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Yes.
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Um The not a I'm not this is not a bit. Yeah. a comedy bit I'm doing.
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Hey, what's going on and happy Thanksgiving everybody for First We Feast.
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I'm Sean Evans and you're watching Hot Ones.
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It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.
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And today we're joined by Rob Lowe.
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He's an actor, producer, and director who in his 40-year long career has touched everything from timeless films to Emmy Award record-breaking TV shows.
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He's also releasing new podcast episodes of Literally with Rob Lowe as well as Parks and Recollection, a Parks and Rec recap series alongside Alan Yang.
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And don't forget to check out 9-1-1 Lone Star, which returns to Fox on January 3rd.
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Rob Lowe, welcome to the show. Thank you.
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I'm really I'm I'm very hungry.
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And I'm curious, how are you around spicy food?
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I know that you like sinus-clearing salsas. I do.
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I like I like all sinus-clearing foods. Um I'm a sweater. You should know that. We'll find out. a medical condition. I don't think.
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So like if it it's it's I'm one step away from that scene on Broadcast News when I get really hot, so that could happen.
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Um but here's a little inside baseball.
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We're shooting this very early in the morning. Mhm.
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This will for sure be the earliest I've ever had spicy food like this. For sure.
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Is there a referee that comes in and goes you didn't eat enough? Just the people.
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You know, just the people. Just the vox populi. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I didn't come here. Oh, go ahead. Guess what? Guess what?
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That's not nothing to start with. No.
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That's not nothing at all.
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So, between literally with Rob Lowe and Parks and Recollection, you've done a deep dive into the world of podcasting, and I appreciate how you really know how to give the audience what they want from famous people talking to famous people. Thank you.
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How Now that you're on the other side of the interview table, what is your general approach to hosting these kinds of conversations?
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Well, I grew grew up when you could go on talk shows, and they they were an exploratory exercise, right?
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And people could crush, or they could flame out.
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But, what they weren't were these robots who were came out publicizing the latest Marvel movie soundbite-driven hack fest, which is what That's why you're so successful and why this world is so fun, because you can't survive this without revealing yourself.
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And so, my my whole thing on my show is just two people talking, and you forget you're being interviewed, and then the audience feels like they've had dinner with you and got to observe it. That's my way to do it.
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The other thing I do is I never ask I'm not interested in like the obvious stuff that they've been asked 5,000 times.
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There's a sweetness involved. It's good, though.
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I'm approaching DJ Khaled area, am I not?
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Yeah, you're flirting with the the Mendoza line, the Khaled line here that we have in the three spot.
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So, in your book Love Life, you make an interesting point about how James Gandolfini was able to humanize a monster in Tony Soprano by his use of, as you put it, one of the most difficult actor tricks of all time, eating food on camera.
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Why do you think it's important for the audience to actually see Tony Soprano wolfing down a submarine sandwich while planning out a hit? Two reasons. One is you don't see it.
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Like, one of my favorite games when I watch anything is to watch actors fake eat.
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Like if something's boring and my wife is watching it and I don't want to I'll entertain myself by trying to find actors fake eating and it happens all the time.
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They'll cut to them and they'll be like this.
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They'll literally look like this and they'll be and like you cut to me That's the thing about it.
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You got to have You didn't They didn't eat.
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They acted like they ate.
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What you never see is this. Nourish it.
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Um the reason is you're shooting the scene from 70 different angles that if you were to do that you would be literally ill.
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But the other thing is that it it does humanize you.
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It's like there are things that we all do.
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So anytime you can do that the audience relates to you.
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And um and he was the best.
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His whole character for me was predicated on just eating like a slob.
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And it's one of the great great performances of all time I think. Huffs. A very jaunty chapeau. Yes.
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There will be blood the movie. There might be water. There will be water.
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Yeah, there there will be water.
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I'm looking forward to it.
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So you have the privilege of working alongside generations of best in class comedy minds from Lorne Michaels to Farley and Spade to Mike and Dana to Amy Poehler and That's kind of just off the top of my head.
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Why is your comedy North Star?
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If I pitch something to my wife and she doesn't like it, I do it. Oh yes.
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First of all, I thought you were I thought you were just saying that I didn't know that was a quote of mine and I was like, yes!
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I feel exactly the same way.
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My You're like, that sounds smart.
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Whoever said that is a genius.
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My wife's a comedy idiot. That's amazing. How did that work out?
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And by the way, and I say this on my podcast, I can say anything cuz my wife has no interest at all in anything I do.
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So, like she's not going to see this and be mad at me.
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How did you say that I don't know anything about comedy? It's good to go.
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We can just go after her.
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Um part of it is she loves me so much that she doesn't want me to look like a fool.
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And if you're not willing to look like a fool in comedy, you might as well not even bother.
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And like the more of an idiot that I can look like, the more I like it.
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And you know, like when I did the Comedy Central Roast, right?
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I went to her and said, "Hey, they they want to roast me in Comedy Central this year."
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She's like, "You can't do like that.
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You'll You'll look like an idiot to the nation."
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I said, "Honey, that That ship has sailed."
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But she sat there and she sucked it up and I had the time of my life.
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I had the best time of my life being roasted. Like I can take it. I love it. Well said, Rob.
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Are you ready to move on here to the next wing? Yes, Los Calientes. Speaks for itself. Yes, it does. Literally. Works literally. Literally.
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This very much is like earthquakes.
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We go You go and it goes, "Is there more? Is Is this a big one?"
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One of my favorite stories that I've ever read about anyone that I'm interviewing is when you heard that your show, The Lion's Den, was going to get canceled by the network, you worked to rewrite the ending to be as absurd as possible.
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When you look back on that, do you think of it as an act of artistic expression or an act of rebellion? Both. 100%.
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It was like you know, and the show was a I mean, a good version I thought, but a very network programmer heroic young lawyer who's [ __ ] the system.
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We turned him into a literal psychopathic murderer who'd been murdering people secretly throughout the entire show that you'd already watched.
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And in the last episode, Kyle Chandler comes in as I'm eating dinner and I take the steak knife and I stab him to death.
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Open up the window and commit suicide by jumping off and the end of series.
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It was a John Grisham as it started and then it was Stanley Kubrick as it ended.
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And the studio hated the show so much that they like great, sounds great.
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Like didn't say one thing.
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We told them what we were going to do.
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Um those those those episodes never aired. Right.
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But every once in a while um I'll get somebody from like Lithuania who'd be like my family love stabbing the Kyle Chandler.
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That that was the worst Lithuanian accent. But you get the point.
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Um somewhere in Eastern Eastern European block countries that aired.
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You did a deep dive in the book. I'm very impressed.
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Without a viva la revolution. I don't want to jinx it. Talk about it. I don't want Bless you. It's absolute. I don't want to jinx it. I don't want to jinx it.
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All right Rob, we have a recurring segment on our show called explain that Graham where we do a deep dive on our guest Instagram, pull interesting pictures that need more context.
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And for you on today the Thanksgiving special Your eyes are watering, sir. You know what? I'm not immune to it. I've done this a lot.
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I've done this a lot, but they get to me the same way.
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They get to me the same way. clean? watering? No, not at all. Not at all.
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What was your most memorable run-in with wildlife while filming Holiday in the Wild on location in Africa? Oh, the the elephants.
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We filmed with wild African elephants.
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That's why we went to Africa.
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We didn't want trained elephants because Kristin Davis, who is my co-star, is a big elephant activist. Doesn't believe in it.
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So they're super dangerous.
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People get killed by elephants all the time.
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And I can remember there's a scene where we go take a picnic by a lake and the elephants come out of the out of the bush.
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We had to wait until they would naturally do that, which we knew it would be at certain time of day, but we had to be ready.
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And then we all got out of the cars, and we were the only ones let out, and everybody else had guns.
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And so we were surrounded by guns in case something went wrong, and it was just the two of us as 60 elephants came out of the the brush, and you know, if they charged you, you got to hope these guys can shoot straight.
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And you saw the giraffes fight.
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First day in South Africa, I immediately go out on a long run, and I turn the corner, and this is what I saw.
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I'm tired, I'm sweaty, I'm running, and these two excuse me, little [ __ ] are going Look at them.
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Look Look and they are going ham.
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And I never knew that giraffes fought, and I certainly didn't know that they fought with such violence. And I ran off.
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I was I was filming cuz I it was so incredible, but I was also like, dude, you should just get out.
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Are you ready to move on here?
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This is the uh Senior Lechuga here in the sixth spot.
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Lechu- What What I Seen Senior Lechuga? Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah, it's coming.
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Clearly this is like post halftime. Yeah.
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You've changed the game at halftime the game plan was changed. It was.
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And now it's a much more aggressive sort of full court press here.
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Yeah, I need to adjust my game. Yeah.
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Can I make the adjustment and win?
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So, when Anthony Mackie was on the show, he had some thoughtful things to say about why he believes the second and third leads are often times the best characters, which reminded me of your quote, "The best part is not the biggest, but the one that's most memorable."
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What is it that you love about doing scenes in which you only have one line?
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Well, on The West Wing, there would be times when I would be in a seven-page scene, and it would come to the end, and I would my line would be, "Thank you, Mr. President." That was it.
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For fans of the show, John Spencer said that a lot, and and I always admired him because no one could do more with, "Thank you, Mr.
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President" than John Spencer.
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He could make "Thank you, Mr.
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President" mean "I love you."
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"I don't agree with you."
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He could make it mean, "I'm angry with you."
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He could make it mean, "I'm not going to do that."
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And that's a very specific thing.
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And and I love seeing performances where actors have one line.
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There's a There's one that comes off the top of my head in um Inglourious Basterds.
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They execute the Nazi, and right as they're about to execute him with the baseball bat, they go, "You got a medal on you. What is it for?" He says, "Valor." And they kill him.
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It's one one line, "Valor." Crushes it.
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And I And I love finding those performances. Oh, boy. All right.
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Yeah, it's Okay, we're definitely in the area where like I'd be like, "These are too hot." Yeah. You and me both. You and me both.
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Now, I'm like, I might be like, "I'm not I'm not eating this." Not for me. It's not for me. Yeah, it's coming. It's coming. Mhm. It's in my hair.
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Soon it will be on my forehead.
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And soon it will be pouring for America to see. There will be water. There will be water. BE WATER. I'VE ABANDONED MY WATER.
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THAT'S A DEEP DIVE OF A MOVIE.
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IS IT true that the cow-tipping scene in Tommy Boy came about with you regaling the movie's writers with tales of that time-honored Midwestern tradition of tipping cows? 100%.
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So, I'll never forget I was playing tennis with Lauren, and he says, went, I have an idea for a movie for you and Farley." I said, "What is it?"
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He goes, "It's the two of you as brothers." And that was it. There was nothing more.
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And then, 6 months later, there's a script.
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I thought they should go cow tip because it was Midwestern.
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I remember that was a thing that drunk high school people did.
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They thought it was complete [ __ ] They thought it was not a real thing.
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And people who know, know. It's It's a thing.
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And then, is there any truth to the internet rumor that Madeleine Albright once crashed the set of West Wing at 3:00 in the morning in a robe to accost you guys for not for being too loud and for not having a Secretary of State character?
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Okay, first of all, it's conflating many different urban True. Okay, yes.
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Madeleine Albright absolutely came to the set very, very late.
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We're shooting at the Kennedy Center.
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She wanted to meet everybody.
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And she was the sitting Secretary of State. We're like, uh okay. There's that.
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Then there is the I was in the White House with Bill Clinton and was summoned to the National Security Director's office.
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Who was a really gnarly, like, tough, bare-knuckle dude, um named Sandy Berger. He's like, "Sorkin."
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And I'm thinking, "Oh, I'm [ __ ] This is got to be about like my taxes."
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And he was like, "Why isn't there a National Security Advisor in your show?"
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So I was like, "This is what this guy's thinking?"
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In the middle of the day? Well, I'm sweating.
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I don't know if you can see it, but I'm like, You promised water and there's water.
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If this were a regular show, I would be like, "Come powder me." We can offer that, Rob. No, no. I'm How about this? treatment. this?
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Cuz we're so I can see the end zone. Yep. I can see it. Yep.
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I might eat the whole thing. Oh, did you hear that? Did you hear that? THAT WAS AMAZING.
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That was our producer Don going like my gosh, Don't do it. Oh my god. That was awesome.
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And now I'm rethinking it.
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Is it time to take the jacket off? It might be jacket time. Come back in. Woah, it's all Oh, bro. It's all hot sauce.
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There's That's a crazy one. That's a crazy one. The [ __ ] is happening?
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It was like, "Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine. Kill you."
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Milk Milk's a good idea after that one. But we'll rumble. We'll rumble.
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It It can't get any hotter than that, right? Yeah. No, you're right.
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I think that that's maximum levels. That's maximum levels.
16:29
How do you think that your career in Hollywood shaped you as a junior high basketball coach?
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I read that you draw inspiration from iconic sports movies like Rudy to inspire players at halftime.
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The No, this I'm not This is not a bit. Yeah. a comedy bit I'm doing. Yeah.
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If there's If there's there's talking to be done, there's only this way to do it. Mhm. This is not a bit.
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I'm honestly not doing a bit.
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I I think that hot uh I I think that uh sport uh halftime speeches are The amount of water coming off is insane.
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Are are are like a part of acting's Mount Rushmore.
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There's Kurt Russell in Miracle, there's Hoosiers, there's Rudy.
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I was a coach for my son's teams and I was very much like always trying to give them the rah-rah speeches like that.
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They They were too young to care.
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They They were not interested. This is hot.
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We're almost ready to go to the next one cuz it can't get any worse. Right. Can't it?
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That's true and and you've you've It's scorched earth in your mouth, you know, so it's impossible.
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What's amazing is it keeps coming in waves. Yeah.
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Like first it blisters Mhm. your tongue.
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Then it closes up your throat.
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Then your eyeballs pop out. Right.
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And and then your tears ejaculate.
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That's a good way of putting it.
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I'll keep an eye out on this side of the table. This is unbelievable. Okay.
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Okay, I I think we can go to the next one.
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This next one is Hellfire's Crankt.
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We are almost to the finish line. Wait a minute. Yeah. Oh dude. [ __ ] is happening? Yeah, I took two bites. There you go. Don't say that. I was trying to fight.
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And maybe after the last one a little bit. But you got to chill. You just got to chill. Zen out. You got to chill. You got to. Just got to relax. Feel the vibe. Relax the spice. Mind over matter. you rip. Coverage drip.
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So, I know that Sasquatch has long been a topic of fascination for you ever since you saw The Legend of Boggy Creek as a child.
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And then in 2017 with your sons Matthew and John Owen, you did the Low Files for A&E where you continued to hunt for Bigfoot and other sorts of unsolved curiosities.
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When you go on an adventure to find Bigfoot, do you rely on resources or maps of any kind?
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Or is it one of those things where you just pack some supplies and walk out into the woods?
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you got to know where you can't just you have to fish where the fish are.
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And my thing is I don't know if any of it is real or not, but I will say that being curious about it and believe in and it makes it more fun.
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Like I I don't want to be shut off to that.
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Like dude, Scooby-Doo and Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown are my two favorite shows ever.
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So, the Low Files was that show in a blender. Right.
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It was literally us going to places, eating stupid food, and looking for creatures.
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And the fact that A&E bankrolled it was one of the great great things.
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I could have done it for 100 years.
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Well, what a win in your career, Rob Lowe. Yes. Yes. Uh-oh, what's happening?
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You're shaking something. That can't be good. I'm competitive.
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So, I'm willing to do it. It's chemicals.
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There's not even chemicals in here. Right. Right. S- Open it. It's like acid. Ri- Yeah.
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This whole back half, it accelerates quickly.
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L- Look at how slow I'm going to do this.
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Like I'm going to do it, but I'm not stupid. Yeah. Ha! There we go. That's plenty. That's plenty. That's plenty. It's on there. Technically I did it. It's on there.
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I'm trying to get as much off as I can. Cheers, Rob. Cheers. What a ride. This is amazing. I'm going down. Oh, bro. I know. Going through it. Going through it.
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I'm getting down into my gizzard as quickly as I can. Well, you know what?
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Speaking of gizzards, Rob Lowe, we are closing out yet another Hot Ones Thanksgiving special.
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And the only way to truly put a bow on this thing is to hit you with a quick guide to celebrating according to Rob Lowe. Oh, please.
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Pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, or some other kind of pie? All of them. All of them. Big pie guy. choice. I know.
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I can't choose between those pies. They're all good.
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What's the most overrated side dish on Thanksgiving? It's um uh yams. Candied yams. And sweet potatoes.
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And then finally, what's the best vintage Rob Lowe after-school special to watch with the family after the Cowboys game is over? Oh, for sure.
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It's one of the most evocative, dramatic, and well-thought-out titles in the history of television movies. Schoolboy Father.
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What I like about it is there's no doubt what it's about. Like Dishwasher.
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Yeah, you know, it's it's right in the name. there. You It's I'm a boy. I'm still in school. And I'm also a father. Well, you know what? I would cheers to that.
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And look at you, Rob Lowe, taking on the wings of death.
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There was water, but there was also glory as you finished all 10 wings, and now there's nothing left to do but roll out the red carpet for you.
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This camera, this camera, this camera, let the people know what you have going on in your life. Ah.
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Well, um I don't sweat when I do my new podcasts.
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Uh literally, if you like this at all, you're going to love literally.
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Um every interesting big star on it.
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And if you love Parks and Recreation, you're going to love Parks and Recollection, where we take every episode and pull the hood up and find out how we did it and um download now. GREAT JOB. THANKS, MAN. I DID IT.
23:12
AND but it's Dude, it's happening.
23:17
You broke down the fourth wall. It's early. Do you have a busy day? You So, get this. Pardon My Take. Really?
23:24
I ate Tell Tell Big Cat I said hi.
23:27
a youth conference and two scenes on my show.
23:31
But other than that, IT'S AN EASY DAY. THE [ __ ] IS HAPPENING?
23:39
HEY, what's going on, Hot Ones fans?
23:40
This is Sean Evans checking in with a very exciting announcement.
23:42
You know, after 16 seasons, I'd like to think that we perfected the hot sauce symphony and now I got to hand it to us, we perfected the packaging.
23:51
It's the custom-made Hot Ones official 10-pack briefcase, now available at heatness. com. Take a look inside.
23:58
It's so pretty and the perfect gift for the spice lord in your life.
24:03
Just get some friends, make some wings, bring some ice cream, and be careful around the eyes. heatness. com, heatness. com, heatness.
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com to get your hands on the custom-made Hot Ones official 10-pack briefcase. I know I love it. Mwah.