– Real life, should animals be talking more? I love you dressing up like “The Waterboy.” That was fantastic. – Did I do that? – Okay, so I’m gonna say the name’s wrong probably. – That’s okay. – I always add a “bubba.” I always say Elphabubba. (bright jazzy music) – Hello. – Grande. – Sandler. – Love you. Great to see you.
– How are you? Love you. Good to see you. – I’m so happy we’re teamed up together. – Me too. I was so excited when I heard that we were doing this together. I almost passed out. – Me too. It was a thrill for the family. The family all jumped up and down that I get to spend time with you. – Me too. I sent a screaming voice note to my family group chat.
I was so excited. – Ah. – Do you remember the first time we met? – Yes. – On the Haunted Mansion. – I had wife, two children. They saw you. They saw Mac. We got excited. We all were… We had… That was quite a night, right? – It was beautiful. It was quite a night. I remember us being like the stragglers that were the last to leave as well. – Yes.
– [Ariana] It was quite late. – The Haunted Mansion. It was like 11 o’clock at night, right? – Yeah. Yes. And I was so excited. – There was no line. You guys were, you guys just got off. – No ’cause everyone was leaving. Yeah. – You got off the ride or… – No, I think we were both heading into the ride because we just gotten off of the scary elevator that says, “Are these walls actually stretching?” When it says, when it shows the hanging body.
I can’t believe that. – Yeah, it’s just terrifying. The kids did not like that at the time. They can handle it now. – I know. I can’t believe that Disney is okay… Anyway. – They were pushing the envelope there for Disney. But that was a great night. And I told you, but we took a picture with you that night, and then when both kids got bat mitzvahed, in the video, they showed the picture of you guys together.
– I’m so honored. I feel like I’m a part of the family. – You are 100% in there. – Thank you. Well, you’re a part of mine. We love you. – I love you too. – I’ve grown up worshiping all of your movies. – Thank you. Thank you. And I’m gonna give you one more back. In the car, we crank a lot of Ariana. – Thank you.
– [Adam] I mean, so many tunes. – Thank you. – So many tunes. When I was leaving today, I said to the kids, “Any tunes you want me to bring up?” They screamed like 50 different songs at me. – That was very sweet. Well, thank you very much. – (coughs) Yes. Sorry for the cough. – No, it’s okay. We were just discussing.
Adam is recovering from a lingering cough. – Yes. A month of a little weird tick, but it’s gonna go away after the interview. – It’s crazy. (laughs) I had the same thing though. For half of the “Wicked” press, I feel like I sounded like I was dying. (Adam laughs) It’s true. – It was a little on the, you had a cold.
– I had a cold and a cough, but it didn’t go away forever. Are you stubborn with medicine like I am? Or are you like a straight into antibiotics person? – I didn’t do that. – Me neither. – I took NyQuil though to sleep. – My mom was like, “Honey, you have to take something.” And I was like, “I am. I’m taking buckwheat.
” – Oh yeah, you were doing a natural, nice- – Yeah. Bees wax, whatever it is. – Yeah, you’re good. Yeah, my wife always hands me that stuff. And then I sneak in a Sudafed. – So wait, can I talk about this movie? You’re so incredible in “Jay Kelly,” in this movie. – [Adam] Thank you. – Ron is so heartbreaking.
I cried five different times. – You did? – I did. Thanks to you. I… Not like welled up and I was choked up, but tears falling out of the eyes kind of crying. – Yes. Yes. – You’re just so extraordinary in it. – [Adam] Thank you. – So congratulations on that. – Think I do too many movies? – I think you do just the right amount of movies.
– Barbara, you think I do too many movies? – You do work a lot. – See? Barbara tells me the truth. – What happened last night? – You can’t have too much underwear. – It all goes back to Noah Baumbach. He wrote it. He kind of wanted it a certain way, told me what he was looking for. And I just was just trying to make him happy.
I love being Ron. I love being this character. But- – How did you find him? – It was written very well. It was written, every nuance was in there. Laura Dern helped pull out a lot of cool things. And when I was with Clooney, and I love Clooney so much, him playing Jay Kelly, it was very simple to want to take care of that guy.
– Yeah. Well, it was really beautiful. – Thank you. Thank you. – I also thought it was really cool that Noah played the director in all the different flashbacks. That was so cool. – [Adam] He looks good with the glasses. Yes. Yes. – Yes. – I think Clooney talked him into doing that. – I mean, that was so cool.
I did write down the five separate times that I cried, if you wanted to hear. – I’d like to hear. Yes. Thank you. – But again, just, I have to say, it was tears streaming, not like choked up and holding back. – I saw you crying in “Wicked” last night, and I noticed it’s a beautiful cry. So let me hear about the five. – Oh, thank you.
That’s so nice. – And you had to cry a lot in “Wicked.” – I did. – Well, I wanna discuss that with you after this. – Well, here are all the times, the five different times you made me cry. – Yes. – Streaming out, fully like breakdown- – Fantastic. – In this film. The scene with Laura at the train station. – Saying goodbye. Yes.
That was sad for all of us. – And it was, yeah, it’s really hard to watch someone try not to cry. – Yeah. – For me, that’s what breaks me the fastest. – [Adam] Sure, sure. – Is watching someone be so restrained. – In pain and try to hold back, yeah. – Yeah. And it was just really beautifully done. – That’s fantastic.
Good. Good. – And when she walks away, there’s a wide shot of you kind of like walking back to the train and I almost lost my shit. I’m sorry. It was so beautiful. – Oh man. Maybe it was connecting to Bobby Boucher being alone on the field. That’s what you felt. – Excuse me. Yes. I’m so sorry, we have to talk about that too because- – I know “The Waterboy” has got a connection to you, so maybe you were seeing some of that in there. – It does. It does.
Maybe there was a little bit of a connection there. But no, but it’s true. All of your iconic comedic performances also have so much truth in them. And “Waterboy” is so gut wrenching. I’m sorry. Is that silly to say? – I love “The Waterboy” too. – I love Bobby Boucher. – I love you dressing up like “The Waterboy.
” That was fantastic. – Did I do that? – You did it… You did some, maybe a Halloween or something like that. There’s some picture of you respecting Bobby and… – I’m sorry. – I love you for that. – It was during the pandemic, and that’s why I don’t remember it because that whole chunk is gone for me. But wow.
– There was a lot going on there. – I do love that film. And yeah, Bobby Boucher. – Thank you. – Okay, next part was you reading the book on FaceTime to your son. – I love that too! That was just beautifully written and very real and what you do when you’re on the road and- – And performed. – Thank you. – [Ariana] Just really beautiful.
– [Adam] Thank you. – I’m sorry, I’m almost done. I’m gonna fly through these. When you said, “I’m the only one left.” – Yes. That hurts. Hurts for George. Yes. – [Ariana] The reveal of you doing his makeup. – That was sweet. Two guys looking out for each other. – I almost fell off the Earth. – Really? – I was gone. I was gone.
It was hideous. – Oh my god. – It was hideous. I was blowing my nose a lot. It was that level of crying. – I love this. – [Ariana] And just watching you watch the tribute. – Yeah, that was painful. That was painful because we sat together. Wanna hear something great about that? – Mm-hmm. – Noah had a real orchestra there playing the real score of our movie.
– Wow. – And we were watching it together for the first time. And George and I, we didn’t know what Noah was gonna show. And it was very effective. And we watched it for the first time. – You didn’t know? – The orchestra was playing. We didn’t know. We didn’t know what we were gonna see. We knew we were gonna grab hands.
But it was just kind of like a very true feeling of, my god, I’ve known this guy a long time. I do know Clooney a long time. I’ve watched his career. It rocked me knowing that my character was a part of his life and what he meant to me. It was like we went through it together. It was really easy to feel it all.
– It’s really beautiful. – Thank you, Ari. – It’s easy to feel it from here too. – You’re the best, buddy. – I’m choked up talking to you about it, like I was there. I wasn’t fucking there. (Adam laughs) I had nothing to do with anything, and I feel moved like I was there. – You’re tremendous to… You rocked me.
I watched your movie last night. I was with my family. We were in this room we call the media room. There’s five TVs. I usually watch football in that room. – Oh wow. – Yes. – What a change of pace. – We threw it off. We put the new “Wicked” on the biggest screen, the center screen. ♪ We couldn’t be happier ♪ ♪ Right, dear ♪ ♪ Couldn’t be happier ♪ ♪ Right here ♪ – Me, my wife, the two kids.
A lot of talking throughout it, just commenting how great you were, commenting on what the scenes meant. What being sister, like the love that… Okay, so I’m gonna say the names wrong probably. – That’s okay. Elphaba. – Elphaba. I always add a “bubba.” I always say Elphabubba. (Ariana laughs) And the kids say, “You gotta not do that.
” – I love Elphabubba. – When you say a line about something about go to the sister. Say the sister’s hurt. – Oh yes. Use her sister, yeah. – Use her sister. Yeah, that one. – Oh, thank you. – You know, we talked about that a lot ’cause the two girls love each other so much. And then we’ll talk about everything, but that movie rocked us.
That rocked us. There’s so many beautiful scenes. You, the last sequence was like six or seven shots where you had to be crying and feeling it. And so in your character. And I don’t get there with ease crying. How about you, Ariana? Is it a difficult moment from a director saying “action” and having to work up this, what you’re feeling? – I’m definitely a crier in life.
– [Adam] Yeah, yeah, yeah. – But I don’t think that I am, it’s as easy when it comes, when you’re performing it. Of course it’s not like a trick. It’s not a party trick that I have. – Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure. – For me it was just kind of about making sure I had like an internal mapping of- – Yes.
– All of her root trauma wounds, you know? – Sure. – That I could reference so that I wasn’t referencing my own pain ’cause I’m not an actor who can do that. And I think that- – You use the pain of the character. – Yeah. – [Adam] That’s awesome. – Yeah, I kind of had to try to design her, because when I start to think about- – (coughs) Love that.
– Do you want something? – Nope. Nope. Thank you. – Are you sure? ‘Cause I have a lot of lozenges. – I love you. No, it’s gone. – I love you. Are you sure? – It was a double cough. Double cough. – If it’s not, we can address it. – Thank you. I’m good right now. – We got Throat Coat. Honey. – You already gave me the no aspartame gum.
– I did. – I’m already mooching a lot off you. I’m not taking- – (laughs) Love you. – [Adam] That was it. – If you need another serving of aspartame free gum or- (Adam laughs) Tea or anything. – Thank you. Thank you. – But no, I tried to kind of make sure that those, that I had invented triggers for Glinda, so that I didn’t have to touch on my own because certain themes in this part two are so adjacent to my own life that I- – Okay. Yeah.
– I didn’t want to reference it or go there on the day. – I see. – Yeah, so acknowledging the moments that feel adjacent in my life and Glinda’s life- – [Adam] Yeah. – Before I got there felt really helpful, so that I can- – That’s great. – Acknowledge the connection and then throw it away. – And you have this written out? Notes? – Yes.
– You keep it in your trailer? – I’m a big notes- – I like that. – And like color coding type of things. – So you go to your own world, you look at the notes, you say, let’s make sure we get all this across. Or you just studied it enough that it’s there? – Yeah, I just tried to prepare so much, like enough that it would be there waiting kind of- – That’s awesome.
– [Ariana] On the day. – That’s awesome. – So I could throw it away, and then on the day just be like listening and responding, which is literally just acting. – Yes. Yes. And how about you when it comes to these big moments and they’re in a wide shot, you hit that moment, then they come in a little tighter, you hit that moment.
How are you with that having to get the same moment over and over? I have a tough time with that. – Well, it’s daunting. Well, you don’t have a tough time with it of course. But you do beautifully magnificently. Gosh. A masterclass. – Thank you. They put in the right take with me. You were just nailing it every size, weren’t you? – I highly doubt that, but that’s very kind.
I feel like you just have to forget every time they reset to the different coverage. You kind of have to try to wipe your mind and not think about what you’re about to do at all. – 100%. – ‘Cause the anticipation, once you start to remember what’s ahead, it ruins it. – You can’t go for a repeat. – Yeah, you have to just let go of it in a way.
And then you can just be experiencing it for the first time again in 30, in an hour, in whatever it is. You just have to kind of try to- – Yeah. – Take yourself out of it as much as you can. – Yeah, yeah, yeah. – And then it can surprise you again, even though it’s the 35th time. – How about when it surprises you, are you like me where when you get a feeling where it’s deep and you’re going and you’re in the character, I hate to give this away about myself, but do you say, “Holy cow, it’s working right now.
“Don’t mess this up”? I sometimes find myself talking to myself going, “You’re fully there right now, man. “You are in it. “You’re feeling it.” And then I go, “What are you doing, man? “Get back to your scene.” Do you have any inner monologue like that? – Yeah. I mean, it’s such a mind game, isn’t it? – Yes. – It’s so interesting.
– And I feel like it’s always a relief. – Yes. That’s it. – It’s a relief every time, even though we’ve trained so hard to do this. – Right. Right. – And like, we’ve done our homework, and this is literally our jobs, and we’ll do it again, and we’ve done it. Every single time there’s such a gratitude that comes with like, oh, we served the scene.
– Yes. That’s true. – We did the thing that we were hoping to do. – Yes. – There is a great relief, but I try to kind of- – Let that go. – Move through any kind of awareness. Like, I don’t wanna acknowledge anything when it’s happening. – Yeah, I see you do that. Yeah, that’s great. – It’s such an interesting mental game though, isn’t it? – I think I’m a person who, I don’t wanna let down the crew that’s working hard there.
– Same. – So I’m like, okay, I’m getting it going good. These people aren’t gonna have to sit here and try to, and have to wait on me getting to certain places. And okay, thank God that’s happening. And then I don’t wanna let myself down because I got so excited about when I read this script and about these certain scenes.
Well, this better be as good as written ’cause I don’t wanna blow what’s written. I get that kind of thing. – It’s so beautiful to know that you still experience that even though you have had such a iconic legacy of doing that beautifully every single time. – Man, thank you for saying that. Thank you. And I just, I like watching you.
I like the youth. I like seeing… I mean, what a part to get, right? Do you remember first landing this job and the feeling you had and what it meant to you? – Yes. I have never in my life felt anything like finally getting that call. – So what was it? Did you… I’m sure you talked about it before, but I don’t know. – No, that’s okay.
– Did you audition? – Yes, I begged for an audition. I didn’t know if they would’ve even considered seeing me for it. – [Adam] Wow, wow, wow. – I did. I really begged. And I heard at first… Are you okay? – Yeah, yeah, yeah. – Okay. I’m sorry. I am gonna keep checking. – Thank you. – I am gonna keep checking when I hear a tiny beginning of a cough.
– I was fighting it back, but it slipped out. – Don’t. Don’t. Let it out. You’re safe here. – Safe with my Ariana. – With me and with Variety. – Okay, good. Sorry, guys. – So the audition was actually, and I had to beg them to let me audition because I didn’t think… They didn’t want anyone that they knew to play these roles.
– [Adam] I see, I see. Yeah, yeah, yeah. – [Ariana] So I had to beg to be considered in the first place. – [Adam] Right. – And the first audition was singing. I actually sang both roles. I sang- – Whoa. – Glinda, I sang “No One Mourns the Wicked” and “Popular.” And then I sang “Defying Gravity” and “The Wizard and I.
” – My goodness. – I had to do each twice. – Really? – [Ariana] Yes. – You and a piano? – Me and a piano. – And was it a piano player in the room or was it a tape? – Yes, he was in the room. – [Adam] Yeah. – And it was, that was the first one. And then I had a call back, which was just Glinda because I think they figured out when I walked in with my like pink thermos and my pink sweatshirt and my pink everything- – [Adam] Oh my goodness. Yes.
– What I was campaigning for. – Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. – That time had scenes and different songs. They added “Thank Goodness,” which is my song in the second movie. – Gotcha, gotcha. Yes. That was a great one. – My third callback… Oh, thank you. – “Thank Goodness” is a tremendous one. – Thank you. – I mean, “Popular” in my house was played a lot.
A lot, a lot. And “Defying Gravity” was played a lot. It was kinda like when the kids were like six and eight, it was every ride. Every time we’d want to kind of calm ’em down, we’d throw that on. – [Ariana] Same. – Right? – Oh yeah, that was me too. – You listen to that a lot too? You know what else we listened to in the car a lot? ♪ If there’s a prize for rotten la la ♪ You sang that.
– “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from “Hercules”? – Yes. Yes. You sang that. We saw you sing that. You’ve put together every voice, every harmony. – Oh my god, that’s another black, like a another pandemic blackout spot. – You did it during the pandemic. – That happened. No, you’re right. I didn’t even- – But it was the greatest.
We listened to that- – That’s so nice. – And watched that maybe 300 times. – Oh my gosh. Thank you. – You did every, all your own harmonies. That song’s the greatest song. I love it. – The Muses- – And every song from “Wicked” I love, but also- – The Muses in “Hercules” I think are honestly why I wanted to sing.
I’m not even kidding. Those Muses are the best. – That one in particular is a knockout, ain’t it? – It’s a great score. Alan Menken, I mean, hello. – [Adam] Love that guy. – [Ariana] Can’t go wrong there. – Love that guy. Yes. – Fabulous. – All right, so back to you. Back to- – Oh yes, and then there was a third callback, which was a chemistry read.
– Okay. – Which I read with two different actresses. And I was there for like three hours, and then that was it. – So kind of like the old days of auditioning. You’re sitting in a room, they call you in, you’re mixing partners, and then you- – Yeah. – You’re just going, “I think that went well.” Or you’re saying, “Did I just blow that?” What was the feeling? – I remember leaving feeling very grateful, and I felt a little buzzy.
Like, that feeling that we’re talking about when- – [Adam] That’s good. – When, okay, I think I’ve done the best I can do. – That’s good. – And I feel very grateful for that. And I think that if it’s not mine, that’s okay. It’s not meant to be. And I know that’s just what I did. – That’s good. That’s not a guarantee.
– No, no. It’s a relief feeling that feeling. – What a feeling. Yeah. ‘Cause there are so many times in life you walk out going, “They didn’t really see how I can do that. “Man, I messed that up.” Right? And so you felt confidence. – Mm-hmm. – [Adam] That’s good. – May I ask, is it true that when you were at NYU you were studying drama mainly? – I studied acting there.
Yes. Yes. I studied acting for four years at the Strasberg Institute and try to learn as much as I could while doing standup at night. – Right. Okay, okay. – Yes, yes, yes. – That’s so cool. – That was really cool. – So it’s, oh, the duality has always been such a big part of your life and your work. – Yes. Yes.
I think I was more excited about comedy, and I always, in the back of my head was like, “I would like to get a few dramas in there.” – Right. – That would be interesting. But let me go after this comedy thing. But I did have four years of learning at NYU and kind of picking up things that stuck with me. And always do your homework, like you do.
When I get a script, I certainly write down everything my character’s thinking, everything he’s been through before, everything that he’s worried about in the future. – Right. – I do my homework, but I don’t know if I’m as good as you. We’re bringing it out. Honestly. Honestly. – That’s crazy. – I loved watching you last night.
– No. – Watching how quiet the performance was and how real and how you felt it. And you were 100% the Good Witch. You were always the Good Witch. It was never Ariana. I was just like, okay, this is the Good Witch. This is how she’s feeling. By the way, working with Goldblum, how funny was he? I had a couple times where I went, “I bet Ariana was laughing in real life “about how funny Goldblum is.
” – I mean, he’s extraordinary. And it’s really kind of interesting to watch him dance between the Wizard and Jeff. – Yes, yes, yes. – It’s very seamless. It’s very smooth. – It was. His rhythms are always so like, I don’t know where these pauses come from and where these hand movements. And I just, I saw this one cutaway of you.
You guys were supposed to be happy as hell together. – [Ariana] Yes. – And I watched you laugh, and both you witches were watching him. And I was like, it felt like a legitimate good time. – Yeah. (laughs) Yeah, it was crazy to watch him. Also, he has such an amazing ability to kind of take himself outside of what’s ahead of him.
Like, as far as the scene and stuff, like in between. He has such a gorgeous process. I think I might be speaking completely out of turn, I have no idea. But I just love how he is constantly taking his mind somewhere else. – Yeah, that makes sense. – Right before action. – That can help. – And then will roll right into the scene.
It’s amazing. It’s very Wizard-y. – Yes. Dustin Hoffman does that. Before a scene starts, is talking, talking, talking to you in character, talking about things. So when the scene starts, it’s not action, line. It’s like you’re building up to that first line. – It’s interesting. – Yeah, pretty cool move. Yeah.
– It’s fun. I find that it’s so cool to learn each other’s processes. – Yes. It’s nice to steal a few too. – Yeah. – It’s nice to watch somebody great and go, “Oh shit, I never thought of that. “That’s perfect.” – Well, you and Clooney are so incredible together. – [Adam] Thank you. – Have you two sort of gifted each other with little pieces of each other’s process, you think? – I watched him.
I watched Clooney. I did learn from him. He’s similar to what you were saying about Goldblum. He gets stuff going and can land right in there. And then there’s, he also was very focused before takes. And just, you don’t… Again, I’m the same way, you say, I’m given this part, I’m given this take. If they say we’re gonna do another take, you’re like, let’s not waste this, man.
Let’s just concentrate. Think, I just did this. I just did that. Maybe there’s other ways to explore. That’s exciting stuff. – Mm-hmm. – And yeah. Clooney, he completely, scenes where I was locked in with him and we’re talking, we’re eye to eye, I loved him so much. It was just so calm. We got really close, like I’m sure you and Cynthia got to a place where you felt like sisters.
– Yeah. – You felt as comfortable as it gets. So you, like I with Clooney when I’m comfortable, when I’m comfortable on a set, I’m gonna do a lot better than when I’m with somebody that I’m- – Right. – Kind of unsure with. – Isn’t that the greatest gift to feel really comfortable with all of the collaborators involved? – Yes, yes, yes.
– I feel like that’s not always a guarantee either. So it’s like- – Oh, that can go south. – Yeah. – And when that goes south, you’re walking to do your scene with other shit on your mind. And then you go, “Well, I gotta blow that all off.” But what a nice thing to not have to work on anything. – And drop in.
– Yeah. – Yeah. That’s beautiful. I mean, your connection together. And it was just, it was so beautiful to watch. – Thank you. I loved him. I loved him. – How’d you get the black eye? – [Jay] I’ll tell you on the plane. – [Ron] What plane? – [Jay] The plane that I booked. We’re leaving at one. – Where are we going? – How long was the shoot for both these movies? – Well, I mean, the whole adventure in total was, you know, we’re sitting here, it’s, you know, what is it November, 2025? – Yes.
- – So five years, the whole journey. – What do you mean? – ‘Cause our auditions and the prep for the first audition was three months for me. I trained every day. – That’s so funny, man. – It was a long journey. – So you trained what, with the vocals and the songs? – Yeah, so I… Glinda has a very operatic voice.
– Yes, yes. – There was a lot of retraining my voice, and also I hadn’t acted in a really long time. – Right, right, right. – So I just wanted to work on my technique and figure out what would work for me. – With a teacher? – Yes. My teacher Nancy Banks. She’s incredible. – Nancy Banks. Awesome. – She’s a healer more than anything. Like…
– So it just keeps you brain calm and focused and on the right stuff. – I mean, yeah, but also just sort of figuring out what technique might work for me with this project. – I see. Yeah. – I hadn’t like explored in a while. And so we just started with random plays and just expressing and rehearsing different things.
Trying different things. – So cool. – [Ariana] And figuring out what worked for me. – So cool. – For Glinda. And it was a really amazing process. And then we were cast and we started pre-pro and- – Yes. – Rehearsals. And then the filming happened. And then there was the strike in the middle. – Wow. Right. – [Ariana] Yes.
– But you kept up the studying throughout the strike. – Yes, it was… And then when we got back, everything just felt right where we left off. It was- – [Adam] Boom. – It was special to- – You guys were shooting everything at all times. – Yes. At the same time. – One day you’re shooting the first movie, Day seven, all of a sudden you’re shooting a scene from the second one? Was it like that? – Yeah.
– Wow. – And it was funny because it was very spontaneous. Our whole crew was so incredible and, you know, prepared and responsive and collaborative and warm and whatever. But if there were a rainy day where we were supposed to be outside in Munchkinland, we would all of a sudden be inside Kiamo Ko shooting “For Good.
” – Wow. – So we shot “For Good” on a random day when we were not expecting to. – A showstopper. “For Good.” – (laughs) Thank you. – [Adam] Yes, yes. – Which I love. I love the spontaneity of that. – That’s pretty great. Yes. A random day. – You don’t have time to- – Overthink. – Yeah. Or get nervous. We could leave it all behind. – That’s good.
– Do you need a lozenge? Is it time? – I’m feeling better. – I’ve been dying to ask you about this. Okay, so- – [Adam] Please. – Puppy. – Puppy. Yeah. – [Ariana] Scripted? – [Adam] Yes. – Or improv? – It was written. – Okay. – Noah Baumbach had me call him puppy. – That’s the sweetest thing in the entire world. – It’s such a nice word to say over and over.
I called Jay Kelly puppy. I called Ben Alcock puppy. I called my kids puppy. It was fun to say. I was nervous when I read it. I was like- – Really? – Am I gonna make puppy right? Am I gonna be corny with puppy? – Oh, it felt so- – It felt nice. – Gorgeous. And just authentic. – It’s very sweet. I loved it. – I thought you made it up.
– I say bubby a lot. – Bubby. – In real life. I call my kids bubby. I call my wife bubby. I do. So I kind of eliminated bubby and threw puppy in there. – No, don’t cry. – You’re crying, puppy. – No, I know, but it doesn’t mean you have to cry. – Okay. You cry, puppy. You were crying first. – Truly, you’ve been able to kind of have room for both these incredible dramatic roles and also some of the most iconic comedic roles of all time ever in the history of the world.
But one of them that really has both, I think, is Bobby Boucher. – [Adam] Yes. – I know that sounds crazy, but he makes me cry. – I heard that. My children show me you discussing Bobby. And it meant a lot to me because I love Bobby. – Yeah. – I love him so much. – [Ariana] It shows. – I loved being that guy. I loved feeling what Bobby felt.
An outsider and just wanting to feel calm and feeling safe with Mama. Also a little nervous with Mama. – [Ariana] Yeah. – I love that it connected with you. Thank you. Thank you. – It’s really beautiful. And you do such a magnificent job of like grounding your comedy and just like humanness that is so disarming.
It’s really beautiful. – It was very easy. Vicki Vallencourt made life easy. – [Ariana] Oh my gosh. I love her too. – She was a good lady. If they’re ever redoing Bobby Boucher- – No. – [Adam] I don’t know who’s gonna be. – They should never. – [Adam] Maybe Stiller can play Bobby and you’re Vicki Vallencourt. That’d be fun.
– Oh my goodness. No. Leave perfect things- – [Adam] Leave it alone. – As they are, you know? – Thank you. Thank you so much. – Perfect. Are you sure you don’t want a lozenge? – I’m feeling better. It’s turned into like a nervous tick maybe. But I do feel the lungs kind of collapse and I go, “Don’t do it.” And then all of a sudden I go, (coughs) – Yeah.
Do you have an inhaler or something? – No. Maybe that’s next. Maybe I have asthma and I don’t know it. (Ariana laughs) – No, but sometimes the lingering cough can just be like an asthma situation, and they can just be- – It’s the way I’m sitting. If we were standing, I wouldn’t have coughed one time. – Do you want to stand? – No, no. I like it like this. – We can stand.
– Nope. Ariana, thanks for looking out for me. – All right, no worries. – Speaking of perfect. You got to meet from behind ’cause we never saw Dorothy, but- – [Ariana] Oh yes. – [Adam] Did you, between takes try to get information like- – Oh yes. She was lovely. – [Adam] Very lovely. – A very lovely person. – So you saw her face. I never did.
– I saw her face What a treat. – [Adam] What did it look like? – Beautiful. – It was fantastic? – She was beautiful. – Did you address her as Dorothy? Or how did you speak to- – No, I don’t know if I’m allowed to say who. – Yeah, don’t tell me. Don’t tell anyone. – I’m sure she’ll be in the credits, but- – Yeah, that’s true.
– I mean, she was a lovely, amazing performer, and she’s a dancer and she’s wonderful. – The shoes. She got the shoes. – The shoes. Oh yes, she got the shoes. I love that shot where they’re taking her away. And it’s Dorothy’s point of view of the shoes kicking. – Yes, yes. That’s a great shot. – Yeah, but I love Jon’s take on kind of preserving “The Wizard of Oz” and letting it be like its own thing.
– The Tin Man! – [Ariana] Yes. – Shocked me. – Wasn’t that so exciting? – I never thought of that in my life that had this happen to this man. – Had you not seen “Wicked” on stage? – I did, but I forgot. – But forgot. – Yeah. I saw “Wicked” maybe five times and I still forgot. – Oh my gosh. – Saw it in New York, saw it out here, saw it when it’s on the road.
But- – Isn’t it a thrill? – It was a, but the film version of the noises that were going on back there and the pings and the pangs and then knowing, and then also when the reveal of the man being the Tin Man and what he looked at and the horror on his face when he looked in the mirror. I never thought of that in my life.
That was a painful moment. – It’s a very painful moment. And it’s performed beautifully by- – Unbelievable. – Both of them are so amazing. – Yes, yes. – But it’s also just so important to see these sort of like humanizing moments for these villains. These terrible people. It’s like, that’s the beautiful thing about “Wicked” is it kind of shows how perpetrators of evilness were once victims themselves.
– Yes. Oh God, I know. – How someone with such a pure heart can lose their heart entirely. – Never thought of that backstory ever. My whole childhood. – Yeah. – And now that’s all I think about, where they’re coming from. – Even though he’s not necessarily evil in “The Wizard of Oz.” He is in “Wicked.” – He’s in pain though.
You see where the pain came from. And how about that he was so in love with you, with the Good Witch and he was being held back. – Heartbreaking. – You can’t live like that in real life. – No, but I also love the exchange that the Tin Man and Glinda share that sort of propels her into “Girl in the Bubble.” It’s a cool exchange of- – [Adam] Absolutely. Yes, yes, yes.
– Energy in a way. – What about you marrying somebody? I don’t know if you wanna be married to this? He’s possibly, he’s thinking of- – [Ariana] To Fiyero. Yeah. – [Adam] A good friend of yours. That was a heartbreaking moment for all of you. – I’m worried for her too. And I miss her. Can’t you see she doesn’t want to be found? – Yeah, it’s tough.
It’s really, really relentless this movie. – It’s relentless. You know what I really love? When he said he was sorry to you. – Me too! – That gets me. – [Ariana] Jonathan Bailey in the whole film, he’s so extraordinary. – [Adam] Yes, yes. – But that moment in particular- – Such a gentleman to say that like he knows it broke your heart, he knows how much pain you’re in.
He has to follow the truth. And he’s like- – And yet he didn’t have the tools to do it sooner or differently. – Right, right, right. – Because he, just like Glinda, has lived his whole life under the impression of, “I have to please everyone else.” – I’m supposed to do this. Yes. – Self-abandoning for the sake of others.
– Yes, yes. – And he learns too late. And Glinda knows that. There’s like an immediate forgiveness- – Yes, yes. You did, yes. That was beautiful. – And Elphaba too. – Yeah. – The three of them in that scene are all given an opportunity to turn the other- – But you did zing her. You zing her. You gave her a zinger a little later in the movie when, you know, this is mine.
And you’re like, yeah, something – We do slap each other. – You slapped her back. – It felt right. (Adam laughs) – She deserved it. I was on your side the whole time. Let her know. – Oh man. (laughs) – [Adam] Let her know. – You know, you know- – [Adam] Your pain. – I think they’ve both done wrong. – You’ve both done wrong.
– And they’re both very validated in that moment. – I can’t bear this anymore. I’m taking you to see the Wizard. – [Elphaba] Absolutely not. – Yes. – No! – Elphabubba. – Elphabubba. – Was… (Ariana laughs) Ultimately ends up with the true love and… – Yeah. And Glinda’s starting from the ground up, as she should, as she deserves to because she has some wrongs to right.
– What about down the line, the Tin Man? – And Glinda? – Yeah. – Oh my goodness. I don’t know, man. – It seems right. It seems like there’s- – There’s hope. – [Adam] An honest affection. – There’s hope there. – Yes. – Who knows? – I know. (Ariana laughs) – I’m crying. – Can I discuss one other thing that was on my mind? – Sure, sure.
– Just an instinct. I don’t know if viewers want to know this. You wore a dress, stunning dress in the movie. You wore it a lot, right? What do we call that dress? A gown? Or what do I call that? – Well, we called it Bubble 2. – Bubble 2. – Bubble 2. The lavender one that I’m always in. – You’re in that a lot.
– Forever in this film. – Is it every scene? – I think she just loves it. – A lot of it. – It’s most scenes. – Okay, so you have it on. They call lunch. What do you do? Do we get outta that thing or we sit in it? – I perch on a little apple box. It goes under the hoop skirt, under the bubble skirt. And I just perch on a little apple box and I just- – And it’s comfortable enough to do that? – Yeah, it actually was.
Bubble 2 had a lot of flexibility. – A lot of give? – Yeah, a lot of give. It was very flexible. – It looks tight in the shoulders. – I did have little scratches here. – You get the scratches? – Yes, I got the scratches. But I didn’t mind. – It was worth it. It’s for the craft. – I’m very fond… Yes. Anything for the craft.
I was gonna say, I love coming home with an unexplained bruise or scratch. – Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear you. I understood. – You’re the same way I would imagine. – Well, I’ve done a lot of movies. I’ve come home, massive bruises. Massive. When I did my first movie with Noah Baumbach. I did a movie called “The Meyerowitz Stories” with our mutual friend Ben Stiller.
– We got in a fight in that movie for the actual movie, rolling around. I had a bruise. I think it was here to here or here to here. Oh yeah, it was here to hear an entire bicep of a bruise that lasted maybe two weeks. – Because you two were just so in it? – We were so in it. – [Ariana] And you didn’t wanna- – And he took it very serious, Ben.
– Of course. – I think he wanted to kick my ass. I was going, “Aren’t we doing movie acting right now?” But then I’d see crazy eyes on him. (Ariana laughs) Ben wants to win this. – Yeah. – Yep. I think he did. – But that’s (laughs) – I think I gave it to him. – But that’s very rewarding though. In that moment when you two are fighting- – Yes.
– Ignoring the fight coordinator? Was this just like all of the- – It was kind of- – [Ariana] Everything out the window for the craft. – Like, rolling around here. – Right. – The fight coordinator got ignored. (Ariana laughs) The safety. The safety. – The safety was ignored. – Stiller blocked that out apparently.
– Right. – Bruised me up good. And then by take four, I kind of quietly walked over to Noah. I said, “I think I’m a little bit hurt, man. “Let’s just move on. “If you need one more, I got you.” And then he was like, “What?” He didn’t believe I was hurt. And then I sent him a picture that night of my bruise. – Of the bruise.
– And I said, “Look what you’ve done to me.” – Oh my goodness. – Now in real life- – I love knowing that. – I just want you to know, Ariana, if Stiller was to bring that energy in real life, I would choke him out immediately. But my character and my professionalism allowed him to whoop me. – Right. Anything for the scene.
– Anything for the scene. And I was proud of that. – I’m proud of that as well for you. – Thank you. Now, what was it like with Stiller? You got to know this man as well as I do. – Yes. Recently. – He’s a hardcore, he wants the best every day, every scene. – [Ariana] He’s amazing. I loved working with him. – What is the relationship? Are you a daughter-in-law? What is it? – Well- – Are we allowed to talk about that? – Yes, but I was gonna say, funny enough, I also got a bruise.
– From him? – From myself. – Okay. – But from him, But from something I was doing. – What’d you do? – And I also had a bruise from here from here from Ben Stiller’s body. – See, he doesn’t think it through. – We share that. – [Adam] He doesn’t think it through. – No, it was my fault actually. – It was? All right.
– I own it. I’ll explain to you off camera what’s happening, but it’s totally my fault. I was the one. I was the, I was perpetrating. – And so this was take one, two? – Oh man. All of ’em. – All of ’em? – You don’t feel it when you’re in the- – Yeah, the adrenaline gets you past the bruise. – But yes, I just worked with him on “Focker In-Law.
” I play his son’s girlfriend. – I love that. – Who he doesn’t… – He’s not connecting with? He’s not sure of you? – No, he’s not. He’s very against me. – He’s protective- – [Ariana] He’s very against me. – Over his puppy. – Yes, he is protective over his puppy. – Yes. – And the worst part- – Yeah. – His nightmare is I get along gorgeously with Jack.
Jack loves me and wants to invite me in. Mr. De Niro’s character. – I see. I love that. – So immediate approval from just the whole rest of the family. And he and I are kind of just- – He’s holding back. – Not clicking at all. – Is there a reason he’s holding back? Is there… Well, we have to see the movie. – Yes.
He has reason, but I don’t think that she deserves the judgment. – He goes too overboard in real life too. He judges every, every text I send him, I’m being judged. It’s a long dot, dot, dot. And I’m like, what’s he mad at this time? – No. No. – And then he goes, “Okay, man, you got it.” – [Ariana] Really? – No.
– [Ariana] No. Okay. – He’s a gentleman. He’s a gentleman. – Yeah, he really is. – I love him more than anything. – Yeah. And I love watching him toggle back and forth between the side of his brain that is just trying to be the actor in the scene and also is like thinking through the director lens as well. – Yes, true.
– While also being so incredible with John Hamburg, our director, and being like- – [Adam] Yes, yes, yes. Those two are best buds. – [Ariana] Incredible collaborators. – [Adam] Yes. – And John is amazing. – How about Stiller laughing? – Yes. – He can laugh. – He can break sometimes. – He breaks and laughs his ass off.
– But it’s hard to break him. But when he does, it’s quite rewarding. – It does feel good when he breaks. – Yeah. – And then it feels great, even when you’re before shooting a shot and you’re saying things and you’re talking and he laughs. You just go, man, he’s got a sweet laugh. – Yeah. – What a nice dude. – It’s very rewarding.
– And you got to know his whole family. And they’re the best. – Yes. Everyone is lovely. – Yes. – [Ariana] And Ella did our table read, his daughter. – She did? – Who’s very wonderful. – She’s a fantastic actress, as is Quinn, the boy. – [Ariana] He’s the only one I haven’t met yet. – The Quinn is a sweetheart.
He’s friends with my daughter. They both went to college at the same time. And they both are very- – What a small world. That’s so great. – Very small world. Yes. – Will you be in New York at the end of this month? – Yes. – Will you be going to his birthday? – Stiller’s party? He’s turning 60. – Yeah. – We’re all going that night.
– Oh, great. Yay, I’ll see you all there. – Are you getting him a gift? Can I get in on yours? Whatever you get him, put my name on that. – Yeah, let’s think about it together. I have to brainstorm. I have to think of it. – My wife will get the gift, and I always get to get my name on that card. That’s the best thing.
– Maybe your memory’s trying to tell you something about your present. – Like what? – I don’t know. I’m tired. – This is so, so important. Okay, so in “Jay Kelly,” obviously there’s so much commentary on like the fame, isolation, and the balance between work and family. – Yes. – And one of the lines that really hit me was when the acting teacher says to him, “Now you gotta act twice.
“Once when you play the part “and once when you play yourself.” – I love that line too. – That really got me. But I wanted to say, as someone who seems to, from, you know, from afar, seems to balance all of the things that Jay Kelly struggles with so beautifully, you in real life seem to have such an amazing grip on reality and on that balance.
What do you credit that to? – I credit that upbringing, I’m sure. True love. I love my wife, love my kids more than anything. They’re on my mind all day long. – [Ariana] Right. – Like being with them. Just like you, I’ve met you a bunch of times, you’re always inclusive with your family. I’ve seen mama a lot.
– [Ariana] Yes. – She’s cool as hell. I love grandma. By the way, I’ve told you, but when grandma’s on the “Bloodline” track- – Oh yes. – Whatever she says up top, we laugh our asses off. – Thank you. – Grandma’s funny as hell. – Thank you. You’re tight with grandma, huh? – Yes, yes. I- – Yes. – I love her. – And it’s something about being satisfied, and it’s very cute.
But just like you, man, we know what’s important. We all… Our careers are great. We love it. We love getting to do, this is a dream. If something’s off at home, it’s hard to concentrate on the dream. So it’s nice to always have that around or just be in contact with the true love of your life. – That’s beautiful.
– Yes. This might be random. Animals. (coughs) – Are you okay? (Adam coughs) – Animals. – We’re almost there. We’re almost there. – Ariana, stay with me. – Home stretch. Home stretch. (Adam coughs) – Animals. The voice. Holding them back. – [Ariana] Right. – Not allowing them to speak. – Mm-hmm. – Real life, should animals be talking more? Should we have… – I think…
– This is just everybody’s thinking it. And I want to ask your take on it. – I think that, I think they are talking. – They are talking. – I think we’re not listening enough. – There it is. 100%. – Don’t you think? – Well, there’s a reason they’re looking at you like, “Didn’t you hear what I said?” – If you really look and you really listen- – Yes.
– They are telling you everything – Through it all. There’s- – It’s true. – If you quiet yourself down for a minute and not just worry about yourself- – It’s all right there. It’s right there, I’m not kidding. – This could be the closer of the piece, guys. – Can’t tell if it’s a bit or not, but this answer is really real.
– I think it’s real too. I felt it with my dog this morning. – Speaking to you. Right? – Gave me a look. Also kind of like, was like- – Verbalized. – It’s 9:30. I haven’t been let out yet. – Let me out. – What’s the matter with you, man? – Exactly. Do you want an accident? – Do you want this? – Or do you not? – Yes.
And I said, “I appreciate you waiting, “and you are a good man. “This will never happen again.” – See? It’s all right there. We need to listen. My Myron, my Myron. – Myron. Yeah. – Thank you. Thank you. Myron, one of my dogs- – Yes. – He eats much faster than Toulouse, my littler one. – Right, right, right. – And he always wants to have Toulouse’s leftovers.
– Yeah, yeah. You have to separate. – So he has learned to, and this is, I didn’t teach him this, he just did this from listening and receiving the information, you know, noticing Toulouse’s feelings. He will wait until Toulouse is halfway done with his meal- – You’re kidding. Nice. – To begin his meal. And then when Toulouse is done and walks away, he looks at me and he looks at the bowl.
– [Adam] And you give, there’s any left in there? – And he’s like on the verge of tears, and he’s like… – Just, just… – And I’m like, “It’s okay, you can have it, babe. “It’s okay. He’s done.” They are speaking. We just have to listen. – Yeah, man. – Adam Sandler and Ariana on dogs. Thank you for coming. – Love everything about Myron and…
– Toulouse. And then are a bunch of others, but we don’t have time. We’ll talk about it off. – Seem a little connected more than most dogs are. They’re respectful of each other. – They’re very empathetic. I think it just comes from being like in a household of- – Yeah. – [Ariana] Of- – Of goodness. – Of, you know, yeah, of watching “Waterboy” a lot.
– Yeah. – The emotional connection. – For years. – It’s palpable. It is true. I love you so much. – Love you. That was great, Ariana. – This was really lovely. – I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. And we did good. – Me too. I’m so honored. There are no words. – I love your movie. I love you and your movie.
Congratulations on how deep you went and how beautiful your performance was. – And to you. I loved this movie so much. Again, I cried so many times at your performance. – Love that. – It was really stunning. And I’m so happy for you and excited beyond. You’re so brilliant. – Congratulations to everyone involved with your movie and to you.
– You too. – Okay, I love you, buddy. – Love you. That was really cool. – That was funny. (bright jazzy music)
