Danny McBride Remembers His First Time Meeting Walton Goggins | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

There's this thread that runs through. like whether it's eastbound down vice. principles righteous gemstones which is. you've said they're it's kind of they're. kind of screwed up Don Kiotees they're. they're on this quest and I think one of. the things that makes Don Kiote and that. kind of comedy or character so. compelling to me is that the character. fully believes it. Mhm. The character is. completely invested in what they're.

doing. And I thought it was really. interesting that you made the decision. that in the righteous gemstones, the. gemstones are not conmen. They are making a ton of money off of. this and it's a great business and. they'll do what they have to do to grow. this. But at their core, they believe. and I think that's essential. It has to. be that way. It has to be. I think it. it's it's what allows you to still make. them feel like no matter how far in.

outer space the comedy might go that. there's somewhere you can kind of get. back down to planet Earth by the end and. kind of like have a chance to make it. touching or to make somebody feel. something real in it. We kind of learned. that when we were writing Eastbound. I. remember when we pitched it. We were so. enamored with just Kenny Powers being. such a and treating everyone so. terribly and that was making us laugh. And then there became this moment where. we like what would make him more. interesting is if he was actually good. at this and it's not like he's just a. joke like if he actually had talent and.

part of the tragedy is he squandered it. Y I remember that being like a. breakthrough cuz that wasn't part of our. initial pitch. It was like yeah he. flamed out but the idea that he was. really talented and he had something. there that that's part of why he's. overstretching so much is that he's like. squandered something that that was in. him that he kind of abused. And I don't. know, it just was a eye openener that. like, you know, you can make jokes with. these characters, but if you can kind of. like actually give them something real. under there to struggle with it, it just. ends up giving you more room to play.

Yeah. And it enhance it actually makes. the jokes Yeah. better. funnier. When I. was at the Simpsons, I remembered all I. was interested in was coming up with. really funny ideas for stories and. really funny lines for characters. That's all I cared about and good. visuals. And I thought of myself as um. you know, I don't I don't really care. about story arc and stuff like that. I. just want to be the the hot gun in the. room. I want to be, you know, I I want. to be I want to come up with the stuff. that it's really going to be great and.

cutting edge, whatever. And I remember. getting talked to about it was explained. to me by uh uh Mike Reese and Al Gene. They said, you know, that it's it's. really important um to James L. Brooks. and to Matt Graining and to Sam Simon, the thing that makes this work is that. it's a family and they all love each. other. And I remember at the time being. whatever I was 24 thinking, what? That's. so lame.

They just watch the Goonies. Yeah. I mean, but I I remembered pornographed. Yeah. It's poss it's completely. pornographic. Yeah. I I just didn't. understand that at all, but I went with. it and then later on realized that you. don't have a show if Homer doesn't care. if Bart dies. Yeah. If he's that level. of Yes. Homer does lots of incredibly. stupid things, but he does care about.

his family. If he's a sociopath, you. don't have a show. Y and if and if none. of them if they're all sociopaths, you. don't have a show. And that's the kind. of stuff that uh my old writing partner. Greg Daniels who has done a million. great shows uh office parks and. recreation and uh just to name a few. But his he was so good at he's funny. He. can come up with really funny stuff but. he also knows that you have to care. about these people as people. And I. think that was one of the revelations of.

that Steve Carell was so brilliant at. Totally which is you he's being such an. He's so misreading the room. He's so uh not doing his job, but you. know that he's a good person at heart. Totally. And that is such a hard thing. to do. And I think that that was one of. those things that resonates with me when. I watch your work is I care about you. I. care about the characters you're playing. because you've invested them with that.

Even if they're pretty pretty terrible. Yeah. I love that. And I love like. working with actors that get that, you. know, like Edie Patterson who plays uh. my sister on the show, you know, I met. her on Vice Principles and instantly saw. that with her that like not only can she. just deliver insane punchlines, you. know, that are completely lunacy, but. like she has the chops to like make you. care too and to make to hurt your. feelings or to make you kind of want. more for her. And I think the moment we. started messing around with that kind of.

stuff, it just like that became what a. little bit of the pull was with all the. comedy. It's like how can we surprise. people by being so foul and then weirdly. underneath it all there's like something. that might resonate with people. It's a. family and they are they do care about. each other. They live in this insane. situation. Exactly. They're gangsters. Yeah. They're gangsters who believe that what. they're doing is righteous. Yeah. And. that was what was kind of crazy even. starting the show is that, you know, I. moved down to Charleston, South Carolina.

with my family about almost like eight. years from uh ago. And I wasn't really. sure what I was going to write next. And. once I was there, I saw a lot of the. churches there and I was like on the. every other radio station. It's like a. religious station. And you know, I went. to church when I was a kid. My family. was pretty religious and it just got me. thinking like what is church like now? And so I started like kind of doing. research on these mega churches and it. just kind of instantly seemed like it. was something that would be in one of. our worlds. Like the idea of like these. people kind of seeing themselves as a. celebrity and and being, you know, big.

shots and and just the idea of saying. one thing meaning another. It just felt. like it was right for what we wanted to. do. Uh but then I would look at stuff. that tackles religion and I always kind. of never I couldn't think of anything. that I really liked that had done that. I was like, "Oh, you know, there's. something about it that is usually too. cynical or it's just bashing on people's. faith." And I don't know, it just didn't. seem like it was uh like it was. something that I wanted to do. And so, yeah, we started writing that show. It. was sort of like one of our mantras was. like, you know, yeah, these guys believe.

and the butt of the joke is never what. their belief is. It's just them. They're. the butt of the joke. Their hypocrisy is. what's funny and not like what they. believe in. And um and everybody on. board the show got down with that. They. were all that that was sort of like what. everyone kind of followed and it'd be. interesting because you oftentimes would. see stuff. People would come with things. whether it's production design or. anything that might push things too much. like oh I think the joke here is that. it's Jesus and maybe that's like not. where we should get the joke from. It. should get the the thought process. behind someone you know is more funny.

than just cheap shots I guess. Yeah. You. don't want to be punching down. You. don't want to be uh and and it it is a. world where uh yes there's you don't. want to be making fun of the faith. You. want to be looking at these people which. it is a family. They live on this. ridiculous compound. Um you know I mean. I'm a big Walton Gogggins fan and I'm. curious how you two came together. I. know you were on vice principles. Yeah, Walton, you know, Walt I had seen Walton. in the Shield and Walton came in in red.

for Eastbound. Uh, it was the I think it. was the third season and we ended up. casting Sedakus in that role. He was. like Kenny P's best friend. But I I mean. the I always I mean it was just, you. know, not because Walton didn't do a. good job reading, but it was just like I. think we already had our mindset on. Sedakus and uh but Walton just stuck in. my brain at forever after that when he. came in. And I was like, "God damn, that. guy was so funny when, you know, and so. unexpected." And I had bumped into him a.

few other times through the years. And. then when I wrote Vice Principles, uh, he just came to my mind that he was, you. know, that I would like to spend some. time with him. And I felt like this was. a side that he hadn't really shown. people. And, uh, in all of his work, there's a comedic undertone to all of. it. You know, he's he's just naturally. funny. And so, yeah, it was just kind of. awesome. I sent him that script, the. pilot, and he called me back later on. that afternoon and was just like doing. the Lee Russell voice, which is the. character he played principles. It was. like, "This is going to be fun.".

He was here. He did the podcast and do. you remember this? He came and he was I. think he was flying back and forth a lot. uh to Thailand for White Lotus. Oh, yeah. At the time. And um so he was. tired and I remember his I came in and. his people said uh Walton just needs to. sleep for 25 minutes and then he'll be. okay to do the podcast. So, he was in. that room that I just saw you in and. there's a couch there and he just lay.

down like a vampire. and like put his hands over his chest. and instantly went out and slept for. exactly 25 minutes and then and then. came and then they like reactivated the. go, you know, re reactivate Gogggins and. he like sat up and he came in and he was. great in the podcast and then probably. said, "Now I need 17. [Laughter].