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Hot Ones - Season 29 - Episode 01: Jason Segel Won't Back Down While Eating Spicy Wings
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00:00I feel like there's water coming out of holes in my face.
00:03Yeah, that's what happens. We're squeezed like a sponge.
00:06Sure.
00:06A little bit.
00:07But all that said, there's no place I'd rather be.
00:16Hey, what's going on, everybody?
00:18For First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans, and you're watching Hot Ones.
00:20It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.
00:22And today we're joined by Jason Siegel.
00:24Hey, man.
00:25He's an actor, writer, and producer you know from films like I Love You Man,
00:27forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Muppets, and many more.
00:29He had a nearly decade-long run on the mega-hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother,
00:32and you can also catch him on the acclaimed series Shrinking,
00:35which returns for its much-anticipated third season January 28th on Apple TV+.
00:39Jason Siegel, welcome to the show.
00:41Thanks, Sean. I'm really excited to be here.
00:42What's going through your head as you prepare to take on the gauntlet?
00:45Are you someone who enjoys spicy food?
00:47Yeah, I am, but I feel like that's not a fair question.
00:50Like, this is not designed to be eaten casually, right?
00:53It's designed to fuck me up.
00:55But I am ready for it. I'm excited.
00:57I feel nervous in my body, but calm in my heart and mind.
01:24We just jump right in. We start with the wing.
01:27I see.
01:28That's how it goes.
01:37Great.
01:42I've seen the show, and when people go,
01:45oh, great. No problem.
01:47I'm no fool.
01:50Have you absorbed any profound words of wisdom playing a therapist on television?
01:54Like, is there a therapeutic tool that you've discovered by reading a script that's actually been helpful in your day
01:59-to-day life?
02:01Yeah, I think that the approach that the therapists that Shrinking is based on have is that people actually want
02:06to be told what to do.
02:08And so, unlike some other therapies, they're like, listen, we will get to the bottom of this.
02:14Like, we'll get to the why over months and months, but people want to know what to do on Tuesday.
02:19You know what I mean?
02:20That's right, yeah.
02:20Like, when they have to have the conversation.
02:22And these therapists will just tell you what to say.
02:25So it's a little bit controversial, but I think it's actually wish fulfillment.
02:28I think that's what you want.
02:29Like, what do I say to my boss on Tuesday?
02:37Great.
02:39I'm trying to take legit bites.
02:43The people will love that.
02:44Yeah, I think so.
02:45Forever a showman, Jason.
02:47Well, that one's nice.
02:52That's really nice.
02:54So when Paul Rudd was on the show, he talked about how the movies that he finds funniest
02:58are often categorized as dramas, while some of the most dramatic moments in film have
03:03happened in comedies.
03:04Yeah.
03:05Does that at all ring true to you?
03:06And what immediately comes to mind when you think about the phrase dramatic comedy?
03:10I've always felt like that was the most honest version of any of these subjects.
03:15Heavy on heavy isn't really how it goes in real life.
03:17And also, I think as a viewer, you kind of get turned off.
03:19Like, okay, I get it.
03:20Like, I understand cancer is hard.
03:22Landed on, yeah.
03:22You know, but like, what is it like to get through it?
03:25And, like, Sarah Marshall, that guy's having a really hard time.
03:29You know, he's like crying at everything and just really devastated about, you know, a
03:35breakup.
03:36I think it's fun to see somebody feeling things a little too much on screen.
03:42And it, like, lowers the defenses so then you can sucker punch with some real dramatic
03:47stuff.
03:51So up next is a white hot mustard sauce.
03:54You said it, dog.
04:01I mean, I know it's coming.
04:03Mm-hmm.
04:05I'm a fool.
04:06But I feel like we're in kind of a, we're living in a safe space right now.
04:13Yeah.
04:14You know, the difference between sauce one, sauce two, sauce three, we're on the margins.
04:19You know, incremental.
04:20That's right.
04:20It will not remain that way.
04:22Oh, I know.
04:22I'm a chicken wing talk show host of the highest dignity, and I try to be transparent.
04:26Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:27I don't know.
04:27I appreciate that.
04:28I know everyone does.
04:30Try.
04:31Yeah.
04:32What was it like working as an usher at the Santa Monica Playhouse as an 11-year-old?
04:37Like, did that experience do anything to shape your aspirations of one day becoming an actor?
04:41I was a weird kid.
04:42And so they sent me to the Santa Monica Playhouse, which, at that age, it's not really for kids who,
04:50like, love acting.
04:51It's for kids who don't have friends.
04:52You know, so you're in this room of, like, equally awkward people.
04:56But what I found there was that when I was acting, I felt very comfortable, and I felt like I
05:03understood the assignment.
05:04In that space, I was like, oh, I know how to do this.
05:07That was my first kind of flirting with, um, this might be something that I'm, like, uniquely good at.
05:16And I didn't have other things like that at the time.
05:24So far, so great.
05:31Some smokiness action on this one.
05:33Yeah.
05:33A little sweetness from the peach.
05:35It's terrific.
05:36Kind of a little afterburn, you know, to let you know where you are.
05:39Yeah, that's right.
05:40It says, hey, we're getting there.
05:43A sign of what's to call it.
05:45Yeah, yeah, great.
05:46Was there any advice that Judd Apatow gave you as a teenager that maybe at the time you didn't really
05:51understand, but you look back now and think of as profound?
05:54Two moments I remember as being kind of, like, anchor moments.
05:58One was I had to play a song on Freaks and Geeks, on the guitar.
06:03I had to write it and sing it.
06:05The script came in on, like, a Monday.
06:08And I had to do it on a Friday.
06:10I got the script and I said, Judd, I don't know how to play guitar.
06:13Without missing a beat, he said, you'll figure it out.
06:16You're living your dream.
06:17You figure it out.
06:18And ever since then, I really do think you'll figure it out.
06:22The other thing he said, which is the best advice I ever got, and I've talked about it before, but
06:25he took me aside and he said, Jace, if you can improv the way you're improv-ing here, you can
06:31write.
06:32You just need to learn how to do it.
06:34You're a really weird dude.
06:35And the only way you're going to make it is if you write your own material.
06:40I think, honestly, I'm still around because of that.
06:42All right.
06:43Would you believe me if I told you we are at the halfway mark?
06:45Totally.
06:47Story checks out.
06:48I can tell.
06:50So this next one is called Tropical Amorio here.
06:53Great.
06:54In the five spot.
07:03A fool who was too eager would start chowing them down and then be met with the consequences.
07:09Is it true that your mother sent out a mass email warning family members about your nude scene and forgetting
07:17Sarah Marshall, which included the line, it is not gratuitous and is essential to the plot.
07:22Yeah.
07:23So I thought it would be a really, really great, like one of the great practical jokes not to tell
07:28my parents that I did full frontal nudity and forgetting Sarah Marshall and then take them to the premiere.
07:34This was like a really thrilling idea for me.
07:36And so we go to the premiere and I have my dad on one side and my mom on the
07:41other because I always sit in between them.
07:45And like within, it's like five minutes into the movie, my dick comes out, you know?
07:49Yeah.
07:50And I'm like, oh, here it comes.
07:51They don't have to wait long.
07:51Yeah.
07:52Yeah.
07:52And I turned to my mom expecting her to be laughing hysterically and her face is beet red and there's
07:59a tear coming down her face.
08:00And I said, are you okay?
08:03And she said, why didn't you tell me?
08:06And I said, I thought it would be a funny joke.
08:09She said, it's not a funny joke.
08:12And she got up and left the theater.
08:13Oh.
08:14And then she came back in and she like put herself together.
08:16And then that night she sent out an email to the entire family that said, I would like to inform
08:21you that Jason has chosen to do full frontal nudity in his newest film.
08:26However, I'd like to assure you that it is not gratuitous and essential to the plot.
08:33Fact or fiction.
08:34After a test screening of the Muppets, you received a feedback card written by a seven-year-old who said
08:40the one thing that he didn't like about the movie was your character's face.
08:43That's right.
08:44That is fact.
08:45What do you learn from something like that?
08:46I have it framed.
08:47It's like, what did you like?
08:49Muppets are cute.
08:50What's your favorite part?
08:52Muppets sing.
08:53What did you not like?
08:55Gary's face.
08:57Isn't that awesome?
08:59Now I've watched a bunch as compared to other eaters, guests.
09:04How am I doing in relation to the wings?
09:06Steady hand.
09:08Steady.
09:08But up next is one that rather rudely announces itself as homegrown hell in the six spot.
09:14The sauce leopard.
09:15Mm-hmm.
09:16Her.
09:18Sean.
09:31I think trying to have any strategy of trying to swallow it fast or anything like that, it's useless.
09:36It's like a boxing match.
09:38You can walk in with strategy, but once the punches start flying, all there is is survival.
09:44The story checks out.
09:47That's right, man.
09:49If you were to put together a Peter Sellers double feature to show off his risk-taking as an actor,
09:55which two films would you screen?
09:58I mean, I think if you do, look, being there is for sure in there.
10:03Being there broke my brain open.
10:04I was like, oh, you're allowed to do anything.
10:06Don't let anybody tell you you're just this or just that.
10:09And also, that movie is a drama, I guess.
10:14There's also incredibly funny moments and incredibly funny line readings.
10:17And I'm like, you do not have to be limited by anything.
10:22I think you either put, like, for the juxtaposition, maybe Pink Panther.
10:27Talk about dancing out there.
10:29There's like a little bit of bravery that is required to take it for a spin.
10:34My nose is running a little bit, but that's normal, I assume.
10:37Mine too, you know, through this whole thing, same wavelength.
10:40Amazing, man.
10:41Up next is a sauce called Nirvana.
10:53Funky's hot sauce and then the possessive, like Funky's the guy.
10:57I'm not trying to be tough, but we're okay.
11:02Respect, because I'm a little smoky in the chest right now, but I'm being totally honest.
11:06Because you confessed to me, it's a new year.
11:08This is your first run at this gauntlet.
11:10I've been on vacation, you know, a lot of practice, and I can feel it, you know.
11:14I've got to work my way back into game shape over here.
11:16That's all right, you're doing great.
11:18Thanks, Jason.
11:19Yeah.
11:20I understand that you would eat three Hot Pockets every three hours to prepare for your role in the end
11:28of the tour.
11:29What is Pound for Pound the greatest Hot Pocket flavor, in your opinion?
11:32The original pepperoni pizza.
11:34It's what I grew up on, but this was not a healthy thing I did.
11:37I had to gain, like, 50 pounds for it, because I had gotten too skinny for something else right before.
11:42I feel it now.
11:43Yeah.
11:44I had gotten a little too skinny before, so I had, like, a month to gain 50 pounds.
11:50So I ate three Hot Pockets every three hours, and it was super fun.
11:53It was a great time in my life, but I wouldn't do it again.
11:55What makes the BLT the all-time greatest sandwich?
11:58Because you can eat it any time of day.
12:01It's versatile.
12:03It is an absolutely perfect sandwich.
12:05From how I met your mother's best burger in New York, to the raw potato and shrinking, to playing a
12:13chef in the five-year engagement,
12:14do you have an all-time favorite Jason Segel food scene from your career?
12:19Ooh.
12:19A scene involving food.
12:23Yes.
12:24There is a scene in I Love You, Man, where we go around the table and all give toasts.
12:31There were a bunch of comic geniuses at that table, and everybody was just slaughtering me.
12:37Zinging?
12:37Everybody was zinging.
12:39I often make sure that I am enjoying the company that I'm in.
12:45You know what I mean?
12:46Like, holy moly, this person is amazing.
12:49And where better to do it than over a meal?
12:51I feel that way right now, Sean.
12:59Yeah, this is the one.
13:03Starting to sweat a little bit, but I'm keeping my cool.
13:07Always.
13:11Yeah.
13:13Might take a second to get this one out.
13:14No, you're not like that, are you?
13:15A little bit?
13:16It's catching you.
13:17Every time.
13:18Every time, this sauce.
13:19I'll join you.
13:23Double biting the bomb.
13:24Listen, man.
13:25Oh, so you go one for one with whoever's here?
13:27I always, yeah.
13:29You have the wheel right now.
13:31I'm a passenger.
13:32Okay.
13:33Good to know.
13:36Yeah.
13:38So.
13:41Yeah.
13:43I should ask you some shit.
13:45Yeah, maybe.
13:46Yeah.
13:46Take some pressure off over here.
13:49So, before writing and starring in the Muppet movie, I know that you were a long time fan.
13:54Even crediting Kermit the Frog is one of your most important and significant acting influences.
13:59Absolutely.
14:00Who do you think is the most underrated, deep cut Muppet character?
14:04Like, does Lou Zealand get the credit he deserves?
14:08Look, I'm a big.
14:12I'm a big Janice fan.
14:15I think Piggy gets a lot of credit on the lady puppet front.
14:18Yeah.
14:19But Janice is pretty exceptional as well.
14:20I also have the Jason Segel Muppet from the Muppets, which is pretty cool because they also gave me a
14:28thing to control it by remote control.
14:31So, back in the day, I would tell people, hey, like, come on over to the house.
14:35I'll leave the front door open.
14:36I'll be there.
14:37And the puppet would be sitting on the couch.
14:40And they'd come in and they'd look around and I could see them.
14:43And then all of a sudden the puppet would be like, hello.
14:48I've been waiting for you.
14:50When you're working on a movie with blue chip IP, like the Muppets, do you ever have to lose a
14:56scene or a plot point because it's nixed by the lawyers?
14:59Like, do you have a scene that you most regret losing to the red lines of a contract?
15:03I do, but it wasn't to a contract.
15:05It was to an ethos.
15:07You know, you have this bad guy, Tex Richmond, who's going to destroy their studio.
15:11And so the Muppets all have to get back together to defeat this common enemy.
15:14I had a scene at the end of the movie where all of a sudden Tex Richmond unzips himself and
15:21it's Kermit.
15:22And Kermit had orchestrated this whole plot to get his friends back together.
15:26He missed his friends.
15:27And it actually was, like, really cool and I think very beautiful.
15:31But then they said, listen, we can't do this.
15:33And I said, why?
15:34They said, because Kermit never lies.
15:37Kermit never tells a lie.
15:38It's a rule that's never broken.
15:40And so, you know, what can you say to that?
15:47I feel like there's water coming out of holes in my face.
15:50Yeah, that's what happens.
15:51We're squeezed like a sponge.
15:53Sure.
15:53A little bit.
15:54But all that said, there's no place I'd rather be.
15:59Jason, let's see if you still feel that way after sauce number nine.
16:04Up next, a smoked Serrano.
16:07The Squash Reaper X.
16:10That's like a terrible basketball nickname.
16:12What a poetic segue, by the way.
16:15Big three by the Squash Reaper.
16:27You get kind of, like, so blasted by the bone.
16:31Right, that it kind of clears everything.
16:33It all becomes the same.
16:34It all becomes the same.
16:35Right.
16:36There's a cumulative effect that we've had of these wings.
16:39Total scorched earth.
16:40Just a flamethrower with the bomb.
16:42But it does kind of make everything a little bit easier afterwards.
16:47I find, at least.
16:48Yeah, what you got?
16:50Well, you know, on the topic of basketball nicknames, I know that you went by Dr. Dunk.
16:54I did.
16:55I didn't go by Dr. Dunk.
16:57Like, I didn't, like, say, hello.
17:00Hello, my name's Dr. Dunk.
17:02As Dr. Dunk, you won the East Coast Slam Dunk Contest in 1997.
17:08Do you remember the marquee dunk that helped you win?
17:12Yes, I pulled a jersey over my head.
17:14And I had one of my teammates spin me around three times.
17:17You could obviously see through the jersey.
17:19But I was, like, acting really discombobulated.
17:23Like, what?
17:25Oh, no.
17:27And then dunked.
17:28In the place of a while?
17:28As though I managed to figure out where the hoop was, you know?
17:31But, yeah.
17:32And then the next day it said, like, Dr. Dunk is born or something like that.
17:38In the L.A. Times or something?
17:39Yeah, Dr. Dunk for a couple years.
17:42They're really weird.
17:47But this is not a skill that I'm good at at life, either, opening these things.
17:53Let's get it.
17:54How much are you putting on?
17:55Like, we're doing it.
17:57That's, yeah, that's textbook right there.
18:03Is this the worst one, by the way?
18:06We'll see.
18:07As you'll find, it'll build over here over, like, the next 15 to 30 seconds.
18:14Okay, sir.
18:15Let's finish it up.
18:16Let's do it.
18:22We did great.
18:23And with that, we've reached the summit of Spice Mountain.
18:28And, you know, if there's a through line in this interview, it's that as your Hollywood
18:32career continues, you're always evolving.
18:35You know, from theatrical comedies to intimate indies to prestige television to multicam sitcoms
18:43and even a Muppets movie.
18:44Yeah.
18:45To close things out, I'm curious.
18:46Which of those projects or environments made you most nervous as an actor?
18:51And which one felt most immediately like home?
18:54Oh, what a great question.
18:56You know where I felt really at home?
18:58Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
18:59Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I really had the naivety of youth.
19:03And...
19:03That's the best.
19:04It really is.
19:05I was, like, a kid when I wrote it.
19:06I was, like, 24, 25 when I wrote it.
19:08So people often ask, like, what would you go back and tell your younger self?
19:11I actually play the opposite game.
19:13And I try to remember, like, younger Jason, who wasn't afraid of anything.
19:18Like, remind me to be that dude.
19:20Like, let your freak flag fly.
19:22Felt very at home there.
19:24Uh, I was actually, I was nervous coming here.
19:27I don't know if this counts as me as an actor.
19:29It counts, yeah, yeah.
19:30This is probably the most nervous I've been in a while.
19:33Because I didn't know what my body was going to do.
19:35But it turns out I'm great at this.
19:40Let your freak flag fly and look at you, Jason Siegel, taking on the wings of death.
19:46Living to tell the tale.
19:47Now there's nothing left to do but roll out the red carpet for you.
19:49This camera, this camera, this camera.
19:51Let the people know what you have going on in your life.
19:54Cool.
19:55My name's Jason Siegel.
19:56And I've just completed the Hot Ones Gauntlet.
19:59And my TV show, Shrinking, premieres now, now-ish on Apple TV with a bunch of amazing actors.
20:07And I'm getting married this year, which is the most important thing I've ever done.
20:11Okay, thanks.
20:17We did it.
20:21That was great.
20:23I had a great time.
20:24That's what I liked to hear.
20:25I really did.
20:26Thanks so much.
20:27You did great.
20:28Bodied that.
20:29So did you.
20:32I was just trying to keep pace, to be honest with you.
20:34I mean, it's hot for sure.
20:37Yeah.
20:38Cool.
20:42Hey, what's going on, Hot Ones fans?
20:44This is Sean Evans, and I want to introduce you to the new kids on the block.
20:48Say hello to the Season 29 Hot Ones Hot Sauce lineup.
20:52And if you want a chance to taste the show, it's easy.
20:56Just visit Hot Ones.com.
20:58Hot Ones.com.
20:59That's Hot Ones.com to get your hands on the Season 29 Hot Ones Hot Sauce lineup.
21:05Keep milk on the ready.
21:06Ice cream not included.
21:08But most importantly, I believe in you.
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