David Marchese

I think we're supposed to do an interview now. And I said, oh, God, I'm so sorry. And then she was so nice. It was like, no, no, go. Just hang up immediately and go. And then we named our daughter Naomi. Oh. Well. The last part's not true, but everything up to that is true.

Yeah, she was very sweet about it.

Yeah, she was very sweet about it.

Oh, no. A colleague of mine pinch-hit for me and did the interview. So The Friend, it's a beautiful novel. It's about a woman played by Naomi Watts who's sort of a pivotal figure in her life, Walter, played by you, dies from suicide. This all happens in the first couple minutes of the movie, so I'm not giving anything away.

Oh, no. A colleague of mine pinch-hit for me and did the interview. So The Friend, it's a beautiful novel. It's about a woman played by Naomi Watts who's sort of a pivotal figure in her life, Walter, played by you, dies from suicide. This all happens in the first couple minutes of the movie, so I'm not giving anything away.

And then, Naomi Watts' character has to take care of Walter's dog, which is a giant Great Dane. So, what was interesting to you about this project and the role of Walter in particular?

And then, Naomi Watts' character has to take care of Walter's dog, which is a giant Great Dane. So, what was interesting to you about this project and the role of Walter in particular?

After the break, Bill and I talk about a darker chapter in his career.

After the break, Bill and I talk about a darker chapter in his career.

There's an anecdote about Samuel Beckett in both the film The Friend and the book. It's sort of a famous anecdote about Beckett where he's out walking with a friend and it's a beautiful day and the friend says to Samuel Beckett something along the lines of, isn't a day like this enough to make you glad to be alive? And Samuel Beckett says, I won't go as far as that.

There's an anecdote about Samuel Beckett in both the film The Friend and the book. It's sort of a famous anecdote about Beckett where he's out walking with a friend and it's a beautiful day and the friend says to Samuel Beckett something along the lines of, isn't a day like this enough to make you glad to be alive? And Samuel Beckett says, I won't go as far as that.

And I wondered about how a line like that jibes for you, because it seems to me to capture something about you, both the sort of awareness of the beautiful aspects of life, and then there's also a melancholy to it, because I really think a lot of your best dramatic work touches on some real melancholy, like Lost in Translation, Rushmore, of Do you relate to a line like that?

And I wondered about how a line like that jibes for you, because it seems to me to capture something about you, both the sort of awareness of the beautiful aspects of life, and then there's also a melancholy to it, because I really think a lot of your best dramatic work touches on some real melancholy, like Lost in Translation, Rushmore, of Do you relate to a line like that?

Your part in The Friend, in a way, uh, reminds me of some other relatively recent parts from your career in that he's sort of a charismatic, charming guy who's also been sort of a selfish ding-dong. Sort of what? Selfish ding-dong is the way I put it. And I just recently saw something where you had done a Sundance interview with Elvis Mitchell, who was a film critic for The Times for a long time.

Your part in The Friend, in a way, uh, reminds me of some other relatively recent parts from your career in that he's sort of a charismatic, charming guy who's also been sort of a selfish ding-dong. Sort of what? Selfish ding-dong is the way I put it. And I just recently saw something where you had done a Sundance interview with Elvis Mitchell, who was a film critic for The Times for a long time.

And he brought up the film On the Rocks. And I thought, oh, the On the Rocks character and Walter, there's some similarities between them. And in your interview with Elvis Mitchell, you know, you referred to taking on roles like the On the Rocks role as a kind of penance. And I thought, well, penance could mean making amends. It could mean Punishment.

And he brought up the film On the Rocks. And I thought, oh, the On the Rocks character and Walter, there's some similarities between them. And in your interview with Elvis Mitchell, you know, you referred to taking on roles like the On the Rocks role as a kind of penance. And I thought, well, penance could mean making amends. It could mean Punishment.

What would it mean to say taking on a role is like a form of penance? And did that apply to Walter also?

What would it mean to say taking on a role is like a form of penance? And did that apply to Walter also?

You know, something that also stood out for me with the film, and it's connected maybe to what we were just talking about, there is a parallel between Walter and you in that Walter in the film has been accused of some inappropriate misconduct. And a couple years ago on Being Mortal, there was some... It was described as inappropriate misconduct. I mean, surely those parallels... occurred to you?