Justin Long

0:09This guy wants to. I don't know where to start with this movie, man. Like... I don't either. People keep saying, what is it? Is it a horror or is it a comedy? And I don't know how to really encapsulate it. I think the tone is also kind of all over the place. It's a tough movie to really narrow down that. That's fun too, right? Because it bends everything. Yeah, yeah. And it's just, it's fine, but it just makes these things a little bit harder when somebody gets out. Like the red carpet wasn't easy. So what's the movie about? I guess it's simple to describe. That part's easy. The guy, there's another guy on New Waras.

0:54I'll see you later. That old chest. Yeah. So I heard Kevin was saying last night on stage that your agent told you not to do this movie. Yeah. It's like, do not. Yeah, the agent I had at the time said, no, there's no electronic. No, I don't. But yeah. And in her defense, I mean, it's probably good advice. It was a very strange script, obviously. Yeah, what were your first things? So you get this thing and you start reading and you're like, okay, yeah, all right, I get it. And now what? Well, I mean, Kevin prefaced the whole thing with a very flattering letter and just the fact that he wanted me to do it at all was really flattering. And I loved working with him in the past.

1:40And so I knew going into reading it that I was going to, whatever it was I was going to do. That was my mindset and the script itself really pushed the limits of that. It was really tested that idea. But I was going to do it regardless just because I love working with Kevin. And I know this sounds really simple, but he creates a fun atmosphere to work in. I got to the point in my career where I was less concerned with the ambition of being this or that and more about having fun. I know that sounds really- What were the ambitions? That's interesting. What were they when you first got to the biz? When I first got it, it was just to work.

2:26It was just to get jobs. And that carried me through, I think maybe to a fault, many years of that, the jobs would come up and I was not. I sometimes think I wasn't as maybe discerning as I should have been only because of it. You've got to take the work and you've got to. Yeah, well that was my mentality. I grew up, my mom was an actress. So my thought was always like, you know, actors take the jobs. You go, a friend of mine used to sit as actors to say, you know, we're like, it's a Tim Busfield. I don't know if you know what I mean. We're like, we're like, like, we're like, we're like, we're like, we go with a tensar. We're carnies. And I always thought that way, you know, like a job would come up and of course I'm going to do it. And then I think, you know, you do one too many and the same thing.

3:15And then I started getting bored a little bit. I started getting like, and that's just, it ceased to be as fun as it was. You know, like I'd be two weeks into a job and I was like, I'm kind of done this and playing the same sort of, I don't know. I started wearing thin and I hate saying it because I love acting so much. And so I kind of just read that. What was the movie that flips it for you? Where'd you get back on track? You know, I know that's a good question. I don't know. It was just along the way, you know, the last around 30, 31 when I hit the surname. It was also just said, is that hella ages? No, 30, yeah. Yeah, it was just like, I don't know what you're saying. It was also just a, just in general life, in general time, this is going to sound weird and heavy for an interview. But time and game. I'm good for it.

4:01Precious, you know, time becomes more precious. But when you, when the older, you got to just realize how, how limited it is. No, I like it. No, because we got some time. You don't have any Molly on your dude. I love, I can't say that on camera. Sorry. Yeah, I know. I just wanted to play along. It'd be great to deal with Molly right now. Where do you go? You know, they're marketing, they're actually using, I don't know if you read this. I did. I was going to ask Kevin about the weed stuff. Yeah. You want to talk about it? That's, that's weird. It does kind of make sense. Yeah. I mean, like the more you think about it. So they're, so they're marketing, by 824 is like a, they're, they're genius at this kind of thing. And Kevin, I'm sure we'll talk more in depth about that. Yeah, they do. The spring rakers is incredible.

4:46Yeah. And, and the bling ring. And, and yeah, they just really know how to find an audience. And so they, I think realize the, the, the origins of this movie and the way in which it was conceived, which was through a thick cloud of smoke. And microphone. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And, and, and that's a way it can be enjoyed. Not the only way. But so they've, they've actually, I think they've like developed two strains of pot to coincide with the release of the movie. And one is called, one makes sense. One is like a mellow, you know, he's, you saw the movie. So it's like, am I might, might be nice to watch it with like just like some sort of mellow, like tranquil thing. And then it's called a white walrus.

5:33Yeah. And then the other one is a more intense high, which to me, I mean, I don't want to, I don't want to do whatever marketing they've done. I don't want to like work against it. And, but I would be afraid of doing the other one, which is Mr. Tusk. The movie is intense on its own and like crazy enough that, but I said that to Kevin. And I was like, do you really need that? He's like, I'm going to try it. I don't know what you're going to do without you kidding. Yeah. And now I'm sort of curious too. But the other one's called Mr. Tusk in case my mom's watching this and, or anyone who's interested in maybe your mom. That's where you go. Yeah. I actually was joking, but, but now that I think about it, my mom should smoke some of the white walrus before watching this because she's just a trailer. She was like, Oh my God, I can't. I don't know if I can do it. She saw, I didn't move in Jeepers Creepers this horror movie.

6:18I mean, at the end that was a spoiler alert. It's been 15 years. It's been 15 years. It's been 15 years. They take out my eye. The monster takes out my eyes and I make it sound so delicate. Like it's a procedure. Yeah, whatever it is. He surgically, he probably just rips him out. But my mom really freaked out. I saw it with her like opening day and she was crying at the end and she's an actress. Yeah, she knows. She would think, like mom, it's fake. She's like, you're beautiful. So this is what you're going to think when she's eating. I know, no. Oh my God. Nightmares. It'd be really weird for me if she was like, yeah, okay. So he looked like his baby actually. I can see that. Yeah. So choice is the mustache because it was going to be a walrus because they've got the horror movie.

7:04Yeah. I thought like anything to help the horror and the disturbing horror mustache. That's a thing. I just think it's so horrifying to look at. I wanted it for a couple of reasons mostly because I thought it was like a fun, like foreshadowing. And Robert Kurtzman got who did the makeup, special effects makeup got the call. It was such a quick process that he had so little time to prepare, which makes what he did that much more incredible. And his team, they were awesome. But I thought that the mustache was going to be incorporated into the Mustache. And they tried actually at one point. He did try and it ended up looking way too comical.

7:49It was like a grouch on Mark's wall. Oh, gosh. Because he was this fluffy, almost like Rip Taylor. You know, Rip Taylor who throws the confetti. Yeah. It was the Rip Taylor. It was the same. You just do that. Yeah, it works. That's the thing. I don't know if he throws confetti. The end of Jackass movies. Yeah. Yeah. But Ben was sure before that too. And he was famous for things. But that's what I know him. Me too. And he was like, I'm not sure if he was going to make sure I did things or was that his go to, I don't know. We'll Google that later. Or Bing that rather. Because it's from Microsoft. Kevin was saying last night too, the podcast, like at the job of the podcast, was going to be a different thing. You were going to go out and bang random chicks. But you were like, I don't want to do that. This is a better thing. Maybe you make it sound even grosser than it is. Bang random chick. Well, I'm just using what he said yesterday. No, you're right to say that.

8:35Yeah. And I thought the audience is already, it's a delicate balance because you don't want him to be overly sympathetic because he's going to get tortured and go through this horrible thing. But you also don't want him to be a complete asshole because there's got to be an element of redemption for him in the end. So yeah, I thought it'd be interesting. I read the script and I thought, it's so weird and fun. But there's an opportunity to maybe say something in the weirdness and about, it sounds really pretentious. If you don't like pretension to stop one. About losing your humanity and maybe finding it in some way and becoming an animal.

9:21Like a little Kafka for the kids. Because the kids love the Kafka. They love the Kafka. What did you learn as an actor playing a walrus? I mean, I know in some acting class they do animal exercises, right? They do actually. Yeah. And it reminded me of that. It reminded me of like, oh god, that's bullshit. Not that it's bullshit to do that. But I remember being in acting class and like, okay, you're here. It was that very primal. You're a snake and you're this and you have to go through so tired and such a bad actor that I couldn't come up with another animal. That's an example. Yeah. But it felt like that. It felt like a very primal exercise. And it was cathartic in a lot of ways. It was very like, like screaming. Yeah. And in a way that it was, it was fun when I was doing it, I mean, I'm in the full, I'm

10:08in the prosthetics and I'm, and I had, and I had been in this state all day because we had just a limited time to shoot the full walrus stuff. So we're getting a lot of it out of the way. And, and it was, I've tried to stay in this state because I didn't want to, it sounds weird, but I didn't want to, you don't want to fake it. You don't want to be caught. You got to commit. It's to be caught kind of in a dishonest moment. So with that, I was, you have to really embrace it. You have to go for it. And I found myself like not wanting to really talk to people. Like my girlfriend was on set and was visiting and, and she came on and I was like, hey, hey, you know, and I just wanted water. I was like, I just want some water. The straw and like, yeah, go back to my room. I don't have to pee.

10:53There was just very, I was, I was, I was being more attuned to my like urges, you know, like I, I don't know. That's interesting. I know I'm not taking it properly. No, you are. It's animalistic. Yeah. I'm thirsty. You want water? We're doing again. Okay. You know, and do you realize this or was it not just happening? No, it happened. I was talking about it yesterday and I remember thinking and my girlfriend mentioned that at the time she was like, you know, you were in it. I was like, well, you know, because that sounds so like pretentious and like, so, and I'm playing a well. No, you're acting. Like it's your job to commit, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I was, it was, but in a very primal state of being just, yeah. And there was something about it that was, how often do you get to have that experience? Yeah. It was like getting to like go as deep and, you know, simple and, but in a weirdly profound

11:39in that way. How often do you get the experience of getting to change character aspects like you did with this one? Does that ever happen? Yeah. Maybe it's a lead. It's different. Yeah, it is. And I miss doing that. I actually miss playing. There was another thrilling thing about getting to do the part was just playing somebody that unlikeable in that people watching this may be like, no, no, you do that usually. But it was, it was a much different part than I've been asked to play. And then the transformation in obviously was pretty extreme. So that was, as an actor that was just, I will never be able to thank Kevin enough for giving me that opportunity because I really don't. I don't get the chance to do that. Actually, the last few years it's been, you know, like romantic comedy areas and stuff

12:29like that. So it's, you get pigeonholed and I was done. I think this will change that. Yeah. Now it's just Walrus's. And Yogis, Canadian Yogis. How's it going now? You go back tomorrow? Yeah. I'm done. Oh, you're done. Yeah. This one, although Kevin mentioned that the character might come back in the movie he's doing next month. But yeah, the best is a fun character, another fun character. He lets me do that stuff. Really grateful. It's the best thing to get to do as an actor. And stuff like, you know, things I used to do when I was a couple of years ago and I haven't been able to in the last few years. So I love it. I love this world he's created selfishly because I get to be. He's a good man. Yeah. But the Yogahowsers is another strange one.

13:15I don't know how to even begin with that. Sorry, we don't have time. Yeah, it doesn't matter. Perfect. Yeah, I got five quick questions. One more answers. Oh, okay. Same ones. Okay. Script or improv? Improv. Staedt or script. But that's a tough... I can't... Elaborate if you want. We don't have much time. Go for it. It's tough because sometimes you get the incredible script and it's kind of liberating just committing to a script because I have done, oftentimes on like more mediocre movies they'll say, you know, if you can improvise. Punch things up. Yeah. Yeah. And the best is to improvise with a good script. That's the best place in the room. Sorry. I like that. That was an interesting stage or screen. Stage. Just lately, yeah, sorry.

14:01Stage. I'm not good at this. No, not many people are. Windbag. That's why I like it. Hitchcock or Kubrick? Kubrick. Letting her McCartney. Oh, man. Harrison. Oh, nice. Fuck you. Anyone want to work? No, I did not. You're not the first one to say that though. No one's ever said Ringo. I'm still waiting on that one. I was very high. I should have. Oh, well. It's Ringo, my dad. Ringo. Did you play it? I thought you'd play it on some point. Ringo was always like like this. One word, Tusk. That's a good one. Yeah. Because that's how I felt coming out of the movie. Like what? The inflections of it, that might not work as much. It's not, it's, that's us. Okay, good.

14:47There's no playing. Oh, I just... You didn't say anything. Thanks, man. Thank you. Appreciate it. That was fun.