Paul Walter Hauser

And Stacy's mom has got it going on.

Yeah, that happens on occasion. I'm trying to think when it's happened for me. I don't think it was... I think I remember breaking... I broke Tom Lennon once or twice on Reno, and that was a big feather in the cap. Yeah. And I broke... I broke a couple of the sunny people once or twice, and that was a big feather in the cap because I love those shows so much.

They're two of my favorite shows of all time. So for me, that's... Those moments mean as much as winning an actor trophy, you know? Like, those are your own trophies that you get to ponder whenever you're having a bad day.

Dude, it was nuts. I was dropping out of college in Oak Park River Forest, this place called Concordia University, I was basically dropping out, partying my face off, ballooning up in weight, and writing a movie script for Key & Peele because Mad TV had just gotten canceled and my manager at the time repped them. He's like, you want to write a movie for these guys?

They're looking for something to do together. So I'm writing a script for Key & Peele before they have the hit show. and I'm dropping out of college and most of my days were spent watching dirty work and Wet Hot American Summer and episodes of It's Always Sunny. And so a year later to be in the room auditioning for the show was crazy.

And then stepping into the bar, I vividly remember I brought my friend to set which was such a thing. Like I had a weird flex back in the day where I just didn't ask permission for anything. I would just bring one of my buddies to set and he'd be hanging out with me all day without asking anybody.

So like my buddy, Peter and I, Peter Hens, this really funny dude, he and I walked into the set of it's always sunny and walking into that bar and seeing everything. It was like, it was like the Wizard of Oz or something. We could not believe we were in the bar of It's Always Sunny. Yeah. That's so awesome.

I wouldn't say it never happens. I mean, there's a famous clip on YouTube of somebody, I think it might've been Phil Hartman or somebody had a fart machine in the elevator and a scene in the master, the PT Anderson film. Uh huh. That's pretty serious film or at least an intense film. And like, and like there, they had a moment where everybody broke and it was like over a fart joke.

So like it can happen, but I would say most of the time on Blackbird, 98% of the time we were both locked in, you know, deathly serious about the work. But I will say you have to keep stuff light outside of it.

And I think there were a day or two, not that he ever truly showed it, but there had to be a day or two where I annoyed the crap out of Taron in between takes or in between setups where I'd be doing an accent or a celebrity impression or dancing or being stupid. And for me, it was therapeutic. But for him, at some point, I'm sure it proved distractionary. But you got to break up the...

intensity somehow you gotta stay sane and for me nowadays if i'm having a rough rough day for whatever reason i just watch a couple clips from um i think you should leave on netflix and and i'm out of it or i'll watch a really good wrestling match from mlw or another organization on youtube and it makes me feel better you know who is your favorite wrestler growing up Sting was my number one.

Still is.

Still is. Well, he retired, but you know what it is. Everybody's got their Mount Rushmore. He's the top of mind. And I think I just admired the fact that he was second fiddled to Hulk Hogan in that good guy era. But Hogan was, like, never really selling for other people. He was always saying, like, I'm the dude. You can't get one over on me. And Sting would sell for people.

Sting, you could beat the crap out of Sting, but he would still come back.

And I feel like I saw that more than I saw with Hogan. I admired that.

loved the flair and pizzazz of the guy going from surfer sting to the crow sting and he got all dark and serious and fought the nwo with just a baseball bat and a silent face like there was something so cool about that and uh and he stood the test of time and just recently you know uh had his final match back in the spring of this year in greensboro north carolina and i got to be there and

Tony Khan allowed me to sit ringside with some dear friends. One of my oldest friends, Ryan Kunitzer, who, you know, I've known the guy 30 something years. Sting was like our guy and we're standing there, you know, nearly emotional as he has his final match. It was amazing. That's incredible.

So there's two types of Rushmores, right? There's the one where you're trying to objectively give the top four from the worldly perspective, and then there's personal Rushmore. Which one do you want? I want personal.

Personal Rushmore is Sting, Bret Hart. I think Ric Flair. Ric Flair. and Chris Jericho. Oh, okay. I think those are the four. But Jericho's tough, too. He just sneaks in there past...

just sneaks in there past a couple other guys like like ricky steamboat or randy savage yeah randy savage he was the best yeah i missed that guy macho man yeah i think my top 10 has a bunch of random guys too like they're not who you'd think i i don't go for the low-hanging fruit of the undertaker under the giant and sean michaels like i i like guys who are impactful in different ways i love dustin rhodes aka gold dust ray mysterio mick foley