January 15, 2025 • 51 mins
In the debut episode of Arroyo Grande, host Raymond Arroyo dives into the grand currents of culture with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Mel Gibson. From the ashes of personal tragedy after losing his home in the LA fires to the spiritual journey preparing him for his long-awaited sequel to The Passion of the Christ, Gibson shares his profound reflections on faith, resilience, and creative purpose.
Hear exclusive behind-the-scenes insights into his thrilling new project, Flight Risk, and the evolution of iconic films like Braveheart. Plus, Raymond explores the cultural significance of moviegoing, blending humor and nostalgia for a time when cinemas united communities. Join us for heartfelt stories, sharp cultural analysis, and a glimpse of the lighter side of life with one of Hollywood's most complex creators.
Tune in, subscribe, and let your life flow into a broader, thriving Arroyo Grande.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I wonder if this is or if you're regarding this
as a spiritual preparation for.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The Resurrection movie you're about to embark on.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
I feel like I'm, you know, I'm being stripped down
and prepared for something else.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
Now that's maybe very personal, but.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
I feel like I feel like the Almighty is preparing
me to do something big.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I'm raim an Arroyo. Welcome to Arroyo Grande. I'm so
glad you're here. This is our inaugural voyage into the
wild currents of this culture. My conversation with Mel Gibson
is straight ahead, and it's both moving and insightful. He
tells us about how he's recovering from the loss of
his home in the LA Fires, and later the backstory
(00:50):
of Braveheart, which I'd never heard before. Mel takes us
behind the scenes also of his latest project, Flight Risk. Okay,
before we dive in, I thought I should give you
a little itinerary of what I hope this applaudcast means
to you. I hate the term podcast. I use a
plodcast because when it's over, I want you to applaud.
I'm too broad for a podcast. We're not chickpeas and
(01:11):
we're not coffee. We'll call it what you want as
long as you subscribe to a Royo Grande and keep
checking in with us. As most of you know, I've
written a string of New York Times bestsellers for adults
and kids, some adults who act like kids. I've been
on TV for decades and I started in kindergarten. Yes
I did, But this is a new adventure for me.
It's more direct, not hemmed in by time limitations and
(01:33):
much else. On each Arroyo Grande show, I'm going to
navigate and analyze the culture with you. We'll hit lifestyle
trends and manners or lack thereof the arts, faith, pop culture,
comparing what is to what went before and sharing what
it all means. Will celebrate the best in the culture
while lampooning the rest. And along the way, we're going
(01:56):
to talk about and to some incredible people about their work,
their lives, their passions, and un earth practical advice in life,
lessons and examples that we can use in our daily lives.
And hopefully we'll have a few laughs along the way.
The Arroyo Grande in the title, by the way, does
not refer to big Ray. It's the grand flowing waters
(02:17):
of life that I'm interested in exploring. At the end
of this episode, I'll tell you why we're doing all
of this. That's called a cliffhanger, So hang with us.
But I'm going to start this and every episode with
what I call a free flow.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Here goes what happened to going to the movies? Oh?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
I know, I know you're sitting home now, you're watching
Hulu and Netflix, but admit it wasn't going to the
theater fund I would argue it's also important to us
as a people we forget how long we've been watching
images in the dark. The first Nickelodeons were introduced in
nineteen oh five, We're moving images could be viewed. Soon
(02:56):
projectors gave way to incredible movie making, then the Talkies,
and by nineteen thirty three, drive ins were introduced. Like sports,
movies gave all Americans and the world a way to
relax and escape reality. Together, that all came to a
screeching halt in twenty twenty when COVID hit A recent
Harris poll found that two in three people prefer to watch.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Movies at home.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Now are they watching what I'm watching? Big Stars and
kind of pathetic, half baked vehicles.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Admit it.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Charlie's Sarren and a forgettable spy thriller is not exactly
mission impossible, And is Eddie Murphy doing another reboot of
a really great film this week? It all feels disposable,
and because we aren't watching it together, it is disposable.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
It's like gum.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
It might taste good for a few minutes, but you
won't share it with your neighbor, and you'll never discuss
it tomorrow with your coworkers. We just aren't going to
movie theaters that often, and that's bad for us and
it's bad for our kids. According to Advan in twenty
twenty four, attendance at the cineplex is still thirty three
percent below twenty nineteen pre COVID levels.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Look, I get it.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
I've spoken to studio heads who say we've not had
enough consistent, high quality product, which broke the habit of
movie going. People still want to be entertained, but they
feel they can do it at home or in their
jammys or boxers. The studios have offered up mostly franchise
reboots Jurassic Park, Deadpool, Star Wars or whatever. Live action
(04:30):
remake Mess Disney is releasing this week. Little incidental question here,
how did CGI animation become live action? I'm asking for
a friend, Pinocchio, No wonder audiences are staying home only
Oppenheimer broke through the non franchise flick a few years ago.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
And Barbie, but she.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Was kind of an established franchise. Come on, every girl
had one. Here's why it matters because when we come
together with strangers and we sit in the dark and
enter the dreamland of the filmmaker's imagination, something incredible happens
up there. Nicole Kidnan even looks younger. Heartbreak feels good
in a place like this, but not when you can't
(05:12):
keep the doors open or when the guy next to
you forgot to shower. There's a crucial cultural reason that
we should go to the movies as a group. When
you're in that darken theater, you're sharing a human experience
with others. It's not some isolated thing on your phone
via earbuds, but a shared moment as one. It's almost
sacred when it works. I would argue, like sporting events,
(05:36):
we need these times together. When you're being entertained as one,
it's easier to live together as one outside the theater.
Movies can be and we're for decades a source of
cultural unity. We shared the same references, We loved and
hated the same characters. Sam Spade and Indiana Jones and
Dorothy Gail, Rhett Butler, Fredo Corleone. We all knew these
(05:59):
character It's hard to come up with any contemporary examples
with that kind of ubiquity. Wolverine aside to try to
lure people in theater, owners have now gone from Technicolor
to three D, to Imax to those damn shaking seats
that make you want to hurl your snowcaps all over
the row in front of you. Now they brought booze
(06:20):
and lazy boys in that'll only lull the audience to
sleep and make them feel they could replicate the experience
at home in loungewear or underwear. To bring back movie going,
Hollywood has to improve their product make films rides we
all want to go on together. It's important for society
(06:41):
and the civility of our kids to develop the habit
of coming together and learning as a group and being
entertained at the same time. If we want to grow
as a people and if theater owners want to fill
their chairs, they should heed the words of that great oracle,
Nicole Kidman, who once said, we make movies better.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
We'll see and that's a wrap. Okay, let's go into
the deep.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Here's a man who's been making movies better for forty years.
He's an Academy Award winning director for his Brave Heart,
and if there were any justice in the world, he
would have won Oscars for the Passion of the Christ
and Apocalypto as well. I sat down with Mel Gibson
twenty years ago on the set of The Passion, which
I can't believe, and conducted the first interview about.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
That landmark film.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Now you're going to hear about his latest movie, a
thriller called Flight Risk. It's an interview we recorded at
his house, which is coming up. But when these horrible
fires struck la in January of twenty twenty five and
he lost his home, I wanted to see how he
was doing and talk to him about the recovery. Mel
Gibson joins me. Now, Mel, thank you for being here. Mel.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
What did you think.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
When you drove up to the beautiful room People will
see in just a moment where we conducted this interview.
When you saw your neighborhood, when you saw your entire community,
what was what did you imagine or think at that time?
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Well, first, you know, I thought it was just oh deep,
bad luck, tragedy. But then I think I came to
realize that it was monumental mismanagement by our elected officials.
And that's the nicest thing you can say about it.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Yeah, I've been listening to your governor Gavin Newsom, and
he's promising LA two point zero, or reimagined Los Angeles.
He even says he has a Marshall Plan. Is that
what you and your neighbors want right now?
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Well, you know, I mean, as a citizen here news
them at bath They want us to trust him to
reimagine the city, our city, you know, in how they
think it should be. And I mean, look what they've
done so far to this town, you know, I mean,
you got nothing but rampant crime, acute homelessness, high taxes,
(08:55):
mismanagement of water, firefighters, defunding the department. And we're supposed
to trust them with millions of dollars to sort of
remake where we live. It's our city, it's the city
of the people and they have another plan, and you
know he's saying, build back better. You know this concept
is that's man that's got whiskers on it. Everybody says it.
(09:18):
And have you ever seen government build back better? I
mean there's still people from the Woolsey fire living in
trailers and stuff.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Okay, when have you seen the government build back better?
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Very very social engineering, environmental regulation and spending. That's the
last thing any of us have been burned out in
need or a bunch of bureaucrats telling us how to
rebuild our communities.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
I just think it's.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
At the very least it's insensitive.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yeah, well, I mean and with the water challenges, I mean,
the just focusing on the water mill, the reservoir that
was left empty, which is the second largest in your
community in all of the state. That alone raises such
int tense questions. And it boggles the mind that now
you have these people saying, but we should be entrusted
(10:06):
with rebuilding the future.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
You couldn't hold onto the present.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
No, They've they've done, you know, they've bungled it. I think.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
I mean, there are those who say, well, was it intentional?
Do they need to rebuild the Olympic village and clear
you know, like the cattle barrens clearing off land or
you know, I won't go that far, but it certainly was,
you know, the perfect storm of events, you know, with
no water, defunded fire department, not enough personnel, and the
(10:38):
second largest reservoir in the state, you know, to take
care of the communities of the Palisades Malibu, La County.
They should have had a backup plan, and they knew
it was coming, and they had other places where they
could pump.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
The water from and actually fill that to be ready.
They knew it was coming. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Well, look, as you know, I lost my house in Katrina.
Our family lost our house, and it was gutting and
it was awful. But you know, I came to see
it as a as a great blessing in my life
in time. I was struck. This week you did an
interview and you said in passing you see this loss
of your home as a purification.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
How so, well, it was an.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Odd mixture of sadness and kind of a weird realization
and blessing. I think because I thought, you know, they're
just things. I mean, yeah, I'm going to miss some stuff.
There was valuable stuff. There was personal stuff that just
breaks my heart, you know. But you know, I feel
(11:48):
like I'm you know, I'm being stripped down and prepared
for something else.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Now that's maybe very personal, but I feel like I
feel like.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
The Almighty is preparing me to do something big.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Well, I have to say when I when I heard that,
I thought, I wonder if this is or if you're
regarding this as a spiritual preparation.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
For the Resurrection movie you're about to embark on.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Yeah, I think that's kind of it.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
It's like, hey, look, God gives, God takes. We come
in with nothing. That's the same way we go out,
you know. And here's the deal. You'll always be okay.
If you seek first the Kingdom of.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
God, you'll always be okay.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
You'll get what you need. Look at the flowers of
the field, Look at the birds of the air. They
get fed, they get clothed. I mean, it's Matthew, I think,
but I'm a That was one of my dad's favorite passages.
He said, stop worrying about stuff, about money, about stuff.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
So you know that that's I think.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
I you know, he put that in my head when
I was very young, and it stayed and I believe it.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
You know, Yeah, well, how has your faith gotten you
through the smell? I mean, I know you're in a faith.
I know you practice your faith devotions.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
I mean what it's always a moment because people don't
understand unless you've gone through this, the geography of your life,
the daily visuals of your life are suddenly gone. It
is to me that was worse than losing the house,
mel losing the coffee shop, losing the friends, losing the
icons of my childhood that I you know that I
(13:18):
remembered that I that I reveled in every day.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Yeah, it's yeah, it's kind of an opportunity to recreate
your path.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
I mean it's a.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
You know, you gotta you've got to look at the
upside of this. I mean there's plenty of downside and
but honestly, I see it as kind of a blessing
and the purification. So, yeah, you lose, Yeah, it's going
to be murdered getting the insurance. I mean, everybody's renigging,
and you know it's going to be a real, a
(13:50):
real clusterbuster.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
But uh yeah, anyway, that's all I had. I I
uh uh, you know, I got a lot of faith.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
Yeah, not in our elected officials, no, no.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
No, but it makes you free.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
But personally it frees you in some ways from the
things you have to you've been carrying around for the
even you know, even the things you thought you needed,
you realize you don't need a whole lot.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
No, you don't do the work.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
I'll tell you a funny story. I mean, it's cold
at the moment where I'm at, and it's like this
guy calls me up. He's a friend of mine. He says, hey,
you got a warm coat. I said no, because you know,
I'm sorry. I'm just like Zelensky, but not by choice.
But he said, you got a warm coat, and I'm like, no,
I don't have a warm coat.
Speaker 5 (14:36):
And he said I got one for you. And I
feel kind of like, oh, you know, I'll gee, that's
nice of you.
Speaker 4 (14:41):
I said, is it going to fit me?
Speaker 3 (14:43):
You're six feet three inches tall and he said, no problem,
it's gonna fit you because you gave it to me
during the Woolsey fire and.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
Now I'm giving it back.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
Wow, skate, you cheapskate, mother hugger, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
Paying it forward.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Indeed, look, yeah, you know, And there's something there's something
else here I don't want to leave on the table.
You said to Joe Rogan that the timing of the
Passion sequel the resurrection of the Christ twenty years later
is perfect. Why why do you think it's perfect now?
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Mil Well?
Speaker 3 (15:22):
I think you know, the cares and the weeds and
the flower you know, they've all grown up around us
in the last twenty years to a degree where I
think society is kind of devolving somehow, and I think
we need a reminder of, you know, the most basic
things and the things that forms our civilization, you know,
(15:44):
and I think, you know, as we watch it, kind
of you know, the civilization being threatened by the various
earmarks that you know are precursors of the loss of
any civilization.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
So I believe it's it's not in my timing. I thought, Man,
it's too late. It's like twenty years. I mean, wow,
Jim's got wrinkles. What am I going to do?
Speaker 5 (16:10):
You know?
Speaker 1 (16:11):
And in a long time CG I thank goodness.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Yeah, you can do something, you know, put a little
vasseline on the lens, say Jim, turn around. He actually
actually I got to say, twenty years is not dent
Jim looks great still, so it's it's fantastic. I don't
look so good, but Jim does. But so I thought
it was like twenty twenty years maybe a bit a
(16:37):
bit too late, But I think now it's perfect because.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
And you know, and I've.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Had all these things taken and it sort of frees
me up to to not worry about that stuff and
just move ahead and.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Do what I'm being called to do.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
And I'm being called to do it. Wow, it's I
don't even know why it's the right time, but I
think you know it is.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
No, it certainly feels to feel that. Yeah, it's been
a long time coming.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
I know you've been toying with it and fighting with
it and wrestling with it for all of these twenty years.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Oh yeah, no, no, no, it's a it's a big subject
and very complex and it's taken all those years to
contemplate it, think about it, and distill it with the
help of two writers. And so it's it's it's a puzzle,
(17:37):
but I think I found a way in.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yeah, what are you hearing from your neighbors, mel going
back to this tragedy. You all find yourselves in the
midst of do they want to move on? Do they
want to stay and rebuild the community in Malibu?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
What are they? What are you hearing?
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Well, a lot of people's spirits are broken, you know,
because it's you know, it happened, and then it happened again,
and then you realize that.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
You know, you're elected leaders are not really I.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
Don't you know, you.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Don't trust them, and isn't going to happen again, And
a lot of people just want to move on.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
I mean people were already moving out of the state
in droves droves.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
They go to Texas, they go to Idaho, they go
to South Carolina and all these different places to get
away from a political and a social climate developing here
that they did not dig and they wanted to go
someplace where they felt like free Americans, you know. So
(18:37):
I think they were already leaving in droves, and I
think this is just going to people are just going to.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Say, it's too hard. It's the too hard.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Basket we were hanging on, but you know, we got
to go find something else.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
It's a lot of these middle class families, they haven't
got the.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Resources to rebuild.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
And they I mean the insurance company, you know, they
all canceled their whole things beforehand, and it's just terrible.
You know, they send drones around. Oh you haven't got
a railing on your Oh you haven't got a screen
on your window? You got Oh sorry, we're canceling your insurance.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
You know.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
It's that kind of It's this crazy thing that's going on.
And then to have you know, no resources to fight
this disaster.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
That goes on.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
I mean, the thing that struck me mal Unlike Katrino,
which was a one and done, it was over in
twenty four hours, this thing has gone on and on,
and even with the national attention, they don't seem to
have marshaled the resources or the will or or the
organization to at least stop.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
These fires and protect they're citizens.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
That's what I Chemical spills in Ohio, look at that stuff, Yeah,
what did they do? Look at all these storms over
on the East coast now, I mean, really, you know,
it's just neglect, you know. And and then of course
we're giving all our money to other other people, and
you know, and neglecting our own, you know, and giving
(20:03):
it to giving it to people come you know, illegals
coming across the border and putting them up in hotels
and giving them phones and spending billions.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
You know, it's a lack of focus on the citizenry
and the things that matter and the lasting infrastructure, which
I certainly see in New Orleans and other places I travel.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
It's just crumbling.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Look, there are thousands of people now in North Carolina,
in Florida, now in LA trying to recover from disasters
and find home again. What has this experience taught you
and what would you offer them?
Speaker 4 (20:38):
Well, I think you've got to be.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
One has to depend on one's self and one's neighbors,
and one's family and one's friends and your community in
order to and to band together and to make your
voices heard. Because it's clear and all over the country
(21:03):
that are elected officials, I don't think they give it,
damn because they're not really doing much. So it's up
to us, I think so. And it's and and you know,
put your faith in God and and kind of move forward,
I think, and and and and that's that's hard to
do when your ass is on fire.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Yeah yeah, And you and the neighborhood around.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
The neighbors, I mean, the people I've seen I may God, Oh,
you know, woman down the road she had. You know,
she's got two you know, two boys who are autistic
and she you know there they don't know what to
do without their environment, and you know, she's found a
way to some some special forces guys are doing really
(21:51):
good services and they're they're going around getting people places
to live and and and doing really good things. So
you know, it's in the community like that, and our
community needs to you know, tell government what we need
and what we want.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
And demand it happened, well, thank god to the demand. Yeah,
and look, we're praying for you, your family, all those
caught in the path of these fires melt and.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
We have much more on the other side of this.
You know, we're going to talk.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
About your upcoming film, because I do think in the
midst of tragedies like this, you need to find joy
and you need to find opportunities to come together as
a community. And your new film, Flight Risk, is a
great way to do that.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Well.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Yeah, it's kind of fun and it's it's just it's entertainment.
It's crazy, it's full of you know, thrills and spills,
and it doesn't last too long.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
You don't have to No, it's a quick ride it's
a while way.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Yeah, you're not going to get a numb You're not
going to get a numb butt in the cinema. F
I'm sitting there watching it because it's you're in and
out in ninety minutes, and it's like it's fast and
crazy and hopefully and I think it's pretty entertaining.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
Hey, it's the best I can do with no time.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Well, look, you do a fantastic job. The film is fantastic,
and we're going to talk about it on the other
side of this.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Thank you Melon.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Before we continue our conversation with Mel Gibson, I wanted
to tell you a little story about another landmark thriller
which reached the screen thanks to Mickey Mouse, some bloodshed
and copious amounts of booze, and you won't believe how
it ends. In nineteen sixty two, Alfred Hitchcock began shooting
his legendary film The Birds, his take on the Daphneed
(23:32):
Jamaria story. But as you know, a key part of
the story were those psychotic attacking birds. Hitch and Universal
Studios decided to create mechanical birds to torture Tippy Hedron
in the cast, but after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
The birds looked ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
They just didn't look real, so they hired animal trainer
Ray Berwick to wrangle live birds. Ravens and seagulls, crows
and sparrows were collected, but they were unpredictable and they
did not take direction well. The crew and actors endured
repeated bird attacks. Tippy Hedron was bloodied by the birds
and spent a week in a hospital recovering. The birds
(24:16):
were as vicious on screen as off, but Hitchcock couldn't
even get the fowls to stay still on a rooftop
during scenes, so they devised a solution.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Stay tuned or how it ends?
Speaker 1 (24:32):
So, how did Alfred Hitchcock get those twenty five thousand
live birds to cooperate on the set of The Birds?
They had attacked his actors, his crew, and they would
not stay still long enough to capture on film. Actor
Rod Taylor revealed the untold story to Hello magazine. He
said the animal trainers devised a new technique for dealing
(24:54):
with those unruly birds. The only reason those birds stayed
still was because they were Taylor said. Apparently the birds
were given feed drenched in alcohol. They tied the drunken
birds to the rooftops to keep them in place, But
what about the flying attacks? For those, Hitchcock turned to
(25:15):
an animator, ub our Works, who was nominated for an
Oscar for his Flying Birds. Our Works had a talent
for animating animals. He was also the man who, in
the nineteen twenties took a rough sketch given to him
by his employer Won Walter Disney, and transformed that sketch
(25:35):
into Mickey Mouse.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
And that's how it is.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Is Now we go back to Academy Award winning director
Mel Gibson, who just completed his own new thriller and
its escapism entertainment just when we need it most. This
is also the final interview recorded at Mel's Malibu home
before it burned down in.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Those Los Angeles fires.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
We talked about his direct total approach, the sequel to
the Passion of the Christ, and his new film, Flight Risk,
a taut thriller about a government witness being flown out
of Alaska to stand trial when really bad things begin
to happen. It stars Mark Wahlberg in a frightening performance
and is directed by mister Gibson. Buckle your seat Belts.
(26:21):
Here's a glimpse of Flight Risk.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Debetie Hairs, Daryl Booth Hope, light Flying.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
And then from the fugitive before Government witness not a
fugitive head a goo?
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Is it always this bumpy? He used to it already
is very disappointed in you and he wants you dead.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Oh right, you need a pilot White Risk.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
You think of Flight Risk as a buddy movie.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Yeah, why, Well, you know, you've got a couple of
characters who aren't necessarily It's like war. You know, you
put people together in a trench somewhere in some war,
and they don't come from the same background. They don't
even like one another. They just as soon punch each
other in the face. But you put them in an
adverse situation and they form a bond, and they form
(27:21):
a love for one another, almost better, more love for
their the guy they don't like.
Speaker 4 (27:26):
Than for themselves because of the adversity. And this is
the situation here and lethal weapon vibe.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know. John Lovett used to have
a routine on Saturday Night Live. I Love John and
he and he said he was being a film producer.
He says, you meet coaches, Yeah, you don't like him,
you hate each other. But by the end of the movie, youah, friends, you.
Speaker 4 (27:49):
Know he used to do that. Yeah, friends, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
I mean it's kind of and and you know there's
some challenges for these two and they have to work together.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Is a federal agent, the other is a witness in
a criminal against bad characters.
Speaker 4 (28:05):
Yeah, and the other guy's a psycho psychopath as played
by Mark Wahlberg.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Yeah, you're trapped with a psycho in a wooden box,
in a flying death trap.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
In Why cast Wohlburg in that character because we were
really unaccustomed to seeing him there.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
He's usually no, you.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Don't see him like that, and like, there's he's got
that in him. Mark's got the madman in him, which
is like, you know why he's done so well. I
mean there's a kind of a maverick, a kind of
a wild side the Mark, and there's and it's a
dark edge to him and which he is aware of
and which he kind of like tries to discourage. I
think he throws a few shovelfuls of dirt on that
(28:41):
demon every day and then and but it's it's, uh,
he can draw from.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
It, and he gets to take a walk and well,
that's right.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
And that's therapeutic. Yeah, I think for an actor or
for anyone.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
He's he looks very different in this movie too. I
don't know if we well we talked about it and
we've seen it in the trailer. Sure something's missing up top.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Yeah, he looks like Dennis Raider. You know, he's he's
got this.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
He's got this nude nut, you know, bald head with
like scraggly hair on it, like.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
Like that bt keg I used to have, which is
really kind of scary and uh and Mark's frightening.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
He looks kind of terrified, you know.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
He looks like that out of control little monster on
this this movie evolves. I won't give it away, but wow,
he really goes there and beyond.
Speaker 4 (29:24):
Yeah, yeah, he does.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Whose idea was the bald head? It was his.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
He came to me and he said, hey, man, I
had an idea that I said, like, I'm wearing a
rug and a hat. But then he gets knocked off
and I'm bald and I'm like, WHOA. I said, I
think that's great, but let me give me.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
Twenty four hours to sleep on it. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
I mean, this is a decision you make, you can't
undo it if you start filming it. So but I
woke up the next day and I thought, that's kind
of a genius idea.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
Yeah, parts idea.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
It just symbolically and in many other ways, it just
like resets Mark and and and resets the ca character
and it's just bizarre.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
It's another layer of fraud, yes, which I thought, yeah, wow,
not even the hair is real.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Yeah, to pay fraud, you know, I mean it's yours real, Yes,
mine's real for now, some of mine are. Yeah, well
you believe me. There's less to be real bout. But
it's what's there? Are you forming the monkey? But I
am I'm getting nil.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
Yeah, there's that camera.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
You notice I never let them shoot me from there?
Speaker 4 (30:24):
There?
Speaker 1 (30:25):
I see be good good, Mel, good Mel. How does
the actor in you? How does that change the way
you direct other actors? You were telling me about your
direction to the show in this movie.
Speaker 4 (30:38):
Oh yeah, or Michelle or Mark or anyway.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
I think I think I understand the actor's dilemma on film.
And you know, it's hard to just like turn up
and do stuff out of order.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
And and uh and and.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
It's hard to be totally self aware all the time
about how to gauge a performance. So I think it's
helpful for someone who's been there to actually help you
and be a completely objective pair of eyes to kind of.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
Help on the way.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
So you know, I have a lot of empathy for
actors and directors now, and and I think having having
you know, shouldered those responsibilities and use those tools, I'm
able better to instruct those who will have to do it.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Tell me about at one moment you had a particular
instruction to Michelle in this movie.
Speaker 4 (31:28):
Oh yeah, it's her best moment. Tell me about that. Well,
she said, what do you mean? I said, Hey, Michelle,
go Greek. Here.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
She says what I said, go Greek. I said, what
you mean, like, eat it dol made. I said no,
I says some columada olives. I said no, no, no, dispense.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
With all that.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
I just said, go Greek, tragedy, go big. And she
was like okay, and she did it and it's she
was fantastic.
Speaker 4 (31:49):
She let that cut in. Oh yeah, she's great.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Yeah, wow, it's that sensitivity. Look, I've been on a
lot of sets. Most directors are asking these actors for
a result. Give me this, Give me that you work
in a different way because you are working through an
actor's instrument, kind of find a different way in.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Yeah, and I think you can't. You know, you can't
give them wine readings and all this. You got to
you gotta use their essence. And that's why you hired
them after all, because you trust them and I trust it.
And these are three very talented people. I mean, let's
let's not goof around here. I mean they've been doing
what they've been doing for a long time. And it's
(32:29):
like with Andrew Garfield or any of these guys. You know,
you just say action cut, that's great. You are really
you know, and you let them do it. And if
they ask for help, you give it. And if if
they don't, if it's not broken, you don't fix it.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
You get out of the way. That's absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
What are the obstacles and advantages of working in a
tight space like this? This is a confined Cessna aircraft.
I don't know why you didn't shoot on a big Boeing,
but you can tell me that I'm shot on the
Boeing double wide.
Speaker 4 (32:59):
Well it was.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
It's it's kind of like it's more immediate, it's more claustrophobic,
not that I think claustrophoby is a great thing for
an audience, but it does have moments that really open
it up. So you're not I don't think you're not
on the plane very long. It's only eighty five minutes.
It's a fast, tight thriller.
Speaker 4 (33:16):
But I think I don't know the space.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
Just wanted it to be that, And I chose a
Cessna two eight because that was big enough to be
able to swing in cat or a dead mouse in
but like and get cameras and stuff in there and
do all that, but small enough to be confined and
believable as.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
A bush plane in Alaska.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
And those planes are indeed bush planes that are like
a FedEx plane, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, a Cessna
two o eight, you know, with the T cross wings and.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
You and you're shot in an actual Cessna or the
remnant of one.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
We shot on the remnants of a of a real Cessna.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Yeah, so you know, like you adjusted, well, yeah, you
had four and a half feet high by five feet
seven wide with chairs and people and camera.
Speaker 4 (33:58):
Guys and so you're in there pretty tight.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
But I was fascinated by the volume wall you used
in this, which is kind of new technology. You shot
all of this in a warehouse.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
Most of it in aware, some of it out on
your locations, like I had an airstrip and.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Yeah, all the opening close in the movie, but the
heart of the movie you're really shooting in a in
a one room. But it looks like you're flying over Alaska.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
Oh my god, Dad, you've got you think you're over
the vastness of the Alaskan Alps and this tundra of
wilderness that's kind of scary and intimidating. And you see
it on film and you don't need to do rotoscoping
or green or blue screen any of that stuff.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
It's real looking.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
And that had to be all shot beforehand.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
I shot those people, I shot the plates beforehand.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
I got in a helicopter with a camera that looks
like a COVID virus. It has like the three sixty
degree like things sticking out all around it takes This is.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
The old Disney magic carpet routine. Disney used to do
a ride coll in the sixties. Walt Disney devised that
technology home from the bottom of a helicopter. It had
multiple cameras and it was it was playing around you
in the round. Oh, people coming, and it gave you
the feeling that you were flying over things. Okay, that's
really what your volume wall is. That's it.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
I think technologically it's quite advanced now. I mean the
image is like wow, unbelieve it's photo.
Speaker 3 (35:10):
Reel and you put it up there and it moves,
and the actors were getting like, oh, give.
Speaker 4 (35:15):
Me a bucket.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
But so you had to shoot all the drops and
the nose dives and all that on that helicopter before
you ever got to principal.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
We got all that stuff, and not all Some of
them were a few other tricks you can do. And
you know, I won't tell you anything. I'm like Colonel
Sando keeping the recipe in my breast pocket.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
I don't blame you.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
But you know he's dead now, so well I won't
bry any of them out of the bucket.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
I worked for that. I work for the colonel. I
starved under the Corey many times.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
Oh yeah, are at the old KFC. I'm a veteran. Yeah,
I got wounds. I got you a purple heart.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
You know, I think that's I think that's your cardiologist.
Tell me about the casting here? Why these three principal actors.
You have lots of other actors. Why these three actors.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
Are wonder and that's all there is to it. They're
just incredibly accomplished, talented performers and.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
They kind of fit.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
The archetype of what we needed to achieve here now,
you know. And sometimes you'll pluck somebody like Mark who
you don't usually associate with this kind of role, but man,
he was able to just deliver credible Michelle, of course,
is like the queen of subtlety and and can convey
so much with just the movement of the eye. I
(36:29):
was just kind of blown away. And Tofer has this
insane timing. He's really Yeah, he's funny, you know.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
And they're all funny.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
They all have their little weird, little humorous moments, so
and they understand that, all of them. So they kind
of and were able to work that timing amongst themselves,
most of them.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
And you even cast your Vegas driver in one role,
which I don't know I can tell people about the role,
but it's pretty incredible, you know that the driver ended
up making it into the final cut.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
He was amazing, This guy from from Bulgaria who used
to drive. He drove my car and I said, dude,
you ever been on film?
Speaker 4 (37:04):
And he went, no, sir. I'm like, what where are
you from? And from Bulgaria, from Sofia, you know.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
And I'm like, okay, hey, you want to be in
and he said, oh yeah, I do, you know?
Speaker 4 (37:16):
And he looked great.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
He's he's got this amazing kind of presence. So I thought,
I'm going to use it.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
And it worked. Oh yeah, it works. You know exactly
who he is as soon as you see.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
In fact, you know, the first time I saw him,
I said, I don't know if I want to drive
with this guy. But he's the nicest guy on earth,
you know. But he looks tough. Wow, he looks tough.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
Tell me about Steven Rosenbloom.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
Who have you've worked with before? Sure? Braveheart, brave heart.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
He was my editor and he's the editor on this too,
And he does not mess around. He is a very
experienced editor, and he knows how to make a good
piece of entertainment and how to slice and dice it
just the way we all want it, you know.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
So he's he's it's a treat to work with.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Stut do you just hand him the script and you're
and your cut? Would you give him notes let's watch it?
Or he does a cut?
Speaker 4 (38:04):
I give it to.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
Him, and I say, here, what can you make out
of this? You know, you make a silk purse out
of this? Sal's ear here, help me out here, buddy.
And he goes away and I leave him to his
own devices, and he invariably comes up with something great
and a lot of stuff I didn't even expect, and
I thought, wow, I didn't even know I shot that,
you know, and he's using things that I'm like, whoa so?
(38:25):
And then we get together and really kind of work
as a team and like you know, chip away, like
the old Michelangelo kind of film.
Speaker 4 (38:32):
Ed it?
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Did you cut this movie down in the edit? Uh?
Speaker 4 (38:36):
It's pretty much. Has you got it much? We were
trying to like, we need more time and this is
so fast.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
We actually did cut it down, yes, because whenever it
looked like it was like not moving, or if there
wasn't a beat that was furthering action plot, or wasn't
just a laugh in some sense or interesting in some.
Speaker 4 (38:58):
Respect, we would.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
Deviate from it and try and exclude it so that
what we had was kind of that you never get
a chance to get let down.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
You're just kind of like watching the whole time.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
There's something I see in all your films, and whether
it's look and these are some of these things are
frankly challenges that no other director would undertake or has undertaken.
When you look at Apocalypto, when you look at the
passion of the Christ, when you look at this project,
you direct from the audience point of view YouTube.
Speaker 4 (39:31):
Yeah, that's an essential part. I am an audience.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
Member first when I'm directing, And what do I want
to see? When I'm sitting in a dark room public
dreaming with like four hundred other people or whatever it
happens to be.
Speaker 4 (39:43):
Even two other people, what do I want?
Speaker 3 (39:45):
And you have to cater to the need of the
man in the dark room watching your dream, you know,
and having a dream with everybody else.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
And who can you drag in? Who can you affect?
Speaker 1 (39:59):
And there are a lot of directors to say no, no, no,
I write for me, I direct for me, I direct
for my vision.
Speaker 3 (40:07):
Yeah, well that's partially true, I guess, because I mean, look,
it's undeniable. If whoever directs a film, they leave their mark. Yeah,
of course, so they are there and their sensibilities are there.
So in a sense that's true, but you cannot exclude.
If you're a chef and you're cooking a great meal,
(40:28):
you don't just need it yourself and say five stars.
Speaker 4 (40:31):
You gotta share it with.
Speaker 3 (40:33):
A bunch of hungry people who can then give you
feedback on it.
Speaker 4 (40:38):
You feed them, they feedback.
Speaker 3 (40:39):
If they feedback, you're in trouble. Yeah, but it's a
bit like any art. It is to be shared, and
it is.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
To be but it's meant to be consumed by others.
It's not your little pet product. That's why I know
so many of these things are inaccessible.
Speaker 4 (40:53):
Well a lot of them are. I mean, if you
make a film for an elite, you know.
Speaker 3 (40:59):
It needs to work for as brought an audience as possible.
Speaker 1 (41:03):
So tell me about Tell me about you related the
story of Braveheart, which I had not heard. How you
came to that project. Well, yeah, tell me about that
how because you this was not you had read the
script earlier and casked on it, thinking it.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
Yes, but I liked it and it was it was
an acting offer, and I thought, oh wow.
Speaker 4 (41:23):
You know, I read it and I was busy doing.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
A bunch of stuff, and you know, I was in
my mid thirties and I was seriously busy at that.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:31):
Yeah, it was like I couldn't you know, oh you know,
I was turning things down and giving other people shots yep.
Speaker 4 (41:38):
And and I, uh, I sort of just I read it.
I liked it, but I thought, no, not for me.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
I don't think I can pull off the man. And
I killed you know thing, and then I sort of
walked away and did a bunch of other stuff, and
somebody said, well, what you know, what do you want
to do next?
Speaker 4 (41:57):
I said, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
Man, I read this thing a couple of years years back.
I thought it was pretty good, and it kind of
it has some really big themes and and he said,
oh really, what was it? So I told him the story.
And but when I told him the story, I was like,
I was saying, non, you got this low angle here
with the guy doing.
Speaker 4 (42:16):
You know, And it was like I was almost like
a shooting script. You were dreaming at your head.
Speaker 3 (42:21):
And I realized that I had been thinking about this,
like in my wee hours before you go to sleep
at night. How would I fill that with that you know,
you know, low angle on the horse hoofs with the
you know and all.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
This kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
And I was constructing images in my head that sort
of like excited me. And and uh, and I said
to the guy, said that sounds amazing. And then we
got the script and it was Randy's script and it
was still as good as it was. And I thought, wow,
I think I need to direct this is because I
just want to shepherd what we see and how we
see it in up here.
Speaker 4 (42:53):
Yeah, what I constructed over the time.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
And then I said, and I had directed a small film,
so I put my toe in the water and and
so I I thought, let's try it on a bigger
scale here. And I said, Alan Ladd Junior, God rest
his soul. He's gone now. But he was a good dude.
You could never understand what he said. He was he mumbled,
(43:17):
and so it was like, you know, you go, what
what what? And he always has said something smart. He
was a smart guy. He just had this kind of
mumbling thing. And so he used to have a gag.
I used to say, well, you know, Alan Ladd Junior
told me one time.
Speaker 4 (43:32):
Yeah, so.
Speaker 3 (43:35):
And I even told Laddie that joke. So you know,
he cleared it with him. Yeah, he was a sweet
old guy. He's gone now, he's gone to he's gone
to Gallan.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
He had the he was at MGM at the time.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
He was at MGM uh and he I think he
got the Golden handshake over there they get, which means
like get out of here, buddy.
Speaker 4 (43:54):
And uh.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
He said, Okay, I'm leaving, but all right, but I'm
taking I'm taking two scripts with me. And he took
two scripts from MGM u A. He took The Brady
Bunch Yeah and Braveheart.
Speaker 4 (44:08):
He only wanted to be title. Yeah, that must have
been at the top of the get to c ord.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
So when I reconnected with the project, when I realized
I wanted to direct.
Speaker 1 (44:17):
It, I.
Speaker 3 (44:19):
Found out that it was at a different studio. It
had gone from MGM to param Paramount. He moved to Paramount.
He moved to Paramount, and so I and I said, Laddie,
you know, I've only done this once before, but I
want to direct it.
Speaker 4 (44:33):
And he said I don't know, And I said, great,
we got a deal, right. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:40):
So it was fantastic and one of the best, I
mean hard so funny, you know, seven days a week
sometimes what was the pre production on that snappy. It
was like as soon as I said, can I direct?
He said, I don't have a problem with that. I said, great,
let's go. Ten weeks of pre production on this is
lightning for any film, but on that, oh, my goodness.
Speaker 4 (45:02):
An epic.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
I mean all the just the people you have to move,
my gosh, that's incredible.
Speaker 3 (45:07):
Well, I was fortunate and I had a really good
production team, you know, and and we were able to
go over and find what.
Speaker 4 (45:13):
We needed in Europe.
Speaker 3 (45:15):
Ireland was very helpful with not only tax credits, but
there resources and they bend over backwards and for and
forth but to and extended a hand, and we were
able to shoot it in Scotland, you know, and Ireland
and and get and get, and the UK really really
(45:38):
put out for a surprise.
Speaker 1 (45:39):
I guess I'd forgotten. It didn't pop at the box
office when it first emerged.
Speaker 4 (45:45):
It wasn't a huge box office on the screen. It
wasn't on the big screen.
Speaker 3 (45:49):
I think it made like seventy five million or something,
which was not really okay, uh and uh, but We're
really did good.
Speaker 4 (45:58):
Was on VHS. It went crazy on that won a
bunch of Academy Awards.
Speaker 3 (46:02):
After it once, you know, one of you know, all
these Academy Awards, and then and then went big on BHS.
So hey, it came in, It slid, it slid into
Home played. Eventually it holds up. It's still a classic.
Speaker 4 (46:15):
Yeah, it holds up.
Speaker 3 (46:16):
It inspired a lot of other films because the battle
epic had been buying large abandoned, you know, with Charlie Neston,
you know, you know, l Sid or Spartacus or back
in the fifties, and then we kind of resurrected the
whole the big genre battle epic with that film. And
then of course Ridley and Tony saw it. Ridley and
Tony's saw they were like, whoa nobody does?
Speaker 4 (46:37):
And it was like oh, and I was flattered. They
called me about it. They were like wow.
Speaker 3 (46:41):
And then you know, it spawned things like Troy and
Gladiator and all the series of most good and some
good films, you know, and and and so you know,
it kind of brought those things back. Now, I think,
you know, you got to cool it on those things now.
But maybe there's a yeah, there's another.
Speaker 4 (46:57):
One or two left.
Speaker 3 (46:58):
There's a couple of big story out there that that
would really resonate.
Speaker 1 (47:03):
Tell me about the viral you've released, these little viral
moments around flight risk kind of tie one of them
ties to Brave Heart.
Speaker 4 (47:10):
Yeah, yeah, what's what were.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
You trying to do with these?
Speaker 4 (47:13):
Well?
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Look, it was so it was so much fun to
work on. You know, it was fun to shoot with
these actors and stuff. And I just felt like, you know,
what we got was a little odd and a little
quirky and off to the side a little bit, but
still fast and entertaining. And I thought, you know, hey,
let's just keep the spirit of this thing going. And
(47:34):
I just wanted to kind of goof on it.
Speaker 4 (47:36):
Yeah, and you know, and and and.
Speaker 3 (47:39):
And let the audience know that, hey, don't take this
too seriously. This is just a nice thrill ride, a
fast piece of entertainment.
Speaker 1 (47:47):
It's a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun.
And and and you are on the edge of your
seat and going, oh my, I mean, you don't hear
people gasp this way theater. It's very often to tell
me about the resurrection before we run out of time.
Obvious one of the great master works of your life. Yeah, sure,
And career people have been waiting for this movie for.
Speaker 4 (48:06):
A long time. Yeah, like twenty years or so.
Speaker 3 (48:10):
It'll be about it'll be even longer by the time
it actually makes it.
Speaker 4 (48:14):
And I'm not sure when that is.
Speaker 3 (48:16):
I know, I'm my focus now is on that. I'm
in a pre production mode. It's it's complex and it
took a long time. It's like it's like labor pains,
you know, it's like giving like birth to this to
this creation that's got to be.
Speaker 4 (48:34):
You know, all working parts. And it's been a long labor.
Speaker 1 (48:39):
And you told me last time we talked, this isn't
just Jesus rises acts of the apostles. It's much more complex.
Speaker 3 (48:47):
Well, yes, because you have to ask the essential question
of you know, in our existence, why why are the
big realms of good and evil? And they exist, they're
as real as we are. Why are these realms slugging
it out for the souls of the hearts and souls
(49:08):
of mankind?
Speaker 4 (49:10):
Why are we the meat in that sandwich? Little old us,
flawed us, imperfect us? Why why is that about us?
And I'm trying to answer that question. I don't know
if I can.
Speaker 3 (49:24):
I've attempted, and maybe with God's help and with image
and with sound, and music.
Speaker 4 (49:32):
We can deliver on.
Speaker 3 (49:36):
Some answers to some of those massive questions, these existential questions.
Speaker 4 (49:42):
I can't wait to see it. Yeah, that's pretty crazy.
Speaker 1 (49:46):
In the meantime, we'll go to flight risk. Yeah, why
not go to flight risks?
Speaker 4 (49:51):
How fun?
Speaker 1 (49:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (49:53):
Yeah, you don't want to you don't want to be
going down on that not that one.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
No, I'd like to. I'll be in the freight downstairs.
I'd rather not be with Wahlberg and company.
Speaker 4 (50:01):
Yeah. Two, I'm afraid.
Speaker 1 (50:02):
Yeah, Okay, here's the hole.
Speaker 2 (50:07):
The takeaway.
Speaker 1 (50:08):
Whatever you do, do it for others, whether you're an
artist or a teacher, or a mechanic or a stay
at home parent. The thing that struck me about that
conversation was your gifts are for others. They should be
our focus. In Mel's case, the audience is always front
and center, and Mel reminds me every time I see
him keep the humor in the forefront. I would argue
(50:31):
it's one of his superpowers on screen or otherwise. He
uses comedy to drive the drama and the thrills. Alfred
Hitchcock once said suspense doesn't have any value if it's
not balanced by humor.
Speaker 2 (50:46):
Neither does life. I hope you enjoyed the show come
back next time.
Speaker 1 (50:51):
As I'm going to recall on every episode, why live
a dry, narrow, constricted life when if you fill it
with good things, it can flow into to a broad,
thriving Arroyo Grande. I'm raiming Arroyo. Make sure you subscribe
and like this episode. Thanks for diving in, and we'll
see you next time. Arroyo Grande is produced in partnership
(51:15):
with iHeart Podcasts and is available on the iHeartRadio app
or wherever you get your podcasts
I wonder if this is or if you're regarding this
as a spiritual preparation for.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The Resurrection movie you're about to embark on.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
I feel like I'm, you know, I'm being stripped down
and prepared for something else.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
Now that's maybe very personal, but.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
I feel like I feel like the Almighty is preparing
me to do something big.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I'm raim an Arroyo. Welcome to Arroyo Grande. I'm so
glad you're here. This is our inaugural voyage into the
wild currents of this culture. My conversation with Mel Gibson
is straight ahead, and it's both moving and insightful. He
tells us about how he's recovering from the loss of
his home in the LA Fires, and later the backstory
(00:50):
of Braveheart, which I'd never heard before. Mel takes us
behind the scenes also of his latest project, Flight Risk. Okay,
before we dive in, I thought I should give you
a little itinerary of what I hope this applaudcast means
to you. I hate the term podcast. I use a
plodcast because when it's over, I want you to applaud.
I'm too broad for a podcast. We're not chickpeas and
(01:11):
we're not coffee. We'll call it what you want as
long as you subscribe to a Royo Grande and keep
checking in with us. As most of you know, I've
written a string of New York Times bestsellers for adults
and kids, some adults who act like kids. I've been
on TV for decades and I started in kindergarten. Yes
I did, But this is a new adventure for me.
It's more direct, not hemmed in by time limitations and
(01:33):
much else. On each Arroyo Grande show, I'm going to
navigate and analyze the culture with you. We'll hit lifestyle
trends and manners or lack thereof the arts, faith, pop culture,
comparing what is to what went before and sharing what
it all means. Will celebrate the best in the culture
while lampooning the rest. And along the way, we're going
(01:56):
to talk about and to some incredible people about their work,
their lives, their passions, and un earth practical advice in life,
lessons and examples that we can use in our daily lives.
And hopefully we'll have a few laughs along the way.
The Arroyo Grande in the title, by the way, does
not refer to big Ray. It's the grand flowing waters
(02:17):
of life that I'm interested in exploring. At the end
of this episode, I'll tell you why we're doing all
of this. That's called a cliffhanger, So hang with us.
But I'm going to start this and every episode with
what I call a free flow.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Here goes what happened to going to the movies? Oh?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
I know, I know you're sitting home now, you're watching
Hulu and Netflix, but admit it wasn't going to the
theater fund I would argue it's also important to us
as a people we forget how long we've been watching
images in the dark. The first Nickelodeons were introduced in
nineteen oh five, We're moving images could be viewed. Soon
(02:56):
projectors gave way to incredible movie making, then the Talkies,
and by nineteen thirty three, drive ins were introduced. Like sports,
movies gave all Americans and the world a way to
relax and escape reality. Together, that all came to a
screeching halt in twenty twenty when COVID hit A recent
Harris poll found that two in three people prefer to watch.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Movies at home.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Now are they watching what I'm watching? Big Stars and
kind of pathetic, half baked vehicles.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Admit it.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Charlie's Sarren and a forgettable spy thriller is not exactly
mission impossible, And is Eddie Murphy doing another reboot of
a really great film this week? It all feels disposable,
and because we aren't watching it together, it is disposable.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
It's like gum.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
It might taste good for a few minutes, but you
won't share it with your neighbor, and you'll never discuss
it tomorrow with your coworkers. We just aren't going to
movie theaters that often, and that's bad for us and
it's bad for our kids. According to Advan in twenty
twenty four, attendance at the cineplex is still thirty three
percent below twenty nineteen pre COVID levels.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Look, I get it.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
I've spoken to studio heads who say we've not had
enough consistent, high quality product, which broke the habit of
movie going. People still want to be entertained, but they
feel they can do it at home or in their
jammys or boxers. The studios have offered up mostly franchise
reboots Jurassic Park, Deadpool, Star Wars or whatever. Live action
(04:30):
remake Mess Disney is releasing this week. Little incidental question here,
how did CGI animation become live action? I'm asking for
a friend, Pinocchio, No wonder audiences are staying home only
Oppenheimer broke through the non franchise flick a few years ago.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
And Barbie, but she.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Was kind of an established franchise. Come on, every girl
had one. Here's why it matters because when we come
together with strangers and we sit in the dark and
enter the dreamland of the filmmaker's imagination, something incredible happens
up there. Nicole Kidnan even looks younger. Heartbreak feels good
in a place like this, but not when you can't
(05:12):
keep the doors open or when the guy next to
you forgot to shower. There's a crucial cultural reason that
we should go to the movies as a group. When
you're in that darken theater, you're sharing a human experience
with others. It's not some isolated thing on your phone
via earbuds, but a shared moment as one. It's almost
sacred when it works. I would argue, like sporting events,
(05:36):
we need these times together. When you're being entertained as one,
it's easier to live together as one outside the theater.
Movies can be and we're for decades a source of
cultural unity. We shared the same references, We loved and
hated the same characters. Sam Spade and Indiana Jones and
Dorothy Gail, Rhett Butler, Fredo Corleone. We all knew these
(05:59):
character It's hard to come up with any contemporary examples
with that kind of ubiquity. Wolverine aside to try to
lure people in theater, owners have now gone from Technicolor
to three D, to Imax to those damn shaking seats
that make you want to hurl your snowcaps all over
the row in front of you. Now they brought booze
(06:20):
and lazy boys in that'll only lull the audience to
sleep and make them feel they could replicate the experience
at home in loungewear or underwear. To bring back movie going,
Hollywood has to improve their product make films rides we
all want to go on together. It's important for society
(06:41):
and the civility of our kids to develop the habit
of coming together and learning as a group and being
entertained at the same time. If we want to grow
as a people and if theater owners want to fill
their chairs, they should heed the words of that great oracle,
Nicole Kidman, who once said, we make movies better.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
We'll see and that's a wrap. Okay, let's go into
the deep.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Here's a man who's been making movies better for forty years.
He's an Academy Award winning director for his Brave Heart,
and if there were any justice in the world, he
would have won Oscars for the Passion of the Christ
and Apocalypto as well. I sat down with Mel Gibson
twenty years ago on the set of The Passion, which
I can't believe, and conducted the first interview about.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
That landmark film.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Now you're going to hear about his latest movie, a
thriller called Flight Risk. It's an interview we recorded at
his house, which is coming up. But when these horrible
fires struck la in January of twenty twenty five and
he lost his home, I wanted to see how he
was doing and talk to him about the recovery. Mel
Gibson joins me. Now, Mel, thank you for being here. Mel.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
What did you think.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
When you drove up to the beautiful room People will
see in just a moment where we conducted this interview.
When you saw your neighborhood, when you saw your entire community,
what was what did you imagine or think at that time?
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Well, first, you know, I thought it was just oh deep,
bad luck, tragedy. But then I think I came to
realize that it was monumental mismanagement by our elected officials.
And that's the nicest thing you can say about it.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Yeah, I've been listening to your governor Gavin Newsom, and
he's promising LA two point zero, or reimagined Los Angeles.
He even says he has a Marshall Plan. Is that
what you and your neighbors want right now?
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Well, you know, I mean, as a citizen here news
them at bath They want us to trust him to
reimagine the city, our city, you know, in how they
think it should be. And I mean, look what they've
done so far to this town, you know, I mean,
you got nothing but rampant crime, acute homelessness, high taxes,
(08:55):
mismanagement of water, firefighters, defunding the department. And we're supposed
to trust them with millions of dollars to sort of
remake where we live. It's our city, it's the city
of the people and they have another plan, and you
know he's saying, build back better. You know this concept
is that's man that's got whiskers on it. Everybody says it.
(09:18):
And have you ever seen government build back better? I
mean there's still people from the Woolsey fire living in
trailers and stuff.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Okay, when have you seen the government build back better?
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Very very social engineering, environmental regulation and spending. That's the
last thing any of us have been burned out in
need or a bunch of bureaucrats telling us how to
rebuild our communities.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
I just think it's.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
At the very least it's insensitive.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yeah, well, I mean and with the water challenges, I mean,
the just focusing on the water mill, the reservoir that
was left empty, which is the second largest in your
community in all of the state. That alone raises such
int tense questions. And it boggles the mind that now
you have these people saying, but we should be entrusted
(10:06):
with rebuilding the future.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
You couldn't hold onto the present.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
No, They've they've done, you know, they've bungled it. I think.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
I mean, there are those who say, well, was it intentional?
Do they need to rebuild the Olympic village and clear
you know, like the cattle barrens clearing off land or
you know, I won't go that far, but it certainly was,
you know, the perfect storm of events, you know, with
no water, defunded fire department, not enough personnel, and the
(10:38):
second largest reservoir in the state, you know, to take
care of the communities of the Palisades Malibu, La County.
They should have had a backup plan, and they knew
it was coming, and they had other places where they
could pump.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
The water from and actually fill that to be ready.
They knew it was coming. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Well, look, as you know, I lost my house in Katrina.
Our family lost our house, and it was gutting and
it was awful. But you know, I came to see
it as a as a great blessing in my life
in time. I was struck. This week you did an
interview and you said in passing you see this loss
of your home as a purification.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
How so, well, it was an.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Odd mixture of sadness and kind of a weird realization
and blessing. I think because I thought, you know, they're
just things. I mean, yeah, I'm going to miss some stuff.
There was valuable stuff. There was personal stuff that just
breaks my heart, you know. But you know, I feel
(11:48):
like I'm you know, I'm being stripped down and prepared
for something else.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Now that's maybe very personal, but I feel like I
feel like.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
The Almighty is preparing me to do something big.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Well, I have to say when I when I heard that,
I thought, I wonder if this is or if you're
regarding this as a spiritual preparation.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
For the Resurrection movie you're about to embark on.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Yeah, I think that's kind of it.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
It's like, hey, look, God gives, God takes. We come
in with nothing. That's the same way we go out,
you know. And here's the deal. You'll always be okay.
If you seek first the Kingdom of.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
God, you'll always be okay.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
You'll get what you need. Look at the flowers of
the field, Look at the birds of the air. They
get fed, they get clothed. I mean, it's Matthew, I think,
but I'm a That was one of my dad's favorite passages.
He said, stop worrying about stuff, about money, about stuff.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
So you know that that's I think.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
I you know, he put that in my head when
I was very young, and it stayed and I believe it.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
You know, Yeah, well, how has your faith gotten you
through the smell? I mean, I know you're in a faith.
I know you practice your faith devotions.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
I mean what it's always a moment because people don't
understand unless you've gone through this, the geography of your life,
the daily visuals of your life are suddenly gone. It
is to me that was worse than losing the house,
mel losing the coffee shop, losing the friends, losing the
icons of my childhood that I you know that I
(13:18):
remembered that I that I reveled in every day.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Yeah, it's yeah, it's kind of an opportunity to recreate
your path.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
I mean it's a.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
You know, you gotta you've got to look at the
upside of this. I mean there's plenty of downside and
but honestly, I see it as kind of a blessing
and the purification. So, yeah, you lose, Yeah, it's going
to be murdered getting the insurance. I mean, everybody's renigging,
and you know it's going to be a real, a
(13:50):
real clusterbuster.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
But uh yeah, anyway, that's all I had. I I
uh uh, you know, I got a lot of faith.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
Yeah, not in our elected officials, no, no.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
No, but it makes you free.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
But personally it frees you in some ways from the
things you have to you've been carrying around for the
even you know, even the things you thought you needed,
you realize you don't need a whole lot.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
No, you don't do the work.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
I'll tell you a funny story. I mean, it's cold
at the moment where I'm at, and it's like this
guy calls me up. He's a friend of mine. He says, hey,
you got a warm coat. I said no, because you know,
I'm sorry. I'm just like Zelensky, but not by choice.
But he said, you got a warm coat, and I'm like, no,
I don't have a warm coat.
Speaker 5 (14:36):
And he said I got one for you. And I
feel kind of like, oh, you know, I'll gee, that's
nice of you.
Speaker 4 (14:41):
I said, is it going to fit me?
Speaker 3 (14:43):
You're six feet three inches tall and he said, no problem,
it's gonna fit you because you gave it to me
during the Woolsey fire and.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
Now I'm giving it back.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
Wow, skate, you cheapskate, mother hugger, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
Paying it forward.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Indeed, look, yeah, you know, And there's something there's something
else here I don't want to leave on the table.
You said to Joe Rogan that the timing of the
Passion sequel the resurrection of the Christ twenty years later
is perfect. Why why do you think it's perfect now?
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Mil Well?
Speaker 3 (15:22):
I think you know, the cares and the weeds and
the flower you know, they've all grown up around us
in the last twenty years to a degree where I
think society is kind of devolving somehow, and I think
we need a reminder of, you know, the most basic
things and the things that forms our civilization, you know,
(15:44):
and I think, you know, as we watch it, kind
of you know, the civilization being threatened by the various
earmarks that you know are precursors of the loss of
any civilization.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
So I believe it's it's not in my timing. I thought, Man,
it's too late. It's like twenty years. I mean, wow,
Jim's got wrinkles. What am I going to do?
Speaker 5 (16:10):
You know?
Speaker 1 (16:11):
And in a long time CG I thank goodness.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Yeah, you can do something, you know, put a little
vasseline on the lens, say Jim, turn around. He actually
actually I got to say, twenty years is not dent
Jim looks great still, so it's it's fantastic. I don't
look so good, but Jim does. But so I thought
it was like twenty twenty years maybe a bit a
(16:37):
bit too late, But I think now it's perfect because.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
And you know, and I've.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Had all these things taken and it sort of frees
me up to to not worry about that stuff and
just move ahead and.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Do what I'm being called to do.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
And I'm being called to do it. Wow, it's I
don't even know why it's the right time, but I
think you know it is.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
No, it certainly feels to feel that. Yeah, it's been
a long time coming.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
I know you've been toying with it and fighting with
it and wrestling with it for all of these twenty years.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Oh yeah, no, no, no, it's a it's a big subject
and very complex and it's taken all those years to
contemplate it, think about it, and distill it with the
help of two writers. And so it's it's it's a puzzle,
(17:37):
but I think I found a way in.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yeah, what are you hearing from your neighbors, mel going
back to this tragedy. You all find yourselves in the
midst of do they want to move on? Do they
want to stay and rebuild the community in Malibu?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
What are they? What are you hearing?
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Well, a lot of people's spirits are broken, you know,
because it's you know, it happened, and then it happened again,
and then you realize that.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
You know, you're elected leaders are not really I.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
Don't you know, you.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Don't trust them, and isn't going to happen again, And
a lot of people just want to move on.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
I mean people were already moving out of the state
in droves droves.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
They go to Texas, they go to Idaho, they go
to South Carolina and all these different places to get
away from a political and a social climate developing here
that they did not dig and they wanted to go
someplace where they felt like free Americans, you know. So
(18:37):
I think they were already leaving in droves, and I
think this is just going to people are just going to.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Say, it's too hard. It's the too hard.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Basket we were hanging on, but you know, we got
to go find something else.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
It's a lot of these middle class families, they haven't
got the.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Resources to rebuild.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
And they I mean the insurance company, you know, they
all canceled their whole things beforehand, and it's just terrible.
You know, they send drones around. Oh you haven't got
a railing on your Oh you haven't got a screen
on your window? You got Oh sorry, we're canceling your insurance.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
You know.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
It's that kind of It's this crazy thing that's going on.
And then to have you know, no resources to fight
this disaster.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
That goes on.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
I mean, the thing that struck me mal Unlike Katrino,
which was a one and done, it was over in
twenty four hours, this thing has gone on and on,
and even with the national attention, they don't seem to
have marshaled the resources or the will or or the
organization to at least stop.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
These fires and protect they're citizens.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
That's what I Chemical spills in Ohio, look at that stuff, Yeah,
what did they do? Look at all these storms over
on the East coast now, I mean, really, you know,
it's just neglect, you know. And and then of course
we're giving all our money to other other people, and
you know, and neglecting our own, you know, and giving
(20:03):
it to giving it to people come you know, illegals
coming across the border and putting them up in hotels
and giving them phones and spending billions.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
You know, it's a lack of focus on the citizenry
and the things that matter and the lasting infrastructure, which
I certainly see in New Orleans and other places I travel.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
It's just crumbling.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Look, there are thousands of people now in North Carolina,
in Florida, now in LA trying to recover from disasters
and find home again. What has this experience taught you
and what would you offer them?
Speaker 4 (20:38):
Well, I think you've got to be.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
One has to depend on one's self and one's neighbors,
and one's family and one's friends and your community in
order to and to band together and to make your
voices heard. Because it's clear and all over the country
(21:03):
that are elected officials, I don't think they give it,
damn because they're not really doing much. So it's up
to us, I think so. And it's and and you know,
put your faith in God and and kind of move forward,
I think, and and and and that's that's hard to
do when your ass is on fire.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Yeah yeah, And you and the neighborhood around.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
The neighbors, I mean, the people I've seen I may God, Oh,
you know, woman down the road she had. You know,
she's got two you know, two boys who are autistic
and she you know there they don't know what to
do without their environment, and you know, she's found a
way to some some special forces guys are doing really
(21:51):
good services and they're they're going around getting people places
to live and and and doing really good things. So
you know, it's in the community like that, and our
community needs to you know, tell government what we need
and what we want.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
And demand it happened, well, thank god to the demand. Yeah,
and look, we're praying for you, your family, all those
caught in the path of these fires melt and.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
We have much more on the other side of this.
You know, we're going to talk.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
About your upcoming film, because I do think in the
midst of tragedies like this, you need to find joy
and you need to find opportunities to come together as
a community. And your new film, Flight Risk, is a
great way to do that.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Well.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Yeah, it's kind of fun and it's it's just it's entertainment.
It's crazy, it's full of you know, thrills and spills,
and it doesn't last too long.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
You don't have to No, it's a quick ride it's
a while way.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Yeah, you're not going to get a numb You're not
going to get a numb butt in the cinema. F
I'm sitting there watching it because it's you're in and
out in ninety minutes, and it's like it's fast and
crazy and hopefully and I think it's pretty entertaining.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
Hey, it's the best I can do with no time.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Well, look, you do a fantastic job. The film is fantastic,
and we're going to talk about it on the other
side of this.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Thank you Melon.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Before we continue our conversation with Mel Gibson, I wanted
to tell you a little story about another landmark thriller
which reached the screen thanks to Mickey Mouse, some bloodshed
and copious amounts of booze, and you won't believe how
it ends. In nineteen sixty two, Alfred Hitchcock began shooting
his legendary film The Birds, his take on the Daphneed
(23:32):
Jamaria story. But as you know, a key part of
the story were those psychotic attacking birds. Hitch and Universal
Studios decided to create mechanical birds to torture Tippy Hedron
in the cast, but after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
The birds looked ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
They just didn't look real, so they hired animal trainer
Ray Berwick to wrangle live birds. Ravens and seagulls, crows
and sparrows were collected, but they were unpredictable and they
did not take direction well. The crew and actors endured
repeated bird attacks. Tippy Hedron was bloodied by the birds
and spent a week in a hospital recovering. The birds
(24:16):
were as vicious on screen as off, but Hitchcock couldn't
even get the fowls to stay still on a rooftop
during scenes, so they devised a solution.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Stay tuned or how it ends?
Speaker 1 (24:32):
So, how did Alfred Hitchcock get those twenty five thousand
live birds to cooperate on the set of The Birds?
They had attacked his actors, his crew, and they would
not stay still long enough to capture on film. Actor
Rod Taylor revealed the untold story to Hello magazine. He
said the animal trainers devised a new technique for dealing
(24:54):
with those unruly birds. The only reason those birds stayed
still was because they were Taylor said. Apparently the birds
were given feed drenched in alcohol. They tied the drunken
birds to the rooftops to keep them in place, But
what about the flying attacks? For those, Hitchcock turned to
(25:15):
an animator, ub our Works, who was nominated for an
Oscar for his Flying Birds. Our Works had a talent
for animating animals. He was also the man who, in
the nineteen twenties took a rough sketch given to him
by his employer Won Walter Disney, and transformed that sketch
(25:35):
into Mickey Mouse.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
And that's how it is.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Is Now we go back to Academy Award winning director
Mel Gibson, who just completed his own new thriller and
its escapism entertainment just when we need it most. This
is also the final interview recorded at Mel's Malibu home
before it burned down in.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Those Los Angeles fires.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
We talked about his direct total approach, the sequel to
the Passion of the Christ, and his new film, Flight Risk,
a taut thriller about a government witness being flown out
of Alaska to stand trial when really bad things begin
to happen. It stars Mark Wahlberg in a frightening performance
and is directed by mister Gibson. Buckle your seat Belts.
(26:21):
Here's a glimpse of Flight Risk.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Debetie Hairs, Daryl Booth Hope, light Flying.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
And then from the fugitive before Government witness not a
fugitive head a goo?
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Is it always this bumpy? He used to it already
is very disappointed in you and he wants you dead.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Oh right, you need a pilot White Risk.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
You think of Flight Risk as a buddy movie.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Yeah, why, Well, you know, you've got a couple of
characters who aren't necessarily It's like war. You know, you
put people together in a trench somewhere in some war,
and they don't come from the same background. They don't
even like one another. They just as soon punch each
other in the face. But you put them in an
adverse situation and they form a bond, and they form
(27:21):
a love for one another, almost better, more love for
their the guy they don't like.
Speaker 4 (27:26):
Than for themselves because of the adversity. And this is
the situation here and lethal weapon vibe.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know. John Lovett used to have
a routine on Saturday Night Live. I Love John and
he and he said he was being a film producer.
He says, you meet coaches, Yeah, you don't like him,
you hate each other. But by the end of the movie, youah, friends, you.
Speaker 4 (27:49):
Know he used to do that. Yeah, friends, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
I mean it's kind of and and you know there's
some challenges for these two and they have to work together.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Is a federal agent, the other is a witness in
a criminal against bad characters.
Speaker 4 (28:05):
Yeah, and the other guy's a psycho psychopath as played
by Mark Wahlberg.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Yeah, you're trapped with a psycho in a wooden box,
in a flying death trap.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
In Why cast Wohlburg in that character because we were
really unaccustomed to seeing him there.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
He's usually no, you.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Don't see him like that, and like, there's he's got
that in him. Mark's got the madman in him, which
is like, you know why he's done so well. I
mean there's a kind of a maverick, a kind of
a wild side the Mark, and there's and it's a
dark edge to him and which he is aware of
and which he kind of like tries to discourage. I
think he throws a few shovelfuls of dirt on that
(28:41):
demon every day and then and but it's it's, uh,
he can draw from.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
It, and he gets to take a walk and well,
that's right.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
And that's therapeutic. Yeah, I think for an actor or
for anyone.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
He's he looks very different in this movie too. I
don't know if we well we talked about it and
we've seen it in the trailer. Sure something's missing up top.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Yeah, he looks like Dennis Raider. You know, he's he's
got this.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
He's got this nude nut, you know, bald head with
like scraggly hair on it, like.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
Like that bt keg I used to have, which is
really kind of scary and uh and Mark's frightening.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
He looks kind of terrified, you know.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
He looks like that out of control little monster on
this this movie evolves. I won't give it away, but wow,
he really goes there and beyond.
Speaker 4 (29:24):
Yeah, yeah, he does.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Whose idea was the bald head? It was his.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
He came to me and he said, hey, man, I
had an idea that I said, like, I'm wearing a
rug and a hat. But then he gets knocked off
and I'm bald and I'm like, WHOA. I said, I
think that's great, but let me give me.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
Twenty four hours to sleep on it. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
I mean, this is a decision you make, you can't
undo it if you start filming it. So but I
woke up the next day and I thought, that's kind
of a genius idea.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
Yeah, parts idea.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
It just symbolically and in many other ways, it just
like resets Mark and and and resets the ca character
and it's just bizarre.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
It's another layer of fraud, yes, which I thought, yeah, wow,
not even the hair is real.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Yeah, to pay fraud, you know, I mean it's yours real, Yes,
mine's real for now, some of mine are. Yeah, well
you believe me. There's less to be real bout. But
it's what's there? Are you forming the monkey? But I
am I'm getting nil.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
Yeah, there's that camera.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
You notice I never let them shoot me from there?
Speaker 4 (30:24):
There?
Speaker 1 (30:25):
I see be good good, Mel, good Mel. How does
the actor in you? How does that change the way
you direct other actors? You were telling me about your
direction to the show in this movie.
Speaker 4 (30:38):
Oh yeah, or Michelle or Mark or anyway.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
I think I think I understand the actor's dilemma on film.
And you know, it's hard to just like turn up
and do stuff out of order.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
And and uh and and.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
It's hard to be totally self aware all the time
about how to gauge a performance. So I think it's
helpful for someone who's been there to actually help you
and be a completely objective pair of eyes to kind of.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
Help on the way.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
So you know, I have a lot of empathy for
actors and directors now, and and I think having having
you know, shouldered those responsibilities and use those tools, I'm
able better to instruct those who will have to do it.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Tell me about at one moment you had a particular
instruction to Michelle in this movie.
Speaker 4 (31:28):
Oh yeah, it's her best moment. Tell me about that. Well,
she said, what do you mean? I said, Hey, Michelle,
go Greek. Here.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
She says what I said, go Greek. I said, what
you mean, like, eat it dol made. I said no,
I says some columada olives. I said no, no, no, dispense.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
With all that.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
I just said, go Greek, tragedy, go big. And she
was like okay, and she did it and it's she
was fantastic.
Speaker 4 (31:49):
She let that cut in. Oh yeah, she's great.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Yeah, wow, it's that sensitivity. Look, I've been on a
lot of sets. Most directors are asking these actors for
a result. Give me this, Give me that you work
in a different way because you are working through an
actor's instrument, kind of find a different way in.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Yeah, and I think you can't. You know, you can't
give them wine readings and all this. You got to
you gotta use their essence. And that's why you hired
them after all, because you trust them and I trust it.
And these are three very talented people. I mean, let's
let's not goof around here. I mean they've been doing
what they've been doing for a long time. And it's
(32:29):
like with Andrew Garfield or any of these guys. You know,
you just say action cut, that's great. You are really
you know, and you let them do it. And if
they ask for help, you give it. And if if
they don't, if it's not broken, you don't fix it.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
You get out of the way. That's absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
What are the obstacles and advantages of working in a
tight space like this? This is a confined Cessna aircraft.
I don't know why you didn't shoot on a big Boeing,
but you can tell me that I'm shot on the
Boeing double wide.
Speaker 4 (32:59):
Well it was.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
It's it's kind of like it's more immediate, it's more claustrophobic,
not that I think claustrophoby is a great thing for
an audience, but it does have moments that really open
it up. So you're not I don't think you're not
on the plane very long. It's only eighty five minutes.
It's a fast, tight thriller.
Speaker 4 (33:16):
But I think I don't know the space.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
Just wanted it to be that, And I chose a
Cessna two eight because that was big enough to be
able to swing in cat or a dead mouse in
but like and get cameras and stuff in there and
do all that, but small enough to be confined and
believable as.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
A bush plane in Alaska.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
And those planes are indeed bush planes that are like
a FedEx plane, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, a Cessna
two o eight, you know, with the T cross wings and.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
You and you're shot in an actual Cessna or the
remnant of one.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
We shot on the remnants of a of a real Cessna.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Yeah, so you know, like you adjusted, well, yeah, you
had four and a half feet high by five feet
seven wide with chairs and people and camera.
Speaker 4 (33:58):
Guys and so you're in there pretty tight.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
But I was fascinated by the volume wall you used
in this, which is kind of new technology. You shot
all of this in a warehouse.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
Most of it in aware, some of it out on
your locations, like I had an airstrip and.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Yeah, all the opening close in the movie, but the
heart of the movie you're really shooting in a in
a one room. But it looks like you're flying over Alaska.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
Oh my god, Dad, you've got you think you're over
the vastness of the Alaskan Alps and this tundra of
wilderness that's kind of scary and intimidating. And you see
it on film and you don't need to do rotoscoping
or green or blue screen any of that stuff.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
It's real looking.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
And that had to be all shot beforehand.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
I shot those people, I shot the plates beforehand.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
I got in a helicopter with a camera that looks
like a COVID virus. It has like the three sixty
degree like things sticking out all around it takes This is.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
The old Disney magic carpet routine. Disney used to do
a ride coll in the sixties. Walt Disney devised that
technology home from the bottom of a helicopter. It had
multiple cameras and it was it was playing around you
in the round. Oh, people coming, and it gave you
the feeling that you were flying over things. Okay, that's
really what your volume wall is. That's it.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
I think technologically it's quite advanced now. I mean the
image is like wow, unbelieve it's photo.
Speaker 3 (35:10):
Reel and you put it up there and it moves,
and the actors were getting like, oh, give.
Speaker 4 (35:15):
Me a bucket.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
But so you had to shoot all the drops and
the nose dives and all that on that helicopter before
you ever got to principal.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
We got all that stuff, and not all Some of
them were a few other tricks you can do. And
you know, I won't tell you anything. I'm like Colonel
Sando keeping the recipe in my breast pocket.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
I don't blame you.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
But you know he's dead now, so well I won't
bry any of them out of the bucket.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
I worked for that. I work for the colonel. I
starved under the Corey many times.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
Oh yeah, are at the old KFC. I'm a veteran. Yeah,
I got wounds. I got you a purple heart.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
You know, I think that's I think that's your cardiologist.
Tell me about the casting here? Why these three principal actors.
You have lots of other actors. Why these three actors.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
Are wonder and that's all there is to it. They're
just incredibly accomplished, talented performers and.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
They kind of fit.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
The archetype of what we needed to achieve here now,
you know. And sometimes you'll pluck somebody like Mark who
you don't usually associate with this kind of role, but man,
he was able to just deliver credible Michelle, of course,
is like the queen of subtlety and and can convey
so much with just the movement of the eye. I
(36:29):
was just kind of blown away. And Tofer has this
insane timing. He's really Yeah, he's funny, you know.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
And they're all funny.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
They all have their little weird, little humorous moments, so
and they understand that, all of them. So they kind
of and were able to work that timing amongst themselves,
most of them.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
And you even cast your Vegas driver in one role,
which I don't know I can tell people about the role,
but it's pretty incredible, you know that the driver ended
up making it into the final cut.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
He was amazing, This guy from from Bulgaria who used
to drive. He drove my car and I said, dude,
you ever been on film?
Speaker 4 (37:04):
And he went, no, sir. I'm like, what where are
you from? And from Bulgaria, from Sofia, you know.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
And I'm like, okay, hey, you want to be in
and he said, oh yeah, I do, you know?
Speaker 4 (37:16):
And he looked great.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
He's he's got this amazing kind of presence. So I thought,
I'm going to use it.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
And it worked. Oh yeah, it works. You know exactly
who he is as soon as you see.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
In fact, you know, the first time I saw him,
I said, I don't know if I want to drive
with this guy. But he's the nicest guy on earth,
you know. But he looks tough. Wow, he looks tough.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
Tell me about Steven Rosenbloom.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
Who have you've worked with before? Sure? Braveheart, brave heart.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
He was my editor and he's the editor on this too,
And he does not mess around. He is a very
experienced editor, and he knows how to make a good
piece of entertainment and how to slice and dice it
just the way we all want it, you know.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
So he's he's it's a treat to work with.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Stut do you just hand him the script and you're
and your cut? Would you give him notes let's watch it?
Or he does a cut?
Speaker 4 (38:04):
I give it to.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
Him, and I say, here, what can you make out
of this? You know, you make a silk purse out
of this? Sal's ear here, help me out here, buddy.
And he goes away and I leave him to his
own devices, and he invariably comes up with something great
and a lot of stuff I didn't even expect, and
I thought, wow, I didn't even know I shot that,
you know, and he's using things that I'm like, whoa so?
(38:25):
And then we get together and really kind of work
as a team and like you know, chip away, like
the old Michelangelo kind of film.
Speaker 4 (38:32):
Ed it?
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Did you cut this movie down in the edit? Uh?
Speaker 4 (38:36):
It's pretty much. Has you got it much? We were
trying to like, we need more time and this is
so fast.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
We actually did cut it down, yes, because whenever it
looked like it was like not moving, or if there
wasn't a beat that was furthering action plot, or wasn't
just a laugh in some sense or interesting in some.
Speaker 4 (38:58):
Respect, we would.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
Deviate from it and try and exclude it so that
what we had was kind of that you never get
a chance to get let down.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
You're just kind of like watching the whole time.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
There's something I see in all your films, and whether
it's look and these are some of these things are
frankly challenges that no other director would undertake or has undertaken.
When you look at Apocalypto, when you look at the
passion of the Christ, when you look at this project,
you direct from the audience point of view YouTube.
Speaker 4 (39:31):
Yeah, that's an essential part. I am an audience.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
Member first when I'm directing, And what do I want
to see? When I'm sitting in a dark room public
dreaming with like four hundred other people or whatever it
happens to be.
Speaker 4 (39:43):
Even two other people, what do I want?
Speaker 3 (39:45):
And you have to cater to the need of the
man in the dark room watching your dream, you know,
and having a dream with everybody else.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
And who can you drag in? Who can you affect?
Speaker 1 (39:59):
And there are a lot of directors to say no, no, no,
I write for me, I direct for me, I direct
for my vision.
Speaker 3 (40:07):
Yeah, well that's partially true, I guess, because I mean, look,
it's undeniable. If whoever directs a film, they leave their mark. Yeah,
of course, so they are there and their sensibilities are there.
So in a sense that's true, but you cannot exclude.
If you're a chef and you're cooking a great meal,
(40:28):
you don't just need it yourself and say five stars.
Speaker 4 (40:31):
You gotta share it with.
Speaker 3 (40:33):
A bunch of hungry people who can then give you
feedback on it.
Speaker 4 (40:38):
You feed them, they feedback.
Speaker 3 (40:39):
If they feedback, you're in trouble. Yeah, but it's a
bit like any art. It is to be shared, and
it is.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
To be but it's meant to be consumed by others.
It's not your little pet product. That's why I know
so many of these things are inaccessible.
Speaker 4 (40:53):
Well a lot of them are. I mean, if you
make a film for an elite, you know.
Speaker 3 (40:59):
It needs to work for as brought an audience as possible.
Speaker 1 (41:03):
So tell me about Tell me about you related the
story of Braveheart, which I had not heard. How you
came to that project. Well, yeah, tell me about that
how because you this was not you had read the
script earlier and casked on it, thinking it.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
Yes, but I liked it and it was it was
an acting offer, and I thought, oh wow.
Speaker 4 (41:23):
You know, I read it and I was busy doing.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
A bunch of stuff, and you know, I was in
my mid thirties and I was seriously busy at that.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:31):
Yeah, it was like I couldn't you know, oh you know,
I was turning things down and giving other people shots yep.
Speaker 4 (41:38):
And and I, uh, I sort of just I read it.
I liked it, but I thought, no, not for me.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
I don't think I can pull off the man. And
I killed you know thing, and then I sort of
walked away and did a bunch of other stuff, and
somebody said, well, what you know, what do you want
to do next?
Speaker 4 (41:57):
I said, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
Man, I read this thing a couple of years years back.
I thought it was pretty good, and it kind of
it has some really big themes and and he said,
oh really, what was it? So I told him the story.
And but when I told him the story, I was like,
I was saying, non, you got this low angle here
with the guy doing.
Speaker 4 (42:16):
You know, And it was like I was almost like
a shooting script. You were dreaming at your head.
Speaker 3 (42:21):
And I realized that I had been thinking about this,
like in my wee hours before you go to sleep
at night. How would I fill that with that you know,
you know, low angle on the horse hoofs with the
you know and all.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
This kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
And I was constructing images in my head that sort
of like excited me. And and uh, and I said
to the guy, said that sounds amazing. And then we
got the script and it was Randy's script and it
was still as good as it was. And I thought, wow,
I think I need to direct this is because I
just want to shepherd what we see and how we
see it in up here.
Speaker 4 (42:53):
Yeah, what I constructed over the time.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
And then I said, and I had directed a small film,
so I put my toe in the water and and
so I I thought, let's try it on a bigger
scale here. And I said, Alan Ladd Junior, God rest
his soul. He's gone now. But he was a good dude.
You could never understand what he said. He was he mumbled,
(43:17):
and so it was like, you know, you go, what
what what? And he always has said something smart. He
was a smart guy. He just had this kind of
mumbling thing. And so he used to have a gag.
I used to say, well, you know, Alan Ladd Junior
told me one time.
Speaker 4 (43:32):
Yeah, so.
Speaker 3 (43:35):
And I even told Laddie that joke. So you know,
he cleared it with him. Yeah, he was a sweet
old guy. He's gone now, he's gone to he's gone
to Gallan.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
He had the he was at MGM at the time.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
He was at MGM uh and he I think he
got the Golden handshake over there they get, which means
like get out of here, buddy.
Speaker 4 (43:54):
And uh.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
He said, Okay, I'm leaving, but all right, but I'm
taking I'm taking two scripts with me. And he took
two scripts from MGM u A. He took The Brady
Bunch Yeah and Braveheart.
Speaker 4 (44:08):
He only wanted to be title. Yeah, that must have
been at the top of the get to c ord.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
So when I reconnected with the project, when I realized
I wanted to direct.
Speaker 1 (44:17):
It, I.
Speaker 3 (44:19):
Found out that it was at a different studio. It
had gone from MGM to param Paramount. He moved to Paramount.
He moved to Paramount, and so I and I said, Laddie,
you know, I've only done this once before, but I
want to direct it.
Speaker 4 (44:33):
And he said I don't know, And I said, great,
we got a deal, right. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:40):
So it was fantastic and one of the best, I
mean hard so funny, you know, seven days a week
sometimes what was the pre production on that snappy. It
was like as soon as I said, can I direct?
He said, I don't have a problem with that. I said, great,
let's go. Ten weeks of pre production on this is
lightning for any film, but on that, oh, my goodness.
Speaker 4 (45:02):
An epic.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
I mean all the just the people you have to move,
my gosh, that's incredible.
Speaker 3 (45:07):
Well, I was fortunate and I had a really good
production team, you know, and and we were able to
go over and find what.
Speaker 4 (45:13):
We needed in Europe.
Speaker 3 (45:15):
Ireland was very helpful with not only tax credits, but
there resources and they bend over backwards and for and
forth but to and extended a hand, and we were
able to shoot it in Scotland, you know, and Ireland
and and get and get, and the UK really really
(45:38):
put out for a surprise.
Speaker 1 (45:39):
I guess I'd forgotten. It didn't pop at the box
office when it first emerged.
Speaker 4 (45:45):
It wasn't a huge box office on the screen. It
wasn't on the big screen.
Speaker 3 (45:49):
I think it made like seventy five million or something,
which was not really okay, uh and uh, but We're
really did good.
Speaker 4 (45:58):
Was on VHS. It went crazy on that won a
bunch of Academy Awards.
Speaker 3 (46:02):
After it once, you know, one of you know, all
these Academy Awards, and then and then went big on BHS.
So hey, it came in, It slid, it slid into
Home played. Eventually it holds up. It's still a classic.
Speaker 4 (46:15):
Yeah, it holds up.
Speaker 3 (46:16):
It inspired a lot of other films because the battle
epic had been buying large abandoned, you know, with Charlie Neston,
you know, you know, l Sid or Spartacus or back
in the fifties, and then we kind of resurrected the
whole the big genre battle epic with that film. And
then of course Ridley and Tony saw it. Ridley and
Tony's saw they were like, whoa nobody does?
Speaker 4 (46:37):
And it was like oh, and I was flattered. They
called me about it. They were like wow.
Speaker 3 (46:41):
And then you know, it spawned things like Troy and
Gladiator and all the series of most good and some
good films, you know, and and and so you know,
it kind of brought those things back. Now, I think,
you know, you got to cool it on those things now.
But maybe there's a yeah, there's another.
Speaker 4 (46:57):
One or two left.
Speaker 3 (46:58):
There's a couple of big story out there that that
would really resonate.
Speaker 1 (47:03):
Tell me about the viral you've released, these little viral
moments around flight risk kind of tie one of them
ties to Brave Heart.
Speaker 4 (47:10):
Yeah, yeah, what's what were.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
You trying to do with these?
Speaker 4 (47:13):
Well?
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Look, it was so it was so much fun to
work on. You know, it was fun to shoot with
these actors and stuff. And I just felt like, you know,
what we got was a little odd and a little
quirky and off to the side a little bit, but
still fast and entertaining. And I thought, you know, hey,
let's just keep the spirit of this thing going. And
(47:34):
I just wanted to kind of goof on it.
Speaker 4 (47:36):
Yeah, and you know, and and and.
Speaker 3 (47:39):
And let the audience know that, hey, don't take this
too seriously. This is just a nice thrill ride, a
fast piece of entertainment.
Speaker 1 (47:47):
It's a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun.
And and and you are on the edge of your
seat and going, oh my, I mean, you don't hear
people gasp this way theater. It's very often to tell
me about the resurrection before we run out of time.
Obvious one of the great master works of your life. Yeah, sure,
And career people have been waiting for this movie for.
Speaker 4 (48:06):
A long time. Yeah, like twenty years or so.
Speaker 3 (48:10):
It'll be about it'll be even longer by the time
it actually makes it.
Speaker 4 (48:14):
And I'm not sure when that is.
Speaker 3 (48:16):
I know, I'm my focus now is on that. I'm
in a pre production mode. It's it's complex and it
took a long time. It's like it's like labor pains,
you know, it's like giving like birth to this to
this creation that's got to be.
Speaker 4 (48:34):
You know, all working parts. And it's been a long labor.
Speaker 1 (48:39):
And you told me last time we talked, this isn't
just Jesus rises acts of the apostles. It's much more complex.
Speaker 3 (48:47):
Well, yes, because you have to ask the essential question
of you know, in our existence, why why are the
big realms of good and evil? And they exist, they're
as real as we are. Why are these realms slugging
it out for the souls of the hearts and souls
(49:08):
of mankind?
Speaker 4 (49:10):
Why are we the meat in that sandwich? Little old us,
flawed us, imperfect us? Why why is that about us?
And I'm trying to answer that question. I don't know
if I can.
Speaker 3 (49:24):
I've attempted, and maybe with God's help and with image
and with sound, and music.
Speaker 4 (49:32):
We can deliver on.
Speaker 3 (49:36):
Some answers to some of those massive questions, these existential questions.
Speaker 4 (49:42):
I can't wait to see it. Yeah, that's pretty crazy.
Speaker 1 (49:46):
In the meantime, we'll go to flight risk. Yeah, why
not go to flight risks?
Speaker 4 (49:51):
How fun?
Speaker 1 (49:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (49:53):
Yeah, you don't want to you don't want to be
going down on that not that one.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
No, I'd like to. I'll be in the freight downstairs.
I'd rather not be with Wahlberg and company.
Speaker 4 (50:01):
Yeah. Two, I'm afraid.
Speaker 1 (50:02):
Yeah, Okay, here's the hole.
Speaker 2 (50:07):
The takeaway.
Speaker 1 (50:08):
Whatever you do, do it for others, whether you're an
artist or a teacher, or a mechanic or a stay
at home parent. The thing that struck me about that
conversation was your gifts are for others. They should be
our focus. In Mel's case, the audience is always front
and center, and Mel reminds me every time I see
him keep the humor in the forefront. I would argue
(50:31):
it's one of his superpowers on screen or otherwise. He
uses comedy to drive the drama and the thrills. Alfred
Hitchcock once said suspense doesn't have any value if it's
not balanced by humor.
Speaker 2 (50:46):
Neither does life. I hope you enjoyed the show come
back next time.
Speaker 1 (50:51):
As I'm going to recall on every episode, why live
a dry, narrow, constricted life when if you fill it
with good things, it can flow into to a broad,
thriving Arroyo Grande. I'm raiming Arroyo. Make sure you subscribe
and like this episode. Thanks for diving in, and we'll
see you next time. Arroyo Grande is produced in partnership
(51:15):
with iHeart Podcasts and is available on the iHeartRadio app
or wherever you get your podcasts
Host
Raymond Arroyo
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