1 00:00:06,006 --> 00:00:08,299 [stadium organ fanfare plays] 2 00:00:15,432 --> 00:00:16,891 [Letterman] Jason? 3 00:00:17,392 --> 00:00:18,935 Oh, Jason? 4 00:00:19,894 --> 00:00:21,521 Tendon seems a little off. 5 00:00:21,604 --> 00:00:24,941 -[chuckles] Jason, great to see ya. -[Jason Bateman] You too, Dave. 6 00:00:25,025 --> 00:00:29,863 Few things are better or as good as being in a major-league baseball park. 7 00:00:29,946 --> 00:00:32,365 Yeah, this is… this is pretty cool. I'm a… I'm a sicko. 8 00:00:32,449 --> 00:00:34,784 I come to a lot of Dodger games each year. 9 00:00:34,868 --> 00:00:37,454 -Did you play? -I played not well. 10 00:00:37,537 --> 00:00:41,499 I think I held the record for striking out most times laughing. 11 00:00:41,583 --> 00:00:43,001 Let's see what we can do here. 12 00:00:43,084 --> 00:00:44,878 [Bateman] I'm gonna try to hit balls. 13 00:00:44,961 --> 00:00:46,671 [Letterman] I can put on a pretty good show. 14 00:00:46,755 --> 00:00:48,965 -[soft jazz playing] -Let's just see what you're doin'. 15 00:00:49,049 --> 00:00:51,217 [Ryan] All right, first couple will be rough. 16 00:00:51,718 --> 00:00:52,927 -[ball thuds] -No. 17 00:00:54,387 --> 00:00:57,057 Ryan, you've got to bring it down, man. 18 00:00:57,140 --> 00:00:59,184 [Ryan] There's a reason I'm a groundskeeper. 19 00:01:00,226 --> 00:01:02,353 -Dave, you know what you're doin'! -[Ryan] Whoa, buddy! 20 00:01:02,979 --> 00:01:05,982 -Every American should get to do this. -I agree with you. 21 00:01:06,066 --> 00:01:07,901 One more and then I'm done. 22 00:01:11,696 --> 00:01:14,324 -Ooh. Ah! -[laughter] 23 00:01:14,407 --> 00:01:16,701 -[Ryan] You're too close! -[Letterman] Almost hit me. 24 00:01:16,785 --> 00:01:19,162 -[Bateman] Get him, Dave. -I figured I'd get it outta the way. 25 00:01:19,245 --> 00:01:21,039 -[Bateman] Did that hurt a bit? -Yeah. 26 00:01:21,122 --> 00:01:23,291 -I wanna say something. -You sounded very solid. 27 00:01:23,374 --> 00:01:24,292 I will tell you that. 28 00:01:24,375 --> 00:01:27,796 For some reason, I really enjoyed that. What does that say? 29 00:01:27,879 --> 00:01:30,215 [jazzy theme music playing] 30 00:01:39,307 --> 00:01:41,309 [cheering and applause] 31 00:01:49,150 --> 00:01:50,235 Thank you. All right. 32 00:01:50,318 --> 00:01:52,654 God ble… God bless you. 33 00:01:55,323 --> 00:01:56,658 Thank you. Okay! 34 00:01:58,243 --> 00:02:02,330 How embarrassing is it that a dozen people over there stood up, 35 00:02:03,498 --> 00:02:06,334 and the rest of you, unless you're incapacitated, 36 00:02:07,085 --> 00:02:10,130 felt no need or urge to do the same? 37 00:02:10,213 --> 00:02:11,297 -[laughter] -God bless you. 38 00:02:11,381 --> 00:02:14,175 We're done with you folks. You can go home. 39 00:02:14,259 --> 00:02:16,219 [cheering and applause] 40 00:02:16,302 --> 00:02:17,387 [Letterman] Oh! 41 00:02:21,432 --> 00:02:24,102 Oh, come on now. No, no. It's too… 42 00:02:24,644 --> 00:02:27,564 It's a joke. I'm teasing. 43 00:02:28,064 --> 00:02:30,191 Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. 44 00:02:30,275 --> 00:02:33,361 This is so good, and you're so lucky to be here 45 00:02:33,444 --> 00:02:34,946 because the person coming up… 46 00:02:35,029 --> 00:02:37,282 By the way, do you know who the person is who's coming up? 47 00:02:37,365 --> 00:02:39,367 [cheering and applause] 48 00:02:39,450 --> 00:02:42,203 [whooping] 49 00:02:44,330 --> 00:02:47,417 -I thought it was supposed to be a secret. -[laughter] 50 00:02:47,500 --> 00:02:50,336 Uh, I've known about this guy for a long, long time. 51 00:02:50,420 --> 00:02:51,921 I used to have a television show, 52 00:02:52,005 --> 00:02:55,425 and periodically, he would be on my show as a guest, and since then… 53 00:02:55,508 --> 00:02:58,887 But when he used to come on the show, to me he was just another guy on the show. 54 00:02:58,970 --> 00:03:02,307 And for a long time, I thought he was the kid on Leave It to Beaver. 55 00:03:02,390 --> 00:03:05,143 -[laughter] -That… turned out not to be the case. 56 00:03:05,226 --> 00:03:07,228 And subsequently, to those days, 57 00:03:07,312 --> 00:03:09,480 I've grown to know of him, 58 00:03:09,564 --> 00:03:11,983 to respect him for what he does. 59 00:03:12,066 --> 00:03:15,695 He's both things, a very talented actor, 60 00:03:15,778 --> 00:03:19,282 a director, a writer, raconteur, 61 00:03:19,365 --> 00:03:21,826 and in addition, more importantly, 62 00:03:21,910 --> 00:03:24,245 jeez, he's just a lovely human being. 63 00:03:24,329 --> 00:03:26,748 Ladies and gentlemen, uh, Jason Bateman. 64 00:03:26,831 --> 00:03:29,584 -[cheering and applause] -[Bateman] Thank you. 65 00:03:31,753 --> 00:03:32,879 Hi, Jason. How are you? 66 00:03:33,671 --> 00:03:35,924 -Hi. -Nice to see you. Thank you very much. 67 00:03:36,007 --> 00:03:38,176 -Where am I? -You're right over there. 68 00:03:38,259 --> 00:03:39,886 Hi! 69 00:03:41,888 --> 00:03:43,264 -[Letterman] Thank you. -Hi. 70 00:03:46,017 --> 00:03:48,353 -How you doin'? -I'm doing good. 71 00:03:48,436 --> 00:03:51,773 Yeah, I, I didn't know… I was back there watching you do your incr… 72 00:03:51,856 --> 00:03:53,316 -We can sit. -How do… 73 00:03:53,399 --> 00:03:55,235 How do you think this makes me feel? 74 00:03:56,611 --> 00:03:58,363 Why? Did I-- 75 00:03:58,446 --> 00:04:01,032 No, you well deserve… 76 00:04:01,115 --> 00:04:04,452 You see those four, motley-looking people back there? 77 00:04:04,535 --> 00:04:06,746 That was my standing ovation. 78 00:04:07,497 --> 00:04:10,416 I think this is a fascinating place to have a show like this. 79 00:04:10,500 --> 00:04:14,337 The audience, very nice, right size, comfortable, has a colorful history. 80 00:04:14,420 --> 00:04:17,757 -Have you been in this place before? -No. I've lived in Los Angeles since 1976. 81 00:04:17,840 --> 00:04:21,344 I had no idea this part of the city existed, let alone this… 82 00:04:21,844 --> 00:04:23,930 this… Did you get a deal on the spot, Dave? 83 00:04:24,013 --> 00:04:25,306 Are you kidding? 84 00:04:25,807 --> 00:04:28,184 You've been a director. You know how this works. 85 00:04:28,268 --> 00:04:30,728 -No, this is a really cool location. -It's very cool. 86 00:04:30,812 --> 00:04:33,398 -And we're in Highland Park. -Yeah. 87 00:04:33,481 --> 00:04:34,524 Very cool. 88 00:04:34,607 --> 00:04:36,276 [cheering and applause] 89 00:04:36,359 --> 00:04:38,486 I, of course, know about Highland Park 90 00:04:38,569 --> 00:04:40,405 'cause it's near my beloved Dodger Stadium. 91 00:04:40,488 --> 00:04:41,823 -Dodger Stadium. -You know? 92 00:04:41,906 --> 00:04:42,991 [cheering and applause] 93 00:04:43,074 --> 00:04:45,743 The audience applauding the location of the venue. 94 00:04:45,827 --> 00:04:48,413 -I love that. Uh… -That's my wife and daughter right there. 95 00:04:48,496 --> 00:04:49,914 -Where? -Right there. 96 00:04:49,998 --> 00:04:51,291 -Maple, 13. -Oh, hi. 97 00:04:51,374 --> 00:04:53,584 -[Bateman] Amanda. -[Letterman] Nice to meet you. 98 00:04:54,711 --> 00:04:58,172 Uh, listen, Jason. I can't thank you enough for being here. 99 00:04:58,256 --> 00:05:01,092 I've been fascinated by this most of my adult life. 100 00:05:01,175 --> 00:05:02,719 Being a childhood star. 101 00:05:02,802 --> 00:05:05,221 I, I don't know how that happens. 102 00:05:05,305 --> 00:05:08,766 I have a son. It never was part of… 103 00:05:08,850 --> 00:05:10,435 Oh… How does it happen? 104 00:05:10,518 --> 00:05:13,229 It happened for you, and it happened for your sister. 105 00:05:13,313 --> 00:05:15,231 -Yeah. -Who is two years older. Correct? 106 00:05:15,315 --> 00:05:17,317 -Three. Justine. -Three years older. Justine. 107 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:19,819 And how does a child star work? 108 00:05:19,902 --> 00:05:22,822 The short version was, basically, we had a neighbor who was an actor, 109 00:05:22,905 --> 00:05:24,282 friend… was friends with my dad. 110 00:05:24,365 --> 00:05:28,453 I was out front, washing the car, washing my dad's car with him. 111 00:05:28,953 --> 00:05:30,580 The neighbor was on his way to an audition 112 00:05:30,663 --> 00:05:33,708 and said, "You look miserable. Wanna come with me to this audition?" 113 00:05:33,791 --> 00:05:35,585 -I was like, "Yeah." -How old were you? 114 00:05:35,668 --> 00:05:37,337 -I was 10. -10. 115 00:05:37,420 --> 00:05:40,673 -Um… already child labor. You know. -[laughter] 116 00:05:40,757 --> 00:05:44,010 Um… and, uh, he said, "Learn these lines and go in there 117 00:05:44,093 --> 00:05:46,179 and make it look like you know what you're doin'." 118 00:05:46,262 --> 00:05:48,473 You know, "Just say, 'What? I'm not on the call sheet?'" 119 00:05:48,556 --> 00:05:50,767 "'Sorry, it must be some mistake. I'm here to read…'" 120 00:05:50,850 --> 00:05:52,393 I go in, I read for it, I get the part. 121 00:05:52,477 --> 00:05:53,770 So I come home, 122 00:05:53,853 --> 00:05:57,523 my dad is now running a chamois across the car. He's… 123 00:05:57,607 --> 00:06:00,485 And… and… and I say, "I, I, I got it!" 124 00:06:00,568 --> 00:06:02,695 And he says, "Unbelievable. That's great." 125 00:06:02,779 --> 00:06:05,031 I said, "Will you take some pictures of me, 126 00:06:05,114 --> 00:06:07,867 we can send them into an agency, maybe get an agent." 127 00:06:07,950 --> 00:06:11,913 'Cause my dad was a writer, director, producer, still is, 128 00:06:11,996 --> 00:06:15,500 and he, instead of taking me to the park and throw the ball, 129 00:06:15,583 --> 00:06:18,044 he would take me to, uh… movies. 130 00:06:18,127 --> 00:06:20,296 Now, was your mother also a part of show business? 131 00:06:20,380 --> 00:06:22,256 -Mom was a flight attendant for Pan Am. -Whoa. 132 00:06:22,340 --> 00:06:25,843 So she was flying all over the world, two weeks on, two weeks off, all the time. 133 00:06:25,927 --> 00:06:29,138 And so my dad and I had a lot of one-on-one time while Mom's out. 134 00:06:29,222 --> 00:06:31,849 Your family originally from… was it Rye, New York? 135 00:06:31,933 --> 00:06:34,811 Yeah, born in Rye. Lived there till I was two. 136 00:06:34,894 --> 00:06:39,232 Boston till four, Salt Lake till seven, and then LA since '76. 137 00:06:39,315 --> 00:06:41,943 What was the reason for Boston and then Salt Lake? 138 00:06:42,026 --> 00:06:44,904 Mostly law. He was trying to run away from the law. 139 00:06:44,987 --> 00:06:45,905 They… 140 00:06:45,988 --> 00:06:47,824 -[laughter] -Um… 141 00:06:47,907 --> 00:06:52,328 Dad was pursuing post-production jobs around the country, 142 00:06:52,412 --> 00:06:55,039 running a lab or editing facility 143 00:06:55,123 --> 00:06:58,126 while he was looking for directing and writing jobs. 144 00:06:58,209 --> 00:07:02,046 Um… so I got very lucky with commercials early on, 145 00:07:02,130 --> 00:07:03,631 and did a bunch of those. 146 00:07:03,714 --> 00:07:05,299 ♪ Oh, those Golden Grahams ♪ 147 00:07:05,383 --> 00:07:07,176 ♪ Tastes like honey Grahams ♪ 148 00:07:07,260 --> 00:07:09,011 It's a delicious honey-graham taste. 149 00:07:09,095 --> 00:07:11,514 And Justine saw those were bringing in some money, 150 00:07:11,597 --> 00:07:12,974 so she got an agent too. 151 00:07:13,057 --> 00:07:16,227 What kinda money we talkin' about? I had a paper route at this age. 152 00:07:16,310 --> 00:07:18,479 -I know what kinda money that was. -Yeah. 153 00:07:18,563 --> 00:07:21,649 -What kind of money was yours? -This… this… this… was better. 154 00:07:21,732 --> 00:07:23,443 -This… -[laughter] 155 00:07:23,526 --> 00:07:25,653 [chuckles] This was… Back in those days, 156 00:07:25,736 --> 00:07:28,990 if you got a national commercial, one of these commercials like Pepsi, 157 00:07:29,073 --> 00:07:31,868 or, you know, Honey Nut Cheerios or something, 158 00:07:31,951 --> 00:07:35,538 you could expect to make $30,000 on this commercial 159 00:07:35,621 --> 00:07:37,707 by the time it's done playing 160 00:07:37,790 --> 00:07:40,334 over the course of maybe three, four months. 161 00:07:40,418 --> 00:07:45,465 And so if you do a handful of commercials, your agent goes, "Oh, you might not suck." 162 00:07:45,548 --> 00:07:49,343 "Let's send you out to maybe get a guest spot in a sitcom or something." 163 00:07:49,427 --> 00:07:51,762 -Self-fulfilling success? -Yeah. 164 00:07:51,846 --> 00:07:53,890 I was doing these sitcoms, like the one with Ricky 165 00:07:53,973 --> 00:07:55,683 and a bunch of other folks. 166 00:07:55,766 --> 00:07:58,644 I just… I loved working in… in television, 167 00:07:58,728 --> 00:08:01,063 doing multi-camera stuff in front of a studio audience. 168 00:08:02,231 --> 00:08:04,066 Rick, you are, without a doubt, 169 00:08:04,734 --> 00:08:08,237 the most up-front, upright, uptight, 170 00:08:08,321 --> 00:08:11,365 disgustingly straight-arrow, best friend a guy ever had. 171 00:08:11,449 --> 00:08:12,617 [laughter] 172 00:08:12,700 --> 00:08:15,244 Ricky Schroder and I used to go up into the permanents, 173 00:08:15,328 --> 00:08:18,539 uh, you know, the soundstages, they've got these wooden planks up there, 174 00:08:18,623 --> 00:08:21,042 or walking planks where they hang lights and chains 175 00:08:21,125 --> 00:08:23,085 and all sound equipment and stuff, 176 00:08:23,169 --> 00:08:25,505 And, you know, 60 feet above the stage floor. 177 00:08:25,588 --> 00:08:28,716 We'd go up there. They'd load in the studio audience before the show. 178 00:08:28,799 --> 00:08:33,137 We'd go up there. We bought these bass… these… these brass peashooters… 179 00:08:33,638 --> 00:08:35,097 -Brass? -Yeah. 180 00:08:35,181 --> 00:08:37,767 -For the professional. -We got… we got very professional. 181 00:08:37,850 --> 00:08:41,521 We go up there with a stack of rewrites, and, uh… just loose script pages, 182 00:08:41,604 --> 00:08:43,981 and we'd chew off a little piece, we'd spit spit wads 183 00:08:44,065 --> 00:08:45,733 down at the studio audience 184 00:08:45,816 --> 00:08:48,444 while they're just taking their seat, getting ready for.. 185 00:08:48,528 --> 00:08:49,987 -At the audience! -We were monsters. 186 00:08:50,071 --> 00:08:50,988 At the audience! 187 00:08:51,072 --> 00:08:52,323 -Yeah. -That's lovely. 188 00:08:52,406 --> 00:08:55,368 We shot… we shot at Universal Studios, 189 00:08:55,451 --> 00:08:58,454 so, you know, we had our bikes on… on… on the lot, 190 00:08:58,538 --> 00:09:01,165 you know, 'cause we gotta get our PE in. 191 00:09:01,249 --> 00:09:04,210 And we'd ride our bikes up behind those tra… you know the trams, 192 00:09:04,293 --> 00:09:06,921 and we'd hold onto the back of the tram so we wouldn't have to pedal, 193 00:09:07,004 --> 00:09:10,091 and we let it drag us all the way up to, like, Jaws Lake. 194 00:09:10,174 --> 00:09:13,469 And then we'd get out at Jaws Lake, we'd roll up our pant legs, we'd go in, 195 00:09:13,553 --> 00:09:16,722 and we'd scoop up goldfish. There's tons of goldfish at Jaws Lake. 196 00:09:16,806 --> 00:09:19,684 So the guys who were driving the tram, 197 00:09:19,767 --> 00:09:22,728 they'd see these two 13-year-olds out there wading around. 198 00:09:22,812 --> 00:09:24,689 Jaws Lake is only about this deep. 199 00:09:24,772 --> 00:09:26,816 And so they contacted our parents. 200 00:09:26,899 --> 00:09:29,569 They said, "For reasons we don't wanna bore you with, 201 00:09:29,652 --> 00:09:31,195 we're trying to scare these people, 202 00:09:31,279 --> 00:09:35,658 and when you see two youngsters out there in knee-deep water scooping up goldfish, 203 00:09:35,741 --> 00:09:38,995 it wrecks it a bit. We got a great white out there, you know." 204 00:09:39,078 --> 00:09:40,788 So we had to stop doing that. 205 00:09:40,871 --> 00:09:45,001 Now, as the success propels, you're enjoying your life? 206 00:09:45,084 --> 00:09:49,171 I'm enjoying my life a lot, yes. I thought I was fantastic. 207 00:09:49,255 --> 00:09:52,550 I mean, I thought I was just the coolest kid. 208 00:09:52,633 --> 00:09:55,678 I was talking to you about it yesterday, about doing Johnny Carson. 209 00:09:55,761 --> 00:09:58,264 You were 15 when you were on The Tonight Show. 210 00:09:58,347 --> 00:09:59,849 Jason, I owe you an apology. 211 00:09:59,932 --> 00:10:02,518 I have called you Joseph twice tonight for some reason. 212 00:10:02,602 --> 00:10:05,771 -It's all… it's all right, Jack. -[laughter] 213 00:10:05,855 --> 00:10:07,690 [Letterman] It's… it's… it's lovely, 214 00:10:07,773 --> 00:10:09,191 and he's such a sweet… 215 00:10:09,275 --> 00:10:10,568 -You would think… -No. Dave. 216 00:10:10,651 --> 00:10:13,904 …a 15-year-old show-business star veteran at that age would be snarky-- 217 00:10:13,988 --> 00:10:15,364 I was so comfortable. 218 00:10:15,448 --> 00:10:17,783 But very sweet and satisfying. 219 00:10:17,867 --> 00:10:19,910 I should not have been as comfortable. 220 00:10:19,994 --> 00:10:22,204 You're 15, for heaven's sakes. 221 00:10:22,288 --> 00:10:24,749 Anyway, I thought that was admirable, but I understand, 222 00:10:24,832 --> 00:10:28,169 looking at old images, it makes me wince as well. 223 00:10:28,252 --> 00:10:30,713 Not just of you, but when I look at other old images. 224 00:10:30,796 --> 00:10:31,964 -[laughter] -Did you… 225 00:10:32,632 --> 00:10:34,342 People who were child actors, 226 00:10:34,425 --> 00:10:37,928 often we hear some unpleasantness of that experience. 227 00:10:38,012 --> 00:10:40,389 Was that ever part of your life? 228 00:10:41,307 --> 00:10:43,434 Y… uh… yes. 229 00:10:43,517 --> 00:10:45,519 I… I mean, I think that… 230 00:10:45,603 --> 00:10:49,273 I know, that I… Again, I thought I was pretty fantastic, 231 00:10:49,357 --> 00:10:52,276 and I was probably a little bratty at times. 232 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:57,365 However, I wasn't as bratty as some of my peers, I think. 233 00:10:57,448 --> 00:10:59,575 -Like who? -[laughter] 234 00:11:03,663 --> 00:11:06,248 I… If there was something different in this… 235 00:11:06,832 --> 00:11:08,751 Um… I, um… 236 00:11:08,834 --> 00:11:11,212 I… I will not mention names, 237 00:11:11,295 --> 00:11:14,423 but I did do a show with a fella 238 00:11:14,507 --> 00:11:17,802 that taught me a lot of… of kind of what not to do, 239 00:11:17,885 --> 00:11:21,764 and it informed the way that I hope that I act now on sets, 240 00:11:21,847 --> 00:11:24,266 when I'm in a lucky position to be 241 00:11:24,350 --> 00:11:26,560 in a leadership position or directing or something. 242 00:11:26,644 --> 00:11:28,938 What was the guy's name? Ricky… Rick. What was his name? 243 00:11:29,021 --> 00:11:31,023 [laughter] 244 00:11:32,316 --> 00:11:34,652 I'm losing you, Dave. You going over a canyon? 245 00:11:37,405 --> 00:11:39,532 -Hello? -"Are you going over a canyon?" 246 00:11:39,615 --> 00:11:42,326 -I gotta call you back. You breaking up. -Okay, we'll check in. 247 00:11:43,452 --> 00:11:44,286 Uh… 248 00:11:44,370 --> 00:11:46,872 Do you feel like you've missed out anything in your childhood? 249 00:11:46,956 --> 00:11:50,042 And I'll just answer for you. You were doing something you love, 250 00:11:50,126 --> 00:11:53,045 so I'm guessing, no, you didn't feel like you missed anything. 251 00:11:53,129 --> 00:11:55,715 I, I, I missed… I missed a lot of playing 252 00:11:55,798 --> 00:11:59,552 because I was working from 10 to now, 253 00:11:59,635 --> 00:12:03,139 um… and so there was a lot of… a lot of playing that I missed, 254 00:12:03,222 --> 00:12:05,224 but I went ahead and caught up on that, Dave, 255 00:12:05,307 --> 00:12:07,685 during a shallow period in the twenties. 256 00:12:07,768 --> 00:12:10,396 All right, so in your age of twenties. 257 00:12:10,479 --> 00:12:13,274 Now, I know what you're alluding to. What precipitated that? 258 00:12:13,357 --> 00:12:17,236 It was… you started experimenting with controlled substances. 259 00:12:17,319 --> 00:12:18,487 [both laughing] 260 00:12:18,571 --> 00:12:22,366 -Nothing funny about that. -No. Well, there can be. Um… 261 00:12:22,450 --> 00:12:25,453 I can hook you up with some stuff that'll make you laugh all night. 262 00:12:25,536 --> 00:12:27,496 Um, uh… 263 00:12:27,580 --> 00:12:32,168 Well, what precip… precipitated that was really a thirst for normalcy. 264 00:12:32,251 --> 00:12:37,423 So, um, I would go back to my school at the end of every television season. 265 00:12:37,506 --> 00:12:41,218 And so I hung out with all of my schoolmates, um, in high school, 266 00:12:41,302 --> 00:12:43,179 and what do people do in high school? 267 00:12:43,262 --> 00:12:45,514 You go out and you get after it on the weekends. 268 00:12:45,598 --> 00:12:48,434 And so I really kinda leaned into that 269 00:12:48,517 --> 00:12:50,811 'cause I figured I work hard, let's play hard. 270 00:12:50,895 --> 00:12:53,647 And then I caught up by the time I was 30. 271 00:12:53,731 --> 00:12:57,401 So… so… so this is like a multi-year hiatus? 272 00:12:57,485 --> 00:12:59,487 It was a decade of… of… of fun. 273 00:12:59,570 --> 00:13:01,363 Now, did your work suffer? 274 00:13:01,447 --> 00:13:03,073 -It sure did, Dave. -Yeah. 275 00:13:03,157 --> 00:13:05,785 -[laughter] -Um… uh… 276 00:13:05,868 --> 00:13:08,287 But, yeah. I mean, I was still working a bit, 277 00:13:08,370 --> 00:13:10,206 just enough to keep my head above water. 278 00:13:10,289 --> 00:13:14,418 Were you in deep trouble, uh, like Robert Downey Jr.? 279 00:13:14,502 --> 00:13:15,711 -He was a guy who… -No. 280 00:13:15,795 --> 00:13:18,714 …was teetering on the brink many times 281 00:13:18,798 --> 00:13:20,883 and grabbed himself and righted it, 282 00:13:20,966 --> 00:13:23,052 and now is a happy, wonderful, successful guy. 283 00:13:23,135 --> 00:13:24,178 -Uh… -So, you-- 284 00:13:24,261 --> 00:13:28,390 I… I… My bottom… my bottom was not a bottom 285 00:13:28,474 --> 00:13:31,435 that is worthy of a… a… a… fun story. 286 00:13:31,519 --> 00:13:35,356 Um, it was just sort of like, as I said earlier, I kinda caught up, 287 00:13:35,439 --> 00:13:38,484 and Amanda was incredibly helpful with saying, 288 00:13:38,567 --> 00:13:41,487 "Hey, buddy, I know you're dialing it down right now, 289 00:13:41,570 --> 00:13:44,448 and you'll probably be completely done in a few years, 290 00:13:44,532 --> 00:13:47,660 but how about right now?" You know, "Let's get on with this." 291 00:13:47,743 --> 00:13:49,245 [Letterman] What was your impression 292 00:13:49,328 --> 00:13:51,121 in the business of Hollywood and show business? 293 00:13:51,205 --> 00:13:54,375 Did people think, "Oh, don't bother us with Jason anymore?" 294 00:13:54,458 --> 00:13:56,794 -Or were they, "We haven't seen him"? -It was that. 295 00:13:56,877 --> 00:13:59,547 -It was a really tough time. Yeah. -It was the former? 296 00:13:59,630 --> 00:14:02,466 -So this was your life for a long time. -It was my life. 297 00:14:02,550 --> 00:14:05,511 -I didn't go to college. Nothing else-- -Do you regret not going to college? 298 00:14:05,594 --> 00:14:07,847 -Sorry? -Do you regret not going to college? 299 00:14:07,930 --> 00:14:10,724 Only because I'm, you know, I'm intellectually curious now. 300 00:14:10,808 --> 00:14:13,686 I was not then. The whole concept of additional voluntary school 301 00:14:13,769 --> 00:14:15,646 did not make any sense to me at all. 302 00:14:16,272 --> 00:14:18,774 And… and was it because of your career, 303 00:14:18,858 --> 00:14:21,527 or they just don't line up chronologically? 304 00:14:21,610 --> 00:14:24,154 You were too busy to go to college, or you were-- 305 00:14:24,238 --> 00:14:27,199 Well, I, I was doing the Academy Award-winning film 306 00:14:27,283 --> 00:14:29,076 Teen Wolf Too at the-- 307 00:14:29,159 --> 00:14:30,452 [laughter] 308 00:14:30,536 --> 00:14:32,204 [cheering and applause] 309 00:14:34,748 --> 00:14:39,295 [distorted deep voice] I'd like to change some classes. 310 00:14:39,378 --> 00:14:41,422 [growling softly] 311 00:14:43,632 --> 00:14:45,634 [Bateman] I was doing that during my senior year, 312 00:14:45,718 --> 00:14:47,177 right at the end of my senior year, 313 00:14:47,261 --> 00:14:51,974 and we were shooting that while I was… while finals were happening at school, 314 00:14:52,057 --> 00:14:55,853 and I did not have the time to do two of my four finals, 315 00:14:55,936 --> 00:14:57,980 so I never got my high-school diploma. 316 00:14:58,063 --> 00:15:01,108 So on the record now, you have not graduated from high school? 317 00:15:01,191 --> 00:15:02,526 That's correct. Yeah. 318 00:15:02,610 --> 00:15:03,986 -Whoa. -Yeah. 319 00:15:04,069 --> 00:15:07,740 We had previously perhaps limited this to high-school grads. 320 00:15:08,324 --> 00:15:10,200 -Yeah. -[laughter] 321 00:15:10,284 --> 00:15:12,453 That… that is… that is true. 322 00:15:12,536 --> 00:15:15,122 [stadium organ plays "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"] 323 00:15:18,918 --> 00:15:21,879 -You used to live here, right? -Yeah, used to come up to the game a lot. 324 00:15:21,962 --> 00:15:23,505 When were you living here? Why? 325 00:15:23,589 --> 00:15:27,509 Moved out here in '75 because I, I thought I wanted to be a TV writer, 326 00:15:27,593 --> 00:15:30,262 but secretly I knew I just wanted to get on The Tonight Show. 327 00:15:30,346 --> 00:15:31,430 Uh-huh. 328 00:15:31,513 --> 00:15:35,559 And I can remember, after I had achieved some success 329 00:15:35,643 --> 00:15:37,519 in the world of television, 330 00:15:37,603 --> 00:15:41,523 my friend Tom Dreesen and I sat right over there behind the dugout. 331 00:15:41,607 --> 00:15:44,985 And Kirk Gibson, at this point, played for the Dodgers, 332 00:15:45,069 --> 00:15:48,072 and he had hit a home run with a broken leg. 333 00:15:48,155 --> 00:15:49,657 -I was here that night. -Is that right? 334 00:15:49,740 --> 00:15:52,451 Yeah. I was sittin' behind home plate. That was nuts. 335 00:15:52,534 --> 00:15:53,953 -Yeah. -Incredible. 336 00:15:54,036 --> 00:15:56,747 It was up there with Freddie Freeman's home run this year. 337 00:15:56,830 --> 00:16:00,084 I, I can remember watching that, and I just laughed myself outta bed. 338 00:16:00,167 --> 00:16:02,670 I just thought, "Of course this is baseball." 339 00:16:02,753 --> 00:16:04,088 That's… It was-- 340 00:16:04,171 --> 00:16:07,132 I was jumping around like a little beauty-contest winner. 341 00:16:07,216 --> 00:16:09,677 -It was just incredible. -Let me see what that looks like. 342 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:11,345 -Hey! -Okay. Stop it. 343 00:16:11,428 --> 00:16:14,056 Watching out for the sash. I didn't wanna get choked on the sash. 344 00:16:14,139 --> 00:16:16,100 That's plenty. Okay. So we're there, 345 00:16:16,183 --> 00:16:18,060 and Kirk Gibson is up first inning, 346 00:16:18,143 --> 00:16:20,020 and I think he was hitting, like, third then. 347 00:16:20,104 --> 00:16:22,731 I don't think he was batting four, but he was hitting third, 348 00:16:23,232 --> 00:16:25,150 and it was already two outs, 349 00:16:25,651 --> 00:16:28,195 and he comes up, and he pops a fly ball, 350 00:16:28,278 --> 00:16:31,115 one of those things that you think is leaving the atmosphere, 351 00:16:31,198 --> 00:16:34,493 and then it takes on a glow, and you think, "How do they light those--" 352 00:16:34,576 --> 00:16:37,496 -It's the reentry. -Yeah, it's just crazy. 353 00:16:37,579 --> 00:16:39,623 -And it's a big out. -Mm-hmm. 354 00:16:39,707 --> 00:16:42,876 And Kirk, uh, walking back to the dugout, 355 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:45,629 slams the bat down in great anger, 356 00:16:45,713 --> 00:16:48,632 and a youthful kid, a boy, a guy, fan watching, says, 357 00:16:48,716 --> 00:16:50,759 -"Get him next time, Kirk." -[chuckles] 358 00:16:50,843 --> 00:16:53,387 And Kirk says, "Eat shit, motherfucker." 359 00:16:53,470 --> 00:16:55,097 -[laughs] -Nice guy. 360 00:16:56,390 --> 00:16:58,392 [stadium organ fanfare plays] 361 00:16:59,893 --> 00:17:01,645 Okay, let's talk about Arrested Development. 362 00:17:01,729 --> 00:17:04,064 There are so many facets to your life. 363 00:17:04,148 --> 00:17:06,734 I mean, Arrested Development, for me, was a huge thing. 364 00:17:13,073 --> 00:17:14,700 I don't know what I expected. 365 00:17:14,783 --> 00:17:17,369 I started to watch it and could not stop watching it. 366 00:17:17,453 --> 00:17:19,121 It was just such a good show. 367 00:17:19,204 --> 00:17:21,373 There were so many good people involved with that. 368 00:17:21,457 --> 00:17:23,792 -Mitch Hurwitz, first and foremost. -[cheering and applause] 369 00:17:23,876 --> 00:17:24,752 Yeah. 370 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:29,882 Yeah, Mitch… Mitch Hurwitz our… our, uh… 371 00:17:29,965 --> 00:17:34,136 the man who created it and wrote it all and oversaw the entire thing, 372 00:17:34,219 --> 00:17:37,181 is just one of the most remarkably intelligent 373 00:17:37,264 --> 00:17:39,975 and comedically sophisticated guys I've ever worked with. 374 00:17:40,059 --> 00:17:43,353 How many seasons was it on Fox? A coup… Multiple, right? 375 00:17:43,437 --> 00:17:45,647 I think it was on two and a half years on Fox. 376 00:17:45,731 --> 00:17:48,984 -Was it a rating success on Fox? -It was not, Dave. 377 00:17:49,068 --> 00:17:50,027 -It was not? -No. 378 00:17:50,110 --> 00:17:53,530 Because all people talked about then was Arrested Development. 379 00:17:53,614 --> 00:17:58,452 Well, but I think the people on the coasts were watching it, 380 00:17:58,535 --> 00:18:00,788 and people in Middle America were not. 381 00:18:00,871 --> 00:18:03,082 The people in Middle America do not matter. 382 00:18:03,165 --> 00:18:05,250 [laughter, groaning] 383 00:18:05,334 --> 00:18:09,296 We've got our clip. There's… there's our clip. 384 00:18:09,379 --> 00:18:10,464 [laughs] 385 00:18:10,547 --> 00:18:11,840 Spoken from a man… 386 00:18:11,924 --> 00:18:14,885 -The… the… the favorite son of Indiana. -Indiana. Yeah. 387 00:18:16,095 --> 00:18:19,681 Uh… I thought it was grand, and I couldn't wait. 388 00:18:19,765 --> 00:18:24,686 Uh, and I thought a star of that show was Ron Howard, with the narration. 389 00:18:24,770 --> 00:18:26,647 [Ron Howard] Michael was out of options, 390 00:18:28,565 --> 00:18:33,070 and knowing that his father had a penchant for hiding valuable things in walls, 391 00:18:33,153 --> 00:18:35,781 considered one last desperate gambit. 392 00:18:35,864 --> 00:18:39,952 This is crazy. What am I doing? Using a hammer to try to… 393 00:18:40,035 --> 00:18:41,245 [yells] Ah! 394 00:18:41,328 --> 00:18:42,830 [man screams] 395 00:18:44,665 --> 00:18:45,999 Are you crazy? 396 00:18:46,083 --> 00:18:48,877 He was incredible, but, like, here's the cool thing. 397 00:18:48,961 --> 00:18:52,881 So many cool things about that show. A, it was the paddles on the chest 398 00:18:52,965 --> 00:18:55,676 of my career and… you know, resuscitation. 399 00:18:55,759 --> 00:18:59,638 Um… but I was a… I was a huge Charlie Rose fan. 400 00:18:59,721 --> 00:19:01,682 I used to watch Charlie Rose left and right. 401 00:19:01,765 --> 00:19:03,517 One show, Ron Howard was on, 402 00:19:04,017 --> 00:19:08,313 and this was during the shallow period of my career, in my twenties. 403 00:19:08,397 --> 00:19:11,608 I was really depressed. I was really, um… 404 00:19:11,692 --> 00:19:14,528 Things were not going well for my career. Couldn't get a job. 405 00:19:14,611 --> 00:19:16,363 So I'm watching Ron Howard be interviewed, 406 00:19:16,446 --> 00:19:21,076 and he's so famously gregarious and… and… and friendly, 407 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:22,911 and… and sort of, you know, 408 00:19:22,995 --> 00:19:26,456 he would… he would admit it, kind of a geek, that he's so nice. 409 00:19:26,540 --> 00:19:29,793 And I'm watching, and he's the most successful guy in the world, 410 00:19:29,877 --> 00:19:32,296 and he's having this… and I'm thinking, 411 00:19:32,379 --> 00:19:35,883 "My God, if I could ever get any ounce of success 412 00:19:35,966 --> 00:19:38,802 or… or relevance or access again, 413 00:19:39,303 --> 00:19:43,390 the best part of that capital would be that I could be as nice as I wanna be, 414 00:19:43,473 --> 00:19:46,476 and it's never gonna be misinterpreted for being overly eager 415 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,730 or desperate or thirsty for the job." 416 00:19:49,813 --> 00:19:53,108 Cut to… I get this job on Arrested Development, 417 00:19:53,192 --> 00:19:54,818 where it's Ron Howard's show. 418 00:19:54,902 --> 00:19:57,404 And I had just one-on-one with him at dinner, 419 00:19:57,487 --> 00:20:02,868 and I let him know not only what that interview… planted in me 420 00:20:02,951 --> 00:20:06,038 but then what his show gave to me 421 00:20:06,121 --> 00:20:10,584 and now is giving me the opportunity to be exactly what he was… 422 00:20:10,667 --> 00:20:15,214 So it was just such a… a beautiful full circle for me with him. 423 00:20:15,297 --> 00:20:19,509 I love this story because many of us, myself top of that list, 424 00:20:19,593 --> 00:20:22,596 looking for great moments that changed my life. 425 00:20:22,679 --> 00:20:25,265 I don't know, I have to go here and there lookin', 426 00:20:25,349 --> 00:20:28,060 but it's so nice that you have this life-changing moment. 427 00:20:28,143 --> 00:20:31,480 Yeah, it helps me 428 00:20:31,980 --> 00:20:34,483 be and behave who I am today 429 00:20:34,566 --> 00:20:37,945 because, like with any of us, you hit the bottom, 430 00:20:38,028 --> 00:20:41,073 um… if you can, hit it a few times, you know, 431 00:20:41,156 --> 00:20:43,659 and it makes you even more appreciative 432 00:20:43,742 --> 00:20:48,038 of… of the moments of opportunity that… that come your way. 433 00:20:48,121 --> 00:20:50,749 You… you… That's why I work so hard now. 434 00:20:50,832 --> 00:20:52,751 Ron Howard is a well-known asshole. 435 00:20:52,834 --> 00:20:54,127 -Oh yeah. -[laughter] 436 00:20:54,211 --> 00:20:57,464 Oh, let's not forget, he's been an actor his whole life. 437 00:20:57,547 --> 00:20:59,466 That's what he said to me. Sorry, I didn't finish. 438 00:20:59,549 --> 00:21:01,510 At the dinner, he says, "It was all bullshit." 439 00:21:01,593 --> 00:21:03,470 [laughter] 440 00:21:03,971 --> 00:21:04,930 [upbeat jazz playing] 441 00:21:05,013 --> 00:21:06,848 [Letterman] When's the next game you'll attend? 442 00:21:06,932 --> 00:21:08,183 [Bateman] Saturday night. 443 00:21:08,892 --> 00:21:11,019 -Against? -Giants. 444 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:12,854 [Letterman] Oh! 445 00:21:15,274 --> 00:21:16,817 [Bateman] God, that feels good. 446 00:21:16,900 --> 00:21:19,444 Dave, you know, the last time I swung a bat, 447 00:21:19,528 --> 00:21:24,491 I hit a gapper in the Celebrity Hollywood Stars Night 448 00:21:24,574 --> 00:21:28,120 for an inside-the-park home run, past a sprinting Lou Ferrigno. 449 00:21:28,203 --> 00:21:30,706 Full blast, and he's gotta get the thighs around one another. 450 00:21:30,789 --> 00:21:34,376 -So I made it around. -Let's see your Lou Ferrigno again. 451 00:21:35,085 --> 00:21:36,795 Very nice! [chuckles] 452 00:21:36,878 --> 00:21:38,964 And I thought that they couldn't get better. 453 00:21:39,047 --> 00:21:42,259 No, I feel like a semi-man right now. 454 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:44,636 Wow. 455 00:21:45,387 --> 00:21:47,055 That looks professional. 456 00:21:47,139 --> 00:21:50,183 Hey, what you got? Chewing tobacco in there? 457 00:21:50,267 --> 00:21:51,601 None of your business. 458 00:21:51,685 --> 00:21:54,646 -Here comes my spit. Right? -You want the ball first or not? 459 00:21:54,730 --> 00:21:55,856 No, I gotta… 460 00:21:55,939 --> 00:21:57,274 -Okay. -[gurgles gutturally] 461 00:21:58,025 --> 00:21:59,484 -Now that's not-- -That's good. 462 00:21:59,568 --> 00:22:01,028 Try it between the teeth. 463 00:22:01,111 --> 00:22:04,114 You don't do any mucus, right? For a baseball spit, you just… 464 00:22:04,197 --> 00:22:07,492 -Depends on the time of year. -But I need chewing tobacco for that. 465 00:22:07,576 --> 00:22:09,328 Or sunflower seeds. 466 00:22:10,203 --> 00:22:12,122 All right, that's a foul tip. I'm alive. 467 00:22:17,502 --> 00:22:18,920 [Letterman] Oh my God. 468 00:22:20,255 --> 00:22:23,050 [Bateman] That's a base hit. I'm leaving on that one. 469 00:22:24,384 --> 00:22:26,970 I've seen you at various stages of your career. 470 00:22:27,054 --> 00:22:28,680 I saw a movie called Carry-On, 471 00:22:28,764 --> 00:22:32,684 where somebody ends up exploding with, uh… 472 00:22:32,768 --> 00:22:36,605 toxic neuro… poisoning gas on an airplane. 473 00:22:36,688 --> 00:22:37,814 -Yeah. -Nice job. 474 00:22:37,898 --> 00:22:39,566 [laughter] 475 00:22:39,649 --> 00:22:41,401 A lot of your work is dialogue-heavy. 476 00:22:41,485 --> 00:22:46,281 You do such a smooth, believable job of it 477 00:22:46,365 --> 00:22:48,867 that it seems like very difficult work. 478 00:22:48,950 --> 00:22:50,702 Are you a better actor now 479 00:22:50,786 --> 00:22:53,997 than when you and Ricky were pea-shooting the audience? 480 00:22:54,581 --> 00:22:57,250 I sure hope so, Dave. Um… 481 00:22:57,334 --> 00:22:59,461 I think, you know, I'm very lucky 482 00:22:59,544 --> 00:23:02,255 that I have… I've chosen a profession 483 00:23:02,339 --> 00:23:04,716 that will age along with me. 484 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:08,887 Um… where there… there's always going to be a role for a grandfather, 485 00:23:08,970 --> 00:23:11,348 so when I get to be that age, I can play those roles. 486 00:23:11,431 --> 00:23:15,185 I, I keep referring to you as a leading man and a movie star. 487 00:23:15,268 --> 00:23:16,853 -No. -A great actor, a director. 488 00:23:16,937 --> 00:23:20,023 But what, what do you see… What is your type? What do you say? 489 00:23:20,107 --> 00:23:24,027 I see myself, hopefully, as, uh… as… 490 00:23:24,111 --> 00:23:28,240 I like playing us. I like playing the, the, the protagonist, 491 00:23:28,323 --> 00:23:31,660 the person who you cut away to 492 00:23:31,743 --> 00:23:36,206 to have that character's face process all the crazy crap you just saw, 493 00:23:36,289 --> 00:23:38,208 whether it be comedic or dramatic. 494 00:23:38,291 --> 00:23:40,752 So I like being the proxy for the audience, 495 00:23:40,836 --> 00:23:42,754 and probably it's why I've gravitated to directing 496 00:23:42,838 --> 00:23:45,841 because that's the person who is shaping your experience. 497 00:23:45,924 --> 00:23:48,176 Does, does acting make a director better? 498 00:23:48,260 --> 00:23:50,303 Does being a director make an actor better? 499 00:23:50,387 --> 00:23:51,847 -I think so, for sure. -Which way? 500 00:23:51,930 --> 00:23:53,849 -Either way, both ways? -I think either way. 501 00:23:53,932 --> 00:23:55,767 I think if you spoke to most directors, 502 00:23:55,851 --> 00:23:59,104 they would probably want to take some acting lessons, 503 00:23:59,187 --> 00:24:03,108 just to understand kinda what we nutjob actors think about 504 00:24:03,191 --> 00:24:06,486 and then how to kinda speak to them, and, you know, and… 505 00:24:06,570 --> 00:24:11,199 And… and actors don't really understand what a director does fully 506 00:24:11,283 --> 00:24:13,410 until they get thrown in the deep end. 507 00:24:13,493 --> 00:24:16,371 'Cause, um, you know, most actors, I'll just talk about myself, 508 00:24:16,455 --> 00:24:20,125 I thought the job started on the first day of shooting 509 00:24:20,208 --> 00:24:23,837 W… Directors and the rest of the crew, they've been to that location six times. 510 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,798 Your crew, this crew, they were here probably three weeks ago, 511 00:24:26,882 --> 00:24:28,258 setting up the lights, and-- 512 00:24:28,341 --> 00:24:30,051 I came in yesterday afternoon. 513 00:24:30,135 --> 00:24:31,303 [laughter] 514 00:24:31,386 --> 00:24:33,054 But you were… How old were you? 515 00:24:33,138 --> 00:24:36,308 The youngest Directors Guild of America registered director. 516 00:24:36,391 --> 00:24:38,477 How old were you, and what was the project? 517 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:40,854 I was 18, that was The Hogan Family. 518 00:24:40,937 --> 00:24:43,190 So you're directing a half-hour situation comedy? 519 00:24:43,273 --> 00:24:45,192 -Correct. -And then you direct yourself. 520 00:24:45,275 --> 00:24:48,320 Now, talk about a, a, a three-armed juggler. 521 00:24:48,403 --> 00:24:51,948 If such a thing exists, I don't know. What is that? Is that anything? 522 00:24:52,032 --> 00:24:55,118 I've found that I'm so comfortable with the acting 523 00:24:55,202 --> 00:24:57,370 just because I've been doing it for so long, 524 00:24:57,454 --> 00:25:00,665 that it allows me to observe the other parts of the process 525 00:25:00,749 --> 00:25:02,792 so I can… 526 00:25:02,876 --> 00:25:06,588 It's just more efficient for me to act in what I'm directing, 527 00:25:06,671 --> 00:25:10,926 'cause A, I don't have to direct this guy. That's one actor out of the way. 528 00:25:11,009 --> 00:25:14,387 But is there somebody on that set that would… the star, 529 00:25:14,471 --> 00:25:17,641 and the director says to the star or the director… 530 00:25:17,724 --> 00:25:19,434 "Hey, buddy, you're terrible in the scene." 531 00:25:19,518 --> 00:25:22,729 -"Maybe we wanna try that again." -Yeah. No, I have them removed. 532 00:25:22,812 --> 00:25:24,523 [laughter] 533 00:25:24,606 --> 00:25:28,151 -[Bateman] No, they're… Yes, of course. -Let's talk a little bit about you. 534 00:25:28,235 --> 00:25:30,237 You mentioned this early, early on, 535 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:33,448 and I experienced it a little bit, your love for the Dodgers. 536 00:25:33,532 --> 00:25:35,450 -Lifelong Dodgers fan. -Yeah. 537 00:25:35,534 --> 00:25:37,869 -Tell me everything… -[cheering and applause] 538 00:25:38,954 --> 00:25:41,122 [Letterman] Defending World Series champion. 539 00:25:41,206 --> 00:25:43,041 Where do you sit when you go to the games? 540 00:25:43,124 --> 00:25:46,461 Uh, I'm down there. I'm… I'm down front, Dave. 541 00:25:46,545 --> 00:25:50,215 How many… how many rows from the umpire? 542 00:25:50,298 --> 00:25:52,676 [Bateman] Um… well, there… there… there are none. 543 00:25:52,759 --> 00:25:53,593 Um… 544 00:25:53,677 --> 00:25:55,262 -Oh, Mr. Front Row. -Well, but-- 545 00:25:55,345 --> 00:25:57,973 -Mr. Front Row! -But, David, I, I… 546 00:25:58,056 --> 00:26:01,893 -You can see so much more from the front. -[laughter] 547 00:26:01,977 --> 00:26:03,353 So you're right there. 548 00:26:03,436 --> 00:26:06,773 I'm right there… I'm right there on the wall of the visitor dugout. 549 00:26:06,856 --> 00:26:08,900 Now, would you heckle opposing batters? 550 00:26:08,984 --> 00:26:11,653 Uh, yeah, well, you ca… you just… you can't curse. 551 00:26:11,736 --> 00:26:13,488 If you curse, they're gonna kick you out. 552 00:26:13,572 --> 00:26:16,157 But if you can come up with something, you know, 553 00:26:16,241 --> 00:26:19,578 that's gonna get in their head, like, you know, 554 00:26:19,661 --> 00:26:22,872 "Hey, do you inhale or exhale when you swing?" 555 00:26:22,956 --> 00:26:26,334 -You know, like… -[laughter] 556 00:26:27,043 --> 00:26:28,795 -The guy… -That's genius. 557 00:26:28,878 --> 00:26:32,549 Right? Or, "I don't want you to think about, uh…" 558 00:26:32,632 --> 00:26:34,718 "There's not 40 million people watching, bud." 559 00:26:34,801 --> 00:26:37,929 "There's only about five or six million, so don't be nervous." 560 00:26:38,013 --> 00:26:40,890 You know, stuff like that, you know, can just eat at you a bit. 561 00:26:40,974 --> 00:26:43,685 Do you… do you recognize that they have received the message, 562 00:26:43,768 --> 00:26:47,147 or they're just stone-cold concentrated, and you don't exist? 563 00:26:47,647 --> 00:26:48,732 Based on their reactions, 564 00:26:48,815 --> 00:26:52,319 the teammates standing next to them who did hear it, 565 00:26:52,402 --> 00:26:54,195 and the one guy's pretending he didn't hear it. 566 00:26:54,279 --> 00:26:57,282 They turn and look at me like, "What are you doing?" You know, like… 567 00:26:57,866 --> 00:26:58,825 -Yeah. -What are you… 568 00:26:58,908 --> 00:27:01,453 And I say, "You're the opposing team!" 569 00:27:02,203 --> 00:27:03,997 [gentle music playing] 570 00:27:06,124 --> 00:27:08,126 [Letterman] To me, you seem like a guy who's a guy 571 00:27:08,209 --> 00:27:10,837 and could be a guy without also being a superstar. 572 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:14,758 So is this part of just you being a guy, bringing the kids to the ballpark? 573 00:27:14,841 --> 00:27:16,384 Yes, yeah, there's a lot… 574 00:27:16,468 --> 00:27:19,596 There's great normalcy, in my mind, to baseball. 575 00:27:19,679 --> 00:27:22,265 Um… I like the serenity of a baseball game. 576 00:27:22,349 --> 00:27:25,977 Some people say the boredom of it, but I got a radio in this ear. 577 00:27:26,061 --> 00:27:28,688 I've got this ear open to the person I'm sitting with. 578 00:27:28,772 --> 00:27:31,900 I'm not doing score, but I'm… I'm listening to the comm… 579 00:27:31,983 --> 00:27:34,027 It… it's a game, not a sport. 580 00:27:34,110 --> 00:27:36,446 I used to follow every sport a little bit, 581 00:27:36,529 --> 00:27:38,657 and then I saw Ken Burns' baseball documentary 582 00:27:38,740 --> 00:27:43,036 about 30-some years ago, and now I follow baseball a lot. 583 00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:46,790 I'm, like, the commissioner in my fantasy-baseball league. 584 00:27:46,873 --> 00:27:49,250 I'm just a full dork with it, and I… I just love it. 585 00:27:49,334 --> 00:27:51,795 The fantasy baseball league, honest to God, you… 586 00:27:51,878 --> 00:27:53,421 -I know. -You're too busy for that. 587 00:27:53,505 --> 00:27:56,591 I know, but I… You know, it keeps me off the streets, Dave. 588 00:27:56,675 --> 00:27:59,886 You know? I'm up early in the morning to check my scores. 589 00:27:59,969 --> 00:28:03,098 -Gotta be doing somethin'. -I've gotta be doing something, you know? 590 00:28:03,181 --> 00:28:05,767 -And… -What's the name of your team? 591 00:28:05,850 --> 00:28:08,061 -Uh… -This'll be good. 592 00:28:10,105 --> 00:28:15,068 Um… you know, uh, the Elton John song, "Tiny Dancer," or whatever? 593 00:28:15,151 --> 00:28:16,528 -So mine are… -Tiny Dancer. 594 00:28:16,611 --> 00:28:18,321 No, mine are the "Ohtani Dancers." 595 00:28:18,405 --> 00:28:20,615 -[laughing] -You know, Shohei Ohtani. 596 00:28:20,699 --> 00:28:23,368 I'm in third place right now, and we're halfway through the season. 597 00:28:23,451 --> 00:28:25,370 Do you win something at the end of the season? 598 00:28:25,453 --> 00:28:26,371 Hundred bucks. 599 00:28:27,038 --> 00:28:29,040 -It's just a little taste. -Yeah. 600 00:28:29,124 --> 00:28:31,376 You know? We got a spot next year if you want in. 601 00:28:31,459 --> 00:28:32,877 -No. -It's National League only. 602 00:28:32,961 --> 00:28:34,671 I don't get it. I don't wanna get it. 603 00:28:34,754 --> 00:28:36,506 I… I don't know. 604 00:28:37,006 --> 00:28:37,841 Yeah, that's me. 605 00:28:37,924 --> 00:28:40,677 -Next time, I'm gonna drag you to a game. -There'll be no next time. 606 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:41,886 -Come on. -No, I'm not comin'. 607 00:28:41,970 --> 00:28:43,221 -Come on! -No. 608 00:28:43,304 --> 00:28:44,681 [music fades] 609 00:28:45,807 --> 00:28:47,684 -I wanna talk about Ozark. -Okay. 610 00:28:47,767 --> 00:28:49,185 -Uh… -[cheering and applause] 611 00:28:49,269 --> 00:28:50,812 [whooping] 612 00:28:50,895 --> 00:28:52,063 Thank you. 613 00:28:54,441 --> 00:28:57,610 Whose idea was this? Was… Were you in on the creation of this? 614 00:28:57,694 --> 00:29:02,157 No. They were looking for a director, 615 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:06,035 and my agent, Michael Cooper, said, um… you know, 616 00:29:06,119 --> 00:29:09,873 "There's these two scripts I read that are two of the best things I've ever read." 617 00:29:09,956 --> 00:29:14,043 So I read these, and I thought, "Oh my God, this is… this is so good, 618 00:29:14,127 --> 00:29:17,881 and I would love to direct this," um… and… 619 00:29:17,964 --> 00:29:19,799 Now, again, interrupting you there. 620 00:29:19,883 --> 00:29:24,095 What has been, other than Hogan's Heroes or Hogan's Families or whatever they were, 621 00:29:24,804 --> 00:29:27,557 other than that, what had you directed to date? 622 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:29,768 I had directed some other sitcoms. I had done… 623 00:29:29,851 --> 00:29:33,813 I directed two festival films, small independent films. 624 00:29:33,897 --> 00:29:38,234 Um… but I really wanted to sort of take on more responsibility… 625 00:29:38,318 --> 00:29:40,612 Okay, I understand that, but what was the reaction 626 00:29:40,695 --> 00:29:43,656 on the other side of the desk? "Oh, uh, that guy." 627 00:29:43,740 --> 00:29:46,075 They said, "They're looking at…" I won't tell you the names, 628 00:29:46,159 --> 00:29:48,995 but the top three directors in the world. 629 00:29:49,078 --> 00:29:52,207 Imagine. That's who they were talking to. I said, "I'm not gonna pitch myself." 630 00:29:52,290 --> 00:29:55,126 "They're gonna laugh me out of the room." He said, "Just do it. Just see…" 631 00:29:55,210 --> 00:29:58,671 "If I can get you in the room with the guy who runs MRC, Modi Wiczyk…" 632 00:29:58,755 --> 00:30:00,924 Thank God he… he… he listened 633 00:30:01,007 --> 00:30:04,219 and bought my bullshit and said, "We'll let you do it." 634 00:30:04,302 --> 00:30:07,388 Who are the three top directors in the world? What are we talking about? 635 00:30:07,472 --> 00:30:10,099 We're talking about… Well, no, I can't mention the name 636 00:30:10,183 --> 00:30:12,435 because they obviously said no to it and… 637 00:30:12,519 --> 00:30:15,730 No… Oh, okay. Well, can I shoot some names here? Like… 638 00:30:15,814 --> 00:30:17,732 [laughter] 639 00:30:17,816 --> 00:30:19,108 -Can I try? -Go. 640 00:30:19,192 --> 00:30:20,777 -Ricky Schroder? -No. 641 00:30:20,860 --> 00:30:22,153 [laughter] 642 00:30:22,237 --> 00:30:23,404 Um… 643 00:30:24,030 --> 00:30:25,657 Martin Scorsese. 644 00:30:25,740 --> 00:30:28,743 -Unavailable. -Unavailable. Uh… W… 645 00:30:28,827 --> 00:30:30,954 You're in the right league, though. See, I… 646 00:30:31,037 --> 00:30:33,832 -Ron Howard. Ron? -Not available. 647 00:30:33,915 --> 00:30:36,000 Scorsese, that's the level they were at? 648 00:30:36,084 --> 00:30:37,252 Exactly. 649 00:30:37,335 --> 00:30:42,298 In my twenties, I never would've ever had the courage to do something like that. 650 00:30:42,382 --> 00:30:45,760 And it is one of the biggest streaming events. 651 00:30:45,844 --> 00:30:47,971 It's right up there with Squid Game maybe? 652 00:30:48,054 --> 00:30:50,056 I don't know. I don't know, but I… 653 00:30:50,139 --> 00:30:53,184 -It was wildly successful. Still is. -Some people liked it. 654 00:30:53,268 --> 00:30:55,186 Jesus, I loved the first show. 655 00:30:55,270 --> 00:30:58,231 I thought, "Holy crap, this is fantastic." 656 00:30:58,314 --> 00:30:59,357 Thank you. Good. 657 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:03,862 And then I started to think about, "This is such a…" 658 00:31:03,945 --> 00:31:06,573 -It started to fall apart. -Yeah. No, no, no, no. 659 00:31:07,490 --> 00:31:10,869 Uh, but then, I… over the next experience, 660 00:31:10,952 --> 00:31:14,622 I began to wonder, "What is the body count of that show?" 661 00:31:14,706 --> 00:31:19,919 How many people did we, in fun, new, interesting ways, eliminate? 662 00:31:20,003 --> 00:31:22,171 There was some violence on the show, yes, but it was… 663 00:31:22,255 --> 00:31:24,757 I just want a number. I don't care about the violence. 664 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:28,511 Yeah. Uh… the incredible writer Chris Mundy 665 00:31:28,595 --> 00:31:30,388 would know the correct answer to that. 666 00:31:30,471 --> 00:31:33,933 But I think it was usually one a show, you know. 667 00:31:34,017 --> 00:31:37,604 I mean, um… we'd have a death come in, you know, on the script, 668 00:31:37,687 --> 00:31:39,981 and we'd get… be there, like, ready to shoot it, 669 00:31:40,064 --> 00:31:42,650 and I would just say, "God… You know, a bullet in the forehead, 670 00:31:42,734 --> 00:31:44,277 like, we've s… we've seen it…" 671 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:46,362 Sure. We're all sick and tired of that. 672 00:31:46,446 --> 00:31:49,449 You know, I'd… I'd call Chris from the set, 673 00:31:49,532 --> 00:31:52,410 and I'd go, you know, "Chris, we're shooting on a set right now." 674 00:31:52,493 --> 00:31:56,414 "We're in front of a beautiful fireplace, and there's a fire poker here 675 00:31:56,497 --> 00:31:59,584 that is, you know… it's got such a nice point on it." 676 00:31:59,667 --> 00:32:02,629 "How 'bout we just drive this through this guy's throat?" You know? 677 00:32:02,712 --> 00:32:05,256 -Yeah. -And he was like, "Great, go for it." 678 00:32:05,340 --> 00:32:07,717 At some point, did a representative 679 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:10,720 of the Lake of the Ozarks call somebody-- 680 00:32:10,803 --> 00:32:12,555 -And say, "Hey, man!" -Yeah. 681 00:32:12,639 --> 00:32:15,600 "We're not killing people left and right up here." 682 00:32:15,683 --> 00:32:19,437 You know, um, surprisingly, they were really on board. 683 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:23,066 -They were like… They said… -Started sellin' property left and right. 684 00:32:23,149 --> 00:32:26,069 They literally said, "But you're making this place look great!" 685 00:32:26,152 --> 00:32:28,780 I think they were speaking about the beautiful cinematography. 686 00:32:28,863 --> 00:32:32,408 Yes. What was the time period, beginning to "That's a wrap"? 687 00:32:32,909 --> 00:32:34,035 Uh, from start to finish? 688 00:32:34,118 --> 00:32:36,454 -Uh… five years? -Five years? 689 00:32:36,537 --> 00:32:37,413 -Maybe. -Wow. 690 00:32:37,497 --> 00:32:38,998 -Yeah. -That's a huge commitment. 691 00:32:39,082 --> 00:32:40,750 Away from home quite a lot, eh? 692 00:32:40,833 --> 00:32:45,171 Yeah, a lot, but I flew home every weekend to, uh, see these dudes. 693 00:32:45,254 --> 00:32:49,175 -[Letterman] "See these dudes," he says. -There's one missing. Franny, 18. 694 00:32:49,258 --> 00:32:50,593 Yeah. Why is she not here? 695 00:32:50,677 --> 00:32:53,054 She's seeing her boyfriend out there in Rhode Island. 696 00:32:53,137 --> 00:32:56,057 You know, these kids, they grow up, you know, they wanna… 697 00:32:56,140 --> 00:32:59,018 In Rhode Island. I hope to God this stays in 698 00:32:59,102 --> 00:33:02,772 because I want this small, poor kid to be embarrassed to tears 699 00:33:03,481 --> 00:33:06,859 that you and I are talking about her on this show. 700 00:33:06,943 --> 00:33:11,864 Because if I did that to my son, oh man, we'd… we'd never see him again. 701 00:33:11,948 --> 00:33:13,408 Really? Well, you know, 702 00:33:13,992 --> 00:33:17,662 Franny and Maple are not… they're not… they're not shy. Right? 703 00:33:17,745 --> 00:33:21,290 Maple, she gets out there. She's, like, she's a basketball star. 704 00:33:21,374 --> 00:33:22,375 [Letterman] Oh good. 705 00:33:22,458 --> 00:33:27,880 She's a… she's a volleyball wiz and a skateboard… Incredible. 706 00:33:27,964 --> 00:33:29,507 She was… she was the first kid 707 00:33:29,590 --> 00:33:32,301 to play on the boys' basketball team at her school. 708 00:33:32,385 --> 00:33:34,637 -[Letterman] Now, that's not… -[cheering and applause] 709 00:33:34,721 --> 00:33:36,014 [Letterman] Really?! 710 00:33:37,015 --> 00:33:39,934 She's got skills. She could probably play you a little bit. 711 00:33:40,018 --> 00:33:42,145 Dave… Dave's got mad game. 712 00:33:42,228 --> 00:33:46,315 Have… have you seen him? Guy outta Indiana's got a sweet J. 713 00:33:46,399 --> 00:33:47,483 [laughs] 714 00:33:47,984 --> 00:33:49,986 [soft jazz playing] 715 00:33:52,363 --> 00:33:55,408 -How many games you come to a season? -Twenty or 30. 716 00:33:55,908 --> 00:33:56,743 -Wow. -Yeah. 717 00:33:56,826 --> 00:33:59,412 On a nice summer evening, you'd play the trivia and stuff, 718 00:33:59,495 --> 00:34:01,664 and you get to be on kiss cam. Does that happen? 719 00:34:01,748 --> 00:34:04,667 I tell them to not put me on that screen. It gets me embarrassed. 720 00:34:04,751 --> 00:34:07,628 We have some trivia for you, here on the big Dodgertron. 721 00:34:07,712 --> 00:34:08,838 -Oh really? -Yeah. 722 00:34:08,921 --> 00:34:10,590 You seem like you would do pretty well. 723 00:34:10,673 --> 00:34:13,468 All right, so can we just roll the first trivia question? 724 00:34:13,551 --> 00:34:14,927 We'll see who this is. 725 00:34:15,470 --> 00:34:16,679 -Jason. -Mookie. 726 00:34:16,763 --> 00:34:18,306 I can't believe Mookie said my name. 727 00:34:18,389 --> 00:34:21,517 Who's the only player to win a MVP award in the American League 728 00:34:21,601 --> 00:34:24,395 and the National League in consecutive seasons? 729 00:34:26,522 --> 00:34:27,523 -[exhales] -What was it? 730 00:34:27,607 --> 00:34:28,608 -MVP? -Shohei. 731 00:34:28,691 --> 00:34:30,401 -Shohei. -I'm gonna go with Shohei. 732 00:34:30,485 --> 00:34:31,861 [Letterman] We think it's Shohei. 733 00:34:31,944 --> 00:34:33,613 The answer, Shohei Ohtani. 734 00:34:33,696 --> 00:34:35,198 -Boom! -Yeah. Take your shirt off. 735 00:34:35,281 --> 00:34:36,240 Huh? 736 00:34:36,324 --> 00:34:39,744 -Wait, this is strip poker too? -All right, let's do another one of this. 737 00:34:39,827 --> 00:34:42,038 -[organ music playing] -Jason. 738 00:34:42,538 --> 00:34:44,457 Who is the only pitcher in MLB history 739 00:34:44,540 --> 00:34:47,418 to win the NLCS MVP, 740 00:34:47,502 --> 00:34:52,173 World Series MVP, and Cy Young in the same season? 741 00:34:53,841 --> 00:34:57,053 I think it's Sandy Koufax. Try Sandy Koufax. 742 00:34:57,136 --> 00:34:59,680 -Dave says Sandy Koufax! -Sandy Koufax! 743 00:35:00,890 --> 00:35:03,726 -The answer is Orel Hershiser. -Shit! 744 00:35:03,810 --> 00:35:06,020 -[organ music playing] -God dammit. 745 00:35:06,104 --> 00:35:09,065 -I shoulda known that. That was 1988. -But that was Freddie Freeman. 746 00:35:09,148 --> 00:35:12,068 -But he said "Jason" too! -Gotta a couple more. 747 00:35:12,151 --> 00:35:14,862 Jason, in the '80s, before a game at Dodger Stadium, 748 00:35:14,946 --> 00:35:18,950 what legendary sportscaster declined David Letterman's invitation 749 00:35:19,033 --> 00:35:21,911 to appear with him as a guest on The Tonight Show? 750 00:35:22,537 --> 00:35:23,788 Clay Kershaw. 751 00:35:23,871 --> 00:35:25,873 -To appear as a guest on The Tonight Show? -Yes. 752 00:35:25,957 --> 00:35:27,083 Were you guest-hosting-- 753 00:35:27,166 --> 00:35:30,419 I was guest-hosting The Tonight Show, in whatever year this took place. 754 00:35:30,503 --> 00:35:33,506 ABC had Monday Night Football in those days. 755 00:35:33,589 --> 00:35:35,925 And this person, I walked right up to him, 756 00:35:36,008 --> 00:35:37,969 and I said, "This'd be great." 757 00:35:38,052 --> 00:35:41,097 I would love for you to be a guest with me on The Tonight Show." 758 00:35:41,180 --> 00:35:42,431 "It'll be a lot of fun." 759 00:35:42,515 --> 00:35:45,601 And that person said, "No, it wouldn't." 760 00:35:46,102 --> 00:35:48,771 Uh, you gave me a hint there with the ABC Mondays. 761 00:35:48,855 --> 00:35:50,606 -Was it Howard Cosell? -It was. It was. 762 00:35:50,690 --> 00:35:52,567 Now, why did he think it was not gonna be fun? 763 00:35:52,650 --> 00:35:54,902 Because I was just a dope, and he was Howard Cosell. 764 00:35:54,986 --> 00:35:56,112 Had he never seen your show? 765 00:35:56,195 --> 00:35:58,698 He probably had seen it. [chuckles] -What an idiot. 766 00:35:58,781 --> 00:36:00,616 Let's see. Let's confirm this. 767 00:36:00,700 --> 00:36:02,410 -Howard Cosell. -[Bateman] Yep. 768 00:36:02,493 --> 00:36:03,953 -[organ music] -[Letterman] Thanks. 769 00:36:04,036 --> 00:36:05,538 -We got one more. -We only missed one. 770 00:36:05,621 --> 00:36:08,708 -I think I monkeyed the whole thing up. -It was your fault. You picked it. 771 00:36:08,791 --> 00:36:11,002 But I'm just here to make trouble. We got one more. 772 00:36:11,085 --> 00:36:12,128 [organ music plays] 773 00:36:12,211 --> 00:36:15,590 In the late '80s at Dodger Stadium, 774 00:36:16,090 --> 00:36:20,887 who was told by legendary authoritarian umpire 775 00:36:20,970 --> 00:36:23,347 "Cowboy Joe" West, 776 00:36:23,431 --> 00:36:26,309 after being introduced by Tommy Lasorda, 777 00:36:26,809 --> 00:36:28,936 "You should've shaved"? 778 00:36:30,563 --> 00:36:31,898 Um… 779 00:36:32,648 --> 00:36:36,110 -Kurt Gibson? -[Letterman] Let's see what the answer is. 780 00:36:36,194 --> 00:36:38,946 The answer is David Letterman. 781 00:36:39,030 --> 00:36:42,450 Yes! [laughs] It happened down there. 782 00:36:42,533 --> 00:36:45,661 We came through those gates, down there in left field, 783 00:36:45,745 --> 00:36:49,415 and it was me, Tom Dreesen, Tommy Lasorda. Here comes Joe West. 784 00:36:49,498 --> 00:36:51,751 Now, I know who he is. I've never met him, 785 00:36:51,834 --> 00:36:55,129 and I was on a break from the show, and I had not shaved in a day or two. 786 00:36:55,213 --> 00:36:57,340 -Uh-huh. -That… it wasn't this. 787 00:36:57,423 --> 00:36:59,425 Tommy says, "Joe, I want you to meet Dave Letter…" 788 00:36:59,508 --> 00:37:01,093 "Oh, hi. Nice to meet you." 789 00:37:01,177 --> 00:37:04,347 And he said, "Yeah, you need to shave." 790 00:37:05,014 --> 00:37:07,808 -And I… I said, "Is that a rule?" -Uh-huh. 791 00:37:07,892 --> 00:37:09,894 And he said, "I'll look into it." 792 00:37:09,977 --> 00:37:11,687 If you're playing for the Yankees, it is. 793 00:37:11,771 --> 00:37:12,813 [laughs] 794 00:37:20,279 --> 00:37:22,114 Let's talk about, uh, SmartLess. 795 00:37:22,198 --> 00:37:23,449 Okay. Oh yeah, yeah. 796 00:37:23,532 --> 00:37:25,952 It took me a couple of years to understand what a podcast was, 797 00:37:26,035 --> 00:37:28,079 and I think the first one that I paid attention to 798 00:37:28,162 --> 00:37:29,455 was a guy named Marc Maron. 799 00:37:29,538 --> 00:37:33,042 And then I heard about you and your pals, Sean and Will, 800 00:37:33,125 --> 00:37:36,337 and then I heard a dollar number attached to it. 801 00:37:36,420 --> 00:37:38,214 That's when I started paying attention. 802 00:37:39,465 --> 00:37:44,136 How… And you must be tired of explaining the genesis of this project. 803 00:37:44,220 --> 00:37:47,056 Well, not really, 'cause I'm very appreciative that… 804 00:37:47,139 --> 00:37:49,433 Anyone here who listens to it, thank you. 805 00:37:49,517 --> 00:37:51,686 -You know, it's a… -[cheering and applause] 806 00:37:51,769 --> 00:37:55,940 It's, um… It's an opportunity for two of my best friends, 807 00:37:56,023 --> 00:37:58,526 Will and Sean, for us to be able to talk once a week. 808 00:37:58,609 --> 00:38:00,111 So we started Zooming, 809 00:38:00,194 --> 00:38:04,573 and then Will was gonna do some podcast about sobriety 810 00:38:04,657 --> 00:38:05,908 called The Journey. 811 00:38:05,992 --> 00:38:09,662 I'm like, "Buddy, no one wants to hear your hiking podcast, you know?" 812 00:38:09,745 --> 00:38:10,746 [laughter] 813 00:38:10,830 --> 00:38:13,708 I said, you know, "I… I… Just have me on it, 814 00:38:13,791 --> 00:38:15,835 and we'll just bullshit and it'll be kinda fun." 815 00:38:15,918 --> 00:38:18,129 [Letterman] He's very funny. I've long admired that guy. 816 00:38:18,212 --> 00:38:20,631 That Will Arnett, he gets me good. 817 00:38:20,715 --> 00:38:22,675 God dammit, he's funny. Um… 818 00:38:22,758 --> 00:38:24,302 -Let me ask you another question. -Yep. 819 00:38:24,385 --> 00:38:28,556 You go over to his house, and just say you get him to open up the garage door. 820 00:38:28,639 --> 00:38:31,767 Is it jammed full with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? 821 00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:35,396 Uh, well, there's some of that there, but there's… 822 00:38:35,479 --> 00:38:38,983 Any kind of junk food you wanna find, you go over to Will Arnett's house. 823 00:38:39,066 --> 00:38:41,360 -Oh, good. -I mean, it's outrageous. 824 00:38:41,444 --> 00:38:44,822 I mean, he does have two teenage boys, so he's gotta keep his stock there. 825 00:38:44,905 --> 00:38:46,407 -Fine. -But it's not for them. 826 00:38:46,490 --> 00:38:48,451 [laughter] 827 00:38:48,534 --> 00:38:50,828 -How did it grow in popularity? -I'm not sure. 828 00:38:50,911 --> 00:38:54,582 It was during COVID, so folks were trying anything 829 00:38:54,665 --> 00:38:57,168 to connect with people, you know? 830 00:38:57,251 --> 00:39:00,171 And I think, um… and it was a bleak time. 831 00:39:00,254 --> 00:39:03,049 And we were getting some of our fancy friends to come on, 832 00:39:03,132 --> 00:39:05,676 you know, folks… Dax was our first guest. 833 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:08,137 and Will Ferrell came through there early on. 834 00:39:08,220 --> 00:39:10,556 Jimmy Kimmel came in through early on. Um… 835 00:39:10,639 --> 00:39:13,017 We could not make your deal, um… but… 836 00:39:13,100 --> 00:39:17,271 No. I'm kidding. Dave was very nice. He did it in person, 837 00:39:17,355 --> 00:39:19,607 uh, when we did our little documentary on HBO. 838 00:39:19,690 --> 00:39:21,233 -That's right. -It was like… 839 00:39:21,734 --> 00:39:25,196 That was… that was enormous to me. 840 00:39:25,279 --> 00:39:28,532 This show had been running for four years when I was invited. 841 00:39:28,616 --> 00:39:30,117 [laughter] 842 00:39:30,201 --> 00:39:31,577 We knew who we were dealing with. 843 00:39:31,660 --> 00:39:34,080 We had to get our shit together before we called you. 844 00:39:34,163 --> 00:39:37,750 Let me ask you about that. So it starts out as a hobby that becomes… 845 00:39:37,833 --> 00:39:41,337 And is there a better work-hobby story than 846 00:39:41,420 --> 00:39:43,756 "We're doing what we were doing for free and loving it, 847 00:39:43,839 --> 00:39:46,592 having a great time, and it was useful, not only to us." 848 00:39:46,675 --> 00:39:48,719 And then somebody comes along and says, 849 00:39:48,803 --> 00:39:50,846 "You know what? This thing's worth $100 million." 850 00:39:50,930 --> 00:39:52,681 -Well, I mean that's… -Well, no. 851 00:39:52,765 --> 00:39:54,100 -What do you mean? -Well… 852 00:39:54,183 --> 00:39:55,768 What do you mean?! 853 00:39:55,851 --> 00:40:01,190 The economics of podcasting, David, are a mystery to me. 854 00:40:01,273 --> 00:40:03,526 Yeah, me too, but here's my point. 855 00:40:03,609 --> 00:40:06,946 Does… then does it not become a friendly kinda hobby, 856 00:40:07,029 --> 00:40:08,656 sort of like Sunday dinner, 857 00:40:08,739 --> 00:40:11,742 does it then, "Holy crap, 100 million?" 858 00:40:11,826 --> 00:40:15,246 Right, and basically what happened was… 859 00:40:15,746 --> 00:40:17,164 -Paul McCartney did the show. -Ah! 860 00:40:17,248 --> 00:40:18,165 -You know? -Wow. 861 00:40:18,249 --> 00:40:20,751 -And, like, after-- -And how had he heard of the show? 862 00:40:20,835 --> 00:40:24,088 Well, that was just it. As soon as we were done with the interview, 863 00:40:24,171 --> 00:40:25,423 he was Sean's guest, 864 00:40:25,506 --> 00:40:28,175 and then we do this silly little two-minute wrap-up afterwards, 865 00:40:28,259 --> 00:40:29,969 like, "Boy, that guest was great." 866 00:40:30,052 --> 00:40:33,848 I say to Sean, I say, "Sean, how do you know Paul McCartney?" 867 00:40:33,931 --> 00:40:36,225 He goes, "I don't. That was an incoming call." 868 00:40:36,308 --> 00:40:39,270 So we realized that… That was the first time I realized 869 00:40:39,353 --> 00:40:42,648 that the show had become a hit because his people, 870 00:40:42,731 --> 00:40:45,359 they had picked this that I guess our numbers were such 871 00:40:45,443 --> 00:40:47,361 that it was worthy of Paul McCartney, 872 00:40:47,445 --> 00:40:50,489 and… and so that was very lucky. 873 00:40:50,573 --> 00:40:53,826 And what else can we discuss about you and your wild success? 874 00:40:53,909 --> 00:40:57,955 Um… uh… there's a new Netflix thing that I just finished, 875 00:40:58,038 --> 00:41:00,291 I'm super-duper proud of, it's called Black Rabbit. 876 00:41:00,374 --> 00:41:05,379 Black Rabbit. I was very close, very close to being on the Black Rabbit. 877 00:41:05,463 --> 00:41:06,672 -Very close. -That's right. 878 00:41:06,755 --> 00:41:09,884 So Dave lives somewhere near where we were shooting one day. 879 00:41:09,967 --> 00:41:11,927 I, unfortunately, was not working that day, 880 00:41:12,011 --> 00:41:14,430 but apparently you walked by the set, said, 881 00:41:14,513 --> 00:41:17,475 "Hey, what are you guys shooting?" And he sits down there in video village 882 00:41:17,558 --> 00:41:20,186 in front of the monitors where the director usually sits. 883 00:41:20,269 --> 00:41:23,272 Did they give you headphones? Did you have some notes? 884 00:41:23,355 --> 00:41:27,443 I wanted a part in that show so badly, and here's… 885 00:41:27,526 --> 00:41:29,820 -Did you ask that? -Of course I did! 886 00:41:31,071 --> 00:41:35,951 I had been at, uh… New York Federal Court, District Three, or whatever they call it. 887 00:41:36,035 --> 00:41:37,661 I… on jury duty that week. 888 00:41:37,745 --> 00:41:38,746 -Come on. -Yes. 889 00:41:38,829 --> 00:41:40,831 And through… I demand justice. 890 00:41:40,915 --> 00:41:42,750 And through, uh, 891 00:41:42,833 --> 00:41:45,711 one mishap after another, I end up walking home. 892 00:41:45,794 --> 00:41:47,379 I come home to my house, 893 00:41:47,463 --> 00:41:51,300 and there's this huge, enormous movie production. 894 00:41:51,383 --> 00:41:54,553 I sit down and borrow… There's a PA there, I said, "Can I use your phone?" 895 00:41:54,637 --> 00:41:57,389 "I don't have my phone. I have my keys. I gotta get into my house." 896 00:41:57,473 --> 00:42:00,601 She says, "Sure." So I'm calling people trying to get into my house. 897 00:42:00,684 --> 00:42:03,020 In the meantime, I said, "What's this? What's goin' on?" 898 00:42:03,103 --> 00:42:06,899 She tells me what the whole thing is, and I said, "I wanna be an extra in this." 899 00:42:06,982 --> 00:42:10,152 And then she says, "Fine with me." She don't care. 900 00:42:10,653 --> 00:42:13,322 But did… You didn't end up in front of the camera? 901 00:42:13,405 --> 00:42:15,950 No, because these were all very nice people 902 00:42:16,033 --> 00:42:18,452 who thought it would be a hoot to screw up the whole production 903 00:42:18,536 --> 00:42:22,373 by putting me in a scene. This was the final shot of the series. 904 00:42:22,456 --> 00:42:24,208 -Oh, I know which shot that is. -Yeah. 905 00:42:24,291 --> 00:42:27,127 Anyway, that's what you're doing. Currently, it's being edited. 906 00:42:27,211 --> 00:42:29,338 You directed it. You produced it. 907 00:42:29,421 --> 00:42:33,717 Yep. Jude Law and I play brothers that run this sort of nightclub 908 00:42:33,801 --> 00:42:36,762 in the Lower East Side. and something goes wrong, 909 00:42:36,845 --> 00:42:39,390 a couple people die, and you try to figure out who did it 910 00:42:39,473 --> 00:42:41,183 over the course of the eight episodes. 911 00:42:41,267 --> 00:42:44,603 Okay. Anyway, congratulations on… on that. 912 00:42:44,687 --> 00:42:45,646 -Thank you. -Okay. 913 00:42:45,729 --> 00:42:49,066 So I want to know what I have omitted, 914 00:42:49,149 --> 00:42:52,027 what I have done, what I've been negligent about. 915 00:42:52,111 --> 00:42:54,697 Is there anything you wanna invite here? 916 00:42:55,197 --> 00:42:58,867 Thank you to the nice people here for showing up. 917 00:42:58,951 --> 00:43:01,203 -[cheering and applause] -[Bateman] Did we do it? 918 00:43:01,287 --> 00:43:03,330 -I think we're okay. -Did we do it? 919 00:43:03,414 --> 00:43:06,667 Uh… I… It's so nice to see you. So nice to see you. 920 00:43:06,750 --> 00:43:08,752 I'm sorry we haven't met heretofore. 921 00:43:08,836 --> 00:43:11,714 And good luck to your other daughter, sister, 922 00:43:11,797 --> 00:43:14,550 in Rhode Island with her boyfriend Jim. 923 00:43:14,633 --> 00:43:16,343 [laughter] 924 00:43:16,427 --> 00:43:19,179 -[Bateman] Thank you guys for comin' out. -[Letterman] Thank you. 925 00:43:19,263 --> 00:43:23,726 [Ron Howard] On the next My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. 926 00:43:23,809 --> 00:43:25,477 -You want one more bat? -I'll try one. 927 00:43:26,186 --> 00:43:30,524 [Howard] Dave and Jason continue to build up their confidence at the plate. 928 00:43:31,317 --> 00:43:33,611 Yeah, I always had second-base power. 929 00:43:33,694 --> 00:43:35,070 [Howard] He hadn't. 930 00:43:35,821 --> 00:43:37,906 -[Letterman] There it is. -[Bateman] That's gonna drop. 931 00:43:37,990 --> 00:43:41,452 -I could get to second on that. -[Howard] He couldn't. 932 00:43:41,535 --> 00:43:43,829 -[Bateman] I'm leavin' on that one. -[Howard] He didn't. 933 00:43:43,912 --> 00:43:46,457 -[Bateman] Gimme three more. -No. Let's finish the bucket. 934 00:43:46,540 --> 00:43:48,334 Finish the bucket. That's your war cry. 935 00:43:48,417 --> 00:43:53,005 [Howard] And for the record, Ron Howard is not a well-known asshole. 936 00:43:57,468 --> 00:43:59,595 [jazzy theme music playing] 937 00:44:32,461 --> 00:44:33,879 [music fades]