Apr 21, 2026 · 1:04:12

Nick Offerman on Good Hang with Amy Poehler

The Hang, in Short

Amy sits down with Nick Offerman, her Parks and Rec brother and fellow Ron Swanson mourner. But first, Aubrey Plaza zooms in from backstage to deliver the goods. Turns out she, Nick, and Jason Schwartzman share a June 26 birthday and maintain a sacred medieval text chain. Sample message: Nick once sent them "a massive load of my wholesome earth sign love" which Aubrey absolutely read as urine at first. She also recalls Nick's dad energy on set, especially the time he told her she could walk ten feet and pour her own damn coffee instead of waiting for a PA. The vibe? Peak earth sign behavior. They get into ghosts, Parks nostalgia, Nick's new book Little Woodchucks, and whether Aubrey thinks he can actually build anything or if it's all an elaborate lie.

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  1. 0:05

    Hello everyone. Welcome to another

  2. 0:06

    episode of Good Hang. Boy, what a guest

  3. 0:08

    we have today. Um, my brother, um, Nick

  4. 0:12

    Offerman, uh, who, uh, as you know, was

  5. 0:17

    instrumental in making Parks and

  6. 0:19

    Recreation the hit that it was and

  7. 0:20

    played the beloved Ron Swanson and is

  8. 0:23

    just a wonderful friend, person, actor.

  9. 0:26

    We talk about so many good things today.

  10. 0:29

    We talk about um uh Parks and Wreck

  11. 0:33

    getting the job, how it felt to be on a

  12. 0:35

    show um that meant so much to us. We

  13. 0:38

    talk about Cleopatra, how he feels about

  14. 0:40

    her, and would he hit that. And um we

  15. 0:43

    also um talk about his book, Little

  16. 0:45

    Woodchucks, his amazing new book that is

  17. 0:48

    out now, and how he feels deeply about

  18. 0:51

    how important it is to make things. So,

  19. 0:54

    um please uh uh please start get ready

  20. 0:57

    for Nick Offererman. But before we get

  21. 0:59

    to Nick, we always do this thing, right?

  22. 1:01

    We talk to somebody who knows Nick. We

  23. 1:02

    get a question to ask Nick. And we have

  24. 1:06

    the wonderful Aubrey Plaza joining us.

  25. 1:09

    Aubrey April Lgate. Um, you know her,

  26. 1:12

    you love her. She's zooming in from New

  27. 1:14

    York. Plazi.

  28. 1:18

    [music]

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  45. 2:01

    >> Hello.

  46. 2:05

    >> Hi, Claus.

  47. 2:06

    >> Hi.

  48. 2:07

    >> Hi. Thank you for doing this. I know

  49. 2:09

    you're about to go. I think you're about

  50. 2:11

    to go on stage.

  51. 2:13

    >> Oh my god. Have you been sitting there

  52. 2:14

    since the last time I did your podcast?

  53. 2:17

    >> Yeah.

  54. 2:18

    >> I'm so sorry.

  55. 2:19

    >> I live here now.

  56. 2:21

    >> Oh my god. And I know you don't have a

  57. 2:23

    lot of time, but I there's I felt like

  58. 2:25

    there was nobody better to ask a

  59. 2:28

    question to Nick Offererman than you.

  60. 2:30

    >> Oh, I know. Well, first of all, you know

  61. 2:33

    that we are birth brothers.

  62. 2:36

    >> Yeah, talk about that.

  63. 2:37

    >> Nick and I have the same birthday, June

  64. 2:39

    26, the day that the Pied Piper led the

  65. 2:43

    children of the rats into the water.

  66. 2:46

    [snorts]

  67. 2:47

    Real story, folks.

  68. 2:48

    >> [laughter]

  69. 2:49

    >> And you can feel the pi piper energy

  70. 2:52

    coming out, you know, of both of us.

  71. 2:54

    Jason Schwarzman also has a birthday on

  72. 2:56

    June 26. So does Paul Thomas Anderson

  73. 2:59

    actually, but he's not in our club yet.

  74. 3:01

    But um

  75. 3:03

    yeah, so we have this like birthday text

  76. 3:06

    message chain, which I almost want to

  77. 3:07

    read out loud because it's so funny

  78. 3:08

    because the it we only write on it on

  79. 3:10

    our birthday and it's always it's so

  80. 3:12

    it's always like in medieval talk.

  81. 3:14

    >> It's you and Nick and Jason Schwarzman.

  82. 3:16

    >> Me, Nick, and Schwarzman. Yeah. Can you

  83. 3:18

    read just Yeah. Can you read just a

  84. 3:20

    little bit of it?

  85. 3:20

    >> Okay, hold on. I got my phone.

  86. 3:22

    >> Okay, [laughter]

  87. 3:24

    >> this is like sacred territory. Okay,

  88. 3:27

    here's one that Nick wrote. Mighty

  89. 3:30

    power. This was a couple years ago.

  90. 3:32

    Mighty powers and health to you, my

  91. 3:34

    fellow birthday triplets. Let us dance

  92. 3:37

    under the moon and delight Gaia for

  93. 3:39

    another 12 moons with our dark japes.

  94. 3:43

    An an emoji that I can't don't want to

  95. 3:45

    describe. [laughter]

  96. 3:47

    Um, this is another one from Nick. Dear

  97. 3:51

    my birthday beauties, it's 9:00 a.m. on

  98. 3:54

    our birthday in New Zealand, and I'm

  99. 3:55

    sending you both a massive load of my

  100. 3:58

    wholesome.

  101. 4:00

    Oh, earth sign love. I thought it said

  102. 4:02

    urine when I read it on my birthday, but

  103. 4:04

    now I'm seeing it. Now I'm seeing it

  104. 4:06

    [clears throat] clearly.

  105. 4:08

    >> I thought he said a massive load of my

  106. 4:10

    urine.

  107. 4:10

    >> That would sounds like it could be him,

  108. 4:12

    but earth sign love, which

  109. 4:14

    >> Oh, earth sign love. And Ursan I believe

  110. 4:16

    is is bear like right bear like

  111. 4:19

    >> oh the bear right I wrote back and my

  112. 4:22

    load to you my brother [laughter]

  113. 4:25

    >> but it was a different load that I was

  114. 4:27

    talking about. [laughter]

  115. 4:29

    Um that's just a little taste.

  116. 4:31

    >> That's a little taste and it's it is how

  117. 4:32

    Nick talks. Do you remember meeting him

  118. 4:34

    for the first time?

  119. 4:35

    >> I think it was probably literally on

  120. 4:37

    set. I don't remember. I think he scared

  121. 4:40

    me. You know at first he scared me a

  122. 4:44

    lot. Why?

  123. 4:45

    >> In a good way. Um I No, just because I

  124. 4:48

    think No, he was so funny, but I was

  125. 4:50

    always like trying to replicate his like

  126. 4:53

    behavior on set. Like I'll never forget

  127. 4:56

    I mean you guys all taught me how to

  128. 4:58

    really be on set because I didn't, you

  129. 4:59

    know, I didn't really I'd only done one

  130. 5:01

    job so I didn't know. But like I

  131. 5:03

    remember Nick kind of put not put me in

  132. 5:06

    my place but like kind of reminded me of

  133. 5:08

    something. I probably told you the

  134. 5:09

    story, but like where I was like, you

  135. 5:11

    know how when you're on set you get

  136. 5:12

    treat like actors get treated like

  137. 5:14

    babies and it's so such a weird vibe

  138. 5:17

    like when I haven't worked for a while

  139. 5:18

    and then I go back I'm like this is so

  140. 5:20

    weird. No wonder why actors get so weird

  141. 5:22

    cuz everyone treats you like a baby like

  142. 5:24

    you can't do anything.

  143. 5:26

    >> And I remember like I was just sitting

  144. 5:27

    in my little chair or something and I

  145. 5:29

    wasn't doing anything for a while and

  146. 5:32

    one of the PAs came up and was like do

  147. 5:34

    you need anything? And I was like, "Uh,

  148. 5:36

    sure. I'd take a coffee or something

  149. 5:37

    like that." And then Nick was sitting

  150. 5:40

    next to me like reading a book or

  151. 5:41

    something and he looked over and he

  152. 5:42

    went, "Don't forget that you can get up

  153. 5:46

    and get your own coffee. [laughter] It's

  154. 5:48

    right over there."

  155. 5:51

    And I know that sounds kind of like an

  156. 5:53

    thing to say, but I didn't take

  157. 5:55

    it like that. I was like, "You're

  158. 5:57

    right." I was like, I don't need

  159. 5:59

    that little PA over there to get to walk

  160. 6:02

    over there in my eyesight and pour me a

  161. 6:05

    cup of coffee. I'm like, because you get

  162. 6:07

    in that zone on set where you just turn

  163. 6:09

    into like a couch potato where you're

  164. 6:10

    like,

  165. 6:12

    >> and he it like jolted me. I was like,

  166. 6:15

    I'm never going to ask for coffee again.

  167. 6:17

    Ever.

  168. 6:18

    >> It's so It's so true. And you never

  169. 6:21

    have. And anytime anyone brings you

  170. 6:23

    coffee, you just throw it in their face.

  171. 6:25

    >> I slap it on the bottom so it goes

  172. 6:27

    >> [laughter]

  173. 6:28

    >> not only the liquid, but the cup right

  174. 6:30

    on their forehead.

  175. 6:31

    >> The He's He's so um he is very paternal

  176. 6:36

    and he was very paternal on set. Like

  177. 6:38

    when Nick was there, he would know his

  178. 6:40

    lines and he loved to goof around, but

  179. 6:42

    he wanted to get the job done. Like he

  180. 6:45

    was daddy energy for sure.

  181. 6:47

    >> Yeah, he was daddy. And but he really

  182. 6:49

    did have you you both though you both

  183. 6:51

    had such a perfect balance of like

  184. 6:54

    professionalism but f and fun and I and

  185. 6:58

    I it was a very very good for me to

  186. 7:00

    witness cuz it was like I wanted to I

  187. 7:03

    wanted to be good for him and for you

  188. 7:05

    like I always wanted to be prepared and

  189. 7:07

    but then also be ready to around

  190. 7:10

    and yeah I love I love that about

  191. 7:13

    working with Nick.

  192. 7:14

    >> Yeah. Um,

  193. 7:15

    >> and I have to say like the the April and

  194. 7:19

    Ron stuff started early. I think it was

  195. 7:22

    season one when you two started doing

  196. 7:25

    stuff together.

  197. 7:27

    >> Mhm.

  198. 7:27

    >> And it was really helpful for both of

  199. 7:30

    your characters. [laughter]

  200. 7:32

    >> It was so helpful. I think it I'm trying

  201. 7:34

    to remember. I have one memory of like

  202. 7:36

    that remember that episode when we were

  203. 7:38

    like in the grocery store

  204. 7:40

    >> or something. I think that was one of

  205. 7:41

    those early on ones. I I'm thinking I

  206. 7:44

    think there was an episode in season one

  207. 7:45

    when he hurts his neck and

  208. 7:48

    >> Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

  209. 7:50

    >> Right. And he's stuck in the chair.

  210. 7:53

    >> Yeah.

  211. 7:54

    Yeah. Yeah. And then I like go I like go

  212. 7:56

    into his I like stand in his office

  213. 7:59

    >> and I'm like I'm like kind of his

  214. 8:00

    assistant that day or something and we

  215. 8:03

    we barely say like anything to each

  216. 8:05

    other. Yeah.

  217. 8:05

    >> We just like stare at each other and

  218. 8:07

    then like it's almost like we're

  219. 8:08

    telepath we were telepathic.

  220. 8:10

    >> Yeah. Both of you are very good at

  221. 8:13

    saying little and talking slowly.

  222. 8:16

    >> Exactly. [laughter]

  223. 8:17

    >> And it's funny that he uses the word

  224. 8:19

    earth sign because he really is like

  225. 8:23

    one could classify him as a bear. He is

  226. 8:25

    a bear.

  227. 8:26

    >> He is a bear

  228. 8:28

    >> and he's a he's a man in a very um you

  229. 8:31

    know you don't find a lot of like men

  230. 8:33

    who can build things. I mean,

  231. 8:36

    >> Mhm.

  232. 8:37

    >> in this profession.

  233. 8:38

    >> I actually I wonder if if if he if

  234. 8:41

    that's a lie,

  235. 8:44

    >> I don't think he can. I don't think he's

  236. 8:47

    actually doing it.

  237. 8:47

    >> It's so weird saying I've never actually

  238. 8:49

    seen him build anything.

  239. 8:51

    >> You ever seen him with a hammer? I

  240. 8:52

    haven't.

  241. 8:53

    >> Nope.

  242. 8:55

    >> And I've seen where he does it, but

  243. 8:56

    there's other people in there.

  244. 8:59

    >> So true. And he comes in and says, "I

  245. 9:01

    made this canoe." And it's like,

  246. 9:03

    >> when? Yeah. When?

  247. 9:06

    >> Yeah.

  248. 9:07

    >> When exactly? [laughter]

  249. 9:09

    >> What question do you think I should ask

  250. 9:10

    him?

  251. 9:11

    >> What does it feel like when you jerk off

  252. 9:13

    to every episode of Parks and Wreck when

  253. 9:15

    you're watching?

  254. 9:16

    >> Let's get a real question that I can

  255. 9:18

    actually ask him.

  256. 9:19

    >> All right. Okay. I have two questions.

  257. 9:21

    Okay. One, have you ever seen a ghost?

  258. 9:25

    >> I want to hear like if he has any like

  259. 9:29

    other realm stories.

  260. 9:31

    >> Oo, interesting. I I don't know where he

  261. 9:33

    would land on that in the on the woo woo

  262. 9:35

    scale of being open to that.

  263. 9:37

    >> Me neither. Me neither. Like for real, I

  264. 9:39

    want to ask him. Yeah. Like do you

  265. 9:40

    believe like do you believe in ghosts?

  266. 9:42

    Like do you believe in that? Have you

  267. 9:43

    have do you have a good story?

  268. 9:45

    >> And do you believe in hell?

  269. 9:50

    >> No. Don't ask him that.

  270. 9:51

    >> I won't.

  271. 9:51

    >> Um

  272. 9:52

    >> believe me, I won't. [laughter]

  273. 9:54

    >> Okay.

  274. 9:54

    >> Okay. Uh how about do you remember a

  275. 9:58

    good time we had working together?

  276. 10:00

    >> Sorry. Sorry. You're right. No, you're

  277. 10:03

    right. You're right. I just immediately

  278. 10:06

    want to know like [laughter]

  279. 10:08

    if you had to haunt one person

  280. 10:12

    in the afterlife, [laughter]

  281. 10:16

    who would it be? And also,

  282. 10:18

    how'd you get started in showbiz? I

  283. 10:20

    [laughter] don't know. Or any am I are

  284. 10:23

    these is this anything? [laughter]

  285. 10:27

    >> Yeah, these are good. These are good.

  286. 10:29

    >> Okay, here's my real question. Okay.

  287. 10:32

    >> If Bill and Ted's excellent adventure

  288. 10:35

    happened to you in real life, what time

  289. 10:38

    period would you go to and who would you

  290. 10:40

    fight? [laughter]

  291. 10:42

    >> Perfect.

  292. 10:43

    >> You know, he's going to have some stupid

  293. 10:45

    to say.

  294. 10:46

    >> Perfect question.

  295. 10:48

    >> Okay, good.

  296. 10:49

    >> That's perfect. Who would you fight?

  297. 10:50

    >> And would you take me with you?

  298. 10:52

    >> Yeah,

  299. 10:53

    >> cuz you know you want to. You know you

  300. 10:55

    want to. I mean, I have to say you guys

  301. 10:57

    were like a strong duo for a million

  302. 10:59

    reasons, but both you and Nick have a

  303. 11:02

    fortitude, like a way where you could

  304. 11:04

    face you. You you guys are very

  305. 11:07

    emotionally and physically strong. Like,

  306. 11:09

    you mean you and Nick were the only two

  307. 11:12

    cast members to play on the Parks and

  308. 11:15

    Wreck softball team.

  309. 11:16

    >> That's right. Still got my uniform.

  310. 11:19

    >> Um, all right. Well, that we got our

  311. 11:20

    question. I don't want to keep you okay

  312. 11:23

    with time. All right. I'm going to Not

  313. 11:25

    okay with time. I'm actually But but why

  314. 11:28

    do you want to do something? [laughter]

  315. 11:30

    >> No, but you told me you were going in 15

  316. 11:32

    minutes. Okay, then I'm good.

  317. 11:34

    >> I'm out, baby. I'm out. Watch me. In

  318. 11:37

    less than an hour, I'm going to be on

  319. 11:38

    that stage ripping apart.

  320. 11:41

    >> What do you have to do between now and

  321. 11:42

    the show? I am interested. Before I let

  322. 11:44

    you go, what's your routine?

  323. 11:45

    >> Um, I'm literally supposed to be there

  324. 11:47

    in like 20 minutes. I'm going to get a

  325. 11:49

    shower. I'm discussing right now.

  326. 11:50

    >> Oh, you're at home. [laughter] Okay.

  327. 11:52

    You're not at the theater. We're Okay. I

  328. 11:54

    didn't time my day out very well.

  329. 11:55

    >> Okay. Okay. Okay. Thank you for doing

  330. 11:57

    this.

  331. 11:57

    >> But I can actually do anything.

  332. 11:59

    >> Yeah.

  333. 11:59

    >> If I really put my mind to it.

  334. 12:01

    [laughter]

  335. 12:02

    >> It's gonna be a nightmare getting a cab.

  336. 12:03

    I This is what I literally am going to

  337. 12:05

    do.

  338. 12:06

    >> Yeah.

  339. 12:06

    >> Get a shower in like the mo in like 2

  340. 12:08

    minutes.

  341. 12:09

    >> I believe in you.

  342. 12:09

    >> Then I'm going to run to 6th Avenue and

  343. 12:13

    I literally mean it. I'm going to run.

  344. 12:15

    It's rush hour and I'm going to hail a

  345. 12:17

    cab and that cab's going to fly me up

  346. 12:19

    there and it's going to be exhilarating.

  347. 12:21

    And then I'm just gonna I'm just hope I

  348. 12:22

    won't, you know, hope I can get myself

  349. 12:24

    in character in time. I'll start in the

  350. 12:27

    cab.

  351. 12:27

    >> I'm gonna let you go right now.

  352. 12:28

    Codependently, I'm worried about you.

  353. 12:30

    And um Okay. Thank you for doing this.

  354. 12:32

    Thank you, Plazy. Love you. Miss you.

  355. 12:34

    >> Love you. Love you and love, Nick.

  356. 12:36

    >> Yeah.

  357. 12:37

    >> And Okay.

  358. 12:38

    >> Okay. Thank you.

  359. 12:38

    >> All right. I hope you get out of there

  360. 12:39

    sometime. Okay. [laughter]

  361. 12:41

    Okay. Drink water. Okay. [music]

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  394. 14:09

    Hold on. Sit down on the mic. Get on the

  395. 14:11

    mic so I can Oh my god, Nick. Okay,

  396. 14:14

    listeners, Nick has brought me a bag of

  397. 14:17

    treats.

  398. 14:18

    >> Well,

  399. 14:19

    >> God, I love What do we got? What do we

  400. 14:20

    got?

  401. 14:21

    >> We talk about making things.

  402. 14:23

    >> Yes. Which we will.

  403. 14:24

    >> Um, this this is uh the first project in

  404. 14:27

    my book is a slapstick

  405. 14:29

    >> little woodchucks

  406. 14:30

    >> because and I thought you would

  407. 14:31

    appreciate this. Um, when Lee and I Do

  408. 14:34

    you remember Lee, by the way?

  409. 14:35

    >> Of course. Yeah.

  410. 14:36

    >> Um, we've had so much fun. We go on tour

  411. 14:39

    and Lee does wood. She makes one of

  412. 14:41

    these on stage with a bench

  413. 14:43

    >> while I sing and I'm a jackass. And when

  414. 14:47

    we were pick when we were figuring out

  415. 14:49

    the projects for the book, I said,

  416. 14:51

    "Look,

  417. 14:52

    >> I'm any kid that you go in the woods

  418. 14:54

    with and you're like, let's find a good

  419. 14:56

    stick. Let's let's make something."

  420. 14:58

    >> A good percentage of kids are going to

  421. 15:00

    be like, "This is a sword or a gun or

  422. 15:02

    like this is

  423. 15:03

    >> an implement of violence. Let's make war

  424. 15:06

    or whatever."

  425. 15:06

    >> Yeah. It's it we do, you know, I hate

  426. 15:08

    that about [clears throat] us, but we

  427. 15:10

    have it. So, I said we have to have a

  428. 15:12

    weapon in the book, but [laughter] I

  429. 15:14

    have a comedy weapon,

  430. 15:15

    >> the slapstick.

  431. 15:16

    >> May I see?

  432. 15:17

    >> Yeah.

  433. 15:18

    >> So, for those that don't know, the word

  434. 15:19

    slapstick came from this. And this says

  435. 15:22

    butt joint on it,

  436. 15:24

    >> which is a type of of wood joint. It's

  437. 15:26

    not something pur,

  438. 15:28

    >> you know. I've never used a slapstick.

  439. 15:30

    >> Many haven't. I mean, I had never heard

  440. 15:32

    of one. It's from like Comedia Delarte

  441. 15:34

    or Punch and Judy shows use them

  442. 15:37

    >> and it's and the great the great thing

  443. 15:39

    is you can pretend to hit people

  444. 15:42

    >> and it and it makes a noise and you know

  445. 15:44

    and so you make a reaction.

  446. 15:46

    >> Yes.

  447. 15:46

    >> And you have comedy.

  448. 15:48

    >> You can do spanking. You can do fake

  449. 15:50

    spankings.

  450. 15:52

    >> Um I want to talk about your uh book and

  451. 15:56

    all the stuff you make in it. And what

  452. 15:59

    before Well, hold on. You also brought a

  453. 16:01

    water bottle. Oh yeah. Sorry.

  454. 16:03

    >> Is that your Offerman wood shop water

  455. 16:05

    bottle?

  456. 16:05

    >> It is. Yeah. But that I you know

  457. 16:08

    >> I have that too. I have one of those.

  458. 16:10

    >> I just got rid of the one you gave me.

  459. 16:11

    That huge one from making it.

  460. 16:14

    >> Yeah.

  461. 16:14

    >> I finally wore it out like a month ago

  462. 16:16

    and I replaced it.

  463. 16:17

    >> Are you a big um We're going to get into

  464. 16:19

    a lot of stuff today, but how much water

  465. 16:20

    do you drink a day?

  466. 16:22

    >> Generally, I've been doing a lot of

  467. 16:24

    working out because I did a a job where

  468. 16:27

    I had to work out.

  469. 16:28

    >> Brag.

  470. 16:28

    >> Uh not a not a huge deal. Um, I got

  471. 16:32

    [laughter]

  472. 16:34

    Well, I got super jacked for

  473. 16:35

    >> How much can you lift? Like, what do you

  474. 16:37

    lift in these days?

  475. 16:38

    >> Um, two I I lift uh uh uh Cyber Trucks.

  476. 16:43

    [laughter] I do two Cyber Trucks.

  477. 16:45

    >> You go up to them and lift them up.

  478. 16:46

    >> And then I put people in them.

  479. 16:49

    Uh but I I I got crazy. I And then I did

  480. 16:53

    actual wrestling.

  481. 16:55

    >> Oh my god.

  482. 16:55

    >> I trained with a wrestler. [laughter]

  483. 16:58

    There's so many places to go from what

  484. 17:00

    you just told me because number one,

  485. 17:02

    I've wrestled with you in a small way on

  486. 17:04

    set and you're very strong.

  487. 17:06

    >> Thank you.

  488. 17:07

    >> Um, you have the body like you have the

  489. 17:10

    carriage of someone who I feel like

  490. 17:12

    would be good at wrestling. Did you

  491. 17:13

    wrestle when you're in high school?

  492. 17:14

    >> I tried. I I my uncle was a wrestler and

  493. 17:17

    I I tried wrestling and it and quite

  494. 17:20

    honestly my dad was a was great at

  495. 17:22

    basketball and baseball. Yeah. So, I

  496. 17:24

    went out for wrestling uh one year and

  497. 17:27

    was like, "No thanks." It was really

  498. 17:29

    hard.

  499. 17:29

    >> Yeah, it's so hard.

  500. 17:30

    >> It and and I wasn't I wasn't great. Um I

  501. 17:34

    was uh I didn't I didn't have the fire

  502. 17:38

    to to like to overcome to

  503. 17:41

    >> the vision quest, if you will.

  504. 17:42

    >> Yeah. Exactly.

  505. 17:43

    >> And in your 50s though, when you have to

  506. 17:44

    get buff, that's hard.

  507. 17:46

    >> I was unable to approach the lunatic

  508. 17:48

    fringe. [laughter]

  509. 17:49

    >> Um but I' I've always loved being an

  510. 17:52

    athlete. Yeah. Uh, and so, um, I've

  511. 17:56

    always maintained an athleticism, but,

  512. 17:59

    uh, it it was actually pretty fun. I

  513. 18:01

    worked with a this great trainer named

  514. 18:03

    Grant Roberts who does this. Yeah.

  515. 18:05

    >> And he's super good at it. And it

  516. 18:06

    actually was only four times a week, 1

  517. 18:09

    hour each,

  518. 18:10

    >> and there was nothing crazy. A bunch of

  519. 18:12

    protein.

  520. 18:13

    >> But remember when Pratt was doing um,

  521. 18:15

    Guardians, like he had to eat crazy

  522. 18:17

    amounts of food all the time.

  523. 18:18

    >> The good thing is I'm a former pro

  524. 18:20

    wrestler. [laughter]

  525. 18:21

    your character was.

  526. 18:22

    >> There's there's no like shower scene

  527. 18:25

    where I'm like langangerously, you know,

  528. 18:28

    showing my Chris Pratt abs,

  529. 18:29

    >> right?

  530. 18:30

    >> Uh, in fact, it's in my contract with

  531. 18:33

    that language. [laughter]

  532. 18:34

    >> Um, I'm glad we're talking about sports

  533. 18:37

    cuz I kind of want to start with young

  534. 18:40

    Nick Offerman today in high school in

  535. 18:42

    Manuka, Illinois. Like athletic kid in

  536. 18:45

    the drama club.

  537. 18:47

    >> Well,

  538. 18:48

    >> and I'm not saying that those two things

  539. 18:49

    don't go together. It's just in the 80s

  540. 18:52

    like what was it like being a drama kid

  541. 18:54

    and a sports kid? The thing is, I there

  542. 18:57

    wasn't a lot of culture. And when I say

  543. 18:59

    this, I love my town and like and my

  544. 19:02

    family, but like there wasn't um there

  545. 19:04

    wasn't a lot of counterculture or

  546. 19:06

    >> uh so so like we had the Beatles, but

  547. 19:09

    only their first three records, you

  548. 19:11

    know? Like [laughter] when I got to

  549. 19:13

    college and they were like, "Check out

  550. 19:14

    the White Album." I was like, "What?

  551. 19:17

    [laughter]

  552. 19:18

    I already loved Please Me." Um, and so

  553. 19:23

    there like the the drama kids weren't

  554. 19:26

    fully drama kids and the jocks weren't

  555. 19:28

    fully jocks

  556. 19:29

    >> cuz I think the school in town were

  557. 19:31

    small enough

  558. 19:32

    >> and there just wasn't a lot to do. I I

  559. 19:35

    was definitely a polymath and I think it

  560. 19:37

    was just because I

  561. 19:39

    >> I didn't I hadn't figured out what I was

  562. 19:41

    going to do and so I was just kind of

  563. 19:43

    trying everything.

  564. 19:44

    >> Do you remember what made you try out

  565. 19:46

    for your first play? like like you know

  566. 19:49

    >> I definitely there there's a famous in

  567. 19:51

    my family there's a famous uh like uh

  568. 19:54

    Super Eight movie from our fishing cabin

  569. 19:56

    when I was like 11 and and it was when

  570. 19:59

    you go to the Cubs game and you get a

  571. 20:01

    free jersey 3/4length like white body

  572. 20:05

    blue sleeves cubs and on the back was a

  573. 20:07

    Keebler elf uh tree and the Keebler

  574. 20:10

    elves sponsored the jersey and uh I'm in

  575. 20:14

    that jersey and and the camera's going

  576. 20:16

    around every family member and they're

  577. 20:18

    all like ducking away from the camera

  578. 20:21

    and it gets to me kind of literally

  579. 20:23

    going like just pointing at myself and

  580. 20:26

    making faces like you have if you have a

  581. 20:29

    camera you you found the right

  582. 20:31

    >> Isn't that funny that like you can see

  583. 20:32

    that sometimes in people where they're

  584. 20:34

    like even just your reflection in a in

  585. 20:36

    in like the store window or a mirror

  586. 20:39

    like I used to do commercials on my

  587. 20:41

    bathroom sink in the mirror to myself

  588. 20:43

    just like one day

  589. 20:45

    >> I'm going Someone's gonna be looking at

  590. 20:47

    my face.

  591. 20:48

    >> I mean, Megan had the my my champion

  592. 20:50

    wife Megan Mali had the wherewithal.

  593. 20:52

    [clears throat]

  594. 20:53

    >> She knew like when she was a kid, she

  595. 20:56

    would sit in a room and and do Barbara

  596. 20:59

    Stryand records into a hairbrush

  597. 21:02

    >> to the point where she could now

  598. 21:03

    perfectly she's like a Broadway star

  599. 21:06

    because she did that.

  600. 21:07

    >> Yeah. I didn't have any like I knew I

  601. 21:11

    wanted to entertain and I knew that I

  602. 21:13

    loved Jim Ignatowski, Christopher

  603. 21:16

    Lloyd's character on Taxi.

  604. 21:17

    >> Oh yeah.

  605. 21:18

    >> Where I was like that guy is so weird

  606. 21:20

    and like scary but he's super funny.

  607. 21:23

    >> I feel like that's somehow that's what

  608. 21:25

    I'm drawn to.

  609. 21:27

    But I had no, it wasn't until

  610. 21:31

    late in when I was trying to figure out

  611. 21:32

    where to go to college that I was like,

  612. 21:34

    "Oh, you can I can try and do acting as

  613. 21:37

    a job." And you know, very early on in

  614. 21:41

    your career and my career, we meet in

  615. 21:45

    Chicago and we're both kind of in

  616. 21:47

    Chicago in the early 90s trying stuff

  617. 21:51

    just like, you know, trying to get hired

  618. 21:54

    and but how do you get to Chicago from

  619. 21:57

    like how do you move there? I had this

  620. 21:59

    crazy moment uh where I was I took my

  621. 22:02

    girlfriend who was a year older than me

  622. 22:04

    to audition at the University of

  623. 22:06

    Illinois for their dance department. And

  624. 22:09

    to this day, it's so miraculous. I must

  625. 22:11

    have been loitering in the hallway

  626. 22:13

    [laughter] because these two theater

  627. 22:15

    students who I then came to know, I

  628. 22:18

    don't remember how it started. I wish I

  629. 22:19

    had a a film of this. They they were

  630. 22:22

    somehow it was like, "Hey kid, why are

  631. 22:24

    you loitering in the hallway of the

  632. 22:26

    theater facility and somehow we we

  633. 22:30

    struck up a conversation and they said

  634. 22:31

    they were theater students and I said,

  635. 22:33

    "What does that mean?" And they said,

  636. 22:35

    "You can study acting." And I was like,

  637. 22:37

    "You got to be kidding me."

  638. 22:38

    Like, [laughter] because I told my

  639. 22:41

    guidance counselor at school that I want

  640. 22:43

    to be an actor and he was like, "That's

  641. 22:44

    not available. You can't do that."

  642. 22:47

    >> And then I said I want to be a musician.

  643. 22:49

    And he was like, "Come on.

  644. 22:51

    What are you going to do with that?

  645. 22:53

    >> That'd be really interesting to dig into

  646. 22:54

    this guy's forgotten dreams

  647. 22:56

    >> for sure.

  648. 22:57

    >> Sounds like there was a lot going on

  649. 22:58

    with him.

  650. 22:59

    >> But they had told me you can't be an

  651. 23:01

    actor. So then I met these students that

  652. 23:03

    were like, "We're going to the UN like

  653. 23:04

    this great state school. They have a

  654. 23:06

    conservatory program." And and I said,

  655. 23:09

    "Okay, so you you become an actor, then

  656. 23:11

    what?" And they said, "You can get paid

  657. 23:13

    to do plays in Chicago." And I was like,

  658. 23:16

    you I took them by the lapels of their

  659. 23:18

    coat and was like, are you

  660. 23:20

    kidding me? [laughter]

  661. 23:21

    They told me you can't that this you

  662. 23:23

    can't do.

  663. 23:24

    >> I heard no one makes any money.

  664. 23:25

    >> I did. I had no idea that this was I I I

  665. 23:29

    just want to say I relate cuz I didn't

  666. 23:31

    know anyone who was an actor growing up.

  667. 23:33

    And although I wasn't discouraged in

  668. 23:35

    that way, it just didn't seem like a

  669. 23:37

    job. It was like, what do you mean like

  670. 23:39

    be an actor? Yeah.

  671. 23:40

    >> Like it just seemed like that's stupid.

  672. 23:42

    And so we meet in n in the early 90s in

  673. 23:46

    the attic of a house.

  674. 23:48

    >> That's right. All I remember is that you

  675. 23:51

    always love to punch me in the arm.

  676. 23:54

    >> Yeah. I have a thing about

  677. 23:55

    >> I took as a compliment

  678. 23:57

    >> big time. Uh it is it's a love tap

  679. 23:59

    really. But, you know, I I think you

  680. 24:02

    know, and again, I might this might be

  681. 24:04

    revisionist history, but I remember when

  682. 24:06

    we met, I you felt very familiar to me,

  683. 24:09

    even though, you know, we hadn't we

  684. 24:11

    didn't know each other, even though at

  685. 24:13

    the time you were in kind of in deep

  686. 24:16

    character for a play. [snorts]

  687. 24:18

    >> Oh, right. It was That's right. Cuz it

  688. 24:20

    was during Clockwork Orange at Stephen

  689. 24:22

    Wolf and I

  690. 24:24

    >> uh was riding a big motorcycle and I had

  691. 24:26

    a shaved head. I was experimenting with

  692. 24:30

    what Nick was going to turn out to be

  693. 24:31

    like. Um, [laughter] I had a shaved

  694. 24:33

    head, but I kept the front inch of my

  695. 24:36

    hair, right,

  696. 24:37

    >> down into a full beard and I dyed it

  697. 24:40

    different manic panic like punk colors.

  698. 24:43

    So, it looked really scary.

  699. 24:44

    >> Really scary. And it is the thing about

  700. 24:46

    you that's so great to your to the

  701. 24:48

    Jimnatelli of it all, which is like you

  702. 24:51

    are able to look scary, but you're not

  703. 24:53

    not a scary person at all.

  704. 24:55

    >> Which uh which I've learned to

  705. 24:57

    appreciate. There was a time when I'd be

  706. 24:59

    like, "Shut up." I'd pull my knife out

  707. 25:01

    on you if you [laughter] said that.

  708. 25:03

    >> Yeah. But

  709. 25:05

    >> and then I'd apologize.

  710. 25:06

    >> Yeah. I mean, I remember talking to you,

  711. 25:09

    I guess, punching you in the arm. I

  712. 25:11

    remember talking about the play that you

  713. 25:13

    were in. I remember that company and you

  714. 25:15

    know, at the time in Chicago, there were

  715. 25:17

    like different ways into the same

  716. 25:20

    creative experience. I feel like they

  717. 25:21

    are kind of a big soup now, but at the

  718. 25:23

    time it was very important that like

  719. 25:24

    serious theater and then improv and

  720. 25:26

    sketch and they were like never the

  721. 25:28

    twain shall meet.

  722. 25:29

    >> I tell you something, I so this is like

  723. 25:32

    uh early to mid '9s. I was so ignorant

  724. 25:35

    even then that if I had I had no idea

  725. 25:38

    that

  726. 25:39

    >> like I was a big fan of SNL as a kid. If

  727. 25:41

    I [clears throat] had any idea that

  728. 25:43

    there was a pipeline to that you you

  729. 25:45

    know what I mean that you guys had even

  730. 25:48

    could get an audition or anything. I had

  731. 25:50

    no idea. In fact, I remember just

  732. 25:53

    thinking like you guys so you guys make

  733. 25:55

    stuff up in a bar. Like what? We we're

  734. 25:59

    performing works of literature.

  735. 26:01

    [laughter]

  736. 26:01

    >> Yeah. Believe me, we felt that vibe and

  737. 26:04

    we were like, "Yeah, we know. It's uh we

  738. 26:07

    have some notes. It's 3 [laughter] hours

  739. 26:09

    long."

  740. 26:09

    >> Yeah.

  741. 26:10

    >> I have to say, if I may just digress,

  742. 26:12

    you have some of the best posture.

  743. 26:15

    >> Wow. Thank you.

  744. 26:16

    >> of any friend of mine. And it feels like

  745. 26:18

    that. Thanks a lot.

  746. 26:20

    >> And that feels like it comes from a core

  747. 26:22

    training, like a you have great posture.

  748. 26:24

    >> I do. I mean, I um Thank you. I I It's

  749. 26:28

    something that I do have to think about,

  750. 26:29

    especially after our show. Everything I

  751. 26:32

    got offered was like somehow overweight

  752. 26:36

    uh barbecue master

  753. 26:38

    >> and it's all these guys in their tidy

  754. 26:40

    whies in the mirror crying some one way

  755. 26:44

    or another. [laughter]

  756. 26:45

    And the first couple I was like, "This

  757. 26:47

    is interesting." And then I realized,

  758. 26:49

    oh, I need to I need to stay in shape

  759. 26:53

    >> so that I can get a variety.

  760. 26:55

    >> That's Well, you you love to transform

  761. 26:57

    your bod. You are you come from a

  762. 26:59

    physical body place with a lot of your

  763. 27:01

    characters

  764. 27:02

    >> and and and I do feel like it's,

  765. 27:05

    >> you know, so Ron Swanson on Parks and

  766. 27:08

    Recreation had a physicality to him that

  767. 27:11

    felt like you understood really early on

  768. 27:14

    um and played with

  769. 27:16

    >> and you talked about it a lot. It's

  770. 27:17

    really interesting to me. But before we

  771. 27:20

    get to that, because I do want to talk

  772. 27:21

    about that, let's just talk about you

  773. 27:24

    getting that part. I know you've spoken

  774. 27:26

    about it a lot, but I think the

  775. 27:27

    physicality was part of the part was

  776. 27:30

    like what you understood really fast

  777. 27:32

    about him cuz you're right. If you in

  778. 27:34

    the wrong hands, he's a joke. He's a

  779. 27:36

    total clown.

  780. 27:37

    >> Sure. Um, sorry, I'm I'm being a little

  781. 27:40

    moved by uh we we've never talked about

  782. 27:42

    our show. I And I also haven't seen our

  783. 27:45

    show.

  784. 27:47

    >> Wait, are you crying?

  785. 27:48

    >> No, I'm not crying. [laughter]

  786. 27:50

    >> I thought you were gonna cry.

  787. 27:52

    >> I was thinking about this pork dish.

  788. 27:56

    [laughter]

  789. 27:57

    >> We haven't talked about our show.

  790. 27:59

    >> No, we haven't. And that and it's

  791. 28:00

    >> I mean, we've talked about it with each

  792. 28:01

    other all the time. But

  793. 28:02

    >> for sure, but but not in this.

  794. 28:04

    >> No, not publicly. I mean, where do we

  795. 28:06

    even start?

  796. 28:07

    >> People totally like it.

  797. 28:09

    >> I just listen. I just came here from a a

  798. 28:12

    book tour in the UK.

  799. 28:13

    >> Yeah.

  800. 28:13

    >> And guess how I close every show? I play

  801. 28:16

    5,000 Candles. And I had the these

  802. 28:18

    incredible these two sisters named Flo

  803. 28:20

    and Joan opening for me. You would

  804. 28:22

    They're these super funny sisters who do

  805. 28:25

    funny songs. And I mean, when you say

  806. 28:30

    I'm in a crowd, a theater of 2,000

  807. 28:32

    people and you just say Parks and

  808. 28:33

    Recreation or Ron Swanson, the the roof

  809. 28:36

    flies off the place.

  810. 28:37

    >> I know. And you're just like, you guys,

  811. 28:39

    that was a long time.

  812. 28:40

    >> It was a long, you know, my son just

  813. 28:42

    turned 17, which is when we started the

  814. 28:44

    show, 17 years ago.

  815. 28:46

    >> Holy cow.

  816. 28:47

    >> And I know, think about that. [laughter]

  817. 28:50

    And the fact that there's still people

  818. 28:53

    are still dressing up for Ron Swanson at

  819. 28:56

    Halloween and people said that you got

  820. 28:58

    us through the pandemic and people are

  821. 29:00

    saying my kid's just starting it. And

  822. 29:02

    like it's it's unbel I don't I mean I

  823. 29:04

    know we knew I got to say and I I think

  824. 29:06

    I can speak for us both. We were old

  825. 29:09

    enough and I don't know maybe a little

  826. 29:13

    like we knew what we had at the time you

  827. 29:15

    and me. We really did

  828. 29:16

    >> for sure

  829. 29:17

    >> and we tried to enjoy every minute of it

  830. 29:19

    but like Ron Swanson is would be in the

  831. 29:23

    hall is in the hall of fame of

  832. 29:25

    characters. I mean he is he is this

  833. 29:27

    person that people feel con what is it

  834. 29:30

    like

  835. 29:33

    almost 20 years later interacting with

  836. 29:36

    that kind of work like how do people

  837. 29:38

    interact with you

  838. 29:40

    >> it's interesting I mean mostly first of

  839. 29:42

    all I'm so stupidly grateful like from

  840. 29:46

    start soup to nuts and also people are

  841. 29:49

    so nice to me and respectful I think of

  842. 29:53

    Ron like [laughter] people approach me

  843. 29:55

    with the difference and also a little

  844. 29:57

    fear.

  845. 29:58

    >> Yeah.

  846. 29:58

    >> Um but they're they are really polite to

  847. 30:01

    me where I they I usually have to say

  848. 30:04

    please call me Nick or you know cuz

  849. 30:06

    they're shaking and they're scared.

  850. 30:08

    >> Mr. Swanson if I may.

  851. 30:10

    >> Yeah.

  852. 30:10

    >> May I approach Mr. May I approach the

  853. 30:12

    bench?

  854. 30:13

    >> They do. And um and so I'm for all of

  855. 30:17

    that. Um I'm I'm super grateful. It's

  856. 30:20

    certainly weird too. there there are

  857. 30:22

    thorns on the rose or or or pits in the

  858. 30:25

    peach of like

  859. 30:27

    um Ron's politics or or Ron's what Ron

  860. 30:32

    represented sort of as a paradigm

  861. 30:35

    >> uh some people with poor uh reading

  862. 30:39

    comprehension were like oh he's he's a

  863. 30:42

    shotgun guy like finally [clears throat]

  864. 30:44

    >> so they so they mistook Ron for sort of

  865. 30:47

    things they wanted to represent in

  866. 30:50

    themselves

  867. 30:50

    >> yeah And usually it was something

  868. 30:52

    old-fashioned or right-wingish like

  869. 30:55

    misogynistic or Yeah.

  870. 30:56

    >> or violent or anything like that.

  871. 30:59

    >> And so that's been weird too where

  872. 31:02

    people love the character and I've even

  873. 31:04

    had people argue with me online where

  874. 31:07

    they'll say something about

  875. 31:09

    like they'll say Ron definitely would

  876. 31:11

    have voted for this jerk. And I'll and

  877. 31:14

    I'll be like hang on hang on one second.

  878. 31:16

    And I'll call Mike, sure, the main

  879. 31:19

    creator and writer, and say this,

  880. 31:21

    somebody said this, do you? And he would

  881. 31:23

    give me a par he, you know, he would

  882. 31:26

    whip out a perfect paragraph of that's

  883. 31:29

    hilarious, right? But also, why Ron, for

  884. 31:32

    example, anybody that went from the

  885. 31:34

    world of business to the world of

  886. 31:36

    politics, Ron would think was a fool

  887. 31:39

    because Ron's like, "What are you doing?

  888. 31:40

    You were a [laughter] capitalist."

  889. 31:44

    And so then I would, you know, this is

  890. 31:46

    back when I used to participate when

  891. 31:48

    social media wasn't just a cesspool.

  892. 31:51

    >> Yeah.

  893. 31:52

    >> But I I would go back and say, "Mike,

  894. 31:54

    here's what Mike sure says." [laughter]

  895. 31:56

    >> And they'd say, "Nope."

  896. 31:57

    >> They would say, "No, he you guys don't

  897. 31:59

    know. You guys don't know about Rod

  898. 32:01

    Swanson." And I was like, "Well,

  899. 32:04

    [laughter] I'm just going to leave it at

  900. 32:05

    there." Like,

  901. 32:06

    >> "Yeah,

  902. 32:07

    >> I I thought I did, but I guess you got

  903. 32:09

    me on that one." Do people come up to

  904. 32:11

    you and say, "People call me Ron

  905. 32:13

    Swanson?"

  906. 32:15

    >> Yeah,

  907. 32:15

    >> I get that a lot with Leslie Nope.

  908. 32:17

    People say, "I'm like Leslie Nope." And

  909. 32:19

    usually that means like, to your point,

  910. 32:21

    it can mean a bunch of different things.

  911. 32:23

    It can mean I work hard and I'm fighting

  912. 32:26

    the good fight. It can mean I kind of

  913. 32:28

    drive everybody crazy and I talk too

  914. 32:31

    much and I'm, you know, like it can mean

  915. 32:33

    a million things.

  916. 32:34

    >> Sure. I I mean I I feel like when I

  917. 32:37

    think of Leslie Nope, I I think of her

  918. 32:39

    bulliance the most like that that

  919. 32:42

    sometimes and sometimes when people are

  920. 32:44

    like that it's a very heroic

  921. 32:46

    characteristic but it can be too much.

  922. 32:48

    >> Yeah.

  923. 32:49

    >> Because you're like okay like I I'm

  924. 32:52

    doing what you asked me to do. Uh but

  925. 32:56

    and when people say that to me about Ron

  926. 32:58

    Swanson, it it's like it usually means

  927. 33:01

    their tacern

  928. 33:03

    >> like [laughter] and and they're like,

  929. 33:06

    >> you know, like I imagine a husband in

  930. 33:09

    the grocery store

  931. 33:11

    >> carrying like 112 pounds of stuff and

  932. 33:13

    his wife's like, "Let's just get a

  933. 33:15

    cart." He's like, "No, I got this. I got

  934. 33:17

    it. Just keep going."

  935. 33:19

    And so being too stubborn or like

  936. 33:22

    relying too much on

  937. 33:24

    >> I could just remember us doing scenes

  938. 33:25

    together and I would have a hundred

  939. 33:28

    words to your one

  940. 33:30

    [laughter] and I would just circle

  941. 33:33

    around you in that office just like and

  942. 33:36

    you would just sit and watch me and the

  943. 33:39

    it it was like old archetypes of like

  944. 33:42

    the you know different two different

  945. 33:45

    animals in the same room basically and

  946. 33:48

    that was What's was so fun is playing

  947. 33:50

    those energies and then as we got more

  948. 33:52

    comfortable like flipping those energies

  949. 33:54

    and having fun with those energies. But

  950. 33:56

    like those early days of just being able

  951. 34:00

    to just kind of come in and buzz around

  952. 34:03

    while you stood your ground was so fun.

  953. 34:07

    That was really fun game and and just

  954. 34:09

    picturing that you describing it and me

  955. 34:11

    picturing it [laughter] made me think

  956. 34:14

    >> there's that giggle

  957. 34:15

    >> of Shauna Mway tweep on Bcam on a on a

  958. 34:19

    scooty scooter

  959. 34:20

    >> and she she we would always make her

  960. 34:22

    laugh and she would slam into the wall

  961. 34:24

    behind her.

  962. 34:25

    >> Yeah. The camera operators were in the

  963. 34:27

    room with us a lot and they we they were

  964. 34:29

    part of the family for sure and we would

  965. 34:30

    make them laugh. And um you talk pretty

  966. 34:34

    you don't talk as slow. You you talk

  967. 34:36

    differently than Ron, but you talk

  968. 34:37

    pretty slow.

  969. 34:38

    >> I I'm the slowest talking. Like,

  970. 34:40

    >> how do you do that?

  971. 34:41

    >> I don't know. Anything that I see myself

  972. 34:43

    in. [laughter]

  973. 34:44

    Even now, I'm like, pick it up, man.

  974. 34:46

    Like, what is your deal?

  975. 34:47

    >> Oh my god. I'm the exact opposite. I'm

  976. 34:49

    like, babe, take a breath, dude.

  977. 34:52

    [laughter] I mean, now that I have a

  978. 34:53

    podcast, I hear myself and I'm like,

  979. 34:56

    and I'm like, whoa. It's weird to what

  980. 34:59

    especially when people enjoy when people

  981. 35:01

    like praise some acting work and I and

  982. 35:05

    you know I I have to watch everything

  983. 35:07

    like like like watching your baseball

  984. 35:09

    swing to make you know see what's

  985. 35:11

    working

  986. 35:12

    and every time I'm I speak my dialogue

  987. 35:16

    at

  988. 35:17

    >> I feel like could you I feel like I can

  989. 35:19

    do an impression of you. Can you do an

  990. 35:20

    impression of me?

  991. 35:22

    >> I I would never want to.

  992. 35:24

    >> Really? I'm going to do you right now to

  993. 35:25

    your face. I don't have it in me.

  994. 35:28

    [laughter]

  995. 35:29

    >> Well, I have it in me.

  996. 35:39

    >> When you were playing Ron uh on the

  997. 35:41

    show, what did you do? Like what were

  998. 35:43

    some like ways to get into that

  999. 35:45

    character? Like was was it wardrobe? Was

  1000. 35:48

    it the mustache? Was it

  1001. 35:50

    >> I mean the it's it's funny. Uh Megan,

  1002. 35:53

    we've been together for 25 years and

  1003. 35:56

    only about 5 years ago. God bless her. I

  1004. 35:59

    mean, you've seen the crazy ways I I I I

  1005. 36:03

    never get cast as like goodlooking

  1006. 36:06

    people. So, I get I get cast as I'm

  1007. 36:08

    like, "Okay, great. I'm going to shave

  1008. 36:10

    the top of my head off and have like

  1009. 36:12

    Larry from the Three Stooges hair." And

  1010. 36:14

    Megan's like there there was one time I

  1011. 36:16

    was doing a play and she wouldn't let me

  1012. 36:19

    get in bed cuz I looked so upsetting and

  1013. 36:23

    [laughter] I slept on the couch for two

  1014. 36:24

    nights before I figured out I could put

  1015. 36:26

    on a stocking cap [laughter]

  1016. 36:29

    and then I got in. But she 5 years ago

  1017. 36:33

    she finally said, "You know what? I

  1018. 36:35

    really don't like your facial hair."

  1019. 36:38

    >> BLESS her heart.

  1020. 36:40

    >> I know. after 20 years of it. She's I

  1021. 36:43

    mean I think she has liked it at times

  1022. 36:45

    but it's a it's a practical thing where

  1023. 36:47

    she said it's a mouthful of thistles

  1024. 36:49

    like

  1025. 36:50

    >> yeah some we're getting into it she it's

  1026. 36:54

    and I was like well when you put it that

  1027. 36:55

    way it is like a bristle brush it's like

  1028. 36:58

    the kind of brush that people farmers

  1029. 37:00

    have to get the mud off your work boots.

  1030. 37:03

    It's a really stiff brush

  1031. 37:04

    >> and if you have sensitive skin at all

  1032. 37:06

    and you have a makeout sesh you can just

  1033. 37:08

    be totally redfaced.

  1034. 37:10

    >> Right.

  1035. 37:10

    >> Yeah. And so and and and so now we

  1036. 37:13

    negotiate. Uh so I've got some work and

  1037. 37:16

    so I'm maintaining a mustache for the

  1038. 37:18

    moment, but in a couple weeks I'll be

  1039. 37:20

    shaving it.

  1040. 37:21

    >> Yeah.

  1041. 37:22

    >> And something I've noticed is my talking

  1042. 37:26

    changes.

  1043. 37:26

    >> Oh.

  1044. 37:27

    >> When I have the mustache, I call it a my

  1045. 37:30

    constipative rectus. It's like a a sort

  1046. 37:33

    of invisible clamp comes over me

  1047. 37:37

    >> and and things become more stenuran and

  1048. 37:40

    more like Sam the Eagle from the Muppets

  1049. 37:42

    like where my I can feel my brow more

  1050. 37:45

    and when I shave

  1051. 37:46

    >> I look 15 years younger and I [laughter]

  1052. 37:49

    and I just become boyish where I'm just

  1053. 37:51

    like

  1054. 37:51

    >> okay guys.

  1055. 37:52

    >> Yeah, what's up?

  1056. 37:55

    >> Um but do you give free mustache rides

  1057. 37:58

    until you shave your mustache?

  1058. 38:00

    [laughter] I don't

  1059. 38:02

    >> You've always charged for mustache,

  1060. 38:03

    right?

  1061. 38:03

    >> Always charge. Yeah.

  1062. 38:05

    >> And I've always thought that was rude.

  1063. 38:07

    So, we do this thing where we talk to

  1064. 38:09

    someone who knows our guest to get a

  1065. 38:11

    question from them.

  1066. 38:13

    So, we talk to Aubrey.

  1067. 38:15

    >> Oh, Jesus. [laughter]

  1068. 38:17

    [snorts]

  1069. 38:18

    >> I know. And there's nothing we can use.

  1070. 38:20

    It's barely usable. [laughter]

  1071. 38:24

    >> Born on the same day. She speaks of that

  1072. 38:27

    and she might read us a little bit of

  1073. 38:30

    some texts that you guys had back and

  1074. 38:31

    forth. [laughter] Nothing bad. Nothing

  1075. 38:33

    bad. Um, you guys share a birthday and

  1076. 38:38

    um, I feel like there was, you know,

  1077. 38:41

    there's so many people that talk about

  1078. 38:42

    on the show obviously that we worked

  1079. 38:43

    with and that we love, but Ron and

  1080. 38:47

    April's relationship to me, especially

  1081. 38:49

    in the rewatch, is very special. Most

  1082. 38:52

    most of the podcasts so far I'm

  1083. 38:56

    willfully not crying by the way.

  1084. 38:58

    >> Yeah.

  1085. 38:58

    >> Like I I know that you would like some

  1086. 39:00

    crying.

  1087. 39:01

    >> I don't I don't care either way.

  1088. 39:03

    [laughter]

  1089. 39:06

    >> Like like if you just say Ron and April

  1090. 39:10

    >> I know

  1091. 39:10

    >> I'm in trouble. [laughter]

  1092. 39:12

    >> Ron and April.

  1093. 39:13

    >> I mean there I have a lot of love for uh

  1094. 39:16

    all of this subject matter. [laughter]

  1095. 39:21

    My

  1096. 39:22

    >> Wait, I have tissues. Oh, slap.

  1097. 39:23

    [laughter]

  1098. 39:26

    >> Don't hit me with the slapstick.

  1099. 39:28

    >> Look, I have good hang tissues. Those

  1100. 39:30

    are um I'll just keep them here just in

  1101. 39:32

    case.

  1102. 39:33

    >> All right. [laughter]

  1103. 39:36

    >> Um

  1104. 39:36

    >> you were saying so. But Ron and April

  1105. 39:38

    because because

  1106. 39:42

    if we're going to extend the mommy daddy

  1107. 39:44

    metaphor definitely Aubrey/Arpil was our

  1108. 39:48

    daughter on that show and we both of our

  1109. 39:51

    characters kind of helped raise her

  1110. 39:53

    >> and loved doing it and by doing it like

  1111. 39:56

    any good parent you learn something

  1112. 39:57

    about yourself by doing it. Like,

  1113. 39:59

    [sighs]

  1114. 40:00

    you know, Leslie learned that like her

  1115. 40:03

    kind of pushy ambition it needs to be

  1116. 40:06

    replaced with like a gentle listening as

  1117. 40:09

    to what people want and need from her.

  1118. 40:12

    And Ron learned what? [clears throat]

  1119. 40:15

    >> Ron didn't learn anything. [laughter]

  1120. 40:18

    Ron learned what rap music was.

  1121. 40:21

    >> Yeah. Yeah. What? But I mean, what was

  1122. 40:23

    it like doing scenes with Aubrey?

  1123. 40:26

    I mean, it was uh it was so fun because

  1124. 40:30

    she um you know, she could uh she she

  1125. 40:34

    could uh meet me in my own game.

  1126. 40:38

    >> She took my cuz one of the things one of

  1127. 40:41

    the formative things when we started the

  1128. 40:43

    show was I said to the guys, I mean, I I

  1129. 40:46

    just couldn't believe it. I couldn't

  1130. 40:48

    believe that they created a part for me.

  1131. 40:51

    Like I I I was so aware that uh if if

  1132. 40:54

    someone had said to me, "Write your

  1133. 40:56

    dream part."

  1134. 40:58

    >> I would have written something so much

  1135. 41:00

    stupider [laughter] because I'm not Mike

  1136. 41:03

    Sher, you know? Like I would have been

  1137. 41:05

    like, "Okay, he's got a he's got

  1138. 41:06

    a motorcycle and [laughter] he always

  1139. 41:08

    wears t-shirts with no sleeves." Like it

  1140. 41:11

    would have been like some 12year-old's

  1141. 41:13

    version of like it's he he's like David

  1142. 41:15

    Lee Roth [laughter]

  1143. 41:17

    >> and it would and it would have been very

  1144. 41:18

    superficial. And in my final audition

  1145. 41:21

    with you, uh, which I, you know, I had

  1146. 41:25

    to audition for five months to get the

  1147. 41:28

    job.

  1148. 41:28

    >> Wow. I didn't know it was that long.

  1149. 41:30

    >> Yeah. It was Well, it started with

  1150. 41:34

    >> It started with Adam and I were brought

  1151. 41:36

    in to read for a role named Josh,

  1152. 41:39

    >> right?

  1153. 41:40

    >> And it was it was chemistry reads with

  1154. 41:42

    Rashida,

  1155. 41:43

    >> right? And you know, if you're going in

  1156. 41:46

    to read a chemistry for a TV show, guess

  1157. 41:48

    who you don't want to walk in the

  1158. 41:50

    door? Adam Scott.

  1159. 41:51

    >> Adam Scott. chemistry machine.

  1160. 41:54

    charisma. Believe me, I had to

  1161. 41:55

    do scenes with him. I was like, "This

  1162. 41:57

    guy,

  1163. 41:57

    >> I'm his I'm like his [laughter] plumber

  1164. 41:59

    if I'm lucky."

  1165. 42:01

    >> And u

  1166. 42:01

    >> gorgeous. Both of you have gorgeous

  1167. 42:03

    hair, though.

  1168. 42:04

    >> We Yeah, they were.

  1169. 42:06

    >> And And people should know this is your

  1170. 42:07

    hair.

  1171. 42:08

    >> It is. But they also photographed the

  1172. 42:10

    fleshy parts. Um but so so that was

  1173. 42:14

    crazy and that didn't work and somehow

  1174. 42:16

    Mike and Greg also were stuck on me.

  1175. 42:19

    Thank God. I mean they called my agent

  1176. 42:22

    and said it's not going to happen.

  1177. 42:25

    If you can imagine we're not going to

  1178. 42:27

    cast you as someone who Rashidita has to

  1179. 42:29

    kiss [laughter]

  1180. 42:31

    if you can wrap your head around that.

  1181. 42:34

    But we really want you on the show. And

  1182. 42:35

    there's this part of of Amy's boss that

  1183. 42:39

    should have really been like 20 years

  1184. 42:40

    old. Yeah. Yeah. I think they were

  1185. 42:43

    thinking a lot older in the beginning.

  1186. 42:44

    Yeah.

  1187. 42:45

    >> But and I was and I was like I don't

  1188. 42:47

    Great. Whatever. And and so then they

  1189. 42:49

    had me come in and they read every guy

  1190. 42:52

    in the world. So then finally it it it

  1191. 42:56

    the net got as wide as possible. Then it

  1192. 42:58

    narrowed narrowed narrowed and they

  1193. 42:59

    brought me in one more time for like and

  1194. 43:02

    and Mike said, "Okay, we're looking at

  1195. 43:04

    like eight guys." And then you came to

  1196. 43:07

    town and and Mike said, "All right,

  1197. 43:10

    we're gonna have you come in and uh and

  1198. 43:12

    read with Amy and this is it. This is

  1199. 43:14

    going to be it." And it was one of those

  1200. 43:16

    things. This happened to me a lot where

  1201. 43:19

    I got the job and uh it it blew my mind.

  1202. 43:24

    Um

  1203. 43:24

    >> also, you cried. We called you and you

  1204. 43:26

    cried.

  1205. 43:26

    >> Oh, I sobbed my eyes out. I mean, I said

  1206. 43:28

    to Mike, I'm going to I was like, I'm

  1207. 43:30

    going to I said I'm going to openly

  1208. 43:33

    sobb, but I want to stay on the phone.

  1209. 43:36

    [laughter]

  1210. 43:37

    >> I was 38 years old. Like, I had been

  1211. 43:39

    through a lot of experiences where

  1212. 43:42

    >> I almost got a life-changing job, and

  1213. 43:45

    this one was so much better than any of

  1214. 43:47

    them had been.

  1215. 43:48

    >> Before we get off of parks, because I do

  1216. 43:49

    want to talk about the other stuff that

  1217. 43:51

    you have done um and are doing.

  1218. 43:54

    Favorite episode? I know it's hard to

  1219. 43:57

    pick, but just like, you know, pick one.

  1220. 43:59

    >> Don't overthink it.

  1221. 44:00

    >> I have two answers in there, and it's

  1222. 44:02

    funny. Um, but one is called Ron and

  1223. 44:05

    Tammy,

  1224. 44:06

    >> and one is called Leslie and Ron, I I

  1225. 44:08

    believe.

  1226. 44:09

    >> But I mean,

  1227. 44:12

    you know, Megan is just

  1228. 44:14

    the most wickedly funny person I've ever

  1229. 44:16

    met. Uh, and getting to again the

  1230. 44:20

    alchemy of of what Mike and the writers

  1231. 44:22

    came up with for her to do, you know,

  1232. 44:25

    the two of us ba banding together

  1233. 44:28

    against this evil librarian, slapping

  1234. 44:31

    her face with like a big of beef

  1235. 44:34

    jerky. [laughter] Like we're just like

  1236. 44:38

    Mike knew that, you know, he was like,

  1237. 44:40

    "Do you think Megan [laughter] would uh

  1238. 44:42

    >> I'd still have people come up and go,

  1239. 44:43

    you really got the library right? those

  1240. 44:46

    people over there. I'm like, what? The

  1241. 44:48

    people that run the library are like,

  1242. 44:50

    Tammy, [snorts]

  1243. 44:50

    that's insane.

  1244. 44:52

    >> That's so funny.

  1245. 44:52

    >> But they they Yeah,

  1246. 44:54

    >> but the but then the, you know, the

  1247. 44:57

    entire series paying off in this episode

  1248. 45:01

    that was such a gift that was like this

  1249. 45:03

    crazy oneact play. Yeah. Um

  1250. 45:07

    >> Oh god.

  1251. 45:07

    >> Oh, here it comes.

  1252. 45:10

    [laughter]

  1253. 45:12

    [clears throat]

  1254. 45:12

    >> I love that episode so much. And it was

  1255. 45:14

    so like senior our senior year. That was

  1256. 45:16

    the other thing. Totally. It was like

  1257. 45:18

    senior year. We got to be in that. We

  1258. 45:20

    got a whole week together in that room.

  1259. 45:22

    >> That whole thing that they did with

  1260. 45:25

    uh where where you know Ron that the

  1261. 45:29

    that whole story uh going into that last

  1262. 45:32

    season was so gorgeous because they had

  1263. 45:34

    laid so much pipe.

  1264. 45:36

    >> I know.

  1265. 45:36

    >> For Ron to like swallow his pride and

  1266. 45:39

    come to ask you for a job and and then

  1267. 45:41

    the way it all went down. Um, that was

  1268. 45:44

    possibly the greatest thing about the

  1269. 45:45

    show for me was the history of of me and

  1270. 45:49

    Tammy bred so much hilarity. But then

  1271. 45:54

    what developed between Ron and Leslie um

  1272. 45:58

    was was the first time in my life that,

  1273. 46:00

    you know, that I was counted on by a

  1274. 46:03

    show to, you know, to carry uh some

  1275. 46:06

    emotional weight.

  1276. 46:07

    >> Yeah. And it was and also I think just

  1277. 46:09

    like a great example of like the

  1278. 46:11

    different kinds of love. I mean we

  1279. 46:13

    really lionize romantic love and we'd

  1280. 46:16

    make a lot of art about it but there's

  1281. 46:17

    so many different ways to love.

  1282. 46:19

    >> Yeah. and love, platonic love and

  1283. 46:23

    friendship and the idea of like being

  1284. 46:26

    there for each other and being going

  1285. 46:28

    through things with each other and like

  1286. 46:31

    mentor mentee and then equals and then

  1287. 46:34

    and just and also just the idea if we're

  1288. 46:36

    to really widen out that people don't

  1289. 46:38

    have to agree to treat each other with

  1290. 46:40

    respect.

  1291. 46:40

    >> Totally

  1292. 46:42

    >> remember that.

  1293. 46:43

    >> Yeah. Um,

  1294. 46:45

    okay. Speaking of beautiful roles, Nick,

  1295. 46:49

    The Last of Us. Oh my god. Let's both

  1296. 46:52

    get a tissue. That was so good, Nick.

  1297. 46:56

    >> Well, thank you.

  1298. 46:58

    >> That was so beautiful. I mean, I

  1299. 47:00

    remember texting you right after and

  1300. 47:02

    congrats on winning the Emmy.

  1301. 47:04

    >> Yeah. Crazy.

  1302. 47:05

    >> I mean, it was so How did you get that

  1303. 47:07

    part? Well, [laughter]

  1304. 47:09

    I wrote a joke about this uh they needed

  1305. 47:12

    a guy who could use a shovel and there

  1306. 47:14

    were only three of us in Hollywood.

  1307. 47:16

    [laughter]

  1308. 47:17

    Harrison Ford passed and Jane Lynch was

  1309. 47:20

    not available. [laughter]

  1310. 47:22

    Um I uh Craig Mason who wrote that I

  1311. 47:28

    mean that everyone knew when you read

  1312. 47:31

    that script you were like this is going

  1313. 47:34

    to if we don't this up this is

  1314. 47:36

    going to

  1315. 47:36

    >> Yeah. win awards or whatever. For for

  1316. 47:39

    many years, my godson uh had a a little

  1317. 47:43

    league team and I sponsored it. It was

  1318. 47:45

    the Offerman Wood Shop little league

  1319. 47:48

    team and Craig uh was one of my little

  1320. 47:50

    league dads. So, I I was just friends

  1321. 47:53

    with him from a pretty wholesome place.

  1322. 47:57

    Um, and we had expressed some mutual

  1323. 48:01

    affection for each other's work over the

  1324. 48:03

    years, but I he got a hold of me and was

  1325. 48:05

    like, I'm sending you something and you

  1326. 48:06

    have to do it. And I read it and it was

  1327. 48:09

    funny cuz Megan and I had just had a

  1328. 48:11

    talk about

  1329. 48:12

    that. I still to this day my vice is

  1330. 48:15

    that I overload my calendar with fun

  1331. 48:19

    with

  1332. 48:19

    >> I have seen that in real time when we

  1333. 48:21

    worked on making it together, a really

  1334. 48:23

    fun show together. you would tell me

  1335. 48:24

    your year and I would think this too

  1336. 48:26

    shall not this isn't going to hold too

  1337. 48:28

    many things.

  1338. 48:29

    >> The problem is it it's I I love it. It's

  1339. 48:33

    all it's all but that's that's my

  1340. 48:35

    advice. That's my problem.

  1341. 48:36

    >> Yeah.

  1342. 48:36

    >> And Megan and I had just had a talk

  1343. 48:38

    about where I was like, "Okay, I'm going

  1344. 48:39

    to

  1345. 48:40

    >> take a break.

  1346. 48:41

    >> I'm going to I'm going to do less."

  1347. 48:42

    >> And this thing came in and it and they

  1348. 48:44

    needed me in Calgary for a month and the

  1349. 48:48

    I didn't have the month.

  1350. 48:49

    >> Yeah. And so, but I read the so I so I

  1351. 48:53

    had Megan uh read the script and she was

  1352. 48:56

    like, "Guess what, buddy? You're going

  1353. 48:58

    to Calgary."

  1354. 48:59

    >> Um, okay. We I mentioned it. We made a

  1355. 49:02

    really fun show called Making It about

  1356. 49:05

    Makers and like the process of making

  1357. 49:08

    it. You have little woodchucks, the book

  1358. 49:10

    that's all about like your guide to

  1359. 49:13

    tools and tom foolery, but it is

  1360. 49:17

    the idea of making things has always

  1361. 49:19

    been very important to you. You've

  1362. 49:20

    spoken about it a lot, the spirituality

  1363. 49:22

    of it, like how important it is for your

  1364. 49:23

    life, your peace of mind. You work

  1365. 49:26

    primarily with wood, but all different

  1366. 49:28

    types of material.

  1367. 49:30

    Why are you writing you and you've

  1368. 49:32

    written many, many books. This book is

  1369. 49:34

    for little people. Why is how do you get

  1370. 49:37

    little people, young people to get

  1371. 49:40

    interested in making things and why is

  1372. 49:41

    it important for them to do that?

  1373. 49:43

    >> I I just took my mom and dad on this

  1374. 49:45

    book tour with me in the UK and we were

  1375. 49:47

    just talking about how they brought me

  1376. 49:49

    and my siblings up in a house where it

  1377. 49:52

    wasn't talked about. They just taught us

  1378. 49:54

    all to sustain the family. Like part of

  1379. 49:58

    the family was we make things together

  1380. 50:00

    whether it's a meal

  1381. 50:01

    >> or you know if we are mending our

  1382. 50:03

    clothing or building making firewood,

  1383. 50:06

    building out buildings, we'd gardened.

  1384. 50:09

    Um, and woodworking is a is a great way

  1385. 50:11

    to think about what's this made of.

  1386. 50:14

    Yeah.

  1387. 50:14

    >> And that it's true of everything. Who's

  1388. 50:16

    making this?

  1389. 50:17

    >> Who made this car? Who made these shoes?

  1390. 50:19

    Who made this pie? Are they having a

  1391. 50:21

    good time?

  1392. 50:22

    >> Yeah.

  1393. 50:22

    >> Are they being cool with our resources

  1394. 50:25

    the way they're making this car or, you

  1395. 50:27

    know,

  1396. 50:27

    >> Yeah. Beautiful. I I I you can feel it

  1397. 50:30

    in here. It's awesome, Nick. It's so I

  1398. 50:31

    love it.

  1399. 50:32

    >> Thank you. people are are responding

  1400. 50:33

    really well to it because

  1401. 50:36

    >> all of us I'm I'm

  1402. 50:38

    >> a kid who looks at a screen too much

  1403. 50:40

    like we all understand that

  1404. 50:43

    >> and making things with each other

  1405. 50:45

    whether it's your family or your

  1406. 50:46

    neighbors or your co-stars

  1407. 50:49

    >> is a great way to not look at a screen

  1408. 50:51

    and and still have a delightful life.

  1409. 50:53

    Can I show you a prop?

  1410. 50:54

    >> Yes, of course. the the thing sitting in

  1411. 50:58

    my shop is uh so I wanted to make a

  1412. 51:00

    guitar because because I tour and I do

  1413. 51:03

    songs and I thought if I if I do that

  1414. 51:05

    with a guitar I made

  1415. 51:07

    >> amazing

  1416. 51:08

    >> I'm done I can just do that for the rest

  1417. 51:10

    of my life. Uh guitars are daunting. So

  1418. 51:13

    I started with a ukulele.

  1419. 51:16

    So, this is a a mahogany ukulele, and

  1420. 51:19

    I've got um

  1421. 51:21

    >> Wow.

  1422. 51:21

    >> 12 of them sitting in my shop that are

  1423. 51:24

    just the bodies and the necks waiting to

  1424. 51:26

    be put together. Uh

  1425. 51:29

    >> this is beautiful.

  1426. 51:30

    >> It's instrument. So, I think probably

  1427. 51:33

    instruments and boats.

  1428. 51:34

    >> Can you play the ukulele? Can you play

  1429. 51:36

    some?

  1430. 51:37

    >> Let's see if it's in tune. [music]

  1431. 51:46

    Um, would you like to hear my ukulele

  1432. 51:48

    song?

  1433. 51:48

    >> Yes, please. [music]

  1434. 51:52

    >> Whiskey, you were sent from heaven

  1435. 51:54

    [singing] above. And Ben [music]

  1436. 51:56

    Franklin said that beer is proof of

  1437. 51:58

    God's love. But too much of either will

  1438. 52:02

    earn me [singing] a shove from my wife

  1439. 52:06

    whom I'd like to stay the husband of.

  1440. 52:10

    I love beer and whiskey. Perhaps a bit

  1441. 52:13

    too much given the chance I'd fall off a

  1442. 52:17

    bar stool daily to keep me out of the

  1443. 52:20

    pub and also out of Dutch. I make things

  1444. 52:24

    like this soprano ukulele.

  1445. 52:29

    I'll give you one more verse. Everywhere

  1446. 52:31

    I go, people staring at a phone. Sitting

  1447. 52:34

    in a crowded room completely alone. It

  1448. 52:37

    gives me more willies in the twilight

  1449. 52:39

    zone. Our brains are hooked on that

  1450. 52:42

    like a dog on a bone. Put down your

  1451. 52:44

    gadget and look me in the eye so our

  1452. 52:47

    interaction [clears throat] can proceed

  1453. 52:49

    more gay.

  1454. 52:52

    Silence your tablet and ejaculate aside

  1455. 52:56

    to the sweetly strumming sounds of

  1456. 52:58

    ukulele. [music]

  1457. 53:02

    >> AH, NICK, [screaming and applause]

  1458. 53:04

    THAT WAS SO GOOD. THERE'S There's more,

  1459. 53:07

    but that felt like enough.

  1460. 53:11

    >> Now [snorts] you're going to get me

  1461. 53:12

    going. Now you're going to get my

  1462. 53:13

    waterworks going. Okay, we're going to

  1463. 53:15

    end our um our interview today with a

  1464. 53:19

    speed round. And um

  1465. 53:22

    you don't you

  1466. 53:23

    >> got you got the wrong guy for a speed

  1467. 53:25

    round.

  1468. 53:26

    >> I would [laughter] need you.

  1469. 53:29

    >> I should just do one snap or two snaps.

  1470. 53:31

    That should be all I'm allowed. Um, but

  1471. 53:35

    you mentioned hot takes and people

  1472. 53:37

    having hot takes and how we don't really

  1473. 53:38

    need hot takes. I want your hot takes on

  1474. 53:41

    history and philosophy.

  1475. 53:42

    >> Okay.

  1476. 53:43

    >> Because I know you love history. You

  1477. 53:45

    love philosophy. I'm going to try

  1478. 53:47

    lightning round today, but I'm going to

  1479. 53:48

    only ask you questions about history and

  1480. 53:50

    philosophy.

  1481. 53:50

    >> Okay, I'll try to go fast, but that's

  1482. 53:52

    that's pretty pretty daunting.

  1483. 53:54

    >> Okay, I know. Well, don't worry. It

  1484. 53:56

    won't be hard. Aristotle.

  1485. 53:58

    Smart or weird? [laughter]

  1486. 54:01

    >> Smart. Kier Kagard used different

  1487. 54:03

    pseudonyms to debate. What What would be

  1488. 54:05

    a pseudonym you would use to debate?

  1489. 54:08

    >> Oh. Um, Pyotus

  1490. 54:12

    [laughter]

  1491. 54:13

    >> Freud. Yes or no?

  1492. 54:15

    >> Uh, no.

  1493. 54:17

    >> I say no, too. [laughter]

  1494. 54:20

    Okay. Um,

  1495. 54:23

    true or false? The unexamined life is

  1496. 54:26

    not worth living.

  1497. 54:27

    >> Uh, true.

  1498. 54:28

    >> I think therefore I am. True or false?

  1499. 54:31

    [laughter]

  1500. 54:33

    >> False.

  1501. 54:36

    >> You cannot step twice into the same

  1502. 54:39

    river.

  1503. 54:40

    >> Oh, true. That's a that's a huge one.

  1504. 54:42

    That's that's on my that's on my up on

  1505. 54:44

    my board.

  1506. 54:45

    >> Is it?

  1507. 54:45

    >> Oh, yeah. It's it's something that that

  1508. 54:47

    occurs to me a lot. Um, you know,

  1509. 54:52

    uh there's nothing you can never

  1510. 54:55

    recapture, especially in our business.

  1511. 54:58

    Mhm.

  1512. 54:58

    >> Um, you know, if like if if we ever uh

  1513. 55:02

    had [clears throat] cause to do some

  1514. 55:03

    sort of reboot or something of Parks and

  1515. 55:05

    Wreck.

  1516. 55:05

    >> Yeah.

  1517. 55:06

    >> Uh,

  1518. 55:07

    it's not the same river.

  1519. 55:09

    >> Different river. Yeah.

  1520. 55:10

    >> Can't step twice into the same river.

  1521. 55:11

    >> No.

  1522. 55:12

    >> Uh, I'm a joker. I'm a smoker. I'm a

  1523. 55:14

    midnight toker.

  1524. 55:15

    >> True.

  1525. 55:18

    >> Now we're moving on to history.

  1526. 55:19

    >> Okay.

  1527. 55:20

    >> What was the coolest thing Egyptians

  1528. 55:23

    invented?

  1529. 55:25

    man. Uh,

  1530. 55:27

    >> in your opinion,

  1531. 55:28

    >> this is a guess cuz I don't know. I'm

  1532. 55:31

    not sure if that was Egyptians. I was

  1533. 55:32

    going to say irrigation.

  1534. 55:33

    >> Yeah, I think so.

  1535. 55:35

    >> But yeah, they did. If if people

  1536. 55:37

    disagree with that, they're wrong.

  1537. 55:39

    [laughter]

  1538. 55:40

    >> Cleopatra, smash or pass?

  1539. 55:42

    >> Uh, pass. [laughter]

  1540. 55:45

    >> The Vikings got to America before

  1541. 55:47

    >> that is tired.

  1542. 55:48

    >> Yeah.

  1543. 55:51

    >> The Vikings got to America before

  1544. 55:52

    Columbus. Why doesn't anyone talk about

  1545. 55:54

    that?

  1546. 55:55

    >> Um because uh because the Vikings did

  1547. 55:58

    not have good PR.

  1548. 56:00

    >> Mhm.

  1549. 56:01

    >> Columbus had a great

  1550. 56:03

    >> press rep. Columbus didn't even set foot

  1551. 56:06

    on the mainland.

  1552. 56:08

    >> He like hit [laughter] an island.

  1553. 56:10

    [gasps]

  1554. 56:11

    >> Um Okay. And now we get to Aubrey's

  1555. 56:13

    question for you. So Aubrey had she had

  1556. 56:16

    a few questions. Her first one was, "Do

  1557. 56:17

    you believe in ghosts?"

  1558. 56:19

    >> Okay. Uh no. But but I don't disagree. I

  1559. 56:23

    when people do I believe them.

  1560. 56:26

    >> Ah, well said. Do you uh do you believe

  1561. 56:29

    in hell?

  1562. 56:30

    >> No.

  1563. 56:31

    >> Um and if you could go back in a Bill

  1564. 56:34

    and Ted kind of way where you could

  1565. 56:35

    basically you could get zapped back to

  1566. 56:37

    any point in history and um

  1567. 56:40

    >> sounds like a good movie.

  1568. 56:43

    >> And so you've never seen Bill and Ted?

  1569. 56:44

    >> No, I missed a lot of stuff.

  1570. 56:45

    >> Oh my god. Fun. It's a great one. Well,

  1571. 56:48

    anyway, they zap back in like a time

  1572. 56:50

    machine. Um right. And Bill Yeah. And

  1573. 56:53

    they go back and they're just Bill and

  1574. 56:54

    Ted in different in They're just two

  1575. 56:56

    dummies. It's like dumb and dumber in a

  1576. 56:57

    time machine.

  1577. 56:58

    >> Totally.

  1578. 56:59

    >> Um and um they So what if you could zap

  1579. 57:03

    back in the time machine to any era? Who

  1580. 57:05

    where would you go? Who would you fight?

  1581. 57:07

    And would you take Aubrey with you?

  1582. 57:09

    >> Oh man. Um yeah, if taking Aubrey is an

  1583. 57:12

    option, of course. Like and weapons are

  1584. 57:14

    involved, by all means. Um, I uh I

  1585. 57:19

    suppose I would go uh to the Roman

  1586. 57:22

    Empire and

  1587. 57:24

    >> I knew it

  1588. 57:25

    >> and I would have Aubrey fight them with

  1589. 57:27

    her wilds

  1590. 57:29

    >> and uh I would discover Cumberland

  1591. 57:31

    Sausage and [laughter] take over the

  1592. 57:33

    British Isles and become king.

  1593. 57:36

    >> Cumberland sausage got made people king

  1594. 57:39

    [laughter]

  1595. 57:40

    >> in my hands

  1596. 57:42

    in this narrative.

  1597. 57:43

    >> You'd be the sausage king.

  1598. 57:44

    >> God damn right. Yeah. Guys, we guys

  1599. 57:48

    [laughter]

  1600. 57:51

    we could do this

  1601. 57:54

    or

  1602. 57:54

    >> follow me.

  1603. 57:55

    >> You could try this sausage.

  1604. 57:57

    Have you heard of carowway seed? Come

  1605. 58:00

    with me.

  1606. 58:01

    >> Um, why do you love history so much?

  1607. 58:04

    >> Um, I don't

  1608. 58:06

    >> Do you?

  1609. 58:06

    >> I do. I'm I'm I mean I think because I'm

  1610. 58:09

    fascinated with what we are,

  1611. 58:13

    you know?

  1612. 58:14

    >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. but also what

  1613. 58:16

    incredible creatures we are.

  1614. 58:18

    >> Like it's when you look at my own

  1615. 58:22

    anybody's the foibless of your own life.

  1616. 58:24

    Uh

  1617. 58:25

    >> and you look at like I don't know a lot

  1618. 58:28

    of what's going on in our in our world

  1619. 58:30

    right now. It's astonishing

  1620. 58:33

    [laughter]

  1621. 58:34

    that the lights are on. Like it's pretty

  1622. 58:36

    crazy that that a civilization has even

  1623. 58:38

    lasted this long.

  1624. 58:40

    >> Do you believe in aliens? I I I'm I'm

  1625. 58:43

    agnostic about all that. I I It seems

  1626. 58:46

    like there is probably life in the

  1627. 58:50

    universe.

  1628. 58:50

    >> Yeah.

  1629. 58:51

    >> But until I get to shake hands with them

  1630. 58:53

    or uh I don't mean to be racist,

  1631. 58:57

    whatever their lamb appendages.

  1632. 59:00

    >> Yeah.

  1633. 59:00

    >> Yeah.

  1634. 59:01

    >> Um

  1635. 59:03

    you know, all of all of those things. I

  1636. 59:04

    I think I think there's a lot we will

  1637. 59:07

    never know as humans and I like dwelling

  1638. 59:09

    in that. M

  1639. 59:10

    >> so if there are ghosts or spirits uh I

  1640. 59:12

    don't I don't I don't think hell exists

  1641. 59:14

    cuz that's a fiction written in a book

  1642. 59:16

    by people

  1643. 59:18

    >> um but uh that that sensibility whatever

  1644. 59:21

    the afterlife is um I I don't think

  1645. 59:24

    anyone will ever know what it is and so

  1646. 59:28

    >> if some people are like I speak to

  1647. 59:31

    spirits or whatever I have I have no

  1648. 59:33

    cause to disagree with that

  1649. 59:35

    >> they just have never talked to mayhem

  1650. 59:36

    >> that's a very Ron Swanson answer

  1651. 59:38

    actually it's a very libertarian Ian

  1652. 59:40

    answer basically which is like

  1653. 59:42

    >> to each his own.

  1654. 59:43

    >> Yeah.

  1655. 59:43

    >> Yeah.

  1656. 59:44

    >> Everyone should be allowed you know

  1657. 59:46

    their their own trip and to to like what

  1658. 59:48

    they like.

  1659. 59:48

    >> Um and last question Nick what are you

  1660. 59:51

    watching listening where do you go right

  1661. 59:54

    now to laugh? Where do you where right

  1662. 59:58

    >> there there are two shows uh cuz

  1663. 1:00:02

    I feel like it comes up a lot that

  1664. 1:00:04

    there's not a lot of great it's not a

  1665. 1:00:06

    great time for comedy on television. Um

  1666. 1:00:10

    the the big hits like Hacks and Studio,

  1667. 1:00:13

    those are the make us laugh quite a bit.

  1668. 1:00:15

    But there are two that we've really

  1669. 1:00:16

    loved that I that are more obscure that

  1670. 1:00:18

    I would love to

  1671. 1:00:20

    >> your listeners to know about. One's

  1672. 1:00:22

    Australian and it's called Colin from

  1673. 1:00:25

    Accounts.

  1674. 1:00:26

    >> Yes. Excellent show.

  1675. 1:00:27

    >> So funny and also so heartwarming. Like

  1676. 1:00:29

    really moves me. Then there's one in

  1677. 1:00:33

    England called I think it's called Such

  1678. 1:00:36

    Brave Girls. Do you know that show?

  1679. 1:00:38

    >> I do very well. Cat Cat Sadler.

  1680. 1:00:41

    >> And And I think the credits, the opening

  1681. 1:00:45

    credits, the are the words spelled out

  1682. 1:00:48

    in pubic hair on a tile floor on a

  1683. 1:00:51

    bathroom floor. And that's it's a great

  1684. 1:00:53

    example of the the tone of the show.

  1685. 1:00:57

    >> Yes.

  1686. 1:00:57

    >> It's so delightfully filthy um and so

  1687. 1:01:01

    funny.

  1688. 1:01:02

    >> Um that is a great show. That's a

  1689. 1:01:04

    hilarious show. And those ladies are

  1690. 1:01:06

    great. There's a lot of good stuff out

  1691. 1:01:08

    there. You just got to find it.

  1692. 1:01:08

    >> You just got to find it. [snorts]

  1693. 1:01:10

    >> Um, Nick, did we cover everything?

  1694. 1:01:14

    >> I think we did.

  1695. 1:01:15

    >> I think so. Yeah. You know,

  1696. 1:01:16

    >> did we did weigh in on Aristotle? Yeah,

  1697. 1:01:19

    we did. [laughter]

  1698. 1:01:20

    >> You and you said pass on Cleopatra.

  1699. 1:01:22

    You're not going to smash.

  1700. 1:01:23

    >> Yeah. Come on.

  1701. 1:01:27

    >> I love you.

  1702. 1:01:28

    >> I'm not I'm not gonna step in that river

  1703. 1:01:30

    twice. [laughter]

  1704. 1:01:34

    I mean,

  1705. 1:01:36

    you came all the way from England. You

  1706. 1:01:38

    just landed. Thanks, buddy, for doing

  1707. 1:01:40

    this.

  1708. 1:01:40

    >> I know. Imagine how fast I would talk if

  1709. 1:01:42

    I hadn't just gotten off a plane.

  1710. 1:01:45

    >> What should we just try to do this like

  1711. 1:01:46

    every month?

  1712. 1:01:48

    >> Totally.

  1713. 1:01:50

    >> Um, I love you. Thank you for doing

  1714. 1:01:52

    this.

  1715. 1:01:52

    >> I love you. Thank you.

  1716. 1:01:54

    >> And, um, I can't wait to make something

  1717. 1:01:56

    else with you soon, someday.

  1718. 1:01:58

    >> Amen.

  1719. 1:01:59

    >> Yeah, that would be awesome. But thanks

  1720. 1:02:01

    for make for doing this and making this

  1721. 1:02:02

    and thank you for my slapstick.

  1722. 1:02:04

    >> Oh, is it is it mine?

  1723. 1:02:06

    >> If you would like it.

  1724. 1:02:07

    >> Oh. Oh, no. This is the one you travel

  1725. 1:02:09

    with.

  1726. 1:02:09

    >> By all means. It says it says butt on

  1727. 1:02:12

    it.

  1728. 1:02:12

    >> It does say butt jointed on it.

  1729. 1:02:16

    It scares me a little bit. [applause]

  1730. 1:02:19

    >> Thank you so much, Nick Offerman, for

  1731. 1:02:21

    being here today. I love you and um it's

  1732. 1:02:23

    always good to spend time with you. And

  1733. 1:02:25

    for this polar plunge, I I do want to

  1734. 1:02:26

    just highlight something I didn't get a

  1735. 1:02:28

    chance to talk to Nick about, which is,

  1736. 1:02:30

    you know, we spoke a little bit about

  1737. 1:02:31

    the physicality of Ron Swanson and how

  1738. 1:02:33

    important it was uh for him to figure

  1739. 1:02:35

    out that character, but do yourself a

  1740. 1:02:38

    favor when you're watching Parks and

  1741. 1:02:39

    Recreation. Take a look at how Ron runs.

  1742. 1:02:42

    It's one of my favorite things about

  1743. 1:02:45

    Nick is Ron Swanson runs in a very

  1744. 1:02:47

    specific way. And sometimes he wipes

  1745. 1:02:49

    out. And when he wipes out, it's

  1746. 1:02:50

    beautiful. It's like stunt level

  1747. 1:02:52

    wipeout. But I can't explain it other

  1748. 1:02:56

    than to say it just gives me total

  1749. 1:02:58

    delight uh the choice Nick made to run

  1750. 1:03:02

    the way Ron runs. And um I'm I'm

  1751. 1:03:05

    justiculating for those listening so you

  1752. 1:03:07

    can't see, but it's just so funny. Um

  1753. 1:03:11

    the tucked in shirt, the way Nick sits

  1754. 1:03:14

    when he plays Ron Swanson, the way he

  1755. 1:03:17

    stares, all of that stuff is just like a

  1756. 1:03:19

    masterclass I think in comedic acting.

  1757. 1:03:22

    And um probably you know what a trained

  1758. 1:03:25

    actor learns um and I wouldn't know but

  1759. 1:03:29

    um [laughter]

  1760. 1:03:31

    but anyway look he's that he's a it's a

  1761. 1:03:36

    genius at work watching Nick work and um

  1762. 1:03:39

    so happy he could join us. Thank you for

  1763. 1:03:41

    listening uh to Good Hang and we'll see

  1764. 1:03:43

    you soon. Bye.

  1765. 1:03:46

    You've been [music] listening to Good

  1766. 1:03:47

    Hang. The executive producers for this

  1767. 1:03:49

    show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss

  1768. 1:03:50

    Berman, and me, Amy Polar. [music] The

  1769. 1:03:52

    show is produced by The Ringer and

  1770. 1:03:54

    Paperkite. For The Ringer, production by

  1771. 1:03:56

    Jack Wilson, Cat Spalain, Kaia McMullen,

  1772. 1:03:59

    and Aia Xenerys. For Paperkite, [music]

  1773. 1:04:01

    production by Sam Green, Joel Levelvel,

  1774. 1:04:04

    and Jenna Weiss Berman. Original music

  1775. 1:04:06

    by Amy Miles.

  1776. 1:04:10

    >> [music]

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