THR Full Comedy Actor Roundtable: Anthony Anderson, Kevin Bacon, William H. Macy, & More!

[Music] let's dive right into this okay before you start right now one quick question for Brian no not really no seriously Brian a simple question okay what are the 14 ingredients to the original recipe cutting things I look like Colonel Sanders get back down that's going to go before we know I just need to know what are the original [ __ ] spices so I can go home make this chicken it's just a boat I don't know I don't know that's all I don't know what I did and I shown up and then this is where I guess that's it you know saying all right can we know your answer no no what is the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you guys as performers sitting at the table with Anthony yeah I had a phone away I'm not going out like that all right find a way OS performers think oh yeah how low do we go miss cuttle right in heaven it's embarrassing I was going to play way way far off Broadway to play was absolutely awful and what was it called directed can I tell you the truth I don't know the answer to either one of those questions that's how long ago was it was a really long time ago I remember they had to take an elevator it was like an apartment building anyway I was part of it was it an apartment a kid like a place I was like I was like a part of what part of the way was directed is that there would be an actor talking the lead actress would be talking downstage and she would be delivering a monologue and then I was part of this kind of ensemble of younger actors and we would move around and form a tableau mm-hmm and then we did a little bit more and then we formed a tableau which just by itself was absolutely embarrassing huh I had something bad for lunch and every one of these gob low Wow I let out loud is far enough absolutely the worst now we're in this tableau if you can imagine and everybody just completely lost and this actress is downstairs death they like doing her best to you know make mrs. deliver this moving speech and we last so hard that we had to sleep stage and we came back on stage yes I gotta kind of get to go get daddy out there form the tableau we get back out of Chen lost it I mean the entire performance is pretty much shot it was gone out in the New York Times reviewer was yeah been Brenda Mel oh good it didn't happen to me but since we're on fart jokes which is today everything yeah use are not long now I'm nothing is funnier than a fart oh don't do it no way with there was an actress it was off-broadway there was an actress who was constantly dieting and we had a scene where the fireplace doubled as the headboard so it was a fireplace and then we would get in bed and they would slide through and now suddenly you're in a bedroom so we all the three of us get under the blankets there and she's in the middle and she said oh I'm on a special diet the blankets up and as we're sliding out it was Kristin master book was on the other side this smell came up and we looked out of the bed I've never smelled anything like that in my life there are people right now going busy is that was enough fart of art so it's how we doing with the dignity thing so yeah I think so to make this joke I was going to play the public and I used to constantly joke with the dudes and a dresser on ball-ball smoke like whatever you do don't come here with your balls smell I'm saying right so a visual of all smoke basically is like pretend like you have shorts on you know I mean even at the gym or doing whatever got to do and you sit in that cloud of smoke that comes on like it's what it feels like so I would powder before going on stage whatever make sure that it is so got your bow got the balls the powder the box okay okay alright oh and the costume was all white so I'm good I could just go for it's going to girl or anybody be upset and so cool there was a scene where I had to put the leg up put my leg up in this cloud okay rock over all right the best thing is that it happened to my co-star the next day sterling Brown he did the same thing and a big cloud of smoke just came from his balls well this is a static I would like to you how do your powers powder my balls look before you go man just like there's a sweat issue that goes and you don't want to offend anyone on stage I don't want ball smoke the hell what the hell were you doing before you showed up to the banner yeah - okay I don't feel like this is an animal for guys have anything to do nom they alright alright I thought you said when you put your leg up one of your white both know the smoke from the butterball smoke happened the ball smoke came out as I it okay hello so I don't got any people's eyes like following it as a person everyone else is just like oh man but it was fresh what they seemed like a bunch of people changing the channel I going back to farting I I have to because somebody took the hit for me for a fart that I did on set Jeremy Sisto I love my brother we were on on the set of lawn order one day and it was Jeremy myself and s epatha merkerson in the scene and before app ASA had come to the scene or in between takes I had let one go and she had walked back into the room and I thought she was done and she wasn't and so in the Middle East a there yelled action and so in the middle of the tank she just stopped and said okay come on [ __ ] that's one of you [ __ ] disgusting and I wasn't about to admit to it and for some reason she believes Sisto did and he took the hit for that and I never admitted to that so I just wanted you know a pacer that was me - really I just realized that my very first acting TV gig was on your lawn order I was playing a security guard and I was interesting with you in Jeremy really long time ago which I remember the one I don't know because you guys that what how many episodes did that have I was worried I mean here with your first caption you know here I was my first gig so that was because I would remember I I was you wouldn't remember me because I was literally a dude marking tired I probably would not remember you I would remember the FSA is going to be going really love with ya and coleslaw all right okay my mind's worse Paul are in that in that we I think I was going backstage actually to see a friend in a play and there was a line of us and it was dark and I had had something to eat and god I really opened up a kid learning this is were Caesar flow i belched oh and what I'd eaten was horrible I mean person behind me said oh who farted and usually I would claim a fart right brush amazing what comes out your mouth now it's like you know it's just I just planned that right I don't know that's whatever have you guys ever had were you when you thought it was a fart but it's like lumps no it wasn't oh yes it wasn't the preview was the whole movie oh yeah shooting in Mexico a lot yeah that what happened to you guys oh yeah I mean why are you on no I would never I'm a man of dignity yes you are that's happened to you guys no no no all right on that note Brian you're newer to the same game if you will how would the rest of you advise him on how to navigate success yes give this to me thank you when do you say no when it when when should you say yes how do you make choices having had something that sort of came out so strong out of the gate hmm don't give you family money oh yeah yeah my family money uh yeah that's a good one I always had I said this do the good stuff but don't do the bad stuff that's my career advice that's really great it's good advice how do you not do that stuff yeah you do when you redo you do you present when you read it about yourself but with the bad stuff is like lots of money you don't never ever not be a few times I've done something for money about half way through I thought this isn't anywhere near the amount of money and what were the other things but isn't it sometimes you read something you think it's going to be great and then it doesn't yeah yes good at all yeah my experience is when I do stuff I probably shouldn't have there was a moment when I read the script and went you know I don't know this part though here does work and then they say God we'd love you for this part Ted and here's X money and your little work you don't fix it yeah it'll work yeah and they don't you're usually your instincts is usually right mmm they get harder or easier to say no for me it's gotten easier to say no but there's always that thing of I always had this you know feeling that if somebody wants me that I should probably do it like in the back of my mind just because I still think about being out of work I know I mean you still think about being a waiter and trying to you know get a little bit two nickels to rub together daily oh yeah absolutely and I speak to my I still have that well I don't have that I got have cash in my pocket you know all the time it's like it's like I'm always thinking like I could say if there's a gay guy I thought probably should take it because they want me so Katie but but it has got a little bit easier to say to say no I think that's because also because you start to have other sort of priorities you know you want to spend time doing other things you can work all the time when I started my career is ask myself what does this script have to do with the human condition and then about halfway through my career I started to ask how much hello will I get paid ah well now I asked do I have to get wet or where does it shoot where's it really it's right now I feel like if the most incredible director on the planet had the most incredible script and it's shot in someplace else other than Li I'd be actually mm-hmm I was more interested in being home yeah I constantly wonder sometimes like oh my god if somebody approaches me with a script like agent Cody Banks but okay what would I do about you ever have then I go you would do I'm assuming your name is Cody Baker or with you now and I imagine many things are being offered to you yeah I mean it's really terrifying because it's um don't do agent Cody Banks tree I don't do AG Cody Banks right he was great for kangaroo jack - okay I I don't know it's kind of I mean even coming here I was really uh floored like the whole time I was like I cannot believe that I'm sitting at a table with these great these these men that I have pretty much studied and and really like revered for a long time and also me I love you know but it's just like it's just it is weird because it's like you know I went to school and I trained and you know you never think that would you come out of school day anything is going to happen but sometimes you do and I just love it you like what I just really love it and so to hear the thing about the instinct I was saying I was like most of the things that I've gone with I've just instinctually been like oh yeah I like this too like this dude I can relate to but that doesn't necessarily mean that all the chips will fall where they will and I've just really been very fortunate to to be there even sitting here right now like a kidney bully I still can't believe it I love going out we're here truly loved ignorance being around the crew and cameras yeah other actress you love actors you will work forever yeah really do believe it's about the enjoyment it is what and when you say enjoyment you also need if things are going well I I hope that things are always on an upward trajectory and completely stellar but this you know if you stick around for long enough you know it's there's going to be dips so you look back you go [ __ ] I mean I wish I had really like embraced yeah like that yeah I'm when you know when I was hitting right you know right cause you don't always hit so my one of my prayers but please Lord do not let my fame exceed my ability to get work there would be nothing worse than to be out of work and go hey Jim yeah you're lucky lucky never had a game named Daffy I mean how is that implants of you and does that hurt yeah it doesn't hurt I mean with the desert I always just have one degree yeah I literally said that when I woke up as when I was like on one degree yeah good one degrees like that sort of talk about now mean how did that come about I mean like because it's been around for a long did you know the origin of six degrees I do yeah these guys were sitting around in college three college guys and Pennsylvania and they movie mom was playing and they just started talking about it and they said have started playing it and how'd you find that out I found it out I think first I heard Howard Stern talking about it and then eventually Jon Stewart had had a show a nighttime show and they asked me to come and be on it with the guys now so I'm not go to that I hated it because you know to me it was like I was trying so hard to be a serious actor run and all of a sudden I was like a parlor game so you know I was kind of harsh I thought it was kind of like I thought it was really a joke at my expense yeah yeah so uh now I don't really feel that way anymore like it's like a generational like generations will play this game yeah yeah I mean I don't think it helps me get work I don't think it really helps anything my name's Jeremy I've kind of tried to scratch my head and try to think of ways that I could like slap game but but yeah I tried that but uh but it's just there and it's so it's fine you know it's fine so Camille you're another one who recently you wrote a movie starred in which is getting a tremendous amount of acclaim curious how the result of that has impacted the doors that have opened for you and how do you make decisions with these new doors opened well it's tough I mean that's why I was asking these guys I don't when I read something it's part of it is that thing so it's crazy to hear you guys still have it because I wasn't I was not working not that long ago so I remember what somebody asked you dude like do something it was like oh my god me thank you so much I'll do whatever so to hear that you guys still have that is very interesting so you know I try and read stuff and I try and figure out like I also feel bad judging other people's work so like I'll read a script and I'm like I don't like it but someone really put a lot of time into it my to say no to this is you've directed and you know what it is you a lot of sensors hmm I think making a good movie everything has to go right and making a terrible movie one thing is to go wrong so it's tough to have to make decisions you can get like with the movie to be great you have to have a great script great cast great director great DP great makeup great costume and a bad movie one thing goes wrong and suddenly you have a you have a bad movie so I don't know how to judge like what to do and it's also tough because that movie was like our story my wife and I wrote it and it's so personal to us it's hard to go from that to like somebody else's story well you are you tempted to write and direct your own stuff again I would love to well they'll do that all right I mean that's you have any ideas I've used my whole life I'll write something for you time love it thank you yeah give me a treatment and I'll flash it out forward by Ted Danson screenplay by Kemal so Hollywood loves to lock people into lanes and they know you for a certain thing and then they want more of you in that what are the things that you sort of find yourself getting tired of being approached for whether it is currently or earlier point in your color song a thug I'm not a goddamn sorry this is like it's Jesus [ __ ] man I'll just finish it off and it's for something but either way like it's just like I find it I kind of love it but I don't but it especially now the things I'm approached for is very much they want to lock me into you know the heart like drug dealer or the hard you know do it on the corner selling drugs and you know what you know what that is right know your dark skin thank you I'm a black man but it's weird because I don't think I knew that when people watch the show that they thought that I was that guy yeah and I know that I was like not I'd like people really thought that they they found me on the streets of Atlanta or like let's give this guy knows well that's that's cool but yeah the next project notnot like I would like I like I would like to do something else I can be a lawyer but I think that's the part that's in your control and you will have to say you know yeah right a lot of no nothing it said it was a really hard story comes along and you're part of that really good story as somebody else you'll be yeah approach you as paper boy and you're like screaming at you and thinking that that's really honest it's intense I like when they don't know the name though okay so I'll get paper bag and boy I'll get all kinds of things and I'm just like yeah it's like when I did Book of Mormon I my character's name is general butt [ __ ] naked right and so when I would see people in the street there was this woman - oh my god and he was not from America and he saw me on the street he's like but [ __ ] but [ __ ] yeah that moment you're standing there you just got to really go yeah yeah oh yeah yeah that's me but yeah it's easy to get trapped in lanes sometimes and it's scary but like that whole thing saying no is because that scares me - yeah it always feel like I have to but say yes sometimes because I'm like well I don't ever know when I'm going to get offered anything I'm sure but but there's this power in in saying no you know earlier in my career I worked with some of comedic some of the comedic greats that Eddie Murphy Martin Lawrence Bernie Mac Jim Carrey the fairies of others and all that and I felt that eventually I would become tight cast or be typecast as the fat funny guy and and I didn't want that because there I knew there was much more to me as an actor than just what they had seen up to that point and so I made a conscious decision to say no I just created my first television show all about the Andersons and and I was like you know what this is this is the last thing the last comedic thing that I'm going to do for now and we me and my team we got together and you know we we made a plan you know we targeted shows like Law & Order we targeted movies like The Departed and Hustle & Flow and things of that nature and those things started to fall into place but I was I was willing and ready to just take a step back and maybe not work for a while if that if that were the case and and create things on my own because if I didn't find anything out there that was right for me right for what I wanted to do next I had to create that for myself and and those things started to fall into place I thought that I had something to prove you know to my fans into the industries like look I'm more than just you know this comic relief through and here is what I can do and and and and that's why I danced in in the dramatic world for the the years that I did because I wanted to prove a point I wanted to make a statement you made a conscious decision did not do comedy for a little while yes and if you'd gotten like a comedy that you really thought were oh this is really funny I'd be really good in this did you get that and you didn't take it because you want to do I probably did I probably said noticing things that were out there that might have been great for me but at that point I was like you know I I have worked some of the best and I had done some of my best work comedic ly like well you know what else what else is what what else is there for me to do in this Lane right and because Hollywood can be myopic in their thinking sometimes so you said you know that this is what they want from you okay that's what you want but this is what this is what I have to give you again with comedic stuff to not wasn't getting bored with it huh I wasn't getting bored with it at all I just wanted to make a change and open more doors yes I'm so shocked that it's like but I'm even in a comedy lane like I didn't even know that that I was I didn't know it's funny I didn't I didn't know that that's the lane that people were going to put me in sure I mean I love it but I just didn't I didn't know that so you just talked a little bit about being approached on the street one of the things I read about you Kevin is that you had a prosthetic disguise made curious why you had it made and why didn't like the experience yeah I decided to see what you're having lived as a person for so long but I mean the second I go outside wherever I am pretty much you know people will say listen to you you come to our town no but he's gonna bug you yeah everyone believes that about wherever they live you know right even like foreign countries you know and it's amazing I love it it's 99.9% good it's free [ __ ] we know tables the restaurant right people coming up saying I love you like in the course of your day to have people just say I love you all the time like that's an amazing thing you can't you can't go that's I don't want that right and right the other thing is that I've known the blame of myself for this life hmm however I just wanted to see what it was like to not in her peripheral vision goes when people look at you all the time I know he can look at you yeah yeah yeah so true yes why dude so I had a disguise made and by wonderful effects makeup bars I can't say no every no it was it was it was very simple it was very simple it was a bit of a nose and some teeth and you it really did not you wore around a bit of a nose handsome teeth like Justin yeah no one recognized you I went to the Grove and no one recognized you recognized me and I'm in shock yeah how did you feel after that buddy had to wait on you took it off and you're like all right Anthony you had an episode of blackish disease in the post-election episode which was an incredibly powerful one and I think a piece of the reason that was so powerful was joerger role in it spent much of the episode so just listening sitting back as everyone's we've debated the the horrors of this new presidency and then you said when asked why you weren't mad you said I am I'm just used to things not going my way curious the a the significance for you of of that line and what discussion were you hoping it prompted Kenya Baris my partner who created our art show wrote this particular episode he wasn't going to write any more episodes last season and until he felt and saw the effect of the election and how it affected even our writers in our room and at that that that line actually was something that he said to the writers because they were like hell you seem like you know you're not upset about this and they were [ __ ] minion on set you know we come from you know a culture where you know you know Brian I you know I can speak for us where you know we're not used to [ __ ] going our way I think I'm not sad that Hillary didn't win that I'm not terrified about what Trump's about to do I'm used to things not going my way I'm sorry that you're not and it's blowing your mind so excuse me if I get a little offended because I didn't see all of this outrage when everything was happening to all of my people since we were stuffed on boats in Chains I love this country as much if not more than you do and don't you ever forget that you know I grew up in the projects and Watts in the Nickerson gardens and I grew up in the inner city and in the hood and in Compton and you know we you know my family my friends my community this was nothing new to us you know and Andres character Orion Andre said now maybe you guys understand what it feels like to be black huh you know on this day you woke up and now you know what it felt like and now you're upset well this is the [ __ ] that we live with as a community for the majority of our entire lives I think that's why that line was so poignant and what did we expect what we want to get from that you just just discussion just debate I think we covered every perspective good bad and indifferent from from the election you know a lot of people thought it was an anti-trump show it wasn't you know it was so remarkable because like that room there was every representation of yeah like even because my favorite character is the female the white woman that's not her one decides are going back and forth buck and I'm like oh wow like it showed so many sides of the people that you thought you know but you don't yeah here we are all working at the same place doing the same thing this because it's a advertising yeah and then you just see like you guys are all because you know you're white you're white coworkers are ridiculous right and it's like because they don't they don't bite they're talking about what they're saying and it's you know Dre is there you know he stands up for himself but he knows the game so that that episode was really really really remarkable to me because I was like this woman's ridiculous I was like they're everything they're saying is [ __ ] stupid and I was like oh but wait these are the rooms of all everybody's very good thing about that was it was like a fantasy because I feel like these different sides never actually get to talk to each other a bad episode you actually had you had conversations between people who usually just shouted each other yeah I'm curious I mean on Atlanta man this is the show and you have said that one of the things this show does is show what it's like to be black in America today presumably the writing isn't happening right this minute but I am curious how the current sort of political climate would be infused in the show wait yeah it's actually great that we have a year off like I think it's actually really good that we have this break because we do need to see where the world is going to go because it's a big part of how it influences us and how it's going to influence Atlanta and you think that will be the heart of the show another conversations you have I mean that's a big thing that our writers do is Steven and Stephanie and Donald and family like they really listen you I do what you say out with them could end up in that episode of stay and influence you know how how it's going to go because we just want to be like in the present what our universe has become ya know it's like when we found out that we had till September I was like great that's great there's gonna be some [ __ ] to write about yeah like so less like let's see what that goes and now you I know fill in your sag acceptance speech you you thank your president for making your character quote seem normal hey how much truth is is there in that but also when you say something like this and you certainly do it on with your on Twitter do you worry about sort of alienating a chunk of the fan base not directly but I think we all agree that sometimes when actors hold forth it's it becomes a bore because we have very specific skills and I don't know that they necessarily go over into politics well here I'll ask you guys one at Hamilton at the curtain call when they talk about when they addressed Vice President hens mm-hmm what did you guys think about that I'll go first I thought it was wrong that they should not hear some kind it was my point of view that audience bought those tickets they paid for that time it wasn't the actors time it was the aw if they want to speak to the vice president they can do that hmm but to interrupt a curtain call so that they can give a speech I thought ran the rules that's why when I see advertisements before a feature film and because I bought this time you can sell it to someone else my time okay and I thought they stepped over it has nothing to do with what they said then yes is tricky it's it's that's audience time the applause is their time to speak into to say okay everybody be quiet while we give a our opinion on something I thought it was wrong I think that it's tricky because when we do Book of Mormon and what we talked about and what we said and how we you know and it also came you know they do Broadway cares so you know at the end of speech hiv/aids fun or whatnot and it's a little different it's a little different but it's like you know I think because of what Hamilton had become and what Hamilton was saying and at that at that place I feel like when you go into a certain theater to see a certain show you feel like you're with like-minded people like yourself like after like you're sitting with people who may have the same sense of humor you do are probably theater goers and one they understand this universe rate so I think that when they did that speech I think that they thought you know here we are with this this audience that is here that is is with us you know what what this musical is about they're with us and then I guess for pens to then come in who I guess they thought was the complete antithesis to that mmm-hmm because what they said I didn't think was out of line I don't think that anything they said was out of line brandon victor dixon did a great job with what he did but i was like you know i guess at some point how long can you go without say especially in a venue like him with it being about politics and all these and justices that happen how could you not say something that yeah because ultimately it ends up being and are not speaking specifically about the hamilton situation but it ends up not being constructive because what it does is and I feel this sometimes sometimes it only people who hear you are people already listen to you and the people who don't agree with you are upset about what you said so I don't know if them saying it it would a big story but but then where's the line though because like that's the thing is like where's the line because I was very terrified about our episode where I'm on the panel yeah and I have to go I was just like no this is what the like this is everything that he said was misconstrued from a from a tweet from you right and so it is that weird scary line of figuring out how do you how do you say your convictions and your beliefs to people that may have had your back may have been maybe may believe the same things that you do but then all of a sudden it switches and they're like oh no no we don't [ __ ] with that guy like I said that and with it's such a weird place you are I just think part of the tricky part of what's going on right now is the White House is such a shiny object and in just every five minutes of doing something that makes us all go and the news focuses on it meanwhile the Senate and Congress the believers are very busy doing exactly what they told us for years that they want to do while we're all looking I mean to Trump some stuff that we all care desperately about is going on mm-hmm so yeah what I'm trying to do is not look at you that out turn that channel wish him well please don't blows up focus on the house yeah no I think that's important back to you my letter turn no that's quite all right I mean that's the thing right like for us to be up here for comedy in this era like it's better we don't [ __ ] apologize for it like because it did the end of the day somebody out there is gonna relate to what I say and this [ __ ] is funny you know what a word man is called one man who's Latin for hand probably but I'm saying no for the purpose of argument managed comfort word man and they really Elaine my name I mean Malcolm you too Martin you know what I did to him they killed him didn't make him Malcolm to or another law they say that but ain't nobody seen a body sister cool that's how funerals work Alfred you already Malcolm okay you have that already what you really need is a silent wildcard somebody it's about the money the opportunity who can play both sides it needed more than my favorite moment that lanta was that I thought was so pointed and so money was there's a shooting of cop shoots a black person and then everybody's like it's just going about their day like it's completely normal which is like so it's such a strong statement without really saying it directly yesterday what can be hard with that day was really funny because we're not because I went to college in Atlanta so I know that city I remember telling them when we first got together go to production office cuz I had to drive around to set and I was like so who's got me when I get pulled over because I'm going to get profile I was like everybody I just like I just want you guys to know I'm going to get profiled so who's got me and they're like buying you your kidneys gonna be fine and that day that very day episode 10 I'm driving 8 a.m. in the morning through Bankhead which is a little sketchy area of Atlanta Shore it's 8 o'clock at horn and I'm lost and I'm driving a Honda a sonata I'm not classy man I'm like I got a sonata I'm cruising and I thought I was I got lost and I remember calling the ad it was like hey I actually don't know where I'm going to GPS he's completely screwed I was like hold up the cops behind me now the cops are behind me I was like just stay on the phone with me and for 10 minutes this car followed me for a minute and when I finally got pulled over and I'm like the music I'm listening to is so random I think it was like listening like Meghan Trainor and he comes up and he's like like ok hands on the wheel I was like ok oh ok and he was like where are you going I was like oh my god thank you I'm so lost man I'm doing this show right now I was like you I was like I need to find base camp and he's like ok do you have any weapons in the car ha ha and 8:00 in the morning like at 8 o'clock of them no I don't have anyway and so either way he didn't want anything he just gave me my license back and like and at the end I was like what sir where I go and I was like oh my god he never gave me any help so here's you get to set and I'm in here and make up and they're like Brian you're not like are you ok I was like what are we filming today what are the things and I look at the cost you look perfect let's [ __ ] go let's go and all day it was like shooting that scene I was just like ok well it was like I was I was already in it yeah so ridiculous but so you just gave somebody else's a seam permit somebody else's show that that was that your were both moved by but I'm curious personally me you sound like you maybe have won a scene from shameless that you were proudest of writers in a genius way have my character be so despicable and unpredictable and so awful and then there are these moments of humanity to me sneak in and you see that Frank Gallagher is actually a real guy usually it involves some sort of loss but there been a couple of those we did this thing where I was dying of liver failure for the whole season we went on a diet I lost a trillion pounds and I spent a lot of the whole season on a gurney listening to people talk and at any rate I kept saying I want to go to the bar I want to go to the bar and they said you can't go to the bar Frank and so they brought the bar to the house and it would just it killed me and it was so weird to see all these guys that I only saw on that bar set for the first time in the house and I just started weeping here baby and Mark my lad was directing and he just ran the camera forever until it was just empty and then I saw the [ __ ] thing and it's two seconds of a white guy but everybody comes got away we talk to actresses recently who talked about the sort of fear of being unlikable of taking on a character who is unlikable is that something you guys love it you love it you think about their concern using freedom you have carte Blanc yeah yeah because people already have their noses about what they think you're going to be anyway like you know like would the truest gift is when you take that person and you show their humanity you know what I mean like at the end of the day they got out of bed - something got them there like they didn't wake up or like I'm going to be a piece of [ __ ] like someone got them to that place you know and and you can't into the biggest thing is you cannot judge them at all like you cannot when your plant you cannot judge them at all like even outfit is a petit piece of [ __ ] it's such a petty person but I was like but any day as a guy I get that like I totally get that for you man I totally understand how you want to slap people all the time for the things that they say and want to pull a gun on somebody like I get that so yeah I love it it's the juiciest thing obviously your character at the end of the season you learn something you know a big reveal about the character how important was knowing that all along and had you not known that would it have changed the way you play the character well I was tricky is you know you we wanted people to watch for 13 episodes and not get it yep so I literally never had a private moment where I'd say something to somebody they'd walk off and I'd have a moment which is what humanizes people hi there we have a category 55 emergency doomsday crisis category 55 emergency doomsday crisis sorry what is it category 55 imagines a doomsday crisis it's nothing it's a tiny little inconvenience Donny dude could you show us to a private room where no one could see or hear us even if I yell very loudly out of fear you would pop into me speaking and pop out because I was only supposed to be there in people's from people other people's point of view else the gag would be given away so I watch and I'd sit there go this is really good re the worst I've ever done in my entire life so it was little unnerving and this year's a lot more fun you get to see behind the curtain you guys like knowing where your character goes and is that important yeah I like I'd like to know but but it doesn't always happen you know on I love dick you know that I had to pilot and he is I'm sorry what this show is called I loved it okay Wow oh yeah it was a wreck wait what did he just say yeah okay um and he was a certain kind of guy in the pilot you know he's a little bit sort of misogynistic and and he's dismissive of this woman and she looks at him as a as an icon and and kind of as an object he's very objectified I was speaking to Jill Soloway who along with Sarah governs created and I said you know I really really love this pilot I think the characters great is hilarious but I hope that we can see a real man eventually all it took was desired dick there would be 12 amazing films by women filmmakers but no well unfortunately most films made by women aren't that good see I think it's really pretty rare for a woman to make a good film because they have to work from behind their oppression which makes for some bummer moves Sally Potter Jane Campion Chantal Akerman excuse me I didn't have any thing other than a just trust that they were going to get it their game and you just have to cut it because not only do they not necessarily have a written but it's a morphing changing sort of organism in the course of the season you know things are working better than not working you know characters are rising to the top and storylines and people are like and [ __ ] in the novel you know and I was so happy because in the in 6 7 & 8 we do have this 8 episodes you do start to see like something about this guy you have the layers and I was like thank you thank you thank you so you know but but it is it is a it is a you do have to trust it to a certain time TV like you you see on television night the characters unfold yeah way that you you know I had to figure out what the arc was I was like where where I may not necessarily know where he ends but like where's where is he going I'm curious me having just had the experience as a writer and crafting your own story how now going back to Silicon Valley when it's somebody else's words has it changed your process at all um not really it's you know I mean I've been playing this character now for years now it wasn't so going back to playing this guy felt pretty natural relief but it's a little bit because in our movie you know it's a lot of like emotional dramatic stuff huh well huh I didn't have a gauge for that only ever done comedy so you know my gauge was I do a scene if it feels funny that's successful it doesn't feel funny that's a failure I'm doing this movie was a little bit like okay that didn't feel funny but it's not meant to feel funny so then how do I measure I feel sad I think that success like that or angry or whatever so it was cool to go back to the show and then have just go back to that gauge again of just like is this funny or is this not funny but you know that the writers are really good about putting these characters and new situations so this season my character sort of becomes the boss do you think I have to whisper honest in my hair no I think you should use more what are you saying that because you think I look ridiculous and you wanting to look more ridiculous next time which answer will get more of that stuff in your hair we will watch this is why I make Emily channel Anna quite a turnaround for a company that wasn't exactly soaring oh it was soaring Emily right into a clogged toilet so that was cool to sort of see like oh it's the same guy I played in for four years put him in a completely different situation what happens to this guy it was really exciting to be able to get to play the same person for like years it's such a such a great thing and you find like new new levels and new layers and find you know new things about him I sometimes going back to your question find it comforting not necessarily to know where we're going because I'm your basic you know 5050 I'm going to be any good in something because there's every address every hand come trust me every acting trap known to man I fall into daily whatever hopefully they cut around it but but with I did damages sociopath and I would play they were so scrambling with the writing that you never got the entire script in time so you'd almost show up a go okay and you you play a scene where you were being really sweet to this little boy and then you just shoot a week later a scene where right before that you actually killed their mother Rizzo you know so you you're the perfect sociopath yes but not because I acted it whereas I had no no idea I used to do what John Wells would you could go get the basic idea of the season if you asked me to go out to lunch with John and he tell you where it was going to go in the last two seasons I haven't asked huh I like not know where it's going because of that very thing you play it for what it is yeah yeah a pound of high-quality methamphetamine which this clearly is worth 10 grand on the street if you want to destroy the inheritance that your mother poured a lifetime of blood sweat and tears into go ahead you got your pound she probably stole it Frank what you do with your pound is your choice but this is not a dictatorship Fiona this is America and in America we like democracy everybody gets a vote give me liberty or give me mess sometimes think this whole thing that we do the arc of the peace I don't know if that's an actor's job it's more director's job yeah but the truth or job at the moment I think the hard part those because the following was the first series I did so I was so used to movies where I would know what I had you know if I didn't know was I thought it was I going to have a chance to do my [ __ ] basically I mean it's like am I am I going to get to the scene now of course you could always get cut out but at least you had an idea about I want to make sure that it's that you get the full picture but when I first came to television very have a really really tough time with we're saying I am I really going to get a chance to do my [ __ ] no I think I'll you know do I want to just turn split the script on a question that we typically ask women because I think it's important to do so what's the most overtly sexist thing that's happened to you guys working in Hollywood Wow mmm sexy sexy sexy stuff ah so I'll tell you exactly what yeah I think this I think this qualifies as sexist I don't know you I decide you could decide like women decide that because I think that's something women understand a lot better let's face it I was up for a little film called Footloose yes and part of it they they had gasps the head of this do tank the head of the studio was a woman yeah and the director and the producer wanted me for the part and she said I don't want him he's not [ __ ] mm-hmm also a that about you who's ever been more [ __ ] than Kevin yeah I wasn't her taste for whatever reason but but they it got back to me that that was the exact yeah well that's the world hey hey were you [ __ ] Bilal to the movie turned out well there you go there you go sharings I don't know if it's a sexist or a or ageism or one of those things okay I've discovered it around the set we all make jokes and we're kind of gypsies you know men and women if it's a good set as friends men and women are just raunchy and approach it's not it's not the sexism thing where you're offending people and they're doing it back at all that yeah I've noticed that what I used to be able to say and be go home Ted is now ooh age all of a sudden I can't do probies I lose Janna dear you great dirty on me yeah so yep do we do these qualify sexist I don't know that one a you know a hard time thinking of a sexist moment is that right there are mean X of them right there letting off of that what was the sort of music or more horrifying feedback that you guys have gotten in an audition or or when you're up for a part can you beat not being [ __ ] my agent called me I was up for a movie with Franco Zeffirelli correct and you didn't get it really yeah you got really really close okay oh well [ __ ] hung up the phone call him back can you tell me why like what I really felt good about the audition Franco didn't like your nose you get the perspective one out should uh I heard a wheat they decided to go in there more all-american direction whenever and then the cats an Australian guy I think I know what this means uh-huh I thought he told I wasn't funny enough for some ho oh yeah well yeah but I wasn't funny I wasn't funny and they went and gave it to a literally [ __ ] that wasn't funny at all I can't remember one horse but I remember watching Frank I was like I thought this was supposed to be yeah I mean it character oh do you watch stuff you don't get that that one I did yeah for the most part I don't I don't and I have had good luck and that a lot of the things I really wanted it didn't get turned out to be really bad huh and I'm rude again him I'm not like I'm glad it turns out I'll be like no I hope that I didn't watch the stuff I don't get I could monitor all right the last time you were mistaken for another actor oh my god I've gotten mistaken those one week when I got mistaken for Hasan Minhaj runs on Daily Show Kunal Nayyar who's on Big Bang Theory hmm Karan Sony Ghostbusters this was one way versus one week and this week was like a month ago because that's all like I was like I'm doing I just hasn't happened in a while I feel pretty good and literally people were like I love you on The Daily Show I'm like not on The Daily Show and then they're like you're great on Big Bang Theory I'm like no not on Big Bang and then they made a Deadpool reference and I was like that was current sanity no it happens to me all you sounded like yeah I for some strange reason is it stopped last couple of years but there's about a tenured chunk especially in New York could be walking down the street and somebody go hey Tony let's say I keep talking to be hey Tony and I keep walking Oh what Hey Oh Tony Danza you to be in the Damned yeah I got it there's nothing to that difference this is nothing just a name every name um I get which which is crazy because it comes from my own community uh [ __ ] Tyler Perry Ice Cube oh and Ruben Studdard Oh copy it and call me make me lose the [ __ ] window and roofing is my boy be dolls like normal guys never be on The Biggest Loser so uh let me lose this weight right now right here Tyler before Tyler Perry [ __ ] really just blows mama huh I don't so much give well nobody really knows who I am yet but I like when they get my profession wrong that's my favorite thing what do they think there was one time I was on a flight to Cleveland I'm sitting next to this very sweet white lady and she's like so the obvious question what sport do you play it all is a obvious play I get I get that my profession is the thing that I review has been a little Chuck yeah I was like uh I mean yeah because I'm just like it's bigger for Cleveland so I was like so which portent to continue hurling I wanted to know I wanted to go fencing on the fence that's the thing that stuff I was in a plane once and Chauncey Billups was on the plane and I was like I have to be sure I can't just go up to a black man and be like you're in the NBA being wrong about that I have a grade this is this is totally this is totally dates me but it was him but it was one at one moment where I was I was pulling out of a parking structure and this woman said to me ain't you MacGyver and I said Donna she goes oh no no no no you're hunter hunter Wow you know someone's called mr. Holland's Opus and I played a vice principal and I sort of patterned it on the vice principal I had in school who was just a terror anyway it was this room full of twelve year old kids and I walked in and mr. Holland had lost control of it and so I brought him up short and I got a big loud voice and I scared the [ __ ] and somebody started laughing and I said you think this is funny and so these girls come on they go are you really a vice principal oh no no I'm not and they said Oh what do you do [Laughter] so if we could switch places with anyone in Hollywood for a day who would you switch places with the rock the bronzers oh my god I did what I knew what that was like yeah maybe Jennifer Lopez uh-huh oh sorry that was easy um bacon head oh yeah Kevin Bacon you know what let y'all know they call me MacGyver Ruben Studdard just so people can walk up to him hey I think we're all very content yeah right the last one I'm going to ask if you were to write a memoir what would the title be maybe it's my office but with the title babe I have one 114th of success because that was the corner I grew up on in the projects of the Nickerson gardens we literally grew up what are you on a corner yeah Nickerson and Nikki kie RSO name I know the Nickerson gardener in watts and we literally grew up on the corner a hundred and 14th and success I always said that would be the title of my Ithaca my one-man play and book of my memoirs because I look at my life now and look at what I would come from from where I come from yeah note that II eat a bag would be mine he'd be a bag yeah because I must tell everyone in my life that I really love once a day to eat a bag of dicks all the time I feel like this my goats actually like anytime I don't really have anything to say I was like you got yourself a kid so I've learned to like I've learned you can't tell a lot of people in lots of places just go eat a dick yeah just shorten it to yeah so it was like oh your bag would probably be with cover art yeah I'm really it didn't have a bunch of deck I just wanted to be like a bag with like steam coming on the fork like you know like a sommelier ball smoke there's like all kind of see we need to give the same branding to that ideas well uh trust you you guys more Rouge I was thinking something like I don't think it's just a pimple if there was a biopic who would play you mmm the guy thinking okay guys christeson oh no idea ya know in this way that I thought was gonna problem howdy Doody's not a real guy so I don't yeah we offer to do Aziz but he turned it down I bet mine would be somebody so incredibly random like somebody like I feel like not not to say he's incredibly random but watch it be like Malcolm Jamal Warner like yeah that's that's it how great is that that's like when flex Alexander played Michael Jackson man you never know man like IIIi would love for it to be somebody like Eid hrus driving someone distinguished but yeah but uh I want Morgan Freeman to play my part hmm I want that I'll say my son just go with the best actor yeah well apparently the only party dish how about Nathan Nathan and Nathan Louise Anderson yeah guys I believe he's going to pick up wherever I leave off Wow yeah on that note thank you guys all for being a part of this conversation when we talk about editing the first five minutes yeah god I can't shoot it internally I want those eleven herbs and spices great talking to you guys yeah thanks guys get ready together you can do a movie together we should who would [ __ ] haha this is the new Ocean's eleven right here hi I'm Ted Danson Kamel you makin a tea for that hey I'm Anthony Anderson I'm Kemal Nanjiani thanks for watching The Hollywood Reporter hold on on YouTube be sure to hit subscribe for more videos and find me on my usin camp I don't have one but imma give one after this now good to be under my name because I'm the only Anthony Anderson sympathy only Anthony Anderson on YouTube so okay just look for me

Channel: The Hollywood Reporter

Views: 655,293

Rating: 4.8251233 out of 5

Keywords: thr, the hollywood reporter, hollywood reporter, entertainment, hollywood, the hollywood reporter roundtable, roundtable, thr roundtables, interview, anthony anderson, william h macy, william h. macy, shameless, black-ish, ted danson, the good place, kevin bacon, i love dick, brian tyree henry, atlanta, kumail nanjiani, silicon valley, comedy, comedy actors, full roundtable, emmy, emmys 2017, emmy roundtable, actors, comedy actors roundtable, awards, humor, funny, 2017, roundtable 2017

Id: gNUKsILEkBc

Length: 59min 0sec (3540 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 26 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/CIA_Guy_4You]

Cant watch while im at work, commenting to save for later. But is that kevin bacon in the thumbnail?

[u/MulderFoxx]

Leslie Geraci was the farting co-star to William H. Macy, in case you are wondering.