This is interrupted by Matt Jones on news radio Wait forty WITJS Now Here's Matt Jones Matt Jones Podcast, presented by Cornbread Hemp.

This is the good life actor in Kentucky and Josh Hopkins.

He's one of my favorite people.

He's a great actor, a good friend, and has been a friend of the show for a long time.

We've never really gotten to sit down with him and talk long form.

So I thought this would be a great context and a great way to do it.

And it's nice to have Josh in here, all right, Episode fourteen of the Interrupted Matt Jones Podcast.

I was trying to scramble, Okay, who are gonna have money?

Because we've got a lot of people set up for the next three or four weeks they couldn't do this week.

And then my buddy Josh Hopkins says, Hey, I'm in town.

Would you like me to come in?

How nice?

I was going to ask you in the next few weeks.

I do not want to burden people, and then you just volunteered, and so Josh Hopkins, actor extraordinary Lexington, Kentucky UK fan, Josh, how are you?

I'm great man, I'm happy to be here.

You listened to this show, right?

I text you I was like, I listen man, and I'm really enjoying it.

Why do you like it?

It feels like I mean, I just you can compliment me here or just talk about what you like it podcast.

Uh, well you're in your bag fully here.

Okay you can you know, not that you've shied away from anything in your in your sports stuff, but here, well, one can't say stick to sports.

This is what it is.

Yeah, this is what it is.

If you don't like it, be doing Yeah, don't come here.

Plenty of sports so people who don't know you.

You are from Lexington, grew up here, went to Sair High school state football champs.

Can you?

Did you ever think there'd be a time your little rinky dink high school next to Transylvania would win the state football title?

No?

Sure, didn't didn't have football in half, but we wouldn't have had I'd had to be You could have played, Yeah, I had to play.

We would have been we had all been hurt.

So yeah, so now who would have thought you were an athletic powerhouse?

Those are your your friends at coach right?

Yeah?

Yeah, Rob Goodman, Jay Atkins, are you know, head coach and assistant over there both played with me.

Yeah at Sayer and it's it's a lot of fun to go watch them play.

They've done a great job obviously with the with the program.

So you you become an actor, I want to go back, I'm in a minute talk to when you went to Auburn and left legs and takes here.

But you're an actor, go to Hollywood?

How long you been acting between your first gig and now?

I mean my adult life?

You know, I moved to New York City when I was twenty one or twenty two, immediately booked understudy on Broadway for the show Picnic.

I did not know you were on Broadway?

Was that understudying?

Yeah?

It was very you know, I was brand new in New York.

So what's an understudy?

Is that?

Like if somebody gets sick, you come in?

So did you ever have to come in?

I didn't, But Ashley Judd was was in that production?

Really?

Yeah?

Yeah?

Was it just a coincidence?

Yeah, two people from from there actually was for a little bit.

And uh yeah, So I remember during rehearsals because I'd have to be there and we'd have to I'd have to do stuff.

And it was during the tournament and me running in and out going we're up six seventeen minutes.

You know, that's a funny story.

I saw Ashley Judd on I believe it was cat on a hot tin roof.

I believe that it was what she was doing, but she was doing a play.

I didn't know her at this point.

I know her now, but I went with my parents and I during the bowels, you know, when they were I said, we beat Louisville because it was the day we played basketball against Louisville, and she from the crowd, yeah, I went, we beat Louisville.

And she looked at me and went really and I said yes, and she started celebrating.

And many years later when I got to know where she was like, that was you?

I remember so like you were you were the same thing.

Yeah, yeah, running in and out.

Okay, now we're down for seven minutes.

Wow?

Do you know what tournament?

Was?

There?

No idea?

All right, so you go to Broadway?

Have you did you do any more Broadway?

Or was that the long time?

Yeah?

Yeah, but never I never sang.

You didn't have to sing.

But you've been you We've been like a stage actor.

Yes, hard, Yeah, but it's all hard.

It's just completely different.

But you get there's no like there's no second cut there.

Right, no, no, But you also have weeks to months of rehearsal, you know, so you're not worried about the lines as much.

Did you ever ever your mind like go blank when you were doing it and you forget any of the lines or did it just become.

Had that happen?

Oh?

Yeah, that's fun.

But that's the person kind of saves you save stuff and also that kind of stuff.

It's horrifying as an actor, but that's why the theater's great.

Yes, you know, the people that come are like it feels.

Like big actors are doing more of that.

Like I know, Clooney did a show recently and there was the what was it, the one that had Bill Burr and Bob oden Kirk and all of them bonfire of the vanities?

Like is that?

Do you feel like people want to kind of go back?

I don't think did that always happen?

Was that we're there was an aspect of it that always happened.

I mean the film and television there's not much going on.

See, so talk to me about that for a second.

You've been doing this now for thirty years.

Is it fair to say this is the hardest time to be an actor?

Yeah, and explain to people why that is.

Well, this is long winded.

I'll make it really short.

But the pross what they built in Hollywood to make shows and television, it's dried up because now people are watching fifteen second clips on their phone like TikTok.

Yeah, and so there's a lot less.

And as streaming started, all these studios and Amazon and Netflix came up and they were making money, so they went crazy and gave out all these deals.

There were shows everywhere, all this stuff, and they were like expanding, expanding, expanding, And that's the time when you had to be like, no, now I only can have Netflix for this, I have to see this, I have to have Apple Television, I have to have Amazon.

Then no one could tell that the industry would go the way it did and it all dried up.

Is that because of COVID No before that, it started because of TikTok and things like that, and kids not watching television, and so then they had all these deals out there and they were going broke.

Nobody, Well, there's too much stuff to watch, right, even if you wanted to watch everything, you couldn't write.

And it was started to get watered down and worse.

It wasn't like, oh look the Sopranos.

There's still great stuff out there.

Yeah, but it was watered down.

And they had all these deals out there for people that potentially to do shows.

It spent so much money.

Then they started going broke and consolidating and canceling stuff.

Then the actor strike happened and writers and that was a terrible idea because they used the studios and corporations used that to cut all those deals.

Gotcha, and so now there's a lot less on.

So it was a perfect timing of a lot of bad things happening.

Yeah, and COVID obviously you I always read these stories about how La is dying, like Hollywood as we know it, Studios in La are dying.

You're one of the first person people I know who moved from LA to Austin.

You did that like twelve fifteen years ago.

Right?

Is that correct that La just as a place, not the city as a whole, but as a place for Hollywood is kind of dying.

Yeah, Well, it's an industry town and the industry's leaving, you know, so it's la is not a fun But when I moved there, it was Hollywood.

It was great and it was an exciting time in my life.

And now you go back and it's really it's just depressing.

It hasn't been that long.

I've moved right before COVID's like six six years.

I thought it was before that.

Oh yeah, so but what had happened was I was, you know, even then before COVID, before everything went online, in all the meetings, but it was already happening.

I lived, you know, I'd been there twenty five or six years, and I lived twelve minutes from Warner Brothers.

And they say, you've got a meeting with these producers at Warner Brothers.

I'd be like great.

They'd be like, ah, but we're gonna do it over.

Zoomah, even though you were twelve minutes.

Yeah.

And then they started doing auditions and other meetings like that.

I'm like, why why am I here?

Yeah, over in Austin.

And now like then a ton of people went to Austin.

I know, your friends, like James Marsden's your friend lives in Austin.

But then Rogan went and it felt like all these bro comedians went.

And now I'm almost hearing backlash to Austin.

Now there's people saying, now I don't want to be in Austin anymore.

Do you do you feel that too?

Yeah?

Sure, I mean that's just the natural ebb and flow of things.

If you know, see yourself a here long enough to become a villain, and that's just the way of Houston.

I love it you.

So.

People used to give me a hard time on KSR when I would visit Austin, But I actually started liking Austin when you were there.

I think I went one time you were there, we hung out, we watched basketball game.

I liked it.

I came back during COVID, I came a few times.

Everybody thought like I had a secret girlfriend, But I just liked Austin and and not.

But I haven't been in a while, but but you're still there.

So let's talk about some of your acting stuff you did.

I think most people know you from Cougartown.

Yeah, i'd say, is that the biggest thing you think you've done in terms of like the role you had in it?

I mean I think, certainly, I don't know it's most successful, but it was.

It was the best for me six years, So six years of Cougartown.

Yeah, you get a show like that, did you know immediately this is gonna work.

No?

No, you do know how many shows I've done, and they were it was the show.

It was the thing coming out of pilot season everyone talked about and either the pilot didn't go probably fifteen pilots, you know.

I've done fifteen pilots.

More than that, it didn't end up on the air.

I mean, at least I'm not sure how many.

Yeah, like some big, big pilot, like there was one uh l A Confidential you remember the movie, Well, uh, this was the biggest and I was cast as the Russell Crow part she for Sutherland was the what's his name is?

Canceled Kevin space Yeah, he was a Spacey part.

And they put a lot of money into this.

So it was you and Keifer Sutherland.

So you gotta think this is gonna work.

Everybody.

This was the biggest pilot of the year.

So what made it not work?

Well, the pilot was good because I've done something like that, and then the pilot I was like I knew when I was doing it, wouldn't work.

Yeah, but I knew it was gonna cost a lot of money because it's period and that's that's tough to pull off.

But this, and this happened a few times.

The studio had I think it was Warner Brothers changed after we did that.

So the person that said yes, now.

Gone, and the person that comes in is like, I want to do my own thing.

I'm changing everything up.

Like the Seth Rogan show.

Studio like it shows some of that at the beginning.

Exactly is that show like, oh it's I mean, I know it's satire, but is it kind of.

Dead painful to watch?

Is it really?

Yeah?

Yeah, I love hilarious, but like that absurdity you think it?

Absolutely?

Wow?

Absolutely?

And so that was a huge swing and miss for me.

I mean that would have made a huge difference in my career.

It feels like a lot of that.

Then it's just what luck, Like you do this show it's good.

You're like, I'm next to Keifer Sutherland, this is a movie franchise.

I could do this for years and then it just doesn't happen.

But you said it was good, So it's just kind of bad luck.

Right, Yeah, I mean as life is, you know, that's the way it goes for everybody, right, you know.

And some shows I've done that were good and made it to air and then didn't work in their time slot or the or the the network.

What's the one you look at and you go, I wish I had that one to do over again, because it could.

Have been the thing that that's a pretty good one.

I did a show that was on CBS called swing Town, and it was originally supposed to be on Showtime, or so I think CBS owned ship owns are owned.

It's there's still showtime.

Yeah, And.

It was about these couples in the cul de sac and one was were swingers.

It was a show about swingers.

Yeah, oh wow.

And then had it CBS liked it so much they put it on CBS, which is that doesn't sound like a CBS show.

Murder, she wrote, bloods you would then go Tom Selleck to people swinging.

Yeah, yeah, well that's just back then, it's murder.

She wrote, it's you know, it's the original, it's the original guy.

So I'm like, why are they doing that?

And on Showtime?

You know, it could have been a little raunchier, racier.

I could see that as a showtime show.

Oh sure, sure, but it was good.

It really was good.

But all these people came out against it, like moms didn't want this on the air, and it wasn't.

There was all sort of implied there was so you no, yeah, we did like eight episodes and then and it was doing pretty well considering you know where it was.

And then there was a writer strike and then it's gone and we know where it came back after eight months of that.

All right, so let's talk about what works here Cougartown.

You get on Courtney Cox coming off of friends, I know, she became your real life friend.

What was the moment that you went, Okay, this is a thing.

I mean you constantly live in Uh this could happen because you've been burnt a thousand times.

I tell you, you can't even enjoy it.

Uh, there's an aspect at some point, of course.

What what was great was we all got along.

I thought the show was funnier than the title and looking into that.

So then I lived and it shot in La So I got to be with my dogs and sleep in my own bed every day six years.

That was what a gift?

Right?

So?

I I mean once I thought, because of her, you know, we got a real shot here.

But I've been burnt a lot.

And then we got on the air and it did really well.

To begin the first six were awful.

They were really bad.

So you know when something's awful, Yes, as you're filming.

It, I thought, this is kind of goofy, but maybe they'll cut it differently.

Whatever.

They just weren't off.

They were not good, and it hadn't established its rhythm, which happens with a lot of shows, especially used to happen with shows like famously Seinfeld, you know, and takes a little while to.

To Parks and w Reck is another one that the first season feels like it's a different show.

It takes a while to get its legs.

Well, now you can't do that because if all it was premiered bad, it's gone because it costs money and it's about now now now, me, me, me culture.

So it did really well, but those weren't very They weren't great.

And then about six or seven caught a rhythm and they started being what it was and finished all right.

And I wasn't sure if we were coming back, but then we were.

And then they thought about renaming the show because you know, it was her cougar Town, She's out, and it became I was her boyfriend, and it became I started as her neighbor across the street who made fun of you.

I was with young.

Girls and jusual old you know, young guys, and it was always meant to be that attraction and those two get together.

But they thought about changing the title because it wasn't that and it.

Was so it was interesting.

I knew you when it started, and I wanted it to work because you were my friend.

And I remember thinking, I think you didn't like the title from the beginning.

It was limiting, yes, and I but on one hand, it could be what helped us get on the air.

You're probably right.

So Drew and I watched the first episode.

I remember, because we were so excited for you, and we watched the first episode and we talked and we go, yeah, that's not good, and so we didn't watch anymore.

And then it started being a hit, and so I turned it back on, say, halfway through season one, and then I was like, oh, this is good, and I so you're right now.

I didn't watch episodes two through six to eight to get there.

But I did note because Drew and I were so pulling for you on the first one and we were just like, yeah.

Hey, I get it.

Yeah.

But then it got better.

And then well, they couldn't change the name after the first year because what are you gonna do.

It's it's marketed that way, and this was the time when you had your tvOS and it was already put in that way, you know, So then people would stop.

Recording Mario's too young to even though what TVO is look at that, How does that make you great?

I don't know, And so we had to keep it and it was always limited it but the people who watched it really liked it.

Became a show about snarky neighbors who all drank winding made fun of each other.

And that was the thing.

It was great and you during that time.

I visited you once.

You took me to Courtney Cox's house.

Still one of the most bizarre nights of my life.

When what's his face?

Her face?

Natalie?

And or no that Nally and who's saying the rest is Natasha betting film Natasha betting Field asked me to pick pick something out of her teeth.

It was me and you we were talking.

This woman came over.

She had dated John Mayor, and she was mad about how you treated her.

You knew the woman.

I did not.

She was complaining.

And then here comes Natasha Beddingfield and she knew you, or at least actel like she knew you.

Said hello, and then she looked at me and said, do I have something in my teeth?

And she had like spinach and she goes.

I try to show her and then she like takes my hand and I reach in her mouth and get the spinach out of her teeth.

I remember, and I remember just I didn't watch you do.

I just watched your face because you turned red and were like.

What is good?

I mean this was like the rest it's still unwritten.

And I'm like picking her teeth and the Corney Cox has one of the nicest houses I've ever seen.

Did it survive all the stuff?

It did?

Good?

It did?

And then we all sat in a circle like this is your life, but this is not my life.

We all set in a circle and then they everyone started singing.

It wasn't like kumbaya.

People had a guitar and they were like singing their own songs.

And I remember James Marsden, who at the time I I didn't know, but was your friend.

He got up and he sang the Hallelujah song.

Oh yeah, and I thought, this dude is way too good looking to also be able to sing.

Yeah.

I don't know that I've ever been more jealous of a person than watching this beautiful Malibu residence James Marsden singing Hallelujah, And I was like, see these people they just.

But like, like stunningly he could be a singer.

Oh yeah, he's been offered that.

Imagine it's tough to he's your friend.

Tough to be like best friends with that guy, right, he looks like that, he sings like that.

He's super successful, he's a great actor, he's nice, fabulous person, a great dad.

And the most mad I ever got at him was because he's got all that.

And everywhere we go, James Jans.

Everywhere I've been out to eat with you all like he gets stopped everywhere but.

One time because I have a hard time dyslexia, and then I have a hard time memorizing my lines.

You know, it's like.

Hard for me.

I gotta work pretty hard.

I didn't know that, so I'm working, he goes, I never go up on my lines.

The only time I go up on my lines is when I forget to turn the page in my head.

God.

So, and you have a photographic memory.

It's like you're DNA needs to turn the page in his head.

Yeah, because he could just read it from his memory.

Wow, that's crazy.

But yeah, So what is it like to have a best like he's one of your best friends?

Right, to have one of your best friends be in your field and be super successful, I mean not just like makes a ton of money, but does big, big movies.

I thought his show, I thought his Jury Duty show is one of the best things I've seen in years.

You're happy for him, But are you at all like a little competitive?

That would be cruelty to myself, right, I mean why would I do that?

Like, oh yeah, lost again?

Next time I'll show him.

No, man, this all my any friends that have any success in it's a tough field, and I got so many that haven't that.

Oh you do, so you're friends with people that just never made it?

Sure most of my friends.

Okay, you know, I know what you see as you come out and you see me with all these I was.

With you with a couple guys who weren't once, but I didn't know who they were.

They were just guys right to me, right right.

So anybody that does anything, if you're anything other than happy for them, you're just going to be a miserable person.

That's it.

That's just in life itself.

Celebrate your friends.

That's a great perspective.

So you you went back to on the bars and thing.

Just second.

He went to dinner one time and we're sitting at this table, and I was amazed at how we're just sitting there.

Strangers would come up to the table and wanted pictures with him and wanted all that, and you were making fun of it while it was happening.

That though, That was the moment, because I don't I don't think I ever knew someone like that.

How exhausting it must be to be like that, right?

Yeah?

Yeah, I mean, you know when people come up to me to get a picture or something in the airport, they're like, I just must be so I'm so sorry.

I'm like, thank you.

Oh yeah, this is awesome.

Do you want some war?

Could we could do an action show?

Run around?

Can we go over there where everyone can see you getting your picture taken with me?

Yeah, see that pretty girl go over there.

I'm gonna talk to and come.

Ask for my picture.

That's great, But he just handles it, you know, always with he does.

He was ver all of those people you mentioned with the pretty girl.

I'm not gonna say any names, but you've dated famous people a lot.

And what's that like to be the boyfriend of someone that is uber famous?

Don uh, you've had a few.

I'm not going to say they are, but you've.

Got uber famous.

I don't know, I.

Harden.

I mean I never had a long, long relationship.

Okay, you know, I've short lived and not annoying, and I wouldn't really wouldn't go out in public.

Oh really yeah, I just wouldn't go out in public annoying.

Interesting you.

So that's a quote unquote celebrity relationship.

Hard.

Oh, I mean it wasn't.

I never got to the point where I was in love or anything, you know what I mean.

So it wasn't, and it was it was interesting stores fifty four.

Okay.

One thing I mean you are on a much different level, but you and I share is I'm forty, SI, you're fifty four.

We've both been single our entire life.

Do you get as tired of as I do of why haven't you married somebody?

Like, I'm sure people say that to you.

Oh my whole, whole, whole life.

The thing is is I never this was not my plan.

If you know, you talked to twenty four year old Josh and fifty four year old Josh had never been engaged and it's no kids, I'd be like, what is wrong with me?

I get that that was never my plan.

But life, life's you know what I mean.

I think being in LA was really tough.

I think my industry, I would start to get a little momentum with someone and then I'd have to leave for six months.

Yeah, so that all times of the country.

Sometimes you know, it's a it's it's difficult, it's really.

That's one of the reasons I got out too.

It was one of the like, this is not going to work.

One of the reason you got out of La.

Yeah, okay, Yeah, I was just okay, I've exhausted this city and I'm too old and tired to go pursue it here.

Yeah, you know, you've got to drive forty minutes or you go say, you know, it's terrible, but I don't know what the question, but oh yeah, I never would have thought.

And everyone's like, you'd be such a good father because I love kids.

You do love kids, you really do.

And I've had to accept at some point maybe this just isn't in the cards for me.

You were like, you could do it because you're a bad Yeah, but I'm like, if I had a kid now, i'd have to hire someone to throw ball with him, like I can catch it and they hand it off, Mario, you come throw to my kid, I catch and then then I'd be like, could you could you pick them up and call holy or okay?

So because cause let me, I'll be honest with you.

I'm dealing like with this with myself because people will say to me, now, when you meet a woman, thank you, They'll say something like, well, do you not want kids?

And I always have to give the same answer, which is, well, if it happened, that would be fine, but I don't want to consider my life a failure if I don't, and I have this mixed reaction.

I'm not lonely and I don't live in any regret of not being married.

At the same time, you know, if you said to me, would you like to die and have never been married?

The answer would probably be no.

So there ends up being this like weird thing where I'm not unhappy and there's no moment that I could say that was I look back at regret.

But at the same time, I don't want to not have that person.

So I don't know what did you get what I'm saying, Absolutely.

It's it's a great joke with my friends.

You know, I'm still great best friends with all my friends.

Yes, like as of mind, I'm telling you and I share people we've known since before all this.

I'm super crazy blessed because all of my LA friends are great friends with my Kentucky friends, yeah, you do.

They entered a lot, you know.

So I would be like, hey, what you doing to a buddy and now he was like, oh, I'm in Lexington.

I'd be like what, Yeah, I didn't even know.

So, but most of my friends, all of me here, really are a family men, you know, And because of that, they've always like called me like living through me, you know.

Yeah, they do.

Like when people get married, then they want to live through the single friend, and then sometimes the single friend wants to live through the married friend.

I think that's just natural.

My married friends are the same way.

They want to know who I went out with or when I did something fun.

And then I don't know that I want to see their kids play, but I envy their relationships sometimes they have with their kids.

Right absolutely, it's like because my friends call me dvent about their wives, you know, like, gosh, she did this and whatever, and you know, and but I know inside that they never call me and go, you know, oh, go yesterday morning and the sun was just coming right in onto her hair, and I said, that's that's the woman I'm spending my the mother of my children.

And she smelled like an angel.

So that just doesn't happen.

They called me like and then she was like the card not so but I rationally know that's not the way it is.

But also it's funny because they'll be like, I have do this, this, that and that, and and I'll go, well, I'm today, I'm gonna do whatever I want.

Yeah, and then they're like but they go, yeah, but it'll be tough dying alone.

So so it goes back and forth real quickly.

Yeah, and I get that.

What There have been times in my life where I I consider you a good friend, but like we don't.

They'll go be long stairs where we don't talk.

Sure, but then there are times where I call you because I know you're like the only person that can relate to what I'm going through, you know what I mean, Like that's happened a number of times where something's happened and I go, Josh Hopkins is the only person that can understand this on any level that I'm close to.

No, but I do.

But do you know what I mean?

Though, like absolutely get it.

Yeah, Like like the idea of you know how much it bothers me to disappoint people.

Sure, yeah, absolutely.

Like to disappoint fans or disappoint listeners.

It disappoints it, like it hurts me to disappoint them.

And you can say that to somebody that doesn't live in the public eye and they don't get it.

But you you do, and you have said to me sometimes it's okay because then you feel guilty, going, well, my complaints are so like I've got a great life, but you've you've been a person over there to say it's okay to feel that way, because there have been times you're like one of the few people I can get to relate.

Well, people don't really.

I think you've talked about it some in well, the the show you did the Netflix, Yeah, the wrestling, you know, it was a kind of a light into your character and more people see Matt Jones got you know, on the radio, and you have to have an opinion and this and that, and you're a sensitive guy overly since you're very sensitive, and a lot of people don't don't realize that.

I think people have been, you know, listening to your show for years and years kind of get that.

But so I understand when you call, I'm like, yeah, he's a sensitive guy and he needs to yeah, and I'm usually it's it's okay.

You know.

There was a time I went to Austin and I remember we watched UK Auburn together and you and I were separately having difficulty for completely, like in our personal lives separately, and we sat there and we watched Kentucky.

I believe we lost to Auburn in that game, but we sat and watched in your house and I remember thinking like, this is really nice just to be able to just be exactly how I feel in the moment.

And then you you know, I both got so pissed that can be lost that we were able to forget about everything else because we were so mad at Bruce Pearl.

Yeah, that that's it.

There's a show Kentucky Therapy patch a game.

Well, talking about basketball, how many think about how many people could do that?

Yeah, I want to talk about your Kentucky.

I missed opportunity.

You know how many missed opportunities I've had personally Kentucky.

I need to make my free throws in life.

I want to talk about Kentucky basketball Phantom in a minute, But let's go back.

What is the piece of art or work that you've been in that you think was the best, even if it wasn't the biggest role.

What's the movie or the TV show that at the end you went, this is the best thing I've done.

You know, people always ask what's my favorite, and it's hard to do that because my favorite can be I I did g I Jane years ago, and I remain.

Close with all those people when you're young.

Yeah, my first studio film, and I've remained close with those.

Happy when she kind of had to renew with Speaking.

Of bad, I have a I have a bad titles g I J.

I mean that's second running with my career.

That was bad.

Better movie than the title, you know, Ridley Scott movie.

It was it was good.

Uh what were you saying?

I was asking you what your what do you think was the best thing?

Oh?

Yeah.

So sometimes it's that.

Sometimes it's like Cougartown because I've made a whole lot of money and it was a great show to just stay home and do and I liked everybody.

Sometimes it's been the artistic experience, just something I'm working with someone in the director and I really, you know, I could I could go deep in something, you know.

So I always just kind of like, I feel like it's the last thing I did in some ways, if it's a if it's an art, if it's not something selling, you know, detergent on television.

You know, that's what it is.

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This is the good life.

Well, let's talk about right because you know you for people who don't know, they certainly know of the movie Rust was where your movie with Alec Baldwin, where the woman who what was her job.

That she was the DP director of photography.

Director of photographer, which is a huge that's at a huge job.

That's one of the top three for yes, I mean that's everything that you see on the screen is she's responsible for as far as the lighting, the background, the look, everything.

And it's a Western which is it makes it even more dp's dream.

So she's on the shoot and cinematographer you'll hear called Oka director of photographer, you.

Know, And that was the movie where she was accidentally shot and unfortunately killed.

This happened many years ago, and the movie just came out not that long ago, but but of course led to many years of with Alec Baldwin and the I don't know to what extent you've talked about it.

Were you on the set the day it happened.

I was.

I was not there.

I was not in that room.

I was not on the immediate set, but I was there, you know.

I was at my trailer very close.

So talk to me.

Just talk to me about what happened that day.

I mean, from my perspective, it was obviously one of the most it was a horrible day and one of the most surreal experiences of my life.

But I mean, I'm in my trailer and the days just as they to hurry up and wait.

That's you know the cliche.

Your here's the cliches are for a reason.

And I just you know, I was supposed to shoot a while ago, you know, and I'm always that happened, But then I see a lot of radioactivity, people running around and stuff, and so then I go to like a PA or a D that you know, they're supposed to keep everything quite, you know, like what's going on.

There's been an accident, someone's gotten hurt, because they don't even know everything at this point, and I thought it was probably a stunt gone wrong because there were a lot of stunts, and I remember there were stunts that day, and I was worried about a stunt man having been heard or something.

But this is unfathomable to me.

Then you hear obviously, uh, there's someone got shot, and then you hear who and what, and then there's helicopters coming in to airlift her out and please flying in, you know, and the ambulances and then you're in rural New Mexico right right, and you're just kind of like this, this, this, this can't be happening, and you know this is going to be and then you hear Alex Alex Gunn went off it shot Helena.

The DP went through her and hit Joel the director in his shoulder, and then you see they're airlifting her out and you're just scared to death.

I called my parents, my family, Oh no, I text on our family text chain, I said, you're going to be hearing about this thing in the shooting, and I am fine, okay, I just want you to know that I can explain later, you know.

And even my sister remembers going, what's he We're not gonna you know.

And immediately there I am on my phone in my trailer and I can see my trailer from up there's helicopters live on my you know, I'm watching, and I'm just freaked out.

Obviously, this takes a long time.

They drive Joel out in an ambulance.

They airlift her to a hospital, and one of the medics comes down and he says she's gonna be fine.

That's what he says to me and people, and we're like all freaked out.

And so then at some point we're all sitting there and we all start on our phone on our phone getting She's passed, all of us like at the same time, different outlets, and I like news report, yeah, and I'm like this camp, this guy just told me.

I'm here.

This guy just told me she's gonna be fine.

He was up treating her.

And then that sinks in as much as it can now you're just numb.

And then the police come in.

It's like, no one can leave this as a murder scene.

Wow.

So you know, I get emotional talking about it because she was you know, it was an emotional time.

She was a wonderful person.

And so we all had to stay there for a long time and get questioned and corralled, and eventually they let us out.

And then then there's police coming off of this ranch we were on.

I mean, there were people, you know, paparazzi and all these people trying to get pictures.

And then the next day, maybe it was two I think the next day, I mean, I know we're getting shut down.

I think this is all, you know, like who cares?

But we have a huge meeting in the ballroom of a hotel that a lot of the crew is staying at.

And Helena Hutchinson Hutchins is her was her is her name, and her husband and son came.

He was nine, and we have this big discussion about it, and they're there and and and her husband is amazing.

He's like, you know, she loved this more than anything in the world.

She loved this art more than anything in the world.

He was joking, like we came second, and he was making this crew of one hundred people feel good, which was one of the most amazing things I've I've ever seen.

You know, I'm sure they're all, but there's the sun and you're it all's hitting and it can't.

So it just hurts my soul.

Now them were released, and I didn't want to go.

Uh, I didn't want to go back through the airport and go back to Austin because they were waiting for us, you know.

And Jensen Eccles, you know, he was he was on the movie and he and I drove.

He had lived in Austin too, he and I drove back, so you wouldn't have to, yeah, deal with any of that.

And then I mean, that's a very quick version.

So then it becomes a circus because of Alec.

Probably then I can't heal from it, or no one can.

I mean, and you know, it's not like I'm the main one to have to heal from this, but it's a it's a tough event.

And when you're on a movie set or TV and you are on location, it's really is you become this community because I camp, yeah, because you're the only one that knows each other.

And so we're the only ones that knew what this felt like at this time.

And I try and really in my mind what it must like in a way to be at a school shooting, you know, where only people in the school really understand what this is feels like in this moment.

But then it's on TV, every channel, on your phone constantly.

And are you just getting bombarded by press requests by.

Yes, and you know how they find my numbers?

Weird how they all on you know, Instagram and requests and you know, obviously I'm not going to say anything.

I don't even know what's going on.

I don't know what happened for you know, I'm hearing rumors the same way everyone else is.

So it's Alec Baldwin.

Obviously, had you become close to him at that point, had you all become friendly?

Oh oh yeah, yeah?

Okay.

So now, I mean there's two issues here, Like there's the deceased and then you have what's happened without Baldwin.

So you said you all have been through this.

Now do you talk to him?

How do you deal with that with him?

Because that's also a big a piece of this.

Uh yeah, you know, we definitely talked about it.

He was when we were there and talked.

He's still in complete shock.

I mean, I try and can you imagine being in that room, everyone's trying to set things up.

She's actually telling him ways to kind of point the gun because she's trying to get the lighting right, you know this is and get the camera over here.

And she's like, dude, all right, and everyone's working and the director's behind her trying to see because that day the screens where they could look from from there, the director's hut was were down, so they were there trying to see exactly how it would look.

And the gun goes off, and can you imagine being First of all, they're in a small place.

It's a full rap, so you know how loud that is in a small place.

It's like a stun gun went off, and then she falls back and he falls down streaming, and everyone's just stopped and and you look and you're sitting there holding a gun.

What that would do?

You cannot get over that your entire life.

So he was very much just you know, he had a thousand yards there and just sort of But once he went back to New York, we spoke a couple of times, but he was leaning on his family and going through a lot, and I just you know, he'd call a couple of times, Okay, I just but you know, he had other people to talk to about that.

But what they tried to do to him is completely unfair, So talk about that.

I mean, there it was clear that there became an effort from some people, for whatever reason, to not only blame him, you had people trying to blame him legally.

You had people who just didn't like him who were blaming him in the press.

When you were watching it, did you felt like it was unfair?

Yeah, completely and motivated, motivated politically, and I felt like the DA there was trying to make a name and a lot.

It was infuriating in a lot of ways.

You know, And then you read things online what you shouldn't do.

But people don't know anything about a set and how it works, and they don't know about anyone's heart and anything about the situation, and they're, oh, he's this and that, and Donald Trump juniors selling t shirts that say guns don't kill people out Baldwin does.

And I just think it's so gross.

And you know, when you're on a set, I've shot a gun.

I don't know how many times on a set.

A lot of times even just to carry a gun on a set.

They come up and the armor comes in and they you know, I usually had clocks because I was doing police stuff or something.

They come and they shine a light through the barrel and then they show you there's nothing in it.

And then they take it and they cock it and they boom, shoot it and give it to you.

Right.

Well, I always do, I will say, I always cock it and go boom again.

I just right.

But these were this first time I'd worked with six shooters, and they're old guns, very old, and so some of them wouldn't fought, you know.

I it was different.

I was not used to this.

You know, they'd show you and there's these dummy rounds in the chamber and so also I didn't even know.

This is how dumb I was about six shooters.

I was like, you know, those old guns, you have to pull the trigger back for it to work.

You don't just pull the trigger and the trigger comes back like an old cap gun, yeah, and does it itself.

Doesn't do that.

Those you had to pull it back and shoot it and had it.

That's why you see guys doing the bang bang bang, you know, with their hand on the trigger.

So there's a myriad of possibilities.

What could happen, you know.

I'm sure they were saying, pull that back and see how this you know, uh, and people taking advantage of the situation just made me sick and made me really sad for him, for her family, for her on, for this to be going on, and as soon as it die down, then oh they're back in court.

You know, a few months later.

It just kept happening.

I just felt for her son having to relive this.

So you go through all that.

I talked to you some during that.

I know it really affected you.

And then there's the question of are you going to finish the movie?

And then people decide to do it when you what was your thought?

Did you want to do it?

Well?

I never in a thousand years thought that we would finish it.

And there's a thought of that could be very much in horribly bad taste.

Yeah, well there was talk of things, and so they called me.

The director called me and he said, look, the family wants it done.

They want this finished.

They said that's what she would want.

She was so excited.

They want the world to see her work.

And I said, I said, look, I believe under and you're not gonna lie to me.

But I ain't going anywhere until I hear it from the husband's mouth.

So they put me on a zoom with him and he said he asked me to come back.

He said, this is what she would have wanted, and we want the world to see her work, and we want this finished.

So not only did he want it done, her parents and sister all were in agreeance.

They wanted it done, and all the money from the movie went to them.

There's this is not a cash making or deal anymore.

So then I'm like, this makes total sense.

I'm not going to tell you no.

And it was.

It was a difficult thing, and.

I feel when you got back on set.

Yeah, really crazy.

We had switched locations.

Thank god, we didn't go back to that, you know, so we went to Montana and finished there.

But yeah, but that also felt like, wow, we have a real big responsibility, now.

Did you.

So now you go back or have you had a situation when you've had to now hold a gun in your head?

Well, on that set, now, obviously there were no working guns, okay, now, which is the way I think it should be all the time, and I don't understand with with c G.

I then the things they can do today.

Put a muzzle flash now becoming on YouTube.

Be a mime now you know, I've got to recoil with the shot.

Who airs?

But that was just we're there, and of course every time we'd the armor of the new armor would pass out guns and whatnot, even though there were no working guns.

We'd go through a whole thing before it.

But did you still find yourself struggling to pull the trigger?

Not really?

Okay, Now I had done something in between there where I had to shoot at someone and it was an air pistol thing that looked very real, and I was weirded.

Out, yeah, I would think, so.

Yeah, And no one on the crew knew I had, well, they didn't, they couldn't.

I wouldn't noticeably.

I was inside weirded out, you know, but no one knew what I was kind of going through then, and you know, they give me this air pistol and I would just be like just bang bang bang bang bang.

They're like, I told it's cleared.

I'm like it fella, And so that was weird.

But once, I mean I I there was, it didn't work.

So that's been now a number of years.

Do you like do you like?

I don't know to say, do you do you want to do you talk about that you were in the movie?

Do you think it hangs over you?

Does it?

I mean, I know there's people I've tried to like, never ask you about it because I don't want to be your friend going tell me about this experience.

I'm sure people want to talk to you about, like how do you deal with it now five years later?

Because like Russ, that's that right, you know?

Right?

Well, I don't know.

I mean, there's just natural curiosity, you know, that's going to be.

You can't blame people for that.

Now.

Some people have no tact, you know.

But I knew when I got back, and to a certain extent my friends were called.

I was like, you know what, why don't we all go get a beer and I can say this once interesting instead of twenty seven times.

That's interesting, you know, And I don't you just want to really one time?

Yeah?

Look, yeah, this asked me whatever you want this one time?

It's funny.

Completely different situation.

Had a friend in college who, when he got out of college, came out of the class and he told he made us all get together and he said, I'm going to answer all of this one time.

Yeah, and he set with all of us and he did it, and then like it never got brought up again.

But I still distinctly remember he's like, I want all your questions everything, because this was twenty years ago when you didn't.

And I thought that was a really interesting way to handle it.

One time sounds brilliant, and that's kind of what you did to this.

Yeah.

Yeah, well I it's it's amazing to have to have gone through.

And you now did the movie.

When the movie came out, did you watch it?

Yeah, yeah, I watched it.

I went and had to do press for it, which is really difficult.

Because this is why they ask you right in New York.

I was there for a week doing stuff.

But amazingly, everyone was very respectful about it.

And I had a message to get out, which was the family wanted it done.

This isn't the producers like trying to make what money we can get back.

The money's going to them, and it was I think it's a beautiful movie.

I got to see it on the big screen there, which is you know, if you're going to watch a western.

That's the real way to see it.

And I didn't realize years later when it was completed, how it would have.

Once I saw her beautiful work up on the big screen, I just welled up.

I couldn't.

I didn't realize that what happened to me, you know.

But her work is so beautiful in it.

And the movie got so so reviews.

I think, pretty good considering everyone wants to hate it, you know, they all want to be like I can't believe.

They all want to be outraged.

And I got really good reviews, which was nice, and I'm very proud of my work in it.

Now.

The second part of that is which was tough for me.

My father loves movies, loved he passed three years ago, former congressman yep, yeah, and he loved movies and he loved westerns.

He would say, my whole life, you should do a Western, and I'd be like, well, I can't.

It's not really I don't have the western.

Yeah, well I don't.

Really, it's not up to me.

I gotta get a Western.

I can't go.

I want to do western.

Okay, call somebody.

Josh Hopkins is demanding a Western.

Yeah, yeah, so, but my whole family would laugh at him, say you gotta do it.

And then finally this happened, and I he was then out of the house for good and like he's a very social guy, and COVID happened and he was in there alone, couldn't you know for almost a year You're all yes, yes, And he's so excited when I went off to do this movie, to do a Western.

He was so excited.

And then the accident happened, and it was hard to explain to him, you know, just that that is over.

And when we came back, like I could just you know, feel him, and it's tough to watch it in the he would have he would have watched this movie fifty times.

And there's one day in particular.

You know, you're always you know, it's not as glamorous as you're tired.

You know, we're there sixteen hours, let's say, for this day.

And it's a big shootout in a bar, in a saloon, excuse me.

And I come in and I opened this saloon door, you know, and I'm back lit and a cowboy hat and a sheriff's pin and you know, tickling my gun and I'm like, you get up, you know that sort of thing, and to ching to chink to chink, you know, walking in and then bang bang do this shot where you shoot a guy off the classic shot where he falls.

Yeah, yeah, bag bang, all this stuff.

It takes all day.

And at the end of this scene, smoke's going on.

People cry and I'm the only guy still standing.

No, what's kind of badass?

And that took so long to shoot and they were oh God.

And I remember thinking, I hope this last forever.

You probably thought my dad would love this.

Oh, I could feel him.

I was just I hope this day last forever because I could just I could feel him.

And so there's a lot of emotion tied to this film for me.

And I think this goes back to what your favorite most proud work.

I'm gonna say now, especially after this, I'm really proud of the work I did.

Of course, like as his the actors, there's some of my favorite scenes were cut.

But I have a lot of motion tied up into this movie so well.

I appreciate you talking to me about that.

I was hesitant to even figure out if I was going to ask you about it.

So I'm this is the first time we've chatted about so I appreciate that.

Let me let me do one more acting thing.

They I want to talk to you k sports for yes, sir.

If you people think the acting life is not only glamorous, they think like you make all the money in the world and it's the best thing in the world.

I've talked to you at times where things are hot and where they're dry.

What's it like when it's hot and then what's it like when it's dry?

Uh?

You know, every actor that's you know, maybe not Leo or has dealt with this.

Yes, I mean our Jerry O'Connell say, I'm kind of a failure.

Just said that a couple of weeks ago.

I mean, yeah, I mean every actor deals with hot and cold times.

I mean I always say to people I know a lot of people more talented than I that that gave up because they couldn't handle rejection.

Yeah, I mean I've been rejected more than That'd be hard for me.

A lot of people, you know, like I, but I have this ability to be like next, forget about it.

I did the best I can.

I did the best I could in that audition or this and move along.

Now, when it gets really, really really close to something that could change your life and you don't get it, that that's heartbreak.

Is there one that sticks out?

Yeah, yeah, Jerry maguire, you were going to be who funny you should say that, But Jerry O'Connell's part the really Yeah, they flew me from New York to read I read with Tom Cruise.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, that would have been a big one.

That would have been a big one.

And later I saw the casting director and she could have just been you know, but she was like, if you'd lived in La you'd have gotten that.

They they did everybody so many times and made him come in.

But and I was perfect.

It was the cocky quarterback.

I was only twenty whatever, you know.

Plus I got a howitzer for an arm I could throw the Oh yeah, I got a cannon, had a cannon, and uh, it would have changed my life completely, like I would have had a movie career.

But I don't know for how long.

And I always I don't regret stuff like that.

I always look back and go, I was probably too dumb to get that responsibilitiability then, And I always think I'd probably had done some dupid shoot that embarrassed my family.

Yeah, you know, I'm.

Like, I probably just wasn't mature enough, and I just trust in it.

And then immediately afterwards, I booked Ji Jane and met some of my best friends for life on that.

So I'm like, there's just reasons for y.

You know.

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All right, So let's switch gears.

Let's talk a little UK sports.

I met you because when I was doing the blog pre radio show.

Okay, so this is this is just when I'm a dorky kid riding on a blog out of nowhere, this actor writes me and tells me how much he likes it, and I I remember thinking, this is the coolest thing in the world.

This is an actor and he likes my blog.

That's wild.

And we end up talking and I just realized, you're not just like famous person that's a UK fan.

You are a crazy UK fan I am.

It's not as you know a lot of Igglination attests.

It's like basketball is.

It's not fun.

It's like it's fun game to game.

We win, but like come March.

I almost enjoyed this march more than many others because it's not fun when you are the best team.

It's weren't you.

It's like there's almost too much pressure, too much, too much.

And when you when you win, you're not happy, You're just relieved.

You're like, whoa, we got through that one.

Let's go.

And when you lose, it's devastating, you know.

Uh twenty fifteen, So twenty fifteen, you when we lost to thirty eight and one team.

You came on the postgame show, and if people could go back and listen, you and I sound like we're both like we don't even know what to say.

We're so sick by the way.

I didn't come on the postgame.

I stumbled upon it.

I left that dome.

Yeah, and was a zombie walking around Indianapolis for two hours.

Like I was like, you know, there's a thriller dance.

I was absolutely you know you were a satisfy you were you did you had to look like your soul had been taken from you.

I and I stumbled upon you, guys.

We were in a lobby somewhere.

I was just and you ever come over and I just sat there and we just commiserated, but still just stunned.

And that was awful.

But that's to me, the fandom is almost so much it's just it's almost not fun at times.

But last year I really liked it because we all knew we weren't going to go the whole way.

We all knew we had this new start, and it it was a dream season, especially once we met to the Sweet sixteen.

It was like this is this is unbelievable.

You know, what a great year and so, but usually my fandom is such a it's hard to enjoy.

But you like follow recruits, like you would text me before the Harrison Twins decide and you're like, is it gonna happen?

And then you would go I remember Julius Randall, I came out and said he's gonna go to Kentucky and you were like, are you sure?

Before where I get my hopes?

Yeah, he's not gonna go to Florida, Duke.

I'm like, I'm telling you it's gonna be Are you sure?

Like?

I mean, you follow it on an intense level.

Do people in your life that are not Kentucky fans ask you what is wrong with you?

Yes?

They do, but more like in Hollywood, everyone everyone knows I'm from Kentucky.

I have so much pride in it, and I rep Kentucky all the time.

But also it's annoying to people.

But in Paradise, the show that James Marsden does, they got good reviews and he was was he the president?

Is that?

What's I diduld say?

There are multiple Kentucky basketball references?

Can you say that you are the reason that Paradise has multiple Kentucky basketball references?

Yes?

I assume some time.

First time, I assume, so right?

Did you he did James do that for you?

Well?

I was staying with him out there while I was shooting something else and he mentioned the samsay, this should be Kentucky.

Oh it was gonna be something else.

Well, if they were talking about a team, and then that you know, they talked about Latner and I was like, this should be a thread here because then his name was this call signed to the Secret Service with Latner Lightner.

So yeah, how cool.

But everything I've done to get your friend to put references to Kentucky.

Basketball, well everything I've done like a TV show, it's there's always been like my character on the walls, like the diploma from the University of Kentucky.

He opens his closet and there's a Kentucky shirt.

Always put little things in just for fun.

Yeah, no, that's that's that's great.

You went to Auburn, You, if I'm correct, if I remember, broke into the Kentucky locker room when they played a road game at Auburn to steal Kentucky paraphernalia.

Yeah, yeah, it's not because you just wanted it.

I was in the plan I was in the planning stages of it.

We had a buddy who was a uh, you know for Auburn's team or are they the manager manager?

And he said I'm gonna leave it open.

And then one of my roommates and so then uh, one of another buddy who was visiting who didn't go to Auburn went in there and got the.

Booty and what did you get?

I still have this Mashburn shooting shirt.

It says Mashburn on the back.

That's so there on my Instagram if you were way back.

I took pictures of it.

So this was when Mashburn's on the team.

You went and got Mashburn shooting shirt and then.

We were like, this is so awesome.

Oh, we can't wear them.

You could never wear them.

And didn't you grow up like an insane fan of Rex Chapman.

Super It hit me at the exact spot of you know, he was only three or four years older.

But did you like go and take pictures with his car?

Yeah?

Of course?

When when when he would be like at Fayette Mall and be there, Remember people went to the mall because there was That's how bored we were.

And go to the mall and like a couple of times Directs was there, and then they had to go to a pay phone and be like rech here and people come and we kind of like follow him around.

He turned around and we'd be like, look at our watch.

You became friends with him, like you became wanted to be like Mario becoming friends with Bronni, Like you became friends with the guy that was your hero.

That was bizarre.

It's still wild.

We're really close.

And still when my phone will light up and says calling Rex Chapman, I'd be like, oh, oh my god, it's calling.

I'm all tingly and then sub dude, Yeah man, I'm just chilling.

Yeah, that's that's that's awesome.

And so you live and die by these wins.

Favorite win of all time for UK besides like a national championship, what's your favorite?

That's that's that's tough.

You know that Anthony Davis block at Reperino over Carolina.

Were there, Yeah, so loud.

I really enjoyed that.

Such a great environment.

You know, there's just.

Well let's go let's just let's you know, further our Kentucky.

Let's just go over a few things, John Wall crossing them over and rup and like when you knew we had John Wall.

Oh that was I contended at the time, because you know, people do not realize this before cal through our era of basketball, we had an amazing lack of NBA players.

For a long time.

I mean, for a program that was still the best program.

Ta Sean and Rondo and that's about it for fifteen years.

I mean Bogans, I guess, but not many.

But they weren't MVPs and not in All Stars, and you know this wasn't uh but that's three and then you know, Cayle came in and now we have this, We have them, which is so much fun.

So when John Wall came, you know, Carolina and Jordan and all these schools, Lynn Bias and we just didn't have the coolest player.

Yeah, and you were insane during the John Wall recruitment.

You texted me every day.

He's got the best what do they call them, mixtape?

Mixtape ever, best mixtape ever, Yes, best mixtape ever.

Mario.

You need to see his mixtape, best mixtape ever.

It's unbelievable, unbelievable, the blocks that you know, and then you're seeing him dunk left handed more than right.

You know, we didn't realize DeMarcus.

I mean I was.

I'm still scared of him.

I mean, he's scary dude.

Yeah, I mean it was fantastic.

That was one of the worst losses.

But run with the twins so much fun.

You know, it was great about that was I was shooting something in Montreal, and the tournament started and I went to a place like they're not watching it.

I went to a sports bar and they got junior league hockey on every TV, and I'm irated.

I'm like, what do you do?

And then see if yeah, we'll see if we can find it.

Ah yeah basketball, Yeah, I like the dunk shot.

Eh, yeah, we'll see if it's streaming on here, and we'd get him.

And then finally when we got to you know, out of the first round, they were on TV.

You know, they had the New York feeds and and I just remember being in my hotel room watching those alone.

And I had a thing like every year, like when uh where I'd.

Have to set my just right, got to be in the right spot.

And that year one of my worst thing.

I don't know, every time someone would text me because people that are, like I said, everyone knows I'm this huge fan, and people that aren't good enough fans to be like, hey, they're doing good.

And I wanted to jump through the phone and kill people.

Yes, And I somehow, in my worry about I had to write everyone back.

I'm like, yep, sure are thanks, And then they were like yeah, you watch, yes, click and there there'll be all these people.

I felt like I had to answer we were gonna lose.

Yeah, uh so that was awful.

But hitting those shots that was a run in sports just playing sports history, you know, if that had happened in soccer league anything.

What about when we lost to Luke May the Luke May jumper with Fox Monkey.

Yeah that was because that was one of the most fun years.

When did you jump off like you were like I loved caw, but we need to change or did you never you have friends who were way off like and you were always having to deal with that.

I guess what happened with me was probably similar with from what I can hear happen to you and several people.

I was like, we owed him a lot, and he's a Hall of Fame coach and his stick got tired here and it was obvious that it would be better for everyone, but I was and get who you know, I didn't know.

You know, that's a big You were nervous about Pope during that time.

Everybody was.

I was like everyone.

I went to bed that night like what in the world and woke up like, let's go because that's all you can do, you know, and it's turned out to be so great so far.

But you know, there's the I was pumped about Billy Gillespie.

You don't know what you're gonna get.

You're like, he doesn't he doesn't have a wife, He's got plenty of all.

It's all he does is basketball.

That's exactly married to the game.

Yeah, you know, yeah, and then uh, you know, I'm I'm in Austin and I see they've they've done this with their football coach for a decade.

You know, they finally got a guy in in their back.

But they got the most money to spend and everything.

You do not know what you're gonna get with a coach.

Do you.

Uh.

The famous people in Hollywood that we think are Kentucky fans, actually Judd is a real fan.

Yeah, it's about like Clooney.

Is he a fan?

I mean we did the perfect storm together and we talked about it.

You know, Uh he is.

You know, he's northern Kentucky almost Cincinnati Ish, and he's a big fan.

But I don't think he's I don't think he was a Cow fan.

Okay, And so I think that.

Clooney call headline for you.

I don't know that he was.

You know, that's the lot year we go.

But I just don't think he was as invested during that time.

I don't know why.

You know, it was like in the Rick era.

Yeah, I think I believe.

So who else is famous that's a Kentucky fan that you know of that maybe you would know that we wouldn't.

Is there any well you know Josh Hutchinson.

Yes, Hutchinson from what Hunger Games?

Is that right?

Yeah?

Yeah?

Yeah?

And you introduced me to what him once?

He was a nice guy.

And of course the best Steve's on.

Dude, Steve's on, I mean, and he's a transplant fan, yes, and he is as deep into it as anyone.

Especially football.

He really in the football.

I love it.

I love it.

And he was here for the build up of Stoops.

But I said, I saw him in the airport a few months ago.

I was like, now you're gonna get a taste of Kentucky football.

Can I see?

He's not got through the normal years?

Yeah, yeah, so I hope we can right the ship.

But I was like, all right, last one, this year's team, you know, all the players, you know.

I sometimes sometimes instead of saying you know, Modiabatte.

I'm like the Alabama guys in the celebrity I'm like the Florida guy.

He was a senior and could have because he ran point and average fifteen points before.

It says that guy.

Yes, so I call him different things.

If I can remember.

Rumors the Croatian gets here today or tomorrow.

Really yeah, that is a good thing about not having him this long is it's only going.

To a Croatian Slovenia, Slovenia.

Not Croatian.

Remember, but yeah, because well I remember Tony Kok coach, and.

You know, there was I think he's Slovenian.

Yeah, and uh but at this point, because we've been without it, if he's great, it's only icing, you know.

If he's just not all that, we're kind of like, oh yeah, yeah, I forgot he was coming, you know.

But I'm excited to hear stuff.

I thought it was really interesting.

You know, it's not just Kyle that does the the coach talk to the press right to talk to his team through it.

And I think we're going to be hearing a lot from Pope about the defense.

Yeah, they got to get better.

Yeah, because he came right out with that.

The first thing, saying they've just were just terrible on the defense because he knows that's where we're going to hang our hat this year.

Yeah, we're going to.

If we're going to be great, we've got to be great at defense.

I want to tell you, I like to do this with people that people may know to say to whatever extent a seal of approval for me matters.

Josh is you are one of the nicest people.

When I say a good friend, you're like a great friend.

You're not only a great friend to me, You're a great friend to a lot of people.

And you it's very kind of.

You have been there for me in some difficult times.

And you're also the kind of person who out of nowhere text and says, dude, wrestlers is really good, Like, but that.

Would support your buddies, you know, Yeah.

But you were like but I think you even said not like you're my friend, and it's good.

It's like, legitimately now gonna lie to you.

But I like, I didn't.

I'm not.

I didn't grow up like you liking big time wrestling.

Yes, you know I didn't, right me, But I always thought this is even when I was like nine, I was like, stupid, stupid, it's fake.

It's obviously.

Look he missed him, and like I felt that like even when I was little.

But I did enjoy the spectacle.

You know, it's a Saturday morning if there was nothing else on, you know.

But uh so, I knew this was going to be something.

It had to be more than that for it, and I knew you had and I really did enjoy and like coming back to earlier, I thought it was a chance for people to see the sensitive side of you that they don't get to see.

Yeah, well it was.

It was very nice of you, and you are a ton of fun.

And I'm going to make you, now that we've done the Josh uh Like career interview, I'm gonna make you during the season just talk basketball with me sometimes.

I mean, the one i'd rather do.

Yes, yes, you're gonna We're gonna, no, but we're gonna.

I'm gonna make you come on and we talk about the team at some point that yeah, all right, good, okay, good, I'm glad, Josh, thank you very much, thanks for having me