Cheryl Hines: The Emu
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And so we begin. First of all, is it a green screen or is that your actual room you're in? Because it looks really good. This is my actual room. But you can't tell anymore, though. Like when you do zooms with people. And they throw up like everybody lives in a mansion now. You can be whoever you want to be, wherever you want to be. I know. It's perfect. Isn't it lovely? Hi, everybody. It's me, Rob Lowe. Where are you? Are you on a treadmill? Are you on a walk? Are you on the subway? Are you eating a salad on your lunch break?

Wherever you are, it's time to buckle in for Ms. Cheryl Hines, one of the smartest, most beautiful, hilarious people that I know. Just one of the great folks. I got to work with her once. It wasn't long enough for my liking. Hope to do it again. And we're going to have a wild, free-ranging conversation. And I know you're excited, but try to curb your enthusiasm. Cheryl Hines.

So your husband, every year I would get a phone call, every year, and it'd be, it's me. Can you come skiing? Yeah. And he has the, are the ski events still happening? No. It's sad. They were the best. They were legendary. You know, my brother got lost. Do you know that story? No. My brother, Chad Lowe, had to be rescued.

On the... In one of your husband's ski things where he and a bunch of people skied under a rope, which they shouldn't have done. Okay. But there were ski tracks. So while people were doing it and he was looking for fresh powder or whatever... Oh, no. Ended up in chest-deep snow in the middle of nowhere. That is crazy. And it was sort of headlines. Actors rescued. Yeah.

People love headlines like that when actors do stupid things and it's like, oh, fancy pants just got arrested for shoplifting. And it's like, all right, settle down. It was a, you know, $10 shirt. Do you have any good celebrity ski stories? How many of those did you get on? Did you do? I did several. And the thing was is, you know, he would organize it so it would be,

they would show it on TV. Yes. So we would have these ski races. And so I'm not a good skier. And when he started inviting me to these, I was like, well, I said, you know, I'm not a good skier. And he's like, that's fine. And then I got there and he said, okay, so you'll be racing against, you know, Marcia Gay Harden. I'm like, okay, I...

I can't race. Like, I'm not, I can barely get down the hill. And he's like, no, no, you'll be great. So I did it, you know, to be a good sport. I would lose every race. And then one year he said, oh, you're going to have to race. And it was somebody else. I can't remember who. Another woman.

great actress. And I was like, well, I can barely get down the mountain. I'm definitely not going to be a good competitor. It's not good television. No. And it was basically like, that's why we need you to make her look good. And I'm like,

Oh, my God. You've been using me for years, knowing that I would humiliate myself to make some other actress look amazing. He's a cagey, wily man. Cagey. It reminds me of Battle of the Network Stars. Yes.

It was amazing. It was so fun to watch. And you couldn't believe all those people were in the same place at the same time. And they were swimming and running in the tug of war. Oh, the tug of war was always shot like right at the end. And it was a big deal. People were really serious about it. But, you know, the problem with... Because I would love to do it again, is there were three networks. That was it. Right. And the stars actually...

Yeah. So today you would have to be like, you would need Jason Sudeikis from Ted Lasso. Right. And you would need, you know... Larry David from HBO. Larry David from HBO. He'd be a ringer at any event. He's competitive. In that. So competitive. Have you golfed with him? I have golfed with him, as a matter of fact.

We were golfing. I haven't in a long time, but one time we had this, this wrap party golf tournament and I was with Larry and Jeff and there, there was a putt that was impossible for him to make. And we had been betting all along, you know, and I said, I said, if you make this putt, I will give you a thousand dollars. And, and I'm telling you, there was no way he could have made the putt.

And they were watching it, and he hits it. It sort of loops around, and then it goes into the hole. And I was like, oh, my God. I just lost $1,000. So when we had a lunch break, we started shooting the next day or whatever. I stood up, and I said, I lost a bet to Larry. He won this fair and square, and I gave him a check for $1,000. And he said—

If you tell everybody I am the greatest golfer that ever lived and that you are embarrassed you ever doubted it, I'll let you rip up the check. That's a good deal. Could I have everyone's attention? Larry David is the best golfer who ever lived. Yeah. But I've become obsessed with golf as well. And there's like,

You always wonder, like, what other, like, celebrities can actually golf. But he apparently is one of them. Well, to hear you tell that he is one. But you've been bribed to say it, so I'm not sure. Yeah, I was bribed to say it. I was bribed. But Ray Romano is also a good golfer. You ever play with Ray? Ray is great. Chris O'Donnell is actually the guy. Really? Because not only does Chris O'Donnell...

But he somehow gets into all of the fancy clubs that don't let actors in, that don't let other people in. We didn't know that there were clubs that didn't let actors in. Oh. I don't know why that makes me laugh. How about this? LA Country Club. LA Country Club. No actors. No actors? Nope. No actors. None. No show business people, period. Oh, come on. Not kidding. Yeah.

Because they don't want the headache. They don't want the attention. That is so funny. Oh, yeah. And there's a great, a famous story that the only person who was ever let in was Randolph Scott back in the 20s and 30s. And somebody said to him, hey, you got into this club. How did you do it? You're an actor. And he said, have you seen my movies? Yeah.

Actor's a stretch. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. I didn't know there was such a thing that existed. That's so funny. I bet people love to hear that. Oh. Yeah. I mean, because to be honest, and let's be honest for the first time, Rob. Let's try it.

You know, actors get a lot of advantages that most people... We get so much free swag. We do. Yeah, most people don't get, and it's not fair. It's not fair. I mean, listen, I was so poor when I started out, when I lived here. I was so poor, I didn't even have a refrigerator. How did you keep things cool? I didn't. Well, I didn't have one, and...

And then my mother sent me like a little mini fridge. That was helpful. Like a wet bar thing. Huh? Like a wet bar situation, like a mini bar situation. Yeah, like a little tiny, yeah. And so I just, I didn't have any money. And then when you, you know, when I started reaching like some success, that's when people give you stuff. It's like, oh my God. Not when you need it. Not when you're struggling. Where were you when I didn't have shampoo? Yeah.

That's right. And I had to steal it from the gym. I didn't say that. Oh. I did steal it from the gym. My favorite thing I just read about you is that one of your earliest jobs was playing Janet Leigh's psycho character at Universal Studios. Is this true? Yeah.

It's so true. My God, it's amazing. Walk me through a day's work at Universal Studios. You're a young actress. And what we do as young actors and young actors, period, is we take any job we can get to get experience. I was so happy to get that job. There were thousands of actors that auditioned for Universal Studios at the time because they were...

They were putting in these live shows in Orlando, and one of them— Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on, hang on. Yeah. So you're in Tallahassee? Yeah. Well, now I'm in Orlando. I'm finishing my education at University of Central Florida. Mm-hmm.

So I really, you know, I majored in television production and minored in theater. So I was really ready. Ready. I was ready. Totally. And I auditioned for this and I got the part. So... What's the audition? Wait, wait, wait. Oh. What's the audition? The audition... With a knife in your hand? It started out with a cattle call. Mm-hmm.

We were given numbers, like when you run a marathon, and they pin a number to your shirt. We were given numbers like that pinned to our shirts. It was at a high school theater. They lined us up 10 at a time on the stage, and then they said, one by one, step forward and tell us what you had for breakfast. Okay. And it was interesting because at the time, we were all like...

I was going to say like squid games. That's a little severe. But it was like, oh my God, what's the answer? What's the right answer? Right. You know, because we thought they were asking us.

And, but that of course wasn't really the exercise. The exercise was, it was such a cattle call that it really invited people from all walks of life who have had zero experience on stage or in acting. So you would have people, even standing there, you could probably eliminate some people just by how uncomfortable. Yeah. So then to step forward and then some people would be like, my name's Doris. Yeah.

And I had cereal. And they're like, okay, Doris, thank you. You can go. Amazing. So one by one we... Wait, did you also have people who didn't even bother to go to the microphone and went, I had one! Of course. You know. You know, Rob, there was like the spectrum of people. Yeah.

Amazing. And the people that were so happy to be there, like you're saying, like, this is my chance to perform in front of people. Well, I got up this morning.

And I had some eggs. Oh, Jesus. I would be like, you can leave too. You're also invited to leave. Yeah. So that was our first round. So they eliminate people and then they would say, number 762, you can stay. Number 320, you can stay. And then...

And then they gave us scripts and they had us go back on stage one by one. Do you remember what the scripts were for? No, I couldn't tell you. But we had to do like- Death of a Salesman. Midsummer Night's Dream. They were very serious. Yeah. I feel all the time like a cat on a hot tin roof. It was just, we just had to read a monologue, cold read a monologue. Mm-hmm.

And they eliminated people from that process. And then from there, they said, okay, you'll be hearing from us or not. And then I got called back in to read a scene with the casting director. And then on another day, I got called back in to read this scene for...

The Janet Leigh role from Psycho. So they recreated the psycho shower scene. I bet they did. I bet they did. And I don't know who thought of this show, but they had a... I can tell you a dude did. A man is the answer. I can promise you it was a dude. It was a dude. Also a dude who designed the bodysuit that we wore. Dude. In the shower. Dude. Dude. Because the first time...

The bodysuit got wet. It was see-through. Yes. So then... Yes. Yes. That is correct, sir. A lady had to step in and say, hey, guys, maybe a lining? And they were like, ugh, okay. So we would have to, about 12 times a day, I would put on my bodysuit, like a one. And I was like...

You know, it had legs, like leggings, and then like tank top, but like a bodysuit. Nude colored to make it look like we were nude. And wear a wig that looked like Janet Leigh's hair.

And then we would sit around in the trailer. There were three of us that would work every shift. And we'd just sit around in our wigs and bathrobes backstage. And smoke. And smoke, talk on the phone. How come I don't have more auditions? And then we would go out. I'm up for the Fantastics at the Guthrie. What about you? And then we'd go out and oddly enough to the show,

They asked for a volunteer from the audience, and then they gave that guy a rubber knife. No, they did not. I'm telling you they did. And they would say, don't get close to the actress. But stab her. Just pretend like you're stabbing her, because that's what we're showing the audience, is the knife never even got close to the actress, but in our minds, we think we saw it. Oh, yeah.

And then we go out there and then turn on the shower and then I get stabbed. Welcome to show business. I was so happy to have that job. Welcome to the dream factory. Oh, man. I was living the dream. And then you come to L.A. and then you get a job working for Rob Reiner? Yeah. That's so great. Yeah. It was amazing. I was...

bartending at this hotel downtown at the Intercontinental. And it just happened that a friend of a friend was working for somebody and knew that Rob, that they were looking for someone part-time to help organize Rob Reiner's birthday party because he was having this big party and they needed, you know, somebody to run errands and do stuff. Yeah.

And I, so I, they asked me if I was interested. I was like, oh my God, I would love to do that. So I could do that during the day and then bartend at night. So I started doing that and I just love him and I love his wife, Michelle. And I mean, it was a crazy job. Don't get me wrong. Rob has had so, such an amazingly diverse career. I know. What sort of movie moment in Rob's filmography are we talking here?

Oh, this was The Story of Us. Yep. Got it. Yeah, with Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer. Yep. But yeah, so Rob, you know, if people don't know, he directed When Harry Met Sally. A Few Good Men. A Few Good Men, Spinal Tap. American President. I mean, those are all three. Oh, Stand By Me. Stand By Me. But, you know, I wasn't... I was the person who was...

driving around town, you know, picking up croissants and shower curtains. He wasn't like asking me for my advice on how to set up a shot. Yeah, yeah, you weren't helping him with the third act. No, I wasn't helping him break story. Break story? Did you break off a writer's room with him?

Yeah. Hey, Rob, I've got a great idea for act three. But this is like people always ask me, you know, what my son or my daughter or whatever wants to get into show business. And I say, you never know how it's going to go. It's true. And any, any, even getting cupcakes for Rob Reiner's birthday party is a good thing. It is. It is. Because, you know, this sounds ridiculous, but when Rob was working on that film, I

I was supposed to bring his lunch to him at Paramount Studios, and they were watching dailies in the theater. And just to—I mean, I felt—

So fancy having a drive-on at Paramount. Right. You know, in my Toyota Tercel. And I was like, Cheryl Hines, I think you're expecting me. Amazing. But just to have the experience of driving on to a studio, parking, figuring out where this theater is, and then also...

And I always find this amazing about this business. I find it so interesting that people can sort of make themselves invisible. You know, when you're shooting something, when they say action, everybody in the room just freezes quietly, calmly, and it amazes me. And I learned how to do that just like they're watching dailies. This is important news.

I don't want to disturb them. I'm going to find my way to be invisible yet do my job, but also take it all in because it's not about me delivering the melon balls. It's about what's on the screen. First of all, the fact that you saw Daily is projected in a movie theater. I know. It's like they don't do that anymore. No, I know. Those days are over. Those days are over. But like you're saying, it's like who knew –

Who knew that was going to be my day? And then one of the times I was setting up his trailer and Bruce Willis and Rob came in. So now I'm like setting up the trailers.

trailers are pretty small. And I'm like, I remember because I was putting silverware in the drawers, but I was trying to do it so quietly. Amazing. And I'm like gently placing it. What were they saying? What was they talking about? They were talking about lunch and what they wanted to eat. And I was listening to every word.

God darn it. It's exciting. I know. I'm so excited for more gossip. Something else. Those two talking. I am also, I have a very nice little research on you. And apparently you, like, I just did Celebrity Family Feud. You did Celebrity Family Feud and you won. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Was Steve Harvey the host? Yeah. And you did it? Yeah. We were playing against Niecy Nash and her family. It was very competitive. Yes. Whew.

Very competitive. Did you win? Here's the thing. There are, yes, and there are, I'm sure people who could do this. I think we may be the only family that has ever won, gone all the way and won everything without ever touching anything.

the buzzer. Oh, really? And I'm not talking about being late on the buzzer. Right. I'm talking about not ever touching it. It's like the other team would buzz in and then they'd get them wrong, wrong, wrong, and then go to you and you'd steal. But, yes, but at one point, I played the great actor Terrence Howard and his family. Uh-huh. At one point, they were up 247 to nothing. Oh, no. The producers... Oh, no. Yeah, we couldn't get anything right. And the producers came over to us and I could see that kind of

Like, this is bad TV, guys. This is bad TV, guys. Nobody wants... People are tuning out. Get one. And they're like, so just take it easy and, you know, just have fun out there, you know? Just have, just, you know, I mean, just kind of relax and you guys can just have fun out there. And I realized, oh, we're screwing this whole show up. But we came back and won from the dead.

Like, had like three do or dies. Were they so mad? Terrence Howard did not know what hit him. He did not know what hit him. You guys, so you really took that note, just have fun, and you really took it. Well, the best was my kids are like, have...

like Ivy League educations. And so they thought this was just going to be a... Oh, yeah. You have a Duke and a law degree in Stanford. And we thought, here, we're going to run this. We got this. They were the worst. I love my children. That can be a problem. They were the worst. No, it can be a problem when you're overthinking it because it's like...

You know, out of 100 people, how many people said, what's the best television show on TV? Keeping up with the Kardashians. That's what it is. Yeah, that's what it is. And you're like, oh, I thought it was all in the family. I was trying to think of like what. It's like, no, no. Stop thinking. Stop thinking.

It's a problem. Yeah. It was not, but I love that you did it. I had so much fun. I had so much fun. And then I did it again with Kevin Nealon. Oh, one of my favorite people ever. I acted like I was part of his family. See, Terrence Howard had that too. He had fake family on there. And I...

That was my problem. I should add fake family. Yeah, you didn't know that was possible. I didn't. I didn't add fake family either. Listen, I'm from the Midwest. I'm like, if you give me a direction, I follow it. Yeah, same. It's called family feud. Yes, keep it in the family. Yes. I mean, did I think my mom was going to be ringer?

No. And she was. There's always a star that you don't expect. She was. She did. She did very well. And we were shocked. So great. Well, she's, you know, Florida Panhandle, man. She knows what's what. Florida Panhandle. She can turn it on when she needs to. Florida Panhandle. Those are some strong roots. Those are strong roots. Now, when RFK Jr. was courting you, he did not get you in, what is it, an emu? He did not. Yes. That's not true. No.

It is true. Actually, he didn't get it from me, though. He got it from my daughter, Kat, Catherine. And, you know, at the time I was living in Bel Air and I was like, it was small. It was like, you know, 10 inches tall. I thought emus were huge. Well, and then it grew into like six feet tall. Oh, my gosh. So it really turned out to be a problem. Yeah. Yeah, because, I mean...

First of all, emus are not the friendliest animals. Why an emu? I have no idea. That's such a good question. I don't know. Did he have a spare one?

Is it a re-gift? Was it a re-gift? No, I think he went out of his way. I have no idea. You know what's weird? Until this moment, I've never thought to ask him why. This is why people come on my show, for the probing questions like this. Figure out their life. That's right. Well, this emu was so big and awful, it only liked Bobby. The emu only liked Bobby. So anybody else that came near it, it would come at you and it would...

Peck you. And, you know, they have very strong legs. I mean, they could kick you and really hurt you. And it got to the point where I would have to walk around my backyard with a shovel because the thing would chase me.

And I remember one morning, I was like, I was drinking my coffee. It was like 8 in the morning. I've got the shovel in one hand, drinking my coffee. And I thought, is today the day I start out like killing my emu, the family pet? This might be how my day starts. Could be. And then I finally said to him, I was like, you know, I can't. I can't. The emu has got to go. And he said, oh, all you have to do is say something. I said, I can't.

For a year. And he goes, oh, I thought you were kidding. I said, I know. It sounds like a joke because I'm telling you that the emu is annoying. That sounds funny, but it's really not. It sounds like you've made it up. It sounds like a joke, but it wasn't. It wasn't. What happened to the emu? It's a sad tale. Well, it was fine for a while. We gave it to somebody who had like a ranch in Malibu and the emu was very happy. And I heard...

That there was a mountain lion incident. Mm, eaten. Circle of life. It's a circle of life. It happens. Circle of life. It's nature. You can't stop it. An emu. I mean, it's better than me killing it with a shovel at eight in the morning. Yeah. Don't you think? That's the TMZ headline you want to see. Ha ha ha ha.

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All set for your flight? Yep. I've got everything I need. Eye mask, neck pillow, T-Mobile, headphones. Wait, T-Mobile? You bet. Free in-flight Wi-Fi. 15% off all Hilton brands. I'll never go anywhere without T-Mobile. Same goes for my water bottle, chewing gum, nail clippers. Okay, I'm going to leave you to it. Find out how you can experience travel better at T-Mobile.com slash travel.

Qualifying plan required. Wi-Fi were available on select U.S. airlines. Deposit and Hilton Honors membership required for 15% discount. Terms and conditions apply. Did you have, you had fun on Brothers and Sisters, right? I had so much fun. We had fun. You played Calista Flockhart, my wife on the show's campaign manager, if I'm not mistaken. Yes. That was so, right? And, you know, we, looking back on that cast,

The great Sally Field, double Oscar winner, legend. Matthew Rhys. Love him. Went on to star in The Americans. Yeah. Rachel Griffiths, you know, amazing. I mean, Dave Annabelle, Balthazar Getty. Was Danny Glover on any of your episodes? No. He played my campaign manager. That's what it was. So I didn't really have any scenes with him. But did you like doing that show? I did. I loved it until the network...

Yeah. Right. Yeah.

So it was like a very different trajectory for my character. And that part I didn't love so much. But when it was in its original concept, it was awesome. You know what I remember about that? I remember driving up and it was pretty early. I felt like it was pretty early already. And I looked over and one of the cars had a wetsuit on top of it. And I was like, what?

What is happening here? What's going on? They go, oh, that's Rob's. He goes surfing before he comes here. And I was like, that can't be true. How early do you get up in the morning? I'm not, by the way, I'm not a Dawn Patrol surfer by nature. I am not. And so I don't really do that. So that would have been, you know, if I had a, you know, a later call, like if I was, if I had to be on the set at one.

I would come on my way in or something like that. Or oftentimes on my way home, too. But that's not my jam. It's not? No. No, because then you're getting up at what? Five in the morning? Yeah. I can do it for skiing. For skiing, I can do it. You could? I do it all the time. I'm always the first one up. You know what I don't like about both of those sports? I don't like being responsible for my own equipment.

Like, it's a hassle. It's carrying your skis and carrying a surfboard, carrying... It's just so... I'm exhausted by the time I get there. Will you carry your own baseball mitt from the car to a baseball field if you needed to? If I have to, although I'm not good at softball and I played... I lettered in it.

in high school and would get yelled out a lot for sitting on my glove in the field. That's not good. How do you let her and sit on your glove at the same time? Well, here's how you do it. Because I have a sister who's two years older than me. Her name is Becky. We call her Dr. Becky Hines because she is Dr. Becky Hines. But she was a great athlete and she was a great softball player. And she said, Cheryl,

You know, when I got to Leon High, she said, if you don't want to take PE, just sign up for the softball team. You're so bad, you'll never have to play. And I was like, that's a great idea. I signed up. I was so bad, I never had to play. I was on the bench. One of the girls on our team had a baby, and I would hold the baby. On the field? She had a baby on the field? In the eighth inning. Okay.

She had her baby that she would bring. So I would just, I would be in charge of the baby for the game, which I loved. And I was in charge of, you know, the chants and all of the cheering. Yes. So I had a, I did very well, right? I was a nice part of the team. And then the second, my sophomore year, I told my friends, I said, oh my God, if you guys want to have the best time of your life,

Sign up for softball. You'll be so bad. You'll never have to play. You'll just hold babies on the bench. And so my friends signed up, and now there were too many girls. So they divided the teams into varsity and junior varsity. And my friends and I all had to play. And we were the worst team.

There was a 10-run rule. Like if the other team was ahead by 10 runs, they would call it. And that's how every game ended for us. But they gave me a letter for that. I mean, so yeah, I was on the starting string of the JV team. Now, when you were at Groundlings, were you on the JV squad? Because doesn't Groundlings have...

By the way, Groundlings is the great comedy improv troupe that many, many, many, many, many, many stars were found. Stars. Don't they have an A squad and a B squad or no? Well, so the Groundlings Theater, they have, you know, you have to go through all of this training. You have to go through all these levels. And then they have the main company, like the main...

company is always only 30 members. I didn't know it was that much. 30 members for the main company? I thought it was less. Wow. Wow.

Well, there are less that perform there, but because some people, you know, you work really hard to get into the main company. You have to be invited into the main company. And then and only then can you perform on Friday and Saturday nights at the Groundlings. Do you have a Groundlings memory that sticks out for you? Like, was there anybody who came in the audience that you were like, oh, well, first of all, did Lauren ever come to the audience, Michaels, to scout you guys? No, no.

No, but there were definitely scouts. I mean, a lot of my friends, I never got to audition for SNL, but a lot of my friends did. And a lot of my friends, even from my group, went on to go to SNL. Like Will Forte and Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy. She was like right behind me. So we had a lot of people from the Groundlings go in. But yes, there were so many people.

People that would come to the show. I mean, Rob Reiner and his wife would come every time there was a new show opening, which was amazing. Did you point to him and go, I gave you melon balls?

I mean, exactly. And Carol Burnett came one time and Martin Shore. I mean, it was just like a long list of people and you knew they were out there and it was terrifying and exciting at the same time. Even John Kennedy Jr. came because he was friends with one of our castmates. And you said, oh, hey, y'all. One of these days.

Yeah. Did you get hired on Curb because they knew you had the improv background? Yeah. The director had seen me in a show. Who's the director?

The director was Bob Whitey. Yeah, Whitey. He's an amazing director. He's amazing, and he does a lot of great documentaries. So Bob knew that I had the improv background, and he had seen me in a show and invited me to audition, which was amazing. Why do people assume that you and Larry David are married? Well, because when it started, I mean, one of the reasons I was cast was—

Because I was an unknown actress. So he didn't want to cast somebody that people already knew, right? He wanted people to think, oh, this must be Larry's wife. Real wife. Right. I've never seen her before. And, you know, and even that first episode, like Jerry Seinfeld was on and people knew that was really Jerry Seinfeld. Right. Yeah, yeah. That's right. That makes sense. Richard Lewis. So it worked to my advantage. I had never worked. Oh.

And then Larry had had a problem on Seinfeld with a guy actually named George Costanza. I think he sued Larry. This could all be...

wrong, but I think it's right. And so Larry, the day that I started shooting, he said, what's your name going to be? Can it just be Cheryl? Because I don't want to get into another argument with somebody because he was like, I just picked, randomly picked George Costanza. And then this guy, George Costanza, thinks that I based this character on him, but it's based on me. And now I'm having to prove that I based the George character on me. But anyway, so he was like, can we just use your name?

So then they used my name and then, but it was Cheryl David. So if I had married Larry. You would be? My name would be Cheryl David. That's amazing. It's such a great show. And I loved how, I mean, it's been on the air and off the air for, it feels like 20 years now. It has. It has. It has been 20 years. Jesus. It's crazy. I can remember watching that show on TVs that are obsolete now.

Honestly. No, how about like setting our VCRs? I think I might've, I remember TiVo-ing that show. TiVo-ing, because we had an episode about a TiVo. Blip, blip.

I loved TiVo. Oh, my God. But I feel like you were also on right after The Sopranos. Am I not? Am I? Yes. See, so that was heaven for me. And Sex and the City. We were between The Sopranos and Sex and the City. And I remember when Curb started, I was living in a one-bedroom, rent-controlled apartment in West Hollywood. And I jammed all my friends in so we could watch it. And one of my friends was like...

Um, shouldn't you be living in a nicer place than this? You're on HBO. I was like, well, yeah, I'm in debt. I'm trying to pay off my bills. Oh, my God. I...

That was the golden, truly, I mean, there was nothing like that. Was it Sunday nights? Yes, Sunday nights. Those Sunday nights with Sopranos. The Sopranos. And I've never been a Sex and the City person. I appreciate it. And I love the cast. I know all those ladies and they're great. But that was never my jam. But man, when Sopranos came on and then you guys, and it's like the perfect...

Like, you'd never think those shows together would make any sense. Right. But, like, after Sopranos, you were sated. You were done. Yeah. You're like, yes, that was great. And now. Just one little thing. This little trifle. Yeah. It feels like a trifle, but clearly isn't. I mean, it's clear how hard you guys work on that show. No, but it's true because it's like the Sopranos, I mean, sometimes was really heavy. You know, sometimes you would, the show would end and you were like, oh, my God.

And now for something funny. Where did that music come from? Do we know? I don't know. It's the most genius. It's iconic. I don't know. I know. I don't know why Jerry, I don't know why he chose that music. I mean, Larry, I don't know why he loved it. He likes weird, you know, it's like a circus. It's literally circus music.

At Ashley, you'll find colorful furniture that brings your home to life. Ashley makes it easier than ever to express your personal style with an array of looks in fun trending hues to choose from, from earth tones to vibrant colors to calming blues and greens. Ashley has pieces for every room in the house in the season's most sought after shades. A more colorful life starts at Ashley. Shop in store online today. Ashley, for the love of home.

All set for your flight? Yep. I've got everything I need. Eye mask, neck pillow, T-Mobile, headphones. Wait, T-Mobile? You bet. Free in-flight Wi-Fi. 15% off all Hilton brands. I'll never go anywhere without T-Mobile. Same goes for my water bottle, chewing gum, nail clippers. Okay, I'm going to leave you to it. Find out how you can experience travel better at T-Mobile.com slash travel. ♪

Qualifying plan required. Wi-Fi were available on select U.S. airlines. Deposit and Hilton Honors membership required for 15% discount. Terms and conditions apply. Do you have a favorite curb moment? A favorite curb joke? Favorite curb scene? If an alien came down and said, what is this curb you're enthusiastic you are talking about? What would you show them?

Well, there is, there was a really funny moment. I mean, of course, a lot of funny moments, but Larry had written, you know, he doesn't write the dialogue, but he writes what happens in a scene. And we were getting married again, renewing our vows. And he was like, well, let's hear your vows. You know, and I was reading them and I said, so we'll be together for all eternity. And he's like, all eternity? What? I said, for all eternity. And he goes, oh, uh.

I thought, I always thought I would be single in eternity. I was like, excuse me? He's like, I just thought, you know, I'm doing this now. And then I'm just, when I get there, I'm

think I want to be single. It's like, so amazing, but it's really hard and it's hard not to laugh because you can't, if you laugh, you ruin that moment, you know? And again, all the great comedies is, I think, I mean, look, there are some comedies that, that are team efforts, but the ones that stand the test of time are from the mind of one person. Yeah. Like a singular voice. Singular voice. And that, that, the idea and point of view behind that joke. Oh,

Oh, it's not a joke. It isn't a joke. No, it's not a joke. I'm sure he's thought about it. It's real. Right. And it's not a joke in the sense of like no one's getting up at the at the at a at a and working that into their best man speech after they hear it. Right. Right. Yeah. There's not a set up and a premise and a punchline. It's just a funny it's a it's a funny way of thinking. Right. It's just it's just like, aren't we funny people? Right.

And not necessarily in a good way. Yeah. And Larry is, I've met him a couple of times, and he is exactly who you think he is. Yes. I feel like what you get on screen maybe is dialed up a smidge. Maybe? Mm-hmm. Like, he's that guy. Oh, he is that guy. And so it's like you run into him at one of these things and everybody's like, hey, what are you doing? Hey, Larry, how you doing? Good. Good.

Yep. That's it. That's all you're getting. You're not getting anything else. That's it. You're not getting nothing. I had this, a serious, there was a serious health crisis in my family and I went home to make sure they were okay. I came back, I was on the set.

And Larry pulls me aside and he's like, how are you doing? I said, oh, thank you for asking. I'm fine. How's your nephew? I said, he's much better out of the hospital. He's doing really well. And he said, okay. I mean, do you want me to keep asking you questions? I can, but it sounds like things are fine.

But if you want more questions, I can do that. It's amazing. I was like, no, no, you covered it. He's like, okay. I mean, cause I am, I'm here. If you want, I said, no, no, no, we've covered it.

It's just the best. Yeah, it's the best. It's the best. But then, yes, if that was on Curb, of course, you know, Susie Green would be outraged that he would be able to drop it so quickly, you know. But he knows that that's what's funny about him. But it's also what's true about him. You know what I mean? Well, and it goes back to what we said about auditioning and stuff. It's that's who he is authentically. Like, everybody's special and everybody's different. Everybody in this world. Everybody. So if you can figure out what it is about you,

that's different and lead with that and be that and commit to it, then you're... And by the way, if you can't do that, you're never going to be anywhere, first of all. Right. No, you'll just sort of be in the middle of the herd. Yeah. You're just going to be sort of following and getting by and...

But you know what's interesting? Talking about the groundlings, my first teacher there was Lisa Kudrow. Wow. This is how long ago it was. It was before Friends. But I remember watching her, and she was so funny and smart and just had a different...

you know, point of view, but clearly she knew what was funny about her. She knows what's funny about how people perceive her, even though that's not like she's no Phoebe. She's a very smart person. So I was watching her and just thinking, oh, when she went into Friends, she was that

part of her when she went in. Like you're saying, the director didn't say, hey, do that funny thing that you do, because they don't know you. So you make a choice, you do the funny thing that you do, and if that doesn't work, they say, can you try something else?

But it was such a good lesson for me because until then I had thought, oh, be on your best behavior at an audition. Like be a blank canvas and let them tell you. No. But that's not really what people want. It's definitely not. In any circumstance. But that is what inexperienced actors think. Yeah. And it's not what people want. No. It's like that great line about Steve Jobs. He knew what you wanted before you did.

Yeah. And that's the kind of mindset you got to go in there with. I've had Lisa on too. She's a lovely, she's one of my favorites. She's so smart, so funny. I know. She's so funny and just so, you know, she's one of those, this is also one of the things that you learn in improv is to trust yourself, which sounds, you know,

Like, just be yourself. But like, trust yourself is such a good lesson when you actually learn it because trust

You start to trust, oh, whatever I do, it might not be the right thing, but it's not going to be the wrong thing. Well, it's not going to be awful. It's not going to be awful. Right, because I'm doing it. I've made a decision to do it. So it's like you trust yourself that you're going to try something. You're going to commit 100%. And if they don't like it, life isn't going to end. Right.

It's not that you're never going to work again. You might have tanked one audition if they hated it and they don't want to see something else, and that's okay. Life will go on and you gave it your best. I may have told this story before, and if I have peeps listening, just forgive me. I'm eventually going to be that old man that tells the same stories over and over, and this may be the first one. But I've heard a story about an audition. It may be apocryphal. I think it's probably true. It's Ted Levine.

for Silence of the Lambs for Buffalo Bill. And he auditions. He puts the lotion on his body and then it puts it in the basket, whatever, whatever. Great. And they're like, thank you, Ted. We'll call you. Thank you. Right. He walks out and he gets right to the door and he goes, I did have one other instinct, maybe. And everybody's like, well, by all means, please. He steps out.

Closes the door. When he opens the door, he's naked. Oh, no. With his penis tucked between his leg. Like, would you fuck me? I'd fuck me. Doing that famous thing from the... And they're like, yeah, he's the guy. Wow. He's the guy. I mean, talk about... So, right. That's trusting yourself. That is trusting yourself. And that is like...

This is either they're either going to love it or hate it. And I'm going to be OK either way. That's right. I mean, can you imagine? I mean, I don't know if that story is true. I've heard it enough times. I bet it's true. It's the best audition story that has ever been. Do you know Jeremy Sisto? Yeah, of course. And I like that I tell Jeremy's story, but and I hope he doesn't mind.

But he auditioned for Wanderlust. You know, there's a character in there that's always naked. Yes. And Jeremy told me that he made the choice to take off all of his clothes before he went in. So at the end of the hallway, he took off his clothes, walked in, and they were just like, he said he could see the look of horror on their face, like, what? What?

Amazing. Happening. And he did the audition. He said, and at that point, I was too far in. I didn't even have my clothes with me. I don't know why I took them off. Oh, my God. I'm having like the... I'm having that... The sweaty... I'm having the flop sweat. Flop sweat. And he said, and I couldn't... What could I do? He said, my clothes were already down the hallway. I feel like I've had that nightmare. Oh, me too. I feel like that's a nightmare I've had. I'm like, Jeremy...

He's like, needless to say, I didn't get it. So in this case, Rob, so we have two actors that totally committed 100%. And it can go both ways. It can go both ways. But see, Sisto turned out just fine. He's like, kills it in everything he does, and he's amazing. But maybe it was... It puts the lotion in whatever the hell that line is. His at least was... Tucked. So maybe that... The tuck and that crazy dance...

You can't unsee it once you see it. - That's the thing is that's, you know that there's no writer in the world, however brilliant, that wrote that. That's how you find out, by the way, if you're out there, someone go to AFI and pull the script up and see if it's in the screen direction. But here's the thing about doing that I've noticed, which is interesting, is did you know that there's the script you shoot with

And now, after the movie is out, they go back and they write. Yes. And put it all in. Yeah. So you don't really ever get a chance to go, I wonder if that was ad lib. Right. Which is such a bummer. I know. It's really a bummer. I want the script they shot when I go to a library. Yeah. Do you go to a library? I don't. Do I? No.

Do I look like the kind of man that's pulling up my minivan? Can I tell you, when they started trying to teach me about the Dewey Decimal System was about the time they went. You checked out. I don't like numbers at all. I don't like numbers either. And by the way, that was a very complicated system. Could they have made it any more complicated? No. The Dewey Decimal? It had like .273 or something. You're like, what? Who came up with that? It's horrible. It's the worst. How about just...

books in categories, and then alphabetize them. Why not do that? And by the way, why are there 12 inches in a foot? Why didn't they just stop at 10? It would have been so much easier. The whole thing. Let's just start over. You and I are going to start our own... World. Measuring system.

Heinz World. Thank you for coming. You were so lovely. Lovely. Lovely. Thank you, darling. Thank you so much. Thank you, baby. That was great. I'll see you soon. Yeah, for sure. So, yeah, bye. Okay. Bye, Rob. My enthusiasm is bubbling over. It's roiling out of me like lava on the big island. That's what my enthusiasm is doing after spending time with just the delightful. Delightful, right? Don't you think?

So cool. Cheryl Hines. I want to see more of her. And we will at some point. I see the light is flashing on the answering machine here in the studio. What? 75 messages. Oh, my God. We got to get to it. All right. I'm going to listen to some of these lowdown lines. Here we go. Hello. You've reached literally in our lowdown line where you can get the lowdown on all things about me, Rob Lowe. 323-570-4551.

So have at it. Here's the beep. Hi, Rob Lowe. My name is Sarah Newman. I'm calling from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was so curious. One of my favorite shows of all time was The Grinder, and I can't even tell you how disappointed I was when it was not picked up for a second season. The writing, the delivery, the chemistry between you and Fred Savage, I just thought it was electric. So what I'd love to learn is when...

things like that happen, how does Rob Lowe process rejection and overcome to learn lessons and move on? Thank you so much for your podcast. I am absolutely loving it. I can't get enough of it. Thanks for everything that you do. I appreciate your talent and I can't wait to hear what you have to say. Take care.

Wow, Sarah, thank you so much for that. I so appreciate it. And you're right. That was that like rocked my world when the grinder didn't get picked up because with all possible humility, I have to say, I think the show's genius. I loved it. I would put the grinder up there with any comedy ever made. I really mean that. And I'm not trying to be like an egomaniac or anything. I mean, it's I just loved the show. I loved it. And I

You know, I have all these theories that really it's a streaming show that should have been on a streamer. And if it had been on Netflix or Hulu or Amazon or Apple, it would still be going on today. For sure it would. But it was a little too weird for network. But I do have total appreciation that they put it on in the first place. I couldn't believe that Fox put it on to begin with.

So I was really grateful that we got to do 22 of them and we have 22 episodes and, you know, I'm a, I'm a positive person. You asked me how I deal with rejection. I think it was wired that way to be a glasses half full guy. So my takeaway is we got to do it and there are 22 of them and they're there forever and you can watch them on Hulu or you can find them and they're not going anywhere. If we'd have made this show 10 years ago,

you wouldn't be able to find it. But now in the world that we live in, things live forever.

And when you make something bad, that's the bad news. But when you make something good, it's the good news. And I love The Grinder. And if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It is, I love Parks and Recreation. Obviously, I do a podcast about it. I love it. The Grinder's my favorite comedy I've ever been in, period. So thank you for that. And again, resilience, dealing with rejection, everybody deals with it. And, you know, it doesn't matter who you are, what you are,

what your life circumstances is, everybody does. Everybody deals with rejection. And part of the comfort is knowing that and knowing that, you know, you're not alone. Everybody has it. The stakes may be different in different people's lives, but it doesn't make it any easier. And I think that having a positive outlook and not grousing about it, not being a victim, there's a lot of victim stuff in the culture. I am not a fan at all. I think that

To the extent that you take responsibility for your own stuff, good and bad, is to the extent that you're empowered to move forward. And if I sat around and went, the network screwed me. That was a great show and they canceled it. Boo, network. Then I would end up being at the mercy of the network. But instead, I'm empowering myself by not doing that. So...

So that's sort of what I try to tell people who ask me and tell my kids, and I hope that that made some sense. So thank you all for listening, and I'll see you next week on our little podcast, Literally. It's me, Rob Lowe, saying goodbye.

You have been listening to Literally with Rob Lowe, produced and engineered by me, Rob Schulte. Our coordinating producer is Lisa Berm. The podcast is executive produced by Rob Lowe for Low Profile, Jeff Ross, Adam Sachs, and Joanna Solitaroff at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson at Stitcher.

Our talent bookers are Gina Batista, Paula Davis, and Britt Kahn. And music is by Deventory Bryant. Make sure to leave us a rating and review, and we'll see you next week on Literally with Rob Lowe. This has been a Team Coco production in association with Stitcher.

At Ashley, you'll find colorful furniture that brings your home to life. Ashley makes it easier than ever to express your personal style with an array of looks in fun trending hues to choose from, from earth tones to vibrant colors to calming blues and greens. Ashley has pieces for every room in the house in the season's most sought after shades. A more colorful life starts at Ashley. Shop in store online today. Ashley, for the love of home.

All set for your flight? Yep. I've got everything I need. Eye mask, neck pillow, T-Mobile, headphones. Wait, T-Mobile? You bet. Free in-flight Wi-Fi. 15% off all Hilton brands. I'll never go anywhere without T-Mobile. Same goes for my water bottle, chewing gum, nail clippers. Okay, I'm going to leave you to it. Find out how you can experience travel better at T-Mobile.com slash travel. ♪

Qualifying plan required. Wi-Fi were available on select U.S. airlines. Deposit and Hilton Honors membership required for 15% discount terms and conditions apply.