Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer, Seth Rogen and Aziz Ansari have the kind of effortless chemistry and banter that lights up any room. Watch as Esquire sits down with the cast of ‘Good Fortune’ to discuss luck, comedy, and who they’d choose as their guardian angels. From Keanu reenacting ‘The Matrix’ and Keke telling Seth how ‘Pineapple Express’ influenced her, to Aziz riffing on a “cinematic Denny’s,” they share behind-the-scenes stories and real talk on fortune and fate.
Watch ‘Good Fortune’ in theaters October 17th.
#KeanuReeves #KekePalmer #SethRogen #AzizAnsari #GoodFortune #Esquire
Watch ‘Good Fortune’ in theaters October 17th.
#KeanuReeves #KekePalmer #SethRogen #AzizAnsari #GoodFortune #Esquire
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I always wanted to ask you, I mean, when you was doing The Matrix, did you think it was going to do what it did?
00:04I mean, how could you, you know?
00:05No idea.
00:06They had an early version of bullet time.
00:08Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:09You know, it was like a bullet through the...
00:11Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:13Oh!
00:13Whoa.
00:14You know, and just...
00:15He did a little bit of it!
00:23This movie came about...
00:26I had this idea of these two guys in L.A.
00:29And one guy is the guy that's been blessed by the last 20 years.
00:33Who's Jeff, the character Seth plays.
00:35You know, made a bunch of money in tech or whatever.
00:37Has this giant house, pool, the whole thing.
00:38And the other guy is the guy that's been screwed by the last 20 years.
00:41Has a lot of student debt.
00:42Maybe he lost his job during COVID.
00:44Who knows?
00:45But he's working two to three jobs.
00:47He's struggling just to get by.
00:48And it's a frustration that is pretty widespread right now in what the country is at the moment.
00:53And what happens when their worlds collide.
00:55I didn't know where it was going to go.
00:56But eventually I got to the place where I thought the idea of this angel coming and intervening in his life.
01:02And kind of trying to show him that having the life of the other guy isn't all it's cracked up to be.
01:07And him rejecting that idea would be very fun.
01:09And I was very fortunate that I finished it.
01:12That you guys all read it and wanted to be a part of it.
01:14And it all came together.
01:15I know all about you.
01:17I know you lost your job.
01:18I know you're living in your car.
01:20I did everything I was supposed to do and nothing's working out.
01:23You know Aziz, this movie reminds me of like those early 2000 movies that would like actually, you know, they're funny.
01:31But they were saying something with depth.
01:33Do you feel like comedy for you is the best way to handle deep issues?
01:37What's interesting, when I started writing the movie at one point, it was not a comedy.
01:42It was more dramatic.
01:43I hadn't done a comedy in a while.
01:45I'd been doing more serious stuff.
01:47And I said, I want to be on set and laugh.
01:49And it was a fun challenge to say, oh, okay, how do I make this stuff funny?
01:53Like this guy's sleeping in his car.
01:55It's pretty dark.
01:56How do you make that funny?
01:57But no matter how rough my life has been, you're always laughing.
02:01And at some point, like things will not cease to be funny.
02:04Yeah, I find personally that levity is a really good way to, first of all, make things real.
02:09Because nothing is just one beat all the time.
02:11At some point you're going to laugh.
02:12At some point it's going to break.
02:13You know, that's just the rhythm of things.
02:15But whenever something really hits me, I feel like it really does hit me through that veil.
02:21Good choice is what I'm saying.
02:22Yeah.
02:24You think because I'm a tech bro, I can't live your life for a little while?
02:27I came from nothing.
02:29I'm self-made.
02:30What did your parents do?
02:30My father was an orthopedic surgeon.
02:34Luck.
02:35Is there luck in the film?
02:36I think Jeff seems lucky in some ways at first because he was born rich and he seemed to know people who were starting companies that he could invest in.
02:45I think he was placed in an environment where it's more likely to succeed.
02:48He was set up to succeed.
02:50Yeah.
02:50So is that luck when you're placed in an environment where you're more likely to succeed?
02:54I think it's fortunate.
02:54I believe in like chance that you were there, whatever, and that something miraculous happened.
02:59But I believe at the end of the day, like it comes from something that you've done or that you've put out there, that work that you've put in.
03:05You know, I don't know that you can just get lucky, have whatever you want.
03:08So you think it's pure correlation between your deeds?
03:11Not between your deeds, but like your discipline.
03:14And that people who don't have that can't be lucky?
03:17Now, wait a minute.
03:18Are you setting me up?
03:22But a lot of people who don't deserve things have them.
03:25And you think that might be just they was lucky today?
03:26They got lucky.
03:27Yeah.
03:28There's a lot of miserable smuts out there with great things.
03:30That just pissed me off.
03:31I've personally seen so many people who've like failed upwards, people who have like no discernible talent who keep getting opportunities.
03:36What do you guys think that's about?
03:38What do you guys think that's about?
03:40What's that about?
03:41It's about the maelstrom of the universe.
03:45That is really crazy to me.
03:48Maybe this is like naive of me, but it seems like these rich people who were like had outsized wealth,
03:54it seems like they used to like to have their names on things that were like public, able to be used by the public.
04:02You know what I mean?
04:03Yeah.
04:03Parks, observatories, libraries, museums.
04:06You know, things like that.
04:08And now it's like people don't do that stuff anymore.
04:12They do, but it's like the Sackler family or whatever, but they also gave us like OxyContin to get the money to do it.
04:18So it's like, I don't know.
04:19Or it's like a lot of us like opens and does like a diner in L.A., but like you still got to pay to eat there.
04:25It's not free.
04:26He's still charging people for smash burgers.
04:28Oh, there's a Tesla diner in L.A.
04:30Like that should be free.
04:32Make that shit free.
04:32You don't need burger money when you're the richest guy on earth.
04:36But what is that?
04:37Just free burger?
04:39Mark Wahlberg gave us Wahlburgers.
04:40Exactly.
04:42Mark Wahlberg.
04:43I'm sick of these billionaires charging us for burgers.
04:45Yo, get your little ass up.
04:50You can't be sleeping no Denny's, man.
04:52I'm sorry.
04:53And outlets are off.
04:54You ain't getting no juice to your phone.
04:56Aziz, why Denny's?
04:58Denny's?
04:58Why Denny's?
05:00Denny's said yes?
05:01Because Denny's said yes.
05:03That Denny's is a particularly bleak Denny's.
05:07Because it's right across from the prison in downtown Los Angeles.
05:13Denny's can sometimes be a refuge.
05:15Let me tell you, when me and my family moved to California, we couldn't afford much of anything.
05:21Whenever something good happened, an audition, you know, we were able to stay where we were living, we would go to Denny's.
05:27We would get the meat lover's breakfast, cream and broccoli cheddar soup.
05:32Yeah.
05:33And it was maestro's.
05:37This is what I'm talking about, family.
05:38No one can save meat lover's breakfast in a funnier way.
05:42You know, broccoli cheddar, the supreme nachos.
05:47No, man, it's like a new refuge.
05:49Denny's, I will always have a place in my heart.
05:51My family would love that.
05:52And as you were asking this, I did remember, I did talk to people that said they would go to Denny's because there was free Wi-Fi.
05:58Yeah.
05:58And that they were cool and they would let people hang out there if they needed to.
06:02And when we were scouting and we saw that particular Denny's, the idea of Keanu being on top of that Denny's.
06:06Yeah.
06:06And, you know, visually that Denny's was cool for the scene with me and Keanu, which is a big scene in the movie.
06:14I love the Denny's.
06:15I love Denny's.
06:16Denny's can be a safe thing.
06:17It was always Denny's.
06:18It is, for sure.
06:19They give you free stuff on your birthdays.
06:21My dad, like, knew all the places you got free shit on your birthday when I was a kid.
06:25Oh.
06:25And so there was, like, Denny's, Baskin-Robbins.
06:29Tell him.
06:29There's a place Red Robin would give you, like, and so we'd go to all the places.
06:32We'd go to Denny's for breakfast.
06:34Yeah, exactly.
06:35Ice cream and then some Red Robin.
06:37And then some Red Robin.
06:38You're eating free on your birthday.
06:40Birthday days.
06:41Birthday.
06:42Free birthday days.
06:43So, yeah, if we were Denny's, it was somebody's birthday.
06:47All right.
06:47And that Denny's guy, he knows that Denny's looks good on camera.
06:50He knows.
06:51He's like, I got a cinematic Denny's.
06:53He knows he's got a cinematic Denny's.
06:54I know I have a cinematic Denny's.
06:56Yeah, you go to make the deal.
06:58You go to make the deal.
06:59They're like, how about this much?
07:00He's like, you know this is a cinematic Denny's.
07:02You know this is a cinematic Denny's.
07:03You know this is a cinematic Denny's.
07:04I know.
07:05You've seen the composition of my Denny's.
07:06You've seen this is a cinematic Denny's.
07:09You put a 50 in that corner of the parking lot.
07:11You shoot that way in the sunset.
07:13You got a good shot on this.
07:15He's got a good shot.
07:18Could you fly?
07:20My wings are too small.
07:22It's not the size of the wing.
07:23Actually, it is.
07:25Oh, that's too bad.
07:26Before we met, I did a Keanu film festival, which is the greatest thing because you just
07:31watch all these awesome movies.
07:33Parenthood and Bill and Ted.
07:35The Matrix.
07:36Bill and Ted was a big one.
07:37Do you remember me from Parenthood?
07:38Of course I do.
07:39Yeah.
07:40Parenthood was really.
07:40What about speed?
07:42A huge impact.
07:44And yeah.
07:45It's a perfect movie.
07:46You were so funny.
07:47And it was such a cool role.
07:48Like you were, you were cool.
07:52And is that, that's when Joaquin Phoenix had a different name?
07:55Yeah, it was Leif.
07:56Oh yeah.
07:56Leif Phoenix.
07:57I watched.
07:58Oh, I remember.
07:58This is a funny story.
08:00I watched Parenthood and there's this kid in the beginning.
08:05And he has a scene where he's calling his dad on the phone.
08:08Sonny's so good.
08:10And he's just, it's a one-sided phone call.
08:12He's calling his dad to go visit.
08:14And then the dad basically says, yeah, I don't want to hang out basically.
08:17He's like, okay, well, all right.
08:19Okay.
08:19And he hangs up.
08:20And then the person in the scene is like, what did he say?
08:22He's like, he said he wanted to just do it another time.
08:25And he runs off.
08:26And I was like, who the fuck is this kid?
08:28And I look at the credit.
08:29It says Leif Phoenix.
08:30I was like, Leif Phoenix?
08:32What happened to Leif?
08:33I know.
08:33Where's Leif?
08:34Aziz's like, he's like, I've discovered the lost Phoenix boy.
08:38Like there's another Phoenix.
08:40I'm going to hire this other Phoenix.
08:42There's another Phoenix just floating around.
08:44No one's using this guy.
08:45I'm going to bring him back.
08:46I'm going to tell him he's going to get back in the saddle.
08:49I'm going to bring him back to Leif Phoenix.
08:50And it was Joaquin.
08:52It's Joaquin Phoenix.
08:53That family can act.
08:54And guess what?
08:54Everyone knows he can act.
08:55But it's incredible that even in that little phone call, not fully realizing it was Joaquin,
09:02I was like, whoa, who the fuck is this?
09:04I mean, do you remember?
09:06Did you guys interact much?
09:08Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:10I mean, you had a lot of stuff together.
09:12He was the kid that's slapping the slami, right?
09:14Yeah, he's a slami.
09:15Yeah, special talent.
09:16I always wanted to ask you, when you was doing The Matrix, did you think he was going to do what it did?
09:20I mean, how could you?
09:22No idea.
09:22There were some test screenings beforehand that didn't go so well.
09:26Oh, God.
09:27Really?
09:27Having that going into the next step of the release really set up, like, we don't know how this is going to go.
09:33Wow.
09:34Wow.
09:34But you know, as filmmakers, you start, I mean, just starting from an assembly, right?
09:39Yeah, yeah.
09:40You chisel your film, you go through a process, and that film went through that process, and so we didn't know.
09:47Was there a moment where you're, like, surrounded by, like, 300 cameras, and, like, you're being asked to flail around on the green screen?
09:54Yeah.
09:54Were you like, this is stupid, or were you like, no, no, I mean, you were like, this is cool.
10:01Yeah, yeah, I mean, when I first, when I met the directors at first, you know, they had these folios of concepts of what they were doing, and then they had an early version of bullet time.
10:12Yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:12You know, it's like a bullet through, yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:16Oh!
10:16Wow.
10:17You know, I just...
10:18He did a little bit of it.
10:21I got chills.
10:22You went, oh!
10:22Oh!
10:24I seen it.
10:25No, because it's cool.
10:26No, you're there, right?
10:28And you're doing something that's never been done.
10:31You've got the wire on the harness in the back.
10:33You've been doing training.
10:33And it's so fast, the movement.
10:35And you know, like, the bullet's got to come this way, and you've got to move in real time.
10:39And you're like...
10:40And it's hard not to move slow, right?
10:41And your hand moves slow, and you've got to go.
10:44And so you work out the choreography.
10:46You're like, okay, what would look cool?
10:48Like, the bullet's coming.
10:49I'm like, well, what if I throw this arm...
10:51No!
10:52...and I go back.
10:53And then you just...
10:54Keanu!
10:54And you want to get...
10:55Just so your back is perfectly lateral to the ground.
10:59Whoa!
11:01And you have to do it all when the cameras go...
11:06Oh, my God!
11:09So you've got to just, like, and action.
11:11And that's it.
11:14Keanu, man!
11:15And then you watch it, and you're like, fuck, yeah!
11:18Yeah!
11:19That was the cold one.
11:20I was screaming.
11:22And then so that, to me, became like a popcorn moment.
11:25When I saw This is the End...
11:27Oh!
11:27I love that movie.
11:29It was a good movie.
11:30Hey, I die in that movie.
11:31Yeah.
11:31He's used to eyes as a terrible day.
11:32I love that movie.
11:34Kevin Hart kicks you into a hole.
11:37That's the one that Rihanna slaps the shit out of.
11:39Michael.
11:40Rihanna slaps Michael Cera.
11:41That day was so crazy.
11:42That was...
11:43Everybody...
11:43I mean, I can't, like...
11:45Now, like, knowing a little bit more of just the logistical nightmares of movie stuff,
11:49like, it's crazy that all those people were there that day for this year.
11:52In New Orleans, too.
11:53Yeah, yeah.
11:54In New Orleans, we flew everyone in New Orleans.
11:55It was crazy, yeah.
11:56New Orleans is a fun place to do stuff like that.
11:58It was fun.
11:58So that was, like, sort of part of the allure, I think, is that people knew they would have
12:01a good time.
12:02But, yeah, there were some days on set where I would look around, I'm like, there's,
12:05like, 25 famous people on set right now.
12:08Yeah, like...
12:09And they were all actually there.
12:10And, like, yeah, I remember...
12:12On the same day.
12:12It wasn't like you cheated and you were all there.
12:14Yeah, everyone was actually there.
12:15And it was really fun.
12:16And I have, like, some photos from, like, inside, like, the tent where everyone was
12:20hanging out.
12:20And this is, like, the most random, weird group of people in the entire world.
12:24And it's, like, you and Paul Rudd and Rihanna and Jason Segel and Kevin Hart.
12:28Like, oh, I mean, it was, like, everyone was hanging out.
12:30And, yeah, it was really fun.
12:32It was really fun to make.
12:33I remember when Matrix Reloaded came out, first off, I was, like, so fucking excited to
12:38see the sequel to this movie.
12:40I remember I walked into the wrong screen and it was at the end of that where you come
12:45in, swoop in, grab Laurence Fishburne, and the thing explodes.
12:49And, like, everyone just went, ah!
12:51And I was, like, holy shit.
12:53Like, this is going to be amazing.
12:55And I remember being at the premiere of Pineapple Express and just, you know, just having a blast.
13:01Pineapple Express told me, go ahead, smoke a little weed.
13:04Yeah.
13:05That was the message of the movie.
13:06Go for it.
13:07It won't hurt.
13:07But I think we all love the theatrical experience.
13:10And I think...
13:12Especially with comedy.
13:12Like, I think to, like, laugh together, yeah, to, like, see a comedy in the theater is so
13:18much better than seeing one alone.
13:20And I think it is, like, people don't realize how much I think they're missing when you don't
13:24see a comedy.
13:24And I don't think they've had many opportunities to even do it.
13:28So, like, I'm glad we got to make this movie and I'm glad that we're putting it in theaters
13:32and there's something about being around other people.
13:34It's kind of what makes it a movie.
13:36Yeah.
13:36Going to the movies.
13:37It was always theatrical.
13:38I never envisioned it not being in a theater.
13:43And you thought about that when you shot it.
13:44Just the cinematography.
13:46Yeah.
13:46Yeah, to make it feel big and feel like, hey, you know.
13:49I acted for the theater.
13:51So not streaming acting.
13:53Yeah, I didn't do streaming acting.
13:55Which is a choice.
13:56It is a choice.
13:58My name is Gabriel.
14:00I'm an angel.
14:01I'm here to save you.
14:02Who would you imagine your guardian angel would be?
14:11Whoa.
14:12Who do you want to be your guardian?
14:13Oh, my gosh.
14:14I don't know.
14:15Like Mel Brooks.
14:16I kind of picture Mel Brooks.
14:17Oh, my gosh.
14:18That would be epic.
14:19Just seems about, just seems right.
14:22And mine is 100% Whitney Houston.
14:24Yes.
14:26Wow.
14:27Now, you know she's up there getting everybody.
14:29Kiki hasn't smiled at all this week.
14:31That is, oh, my gosh.
14:33Whitney, impossible.
14:35She's making it possible for me down here.
14:38Yes!
14:39I just want mine to be Kiki.
14:42I just want Kiki around all the time.
14:45I'm always so happy when I get to be around Kiki.
14:48Oh, my gosh.
14:49We have a fun time.
14:50Whatever, like sometimes you'll be on set.
14:52It's just a hard day.
14:53Something's going wrong.
14:54And then Kiki shows up immediately.
14:56Energy boosted.
14:57Like, my spirits are lifted.
14:58And I can see you got a special joy out of telling Kiki to save you.
15:02There was like a real, I could see like, there were moments I was like, because he's really
15:07likes hearing Kiki say these funny lines.
15:10Kiki's the funnest person to write for because anything you write, she's just going to make
15:14it funny.
15:15It doesn't, it makes the job so easy.
15:18So I'm your guardian angel.
15:19Yes.
15:19Who's yours, Keanu?
15:21I don't know.
15:21The thing that's popping into my head is some kind of Hawaiian part of my ancestor.
15:26Oh, I love the ancestry.
15:29Ohana.
15:29Something, you know?
15:31Means family, right?
15:32No.
15:32Ohana.
15:33I got that from Lilo and Stitch.
15:34Am I right?
15:36Ohana means family.
15:38That's what he say, right?
15:39Yeah.
15:40I had never seen any of these kids movies.
15:43She's seeing it.
15:44Lilo and Stitch is iconic.
15:45I've never seen it.
15:45You're talking about Secret Life of Pets.
15:47Oh my gosh.
15:48I don't know any of this stuff.
15:50Secret Life of Pets is so good.
15:51Yeah, I don't know any of this stuff.
15:51Now let me tell you the other one that's good.
15:53Boss Baby.
15:54Oh.
15:54Boss Baby.
15:55That had my son walking around like he was the boss, baby.
15:58Boss Baby.
15:59I was like, sit your little ass down.
16:00Boss Baby got nominated for Academy Award.
16:02You're kidding me.
16:04Yeah.
16:04He got nominated for Academy Award?
16:05Best Academy in the future.
16:07It was that good.
16:09It really was.
16:13Guys.
16:14That was so lovely.
16:15That was so great.
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