Robert Smigel And Conan Talk About Adam Sandler And Bernie Brillstein | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

I mean, this is the thing where it gets. tricky because I could reminisce with. you about all of this for maybe 15 hours. and we would only scratch the surface. But something I just want to make sure. that I I I I get in here that I state. that you've gone on. you know, we worked together all those. years and then we've continued to work. together. We keep we come back together, we work, we just did I mean, one of the. highlights. Oh god. of my recent life was you and I wrote a. Hans and Franz musical together with.

Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon and then it. just got lost to time cuz it was never. made and of course foolishly. we wrote it so that Schwarzenegger, rather than being a cameo, is in 9/10 of. the movie. But we just and then, you. know, I don't think he he ever considered it. or maybe he didn't even read it. And so all these years later, Schwarzenegger's sitting right where. you're sitting right now. Yes, I know. And the first thing he says when he sits. down is. It's unbelievable. I This this I just. READ IT. IT'S FANTASTIC. It's so funny.

when he comes to the bachelorette and he. says. THE BACHELORETTE THE DOOR AND HE'S. TELLING me like I don't know. THE DOOR IS NOT A DOOR. THE DOOR THE THE. BACHELORETTE OPENS. YES, I KNOW. NO, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW FUNNY IT. IS. YEAH, AND THEN. HE'S LIKE, "WE'VE GOT TO DO IT.". AND YOU'RE LIKE, "WAIT, NOW?". I KNOW. Maybe AI, maybe we create a young Arnold. and a young Dana and Kevin and then you. can do it. animation. know what was so funny cuz you're right, Arnold practically takes over the movie. in the second half and I forgot that and.

so we're reading it and I was like doing. Arnold cuz I had done him on the Clutch. Cargoes. Mhm. And suddenly I'm like we're doing these. scenes and it's just Dana and Kevin like. looking at me. Cuz cuz we gave Arnold. everything. stuff to do. was at the time the biggest most. impossible to get movie star in the. world and we write a script. Yeah. where it's not, "Oh, it's he's a cameo. and that's the fun thing at the end and. Arnold can shoot it on his way back from. one of his other movies in an afternoon.

He's dancing, he's singing, he's got a. house made of buttocks muscles. It was the best. it was nice to see that come around, and. you've been. doing all this amazing work in comedy. for all these years, but I I have to. celebrate that Leo. uh you wrote. this. uh movie. Leo, and it's an Adam Sandler animated. film, and I saw it the other night, and. I my I was completely blown away. It is.

obviously funny, which I knew it would. be, but it's also so sweet and so. nuanced, and. That's correct. and has a great message, and I thought, "Well, this is a classic.". And then uh I think I yesterday I was. told that it's the. uh biggest uh. animated hit already that Netflix has. ever had. Like it's a complete smash. And I was practically crying. I'm so. happy for you and for Adam. I wrote both. of you guys. Um Adam's lawyer got it. Uh.

Sandy Wernick got it. I think we got to redline this thing. Let me give it a look to the lawyers, and then. we'll write back. Uh it was. He was really funny cuz I called him He. ended up calling me after I wrote it. No, no, not Sandy Wernick, but Adam. after I told him. Yeah, yeah. "Uh Rob, I'm so happy for Robert. I'm so. happy for you. It's so well done." And. he calls me up, and he's like.

asking me about how my kids are doing. and stuff like that. And then he was. doing this whole riff cuz my son is very. gifted at computers, and. Right. he really loves computer engineering, so. he's looking at a lot of engineering. schools and a lot of like super. scientific schools, and and and Adam was. like saying, "Conan, I'll write him a. letter. Uh those people love me." And I. went as a joke, and I was like, "It's. okay, Adam." HE'S LIKE, "IT'S ALREADY. DONE. I TOOK CARE OF IT, BUDDY. I'M GOING TO SEND IT TO EVERY. ENGINEERING SCHOOL." And I'm saying,

"NO, ADAM. NO.". "NO, ADAM." HE'S LIKE, "THESE ARE MY. PEOPLE." He was I was crying. I was. laughing so hard. "Don't worry, Conan. It's going to be great.". Oh, he's the best. Yeah, he's the best. But, uh I was You know, it's so funny cuz he. does. uh. the voice he does in this for Leo is so. unique. It's kind of Bernie. It Yeah, it's. Yes, it's Bernie Brillstein, the famous. manager that we all knew and worked with. who uh he's kind of doing a Bernie.

Brillstein impression, but. you know, what I do know is people don't. understand that. as in the animation, the voice is. everything. It like the voice is. The voice is more important than the. actual animation because it's the soul. of who the person is, I think, in a lot. of ways. And that voice that he does is. so unique and it really works. beautifully. and warm at the same time. It's funny. cuz like when I had written it and we. were about to do a table read and I had. told him a couple days earlier I kind of.

seeing like a Peter Falk kind of thing. And then like right before. the read-through, he says, "Ah, buddy, I. think I. I want to do Bernie. I I want to do. Bernie." I was like, "Oh, okay. Go Go for it." And then he killed. it with the Bernie and it was just a. great instinct. It's very funny because. he's done three movies that are. impressions that I've taught him. Sandy The Sandy movie called Sandy. Wexler. Sandy Wexler. That was Sandy Wernick, yeah. Yes, so I he learned my Sandy Wernick.

Bernie I taught him years ago. "You. never know. When we. When we cast Alf, remember? Remember. during Lookwell?" So, Bernie was an. executive producer of Lookwell because. Conan was with Brillstein right? Look, and let me back up cuz I just. sometimes we go fast and I want to bring. people up to speed. But Robert said came. to me once when we were at SNL and he. said cuz we both loved the 60s series. Batman. And he said to me, you know, I'm I have.

this idea. We've got to do something. with Adam West and we started talking. about it and he was saying like him, you. know, he's an out maybe he's an out of. work actor but he's solves crimes and. solves but he's because he made these. shows he thinks he can solve crimes. So. he and you and I sat down and pretty. quickly wrote this script. And we call. the guy Ty Lookwell. And then. That was your name. Yeah, it was great. Um and then we go on this. quest to get. to get Adam West to do it. And. and he does it. And we make it and. there's a lot of that's a whole saga in.

and of itself cuz no one wanted us to. make it the network but then finally. But Brandon Tartikoff said I get it. But. then he left immediately and and. So anyway. You know, the the important thing is. that we made it. And. and so we make this pilot and we deliver. it to the network and you and I were so. excited cuz this is we're on SNL. This. is bunch of years before late night. We. think this is our ticket to the we. really think this is our ticket to the.

top. We love it. We think it's really. ahead of its time. It's so cool. And. Bernie cuz you can do the voice but I'll. never forget this. Bernie was we were Bernie is the is the. uh. we do it through his company. So we're. over at Bernie Frohstein's company. He's. this big guy looks like a he's a Jewish. Santa Claus. And he's. Yeah, Santa Claus cowardly lion. He. wears all black cuz he thinks IT'S. SLIMMING. SO ANYWAY, WE'RE we're in his office and.

he's telling us this thing is going to. go through the roof. Adam is going to test through. roof. It's going to be huge. It's going to be. big. It's going to be and he's in the. midst of this long rant about how he. knows show business. He knows TV, and. this thing's going to go all the way, and you guys have to start figuring out. now which mansions you want to live in. in Beverly Hills. He's going on and on. and on when his assistant says, "A phone. call from the network." Bernie goes, "Put it through." So. Rick So they put it through, and all we. can hear is is Bernie's side of it. So. Robert and I are just flying high, and.

he gets on the phone, and the first. THING HE GOES, "WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK?" AND THEN. AND THEN HE starts. sabotage. This is the best. Cuz he Cuz he also managed Lorne. Michaels. And Lorne Michaels had two. projects, Lookwell, because he was, you. know, it was And he also had a Jack. Handey pilot based on Tuneses the Cat. It was a a collection of Jack Handey. sketches, and Tuneses was the glue to. it. And so Rick Ludwin is telling.

Bernie that Yeah, yeah, Lookwell didn't. test uh. terrific with our. That's insane. ADAM THE GENIUS SCRIPT. And then What do you say? Tuneses? Yeah, yeah, we're thinking of. Tuneses might make it. Tuneses might. make the September schedule. Are you. KIDDING ME? THAT THING IS GOING to tank. YOU'RE GOING TO PUT THAT THING ON. And that's his client, TOO. THAT'S ALSO HIS CLIENT. THAT'S ALSO HIS CLIENT.

BUT BERNIE DIDN'T have But. Brillstein-Gray wasn't producing. Tuneses. WELL, IT DOESN'T MATTER. IT'S IT'S. LORNE'S BERNIE. LORNE'S HIS BIG MEAL TICKET, and he's. like, I WANT LORNE KICKED FIND HIS ASS WITH. THREE HANDS. AND AND AND IT'S JUST AND BUT ALL. ANYWAY, the point is that you and I are. sitting there, these kids, Yes. and all WE HEAR IS, "WHAT?" AND THEN HE. AND THEN HE AND THE FIRST THING HE SAID. WAS, "IT'S THE FIRST THING YOU SCREENED. AFTER LUNCH. PEOPLE ARE DIGESTING.".