WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.100 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. This is where 00:00:02.100 --> 00:00:04.679 we really get into the sources, pull out the 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:08.099 key knowledge, the interesting bits, and give 00:00:08.099 --> 00:00:10.359 you that critical take you're looking for. Yeah, 00:00:10.380 --> 00:00:12.480 the stuff that makes you think. Exactly. And 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:15.900 today we're tackling a career that's just, well, 00:00:15.980 --> 00:00:17.839 it's all over the place in the best way possible. 00:00:17.960 --> 00:00:20.440 It almost defies, you know, the idea of a straight 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:23.480 career path. We are talking about Thomas Griffin 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:28.469 Dunn. Born 1955, so 70 next year. And this is 00:00:28.469 --> 00:00:30.589 someone who's been a cult movie star. Right. 00:00:30.690 --> 00:00:32.990 An Oscar -nominated director. He's contended 00:00:32.990 --> 00:00:35.409 for a primetime Emmy. And now, just recently, 00:00:35.609 --> 00:00:39.310 a New York Times bestselling author. It's quite 00:00:39.310 --> 00:00:42.149 the list. And when you actually look at the sources, 00:00:42.310 --> 00:00:45.450 I mean, the term multi -hyphenate, it doesn't 00:00:45.450 --> 00:00:47.310 even quite cover it, does it? Not really. It 00:00:47.310 --> 00:00:49.729 feels insufficient. Because he's not just dabbling. 00:00:49.750 --> 00:00:52.659 He's hitting, like... Peak recognition in these 00:00:52.659 --> 00:00:54.539 different fields, actor, director, producer, 00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:57.340 writer, often all at the same time, it seems. 00:00:57.859 --> 00:01:00.079 So our goal today, I think, is really to pull 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:02.320 together these key moments, these professional 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:05.319 milestones. Yeah, synthesize them. Exactly. Yeah. 00:01:05.319 --> 00:01:07.879 And also understand, you know, how much his family 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:10.159 shaped things. That family background seems crucial, 00:01:10.340 --> 00:01:13.019 steeped in narrative and, well, tragedy, too. 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:15.120 Definitely. A family where stories were currency. 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:19.370 Yeah. And then. The big question, right? How 00:01:19.370 --> 00:01:22.409 does one guy manage to get nominated for? The 00:01:22.409 --> 00:01:25.269 big ones, Oscars, Globes, Emmys. Yeah, all of 00:01:25.269 --> 00:01:28.310 those, and also win, like the most infamous anti 00:01:28.310 --> 00:01:30.969 -award out there. The Razzie, the golden raspberry 00:01:30.969 --> 00:01:34.409 for worst director. Yeah, quite the spread. That 00:01:34.409 --> 00:01:36.650 contrast is really something. It really is. That 00:01:36.650 --> 00:01:39.290 awards range, you know, from the absolute peak 00:01:39.290 --> 00:01:42.489 of critical respect to the... with a basement 00:01:42.489 --> 00:01:45.189 of cinematic shame, maybe. Oh, maybe. It feels 00:01:45.189 --> 00:01:47.390 like it sums up his whole risk -taking approach. 00:01:47.530 --> 00:01:49.230 You could call him a professional chameleon, 00:01:49.230 --> 00:01:51.329 maybe. It's a strong term, but yeah. But looking 00:01:51.329 --> 00:01:54.230 at the sources, you have to wonder, is that versatility 00:01:54.230 --> 00:01:57.469 always a strength? Or could it maybe point to 00:01:57.469 --> 00:02:00.849 a lack of a cohesive brand, you know? Something 00:02:00.849 --> 00:02:03.109 that might explain those wild swings and how 00:02:03.109 --> 00:02:05.349 his work is received. That's a really good question. 00:02:05.409 --> 00:02:07.049 Yeah. That's kind of what we need to dig into. 00:02:07.390 --> 00:02:10.509 So our starting point, just the basic facts. 00:02:10.919 --> 00:02:12.740 Thomas Griffin Dunn, American actor, director, 00:02:12.900 --> 00:02:17.159 producer. Got it. But to really get him, you've 00:02:17.159 --> 00:02:19.379 got to go back, back to this very unique, very 00:02:19.379 --> 00:02:21.840 public environment he grew up in. His story doesn't 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:24.020 kick off on a movie set, really. Oh, where then? 00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:28.800 It starts in the intensely verbal, very public, 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:31.759 very literary world of New York society. Okay, 00:02:31.819 --> 00:02:34.840 let's unpack that. The foundation. Because those 00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:37.620 roots, they seem to explain so much. Born in 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:40.050 New York City. Oldest kid of Dominic Dunn. Right, 00:02:40.090 --> 00:02:42.229 the Dominic Dunn. Journalist, novelist, producer, 00:02:42.469 --> 00:02:45.930 even actor himself. Famous for chronicling, you 00:02:45.930 --> 00:02:47.569 know, the rich and infamous. And his mother, 00:02:47.729 --> 00:02:49.949 Ellen Beatriz. And activist. Right, a high profile 00:02:49.949 --> 00:02:52.250 in her own way. Absolutely. So this is a family 00:02:52.250 --> 00:02:55.669 where telling stories, shaping narratives, it 00:02:55.669 --> 00:02:58.750 wasn't just a job. It was like how they operated, 00:02:58.810 --> 00:03:00.969 how they existed. In the blood, basically. Completely. 00:03:01.150 --> 00:03:03.750 Yeah. And think about the wider circle. His dad, 00:03:03.830 --> 00:03:07.000 Dominic. Mixing true crime with high society 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:09.020 gossip in his writing. Yeah, Vanity Fair legend. 00:03:09.379 --> 00:03:13.180 And then his aunt and uncle, Joan Didion and 00:03:13.180 --> 00:03:16.860 John Gregory Dunn. Wow, just... Wow. Acclaimed 00:03:16.860 --> 00:03:19.099 writers doesn't even cut it. Exactly. So he's 00:03:19.099 --> 00:03:20.819 not just around creative types. He's growing 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:24.300 up with the absolute preeminent chroniclers of 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:27.439 like modern American life. It's hopes, it's anxieties, 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:29.979 it's contradictions. It's an environment where 00:03:29.979 --> 00:03:32.819 everything is material. Everything's part of 00:03:32.819 --> 00:03:35.759 a potential story. That context is inescapable, 00:03:35.780 --> 00:03:37.479 isn't it? Totally. And you've got this interesting 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:40.060 mix in his heritage, too. His father's side, 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:44.069 Irish Catholic. OK. But his mother's side. Her 00:03:44.069 --> 00:03:46.250 father was Irish -American, but her mother, his 00:03:46.250 --> 00:03:48.349 maternal grandmother, was from Sonora, Mexico. 00:03:48.629 --> 00:03:50.409 Oh, interesting. So that adds another layer, 00:03:50.530 --> 00:03:52.669 a cultural breadth there. Yeah, maybe that helps 00:03:52.669 --> 00:03:54.610 explain why he seemed so comfortable moving between 00:03:54.610 --> 00:03:56.110 different kinds of stories, different social 00:03:56.110 --> 00:03:58.270 worlds in his work later on. It could well do. 00:03:58.409 --> 00:04:00.669 But that family structure, already so complex 00:04:00.669 --> 00:04:04.050 and, you know, public, it got completely shaken, 00:04:04.150 --> 00:04:06.469 didn't it? Redefined by tragedy. That's putting 00:04:06.469 --> 00:04:08.509 it mildly. The sources are crystal clear on this. 00:04:08.569 --> 00:04:10.830 The murder of his sister, Dominique Dunn, in 00:04:10.830 --> 00:04:14.330 1982. That was just seismic. A horrible event. 00:04:14.530 --> 00:04:17.290 And it threw the whole family into this intense 00:04:17.290 --> 00:04:20.370 media spotlight, right? And into the legal system. 00:04:20.569 --> 00:04:23.529 Yes. A deeply personal loss that instantly became 00:04:23.529 --> 00:04:27.649 this huge public drama and legal fight. And the 00:04:27.649 --> 00:04:29.750 direct outcome of that, professionally speaking 00:04:29.750 --> 00:04:32.410 for the family. Was his mother, Ellen, founding 00:04:32.410 --> 00:04:34.730 the victim's rights group, Justice for Homicide 00:04:34.730 --> 00:04:37.189 Victims. Exactly. So think about the timing. 00:04:37.310 --> 00:04:40.250 This is the early 80s. Griffin Dunn is just starting 00:04:40.250 --> 00:04:42.370 to break through making these memorable films. 00:04:42.509 --> 00:04:44.649 While his family is engaged in this incredibly 00:04:44.649 --> 00:04:47.810 public, incredibly raw battle over justice, over 00:04:47.810 --> 00:04:49.750 how victors are treated, over the failures of 00:04:49.750 --> 00:04:52.689 the system. It's intense. It's critical context. 00:04:52.750 --> 00:04:55.069 He's making, you know, an American werewolf in 00:04:55.069 --> 00:04:57.790 London, this cult horror comedy. And after hours, 00:04:57.810 --> 00:05:01.379 this dark, edgy Scorsese film. Right. While simultaneously 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:05.079 his family life is consumed by the grim realities 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:07.279 of violent crime and the justice system, that 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:09.680 kind of split existence. Living in both Hollywood 00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:12.740 fantasy and this harsh activist reality back 00:05:12.740 --> 00:05:14.600 east. It must have given him a pretty unique 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:16.980 perspective on human drama, both the fictional 00:05:16.980 --> 00:05:19.500 kind and the all too real kind. You'd think. 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:23.600 So. Given that backdrop, high society, literary 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:26.620 giants, public tragedy, you might expect a very 00:05:26.620 --> 00:05:29.879 calculated path into the arts. But his own journey 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:32.379 into acting, it was a bit rebellious, wasn't 00:05:32.379 --> 00:05:34.480 it? Yeah, definitely not a straight line. He 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:36.959 grew up mostly in L .A., but went to these fancy 00:05:36.959 --> 00:05:39.759 boarding schools back east. Fay School in Mass. 00:05:40.139 --> 00:05:42.620 Okay. And then Fountain Valley School in Colorado. 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:45.459 And that's where he first got the acting bug, 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:47.660 apparently, doing school plays. Right, but didn't 00:05:47.660 --> 00:05:49.519 something happen there, something defining? Oh, 00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:52.649 yeah. The expulsion story. It's kind of legendary, 00:05:52.649 --> 00:05:54.350 and it's actually a huge turning point for him 00:05:54.350 --> 00:05:56.769 professionally. What happened? He got expelled 00:05:56.769 --> 00:06:00.250 from Fountain Valley for smoking marijuana. Okay. 00:06:00.329 --> 00:06:02.009 The night before he was supposed to perform in 00:06:02.009 --> 00:06:04.629 Othello. Oh, wow. Talk about dramatic irony. 00:06:04.790 --> 00:06:07.589 A moment of sort of youthful rebellion completely 00:06:07.589 --> 00:06:11.189 derails his academic path. But crucially, look 00:06:11.189 --> 00:06:13.709 what happens next. Getting kicked out doesn't 00:06:13.709 --> 00:06:16.110 send him shrinking home. It immediately pivots 00:06:16.110 --> 00:06:19.050 him. Back to New York City. To pursue acting 00:06:19.050 --> 00:06:22.089 seriously. Exactly. And not just, you know, trying 00:06:22.089 --> 00:06:24.850 to find an agent. He goes for hardcore training. 00:06:25.430 --> 00:06:27.250 Enrolls at the neighborhood playhouse school 00:06:27.250 --> 00:06:29.550 of the theater. Which is a big deal. A very big 00:06:29.550 --> 00:06:32.069 deal. Yeah. Studying under Sanford Meisner himself. 00:06:32.389 --> 00:06:34.850 The Meisner technique. That emphasizes truthfulness, 00:06:35.050 --> 00:06:37.629 right? Emotional reality. Precisely. The reality 00:06:37.629 --> 00:06:40.470 of doing. It forces actors to strip away all 00:06:40.470 --> 00:06:42.569 the artifice and just react truthfully in the 00:06:42.569 --> 00:06:45.269 moment under imaginary circumstances. Which... 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:47.800 Thinking about his upbringing, that very polished 00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:50.339 literary narrative heavy world of the Duns and 00:06:50.339 --> 00:06:53.339 Didyans. That kind of rigorous, brutally honest 00:06:53.339 --> 00:06:56.000 training seems vital, doesn't it? Yeah, like 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.019 a necessary counterweight. It grounded him in 00:06:58.019 --> 00:07:00.339 emotional realism, maybe, which you definitely 00:07:00.339 --> 00:07:02.639 see in his best performances. I think so. It 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:04.540 gave him the tools beyond just his background. 00:07:04.779 --> 00:07:07.360 So the family sets the stage, the expulsion forces 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:09.779 the focus, the training provides the skills, 00:07:09.819 --> 00:07:12.279 and boom, he lands right in the middle of Hollywood 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:14.519 in the mid -70s. Pretty much. His professional 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:17.740 debut is at 19. A small part in The Other Side 00:07:17.740 --> 00:07:20.800 of the Mountain, 1975. Standard enough start. 00:07:21.139 --> 00:07:23.620 Standard start, yeah. But things accelerate quickly, 00:07:23.779 --> 00:07:27.740 and he lands roles that really define genres, 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:30.699 or at least push boundaries. Okay, let's talk 00:07:30.699 --> 00:07:33.259 about that early big one. The horror comedy Pivot, 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:37.920 1981. An American werewolf in London. Jack Goodman. 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:40.899 Jack Goodman, the friend who... well, who doesn't 00:07:40.899 --> 00:07:43.360 make it, dies, gets chewed up, and then keeps 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:45.980 coming back. Has this increasingly decomposed, 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:48.779 undead, wisecracking conscience for his buddy 00:07:48.779 --> 00:07:51.360 David. It's an iconic role. He has to be genuinely 00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:54.100 horrifying, but also incredibly funny, delivering 00:07:54.100 --> 00:07:57.019 advice while literally falling apart in a porno 00:07:57.019 --> 00:07:59.120 theater lobby. It's pure dark comedy genius. 00:07:59.259 --> 00:08:02.379 He nails that balance. The terror, the sharp 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:06.439 timing. It's almost like vaudeville meets decomposition. 00:08:07.470 --> 00:08:09.209 That's a great way to put it. And that performance, 00:08:09.410 --> 00:08:11.410 it instantly made him a cult figure, right? Someone 00:08:11.410 --> 00:08:13.350 who could handle extreme horror makeup and deliver 00:08:13.350 --> 00:08:15.930 witty dialogue. Absolutely. Cemented him early 00:08:15.930 --> 00:08:17.850 on. But then just a few years later, he shows 00:08:17.850 --> 00:08:19.689 incredible range. We have to talk about After 00:08:19.689 --> 00:08:23.610 Hours. 1985. Martin Scorsese directing. A black 00:08:23.610 --> 00:08:26.069 comedy. That's a huge leap from Werewolves, isn't 00:08:26.069 --> 00:08:29.329 it? Starring for Scorsese. Huge leap. But you 00:08:29.329 --> 00:08:31.529 can see what Scorsese might have seen. It's that 00:08:31.529 --> 00:08:34.509 same core skill Landis used conveying desperation 00:08:34.509 --> 00:08:37.679 and paranoia, but through a comedic filter. Okay. 00:08:37.720 --> 00:08:40.100 So tell us about Paul Hackett. Paul Hackett is 00:08:40.100 --> 00:08:42.919 this ordinary word processor, right? And he gets 00:08:42.919 --> 00:08:47.259 stranded in Soho, downtown Manhattan, for one 00:08:47.259 --> 00:08:49.899 night that just gets progressively weirder, more 00:08:49.899 --> 00:08:52.440 surreal, more dangerous. A total urban nightmare. 00:08:52.820 --> 00:08:55.039 Completely. Yeah. And Dunn's performance as Paul 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:59.500 Hackett, he's just trying to get home. He's frustrated. 00:08:59.799 --> 00:09:02.120 He's increasingly panicked. He keeps trying to 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:04.909 apply logic to this. Totally illogical sequence 00:09:04.909 --> 00:09:07.409 of events. It grounds the whole crazy film. He 00:09:07.409 --> 00:09:09.629 does. It must have been exhausting. It requires 00:09:09.629 --> 00:09:11.809 so much vulnerability, so much sustained energy. 00:09:12.009 --> 00:09:14.450 And it got noticed big time. That role earned 00:09:14.450 --> 00:09:16.950 him a Golden Globe nomination. Right. Best actor, 00:09:17.029 --> 00:09:19.850 motion picture, musical or comedy, which is interesting 00:09:19.850 --> 00:09:21.990 in itself, that category. Yeah. Musical or comedy. 00:09:22.070 --> 00:09:24.309 It underlines that point. Again, his dramatic 00:09:24.309 --> 00:09:27.129 depth often comes wrapped in this comedic sensibility. 00:09:27.169 --> 00:09:29.149 We saw it in Werewolf and definitely here in 00:09:29.149 --> 00:09:31.330 After Hours. And if you think about the mid 80s 00:09:31.330 --> 00:09:35.460 indie film scene. starring in this really unconventional 00:09:35.460 --> 00:09:38.120 Scorsese movie right after a big cult hit like 00:09:38.120 --> 00:09:40.840 Werewolf. It shows guts. He wasn't just chasing 00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:43.580 mainstream roles. Exactly. He was choosing challenging, 00:09:43.659 --> 00:09:45.620 interesting material. He wasn't establishing 00:09:45.620 --> 00:09:48.360 himself as like a traditional Hollywood leading 00:09:48.360 --> 00:09:51.940 man, more like a brilliant, versatile character 00:09:51.940 --> 00:09:55.320 actor who had crucially really good taste. He 00:09:55.320 --> 00:09:57.549 knew a good script. And you see that taste in 00:09:57.549 --> 00:09:59.590 his later film roles, too. He keeps popping up 00:09:59.590 --> 00:10:01.529 in interesting places, mixing it up. Totally. 00:10:01.570 --> 00:10:03.269 Think about the range just in supporting roles. 00:10:03.529 --> 00:10:06.289 He's opposite Madonna in Who's That Girl in 87. 00:10:06.490 --> 00:10:09.149 Which was a massive pop culture thing, even if 00:10:09.149 --> 00:10:11.470 the film itself didn't go well. Right. But he 00:10:11.470 --> 00:10:14.070 was there. Then he's Jake Bixler in My Girl in 00:10:14.070 --> 00:10:17.330 91, that beloved family movie, a much gentler 00:10:17.330 --> 00:10:19.350 role. Providing that emotional anchor. Yeah. 00:10:19.409 --> 00:10:21.909 And then he's the smarmy Jared -Ole exec in Quiz 00:10:21.909 --> 00:10:26.590 Show. 1994. Robert Redford directing, Oscar -nominated 00:10:26.590 --> 00:10:30.330 film. He has to capture that specific 1950s TV 00:10:30.330 --> 00:10:33.289 world cynicism. He nails it. And he keeps working 00:10:33.289 --> 00:10:35.750 in prestigious projects later on, too. Maintains 00:10:35.750 --> 00:10:37.700 his relevance. Like his role in Dallas Buyers 00:10:37.700 --> 00:10:41.820 Club, 2013 Oscar winner, he plays Dr. Voss. A 00:10:41.820 --> 00:10:44.559 key supporting part shows he's still contributing 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:47.340 vital work decades into his career alongside 00:10:47.340 --> 00:10:50.600 major stars like McConaughey. And then more recently, 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:53.240 working with Wes Anderson. Yeah, the legal advisor 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:56.379 in the French Dispatch, 2021. Which tells you 00:10:56.379 --> 00:10:58.690 something, right? Director's known for very precise, 00:10:58.850 --> 00:11:02.529 very specific styles. Scorsese, Anderson, they 00:11:02.529 --> 00:11:05.129 keep past him. It suggests they value his ability 00:11:05.129 --> 00:11:08.279 for detailed, nuanced character work. And he's 00:11:08.279 --> 00:11:10.740 not slowing down. He's in an upcoming film, Caught 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:14.360 Stealing, slated for 2025. So five decades in, 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:16.340 still in demand. That's impressive. It really 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:19.240 is. Okay, so film establishes his range, his 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:22.220 critical potential. But television, TV seems 00:11:22.220 --> 00:11:25.259 to be where he built consistency. And maybe surprisingly, 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:27.559 where he got another one of his major award nominations. 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:29.879 Yes, the Emmy nomination. We have to talk about 00:11:29.879 --> 00:11:32.039 this because the detail on the sources is fascinating. 00:11:32.299 --> 00:11:34.580 It's for outstanding guest actor in a comedy 00:11:34.580 --> 00:11:37.559 series. For Frasier. Right, Frasier. Huge show. 00:11:37.659 --> 00:11:39.299 But what's so remarkable about the nomination 00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:41.980 itself? Well, it wasn't for just one standout 00:11:41.980 --> 00:11:44.779 guest spot. The nomination covers two completely 00:11:44.779 --> 00:11:47.320 separate appearances he made on the show, years 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:49.799 apart. Wait, really? Yeah. Two different roles 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:52.019 combined for one nomination. How does that work? 00:11:52.440 --> 00:11:54.419 Apparently, the rules for guest actor can sometimes 00:11:54.419 --> 00:11:57.320 allow for that, submitting multiple non -recurring 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:00.019 appearances within a certain time frame. And 00:12:00.019 --> 00:12:01.759 the roles required totally different skills. 00:12:02.039 --> 00:12:03.840 Okay, break that down. What were the two appearances? 00:12:04.120 --> 00:12:06.850 First one. Right in the pilot episode. The good 00:12:06.850 --> 00:12:10.309 son, who's just a voice. A voice. Yeah, the voice 00:12:10.309 --> 00:12:12.769 of Russell, one of the callers to Frasier Crane's 00:12:12.769 --> 00:12:17.350 radio show. So pure vocal performance. Tone, 00:12:17.350 --> 00:12:20.009 warmth, conveying emotion just with his voice. 00:12:20.269 --> 00:12:22.370 Okay, that's one skill set, like radio acting. 00:12:22.570 --> 00:12:26.129 Exactly. Pure Meisner, but vocal. Then fast forward 00:12:26.129 --> 00:12:28.769 three seasons. Season three, episode 11, The 00:12:28.769 --> 00:12:31.409 Friend. This time, he's there physically. On 00:12:31.409 --> 00:12:33.570 screen. On screen, playing a totally different 00:12:33.570 --> 00:12:35.970 character named Bob, who gets tangled up in one 00:12:35.970 --> 00:12:39.169 of those classic Frasier farce plots full of 00:12:39.169 --> 00:12:41.850 misunderstandings. So a full comedic performance 00:12:41.850 --> 00:12:44.629 interacting with the main cast. Right. And the 00:12:44.629 --> 00:12:46.909 fact that the Television Academy recognized him 00:12:46.909 --> 00:12:49.870 for both this purely auditory role and then this 00:12:49.870 --> 00:12:52.570 full physical comedy role, years apart, it just 00:12:52.570 --> 00:12:54.909 shows incredible mastery of the sitcom medium. 00:12:55.289 --> 00:12:57.110 Yeah, it demonstrates he could make a huge impact 00:12:57.110 --> 00:12:59.070 whether you saw him or just heard him. That's 00:12:59.070 --> 00:13:01.809 versatile. Extremely. And that ability to handle 00:13:01.809 --> 00:13:04.409 both these short, sharp guest spots and also 00:13:04.409 --> 00:13:07.570 longer arcs that continue throughout his TV career. 00:13:07.809 --> 00:13:10.070 Which brings us to a role that probably defines 00:13:10.070 --> 00:13:12.909 him for a whole new generation of viewers. Nicky 00:13:12.909 --> 00:13:15.809 Pearson on This Is Us. Absolutely. Jack Pearson's 00:13:15.809 --> 00:13:17.870 brother. The troubled younger brother we didn't 00:13:17.870 --> 00:13:19.929 even know existed for a while. Right. And that 00:13:19.929 --> 00:13:22.289 wasn't just a guest spot. That was a major recurring 00:13:22.289 --> 00:13:26.340 role. Huge. 28 episodes. Between 2018 and 2022, 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:29.759 a massive commitment to a network broadcast drama 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:32.879 and a really heavy storyline to dealing with 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:36.759 PTSD, family trauma. It allowed him to show a 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:38.700 completely different side, didn't it? Very dramatic, 00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:42.039 very vulnerable, shedding that quirky indie guy 00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:44.399 image for something much deeper. Definitely. 00:13:44.620 --> 00:13:47.179 Anchoring that emotional arc for years. And beyond 00:13:47.179 --> 00:13:49.539 This Is Us, you see him pop up in all sorts of 00:13:49.539 --> 00:13:52.639 quality TV. Like where? Well, he was the fast 00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:55.100 -talking consultant Marco Pelios on House of 00:13:55.100 --> 00:13:57.019 Lies for a stretch. Oh, yeah, with Don Cheadle. 00:13:57.139 --> 00:13:58.799 Right, eight episodes there. He did a full season, 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:02.620 13 episodes, of Trust Me. And he showed up in 00:14:02.620 --> 00:14:06.019 big prestige dramas like... Goliath, and The 00:14:06.019 --> 00:14:08.080 Good Wife. And didn't he direct an episode of 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:10.960 The Good Wife, too? He did, which perfectly tees 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:12.879 up our next section. He was already moving behind 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:15.039 the camera. Glaring those lines. And he's still 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:17.480 current, right? Wasn't he just in Only Murders 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:19.460 in the Building? Yep, 2024. Played Professor 00:14:19.460 --> 00:14:22.220 Dudinoff. Yeah. So, yeah, still very much in 00:14:22.220 --> 00:14:24.340 the mix. What really stands out looking across 00:14:24.340 --> 00:14:26.240 all these decades of acting... What's the thread? 00:14:26.460 --> 00:14:29.639 He doesn't seem to chase fame or typecasting. 00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:33.299 He chases the interesting character, the nuanced 00:14:33.299 --> 00:14:37.110 role. Whether it's, you know, a decomposing werewolf 00:14:37.110 --> 00:14:40.789 or a paranoid office worker or a traumatized 00:14:40.789 --> 00:14:43.889 vet or a quirky professor, it's about the material. 00:14:44.149 --> 00:14:45.909 Which makes perfect sense given his background, 00:14:46.070 --> 00:14:49.250 that focus on narrative, on story. Exactly. And 00:14:49.250 --> 00:14:52.029 that desire to shape the story, to control the 00:14:52.029 --> 00:14:54.570 narrative. It wasn't just in picking roles, it 00:14:54.570 --> 00:14:57.450 led him directly behind the camera. Right. Let's 00:14:57.450 --> 00:14:59.629 shift gears then to the other hyphens. Yeah. 00:14:59.870 --> 00:15:03.360 Producer, director. This wasn't an afterthought, 00:15:03.419 --> 00:15:05.840 was it? It started pretty early on. Very early. 00:15:05.940 --> 00:15:08.379 Late 1970s, actually. Around the same time his 00:15:08.379 --> 00:15:10.679 acting career was taking off, he forms Triple 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:13.279 Play Productions. With collaborators. Yeah, Emmy 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:15.860 Robinson and Marc Metcalf. And this wasn't just, 00:15:15.860 --> 00:15:18.820 like, a vanity label. It seems like a really 00:15:18.820 --> 00:15:21.500 deliberate move to get control, to make the kinds 00:15:21.500 --> 00:15:23.480 of films they want to make. Okay, so what was 00:15:23.480 --> 00:15:26.600 their first big project? An adaptation of Anne 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:29.139 Beattie's novel, Chilly Scenes of Winter. Came 00:15:29.139 --> 00:15:32.240 out in 1979 initially, but the story around it 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:34.460 is really telling. Oh, what happened? This sounds 00:15:34.460 --> 00:15:35.980 like one of those classic Hollywood battles. 00:15:36.179 --> 00:15:38.279 It really was. A brutal fight with a distributor, 00:15:38.460 --> 00:15:42.360 United Artists. UA got cold feet, basically. 00:15:42.659 --> 00:15:45.759 About what? The tone. The ending. They insisted 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:48.120 on changing the title first. From chilly scenes 00:15:48.120 --> 00:15:50.000 of winter to the much softer, kind of generic 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:53.320 head over heels. And worse, they demanded a different 00:15:53.320 --> 00:15:55.539 ending. The original book and the film they made 00:15:55.539 --> 00:15:59.059 had this realistic, maybe ambiguous, Definitely 00:15:59.059 --> 00:16:01.519 not traditionally happy ending. Right. True to 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:05.399 life, maybe. Exactly. But UA insisted on tacking 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:07.960 on this forced, upbeat, happy ending. Which probably 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:10.159 felt completely wrong after everything that came 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:12.320 before. Totally wrong. It betrayed the whole 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:15.379 mood. And predictably, that version of the film, 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:18.580 Head Over Heels, it was released. And it bombed. 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:21.840 Short run, nobody really got it. Confusing tone. 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:25.220 So what did Dunn and his partners do? Give up. 00:16:25.379 --> 00:16:28.190 No way. This is where you see that Dunn tenacity 00:16:28.190 --> 00:16:30.990 may be inherited from his activist mother or 00:16:30.990 --> 00:16:34.629 his journalist father. They fought tooth and 00:16:34.629 --> 00:16:37.289 nail. To do what? To get the film back. They 00:16:37.289 --> 00:16:39.269 eventually secured the rights, found a different 00:16:39.269 --> 00:16:42.370 distributor, and years later, in 1982, they re 00:16:42.370 --> 00:16:44.490 -released it. Under the original title. Under 00:16:44.490 --> 00:16:46.309 the original title, Chilly Scenes of Winter. 00:16:46.570 --> 00:16:49.710 And crucially, with the original intended realistic 00:16:49.710 --> 00:16:52.970 ending restored. And how did that go? Much better. 00:16:53.049 --> 00:16:55.539 It found its audience. It was recognized for 00:16:55.539 --> 00:16:58.399 what it was. That whole experience, fighting 00:16:58.399 --> 00:17:00.820 the system, protecting the artistic vision. Must 00:17:00.820 --> 00:17:03.100 have really cemented his commitment to independence, 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:05.740 right? To sticking to the story you want to tell, 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:07.420 even if the market doesn't immediately get it. 00:17:07.619 --> 00:17:09.960 Absolutely. Proving he'd rather lose commercially 00:17:09.960 --> 00:17:13.740 short term to win artistically long term. After 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:16.420 Metcalf left, Dunn and Amy Robinson kept going 00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:18.880 as double play productions. And they became pretty 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:20.859 significant players in that indie scene. Oh, 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:23.599 yeah. They produced the films that really defined 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:26.759 his early image. After Hours, for example. Which 00:17:26.759 --> 00:17:29.240 he also starred in. Right. And other well -regarded 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:31.339 films like Baby, It's You, the River Phoenix 00:17:31.339 --> 00:17:33.799 film running on empty Game 6 later on. They built 00:17:33.799 --> 00:17:36.599 a real reputation. A strong one. Strong enough 00:17:36.599 --> 00:17:39.799 that by 1986, Double Play signed a two -year 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:44.069 production deal with a major studio. Wow. So 00:17:44.069 --> 00:17:46.170 they weren't just outsiders anymore. They were 00:17:46.170 --> 00:17:49.150 independent, yes, but recognized forces within 00:17:49.150 --> 00:17:51.710 the system. Exactly. Bringing unique, character 00:17:51.710 --> 00:17:54.329 -driven stories to the screen, often with studio 00:17:54.329 --> 00:17:56.650 backing, that's a powerful position. And that 00:17:56.650 --> 00:17:59.170 producing success, that desire for control, it 00:17:59.170 --> 00:18:00.990 logically leads him to directing, doesn't it? 00:18:01.049 --> 00:18:03.809 Seems like the natural next step. And his directorial 00:18:03.809 --> 00:18:06.690 debut, well, it took him straight to the top 00:18:06.690 --> 00:18:09.119 tier of recognition. Almost immediately. What 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:11.299 was the project? A short film called Duke of 00:18:11.299 --> 00:18:14.180 Groove, 1995. Okay. And what happened with it? 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:16.859 This is where that career paradox really starts 00:18:16.859 --> 00:18:19.839 to sharpen. Duke of Groove, it's about a teenager 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:23.579 dealing with his mother leaving his father, navigating 00:18:23.579 --> 00:18:25.779 that emotional fallout. Sounds like sensitive 00:18:25.779 --> 00:18:29.099 material. Yeah. And his first time directing, 00:18:29.259 --> 00:18:32.480 it gets nominated for an Academy Award. Seriously? 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:35.819 An Oscar nomination for Best Live Action Short 00:18:35.819 --> 00:18:39.750 Film? On his debut. Yep. Shared with the producer, 00:18:39.930 --> 00:18:44.410 Tom Colwell. It's almost unheard of to go from 00:18:44.410 --> 00:18:47.450 respected actor and producer to Oscar -nominated 00:18:47.450 --> 00:18:50.029 director on your very first try. That's incredible 00:18:50.029 --> 00:18:51.910 validation for making that leap. So that must 00:18:51.910 --> 00:18:53.609 have opened doors for feature directing. You'd 00:18:53.609 --> 00:18:55.650 think so. Eddie. And he did move into features, 00:18:55.730 --> 00:18:58.089 directing across different genres, too. He did 00:18:58.089 --> 00:19:00.690 the rom -com Addicted to Love in 97. With Meg 00:19:00.690 --> 00:19:03.190 Ryan and Matthew Broderick. Right. And then maybe 00:19:03.190 --> 00:19:05.329 his most well -known directing gig, Practical 00:19:05.329 --> 00:19:08.250 Magic, in 98. Oh, yeah. The Witchy Sister movie 00:19:08.250 --> 00:19:10.789 with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Total 00:19:10.789 --> 00:19:13.829 cult classic now. Became one, yeah. And directing 00:19:13.829 --> 00:19:16.329 that, it's interesting, it's a bigger studio 00:19:16.329 --> 00:19:19.009 film, blending romance, comedy, fantasy elements. 00:19:19.210 --> 00:19:21.630 Yeah. Requires a specific touch. So he showed 00:19:21.630 --> 00:19:24.210 he could handle studio projects. Did he do smaller 00:19:24.210 --> 00:19:26.410 films, too? He did. He directed Fierce People 00:19:26.410 --> 00:19:28.730 in 2005, which was more of an intimate character 00:19:28.730 --> 00:19:31.519 study. based on a novel and another rom -com 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:34.839 the accidental husband in 2008 so comfortable 00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:38.160 moving between scales and then his most personal 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:40.160 directing work seems to bring everything full 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:42.720 circle right back to the family narrative we 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:45.480 started with exactly we absolutely have to talk 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:48.579 about the 2017 netflix documentary joan didion 00:19:48.579 --> 00:19:51.880 the center will not hold his aunt his aunt this 00:19:51.880 --> 00:19:54.140 project feels like the ultimate fusion of all 00:19:54.140 --> 00:19:57.150 his worlds he produced it He directed it. And 00:19:57.150 --> 00:19:59.710 he's in it, right? Interviewing her. Yes. He 00:19:59.710 --> 00:20:01.769 appears on screen with her, guiding us through 00:20:01.769 --> 00:20:04.529 her life, her work, their relationship. It's 00:20:04.529 --> 00:20:07.609 this profound act of family documentation. Using 00:20:07.609 --> 00:20:09.869 his filmmaking skills to preserve and interpret 00:20:09.869 --> 00:20:12.130 the legacy of one part of his famous family, 00:20:12.269 --> 00:20:15.130 it feels like embracing that role, doesn't it? 00:20:15.309 --> 00:20:18.089 Chronicler. Absolutely. Taking control of how 00:20:18.089 --> 00:20:20.250 that family narrative is presented to the world, 00:20:20.329 --> 00:20:22.630 but from the inside this time. Which leads us 00:20:22.630 --> 00:20:25.170 perfectly into the final hyphenate. Because he 00:20:25.170 --> 00:20:28.450 didn't just stop at documenting others. No. He 00:20:28.450 --> 00:20:31.369 became a writer himself, bringing us right back 00:20:31.369 --> 00:20:34.450 to that core lineage, Dominic Dunn, Joan Didion. 00:20:34.549 --> 00:20:37.769 That literary influence feels almost inevitable 00:20:37.769 --> 00:20:40.809 looking back. It really does. And he hasn't just 00:20:40.809 --> 00:20:43.250 dabbled. He's contributed proper articles to 00:20:43.250 --> 00:20:45.670 some serious publications. The New York Times 00:20:45.670 --> 00:20:48.750 travel section. Details magazine, Porter magazine, 00:20:49.069 --> 00:20:51.309 often writing about things like travel, memory, 00:20:51.490 --> 00:20:54.089 personal reflections. It's thoughtful work. Not 00:20:54.089 --> 00:20:56.930 just celebrity puff pieces. No, not at all. He 00:20:56.930 --> 00:20:58.970 also put out a collection of short stories as 00:20:58.970 --> 00:21:01.490 a Kindle single called Air Guitar. Interesting. 00:21:01.569 --> 00:21:04.529 So fiction, too. Yeah. But the biggest literary 00:21:04.529 --> 00:21:07.250 step, the most significant one recently, is the 00:21:07.250 --> 00:21:10.069 memoir. The Friday Afternoon Club, released just 00:21:10.069 --> 00:21:13.029 this year, June 2024. And it hit the New York 00:21:13.029 --> 00:21:15.349 Times bestseller list. Right. And that title 00:21:15.349 --> 00:21:18.529 alone, The Friday Afternoon Club, it refers to 00:21:18.529 --> 00:21:21.609 his family's regular gatherings. It signals he's 00:21:21.609 --> 00:21:24.970 now turning that documentary lens fully onto 00:21:24.970 --> 00:21:27.170 his own life, his own experience within that 00:21:27.170 --> 00:21:29.470 extraordinary and sometimes tragic family. Just 00:21:29.470 --> 00:21:31.630 like his father chronicled the lives around him, 00:21:31.769 --> 00:21:34.400 now Griffin is chronicling his own. It really 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:36.759 solidifies his role, doesn't it? Yeah. As the 00:21:36.759 --> 00:21:38.839 keeper, maybe the transmitter, of that whole 00:21:38.839 --> 00:21:41.720 Dundinian legacy. The family business was narrative, 00:21:41.940 --> 00:21:44.380 and now he's formally shaping his own story, 00:21:44.500 --> 00:21:47.720 the pain, the glamour, the contradictions, into 00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:49.859 a public text. It feels like the culmination 00:21:49.859 --> 00:21:51.859 of all those different professional choices he's 00:21:51.859 --> 00:21:55.039 made. Actor, producer, director, documentarian. 00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:58.519 Now memoirist. Exactly. The ultimate expression 00:21:58.519 --> 00:22:00.599 of it all. Okay, so let's try and tie all these 00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:02.500 strands together now by looking at the award 00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:04.720 spectrum. Because this is where his career just 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:07.819 gets fascinatingly paradoxical. The extreme highs 00:22:07.819 --> 00:22:10.660 and, well, the lows. Yeah, it's quite the roller 00:22:10.660 --> 00:22:13.380 coaster. Let's recap the highs first. The major 00:22:13.380 --> 00:22:16.059 industry seals of approval. Golden Globe nomination, 00:22:16.460 --> 00:22:19.200 Best Actor for After Hours. Check. Academy Award 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:22.160 nomination, Best Live Action Short Film for directing 00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:25.349 Duke of Groove. Check. primetime Emmy Award nomination, 00:22:25.630 --> 00:22:28.630 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, for 00:22:28.630 --> 00:22:31.869 those two distinct roles on Frasier. Check. That's 00:22:31.869 --> 00:22:35.640 acting, directing, across film and TV. It's the 00:22:35.640 --> 00:22:37.900 trifecta, basically. Industry recognition at 00:22:37.900 --> 00:22:40.200 the highest levels. It demonstrates excellence 00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:42.940 across the board. And don't forget the independent 00:22:42.940 --> 00:22:45.500 world recognition, too. Right. He actually won 00:22:45.500 --> 00:22:47.940 the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature 00:22:47.940 --> 00:22:50.720 back in 86 for producing After Hours. Which is 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:54.140 huge in the indie world. Plus other honors, like 00:22:54.140 --> 00:22:56.220 a Pioneer Filmmaker Award from a festival in 00:22:56.220 --> 00:22:59.380 2000 and acting awards from festivals like Sarasota 00:22:59.380 --> 00:23:02.200 and Sedona later on for a film called The Discoverers. 00:23:02.619 --> 00:23:05.539 So consistent recognition from peers and festivals 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:08.480 for his commitment to quality, often independent 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:11.799 work throughout his career. Exactly. Highs. Validated 00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:14.380 highs. But then, then you hit the other end of 00:23:14.380 --> 00:23:16.779 the spectrum. The polar opposite. The Razzie. 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:18.759 The Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director. 00:23:19.659 --> 00:23:22.420 2013. It's just such a jarring contrast, isn't 00:23:22.420 --> 00:23:24.900 it? An Oscar nominee for directing holds a Razzie 00:23:24.900 --> 00:23:26.599 for directing. How does that even happen? Okay, 00:23:26.619 --> 00:23:29.119 context is key here. Yeah. He won the Razzie 00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:31.460 for directing one segment, a segment called Veronica, 00:23:31.819 --> 00:23:35.019 in that absolutely notorious anthology film, 00:23:35.079 --> 00:23:37.599 Movie 43. Oh, Movie 43. I remember the buzz around 00:23:37.599 --> 00:23:39.099 that. It was supposed to be outrageous. Right. 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:42.099 Critically savaged. Universally panned is probably 00:23:42.099 --> 00:23:45.759 fair. It was this huge, sprawling, incredibly 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:49.019 vulgar sketch comedy film. Tons of directors 00:23:49.019 --> 00:23:51.039 involved, Peter Farrelly, Brett Ratner, others, 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:56.079 and a massive star -studded cast doing, well, 00:23:56.220 --> 00:23:59.259 doing intentionally offensive stuff. So his Razzie 00:23:59.259 --> 00:24:01.440 was for just one part of that collective disaster. 00:24:02.039 --> 00:24:04.119 Yeah, the Razzie sometimes give awards to multiple 00:24:04.119 --> 00:24:06.720 people for collaborative works like that. But 00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:08.829 the question remains, right? What does it say 00:24:08.829 --> 00:24:10.630 about his professional judgment or maybe his 00:24:10.630 --> 00:24:12.930 sense of adventure? Then an Oscar -nominated 00:24:12.930 --> 00:24:15.849 director signs up for a segment in a film seemingly 00:24:15.849 --> 00:24:19.109 designed purely for shock value. It feels like 00:24:19.109 --> 00:24:21.210 such a deliberate swerve away from the nuanced, 00:24:21.230 --> 00:24:23.730 emotionally real work he's often praised for. 00:24:23.930 --> 00:24:27.309 It signals maybe a profound willingness to experiment. 00:24:27.740 --> 00:24:30.259 To take huge creative risks, even if they might 00:24:30.259 --> 00:24:32.640 blow up spectacularly. Like he was chasing some 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:35.519 extreme boundary -pushing comedy, maybe? Something 00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:38.000 totally different. Possibly. A far cry from Meisner 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:40.980 realism, that's for sure. And the industry, or 00:24:40.980 --> 00:24:43.059 at least the Razzies, responded by saying, nope, 00:24:43.140 --> 00:24:45.180 this whole thing is the worst. It's the perfect 00:24:45.180 --> 00:24:47.900 final piece of the puzzle, isn't it? Yeah. He 00:24:47.900 --> 00:24:51.000 aims for the absolute peak. The Oscar nod proves 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:53.619 that. But he's also apparently willing to crash 00:24:53.619 --> 00:24:56.140 and burn in pursuit of something completely off 00:24:56.140 --> 00:24:59.220 the wall. That Razzie sitting metaphorically 00:24:59.220 --> 00:25:02.180 next to his Emmy and Oscar nominations, it just 00:25:02.180 --> 00:25:04.359 perfectly captures a career that seems driven 00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:08.319 more by exploration and curiosity than by, say, 00:25:08.440 --> 00:25:11.559 maintaining a consistent brand or level of prestige. 00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:14.039 Before we wrap up with a final thought, we should 00:25:14.039 --> 00:25:16.880 probably briefly mention his personal life, just 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:19.140 as it connects to that theme of family and legacy 00:25:19.140 --> 00:25:21.440 continuing. Good point. The sources note he's 00:25:21.440 --> 00:25:24.500 been married twice. First to actress Carrie Lowell 00:25:24.500 --> 00:25:27.559 from 1989 to 1995. And they have a daughter together. 00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:30.180 Yes, Hannah Dunn, who is also an actress. So 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:32.279 the tradition continues. Another generation in 00:25:32.279 --> 00:25:34.420 the family business of performance and storytelling. 00:25:34.519 --> 00:25:36.859 Exactly. And then he had a shorter marriage later 00:25:36.859 --> 00:25:40.920 to stylist Anna Benjamin from 2009 to 2010. OK, 00:25:40.980 --> 00:25:43.240 so the acting legacy definitely continues with 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:45.319 his daughter. It does. It keeps that Dunn name 00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:47.660 linked to Hollywood narrative. All right. So 00:25:47.660 --> 00:25:49.880 let's try to bring it all together when we synthesize 00:25:49.880 --> 00:25:53.460 this whole career. Thomas Griffin Dunn from the 00:25:53.460 --> 00:25:56.819 mid 70s, basically right up to today and beyond. 00:25:56.960 --> 00:26:00.359 It's just the scope is immense. He flows so easily, 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:03.119 doesn't he? From being this cult horror icon 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:05.920 to an Oscar nominated director, then a respected 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:09.279 dramatic actor on a huge TV show, a documentary 00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:11.579 filmmaker chronicling his own family, and now 00:26:11.579 --> 00:26:13.980 a bestselling memoirist. And if you connect that 00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:18.460 all back, that diversity, that range. Maybe it's 00:26:18.460 --> 00:26:20.619 not a lack of focus. Maybe it's actually a really 00:26:20.619 --> 00:26:23.859 sustained, decades -long commitment to storytelling 00:26:23.859 --> 00:26:26.480 itself, just using whatever medium fits the story 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:28.299 best at that moment. Because he grew up immersed 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:30.900 in it. Exactly. Raised by these master chroniclers, 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:33.579 Dominic Dunn, Joan Didion, people who saw life 00:26:33.579 --> 00:26:36.099 itself as narrative material. So his choice, 00:26:36.140 --> 00:26:38.319 first, to document his aunt's life and legacy. 00:26:38.460 --> 00:26:40.259 In the center will not hold. And then to write 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:42.359 his own big family memoir, The Friday Afternoon 00:26:42.359 --> 00:26:46.220 Club. It feels like confirmation. His core drive, 00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:48.299 professionally, seems to be about documentation. 00:26:48.359 --> 00:26:50.880 Yeah. About telling complex stories. Whether 00:26:50.880 --> 00:26:54.299 through comedy or drama or documentary or now 00:26:54.299 --> 00:26:58.099 prose. Stories rooted in real human experience. 00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:01.359 Yeah. He's sort of the living embodiment of his 00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:03.519 family's obsession with narrative. Sometimes 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:06.220 reaching the absolute highest peaks of recognition. 00:27:06.599 --> 00:27:08.539 And sometimes, yeah, earning a Razzie because 00:27:08.539 --> 00:27:10.339 he aimed for something completely outside the 00:27:10.339 --> 00:27:13.279 expected box. Precisely. The whole arc is about 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:16.200 legacy, about telling the tale. Which kind of 00:27:16.200 --> 00:27:18.240 leaves us with a final thought for you, the listener, 00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:21.579 to chew on. Okay, what have you got? Well, think 00:27:21.579 --> 00:27:24.200 about his deep involvement in telling Joan Didion's 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:27.740 story. Producing, directing, curating her legacy 00:27:27.740 --> 00:27:30.960 for that documentary. He was shaping how we see 00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:33.339 her. Right. He was the narrator of her life, 00:27:33.420 --> 00:27:35.980 in a way. So the provocative question is this. 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:38.460 What impact does that experience be in the architect 00:27:38.460 --> 00:27:40.759 of someone else's high -profile family story, 00:27:40.980 --> 00:27:43.640 especially someone as iconic as Didion have on 00:27:43.640 --> 00:27:46.079 your own decision later to write your own definitive 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:50.299 personal family memoir? Does organizing and presenting 00:27:50.299 --> 00:27:54.319 your aunt's memories her legacy? Does that process 00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:57.279 somehow inspire you or maybe even obligate you 00:27:57.279 --> 00:28:00.019 to finally do the same for yourself, to formalize 00:28:00.019 --> 00:28:02.380 your own place in that narrative? Does one act 00:28:02.380 --> 00:28:04.500 of documentation naturally lead to the next? 00:28:04.640 --> 00:28:06.599 Yeah. Especially within such a story -obsessed 00:28:06.599 --> 00:28:08.500 family. That's a really compelling question. 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:10.859 Something to definitely mull over as you reflect 00:28:10.859 --> 00:28:13.660 on the very deep and, yeah, sometimes very contradictory 00:28:13.660 --> 00:28:16.380 career of Thomas Griffin Dunn. And Jeet. Thank 00:28:16.380 --> 00:28:17.839 you for joining us for this deep dive.