.

[483] But then you get on that ship and you're like, we're all with all these billionaires.

[484] And while I was watching, I've been in enough nice situation.

[485] and around enough rich people where I'm like, yeah, the whole thing's kind of a racket.

[486] Everyone's pretending this is enjoyable because it is rare or there's limited supply of this.

[487] So that makes it enjoyable.

[488] But it's not eating this fucking weird seafood on a fucking, no, it's disgusting.

[489] It's such good observational comedy in the room on the cruise ship.

[490] He's like hitting the lights and like one goes on.

[491] And he like can't get all of them off at the same time.

[492] It's like those little observations.

[493] about these luxury situations that also don't work.

[494] Yes.

[495] It's supposed to be so easy.

[496] It's just to get yourself out of all this stuff.

[497] And then, yeah, it gets more and more complicated.

[498] So we went to this friend's house.

[499] It's enormous place up north.

[500] And the house is so fucking cool, right?

[501] And we're walking through, and I'm saying to Kristen, right out of the gates, I'm like, there's no way all this shit works.

[502] There's just too much shit in here.

[503] Sure enough, we'd get into a room and be like, oh, yeah, look this cool skylight.

[504] And then these curtains, these fucking curtains, that track stopped working, right?

[505] And then we get into another room.

[506] And it's like, the whole thing.

[507] is a big headache in its homework, but with the illusion that it'll be some kind of elation on planet Earth, but nothing fucking works.

[508] Someone's trying to open a gate, and nine people have lost the clickers, and the whole thing's a disaster.

[509] It's so much comedy in just people not knowing how to use all their fancy stuff.

[510] Yeah.

[511] Yes.

[512] And how it's truly not all that fun.

[513] Right.

[514] It's like the classic thing of the guy fishing right on his little boat.

[515] And someone says to him, wow, why don't you get 10 boats and you can fish more?

[516] And then he's like, what?

[517] So I can come back.

[518] to my little boat on vacation.

[519] Yeah, then you could retire and do whatever you want.

[520] Right, exactly.

[521] So what would you be doing?

[522] I'd probably get a boat and go fishing.

[523] Thank you for, I had nothing like that.

[524] Good fable.

[525] Yeah, it's really good.

[526] It's really good.

[527] Okay, first of all, I loved Angel City.

[528] Thank you.

[529] It's really good.

[530] I'm not terribly into sports, but I'm terribly into sports documentaries.

[531] Oh, yeah, you got into the racing.

[532] Formula One, yes.

[533] I've heard that's amazing.

[534] Have you not seen Drive to Survive?

[535] I haven't.

[536] I've heard so many people saying how great it is.

[537] I urge you to watch it because you're probably thinking, I don't care about cars or racing.

[538] But not only did I care about Formula One, I had big issues with Formula One.

[539] So I went into it hating it.

[540] What were your issues?

[541] It's the ultimate elite sport.

[542] Like you got to have millionaire parents to be on the trajectory, to have race go -kart since you were four, to pay for the whole thing.

[543] There's no access for a normal person into that sport, unless you're rich.

[544] That's the same with NASCAR?

[545] No, NASCAR is much more egalitarian or...

[546] Why?

[547] Because it starts with, like, flat track racing, which is so cheap.

[548] It's just a much cheaper sport.

[549] And then NASCAR itself, like a team in NASCAR, I don't know the exact numbers, but I'd guess they can run the whole season for about $20 million.

[550] A Formula One team's season can cost $500 million.

[551] Whoa.

[552] Yeah.

[553] So wait, so what in the documentary got you over that?

[554] The human beings, right?

[555] So I meet the drivers.

[556] Sure.

[557] Most of them are rich kids.

[558] But also, most of them are really cute and adorable and they have a dream.

[559] And they are the 20 best drivers on planet Earth.

[560] They've got to this thing.

[561] But if you're 20th, you feel like the worst driver in the world.

[562] And it's so crazy, right?

[563] Because you're the 20th best driver on planet Earth.

[564] But in your little world you've entered, you're paranoid that you're not going to have a seat next year.

[565] You're fighting to get to 15th.

[566] They're all young.

[567] And all of them are suspiciously good looking.

[568] you'll immediately see that.

[569] Charles Leclair, who drives for Ferrari, is a fucking full -blown, like Johnny Depp in his prime gorgeous.

[570] And then the soap opera of it, of all these young boys competing against each other, just becomes amazing.

[571] And what I thought sucked that there's no passing.

[572] I realize there's so much strategy that results in that very little passing.

[573] But yeah, became obsessed.

[574] Anyways, you watch Last Dance, I presume, the Jordan room.

[575] Yes.

[576] So good.

[577] How great is that?

[578] And you probably didn't have a Michael Jordan poster in your room.

[579] No. I mean, I'm not a real sports person.

[580] That's why it's kind of funny to be in this position now.

[581] But it's made me a soccer person, definitely.

[582] Okay, so I'll start with my first admission.

[583] I'm cynical by nature.

[584] Sucks, but that's who I am.

[585] So I see that you have a soccer team.

[586] Yes.

[587] And my first thought, I hate to admit, is, man, these soccer teams are becoming like the distilled spirits for celebrities.

[588] Every celebrity has a tequila.

[589] Will Ferrell.

[590] has one.

[591] Rob and Ryan Reynolds have one.

[592] There's others.

[593] There's a lot of celebrity soccer team owners.

[594] So my first cynical thought was like, wow, who convinced Natalie that she should too have a soccer team?

[595] But then I watched this documentary, which is fantastic.

[596] It's very well made.

[597] And I come to learn your first one in, which kind of blows my mind.

[598] So this whole idea starts with you.

[599] You don't get approached.

[600] It was one of these wild things that I think it's just my own ignorance about what it even takes to start a team made me think that that was a good idea.

[601] And it has been, but I don't think I would have taken the jump if I had known.

[602] But it just seemed like such a clear win because I saw how phenomenally popular the women were in the World Cup.

[603] I saw my son look at them the way that he looked at his male soccer heroes.

[604] And I was like, this would shift culture if all kids grow up seeing female athletes celebrated in the same way as male athletes.

[605] And then I saw they had this home league that none of us knew about.

[606] So when it's the Women's World Cup, the whole world watches.

[607] It's got huge viewership.

[608] The players are huge stars.

[609] And they come back and play in the league and no one even knows it exists.

[610] Yeah.

[611] People are like, there is a league.

[612] So then we thought, yeah, let's start a team in L .A. and L .A. is such a big center for media and sports.

[613] We have so many incredible teams, which is hard because there's a lot of competition.

[614] There's like nine major sports teams, they said, in the documentary.

[615] Yeah, I mean, we've got two men's soccer teams just in L .A. Yeah, two football teams, and L .A .F. Two football teams.

[616] Right.

[617] Two baseball teams.

[618] Yeah.

[619] And that's all men's.

[620] And then we also have the WNBA and, not to mention, USC, UCLA, huge, huge following.

[621] Yeah, another great point.

[622] Yeah, big franchise colleges.

[623] It's both good because there's like a rabid sports audience here, but at the same time, there's a lot of competition.

[624] And also you have competition from like the beach and like people being at home at their pools.

[625] Yeah.

[626] Well, I will say this having now lived in L .A. for 28 years and gone to different sporting events, we're super fair weather fans.

[627] If the team's hot, the attendance is great.

[628] But also with all these sports teams, they're regularly empty too.

[629] So it's like the competition to break through and to get everyone's attention, there's no place that it's harder.

[630] But it's been really fun because we've focused a lot on the experience.

[631] You have to come to your game.

[632] The experience at the stadium, there's kind of nothing like it.

[633] And it's become the most fun experience.

[634] People come to like party basically.

[635] And it's really, and it's sold out.

[636] It's really, really amazing the support.

[637] We're hoping that the whole league is rising as well because the broadcasting rights are up this year, sponsorship.

[638] is up for renegotiation and everything.

[639] So we really think that the value is so obvious.

[640] Let's back up, though, because you saw, I believe, you credit Abby Wambach, talking about she was on stage receiving this award.

[641] And next to her were Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning.

[642] They're receiving the same award.

[643] S .B. Icon.

[644] Okay.

[645] SB Icon Award.

[646] And it occurs to her when they're leaving the stage.

[647] They're both now managing their hundreds of millions of dollars for their retirement.

[648] And I've not still made any money and I'm dead broke.

[649] And I just won the same award.

[650] Like, what's broken here?

[651] Yes.

[652] I mean, it gives me chills just to think about it.

[653] When I heard her talking about that, I was shaken because it's crazy.

[654] I mean, we're obviously aware of pay and equity in our business, but we still get paid well.

[655] It doesn't, it doesn't excuse it at all.

[656] The men are still getting astronomically more.

[657] But 70 % of 20 million is pretty good paychecks, though.

[658] It feels, quote, hard to complain.

[659] about it, even though it should not be.

[660] Exactly.

[661] But yeah, it's like, poor you guys for still making so much money.

[662] I mean, that's wrong.

[663] With the athletes, these are the best players in the world in the most popular sport in the world.

[664] They're extremely popular and some of them can't cover their rent.

[665] I was meeting players who were playing professionally who had to live with host families because they couldn't afford rent.

[666] They were working in Amazon warehouses in the off season or like coaching kids clubs and they're off days because they literally needed the money.

[667] And also that's why we lose so many incredible American players because we have this extraordinary pipeline because of Title IX.

[668] Colleges are these incredible incubators for female athletic talent.

[669] And then so many people go to Europe because they get paid so much better.

[670] And it's only like the top, top, top of the top that can even have a living here.

[671] That's obviously a huge goal is to just value the players.

[672] as they deserve, and that's also why it seemed like such a ripe place to go put attention because it holds something so centrally important in our culture sports, and the contrast in pay is the starkest probably of any industry.

[673] I don't know another industry where, like, the men are literally like the richest entertainers in the world, and the women are like on assistance.

[674] Yeah.

[675] It is nuts.

[676] Stay tuned for more armchair expert.

[677] Dare.

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[691] I want to have a light dance.

[692] Yes, I'd love to.

[693] Okay, great, because I want to try to pressure test some of the podcasts.

[694] these things because I guarantee a lot of people will be thinking them.

[695] And I don't even know that I have a position on it.

[696] But there's all these realities that contribute to that pay inequity.

[697] As you say in the documentary, so only 4 % of all sports that are on TV are female.

[698] I guess there's a chicken and an egg debate here.

[699] One of the issues that seems obvious to me on the outside is, well, nobody watches it.

[700] Nobody goes to the games.

[701] It generates no money.

[702] Where do you think they're going to get paid from?

[703] There's nothing to distribute.

[704] This is what people.

[705] People say all the time.

[706] And on some level, that is an economic reality to the situation, no?

[707] You can't really make that argument when there's no investment in women's sports.

[708] So people say the same thing about like male and female -led movies.

[709] And if you don't put the same advertising dollars, if you don't put the same access for movies, number of theaters, or for sports, obviously having it broadcast at a good time on a good network.

[710] Right.

[711] Where people consume sports.

[712] If you don't get journalism behind it, we'll have gay.

[713] that aren't covered by anybody, you know, even the way it's covered, we get like two cameras to shoot a game, which isn't as dynamic to watch when there's 20 or something, you know, like you want to have all those cuts and close up and far and all the way.

[714] There's guys running with steady cams, most impressive steady cam operators in the world are these soccer steady cameras.

[715] They run the whole game, sprinting, yeah.

[716] So if you get the advertising dollars, get the broadcast rights, get the sponsor.

[717] sponsorship dollars in, get the filming of the games right.

[718] Once that happens, if the viewership is different, then we can talk about that it's inherently less popular, but they're super successful with zero investment.

[719] There's a huge, huge fan base.

[720] The games are sold out.

[721] People are watching it in difficult conditions.

[722] And we're now having the conversation after you already have proof of concept, but I'm kind of forcing you to rewind to when you're embarking on this.

[723] Because, yes, now you have sold out this 22 ,000 seat arena a bazillion times.

[724] So the proof is on your side.

[725] But prior to that, I guess some people might say, like, well, the WMBA got that shot.

[726] It got a well -funded in arenas, had television deals.

[727] And people didn't really show up in the numbers that I certainly would have wanted that I was helping for.

[728] I would love for my daughters to be completely engulfed in WMBA.

[729] That didn't seem to happen.

[730] I think you need to give time, too, because Because you also realize that all of these male sports have had decades.

[731] And so you also can't be like, oh, it's been going on for a few years and it's not there yet.

[732] It also takes time and continued investment, not people being like, oh, we just did it.

[733] Didn't work.

[734] Not putting anything else in.

[735] Here's how I talk to myself out of the position.

[736] Because on one hand, I don't know if you've seen Bill Burr's live at Red Rock, it's a very, very, very funny and very unpolitically correct.

[737] one hour stand up.

[738] Okay, I'll watch it.

[739] He has a joke in there about watching ESPN.

[740] He claims he's watching this.

[741] And there is a female saying the soccer players are not paid.

[742] It's ridiculous.

[743] And he said, and then you have three other men on the show that have to act like they don't know why that is.

[744] Why is that?

[745] Hmm, what could be different?

[746] I don't know.

[747] Like, pretending they don't know that there's no money generated from it.

[748] Whatever.

[749] Where I talked myself out of it is there's part of me that's like, you know, maybe women aren't interested in sports as much.

[750] Is that a reality we could stomach.

[751] Let's just say somehow that of the population, only 5 % of women are interested in sports and 60 % of men are.

[752] What would we do in that situation?

[753] How do we account for that?

[754] But where I come out on the other side is, I'm interested in sport because I can see myself in the sport.

[755] I can have a fantasy that I could get there if I'm a young boy.

[756] I think I can race cars, hopefully.

[757] Women have never been able to see themselves in it.

[758] So of course they're not.

[759] If you pulled America right now, seen enormous disparity and just interest in sport.

[760] But then I go, well, of course, because they're not going to identify with the boy they're seeing.

[761] You're not going to invest in something that you have.

[762] You don't have a place in.

[763] There's no place.

[764] Also, same with what you were saying with time.

[765] There hasn't been time for legends.

[766] There's no Michael Jordan of the WMBA because there hasn't been time to build a Michael Jordan.

[767] There are tons of girls who are interested in tennis because we have Serena, but that took a while.

[768] Well, Billy Jing King fought that fight 50 years ago and now we see the fruits of it today.

[769] Women tennis is huge and it's huge and it's huge with everyone.

[770] And that's where I agree with you very strongly on the ability to project yourself as a kid playing a sport as like one day I'm going to be a star athlete in this sport.

[771] Girls don't have that ability to imagine that they could be.

[772] But the one place I would disagree with you is it certainly allows you to have the possibility of knowing that you could do it professionally.

[773] But I do think that we can see ourselves in athletes of a different gender because we grew up that way.

[774] I did grow up idolizing Michael Jordan.

[775] Girls regularly are asked to look at male sports idols as their own.

[776] I think it's very normal that women and girls are expected and do love watching male sports and get excited about their stars.

[777] The dream is for boys to also look up to women that way.

[778] I think you don't have to just identify with your gender and that's part of the magic of it is like if you can see greatness in someone different than you and identify with someone different than you, that's when change really happens and that's really exciting.

[779] Well, as I was chasing my own thoughts down, I realized like, well, A, I wasn't interested in sport because I was raised by a single female.

[780] They weren't on in my house.

[781] I don't think boys have any actual predisposition to like it.

[782] It's all culture and you are going to associate it with spending the afternoon with your father on the couch and having to have snacks you don't normally have.

[783] You're taught to like sports.

[784] I wasn't, which is why it took me forever to learn to like them.

[785] But then this other show gives it to me in a way that engages me and then actually learn to love it.

[786] So I was also like, oh, look at yourself.

[787] You weren't drawn to sports.

[788] No one is.

[789] It's a part of your culture.

[790] It's like a gender difference that's socialized, not inherent, which is also something we're hoping to model of women and girls going together to games because it's also such an amazing model of a team, together where all the women celebrate one woman's goal in a culture where we're socialized to often be against each other, pitted against each other, one woman's success is another woman's loss, where the model of soccer is so beautiful where it's like a win for all when someone scores.

[791] Yes, yeah.

[792] Whether you scored the goal or not, you could be a champion.

[793] You could be on a championship team.

[794] That we all win from it.

[795] Share that glory with everyone.

[796] Yeah.

[797] Yeah, so it's Interesting.

[798] I guess I'm totally open to the notion that, like, no, everyone would be just as engaged in sports if it was presented to them in a way that made it interesting or made it traditional or made it a bonding moment or a group activity or go to the game.

[799] Yeah.

[800] I'm optimistic, I guess.

[801] Yeah.

[802] Now you've got to come to a game.

[803] I'm dying to go.

[804] Laura's going soon with you, right?

[805] Yeah, we're going this weekend.

[806] So fun.

[807] I do think also kind of what you said, like watching with your family.

[808] I mean, I've growing up in the South, so many girlfriends.

[809] who are obsessed with college football.

[810] They know everything.

[811] They know as much as the guys.

[812] It's part of their Sunday routine.

[813] It's part of the ritual of their lives.

[814] It's just like adding those rituals.

[815] And I certainly have looked at Serena and been like, what a fucking gangster.

[816] Like, I wish I was like her.

[817] I've had that experience where I don't want to be her.

[818] I think when you just see excellence, you're just like, that is awesome.

[819] Yeah, that's a great.

[820] point any kind of extreme excellence is very attractive yes okay so when you enter this situation and you decide okay i want to do this and you go about assembling a group of investors and that obviously is very thoughtful and very intentional the people you invite into this some of the sports people make total sense abby wambach of course is an owner and one of the original investors you have 14 ex national soccer team investors you just mentioned billy jean So she, too, has been brought in.

[821] Oh, cool.

[822] Yeah, which is amazing.

[823] We're super lucky.

[824] We did kind of an unusual structure.

[825] It's like a startup.

[826] That's how we structured our team building.

[827] And then we have a lot of people who are connected to Los Angeles, connected to women's movements as well.

[828] And so a lot of actresses and musicians that I knew from Times Up, I had this kind of image in my mind of how I was very aware of, the Lakers games in the 90s when who was in the courtside seats was like as exciting as who was playing the game.

[829] Yeah.

[830] And I was like, what if we could make this, that?

[831] And what if we had all of these incredible people?

[832] It just brings a lot of different audiences to the awareness of the team.

[833] And it's been incredible because people have found so much meaning, I think, and being at the games, being part of this as a movement and being part of the philanthropic efforts because a percentage of all of our sponsorships go back to the community.

[834] So we've had a lot of free meal delivery to people who are food insecure through DoorDash, giveaways at public schools of sports supplies during the pandemic.

[835] And we have like a women's coaching pipeline because there weren't enough women coaches.

[836] So with Gatorade, they're doing this whole coaching program.

[837] It's just been incredible because a lot of the investors who are part of it have been participating and like going and volunteering their time to do these different activities and just, feels really amazing kind of part of our community way to get involved in a very joyful fun way too this is a curious mix of intention and sports reality so you enter it with an agenda it's half philanthropic in a sense it's i want to elevate the standard of living of these wonderful players i also want to amplify how many people see i want all this stuff to happen and i have these core principles i'm going to try to keep with me throughout this process.

[838] And then you're inevitably bumping up against reality nonstop.

[839] So one of the goals was right to get people paid.

[840] So my first question, you would be like, just recruiting from the get -go, I have to imagine no professional football, baseball, basketball, male sports star is going to mind getting traded to L .A. They're going to have a fucking blast they all do.

[841] And they're going to make enough money to live here.

[842] I was looking at your situation thinking, How the fact do you invite people to come to L .A. where they're going to live like a bum because you get paid nothing.

[843] And this place is four X expensive as the place you left.

[844] Wasn't that already right out of the gates a hurdle?

[845] That is well put.

[846] I mean, hopefully we are paying people enough that they can live properly here.

[847] And we're pushing because, you know, there's a ceiling of pay in the league.

[848] And so we are pushing.

[849] Wait, why?

[850] I think to keep a kind of equilibrium among the teams so that.

[851] If a team just has a lot more money, they can't just get all the star players.

[852] Yeah, like their style.

[853] Yeah.

[854] Yeah, so is that only for this one league?

[855] I don't know.

[856] I don't know enough, honestly.

[857] Well, most leagues do have a salary cap.

[858] With the NBA does?

[859] Yes, they do.

[860] But it is a total for the whole.

[861] It's big.

[862] Yeah.

[863] But you do have salary caps within professional male sports.

[864] And then it becomes, what are they going to make their investment in?

[865] Are they going to pay the quarterback $500 million?

[866] Right, right.

[867] try to get some cheap linemen.

[868] Sure.

[869] So there are challenges, but it sounds like probably the ceiling and the sport might be kind of shamefully low.

[870] It's getting better.

[871] It was just raised this year, but our job is to pay our players as best we can.

[872] And we're also doing percentage of seats sold, goes back to the players so that they participate in the success of the team.

[873] And then also we're pushing within the league because we obviously have one out of 12 slots in the league.

[874] So we're trying to use our voice to keep raising the standards for pay.

[875] A lot of our players are from Southern California, and so it's like a homecoming.

[876] And there's a lot of excitement in the community for Kristen Press and Ali Riley and Sid LaRue coming home.

[877] Okay.

[878] So then the other thing you guys set out right out of the gates with is like, no one's getting traded.

[879] Yeah.

[880] This is kind of a huge.

[881] Oh, interesting.

[882] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[883] So I think sounds like really beautiful, but just tell me the intention of it.

[884] And then like once you get into the pragmatic world, you also have to win games.

[885] It's a commitment for the first year.

[886] Okay.

[887] So it wasn't like no one's getting traded ever.

[888] It was like, so you can feel good and comfortable and safe because they've been used to being told 24 hours notice you're going to.

[889] And then it's hard to put any intention at laying down roots, making friends, making a home because you know that you could literally be transferred tomorrow.

[890] Any who is our manager, she had been a player and she knew how bad that made her feel and that she had.

[891] had this commitment to the players that no one would be traded the first year, which I think is really beautiful.

[892] But of course, that's not what any other team does.

[893] And then we had a series of injuries that was completely unprecedented.

[894] It was catastrophic injuries from all the key players.

[895] Yes.

[896] It was definitely difficult.

[897] But I think when you make that kind of commitment, you got to stick to it.

[898] You can't just be like, just kidding.

[899] But yeah, it was interesting, like you were saying to have principles and then have reality bump up against those principles.

[900] But that's what principles are for.

[901] Yeah, I would parallel it with basically being a politician, which is like you get nominated on a platform of your ideals and then the reality of government hits you and you now have to somehow make all things work.

[902] Totally.

[903] And also, like you said, it's kind of an essential part of what we're doing is that we have this outlook on the world and that our mission is our brand, really.

[904] and that we want to stay true to that.

[905] You also had guaranteed contracts.

[906] That's kind of rare in this league.

[907] And then let's just quickly say that the league itself, there's been three different leagues before NWSL, which is the league you play in.

[908] Well, you don't play, but you're a team owner.

[909] I don't play, yes.

[910] That would really bring the league down, I think, if I played.

[911] Isn't there any way you can become an alternate so that in some crazy situation where they're up by seven, We can see you suit up.

[912] If enough injuries happen, you might have to run out there.

[913] Yeah, this could be a really good joke attraction, joke stunt.

[914] Well, Will Farrell famously, he went to the Lakers game in the red outfit of the Usher.

[915] And he just sat on the sidelines and started directing people to their seat.

[916] And it was incredible.

[917] So I feel like it could be along those lines.

[918] That's a good idea.

[919] Yeah, apparently he and Adam McKay get each other really crazy birthday presents.

[920] And so Adams present to Will was the full Lakers security guard outfit, to which Will knew immediately, fuck, now I have to wear this.

[921] He brought it, smuggled it into a game, and then left his seat and put it on to do the whole thing.

[922] That's classic.

[923] Did you play any sports?

[924] I know you danced a ton, but no, no sports.

[925] No. I ran track because all my friends played on teams, and it was the only team you didn't have to try out for.

[926] Oh, sure.

[927] Like anyone who wanted to could be on it.

[928] What were your events?

[929] The 800 and the 1 ,500, but I was always last.

[930] Always, every time.

[931] Someone's got to be, right?

[932] Yeah, that's right.

[933] You took one for the team.

[934] There's nothing more fun than a track meet.

[935] The junior high track meet is the most fun you can have.

[936] You go to another school and it's kind of everyone's in their sports outfits and you're milling about waiting for your event.

[937] Oh, my God.

[938] It's so scary.

[939] So scary.

[940] Okay.

[941] The other thing that's pretty noticeable.

[942] when I watch this documentary, and I wonder how aware of it you are.

[943] There's something fascinating about watching you leverage a cultural status that is the result of art into these really physical and real things.

[944] So I think right out of the gates, and I could be totally wrong, but even the notion that you guys would start in what is currently the LAFC, the male teams arena, is a huge coup.

[945] It's probably next to impossible to get that, right?

[946] They were telling you right out of the gates, like, you guys will never be able to sell more than 8 ,000 tickets, and this is 22 ,000.

[947] It's going to feel empty and terrible in here.

[948] I mean, really what gets everyone to buy in is the notion that you and the other people you bring that bring a big spotlight to them will make this thing succeed.

[949] It's a stretch, but in a great way.

[950] I just love seeing art end up being leveraged in this kind of very practical and physical way.

[951] like number of seats in a stadium.

[952] Well, thank you for saying that.

[953] But I feel like the super powerful thing, I mean, a lot of this came out of the experience of being in Times Up.

[954] In fact, it all started there, right?

[955] I should have started there.

[956] You guys were coming in to assist with some of the stuff that was going on in women's soccer.

[957] Yeah, but it just was the first time that women from different fields were brought together.

[958] I mean, it was even the first time women in our own industry had been brought together in my experience.

[959] But then to be brought in with women in.

[960] in sports, women in tech, women in medicine, women in caregiving, women in journalism.

[961] I mean, we literally were all gathering and talking for the first time.

[962] The collaboration possible and also the amplification of everyone's individual missions was possible because we all have these different audiences, different assets, different strategies that we could learn from each other of like, this is what we did in our industry.

[963] How could it be applied to your industry to be able to use that kind of model of we all have our different strengths and how can we put them together to make a huge win for all.

[964] It's pretty awesome to get to experience.

[965] And as to what you were saying too about where mission bumps up against reality, it feels so important to make this successful financially, which I hate that that is part of it.

[966] But that's how this whole thing is going to succeed as if it becomes very obviously, very clearly successful financially, then they will be valued as they deserve to be.

[967] It's weird because the goal is not to like make money off of this, but then you're like, if we make money, they will get the money they deserve.

[968] Yeah, it's a piece of the whole cycle.

[969] And it'll get cloned around the country.

[970] Every other market will go, well, shit, if in L .A. that thing's generating that.

[971] I imagine saying it's going to not be as much, but it'll be this yeah you're kind of again proof of concepting something bigger does that new for you i think we might even talked about this last time i'm a greedy little pig i was all over every contract that was ever signed i'm super interested in the financials of studios i'm always trying to find out what's going on behind the closed door i'm fascinated with finance but i can imagine if that wasn't what drove you at any point you kind of to force yourself now and is it kind of a crazy experience does it give you any compassion for the other business owners you've worked for and the way that you've seen us first them.

[972] Yeah, it's really challenging.

[973] It's definitely not my passion, but it's really interesting to see so much of it has to do with belief also.

[974] I just have so much belief in these players and how popular they are and also in soccer and how popular it is.

[975] And I'm like, this is a no -brainer to me that this just accrues value.

[976] And it does.

[977] I'm going to try to make a weird parallel.

[978] Very low percentage it's going to stick.

[979] But I have it as a spiky sense.

[980] When I see the footage of you at these games, leading cheers, screaming, like, what's the whole thing you do?

[981] That's it, right?

[982] Three clap and then like a guttural thrust your hips forward.

[983] Fun.

[984] And you go for it.

[985] And not only do you go for it, I sense in that you going for it that you actually get lost in it and you experience it and maybe forget for just a minute.

[986] How silly I look.

[987] And that you're highly visible.

[988] Yeah.

[989] Like there's a certain self -consciousness one can't help but pick up over the years if you are in public.

[990] But to see someone walk through that and have an actual experience, I feel like I witnessed.

[991] Yeah.

[992] That's the magic of being in a group.

[993] Sports will do that.

[994] It's very tribal.

[995] And you're just in this environment.

[996] There's a magic of people celebrating something together.

[997] there's like something mystical kind of in that experience that is why we all love yeah for sure love going in these kind of things yeah now what i saw in that my parallels that and harvard oh i see a wonderful stubbornness in you that says no no i'm going to do the other things too oh thank you like i'm going to have the college experience and fuck you i'm going to do that's not an easy decision we talked about it last time.

[998] I mean, you're walking around feeling like you got light in because of this, but you're like, no, no, I'm going to go have this college experience.

[999] I refuse to let this other thing prevent me from having the experiences in life I feel entitled to.

[1000] And to me, this one lands exactly there.

[1001] Thanks for saying that.

[1002] I do feel like I have always had an insistence on getting to experience life.

[1003] Real life.

[1004] Yeah.

[1005] Yeah.

[1006] And somehow I've been lucky enough.

[1007] I can ride the subway.

[1008] I can be in a crowd and be pretty undercover.

[1009] And I think that's also graced to good people being around who don't try and treat me as anything other than a person.

[1010] It's such a privilege to do what we do.

[1011] And there is this funny thing of people seeing you as something other than human.

[1012] So it feels really lucky when people remember that you are and just embrace you, which is how I feel at Angel City Games that I just feel like part of the crowd.

[1013] Yes.

[1014] But I think it deserves a little more credit.

[1015] So everyone that goes to anything, Monica hates audience participation.

[1016] I hate it too.

[1017] I hate it too.

[1018] I hate it too.

[1019] But she's at a 10.

[1020] I'm at like a 6.

[1021] How often are you at things that have like audience participation?

[1022] Too often.

[1023] I feel like a lot.

[1024] How's everybody feeling?

[1025] It just starts like that, right?

[1026] Like, how's everyone feeling?

[1027] Like, oh, am I really supposed to say, I got you know.

[1028] Or just like, yeah, raise your hand if you've ever blah, blah, blah.

[1029] Stand out.

[1030] No, I won't.

[1031] I will not.

[1032] You go to a concert.

[1033] The music's good, and you're like, I think I'm going to start dancing.

[1034] I'm in this row and no one else is dancing.

[1035] Once everyone is, it's something you can kind of fall in.

[1036] Anyway, everyone has a set amount of awkwardness in stage fright in public.

[1037] Yes.

[1038] But it definitely is 10xed when you're on the Jumbotron.

[1039] Yes, that's true.

[1040] And so because that's the reality, it's not going to happen on its own.

[1041] You have to actually step over that reality and go, no, no, that is what's up.

[1042] but I'm still going for it.

[1043] Like, I won't let that rob me of this thing I want.

[1044] Yeah, the jumbo -chron thing, it always feels like, you know, when you're, like, posing for a photo, but they're actually filming.

[1045] Yeah, you're like, maybe I should move more, you know?

[1046] Yeah, they'll go like, oh, I had it on video, and you're like, oh, God, now you have the weirdest -looking video of me posing.

[1047] But, yeah, it's on you for so long, and you're just like...

[1048] It happened to me at on Lakers game not too long ago.

[1049] I was just genuinely dancing because there was a great song on, and I'm dancing, and then all of a sudden, my friend next to me, Panay, goes, but you're on the thing.

[1050] And then I look and I was already committed.

[1051] If I stopped dancing, that would have been horrendous.

[1052] So then I continued and also checking in with like, and then I was like, man, they're hanging on me out to dry.

[1053] Like, I'm out of dance moves.

[1054] This is going on for like, I don't think I've ever seen anyone that long on the jumbotron, but they're waiting for me to land this dance.

[1055] But I have a similar commitment, which is like, I refuse.

[1056] I want to be a part of everything and experience everything.

[1057] But it's really easy to not do that.

[1058] I dig that this is your commitment to yourself.

[1059] And I feel like this Angel City is somehow in keeping with that.

[1060] Okay, well, listen, Angel City is on HBO Max.

[1061] And you produce this, right?

[1062] With Mountain A. Why do we name it Mountain A?

[1063] What does it mean?

[1064] So my partner, Sophie and I...

[1065] Not a friend.

[1066] We don't work with friends.

[1067] She is actually a friend and it's wonderful.

[1068] She and I both have kids all with A name.

[1069] Oh, it's kind of, and it's for them.

[1070] But now she's had a second child whose name starts with R. So we might have to adjust it.

[1071] What's the solution for that?

[1072] That kid is not going to do well.

[1073] Maybe we'll have to start another company that'll just be his name.

[1074] And the mountain part.

[1075] She grew up in the mountains, and my name in Hebrew means snow mountain.

[1076] Natalie means snowmountain?

[1077] No, my last name.

[1078] Portman.

[1079] My actual last name is Herschlag.

[1080] Portman is my grandmother's name that I took as a stage name.

[1081] And so in Hebrew, Harschelig is Snow Mountain.

[1082] Oh.

[1083] So, yeah.

[1084] I feel like you could come out with some kind of a product in an apothecary with that name.

[1085] I just had a German waitress at a restaurant who saw my last name on my credit card and was like, oh, it sounds like heartbeat in German.

[1086] I get heart -slag.

[1087] Oh.

[1088] Heartbeat.

[1089] I don't speak German at all.

[1090] A heartbeat on snowmountain.

[1091] Wait, so I have credit card.

[1092] So let's see you give us your credit card.

[1093] You do.

[1094] I mean, it's my private legal.

[1095] It's her birth name.

[1096] Right.

[1097] You can have a compartmentalized a little bit.

[1098] Yeah, well, because no one's like looking at my credit card and being like, oh, I know.

[1099] Huh.

[1100] Yeah.

[1101] But even identity wise, like walking through the world, do you feel like now I'm Natalie Portman and now, like, that's a weird question.

[1102] Well, I, no, no, no, it's absolutely true because all through my schooling, I had Hershlog.

[1103] It was this kind of like double identity where I could kind of just be like normal school person and I would get mad if people used Portman.

[1104] You were the original Hannah Montana.

[1105] Oh my God.

[1106] Yes.

[1107] Wow.

[1108] Yeah, I guess.

[1109] My friend was saying this about AOC.

[1110] AOC is her brand.

[1111] That's who she is politically.

[1112] That's who she.

[1113] But in life, like at a party or something, she's not AOC and she can really compartmentalize those two things, which is.

[1114] She goes by Herbert, right?

[1115] Right?

[1116] Yeah.

[1117] No, Herschel.

[1118] No, but I think that's helpful for people who have to have these very bold personas.

[1119] Yeah, that it gives you kind of a place to put it all.

[1120] Yeah.

[1121] Okay, before you go, and we've done a great job, I would be remiss if I didn't ask you what's happening professionally in the acting realm because I just saw you on an interview talking about Angel City, but within it you were acknowledging you had come from a set where you were shooting a series.

[1122] Yes.

[1123] And then I got really excited that you're going to be in a series.

[1124] So what series have you done?

[1125] I just did my first series for Apple.

[1126] It's called Lady in the Lake.

[1127] It's a murder mystery.

[1128] It's set in Baltimore in the 60s, which is really great.

[1129] Is it a real story?

[1130] It's false, but not false, fictional.

[1131] The whole thing is bullshit.

[1132] It's fictional, but based in historical realities.

[1133] How shit was going down.

[1134] And is your production company doing that as well?

[1135] Yes.

[1136] Cool.

[1137] Yeah, so that should be out later this year.

[1138] And then a film we made called May December is going to be at Cannes.

[1139] Oh, my God.

[1140] It's called May December?

[1141] Yes.

[1142] This is a ding, ding, ding.

[1143] Tell me. This is embarrassing for me, but I'll say it.

[1144] In 2008, I went to Cannes as a study abroad.

[1145] How cool.

[1146] With my college.

[1147] And we had to dress up and fancy dresses and then stand on the street to try to get tickets for the premiere movies.

[1148] And we just hold up signs that said tickets, Cebu play.

[1149] And then sometimes they give them down.

[1150] I was like, who got into this movie?

[1151] It was a whole thing.

[1152] Panhandling for tickets of Art House movies.

[1153] It's hilarious.

[1154] In black tie dresses is the best.

[1155] Because you have to be ready to go in immediately.

[1156] And they don't let you in unless you're wearing heels as a woman.

[1157] And we're in college.

[1158] I mean, it's rough.

[1159] But you were on the jury that year.

[1160] Oh, my God.

[1161] And it was a big deal.

[1162] If we got a glance at Natalie, it was a big deal.

[1163] Did you get a glance?

[1164] Yeah.

[1165] You did?

[1166] Yeah, and I was really into your outfits.

[1167] And I was like, oh, my God.

[1168] Her dresses were so good.

[1169] Did you see any great.

[1170] I got into a few.

[1171] Did you see the one that won Entre Le Mierre, the French?

[1172] Was it the class?

[1173] Yeah, it was the classroom.

[1174] Yes.

[1175] Um, no. We did not get a free ticket.

[1176] It's a good movie.

[1177] I didn't see it.

[1178] I ended up seeing a bunch.

[1179] I forget.

[1180] But amazing judo just happened, by the way.

[1181] You were like, oh, I wanted your outfits and everything.

[1182] And then she masterfully said, did you see any movies?

[1183] So she wanted to get it off of herself.

[1184] Yes.

[1185] Her dresses were masterful.

[1186] And it worked.

[1187] You're like, God, what did I see?

[1188] It took you right down the past.

[1189] You know our fashion icon.

[1190] You know, you have to know that.

[1191] Thank you for that.

[1192] Stay tuned for more armchair expert, if you dare.

[1193] On the topic of movies, this is the example I'll give because it's most current.

[1194] I haven't seen it.

[1195] Monica has.

[1196] I see that it is almost unanimously loved by all reviewers.

[1197] It's by all accounts, a perfect movie, air.

[1198] It has two of the biggest stars in the world in it.

[1199] Sports.

[1200] Ding, me, me. And it's one of the more.

[1201] compelling sports stories of all time and no one sees it and i go no i mean like 30 million bucks and i'm like for me and i'm not either of those guys i'm like yeah well no shit i'm out of that business like what the fuck would i do it's a perfect movie with perfect movie stars and it makes that amount of money and then i think there's no black swan coming there's no closer i feel like it's just a weird time because every week it feels like a different prognosis of like well that's where it is Yeah, Top Gun comes out and we're like, oh, movies are bad.

[1202] And, like, everything everywhere all at once.

[1203] And everyone's like, independent film is back.

[1204] And then one thing fails.

[1205] And they're like, it's over.

[1206] Yeah.

[1207] It's done.

[1208] And then streaming's the answer.

[1209] And then streaming's not doing well.

[1210] I feel like it's a very unsettling time because every week feels like it brings a different vibe.

[1211] Yes.

[1212] I mean, the fortunate thing for you is you also have your foot in two of the biggest franchises.

[1213] Those are the movies that do work.

[1214] So that's positive.

[1215] But do you at all.

[1216] all as an artist lament the fact, and is it part of why you would go to a series where all the great work is now being done?

[1217] Yeah, I think I always go where it's interesting, because I feel like if you're interested in it, then someone else is going to be, and whether it's big or small, my experience has been, you can always reach someone if it's meaningful.

[1218] Also looking at other art forms and where people were like, it's over, and then it had a hard period and then came back, like, people were like, books are going to be done.

[1219] And then they're like huge, but more than ever now.

[1220] Radio.

[1221] This is radio.

[1222] Yeah, totally.

[1223] People were saying it about music.

[1224] So that gives me hope that it's a weird time, but that it's not going to like disappear.

[1225] It'll morph, it'll mutate, but it won't be gone.

[1226] Well, I guess I get saddest when I think about it.

[1227] We had Jenna Ortega on.

[1228] She's so, so talented.

[1229] Oh, it's unreal.

[1230] And I was saying to her, it really only happens, I don't know, once every 15 years for me personally.

[1231] And I used you as an example the whole time I was interviewing her.

[1232] Like once in a while, you see a young actor and you go, oh, we're going to watch him do so many cool things.

[1233] It's just a cool feeling.

[1234] Yeah.

[1235] And I watch her and I have that Natalie Portman feeling.

[1236] I'm like, oh, this Jenna gal is going to do so many amazing things.

[1237] But then I think, but where and how?

[1238] I guess she will no matter what.

[1239] But do you have any sense of, oh, man, I was born in a right time where I got to, like, one side of you could be really sad that this is the state of affairs.

[1240] Another side could be overwhelmed with gratitude that you got to have the exact career you did.

[1241] I feel very, very lucky, but I also think I'm a little more optimistic than you are that it's going to change.

[1242] But I also feel like there's so much content that it dilutes audience for everything because it's like you can't possibly see all the stuff that's getting made, not even just the good stuff that's getting made.

[1243] So it's like all a process of like corrections.

[1244] Maybe it's like there's just too much stuff right now and maybe it needs a little bit of whittling down.

[1245] and then it'll bring the really great stuff back to the center and make people excited about it.

[1246] Obviously, people can be excited, like everything everywhere, top gun.

[1247] People will go when it's something that is really entertaining for them.

[1248] Yeah, but at least 10 times a year, a $30 million movie hit $150 million back when you were doing everything.

[1249] And that was not just viable, it was pretty regular.

[1250] And now it's like a couple a year.

[1251] Although I bet you, if you knew what the streaming ones were.

[1252] That you'd realize people are really watching a lot more stuff and it's a different business model.

[1253] And sometimes I have a more 30 ,000 foot view of it and I go, yeah, the artists are suffering a bit, but the audience is winning.

[1254] This is like the most exciting time to be a consumer of content.

[1255] There's so many options.

[1256] There's so much great stuff.

[1257] Totally.

[1258] And also independent films have a much broader platform and people who live in places where they might not have the movie theater have this incredible access now that they never had.

[1259] The viewer's winning currently, which is kind of cool if I step out of my own selfish desires.

[1260] Well, but that's also what the strike is kind of about is if you could participate in that success, then it's a whole different world.

[1261] Yeah.

[1262] What do you miss the most about your 20s and 30s?

[1263] What are you pined for?

[1264] Do you want me to go first?

[1265] Sure.

[1266] Tell me. Spotten 80, going out on a Thursday night, not coming home to Monday, meeting strangers, just floating about and getting pinballed around was very fun.

[1267] I liked it.

[1268] I can't possibly do that now.

[1269] I have two kids and lots of jobs.

[1270] They're like, yeah, something fun could materialize and I could ride that wave as long as I wanted to is heartbreaking that that's not a part of my life anymore.

[1271] Couldn't it be a little bit?

[1272] And I think about eight years, yes.

[1273] I think there will be a reclaiming of that, but it's not in the immediate future.

[1274] I guess working out and not having any, like, pain.

[1275] the next day.

[1276] Drinking, not having pain the next day.

[1277] Right.

[1278] Yeah.

[1279] A lot of dancing, like a lot of dance partying, which has just disappeared from my life.

[1280] That I feel like I should be able to revive, and I hope to.

[1281] Okay, mine's the same.

[1282] You were out, yeah.

[1283] I just went to Atlanta, and I told Monica, my main mission in Atlanta is to find a hip -hop club that starts going off around 1 a .m. And I want to go for it.

[1284] And?

[1285] And then I said to Kristen, like, let's go dancing in Atlanta.

[1286] She doesn't have the same fondness for dancing.

[1287] I went dancing all the time in my 20s, in 30s.

[1288] And she's like, okay, yeah, if you want to do that.

[1289] Could it be on the early side, though?

[1290] And I go, I don't think it functions that.

[1291] No, I don't think we can go to a 6 p .m. Dance party.

[1292] At a hip -hop club, we're going to be the only people there.

[1293] So then there's that reality.

[1294] And then I'm like, what am I going to stay up until 4 in the morning?

[1295] Yeah, I mean, that's another thing, being able to stay up late, being able to sleep in late.

[1296] And just you're in a partnership where, you have to be on the same page.

[1297] I can't be like waking up at 1 p .m. And she got up at 7.

[1298] Like, now we're fucked.

[1299] Okay, so dancing, that's a good one.

[1300] Yeah.

[1301] And now what thing have you discovered in your 40s that you're so grateful for?

[1302] I know exactly what I like right now.

[1303] All the senses, I know exactly what I want to eat.

[1304] I know exactly what sense I like.

[1305] I know exactly the people I like being around and don't.

[1306] Like, there's no iffiness about that stuff.

[1307] I mean, I obviously leave room for human complexity, but I'm like, oh, yes, this person, good person, this person, I don't need to spend time with.

[1308] Just a lot of clarity.

[1309] Well, you spend your 20s and 30 sampling.

[1310] It's like, I'm going to try everything on this sizzler bar.

[1311] But then over time, you then know.

[1312] Yes.

[1313] But then that in itself can be a trap as well, right?

[1314] Well, if you're too rigid about it and if you're like, this is just the way it is, I mean, I think leaving a little openness for changing your mind to.

[1315] But it's really nice to, like, be able to be like, okay, I'm not feeling good.

[1316] I can do A, B, C, D to make myself feel good.

[1317] I know what I like.

[1318] I know how to calm myself.

[1319] I know how to make myself happy.

[1320] You know how to regulate yourself, basically.

[1321] Yeah.

[1322] I've got like a system now by which I feel pretty good all the time.

[1323] Yeah.

[1324] But then there are another voice is like, no, no, through great discomfort and not getting what I want is often what led me to like the most spectacular.

[1325] So I'm like trying to make room in your life that's all through privilege.

[1326] It's like I can have what I want to eat at any day, you know, and I can work out and I can do all these things.

[1327] And that in itself is a maybe dangerous spot?

[1328] I don't know.

[1329] Yeah.

[1330] Well, you don't want to get into just some like banal routine that you then are not challenging yourself to grow in any way.

[1331] But it's also like, oof, it would be lovely to know a way to grow without deep pain.

[1332] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[1333] It also doesn't sound like you're in that trap.

[1334] You guys are moving to Paris.

[1335] You keep your lives dynamic at scenes.

[1336] Certainly.

[1337] It keeps me on my mind.

[1338] toes.

[1339] Do you worry about moving the kids around?

[1340] No, it's definitely a lot, but I think that there's the asset of being adaptable and also the challenge of having to adapt.

[1341] They're both positive and negatives to it.

[1342] But it's exciting to know that no matter what you end up with two languages, if you like, that's a gift.

[1343] Yes.

[1344] Because both your kids speak French, obviously.

[1345] Yeah.

[1346] I mean, they're obviously improving.

[1347] Now that they're there.

[1348] Yeah.

[1349] And they're in a normal school?

[1350] Bilingual.

[1351] A bilingual school.

[1352] So they get.

[1353] the English still.

[1354] Well, Natalie, I'll miss bumping into you walking around the neighborhood.

[1355] You too, but hopefully it'll still come back in a couple years when I'm living across the street.

[1356] Yeah, I hope it's faster than a couple years for you.

[1357] I'll tell you a funny thing I said yes to the other day, and I don't know why.

[1358] We got an email saying, would you host the HOA meeting?

[1359] And I was like, you bet.

[1360] I'm thinking like seven, eight people are going to be in the backyard.

[1361] And then come to find out, it's going to be like a four -hour event with the whole neighborhood.

[1362] You are very generous.

[1363] Why did you say yes to that?

[1364] I'll tell you why, because I'm still a kid from Michigan, and I'm like, you know, I want to be a neighbor.

[1365] I desire.

[1366] It's a big deal.

[1367] Yeah, I want that.

[1368] Again, my stubbornness back to your Harvard, like I got to make sure I'm not letting this other thing prevent me from doing what I'd be thrilled to do if I lived in any other neighborhood, which is like, I have a beautiful yard.

[1369] I'd love to show it up.

[1370] I'd love to you all feel comfortable here.

[1371] Stop thinking about whatever nosiness people will have in that situation.

[1372] and just fucking go for it but also signed up for way too much oh my god i wish you luck i'm sorry i won't be here oh to observe yeah i would love to see that the email's starting going like okay so we're going to need to be there three hours before the thing to set up all that and it's like okay uh and my i will say christen's like pretty shocked you were like yeah let's do it i'm like yeah i just like doing the hay ride i like feeling like i'm a real neighbor i kind of dig it if you get like to your The hay ride.

[1373] It's so good that you do that.

[1374] Kristen got you a ladder one time you were locked out of your house.

[1375] Oh, it was so helpful.

[1376] Yeah.

[1377] All right.

[1378] Well, I'm going to let you go.

[1379] It was great seeing you at Laura's wedding.

[1380] The last time we were talking about it coming, it happened.

[1381] Do you officiate, you seemed really good at it?

[1382] Oh, my God.

[1383] Do you do that, like, regularly?

[1384] It's a side hustle.

[1385] No, that's the first time I ever done it.

[1386] That's amazing.

[1387] You were really a great officiant.

[1388] That was a beautiful wedding.

[1389] Thank you so much.

[1390] You were a great MC, too.

[1391] Oh, thank you.

[1392] I forgot I had a job.

[1393] Thank you.

[1394] Yeah.

[1395] I got asked after that to officiate a couple more.

[1396] So I got some leads.

[1397] I understand.

[1398] I got some leads out of it.

[1399] It's a lovely seeing you.

[1400] Everyone watch Angel City on HBO Max.

[1401] It's a tremendous sports documentary.

[1402] Just very, very well done.

[1403] And that narrative is so powerful, man. When you see people trying to win, you're like, I get it.

[1404] I know what the objective is.

[1405] And it works big time.

[1406] So everyone check out Angel City.

[1407] So nice to see you.

[1408] Good look with everything.

[1409] So nice to see you.

[1410] Thank you so much for having me again.

[1411] Stay tuned for the fact check so you can hear all the facts that were wrong.

[1412] What are we doing, Monica?

[1413] Well, this is the inaugural.

[1414] Inogural.

[1415] The first three, you poured one, Wobby?

[1416] Yeah.

[1417] First three sips of Ted Seeger's on tap in the attic.

[1418] Cheers.

[1419] Cheers.

[1420] It's pretty foamy at first because it's a brand new case.

[1421] Let's see here.

[1422] Oh, my God.

[1423] It's so good.

[1424] I love it.

[1425] You do?

[1426] Yeah.

[1427] Are you just saying that because we're on air?

[1428] No, I've told you off air.

[1429] The keggerator, which now sits directly next to the couch.

[1430] Yeah.

[1431] Is noisy.

[1432] Yeah.

[1433] And so we have to turn it off during interviews.

[1434] Yeah.

[1435] But like today, we were in an interview for five hours of today.

[1436] Will it go rancid?

[1437] No. Okay.

[1438] It stays cool in there.

[1439] It was on for Chris.

[1440] Oh, in fact, I did.

[1441] I noticed it, but I thought the interview was still quite good.

[1442] Yeah, yeah.

[1443] And there's some effects that can be.

[1444] Why didn't you say anything?

[1445] Well, I was just like, oh, I can kind of hear it, but I don't even think it's a thing.

[1446] Okay.

[1447] But it probably is a thing.

[1448] But at any rate, let's not get bogged down on the downside of the Keggerator.

[1449] But we have fucking N .A. on tap inside the attic.

[1450] Oh, my God.

[1451] And it's so fun because it tastes so good.

[1452] It sounds like I'm doing an ad.

[1453] But I'm not.

[1454] It's light and refreshing.

[1455] I'm so far not sponsored, but it is so good.

[1456] And, like, I love my post -work drink.

[1457] Yes, I agree.

[1458] And this can be that without alcohol.

[1459] And still be able to drive.

[1460] Yes.

[1461] Well, that's why one of the slogans of Ted Seekers is, please, let me have another, I'm driving.

[1462] Oh, I love that.

[1463] Yeah.

[1464] I mean, drink as many as you can and get behind the wheel and put the pedal to the metal.

[1465] How many?

[1466] I'm already scared.

[1467] How many cups of this can we have?

[1468] I'm scared, too.

[1469] That's a sign of a good thing.

[1470] Yeah.

[1471] Like the moment you get fearful, there's not enough.

[1472] That's when you know, like, I'm enjoying this.

[1473] Yeah.

[1474] That's how I know, because now I'm paranoid.

[1475] I know, but really, how many?

[1476] I got to ask Tyrell.

[1477] Should we call one of the errands?

[1478] Can we call Aaron?

[1479] Weekly.

[1480] I would like to congratulate him.

[1481] Okay, great.

[1482] Aaron weekly.

[1483] And I haven't talked to him in a long time.

[1484] And too long.

[1485] Mm -hmm.

[1486] What's that, babe?

[1487] Congratulations.

[1488] Congratulations, Aaron.

[1489] Do you want to know why?

[1490] Guess what I'm drinking?

[1491] From the tap!

[1492] We're having our very first...

[1493] Oh, it's all in my mustache.

[1494] I love it.

[1495] We're having our first on -tap Seegers.

[1496] Isn't it so good?

[1497] It is.

[1498] It's really good, Aaron.

[1499] It is.

[1500] More than that, like, the fact that it's in the attic on tap is...

[1501] I think it tastes even better in here.

[1502] It tastes so good.

[1503] Of course it does.

[1504] I'm flying out immediately.

[1505] Yes, you need to.

[1506] This is how we know it's good, is Monica and I both had the exact same fear at the exact same time, and she voiced it first, and that's why we're calling.

[1507] How many pint glasses are in this fucking pony keg I've got?

[1508] We're both paranoid.

[1509] There's not enough.

[1510] I need a lot.

[1511] There isn't enough.

[1512] There's, um, there isn't.

[1513] I'm already worried about my keg.

[1514] Like, I even took it out.

[1515] And, like, felt it to see how empty it was.

[1516] Oh, God.

[1517] I'm so afraid it's going to run out.

[1518] There's, like, two and a half cases of beer in those cakes.

[1519] Oh, boy.

[1520] Two and a half cases.

[1521] So, 10 six -packs?

[1522] Uh, yeah.

[1523] Yeah, I guess so.

[1524] Oh, okay.

[1525] 10 -6 -packs is a good amount of bruskees.

[1526] It's an okay amount.

[1527] It's not enough.

[1528] It's not, yeah, it's not nearly enough.

[1529] We've had a lot of.

[1530] fears.

[1531] Ruthie had a fear because she's like, oh, fuck, are you going to, she was afraid I'm going to get back into my ways and like sit outside and just drink the entire barrel.

[1532] You're allowed to.

[1533] It doesn't have alcohol.

[1534] But that's what I told her.

[1535] I go, yeah, so what?

[1536] So what's the, what's the downside?

[1537] Like the calories?

[1538] Too hydrated?

[1539] She's afraid you're going to be too.

[1540] Too hydrated?

[1541] Yeah, I'm too aware of everything.

[1542] Memory's too good.

[1543] But it didn't happen, so she's no longer fears that.

[1544] But yeah, now I'm like, uh -oh, when do I tell them to fill another one?

[1545] I think we should go ahead and fill another now.

[1546] Well, Monica, there are two quarter barrels next to Robbie.

[1547] I don't care.

[1548] That's right.

[1549] That's only 36 packs of beer.

[1550] There's not enough.

[1551] I feel like when you're going to have a guest that's going to have one, and then you guys will sit there all night.

[1552] I think you're right.

[1553] It'll turn from a two -hour interview to an all -nighter.

[1554] Oh, my God.

[1555] We should save it then for someone who we really want to talk to for really long.

[1556] That's a good point.

[1557] You know, Aaron, last night I walked into my AA meeting with a sixer.

[1558] First time ever.

[1559] Ice down.

[1560] and we all bang back a Siegars during our AA meeting.

[1561] But you know how stingy I am?

[1562] This is like, Monica doesn't know this, but this is paralleled Aaron and I's entire existence so perfectly, which is we both got a stockpile of the beer, and I won't even drink it, and I will not give it to anyone.

[1563] I'm hoarding it, and I'm saving it.

[1564] Yeah.

[1565] And Aaron has given us a six back to everyone he's seen in the last two months.

[1566] Oh, Aaron.

[1567] You're doing it right.

[1568] You're doing it right.

[1569] I want everyone to ask that.

[1570] I wish you were lived next door because I would get more.

[1571] Yeah.

[1572] You would have a lot more if Aaron was here.

[1573] I would have a lot more.

[1574] Well, I'm proud of you.

[1575] This is a great product.

[1576] Thanks, baby.

[1577] Yeah, I love it.

[1578] I love the big sticker you guys got on the K -grader.

[1579] That's great.

[1580] Yeah, isn't it handsome?

[1581] Yeah, nice.

[1582] Very nice.

[1583] You know what a lot of people have been saying, Aaron, Because for anyone listening, the face of Ted Seegers is your father, your deceased father.

[1584] Right.

[1585] Who was arguably the handsomest man in Michigan.

[1586] Yeah.

[1587] And what a lot of...

[1588] Oh, you would have been fucking dropping your slacks.

[1589] We have had, our peers did have sex with him.

[1590] They did.

[1591] Oh.

[1592] They absolutely did.

[1593] I'm so jealous.

[1594] Yeah.

[1595] Yeah.

[1596] We're all jealous in all the directions.

[1597] But you know what people have been saying there, and it does look a bit like Mark Twain, which is true.

[1598] I've been hearing that constantly.

[1599] Yeah, it does.

[1600] Yeah, but it's not.

[1601] It's your fucking dad.

[1602] It looks like.

[1603] Yeah.

[1604] So now I'm realizing your dad was a mix between Mark Twain and Sam Elliott.

[1605] Mark Elliott.

[1606] Maybe that should be another product we do.

[1607] Mark Elliott.

[1608] That can be like a flavor.

[1609] A flavor.

[1610] Mark Elliott, Summer Ale or something.

[1611] Mark Elliott.

[1612] Yeah, I've heard Mark Twain more than 10 times.

[1613] And I'm like, oh, yeah, okay.

[1614] That's not what I want to hear, but okay.

[1615] Yeah, same, same.

[1616] This is just hitting me in while I'm on the phone with you.

[1617] Should we have your uncle do some reeds for us?

[1618] Oh, my God.

[1619] Do you remember his uncle, Monica?

[1620] Oh, is this the...

[1621] Who said, I'm not four.

[1622] I'm 60.

[1623] four years old motherfucker yeah he should and I sure I'm telling zero oh anyway that would be great I haven't spoke to him in years he's going to be so judgmental of the whole thing it'll be great he'll have a certain I hate everything absolutely your dad went rolling in his grave if he saw it.

[1624] Aren't you about a spoiled motherfucker?

[1625] All right, all right.

[1626] We're getting carried away.

[1627] I love you.

[1628] Bye, Aaron.

[1629] Love you.

[1630] Who's this for?

[1631] This is for Natalie.

[1632] But I want to say something because we just talked to Aaron.

[1633] It just reminded me. Oh, yeah, please.

[1634] I'm reading Demon Copperhead.

[1635] You are?

[1636] Yes.

[1637] I don't know if I told you I was reading.

[1638] You didn't?

[1639] Where are you at in it?

[1640] Around 100 pages in.

[1641] Okay.

[1642] So he's already had the stepdad.

[1643] He's already had the stepdad.

[1644] So this is this book, Barbara Kingsolver, a book you've been listening to a reading.

[1645] Prostalotizing.

[1646] Are you done?

[1647] I am on, I'm two chapters left.

[1648] Okay.

[1649] Yeah.

[1650] I've got like maybe an hour left.

[1651] It just won the Pulitzer for fiction.

[1652] Mm -hmm.

[1653] And you've been, yes, you've been talking it up and then a few other people I know have also set it.

[1654] And so I bought it and I'm reading it.

[1655] And it's so good.

[1656] It's so, I can't believe how good it is.

[1657] I'm so glad you think that.

[1658] It's like funny and horrible, a heart.

[1659] I mean, so heartbreaking.

[1660] And it's so it's about.

[1661] It's very errant.

[1662] Well, yeah, so that's what I was going to say.

[1663] So it's about a kid who is born to a addict mother, teenage.

[1664] mother in a trailer and the life that comes out of that basically in a hollow in Appalachia.

[1665] But there's so much joy and love and happiness mixed with tragedy.

[1666] And obviously I don't need to be like pushing a Pulitzer that kind of speaks for itself.

[1667] But it is so good.

[1668] And I do think about him and you every time I read it.

[1669] Yeah.

[1670] Me too.

[1671] Yeah.

[1672] Yeah.

[1673] And I, that's why I'm relieved to hear that you like it, because I, it just feels so real and authentic to me that I'm, you know, connecting with it in some way.

[1674] So I'm delighted to hear that, yeah, it resonates with everyone.

[1675] Yeah.

[1676] That wasn't my life, obviously.

[1677] Right.

[1678] So it's not that I'm reading it and I think, oh my God, yeah, that's me, that's me. But, but I know that that's real.

[1679] Right.

[1680] And so real.

[1681] As I saw, I can't wait to talk to her whenever we get to.

[1682] I don't know how she did that.

[1683] Because the boy stuff, too, is real.

[1684] really, really, really perfectly done.

[1685] I mean, obviously she did tons of research, but still, just the voice, all of it.

[1686] It's incredible.

[1687] But, yeah, and then there's this, like, very, very, very sweet male friendship.

[1688] With his neighbor.

[1689] Yeah.

[1690] And I think about you guys a lot.

[1691] It really breaks my heart.

[1692] It gets worse.

[1693] You recognize that, like, there's no way out of it.

[1694] You're, like, reading it and you're watching the train crash and you think, no, no, no, no, no, plea you.

[1695] But you're smarter because you're smarter, but aren't you smarter?

[1696] And you've seen it and you know it's damaging, but it doesn't matter.

[1697] I know.

[1698] I wish I had it.

[1699] There's a couple sentences that really nail it after he takes his first pill.

[1700] Yep.

[1701] About children.

[1702] We're basically not having the privilege to be one.

[1703] Yeah.

[1704] And, oof.

[1705] It's really heartbreaking, but it's so good.

[1706] And you know, it's not 10 people.

[1707] It's not 20 people.

[1708] It's like a percentage of our population that grew up that way.

[1709] I know.

[1710] And then you think of those people having to compete in the rest of their life with everyone else who had a childhood.

[1711] It's...

[1712] And Tommy so far, Tommy is like drawing the skeletons.

[1713] Is that one of the other orphans?

[1714] Yeah, the foster kids.

[1715] foster kid.

[1716] Yeah, it also shines a light on it.

[1717] Just how fucking gnarly.

[1718] I was like, I'm definitely fostering a kid.

[1719] I mean, that's 100%.

[1720] So I had the exact same thought too.

[1721] And then I was like, yeah, if I was single, yes.

[1722] I can't necessarily put my children in some situation, you know, I don't know.

[1723] I have in my life already thought that.

[1724] Maybe that's something I'll do in my life.

[1725] Yeah.

[1726] Especially if I can't have children, which might be the case.

[1727] And, And reading this, I've really thought, I think I'm going to.

[1728] One time I watched this bad date line about a foster kid who killed his foster mom.

[1729] Yeah.

[1730] Well, that's the thing.

[1731] You've got to be realistic.

[1732] They do not come without problems.

[1733] Well, exactly.

[1734] And then another foster kid who, well, this was, this is 100 % despicable on the dad.

[1735] There was a family.

[1736] They fostered a girl who she was a young teenager when they foster.

[1737] her and then he started sleeping with her she fell in love with him he convinced her to kill the mom for the money i think i saw this dayline it is that is the most evil i can't think of anything more evil than what that person did did to this young girl yes yeah yeah yeah and anyway so yes there's some fucking gnarliness out there it is so i'm a little scared of the murder but i don't think I think it'll be okay.

[1738] Just keep a gun under your pillow.

[1739] I'm not.

[1740] Okay.

[1741] I'm going to do that.

[1742] Crossbow?

[1743] It's a gun -free household.

[1744] What about a crossbow?

[1745] No. Okay.

[1746] Okay, so you said last time she was on, she had a funny or cutesy Australian internet provider.

[1747] Yes.

[1748] You said maybe it was like gobi or something.

[1749] Yeah.

[1750] Okay, so I'm going to read some Australian internet providers.

[1751] Internet providers, okay.

[1752] Tangerine.

[1753] Wow, that's pretty silly.

[1754] Really, yeah.

[1755] Activate me. No. Oh, but it's cool, though.

[1756] It's A -C -T -I -V -8, the number eight.

[1757] Okay.

[1758] Me. One word.

[1759] Oh, activate me. It's pretty cool.

[1760] Mate.

[1761] Mm -hmm.

[1762] Telstra.

[1763] Mm. Yeah, wasn't that techy sounding?

[1764] Optus or Optus?

[1765] TPG.

[1766] Boring.

[1767] I -I -Net or E -Net.

[1768] Oh.

[1769] A -Y -E -A -Y -E?

[1770] Mm -mm.

[1771] I. The letter I, the letter I. Okay.

[1772] So two.

[1773] But I think it might be this, dodo.

[1774] Yep.

[1775] That's what it was.

[1776] Okay.

[1777] Dodo.

[1778] But, you know, number one is tangerine.

[1779] So if you're looking for a good provider in Australia.

[1780] You recommend that?

[1781] Okay.

[1782] Actually, I can't recommend it.

[1783] You've not tried any of them.

[1784] No. Might make people think that your previous declaration of loving Ted Seeger is meritless.

[1785] Because then they're here like you're recommending things you've never even tried.

[1786] You're right.

[1787] And well, I am because I'm also recommending foster care.

[1788] Which is, yes, you get to do as well.

[1789] Yeah.

[1790] Oh, okay.

[1791] So Chris Hemsworth came up, obviously, Thor.

[1792] And you said that he grew up living subterranean.

[1793] I didn't find that.

[1794] We're going to have to have him on and ask about his childhood.

[1795] But he said, my earliest memories were on the cattle stations up in the outback.

[1796] And then we moved back to Melbourne and then back out there and then back again.

[1797] Certainly most of my childhood was in Melbourne.

[1798] But probably my most vivid memories were up there in Bowman with crocodiles and Buffalo.

[1799] Very different walks of life.

[1800] But when I was doing this research...

[1801] You stumbled upon some pictures of them?

[1802] Well, sure.

[1803] Sure.

[1804] I stumbled.

[1805] No, no. I was really trying to find this.

[1806] So I was reading a bunch of articles.

[1807] And then one of the articles was about him finding out that he has.

[1808] And this is a ding, ding, ding to last Thursday's episode with Lee and Nathan.

[1809] He has two copies of APOE4, which is the Alzheimer's.

[1810] Oh, wow.

[1811] And we talked about it here a lot on that episode.

[1812] Yeah, well, he's doing the very best thing for it.

[1813] Exercise.

[1814] Exercise.

[1815] He couldn't be exercising harder.

[1816] I know.

[1817] I watch his workouts on Instagram.

[1818] I follow him.

[1819] I watch him work out.

[1820] Well, then great.

[1821] Remember there was that thing they mentioned that also was helpful in combating it.

[1822] Oh, so now you feel like you got to get him the information and rescue him?

[1823] So when I talk to Jennifer Lawrence about A .O. and M .K. I'm also going to have, I bet she knows him.

[1824] You've adopted A .O. now.

[1825] I like this.

[1826] Well, yeah.

[1827] Do you feel like I'm not supposed to because I didn't.

[1828] No, of course.

[1829] But you were just kind of, you were shook by hearing.

[1830] hearing a .O. I was shook because it's so intimate.

[1831] Okay.

[1832] Okay.

[1833] So actually, I'm going to take that back.

[1834] I don't deserve to call her that.

[1835] You can call her a .O. Those are our initials.

[1836] That's what it'd say on the title card of this episode.

[1837] No, because I actually have, that's like a pet peeve of mine.

[1838] If somebody calls me a nickname before they've earned it.

[1839] Okay.

[1840] Or vice versa.

[1841] If someone like called you a nickname and I knew they didn't really know you, I'd be annoyed.

[1842] Okay.

[1843] I see.

[1844] So I can't call her that.

[1845] Oh, okay.

[1846] You strike that from the record.

[1847] Mary Kate and Ashley.

[1848] Okay.

[1849] When I talk to Jennifer Lawrence about Mary Kay and Ashley, I'm going to ask, hey, do you also happen to know Chris Hemsworth?

[1850] She'll say yes.

[1851] And then...

[1852] You think they know each other?

[1853] Yeah.

[1854] Okay.

[1855] And then I don't think they do.

[1856] I think they do.

[1857] Okay.

[1858] And I'll say, okay, well, I have some information from him that's really important for his health, so can you give me his number?

[1859] Smart, smart, smart, smart.

[1860] I think that'll work.

[1861] May too.

[1862] They did a movie together, Laura.

[1863] Jennifer Lawrence and...

[1864] Oh, I knew it in my heart and...

[1865] You think sometimes you think he only comes to my defense, but look at this.

[1866] He came to your defense.

[1867] He comes to your defense in opinions.

[1868] He comes to my defense in facts.

[1869] Liam Hemsworth.

[1870] Oh, I guess I'm right.

[1871] Well, Sir Jason.

[1872] She definitely knows him via Liam.

[1873] I doubt it.

[1874] Oh, what are you talking about?

[1875] I think Chris Hemsworth has been on the set of an action movie for the last nine years straight.

[1876] I think that guy has worked nonstop on location.

[1877] in these crazy big budget movies.

[1878] And I doubt he's paling around with his brother's co -stars on another continent.

[1879] I have a very weird Jennifer Lawrence story.

[1880] Well, remember I'm trying to get to her.

[1881] She'll like this.

[1882] This is funny.

[1883] Right.

[1884] I'm going to forget the details of it, which is going to be frustrating for you.

[1885] But I know the gist of it.

[1886] Okay.

[1887] I was visiting Cooper on Silver Linings Playbook.

[1888] And I was there for a couple days and I'm hanging out on the porch of the house they're shooting in.

[1889] And I talked to her a ton.

[1890] And she was reading, I want to say Catcher in the Ryeer, some classic that I had read and loved.

[1891] And we started talking about the book a ton.

[1892] And then I'm not lying, like, two months later, I'm watching a talk show.

[1893] And she's telling a story about this old guy on a set who was asking her about her book.

[1894] And she described me as like an older guy.

[1895] Wait, what?

[1896] Yeah.

[1897] Like something about the conversation.

[1898] I can't remember the details.

[1899] This is why I said, I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was clearly the story of her and I chatting about this book.

[1900] And she called me this older guy that was on set.

[1901] Wait.

[1902] It would also read the book and said blank.

[1903] And I was like, oh, my God.

[1904] I would love for her to talk about me in public, but she just called me this older guy.

[1905] And I was really bummed.

[1906] Because I'm the same age as Cooper.

[1907] And they were playing love interest.

[1908] Exactly.

[1909] I'm the exact same age as Cooper, in fact.

[1910] I don't, I think maybe she did that as, like, creative license.

[1911] To make her story better?

[1912] Right.

[1913] Like, she knows who you are.

[1914] And she knows you're not.

[1915] Well, hey, I don't know if she knew who I was.

[1916] I think she was, like, an old guy visiting Cooper on Seth.

[1917] No, I think she knows who you are.

[1918] And I think she knows you're not old, especially then.

[1919] That was a long time ago.

[1920] But I saw her then since, and I called her out for this.

[1921] God, I don't know if I dreamed that part.

[1922] This is getting confusing.

[1923] I'm going to say.

[1924] And then, because what would she have said?

[1925] I'm pretty sure I saw her.

[1926] Yeah.

[1927] And I was like, hey, happened to catch you on Charlie Rose or whatever the thing was.

[1928] I'm pretty sure you were referring to me as an old guy.

[1929] What'd she say?

[1930] See, this is.

[1931] Oh, God.

[1932] I think this whole thing is made up.

[1933] No, this is 11 years ago.

[1934] Then she definitely didn't think you were old.

[1935] She did.

[1936] Because she was like 20 and I was 37.

[1937] 37 is not old.

[1938] What's about to happen to you.

[1939] And you'll have the same moment.

[1940] I had.

[1941] I was like, oh, my God, why is that person calling me an old lady?

[1942] No, I'll report back if someone says that about me. So far, I'm still getting carded.

[1943] It starts happening.

[1944] Younger people start calling you ma 'am and stuff, you know.

[1945] That's fine.

[1946] Is it?

[1947] I mean, I think that's...

[1948] Excuse me, ma 'am.

[1949] You like that?

[1950] I mean, I don't know.

[1951] I don't...

[1952] You don't care.

[1953] It doesn't bother me, really.

[1954] You're not there yet.

[1955] Like, your age is still fine.

[1956] It's inevitable.

[1957] Like, it'll start.

[1958] bothering you a little bit, and then people will be confirming it by calling you ma 'am and stuff.

[1959] And I'm like, oh, that's a bummer.

[1960] Or maybe not.

[1961] Maybe you'll be of the healthiest feeling about growing older.

[1962] But like, when people call me sir and stuff, I'm like, oh, yeah, I mean, it makes sense, but.

[1963] Excuse me, sir.

[1964] I guess maybe it's because I, because in the South, that's what you call people.

[1965] Like that doesn't, ma 'am and sir don't necessarily translate to age for me. Nobody in the north, or no one in Michigan does.

[1966] There's no ma 'am and sir.

[1967] Right.

[1968] Unless it's an old -ass, sir.

[1969] Oh.

[1970] Yeah.

[1971] Sorry, sir.

[1972] I don't ever.

[1973] Is this bringing a bell to you at all?

[1974] No. Do you say ma 'am and sir in Chicago?

[1975] No, not really.

[1976] If you called someone sir, when would you call someone sir?

[1977] Like a police officer.

[1978] Oh, that's a good policy.

[1979] Right.

[1980] I think that's to me the same.

[1981] Like, I'm not really calling anyone that.

[1982] And then, so if they are, to me, that's just like something they do.

[1983] It has nothing to do with age.

[1984] You don't take it personally.

[1985] I think I called Sir on this at Mammoth this weekend, though, from a snowboarder that dropped his glasses and I grabbed them for him.

[1986] Yes.

[1987] How uncommon.

[1988] He said, thanks, sir.

[1989] And do you feel fine about it?

[1990] I felt a little weird about it.

[1991] Okay, good.

[1992] But did you feel old or just weird?

[1993] I guess old, but I don't feel old.

[1994] Yeah, like I'm too young to be called, sir.

[1995] Yeah.

[1996] How was your trip?

[1997] How would they even have seen your face?

[1998] You'd be all covered up with the goggles and stuff.

[1999] Yeah, I don't know.

[2000] From his nose down, he looks old as fuck.

[2001] Apparently.

[2002] But wait, Wabiwab just took a fun boys trip to Mammoth.

[2003] I did, yeah.

[2004] And how was it?

[2005] It was great.

[2006] It was fun.

[2007] Had you ever skied or snowboarded there?

[2008] Not there.

[2009] I've only skied in Wisconsin, so not a real mountain.

[2010] Yes, I'd say Mammoth is my very favorite ski location.

[2011] Yeah, I was not.

[2012] expecting it to be as big as it was it's enormous the elevations are as big as any place in colorado not total height but relative to base and then it's warm yeah it was it was hot like we were it was in a t -shirt yeah there's nothing like it snowboard in a sweatshirt all day great snow the trees are really fun to ride in because they're really far apart they're really spread out the trees yeah so you can get out in there in the woods and have a little solitude as you have ripped through how often do you do that i haven't been in 10 years Okay, wow.

[2013] Were you sore in all kinds of weird places?

[2014] I was, yes.

[2015] Yeah, yeah.

[2016] Okay.

[2017] So the second time you said triangle of sadness, you accidentally said triangle of love.

[2018] Oh, cool.

[2019] So.

[2020] Did that was, did it work?

[2021] No. I didn't.

[2022] I think people are going to be like, oh, wait, I think he meant.

[2023] But then it never got corrected.

[2024] And I had to keep it because it made sense in the scent.

[2025] Like, I couldn't take it out.

[2026] Could you just cut out love?

[2027] Triangle of, and then it sounds like I trailed off and she got right on it.

[2028] No, would have sounded weird.

[2029] Okay.

[2030] Maybe just keep of.

[2031] I guess I could have cut of love.

[2032] That would have been the best case because I know what it sounds like you shortened it.

[2033] Because I've already brought it up once before.

[2034] Yeah, but I'm not going back.

[2035] Okay, yeah.

[2036] Life's too short.

[2037] Okay, the fishing on the boat fable.

[2038] I'm going to read it.

[2039] The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman.

[2040] An American Investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.

[2041] Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.

[2042] The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

[2043] The Mexican replied, only a little while.

[2044] The American then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish.

[2045] The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

[2046] The American then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time?

[2047] The fisherman said, I sleep late, fish little, play with my children, take si -s with my wife, Maria.

[2048] and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos.

[2049] I have a full and busy life.

[2050] He's used all English, but he decided to say amigos.

[2051] Just...

[2052] The Americans scoffed.

[2053] Oh.

[2054] I have an MBA from Harvard and can help you, he said.

[2055] You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat.

[2056] With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.

[2057] Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening a...

[2058] up your own cannery.

[2059] You could control the product, processing, and distribution.

[2060] Vertical integration.

[2061] He said, of course, you would need to leave the small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually to New York, where you'll run your expanding enterprise.

[2062] The fisherman said, but how long will all this take?

[2063] To which the American replied, oh, 15 to 20 years or so.

[2064] But what then?

[2065] asked the Mexican, the American laughed and said, that's the best part.

[2066] When the time was right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich.

[2067] You'd make millions.

[2068] Millions.

[2069] Then what?

[2070] The American said, then you could retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta's with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.

[2071] It's pretty good.

[2072] It's good.

[2073] It's preposterous, but it's great.

[2074] Yeah.

[2075] Amigos.

[2076] What if he chose a different word, though?

[2077] Maybe he switched out.

[2078] town oh well he said siesta oh you're right that's true so there was two spanish words in there you should have said play with my miho play with my meho my children yeah oh god okay sounded yeah like he called his p p is meho yeah i actually thought you meant wife i could see where you thought it was his wife okay i looked up sports teams and salary caps MLB Major League Baseball.

[2079] Correct.

[2080] Is the only one of the major North American men's professional sports leagues without a hard salary cap?

[2081] That kind of makes sense.

[2082] Because the Yankees always famously have just spent way more than everybody else.

[2083] And Moneyball.

[2084] And Moneyball had no money, so they had to get creative.

[2085] That's right.

[2086] In 2023, an NFL's team salary cap was $220.

[2087] 24 .8 million.

[2088] So what on earth is happening on this?

[2089] Because Patrick Mahomes, he has, what, a $500 million contract?

[2090] Yeah, but that's over a certain amount of years.

[2091] Still, I mean, is it over five years?

[2092] Because this is year to year.

[2093] It's 10 -year, 450 million.

[2094] Oh, okay.

[2095] So 45 million of that, too.

[2096] Okay.

[2097] That's pretty much it.

[2098] That wraps it all up.

[2099] Last order of business before we sign off.

[2100] Have you watched any of the seasons of Dave?

[2101] No. You haven't.

[2102] Well, I will not spoil anything.

[2103] The last episode, what a surprise there is.

[2104] I need you to watch all three seasons now, Monica.

[2105] Oh, boy.

[2106] Or do you want me to tell you what happens?

[2107] No, because some of our listeners probably have happened.

[2108] Well, I'm just saying you.

[2109] Oh.

[2110] Um, sure.

[2111] I'm not going to do it in front of Rob.

[2112] Okay, so was that what you wanted to housekeep?

[2113] Yeah, I just was hoping you would watch Dave and I hoped you were either had gotten there or you were in route.

[2114] to there, because I want to tell you that there's quite a spectacular pop out in the last episode of season three.

[2115] So if anyone's listening who is watching but hasn't got there, get excited.

[2116] Get excited.

[2117] Yeah, truly.

[2118] You know what's interesting is I am grateful to many people who I have seen in my comments over the last seven, eight weeks, people urging me to watch.

[2119] And clearly, they had watched it.

[2120] And they didn't spoil it for me. Like there's a reason they told you to and it's connected to you or something.

[2121] That's right.

[2122] But they didn't spoil it for me and I'm impressed.

[2123] Oh, I think I saw something.

[2124] Really?

[2125] Well, don't say, we'll talk about it off.

[2126] Is it related to?

[2127] Be careful.

[2128] Is it related to this like maybe this world of ours?

[2129] No, it's like, it's not like they talk about our podcast or anything like that.

[2130] Right.

[2131] Okay.

[2132] Although someone did, someone, I saw my comments.

[2133] Someone wrote, you were mentioned three times in the first episode of Icarly.

[2134] I'm like, that's back?

[2135] Yeah, it's bad.

[2136] It's like Paramount or Peacock.

[2137] And this is how egotistical I am.

[2138] I'm like, I guess I got to watch that.

[2139] Now I'm dying to know, are they making fun of me or are they being complimentary?

[2140] Did you watch?

[2141] No, I don't even know.

[2142] I didn't know it was really odd.

[2143] Now I'm asking you.

[2144] Paramount Plus.

[2145] Paramount Plus has got a new Icarly.

[2146] Okay.

[2147] With Miranda.

[2148] Like, it's them now, I guess.

[2149] Oh, fun.

[2150] Well, great.

[2151] Well, and we'll see what they said.

[2152] Maybe they made fun of me. Maybe they were complimentary.

[2153] Could go either way in these situations.

[2154] Probably not super mean.

[2155] Why would they do that?

[2156] I mean, because that's where my mind goes, of course, is that I must have been made fun of.

[2157] I hope not.

[2158] Yeah.

[2159] Fuck you, I, Carly.

[2160] Well, hold on.

[2161] They might have been really complimentary.

[2162] Oh, then thanks, Icarly.

[2163] Thanks, I Carly.

[2164] All right.

[2165] Maybe it was about that Dak Shepp has a sister named Carly.

[2166] Yeah, could be.

[2167] That's a stretch, but it could be.

[2168] All right, well, you've got three seasons of Dave to watch so we can discuss that, and then I've got to watch I Carly, Caramont Plus.

[2169] Wow, we have a lot of homework.

[2170] We all have a lot to get done.

[2171] I finished succession.

[2172] Me too, me too.

[2173] What do you want to say about it?

[2174] Do you want to say anything about it?

[2175] Without any spoilers, obviously.

[2176] Yeah, I'm trying to think.

[2177] I liked it.

[2178] I liked that one too.

[2179] I think they did, boy.

[2180] what needed to happen.

[2181] I liked it.

[2182] There's this maddening aspect to the show that there's always been, which is like, they're all already rich.

[2183] They're all already so rich.

[2184] All the kids, they're already rich.

[2185] So rich.

[2186] Yeah, and it's like, what are we fighting about?

[2187] What are we, what's the thing?

[2188] Why are we, like, can't everyone just fuck off and go on vacation and be rich?

[2189] Well, at one point in one of the seasons, Roman's character, says that.

[2190] He says, shouldn't we just all be on jet skis and.

[2191] Yeah.

[2192] blah, blah, blah.

[2193] The ego will not allow it.

[2194] And also proves that, like, power is stronger than all of it.

[2195] Yeah.

[2196] Ooh.

[2197] That's an interesting thought.

[2198] I've not been able to connect to that much simply because I never pursued power, quote, power.

[2199] And I don't know that I felt it.

[2200] So I, to me, money's still number one.

[2201] Like, you offer me a ton of power versus a ton of money.

[2202] I want a ton of money.

[2203] But they're linked.

[2204] They are.

[2205] But there's certainly a lot of people that are.

[2206] They're incredibly powerful, but they're on government salaries.

[2207] Like, they actually don't have money, but they're insanely powerful.

[2208] Yeah.

[2209] But do you think a thought experiment?

[2210] Yeah.

[2211] How would you feel you had tons of money, but zero respect?

[2212] But that's a little different.

[2213] It is, but I'm asking you this.

[2214] Because to me, they're similar.

[2215] Like the reason.

[2216] I'd rather have a ton of money.

[2217] Yeah.

[2218] Because ultimately, I have, I'm about respecting myself.

[2219] Right.

[2220] If it works out that everyone else respects me too, great.

[2221] But if everyone respected me and I didn't respect myself, if I felt like a fraud, I would be miserable.

[2222] Well, right.

[2223] So really my only, I'm only trying to live up to my own fantasy of who I can be.

[2224] Yeah.

[2225] And I am a good judge of whether I'm failing at that or not.

[2226] Like, I know when I am or not.

[2227] And so I don't entirely.

[2228] need it from anyone else it's like I already know like I'm when I fail I'm going to beat myself up way worse than anyone else is going to that's just my nature so as long as I respect myself I don't really need it from anyone else because even if you didn't respect me I would be like you don't get it that's I may miss my arrogance you call yourself an approval junkie or self -proclaimed which is also linked into that likeability yeah do you want the approval of feeling like you are something, as I do.

[2229] I feel like I'm similar to you in that way.

[2230] Yeah, I want people to be attracted to me, for sure, big time.

[2231] So that would be the question asked me as like, would you be rich and people were repelled by you?

[2232] Or poor and everyone's attracted to you?

[2233] I would pick poor and attracted.

[2234] Interesting.

[2235] But respect is, I don't, I guess because I already have this chip on my shoulder about being low class and everything.

[2236] I already felt like no one respected us.

[2237] And I got over that.

[2238] I don't really give a fuck what you guys think.

[2239] Oh, I guess I maybe, I mean, maybe I just define respect differently.

[2240] That could be the case.

[2241] But like I expect people to be grossed out by me or judgmental of me or think I'm low rent.

[2242] So it's very easy for me to write off if someone doesn't respect me so long as I feel true in my direction right that's why i'm not terribly codependent in some ways some ways i am in some ways i'm not but as long as i have conviction about what i'm doing i actually don't give a fuck if anyone agrees now when i'm failing in a way i know i'm failing and people are judgmental then it really does hurt and it affects me greatly what if there was alcohol in here oh my god we were hammered right now yeah and you didn't know And we've all just been drinking it.

[2243] Aaron's been drinking it.

[2244] Yeah, everyone's drunk.

[2245] Everyone's been drunk.

[2246] You know, I always say I know that it's not real.

[2247] I have the ultimate test.

[2248] Because he don't want cocaine.

[2249] That's right.

[2250] I have no desire right now to find cocaine.

[2251] By the way, this is how I stay sober is I know in stone.

[2252] If I have real beer, I will also get cocaine.

[2253] I prove that a million times.

[2254] Yeah.

[2255] So for me, that is a. as true as anything I know in my life.

[2256] Cigarettes too would be great.

[2257] Throw those in the pot.

[2258] Okay.

[2259] All right.

[2260] Love you.

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