WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.899 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. We pull the threads, 00:00:03.060 --> 00:00:07.000 track the chronology, and really try to tell 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:10.039 the full story of people whose careers just refuse 00:00:10.039 --> 00:00:14.039 to be simple. Exactly. And today... We are undertaking 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:17.640 a deep dive into the, well, fascinating, definitely 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:20.559 two -sided professional life of Jason Segel. 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:23.000 Yeah, for a whole generation, he is absolutely 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:25.440 Marshall Erickson. Yeah. You know, the giant, 00:00:25.500 --> 00:00:27.760 lovable sweetheart from How I Met Your Mother. 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:29.940 A totally iconic role. But, like, if you only 00:00:29.940 --> 00:00:32.520 know that version of him, you're missing so much 00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:34.439 of the picture. Right. We're going to trace his 00:00:34.439 --> 00:00:37.020 path from, you know, being one of Judd Apatow's 00:00:37.020 --> 00:00:39.600 original freaks all the way to becoming an Emmy 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:42.759 nominated showrunner, a critically acclaimed 00:00:42.759 --> 00:00:45.409 dramatic lead. I mean, he played. David Foster 00:00:45.409 --> 00:00:47.770 Wallace. Which is just incredible casting when 00:00:47.770 --> 00:00:49.310 you think about it. And a surprisingly successful 00:00:49.310 --> 00:00:51.929 young adult novelist, too. It's quite the range. 00:00:52.049 --> 00:00:54.090 That's absolutely right. So our mission today 00:00:54.090 --> 00:00:56.390 is basically to pore over all the details of 00:00:56.390 --> 00:00:59.530 this, what, 25 -plus year journey starting way 00:00:59.530 --> 00:01:02.909 back in the late 90s and pinpoint exactly how 00:01:02.909 --> 00:01:05.629 he kind of engineered his own creative independence. 00:01:06.329 --> 00:01:08.629 Because if you, the listener, are curious about 00:01:08.629 --> 00:01:12.299 the mechanics of moving from, like, massive, 00:01:12.299 --> 00:01:16.280 defining mainstream success into really serious, 00:01:16.299 --> 00:01:19.640 critical acclaim. Well, this deep dive kind of 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:21.879 shows you the blueprint. It really proves that 00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:24.719 the surest way to beat typecasting is, well... 00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:26.719 to write your own way out. It's definitely a 00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:30.299 study in leveraging vulnerability maybe into 00:01:30.299 --> 00:01:33.019 creative capital, you know? Yeah. And to really 00:01:33.019 --> 00:01:35.680 understand the sophisticated creator he is now, 00:01:35.859 --> 00:01:37.859 we have to start right at the beginning with 00:01:37.859 --> 00:01:39.799 a childhood that seems to have instilled this 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:42.799 really profound sense of observation. Okay, so 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:45.609 Siegel. Born 1980, Santa Monica, California. 00:01:45.790 --> 00:01:47.670 Grew up in Pacific Palisades, which is pretty 00:01:47.670 --> 00:01:49.670 affluent. Right. On the surface, that sounds 00:01:49.670 --> 00:01:51.790 like, you know, a pretty standard Southern California 00:01:51.790 --> 00:01:54.650 actor origin story. Kind of, yeah. But you dig 00:01:54.650 --> 00:01:57.170 just a little deeper. And his family, his educational 00:01:57.170 --> 00:02:00.870 background, it created this really complex identity. 00:02:01.129 --> 00:02:03.670 Okay, tell us about that. Well, what seems genuinely 00:02:03.670 --> 00:02:06.810 foundational here is this idea of duality that 00:02:06.810 --> 00:02:09.530 really marked his upbringing. Duality, how so? 00:02:09.669 --> 00:02:13.229 So his father, Alvin Siegel, he's a lawyer. and 00:02:13.229 --> 00:02:16.569 jewish his mother jillian jordan she comes from 00:02:16.569 --> 00:02:20.409 this rich blend of like english scottish irish 00:02:20.409 --> 00:02:23.030 and french heritage okay and siegel when he's 00:02:23.030 --> 00:02:24.949 interviewed he often kind of jokes he was raised 00:02:24.949 --> 00:02:27.610 a little bit of everything but he does confirm 00:02:27.610 --> 00:02:30.069 his jewish upbringing went to hebrew school had 00:02:30.069 --> 00:02:33.250 a bar mitzvah all that but the sources we looked 00:02:33.250 --> 00:02:37.759 at suggest the real The core conflict maybe wasn't 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:39.699 inside his home. It was more external. Yeah. 00:02:39.819 --> 00:02:42.379 Driven by his schooling. Exactly. He went to 00:02:42.379 --> 00:02:44.659 St. Matthew's Parish School, which is, you know, 00:02:44.659 --> 00:02:47.740 a very exclusive private Episcopal school. Right. 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:50.180 While simultaneously attending Hebrew school 00:02:50.180 --> 00:02:52.919 at night. Wow. OK. That must have created like 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:55.860 a profound sociological challenge for a young 00:02:55.860 --> 00:02:58.379 kid. Oh, absolutely. The sources really detail 00:02:58.379 --> 00:03:01.159 how the split environment fed into this intense 00:03:01.159 --> 00:03:04.120 sense of being an outsider. You know, he wasn't 00:03:04.120 --> 00:03:06.500 fully integrated. into either social structure. 00:03:06.759 --> 00:03:09.099 He apparently felt like the Jewish kid at the 00:03:09.099 --> 00:03:10.960 Christian school, you know, watching the rituals 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:13.120 and dynamics he wasn't totally part of. And then 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:15.520 the reverse at Hebrew school. And conversely, 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:17.319 yeah, he felt like the kid with the Christian 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:19.379 school background when he was at Hebrew school. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:22.620 So what was the emotional result of constantly 00:03:22.620 --> 00:03:25.180 having to compartmentalize like that? Well, he's 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:28.180 admitted this feeling of social alienation. It 00:03:28.180 --> 00:03:30.840 led him to adopt this kind of it's me versus 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:34.539 the world survival mechanism. And this is key, 00:03:34.740 --> 00:03:37.580 I think, because that slightly alienated, you 00:03:37.580 --> 00:03:39.840 know, highly sensitive, empathetic observer, 00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:42.340 that's exactly the kind of character he would 00:03:42.340 --> 00:03:44.219 later embody so well. Right. You see it in Nick 00:03:44.219 --> 00:03:46.439 Andopoulos. Totally. Nick Andopoulos, Marshall 00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:49.870 Erickson. even decades later that anxious therapist 00:03:49.870 --> 00:03:53.789 jimmy laird in shrinking he basically learned 00:03:53.789 --> 00:03:56.409 to watch which is i mean crucial training for 00:03:56.409 --> 00:03:59.110 both acting and writing okay but before he fully 00:03:59.110 --> 00:04:02.110 embraced that you know sensitive writer persona 00:04:02.110 --> 00:04:04.530 yeah he was something completely different like 00:04:04.530 --> 00:04:07.509 startlingly different oh yeah a genuine serious 00:04:07.509 --> 00:04:11.210 athlete let's talk about this incredible juxtaposition 00:04:11.210 --> 00:04:15.509 of dr dunk this is truly one of the most like 00:04:15.819 --> 00:04:18.579 unexpected nuggets in his whole biography jason 00:04:18.579 --> 00:04:21.199 siegel is tall right six foot four very tall 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:23.579 and that size was definitely leveraged during 00:04:23.579 --> 00:04:25.579 his high school years at harvard westlake school 00:04:25.579 --> 00:04:28.079 and we're talking about a serious basketball 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:31.839 program there okay he was an active Pretty valuable 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:35.300 member of the boys basketball team that won the 00:04:35.300 --> 00:04:38.139 CIF state championship title. Not just once, 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:42.939 but twice. In 96 and 97. You hear Harvard -Westlake, 00:04:42.980 --> 00:04:46.120 CIF state champion. I mean, that implies real 00:04:46.120 --> 00:04:49.660 dedication, serious skill. Oh, yeah. But the 00:04:49.660 --> 00:04:52.220 nickname is what really makes this era kind of 00:04:52.220 --> 00:04:54.959 pop. He wasn't just like riding the bench. He 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:58.139 earned the nickname Dr. Dunk. Because he actually 00:04:58.139 --> 00:05:00.399 won a high school slam dunk contest. I know. 00:05:00.420 --> 00:05:02.819 Can you even picture like the Nick Andopolis 00:05:02.819 --> 00:05:05.680 character? No. Or Marshall Erickson executing 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:08.379 some championship winning slam dunk. It's just 00:05:08.379 --> 00:05:10.980 a hilarious mental image. It totally contradicts 00:05:10.980 --> 00:05:13.240 his whole acting vibe later on. Completely. It 00:05:13.240 --> 00:05:15.699 speaks to this kind of hidden physical discipline 00:05:15.699 --> 00:05:18.279 and athleticism that maybe informs his presence, 00:05:18.319 --> 00:05:20.279 even if his characters are often, you know, goofy 00:05:20.279 --> 00:05:23.160 or kind of clumsy. And here's a fascinating little 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:25.519 piece of trivia that really places him right 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:27.800 in the middle. of this high -level competition. 00:05:28.100 --> 00:05:31.220 He was the backup center to Jason Collins. No 00:05:31.220 --> 00:05:33.620 way. Yeah, who later went on to have a long, 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:36.360 successful career in the NBA. Wow. Okay, so he 00:05:36.360 --> 00:05:38.120 was playing with serious talent. Definitely. 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:41.480 This athletic history, it just grounds him in 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:44.180 a world so far... removed from the dramatic arts, 00:05:44.319 --> 00:05:47.060 it provides a surprising depth to his background, 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:49.819 I think. Yeah, for sure. But that athletic discipline, 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:53.100 it pretty quickly gave way to artistic pursuits, 00:05:53.139 --> 00:05:56.579 which brings us right to the Apatow launchpad. 00:05:56.720 --> 00:05:59.980 Right. After high school, his first major role 00:05:59.980 --> 00:06:03.120 really defined that whole era of cult TV. Nick 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:06.220 Andopoulos on the, you know, beloved but very 00:06:06.220 --> 00:06:08.759 short -lived Freaks and Geeks. That was 99 to 00:06:08.759 --> 00:06:11.459 2000. He was the stoner freak with the drum set. 00:06:11.579 --> 00:06:13.759 And it's so important to remember that Freaks 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:15.480 and Geeks, even though it got canceled way too 00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:17.740 fast. Way too fast. It really established the 00:06:17.740 --> 00:06:19.839 core philosophy that seems to have fueled his 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:22.730 entire career. A whole Apatow ethos. Totally. 00:06:22.810 --> 00:06:25.509 That ethos built on improv, honesty, and just 00:06:25.509 --> 00:06:27.550 translating personal experience directly into 00:06:27.550 --> 00:06:29.930 the material. And Siegel seemed to buy into that, 00:06:29.990 --> 00:06:33.029 like, immediately. Oh, completely. What sets 00:06:33.029 --> 00:06:35.769 him apart, maybe, from many of his co -stars 00:06:35.769 --> 00:06:38.189 in that series, even that early on, is that he 00:06:38.189 --> 00:06:39.970 didn't just wait for the script to tell him what 00:06:39.970 --> 00:06:42.170 Nick should do. Right. The sources confirm he 00:06:42.170 --> 00:06:44.509 actually personally composed a song for Nick 00:06:44.509 --> 00:06:47.250 Andopoulos to sing to the lead female character, 00:06:47.449 --> 00:06:49.410 Lindsay. Played by Linda Cardellini. Played by 00:06:49.410 --> 00:06:51.170 Linda Cardellini, who he actually ended up dating 00:06:51.170 --> 00:06:53.850 later in real life. Right, right. But that song, 00:06:54.129 --> 00:06:56.589 that's a foundational moment, isn't it, of creative 00:06:56.589 --> 00:06:59.360 ownership? Absolutely. That song, it's just this 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:02.720 small, touching, kind of awkward piece of music. 00:07:02.759 --> 00:07:06.120 But it was his first produced work as a writer 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:08.139 within a major Hollywood production. It wasn't 00:07:08.139 --> 00:07:10.399 planned. He contributed it. And that decision 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:13.139 to actively create and contribute, that just 00:07:13.139 --> 00:07:15.620 became the signature move of his career, really. 00:07:15.699 --> 00:07:17.959 It did. Even after Freaks and Geeks got the axe, 00:07:18.100 --> 00:07:20.579 he kept that crucial relationship with Judd Apatow 00:07:20.579 --> 00:07:23.699 going, appeared in recurring roles on Apatow's 00:07:23.699 --> 00:07:26.319 next series, Undeclared. Got some early film 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:28.399 experience and stuff like Can't Hardly Wait back 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:32.379 in 98, SLC Punk. Right. He was clearly just marinated 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:35.459 in that Apatow philosophy. Vulnerability equals 00:07:35.459 --> 00:07:37.279 humor. And if you make the material yourself, 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:40.759 that's gold. OK, so this Apatow training, it 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:42.819 totally set the stage for the role that would 00:07:42.819 --> 00:07:46.139 define him for like an entire decade. Marshall 00:07:46.139 --> 00:07:48.019 Erickson. Marshall Erickson on How I Met Your 00:07:48.019 --> 00:07:51.709 Mother. The stability of that role is just. It's 00:07:51.709 --> 00:07:53.930 remarkable, really. He was the main character 00:07:53.930 --> 00:07:57.709 for 208 episodes, spanning nine seasons from 00:07:57.709 --> 00:08:01.470 2005 all the way to 2014. I mean, for an actor 00:08:01.470 --> 00:08:04.709 getting a role that lasts nearly 10 years. That's 00:08:04.709 --> 00:08:07.410 like the brass ring of Hollywood success. Huge 00:08:07.410 --> 00:08:09.529 financial stability, massive household recognition. 00:08:09.610 --> 00:08:12.370 But professional stability often comes with that 00:08:12.370 --> 00:08:15.129 risk, right, of artistic stagnation. Yeah. And 00:08:15.129 --> 00:08:17.050 it's important to look at the timeline here. 00:08:17.170 --> 00:08:19.730 The source material we have notes he actually 00:08:19.730 --> 00:08:21.589 reached a point where he felt he needed to break 00:08:21.589 --> 00:08:24.329 free. He absolutely did. By 2013, you know, when 00:08:24.329 --> 00:08:26.329 his contract was running out, he had publicly 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:29.449 stated his intention to move on. Yeah. He was 00:08:29.449 --> 00:08:32.149 clearly feeling the pull of like the characters 00:08:32.149 --> 00:08:34.409 and stories he wanted to write. rather than just 00:08:34.409 --> 00:08:36.529 playing the one he'd inherited, I guess. So how 00:08:36.529 --> 00:08:38.549 did they keep him for that last season? Well, 00:08:38.629 --> 00:08:40.750 it apparently took a pretty significant effort 00:08:40.750 --> 00:08:43.350 from the producers to convince him to come back 00:08:43.350 --> 00:08:45.370 and finish out the ninth and final season in 00:08:45.370 --> 00:08:48.309 2014, which kind of demonstrates both things, 00:08:48.409 --> 00:08:51.070 right? His enormous value to the show, but also 00:08:51.070 --> 00:08:53.990 his really powerful desire for creative evolution 00:08:53.990 --> 00:08:56.809 by that point. And that push for creative evolution, 00:08:57.009 --> 00:08:59.750 it had actually started much earlier, like right 00:08:59.750 --> 00:09:03.070 in the middle of his HIM run. Yeah. During in 00:09:03.070 --> 00:09:06.070 Knocked Up in 2007, his massive breakthrough 00:09:06.070 --> 00:09:09.330 moment really happened in 2008 with Forgetting 00:09:09.330 --> 00:09:12.009 Sarah Marshall. And this film wasn't just a hit. 00:09:12.149 --> 00:09:14.090 It felt like his declaration of independence. 00:09:14.750 --> 00:09:17.590 Precisely. This is really the moment Siegel transitions 00:09:17.590 --> 00:09:20.610 from being like Apatow's Atlantis to his creative 00:09:20.610 --> 00:09:23.509 partner. Right. Apatow produced it, sure. But 00:09:23.509 --> 00:09:26.669 Siegel wrote the screenplay and starred as Peter 00:09:26.669 --> 00:09:29.309 Bretter. He basically took everything he'd learned 00:09:29.309 --> 00:09:31.960 about writing from personal pain. And put it 00:09:31.960 --> 00:09:33.899 directly onto the screen. And this is where we 00:09:33.899 --> 00:09:37.360 get into some of the infamous deep dive anecdotes 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:39.220 because the personal translation here is just 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:41.820 extraordinary. Oh, yeah. The source has confirmed 00:09:41.820 --> 00:09:44.840 that the two most memorable. kind of painful 00:09:44.840 --> 00:09:47.919 plot points in the film were rooted in his actual 00:09:47.919 --> 00:09:50.679 life okay so the first one is that puppet musical 00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:54.100 about dracula right which his character peter 00:09:54.100 --> 00:09:57.159 is desperately trying to stage yes the dracula 00:09:57.159 --> 00:09:59.559 musical hilarious and the second is that iconic 00:09:59.559 --> 00:10:04.120 scene involving a full frontal male nudity right 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:07.120 after a breakup right he leveraged his most vulnerable 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:10.120 maybe humiliating experiences and just turned 00:10:10.120 --> 00:10:11.679 them straight into comedy i mean think about 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:14.179 it how many actors would willing script the scene 00:10:14.179 --> 00:10:16.480 where they get dumped while totally naked just 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:18.480 because it actually happened to them? It's bravery. 00:10:18.740 --> 00:10:21.240 Or maybe, like you said, sheer desperation. Yeah. 00:10:21.379 --> 00:10:24.820 But it's an incredible act of creative honesty, 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:26.700 whatever it is. It's kind of the highest form 00:10:26.700 --> 00:10:29.360 of that Apatow -era comedy, isn't it? Siegel 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:31.320 confirmed in interviews, yeah, he was indeed 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:34.019 broken up with while naked, which became the 00:10:34.019 --> 00:10:36.440 sort of emotional foundation for Peter Bretter's 00:10:36.440 --> 00:10:39.080 despair in the movie. And the Dracula musical. 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:41.500 Was that just a funny bit? Apparently not just 00:10:41.500 --> 00:10:44.620 invented for the screen. he later actually performed 00:10:44.620 --> 00:10:47.120 dracula's lament live on the late late show with 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:50.460 craig ferguson no way yeah showing how committed 00:10:50.460 --> 00:10:53.600 he really was to the sincerity of that like creative 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:56.960 outlet this film just demonstrated that his unique 00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:00.519 blend of sensitivity and well vulgarity yeah 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:02.860 combined with that willingness to write his own 00:11:02.860 --> 00:11:06.159 stuff That was a massive market asset. And that 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:08.580 Dracula musical, weirdly enough, actually became 00:11:08.580 --> 00:11:11.139 the launch pad for a complete tonal shift in 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:13.360 his career. Yeah. The Muppets Connection. It 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:15.919 is truly one of the most fascinating career pivots 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:17.700 I think we've ever seen. How did that happen? 00:11:17.940 --> 00:11:20.860 Well, the custom -made cloth creatures they used 00:11:20.860 --> 00:11:22.919 for the musical in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 00:11:23.100 --> 00:11:24.799 they were provided by the Jim Henson Company. 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:27.899 Ah, all right. And that experience, working with 00:11:27.899 --> 00:11:30.419 them, it immediately emboldened Siegel to do 00:11:30.419 --> 00:11:33.120 what seemed kind of impossible, pitch Disney. 00:11:33.230 --> 00:11:36.090 on a full -blown Muppets revival movie. Okay, 00:11:36.190 --> 00:11:39.710 but how did he possibly convince Disney, like 00:11:39.710 --> 00:11:42.350 the biggest family studio in the world, to hand 00:11:42.350 --> 00:11:45.870 over one of their most beloved IPs to the guy 00:11:45.870 --> 00:11:49.070 who had literally just exposed himself full frontal 00:11:49.070 --> 00:11:52.750 on screen? That seems like an impossible tonal 00:11:52.750 --> 00:11:55.289 shift bridge. It apparently required genuine 00:11:55.289 --> 00:12:00.539 passion and a lot of sincerity. Disney was understandably 00:12:00.539 --> 00:12:03.399 pretty hesitant because of the, you know, recent 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:06.720 FSM nudity. You'd think. But Siegel approached 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:09.000 it with this almost like religious devotion. 00:12:09.379 --> 00:12:12.019 His motivation was intensely personal. He said 00:12:12.019 --> 00:12:14.240 he was genuinely concerned that the younger generation 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:16.419 was growing up without knowing the magic of the 00:12:16.419 --> 00:12:18.379 Muppets. Because the last movie had been ages 00:12:18.379 --> 00:12:20.899 ago. Exactly. The last theatrical release was 00:12:20.899 --> 00:12:23.980 Muppets from Space way back in 1999. So he basically 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:26.860 sold them on nostalgia and like. being a guardian 00:12:26.860 --> 00:12:29.179 of the brand, proving he wasn't trying to make 00:12:29.179 --> 00:12:31.639 some raunchy Muppet film, but a sincere heartfelt 00:12:31.639 --> 00:12:34.720 tribute. That seems to be it. He wrote it, he 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:36.639 executive produced it, and he starred in The 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:39.200 Muppets in 2011 as Gary. And it was huge, right? 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:42.360 Huge critical and commercial success. A real 00:12:42.360 --> 00:12:45.700 triumph of passion over maybe prior reputation. 00:12:46.220 --> 00:12:48.379 It earned him a Critics' Choice Award for Best 00:12:48.379 --> 00:12:50.879 Song. Wow. Demonstrating his triple threat status 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:54.700 again. Writer, star, musician. The whole experience 00:12:54.700 --> 00:12:56.740 just confirmed that when Siegel writes the material, 00:12:57.019 --> 00:12:59.620 the opportunities just multiply like crazy. Okay, 00:12:59.659 --> 00:13:03.570 so... The early 2010s, this period saw his comedy 00:13:03.570 --> 00:13:06.230 film run just absolutely explode. He was clearly 00:13:06.230 --> 00:13:09.450 leveraging that new powerful status as a writer 00:13:09.450 --> 00:13:11.470 star. Prolific is definitely the word. He co 00:13:11.470 --> 00:13:13.549 -starred with Paul Rudd in I Love You Man in 00:13:13.549 --> 00:13:16.730 2009, playing the iconic Sidney Fife. Their chemistry 00:13:16.730 --> 00:13:18.549 was great. Loved that movie. Yeah, it was fun. 00:13:18.710 --> 00:13:21.610 He was also in Bad Teacher in 2011. And continuing 00:13:21.610 --> 00:13:23.990 his writing streak, he penned and starred in 00:13:23.990 --> 00:13:26.250 the five -year engagement in 2012 alongside Emily 00:13:26.250 --> 00:13:28.730 Blunt. Right. And then he rounded out that kind 00:13:28.730 --> 00:13:31.190 of era with a role in... And this is 40 in 2012. 00:13:31.370 --> 00:13:34.230 Back with Apatow. And we can't forget his successful 00:13:34.230 --> 00:13:36.210 dip into voice acting during this time, too, 00:13:36.289 --> 00:13:38.809 which added another massive family franchise 00:13:38.809 --> 00:13:41.950 to his resume. Oh, yeah. He voiced Gru's arch 00:13:41.950 --> 00:13:45.950 rival, the spectacularly arrogant Vector Perkins 00:13:45.950 --> 00:13:49.330 in Despicable Me. Vector. Oh, yeah. Exactly. 00:13:49.529 --> 00:13:52.230 That was 2010. Immensely successful animated 00:13:52.230 --> 00:13:54.649 film. And it wasn't just a one off gig either. 00:13:54.710 --> 00:14:08.179 That role has had. Wow. OK, so Vector lives on. 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:10.580 Vector lives on. It's clear Siegel was pushing 00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:12.659 himself creatively just through sheer volume 00:14:12.659 --> 00:14:15.360 during this period. But like we noted, creative 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:18.139 control comes with risk. We kind of have to examine 00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:21.100 Sex Take, the 2014 film he co -wrote and executive 00:14:21.100 --> 00:14:24.019 produced. Yeah. This was definitely not the critical 00:14:24.019 --> 00:14:26.730 darling that, say, Sarah Marshall or the Muppets 00:14:26.730 --> 00:14:29.389 were. No, it wasn't. And this is a really crucial 00:14:29.389 --> 00:14:32.370 pivot point to analyze maybe the downside of 00:14:32.370 --> 00:14:34.529 that creative ownership. Sextate came out with 00:14:34.529 --> 00:14:36.429 pretty high expectations, I think. Yeah. Big 00:14:36.429 --> 00:14:38.470 stars. Interesting premise. But it just fell 00:14:38.470 --> 00:14:40.850 flat critically. It earned him shared Razzie 00:14:40.850 --> 00:14:43.889 nominations in 2015 for worst screen combo with 00:14:43.889 --> 00:14:46.409 Cameron Diaz and also for worst screenplay. Ouch. 00:14:46.830 --> 00:14:49.470 Razzie's. Yeah. This isn't just a minor flop. 00:14:49.649 --> 00:14:51.769 It kind of signals the challenges of translating 00:14:51.769 --> 00:14:55.149 his particular style, which really thrives. on 00:14:55.149 --> 00:14:58.629 that sincere vulnerability into more of a high 00:14:58.629 --> 00:15:01.809 concept, maybe farcical commercial comedy. So 00:15:01.809 --> 00:15:04.909 what went wrong there? Was it just like genre 00:15:04.909 --> 00:15:08.389 fatigue or did the material maybe feel less personal, 00:15:08.429 --> 00:15:11.049 less earned compared to his earlier writing? 00:15:11.230 --> 00:15:13.230 It seems like maybe a combination of things. 00:15:13.289 --> 00:15:16.399 Sex tape had an interesting premise, sure. But 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:19.340 perhaps that inherent personal honesty of Siegel's 00:15:19.340 --> 00:15:21.639 writing style, the thing that powered forgetting 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:24.179 Sarah Marshall. Right. Maybe it got diluted by 00:15:24.179 --> 00:15:27.120 trying to fit it into a more classic, broad studio 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:29.659 comedy structure. I don't know. Yeah, I do. But 00:15:29.659 --> 00:15:32.200 it serves as a necessary reminder, I guess, that 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:34.059 creative control is a double edged sword. When 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:36.240 you take full credit, you got to take full responsibility 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:39.159 for the lows, too, not just the highs. And critically, 00:15:39.419 --> 00:15:41.899 this moment, this reception, it seems to have 00:15:41.899 --> 00:15:44.039 really solidified his decision to drastically 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:46.379 redefine his career path. right after. Yeah, 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:48.519 that Razzie nomination really feels like the 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:51.039 definitive marker, doesn't it? Closing the chapter 00:15:51.039 --> 00:15:53.679 on that early 2010s mainstream comedy hustle. 00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:56.820 It seems like it. Because Siegel pivoted, like, 00:15:56.899 --> 00:15:59.840 entirely, signaling he was ready to shed that 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:02.659 label of just the funny tall guy and really demand 00:16:02.659 --> 00:16:05.620 serious dramatic attention. And this pivot, it 00:16:05.620 --> 00:16:10.179 centers completely on one film, the 2015 independent 00:16:10.179 --> 00:16:13.340 biographical drama The End of the Tour. Right. 00:16:13.799 --> 00:16:15.639 Playing David Foster Wallace. Yeah, here Siegel 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:19.340 took on this just monumental task of portraying 00:16:19.340 --> 00:16:22.080 the late, brilliant, but also deeply anxious 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:25.299 author David Foster Wallace, known for, you know, 00:16:25.320 --> 00:16:28.399 infinite jest. Why was DFW the perfect character, 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:30.659 do you think, for Siegel's big, dramatic debut? 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:32.840 It seems like such a leap. Well, maybe it was 00:16:32.840 --> 00:16:35.700 kind of a perfect storm of casting. DFW embodied 00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:38.059 that intellectual intensity, the social anxiety, 00:16:38.340 --> 00:16:41.320 that profound, complex sense of observation. 00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:44.220 All themes Siegel seems to have carried from 00:16:44.220 --> 00:16:46.399 his own outsider youth, right? Yeah, that tracks. 00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:49.139 And Siegel's physical presence too, his height, 00:16:49.240 --> 00:16:51.200 that somewhat shambling demeanor, his sensitive 00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:53.679 eyes, it all seemed to translate the author's 00:16:53.679 --> 00:16:55.980 persona really well. You know, the constant introspection 00:16:55.980 --> 00:16:59.200 kind of hidden behind the signature plaid bandana. 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:01.419 So it wasn't just acting, it felt more like embodiment. 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:04.059 That's what the reviews suggested, yeah. It felt 00:17:04.059 --> 00:17:06.359 like embodiment. And the industry response was 00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:10.180 pretty seismic, wasn't it? Oh, it was overwhelmingly 00:17:10.180 --> 00:17:13.880 positive. Critics just lauded his ability to 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:16.400 capture the nuance of this genius grappling with 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:19.000 fame, anxiety, the pressure of his own intellect. 00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:22.000 Reviews in places like Roger Ebert's site, Entertainment 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:25.130 Weekly. Richard Lawson at Vanity Fair specifically 00:17:25.130 --> 00:17:28.630 called the performance a huge breakthrough. Wow. 00:17:28.990 --> 00:17:31.730 Recognizing that Siegel had basically fundamentally 00:17:31.730 --> 00:17:34.230 reshaped his professional identity in just one 00:17:34.230 --> 00:17:36.529 film. And that breakthrough, it garnered real 00:17:36.529 --> 00:17:38.690 tangible recognition too. Right. Which is what 00:17:38.690 --> 00:17:40.769 agents and studios look for, right? Yeah. To 00:17:40.769 --> 00:17:42.970 validate that kind of career shift. Totally. 00:17:43.029 --> 00:17:45.410 He got an Independent Spirit Award nomination 00:17:45.410 --> 00:17:48.369 for Best Male Lead. Yeah. Which is highly respected, 00:17:48.549 --> 00:17:50.569 especially in the independent film world. Right. 00:17:50.609 --> 00:17:53.180 And furthermore, he placed third. for Best Actor 00:17:53.180 --> 00:17:56.359 at the Seattle International Film Festival. This 00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:58.279 performance just gave him the critical currency 00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:00.859 he needed to basically walk away from broad comedy 00:18:00.859 --> 00:18:03.359 and start choosing these highly selective dramatic 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:07.819 roles. So with that gate opened, he really leaned 00:18:07.819 --> 00:18:11.460 into diversifying that drama portfolio. What 00:18:11.460 --> 00:18:14.180 were some of the key roles that came after End 00:18:14.180 --> 00:18:17.059 of the Tour? Well, you see him consistently choosing 00:18:17.059 --> 00:18:20.640 roles that explore, like, existential or deep 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:23.099 emotional territory. Look at The Discovery from 00:18:23.099 --> 00:18:25.680 2017. Okay. A film dealing with the scientific 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:28.119 proof of an afterlife and all the philosophical 00:18:28.119 --> 00:18:30.559 dilemmas that causes. Interesting. Then there's 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:34.099 Our Friend in 2019. He plays Dane Fauchot, a 00:18:34.099 --> 00:18:36.259 character based on a real guy who moved in with 00:18:36.259 --> 00:18:38.380 his friends to help them manage a terminal illness. 00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:42.079 Oh, wow. Heavy themes, grief, sacrifice. Yeah, 00:18:42.140 --> 00:18:44.339 based on Matthew Teague's really powerful 2015. 00:18:44.680 --> 00:18:47.420 essay and he also proved his versatility by tackling 00:18:47.420 --> 00:18:51.000 the thriller genre with windfall in 2022 play 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:53.980 the character just called nobody and again here's 00:18:53.980 --> 00:18:55.839 siegel leveraging that creative control again 00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:58.500 he was also credited as a story writer and producer 00:18:58.500 --> 00:19:00.859 on that film the pattern is just so consistent 00:19:00.859 --> 00:19:03.819 isn't it if the role is complex he wants a hand 00:19:03.819 --> 00:19:06.380 in shaping the narrative itself Seems like it. 00:19:06.420 --> 00:19:08.720 And this brings us back to television, but in 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:10.720 a totally different context than how I met your 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:14.099 mother. Right. He took on a really significant 00:19:14.099 --> 00:19:17.500 historical role portraying Paul Westhead. The 00:19:17.500 --> 00:19:19.319 legendary coach. Yeah. The high school coach 00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:21.740 turned Lakers coach. Yeah. In the HBO series 00:19:21.740 --> 00:19:24.259 Winning Time. The rise of the Lakers dynasty. 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:27.339 Playing Paul Westhead for 12 episodes between 00:19:27.339 --> 00:19:31.490 2022 and 2023. I mean. Talk about a complex, 00:19:31.809 --> 00:19:34.430 driven, often misunderstood figure in basketball 00:19:34.430 --> 00:19:36.589 history. About as far as you can possibly get 00:19:36.589 --> 00:19:39.009 from Marshall Erickson. Absolutely. Reinforcing 00:19:39.009 --> 00:19:41.369 his commitment to that dramatic immersion. And 00:19:41.369 --> 00:19:43.670 that whole trajectory brings us pretty much up 00:19:43.670 --> 00:19:45.650 to his current era. Yeah. Which is maybe the 00:19:45.650 --> 00:19:48.190 culmination of all his training, the creator, 00:19:48.410 --> 00:19:51.710 the showrunner, and the nominee. Okay. He seems 00:19:51.710 --> 00:19:54.130 to have now fully synthesized his writing talent, 00:19:54.289 --> 00:19:56.970 his dramatic sensitivity, and yeah, his comedic 00:19:56.970 --> 00:19:59.250 timing too, into creating original television 00:19:59.250 --> 00:20:01.670 series. His first big push into this space was 00:20:01.670 --> 00:20:04.509 Dispatches from Elsewhere back in 2020. What 00:20:04.509 --> 00:20:06.950 was the vision behind that show? It felt different. 00:20:07.230 --> 00:20:10.390 It was pure auteur television, really. He created 00:20:10.390 --> 00:20:12.509 it, starred in it, wrote for it, directed episodes, 00:20:12.769 --> 00:20:15.109 and executive produced all 10 episodes. Wow. 00:20:15.329 --> 00:20:19.450 Full control. Total control. The show... which 00:20:19.450 --> 00:20:23.170 explored these ordinary people solving this kind 00:20:23.170 --> 00:20:26.960 of esoteric strange puzzle it felt like a surreal 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:30.000 and often quite beautiful reflection of maybe 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:32.799 his own creative anxiety and maybe echoes of 00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:35.279 that earlier it's me versus the world mentality 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:38.299 searching for meaning and connection in a confusing 00:20:38.299 --> 00:20:41.259 world it was definitely a clear if maybe niche 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:43.799 artistic statement but the real current success 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:45.700 yeah the one that's getting the massive industry 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:48.019 recognition right now is shrinking premiered 00:20:48.019 --> 00:20:51.500 2023 on apple tv plus Yeah, shrinking feels like 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:54.380 the perfect vehicle for this current stage of 00:20:54.380 --> 00:20:57.119 his evolution. He co -created the series alongside 00:20:57.119 --> 00:21:00.259 actual comedy legends, Bill Lawrence. Scrubs, 00:21:00.339 --> 00:21:02.539 Ted Lasso creator. Right, and Brett Goldstein. 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:05.279 Roy Kent himself from Ted Lasso. Exactly, and 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:07.500 Siegel stars as the grieving therapist Jimmy 00:21:07.500 --> 00:21:09.940 Laird, whose kind of unconventional methods start 00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:11.880 shaking up his practice. That creative trio is 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:13.720 fascinating. Lawrence is known for combining 00:21:13.720 --> 00:21:17.039 sentimentality with that breakneck comedic pacing. 00:21:17.539 --> 00:21:21.430 Goldstein brings that. sharp, slightly brutal, 00:21:21.630 --> 00:21:25.210 comedic edge. And Siegel provides the emotional 00:21:25.210 --> 00:21:28.250 core, the grounding vulnerability. How do those 00:21:28.250 --> 00:21:30.309 voices merge together? Well, the show really 00:21:30.309 --> 00:21:32.450 seems to thrive on that merger. Siegel's character, 00:21:32.650 --> 00:21:34.609 Jimmy, he's almost like Marshall Erickson, grown 00:21:34.609 --> 00:21:36.910 up and broken, you know? Yeah, I can see that. 00:21:37.029 --> 00:21:39.730 He has the sensitivity, but the constant optimism 00:21:39.730 --> 00:21:43.549 has been shattered by grief. And the show tackles 00:21:43.549 --> 00:21:46.990 these really modern themes. Toxic masculinity, 00:21:47.529 --> 00:21:50.589 emotional shutdown, the stigma around therapy, 00:21:50.710 --> 00:21:53.809 the messy road to vulnerability. Lawrence and 00:21:53.809 --> 00:21:56.190 Goldstein's structures kind of provide the necessary 00:21:56.190 --> 00:21:58.470 comedic guardrails, I think, allowing Siegel 00:21:58.470 --> 00:22:01.329 to explore really profound emotional territory 00:22:01.329 --> 00:22:03.930 without sacrificing the humor. And that synthesized 00:22:03.930 --> 00:22:05.710 effort has resulted in some pretty significant 00:22:05.710 --> 00:22:07.470 professional praise, hasn't it? Oh, absolutely. 00:22:07.750 --> 00:22:09.509 His work on Shrinking has earned him the kind 00:22:09.509 --> 00:22:12.809 of top -tier recognition actors dream of. Nominations 00:22:12.809 --> 00:22:15.549 for three Primetime Emmy Awards. Wow. And a Golden 00:22:15.549 --> 00:22:17.910 Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a TV 00:22:17.910 --> 00:22:21.250 Musical or Comedy in 2024. And the entire ensemble 00:22:21.250 --> 00:22:24.130 cast also got... a Screen Actors Guild Award 00:22:24.130 --> 00:22:27.289 nomination. This is really the ultimate payoff 00:22:27.289 --> 00:22:31.289 for that big 2015 dramatic pivot and his consistent 00:22:31.289 --> 00:22:34.450 use of personal writing as the catalyst for change. 00:22:34.750 --> 00:22:36.890 Okay, so beyond the acting and the show running, 00:22:37.049 --> 00:22:39.349 and this really speaks directly to his identity 00:22:39.349 --> 00:22:42.569 as a creator, there's this whole other parallel 00:22:42.569 --> 00:22:45.269 universe of creative output that, let's be honest, 00:22:45.410 --> 00:22:48.480 very few major movie stars engage in. Right. 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:50.859 The world of literature. Yeah. The commitment 00:22:50.859 --> 00:22:53.839 to the young adult author pivot is honestly astonishing. 00:22:54.259 --> 00:22:57.319 He announced this initiative way back in 2013, 00:22:57.599 --> 00:22:59.859 indicating he had actually been working on the 00:22:59.859 --> 00:23:02.000 concept since he was a young man. Like he conceived 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:03.940 the story when he was only 21. That's incredible. 00:23:04.059 --> 00:23:05.960 And this isn't just like dipping a toe in the 00:23:05.960 --> 00:23:08.859 water with one book. This is a massive multi 00:23:08.859 --> 00:23:11.299 -book commitment. Totally. He started the Nightmares 00:23:11.299 --> 00:23:13.740 series, co -written with Kirsten Miller. The 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:16.079 first novel came out in 2014 and a follow -up 00:23:16.079 --> 00:23:18.109 came out just the next year, 2015. And what's 00:23:18.109 --> 00:23:19.890 the Nightmare series about? Does it connect to 00:23:19.890 --> 00:23:22.069 his other work thematically? Well, we need to 00:23:22.069 --> 00:23:23.750 look at the content, yeah, to understand why 00:23:23.750 --> 00:23:26.630 he commits to this format. The Nightmare series 00:23:26.630 --> 00:23:30.089 explores the world of this young boy whose frightening 00:23:30.089 --> 00:23:33.349 dreams start manifesting as actual physical entities. 00:23:34.250 --> 00:23:36.569 Ooh, interesting. So it's really a book about 00:23:36.569 --> 00:23:40.930 facing and overcoming fear, but using kind of 00:23:40.930 --> 00:23:44.849 whimsy and fantasy to externalize those internal 00:23:44.849 --> 00:23:47.109 anxieties. Okay, I see the connection. Making 00:23:47.109 --> 00:23:49.670 the internal external. Exactly. It aligns perfectly 00:23:49.670 --> 00:23:52.289 with his decision to, like, stage his emotional 00:23:52.289 --> 00:23:55.230 trauma in forgetting Sarah Marshall. Same impulse, 00:23:55.390 --> 00:23:57.490 different medium. And he didn't stop there right 00:23:57.490 --> 00:23:59.990 after Nightmares. Following the success of that 00:23:59.990 --> 00:24:02.430 duology, he and Kirsten Miller launched an entirely 00:24:02.430 --> 00:24:05.710 new series, the Otherworld series. Wow. This 00:24:05.710 --> 00:24:07.990 one's even more ambitious, maybe. The first book 00:24:07.990 --> 00:24:10.289 came out in 2017, followed by Other Earth in 00:24:10.289 --> 00:24:13.809 2018 and Other Life in 2019. What's this he's 00:24:13.809 --> 00:24:16.109 tackled? These books delve into virtual reality, 00:24:16.529 --> 00:24:18.710 digital consciousness, the ethical dilemmas in 00:24:18.710 --> 00:24:21.430 gaming and AI technology. So pretty complex stuff 00:24:21.430 --> 00:24:23.950 for YA. That is. That's seven major published 00:24:23.950 --> 00:24:27.670 novels in collaboration. Seven. This commitment 00:24:27.670 --> 00:24:30.289 just proves that his creative impulse isn't limited 00:24:30.289 --> 00:24:33.589 to a writer's room or a movie set. He seems to 00:24:33.589 --> 00:24:35.930 see himself as a world builder, really, regardless 00:24:35.930 --> 00:24:38.789 of the medium. That really is proof that his 00:24:38.789 --> 00:24:42.029 desire for creative expression just transcends 00:24:42.029 --> 00:24:45.509 format, whether it's writing a little song for 00:24:45.509 --> 00:24:48.470 a stoner character on TV or mapping out a complex 00:24:48.470 --> 00:24:51.250 science fiction trilogy for young adults. The 00:24:51.250 --> 00:24:54.190 need to construct these narrative worlds seems 00:24:54.190 --> 00:24:57.220 paramount for him. Definitely. And moving to 00:24:57.220 --> 00:24:58.960 his personal life, we also find these really 00:24:58.960 --> 00:25:00.880 delightful facets of his personality that kind 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:03.680 of defy the typical celebrity narrative. Like 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:06.079 what? Perhaps the most charming is his surprising 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:09.500 spiritual side. Oh, right. He is an ordained 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:11.559 minister with the Universal Life Church. Which 00:25:11.559 --> 00:25:13.839 is great in itself, but it also allowed for this 00:25:13.839 --> 00:25:16.380 wonderfully quirky public service moment. The 00:25:16.380 --> 00:25:18.700 wedding. He actually performed a wedding ceremony 00:25:18.700 --> 00:25:21.900 live on The Tonight Show back in July 2010. How 00:25:21.900 --> 00:25:24.440 did that even happen? While the couple who enlisted 00:25:24.440 --> 00:25:27.059 his services hadn't just like reached out casually 00:25:27.059 --> 00:25:29.859 through agents, they had specifically solicited 00:25:29.859 --> 00:25:32.359 his help by putting pictures of him up all around 00:25:32.359 --> 00:25:34.839 his hometown and apparently at the bar he often 00:25:34.839 --> 00:25:38.380 frequented. That is amazing. That anecdote just 00:25:38.380 --> 00:25:40.640 captures his appeal perfectly, doesn't it? He 00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:43.640 seems accessible, charmingly goofy, and willing 00:25:43.640 --> 00:25:46.400 to participate in the real -life joy of his fans. 00:25:46.619 --> 00:25:48.920 Totally. And if we look quickly at the timeline 00:25:48.920 --> 00:25:51.119 of his notable relationships, they often seem 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:53.460 to align with his professional phases, kind of 00:25:53.460 --> 00:25:55.299 reflecting his changing status in the public 00:25:55.299 --> 00:25:58.019 eye. Okay, like who? Well, he dated his Freaks 00:25:58.019 --> 00:26:00.720 and Geeks co -star Linda Cardellini, right? That 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:02.779 relationship started during that early Apatow 00:26:02.779 --> 00:26:06.220 era. Then he dated actress Michelle Williams 00:26:06.220 --> 00:26:09.230 from... 2012 to 2013, which was right as he was 00:26:09.230 --> 00:26:11.710 making that big push into more serious film roles. 00:26:11.890 --> 00:26:14.549 Okay. And then he maintained a significant, really 00:26:14.549 --> 00:26:16.730 long -term relationship with photographer Alexis 00:26:16.730 --> 00:26:19.609 Mixter for nearly eight years. Eight years, wow. 00:26:19.809 --> 00:26:22.730 Yeah, between 2013 and 2021, which covers that 00:26:22.730 --> 00:26:24.970 whole period of his dramatic pivot and establishing 00:26:24.970 --> 00:26:27.529 himself as a writer and creator. And what about 00:26:27.529 --> 00:26:30.369 more recently? Well, as of the most recent source 00:26:30.369 --> 00:26:32.430 material updates we have, he seems to be in a 00:26:32.430 --> 00:26:36.250 new, exciting phase. Since 2023, he's been dating 00:26:36.250 --> 00:26:39.150 Kayla Radomski, who used to be a backup dancer 00:26:39.150 --> 00:26:41.069 for Taylor Swift. Oh, interesting connection. 00:26:41.309 --> 00:26:43.650 Yeah. And their engagement was actually announced 00:26:43.650 --> 00:26:47.450 via Instagram in June 2025. So it shows his personal 00:26:47.450 --> 00:26:49.829 life continues to kind of settle into these long, 00:26:49.890 --> 00:26:53.329 meaningful phases, evolving right alongside his 00:26:53.329 --> 00:26:55.349 professional identity. Okay, let's try and pull 00:26:55.349 --> 00:26:57.490 it all together now by just reviewing the awards 00:26:57.490 --> 00:27:00.650 that really summarize this bizarrely eclectic 00:27:00.650 --> 00:27:03.940 career. The awards really are the ultimate testament 00:27:03.940 --> 00:27:06.660 to his diversity, aren't they? You see the serious, 00:27:06.660 --> 00:27:09.559 dramatic recognition, that Independent Spirit 00:27:09.559 --> 00:27:12.359 Award nomination for Best Male Lead for playing 00:27:12.359 --> 00:27:14.420 David Foster Wallace in the end of the tour. 00:27:14.559 --> 00:27:17.220 Right. The serious cred. Then the recognition 00:27:17.220 --> 00:27:19.759 of his current creative leadership. the Golden 00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:22.819 Globe, and Emmy nominations for shrinking. Huge 00:27:22.819 --> 00:27:25.900 TV awards. Top tier stuff. But right there, sitting 00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:27.920 right next to all that serious acclaim, is the 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:30.319 Critics' Choice Award win for Best Song for The 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:32.960 Muppets. It's incredible. Seriously, who else 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:36.119 has multiple Emmy nominations sitting next to 00:27:36.119 --> 00:27:38.900 an award for composing a heartfelt Muppet ballad? 00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:41.299 I can't think of many. Comedy, drama, musical 00:27:41.299 --> 00:27:43.980 composition, all recognized at the highest levels. 00:27:44.099 --> 00:27:47.240 It's wild. And just as a final note that kind 00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:49.460 of encapsulates his charming... celebrated persona. 00:27:49.940 --> 00:27:52.519 We have to mention he was named the hasty pudding 00:27:52.519 --> 00:27:55.359 man of the year back in 2012. Ah, the hasty pudding 00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:57.779 award. That's a fun one. Yeah. A prestigious 00:27:57.779 --> 00:28:00.359 honor recognizing his, you know, lasting and 00:28:00.359 --> 00:28:02.259 impressive contribution to entertainment. But 00:28:02.259 --> 00:28:07.000 with that fun, quirky Harvard edge, hashtag hashed 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:10.000 outro. So what does this really remarkable career 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:13.539 path ultimately teach us? about creativity, about 00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:16.559 career longevity. Jason Segel's journey, I think, 00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:18.759 is a definitive guide on how to redefine yourself 00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:21.579 in what can be a very rigid industry. He just 00:28:21.579 --> 00:28:24.359 leveraged intense personal experience, heartbreak, 00:28:24.400 --> 00:28:26.200 the naked vulnerability, their complex religious 00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:28.759 identity, his sincere love for puppets, all of 00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:32.039 it, to fuel these wildly diverse and, frankly, 00:28:32.119 --> 00:28:34.839 surprisingly successful creative outputs. The 00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:37.500 central takeaway for you, the listener, seems 00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:40.900 pretty clear. Segel just refused to be boxed 00:28:40.900 --> 00:28:45.170 in. And he achieved that refusal by consistently 00:28:45.170 --> 00:28:47.869 seizing control of the narrative. Literally. 00:28:48.569 --> 00:28:51.029 He realized, I think, that the industry would 00:28:51.029 --> 00:28:53.670 only see him as Marshall Erickson if he let them. 00:28:53.789 --> 00:28:55.690 He didn't just wait for the great roles to come 00:28:55.690 --> 00:28:59.000 along. He wrote them. Exactly. The writing. Starting 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:02.420 way back with that awkward early song he composed 00:29:02.420 --> 00:29:05.019 for Freaks and Geeks. Yeah, that little song. 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:07.440 Through the incredibly vulnerable script for 00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:10.579 forgetting Sarah Marshall and culminating now 00:29:10.579 --> 00:29:13.900 in his seven published novels. That was the consistent 00:29:13.900 --> 00:29:16.240 engine for change in his career. It allowed him 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:18.660 to shift from being just a comedic actor working 00:29:18.660 --> 00:29:21.460 within that apatosphere to an acclaimed dramatic 00:29:21.460 --> 00:29:24.539 lead. And now, yeah, a successful Emmy nominated 00:29:24.539 --> 00:29:27.339 creator and showrunner in his own right. It's 00:29:27.339 --> 00:29:28.940 a really powerful. Powerful lesson in career 00:29:28.940 --> 00:29:31.420 bravery, I think. You know, when your comedic 00:29:31.420 --> 00:29:33.440 comfort zone started giving you Razzie nominations. 00:29:33.740 --> 00:29:36.339 Right. Oops. He engineered this hard left turn 00:29:36.339 --> 00:29:38.759 into probably the most intellectually challenging 00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:41.700 role he could find. And boom, it paid off immediately. 00:29:41.900 --> 00:29:45.420 It really did. So the question now, as he enters 00:29:45.420 --> 00:29:47.759 this new phase of creative control and production, 00:29:47.980 --> 00:29:51.039 is where that boundless creative energy is going 00:29:51.039 --> 00:29:54.140 to land next. Considering his deep, sustained 00:29:54.140 --> 00:29:57.720 involvement in young adult fiction. I mean, a 00:29:57.720 --> 00:30:00.240 seven book partnership is serious. Very serious. 00:30:00.279 --> 00:30:02.240 Here's a final provocative thought for you to 00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:04.900 consider. Will his next major breakthrough be 00:30:04.900 --> 00:30:07.640 purely behind the camera? Could he potentially 00:30:07.640 --> 00:30:12.500 translate his successful literary universe? You 00:30:12.500 --> 00:30:15.160 know, those complex worlds dealing with nightmares 00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:18.720 and virtual reality into a new complex cinematic 00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:20.900 universe. It's definitely possible. That transition 00:30:20.900 --> 00:30:23.500 from author to showrunner is increasingly common 00:30:23.500 --> 00:30:25.759 these days. He's got the stories already written. 00:30:25.799 --> 00:30:27.380 He's got the collaborators. He certainly has 00:30:27.380 --> 00:30:30.279 a track record now. The pages might just be the 00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:33.279 next frontier for him on screen. Fascinating 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:35.039 thought. Thanks for diving deep with us today. 00:30:35.200 --> 00:30:36.480 My pleasure. We'll catch you next time.