Cocaine Scenes and Character Dynamics

This message comes from Schwab. At Schwab, you can get everything from self directed investing to full service wealth management all in one place. No matter your investing goal, life stage, amount to invest, or know how, you can invest your way with Schwab Bullseye with Jesse Thorne is a production of maximumfund. org and is distributed by NPR. It's Bullseye. I'm Jesse Forne Earlier this week, we heard from the great Allison Janny, star of the West Wing, Iana, and the new movie Love You Miss You. Next up, we have Janny's loveove You Miss You co star, Andrew Reynolds Reynolds plays Jamie in the film, Jamie is the assistant to a world renowned journalist whose stepfather just died. The journalist is a busy guy toooo busy It seems to head to New Mexico to help his mom deal with the fallout of that death. So it falls on Jamie. Rynolds is great in it, just like he always is, charming, handsome a sort of unfailingly midwestern friendliness Maybe you saw Reynolds on Girls or the new normal But if you know Andrew Reynolds for one thing, It was probably the part that made him Reynolds played Elder Price, the lead role in the original run of the Book of Mormon. biggest musicals of all time When I talked with Rynolds in twenty thirteen, we kicked things off with a bit from that all timer of a performance In this song, Elder Price has just faced a crisis of faith He reaffirms his Mormon beliefs with the showstopper I believe I must trust that my Lord is mightier and always has my back. Now I must be completely devout. I can't have even one shred of d I believed that He sent his only son to die for my sins. and I believed that ancient Jews built boats and sailed to America I am a Mormon Just belie Andrew Welcome to Bullseide. Well, thank you for having me. That's a special kind of torture to listen to have to listen to yourself. So one of the things I didn't get to see a Book of Mormon in New York. Oh forget it. I know. Sorry. Just out here. And just forget it. And but one of the things that I've loved about hearing you sing the songs and seeing you on, you know televised performances and stuff like that is that tone of the musical and especially your part calls on you to be a very classic Broadway guy. You know what I mean? Yeah. it's the juvenile role in in technical terms. Elder Price was very much written as like Trey and Matt and Bobby Lopez wanted him to be sort of quintessential musical theater leading boy. What did you get from them after you got the part? What did they what did they tell you they wanted U Not a lot. I mean, I feel like it was u I feel like it was one of the rare experienence as an actor that I looked at that material and I thought, I know exactly how to do this. likeike this one I know how to do. because a lot of times you struggle with stuff particularly like, you know, with audition material. you don't you want to try to find the way in, you want to try to, you know what the How am I going inhabit this? And with that one, I just looked at it and I thought, I think I think my gut instincts are going to be correct on this one. and I shouldn't overthink this. When I see Mormon missionaries on the street, which I do. I've lived here Yeah. Yeahah, a lot of lot of a lot of door to door Mormon missionaries. U as as a non Mormon I'm always sort of odd by by their commitment to that faith, especially as young, especially in the context of them being young men, you know, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty one year old Man Um It I mean, it it's it would have terrified me to do anything like that. Oh yeah you know, I certainly don't have that I was going ask is there is there anything in your life that you've ever believed in? Well, I mean, I guess like, I mean if A version, I suppose is like, you know, musical theater that like I went I moved from Nebraska to go to New York because I had this passion to, you know, to beyond Broadway. So I suppose that in a way is my version of that Was that Was that always your goal as an actor to be one hundred percent. Yeah, that was my goal. That was a finish line for me was to get in a Broadway show. What was the first show you ever did? I mean, ever, not just professionally? Like I a child, the first show I ever did was a children's theater production of The Snow Queen Um How old are you? I was eleven And I had no lines, but I was thrilled bsolutely thrill Did you like pitch this to your parents were your parents theory types or Not at all. I mean, they were supportive. There was like an awareness of like musical theater and of my dad really loved movies. and so there was like a lot of, you know talk about like from from a viewers standoint of like movies and actors and, you know, and you grew up in a pretty big Catholic family, right? Yeah yeah there's fiveive kids. Fiveids Yeah, yeah But they didn't really, I don't want to say they weren't interested, but they weren't They certainly never pushed. like anything that I wanted to do, I very much did it and not like in a I'm not saying that like Deina Lohan, like you know, my mom really didn't like suggest I do anything. Like I really would come to her and be like, canan I please audition for this? I'm glad you clarify that. Yeah My mom is not Dina Lohan. I was just imagining Deina Lohan. But you know when parents say that, oh, no, we didn't push them We certainly never pushed our kids. My mom really was just like, yeah, if you want to If you want to go, I'll drive you. but like I had to find out about these things. And then as a kid, did you think of yourself as gay Yeah, ye. I mean, I didn't know what the word was But certainly, yeah. I mean, I certainly knew that that was that that's that I was attracted to men. like Um, I feel like I've talked about this too much, but I remember watching Grease two, the movie Grease two and feeling like I want a date. Maxwell Cafffield. Like I like my in my weird like five year old head, I was like, I want to marry Maxwell Cafffield And not just in a very clear cut way Do you think there was something about musical theater that drew you to it specifically relative to wanting to be you know, Tom Hanks or something like that. Yeah. Well, that seemed not that didn't seem accessible. like Being on television, being in a movie, being like that was not a thing in Omaha Nebraska that seemed Even though that stuff occasionally came to town, like you occasionally got close to thingsings like that, L there'd be like you I don't know a hallmark haall of fame movie filmed near Omaha. So like that's a thing. that was a thing that was there that like And in practical terms, it's actually a sort of a more daunting task try make it on Broadway than it is to try and make film in television. Oh, I don't know. I felt like it was theater was what was in front of me and was it was accessible was able to kind of jump on board with that. Whereas if you were to say like want to be on TV? I mean you know, I wouldn't have even know how to begin to be on television, but I knew I could get to a theater and do that We've got a lot to talk about with Andrew Reynolds Keep it locked. It's buullseye for maximumfund. org and NPR Support for NPR comes from IBM On Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell explores how organizations are using technology to solve complex challenges in partnership with IBM. I spoke with Alone Cohen who heads reesearch and Development at UFC. Insights Engine is not here to feel technical We are bringing it to a place where you feel like you could even have an opinion because you understand enough of what's going on. Listen to smmart Talks with IBM wherever you get your podcasts Support for this podcast and the following message come from strawberry. me Be honest, are you happy with your job? Are you stuck in a job you've outgrown or never wanted in the first place Are your reasons for staying really just excuses for not leaving? Let a career coach from strawberry. me help you get unstuck Discover the benefits of having a dedicated career coach in your corner and get fifty percent off your first coaching session at strawberry. m slash npr. 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Learn more at wise. com Ts and ses apppplies. Welcome back to Bullsye. I'm Jesse Thorne My guest is Andrew Reynolds. He is of course, the star of the original production of the The Book of Mormon, which debuted fifteen years ago. He has since gone on to star in countless other Broadway productions and television programs. You can catch him, opposite Allison Janny in the new movie, Miss You Love You That is streaming now on HBO Max Ramnels and I talked in twenty thirteen It took you a while to break through on Broadway and As I was looking at your IMDB page, I noted that like a significant chunk of of your credit I know what you're gonna to say are odd anime voiceover roles. Yes. I for several years, for like three years I did just a boatlad of How do you even I just picture you just like standing on a subway and a Japanese man hands you a flyer that' basasically. I wantan to be on a cartoon? I started that actually in high school. That was sort of a weird thing that I was this company called Deek that made Saturday Morning cartoons for ABC at the time randomly came to Omaha, Neraska to audition to record a show there Um because they were looking for, I now understand, they were looking for non union actors to do this job. So as like a fifteen year old, I auditioned to be in a cartoon and got it. What was the cartoon? It was called The Street Sharks And we did for like two seasons on Saturday mornings on ABC And we I recorded this cartoon, on I would go on Saturdays and there'd be like ten local actors and we would all record this show And then what happened in street trucks? It was like the ninja Turtles. I mean, it was like except, you know sharks and said turtles. Right. That's basically the premise I think I just told you the entire thing But then the producer to be fair, they also ate calzones instead of pe. I don't recall eating yeah. Yeah. I don't think there was any sort of food tie in. But this great producer named Marsha Goodman kept sort of throwing work Omaha's way. And then when I moved to New York, she continued to throw work my way. So I did a couple other series for her U and that in a sort of indirect way led to my working for this company called Four Kids Entertainment that did like Pokemon and Yugeo and all that stuff. So I ended up working for them for like three years. So tell me what what was the best scene? Now you don't always have a full perspective on the finished product when never recording voiceover But what was the best thing, whether you realized it at the time or not that you appeared in Um Well, I also directed I directed two series for them and I just I only bring this up to say that even as the director who would read the script and like help like reedit the show, I still had no idea what was happening. So the only thing I could say to these poor actors would be like, maybe faster, I don't know had no clue what was happening. But the greatest about the craft It was really about the craft. I'm so highbrow in that way. The greatest thing I probably was a part of was a show called The Fighting Foodons. Never heard of it? Not surprised? Yeah And it was these kids and they would it was, you know, basically all of those cartoons, it's like a fight thing, right? They were constantly battling there's some sort of like No, especially the Yugioes it's all the same. It's about some kids that have a like a space animal fights on theirre fight. So this thing instead of space animals was food, but the food was sort of like Humanized? sure So I played a character called Fried Ricer It was literally a man's body with like his head was a walk It had fried rice in it. But the only thing that you could say is fried ricer was fried ricer So Can you give me a couple a couple I would say a couple looks, but it just a couple Well, like you would say like it would, you know, it was ridiculous because I worked with this guy who would say, like, okay, well, fried Riser, you have to be like confused. You go Fried Riser. And fried Riser is s said fried Riser. like that's all you could do. They just build up like a sound effects library and saying fried riceer. You do. Yeah And you actually just drop ' them in. Yeah, it's called walla You record like it's a technical animation term. you record like a bunch of, you know, stuff Um sound effects like, you know, getting punched, getting falling, laughing and you do all of these things. But you only say Fred Riceon. Yeah and then they plug them in as needed Ridiculous It's a skill It's a magic skill I want to play a clip of you performing on the HBO show, Girls. All right. This is from last season, season one You have just you've just sort of sat down to a date with Lena Dunham's character, Hannah. and you the two of you were boyfriend and girlfriend in college And she is about to sort of you know tell you about how how set up she is in life, which she isn't No U, and you are about to make her questioned her O fitness to lead Yes. Well, and she's actually she's brought me there to accuse me of giving her HPV. So there's a lot of things going on It's really great to hear from you Really great to hear from you. I mean, I've been thinking how much I wanted to speak with you. Well, Elijah, I'm really happy to see you too. I don't want to mislead you. I did not bring you here to retread old territory emotionally. Okay. I'm more open to it physically. and I brought here to talk about something pretty specific, which is a little bit touchy. All right. And I don't want tona assume anything about you and other partners It's true That true And I hate that you found out through the post collegiate rumor mill, but I'm glad that you heard because you know, things with Beow were moving so quickly. and I just felt like eventually we were going to either see you or B. What's his name? Yes And Bow is My lover Who's mail? Yes I didn't know Oh So Oh you're gay. Oh, well, I don't u I don't say gay I don't say straight either. I'm with a person of my own gender, which essentially means that I am, you know tick. U Which I love. Well, thank you. Which I love. Thank you Oh, Hannah, Hannah, Hanah, Hanah t. Okay. I'm fine. What I'm having right now is an inappropriate physical reaction to my total joy for you and your self discovery. Thank you so much. Thank you. And listen, I want you to know that this exploration was very much inspired by you it's it's a really it's a really funny scene. I think it u It exemplifies this thing that goes on in a lot of girls the television program girls, which is that there is this huge set of characters and all of them Um J almost completely lack empathy. They're finding it. They're certainly finding it. but yeah, yeah Be there's there's, which I think is so amazing what Lena is able to capture is that Um such a lack of awareness of everything that's happening around you. And then, you know, if you if you're watching the second season, like they're they're figuring that out now and they're sort of learning that about each other and themselves. But the first season it was so great that she was able to sort of just really embrace that attitude, just being so checked out Do do you feel like you were ever that checked out as a Oh ten year old or whatever I'm certain I was. I'm certain I was, but I turn not to think about that. I might still be. I don't know. I don't know.ave have you ever had a girlfriend? Um, not seriously. I mean, I dated a girl in high school, but like only technically I mean, that was the funny thing about the second season of Girls that, you know, Elijah attempts that with Alison Williams character, like they try to have sex and just sort of solidified my decision to not do that. I was like, Yeahah, I'm pretty certain. It is such a weird sad scene. It was a very sad scene because they're both trying so hard to be. She's just sort of she's in this place where she's trying to figure out what her deal is after sort of thinking she had she was on top of it and then not being on top of it at all. She's unemployed and single and all these other things And she's like, well, maybe I'm like a outrageous lady at the same time as you've just had your boyfriend, your much older, richer boyfriend walk out on you while super wasted. Yeah. And so you're like, well, maybe I'm another thing. Well, and you know, I think that certainly that's the time, you know or early twenties like that's Yeah, that's when you are allowed to sort of flail about and figure that out and try different things. and Was there was there any discussion amongst the writing team and the performers about how exactly the physical part of it would go. Like I don't I'm trying to be delicate and talk about this in ways that can be discussed on public radio. On the show, on the show, it Let's just say it all falls apart very early on. Yes Yes, it does. Well, it was interesting. the way that it was my first sex scene and first, you know, nude scene and I was but felt, you know, happy that they asked me to do it because I felt like, well, if I'm going gonna do this, I wm to do it on girls So let's I want to do it. So I was happy to happy to say yes. And then to do it with Allison was great because she had done a couple and she was very like practical about it and very understanding of any of my concerns or nerves about it. So she was really she was really lovely. Were you concerned about it? I mean, I will I'll say going into this, you know, you're You're a handsome man in excellent shape. Well, thank you. Thank you. I mean, I was concerned about the logistics, but in the way that it was written, I was like, well, how in the hell Are we going to do this in a way that like I'm not I was just having a hard time sort of visualizing like a modest way to do these things.ure. But it was great. Jenny Connor and Lita Dunham We very sort of like carefully like talked it through how it was going to go U, and Allison was really u It was very nice about it. and she and I don't think that she would care that I would repeat this, but she said to me at one point, We just have to be okay with the fact that at some point your penis is going to be against my vagrina. Okaykay All right. I'm okay with that's's that's just as long as we're clear That is going to happen. You know, my experience was that they put something on like a, you know, it's a sort of a modesty sock essentially that you wear and the ladies have a similar get up So Alison and I basically look like Barbie and Ken. L we stood next to each other in these like weird protective garments and we were like, wow, now we're genitalists, which was very strange. because she was covered and I was covered in a weird way that were like, Oh, this is strange Um, So you weren't we weren't actually like Tchnically nude We're going to take a break. When we return, we will wrap up with the great Andrew Reynolds back in a flash. It's bullseye. from maximum fund. org and NPR This message comes from Total Wine and More, offering a selection of wine, beer, and seeltzers for soccer watch parties. All at the lowest prices. Learn more at Total Wine and More. Spirits are not sold in Virginia and North Carolina. Please drink responsibly must be twenty one This message comes from our NPR sponsor, Fort Myers, Islands, beaches and neighborhoods. This summer, follow what feels right, like embracing your playful side on Fort Myers white sand beaches. Direct flights arrive daily. Plan your trip at visitfortmers. com This message comes from MintMobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees and free perks, MintMobile might be right for you with plans starting from fifteen bucks a month Shop plans today at mintMobile d. com slash switch. Upfront payment of forty five dollars for three month five gigabyte plan required. newew customer offer for first three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra, see MintMobile for details. Hello, this is Alden Ford and Mujan Zo Fagari. Two of the creators of Mission to Zix, your favorite improvised obsessively sound designed sci fi sitcom here on the Max Fun Network. And the news is we're back withith an all new miniseries set in the Z universe. The young old Durf chronicles. Yeah Well, Durf find his own killer before it's too late to find out The question could possibly make sense when you just have to tune in. Yeah. And as always, it's ambitious and labor intensive to frankly, absurd degree. Indeed. So if you are looking for a little break from your own galaxy, we would love for you to check it out. That's the Young Old Derf Chronicles. seearch Mission Eix, ZYXX and your podcast app. Or on maximumfun dot orgot Keep it fresh It's bullseye I' Jesse For My guest is Andrew Rynolds. Let's take a listen to another scene from girls. So the two of you, you and Lena Dunham's character, Hannah move in together and you guys are really having a blast like planning parties and whatnot. veryery much soough. and of these part of these plans for good times is this complicated plan to do cocaine together Well, yes, she decides she gets this idea that she in order to sort of widen her experiences. She's going to do something she's never done before so that then she can write about it And what is suggested to her is that she tries cocaine for the first time. So she goes on this quest to find cocaine and then enlists me to do it with her since I have done it before Elijah has done it before, so then we gonna we're gonna to do this together. Let's take a lesson What are you going to work tonight Uh this probably? Oh no, Hannah No. You've never done a Cke before, so let me explain something. This is not gonna be a night of driving around to your mom's Volvo with a bottle of coough syrup and a box of cold mc nuggets. You know, I am so excited about this actually. Now that we have the Coke, The scary part is over. You can just enjoy this adventure. I'm just so jazzed to write the out of this story. Oh, we definitely have to go dancing t. Andrew Andrew is DJing a Greenhouse Who's he They are a couple of gays who dress alike and dance alike and they both transe to Andrew. We' like brand consultants and iPad DJs, I'm so excited to introduce you. Yes, please. That's not the type of night where it's like five AM and one of us is definitely punch someone who's been on a Disney channel show. Is there any rule that says we can't just start drin the Coke right now cir of four PM? No rule of human decency which is not. I love her so much.'ss there's a lot of amazing jokes out there. There was when they were talking about two guys named Andrew who dress alike and's real That's real? That's real. Andrew Andrew. Yes, they are DJs in New York and they are brand consultants and iPad DJs. And yeah, and they really do. They dress alike and they are both go by Andrew and they are a couple There' this cra there's this crazy world. I remember when either John Mulaney or Bill Hater was on our show and we were talking about their character from Saturday Night Live Stefan. and they were telling me about how they went to a club and there was this guy gets who rolls himself Wh rolls himself up in a carpet at clubs and people pay to walk on him. What where club owners pay him to come and just and do this Rlled up in this. That's fantastic. Yeah, there's a whole world that I'm not really familiar with that exist. Your character on the NBC show The N Normal is a much more grown up character than your others, although he does he does share some personality traits with some of the younger characters. Yes, yes. he has a boyish outlook, but the show is about adopting or making children. Yeah. Yeah. And I want to play a scene from this show. in this scene Y character, Brian, is sick and tired of watching football from the sidelines and has decided has decided to join his partner in coaching a a kids football team Guys, that's how you do it. good hustle guys I want a coach? huh? What? Is everything all right, Bd? Did you finish your magazin? Yeah, I want a coach. I want tona yell I want a clap. I want get people excited. Besides I can only take so much conversation about suburban infidelity and Greek yogurt. Dude we'reving a boy and I want to participate in his life. Ry, you don't know anything but football Of course I do. Watch and marvel. Oh my God. Let's clump together, boys. Clump together. Let's clump together. All right, it's a little rude. I can't see your eyes, everyone take up your hats. If they're helmets, they're for safety. I got this, David, okay? I am Coach Brian. Coach David's understudy. I know, a lot of coaches here today. But we all have one goal to run push and score more points, right? Yeah Yeah. So let's cuddle up When When you're you your character in this couple is the one who doesn't know about football. Yes. Do you do you have to sort of think technically as an actor about how much of the how much of the femi gay guy you want to be in this role without it being like unpleasant, but still be representative of the many Femi gay guys that exist in the world. Yeah, I remember saying to doing that very scene to Lllie Keeene who directed that episode is Really wonderful. And I said to her, I was like, how Can we do this and how can I not set my people back al Right. Well I mean, especially when that when that's the joe. Yeah. I mean, the reality is is, you know, like I'm a grown man who also does not know a lot about football. I know about some other stuff, but I don't know, I don't I don't follow football. So there's like that aspect of it. Okay, so I can, I mean, the cuddle up and those things are, you know, obviously those are jokes. I don't know. I felt like it was not a huge stretch to sort of wrap your head around this guy who really was who's really trying and really is concerned about making a connection with his unborn son. And this is sort of his first step into sort of, you know pretending to be a part of it. And sort of what he finds at the end, you know, by the end of that episode is that There are other strengths and there are other, you know manly things that he can he can teach his son that don't necessarily have to do with, you know, sports specifically. Have you what have you decided when you have kids you might want to pass on to them U Literally nothing. No, I haven't really I think what I've taken away at this moment Great As me I have great hair. If I were you, I would say I want to pass on this great hair. I did have a lovely moment with my nephew, Nathan when I was home who's how old is Nathan eight I believe. I just made that up. I believe he's like eight or nine. and he asked me if I could help him fix his hair because he wanted his my sister in laws like, he really wants his hair to look like yours Um And I was very touched by that. So I like, you know, coached a nine year old about how to use like, you know, paste, hair paste hair. I'm like, if you're gonna to use a blow dryer, this is how you do it. I Ugraded his product. I did. I gave him some product. And so I felt, you know, I was like, oh, this is this is, you know, a small version of something that I could, you know, pass along as how to fix your hair. It was something he was interested in. I was happy to help. Do you feel like given that there are so few gay lead characters on television Um you have to step lightly in any way in your performances. U I feel like the the safety net I sort of have is Ryan Murphy and Ally Adler who co created the show together. and There are times where I feel like we are you know, maybe there's a larger responsibility there just to make sure that we're being as honest as possible. but I also feel like what Really all we're trying to do is make a comedy. So have there been moments where you've had to sort of calibrate little bitve where you've seen them calibrated? Yeah, a little bit. I mean, luckily, no one is trying to be a symbol for anything at this point, You know, we're certainly not trying to be you know, America's favorite gay couple. So that frees us up a little bit too because really we're just trying to tell the story, which is pretty specific Um But you know, the more I talk to people about the show, like a lot of people have this experience, which is interesting, gay and straight with surrogacy. But you know, we're just trying to tell the story in a very humorous and heartfelt way and that does