00:00Brian, what about Last Flag Flying scared you?
00:07The character I played in Last Flag was huge.
00:11He is a massive consumer. He takes the air out of the room.
00:14He says yes to everything. Drugs, drink, women, you know.
00:18But he also says yes to being a friend.
00:21He's the first one to say, what do you need?
00:23And I told Richard Linklater, I said, I feel like the only way
00:27I can really understand this character is if I go way out there.
00:32So when I go out on that limb, if you start to hear it crack,
00:36pull me back.
00:38How did it happen that this boy was shot in the back of the head
00:42like a dog?
00:44He was a brave Marine. Credit to the Corps.
00:48And he served his country well.
00:50Yes, he did. So did we all.
00:54Every one of us here.
00:56And we'd do it again if we had the chance.
00:59What's going on, Sal?
01:01I don't know. That's why I'm asking.
01:03I know there were takes when I was just massive.
01:07But I have to try that in order to know, to feel like that was wrong.
01:12And to try to find that sweet spot.
01:15It's ephemeral. It comes and goes.
01:17You can't repeat it take after take.
01:20It depends on how you feel at any given time.
01:23But it was a beautiful film and lovely bonding with Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne
01:29and having Richard Linklater to be our conductor.
01:32It's very heartfelt and it was a great experience.
01:35Turned down roles because, amongst other things, the idea of wearing a corset for like six months.
01:43I was like, I can't, I just, I can't do that.
01:46Or a full-on prosthetic.
01:48You've done that, haven't you?
01:49Yes, I've done that.
01:52It can be very claustrophobic actually.
01:54It is very claustrophobic.
01:55When you're only, the only connection to life is through the nostrils.
02:00That's the only thing, everything else is covered.
02:03It's a little daunting.
02:05And then to act in that for 14 hours, it's just, so that's a bit much.
02:11But I did, I took on Lyndon Johnson because of the fact that I could research the first president that I ever really paid any attention to.
02:20I was about seven years old when Kennedy was killed.
02:23And then I knew something was gravely wrong.
02:28My parents and every neighbor was weeping during this.
02:32And I thought, I need to pay attention.
02:34There's something going on that's more important than me.
02:36And at seven, I got, it was my first breaking out of my own self-centered nature, you know.
02:43And this new president was Lyndon Johnson.
02:46And then years later, I had this opportunity to play him.
02:49So, I mean, for actors, I love the research part of it.
02:53Yeah, me too.
02:54To be able to dive in and go through a treasure chest of who knows what.
03:00And then you couple that with your imagination and the text and your talent and you put it all together and hope for the best.
03:14Do you consider yourself a mentor when you're on set?
03:18I don't, but others may.
03:20I present myself, when you lead a cast, you have the opportunity to wear the mantle of a leader.
03:30Right.
03:31And I choose to do that.
03:32But I don't have to be.
03:33If I'm not, it depends on where you with Kevin Hart.
03:37And he takes over.
03:39And I was happy to step back and go, you run it.
03:43And he was a blast and a hard worker and a great, so I don't have to.
03:47But I think it's important to do it if that is your responsibility.
03:52If you're number one on the call sheet.
03:54I always make it a point to greet.
03:56You said something earlier about having that one line.
03:59It's really tough.
04:00It is tough.
04:01So I make sure that when anybody comes onto a movie or a television show that I'm doing or producing or whatever, and they have that one line and they're nervous as hell, is to reach out and to welcome them to that.
04:14Because for two reasons.
04:15It's the right thing to do.
04:17It's a very, it's to reach out and help them out.
04:20But when they calm down, if someone is calm, they do better.
04:24I'm curious, Brian, is there something on your IMDB page that you would love to expunge?
04:30One thing.
04:31Woo hoo.
04:32Amazon Women from the Moon.
04:34Oh, interesting.
04:35Is that real?
04:36Is one of my favorites, so it's not that.
04:39That's a real movie.
04:42Yeah, Joe Dante directed it.
04:45What was your role?
04:48That was early on.
04:51I think I was paramedic number two.
04:54Back when you didn't have names.
04:56Yes, I know that.
04:58It was just a silly, I never saw it.
05:00So I don't even know what it's about, really.
05:03It's about Amazon Women on the Moon.
05:06Yes, it was.
05:07Aside from the Amazon Women on the Moon, I know nothing about it.
05:11Apparently one of them needed a paramedic, I guess.
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