Rob Delaney
Appearances
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
I mean, I guess if you think about, like, if I'm thinking about my own life, sexual adventures, you know, you can like wear a lot of hats in a courtship. And then as you begin to get intimate, you know, when there can be like, you know, like, oh, you try this approach. Oh, didn't land the way I wanted to. Oh, I'll try this. You know what I mean? So even within like, say, a successful situation,
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
sexual experience there can be aspects of frustration of overreach of embarrassment so this was just more like take stuff and just dial it up
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Oh, it was really very difficult. And in fact, I had a little hiatus after shooting a bunch of stuff. And then I knew I had to go back into the hospital for my final scenes with Molly. And during that hiatus, I was really upset because I was like, I'm going to watch my friend Michelle die.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
who I've been getting to know and work with and have a really wonderful time, I'm gonna watch her apply her formidable skills to a facsimile of dying again and again and again up close. And that's going to be really hard. And we know it's not real, but still you're using parts of yourself that are very real.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
And if it's going to be any good, then you have to be willing to run the gamut of emotions, including getting hurt, you know. So it was really, there were aspects of it that were deeply unpleasant and required some detoxification from afterwards, for sure.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Swim, rest, run, smell my children's heads. Stuff like that I find very helpful. And talk about it. Be like, this is hard.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Well, yeah, I would do something that required plumbing my own depths like this again because it was so rewarding. I mean, you know, really, truly before this, I was like a guy who was brought in to make a scene funnier in a movie or something, you know what I mean? And so this is my first acting job where I was like, oh, man, it can be like this, you know? Right.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
So yeah, this has spoiled me a bit. We'll see where it goes from here, but... All right.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
That's a great question, you know, because they do or are forced to, even at this incredibly fertile juncture of her life where she's getting ready to move on to the next realm, they do have to hold on to each other lightly in certain ways, which is to say Neighbor Guy is well aware of the fact that Molly has other lovers. Molly is well aware of the fact that
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
at least chronologically or real estate-wise, she will have taken up a small portion of neighbor guy's life, right? But with that and the fact that they allow that of each other and are accepting of it allows them to become extraordinarily close and share things together. And I guess through accepting that, then they are able to have the special thing that they have.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
If anybody watching this came away with it being like, I'm going to die. And then really took that in and did things to acknowledge that. Even if they're already old, you know, and they're like, fuck, I guess I am going to die. Right. And then just did some things a little bit differently. Be a little kinder.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
I mean, like, for me, I've told, like, other straight dad friends that I love them since this. I've been more vulnerable with them.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
If I've been afraid of something, I've spoken up about it. And, you know, usually a guy will be like, oh my God, me too, you know? Or like, really? Because I know a thing we could do to help with that, you know? So value your friendships and your relationship.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Obviously, you know, if you have a partner that has primacy and you give that attention and the love that it needs, but also just friends, you know what I mean? Because like the relationship between television Molly and Nikki is so beautiful. Yeah. And offers so much and I think could be a really wonderful template. You know what I mean?
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
That type of relationship is probably more in reach to people than they might realize if they're willing to be truly vulnerable. So yeah, vulnerability is a gift that you give people that you love. Be careful with it. Can't give it to everybody. You know what I mean? But if you know somebody who you think can handle it, then they can handle it and give them that gift and it will bear fruit.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
We don't know how. Right. Like what you're describing, that some sort of commune between you and Molly, you know, being facilitated by other people and speaks to the connected nature and how nothing ever is really gone, you know? Yeah.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Oh, that would be kind of fun. Except he plays video games loud and he's a little messy. But other than that, a good guy.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Well, it's been a privilege. Thank you so much.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Well, I'm at the point in my career where sometimes I get offered stuff. And this happened to be one that I was just offered. And so that was kind of shocking because everybody involved was so great. And the story was so rich and wonderful and unique that that this is easily the best job that's just been dropped at my feet. And I couldn't say yes fast enough. So that's how this happened.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Well, the source material was remarkable and true. And I felt that I'd had life experiences that would allow me to sort of operate honestly in that realm. And then the creative team behind it was just bananas. So, you know, you met us more than halfway.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
And so, yeah, it just felt really special. I don't know. I can't kind of overstate that.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
One of the first things I ever did, the Upright Citizens Brigade, you know, the comedy group, did an improvised movie like 15 years ago, or probably more. And my title in that was Whipped Cream Ass Man. But usually my characters have names. And for those of us listening who aren't screenwriters and don't spend time reading scripts and stuff, frequently...
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
a character might be introduced, and in their first line of dialogue, it would be under the heading of Neighbor Guy. And then Neighbor Guy would be like, my name's Matt. Right. And then subsequently, he'd be called Matt, you know? But then not in this, just eight episodes deep. What's this guy's name? Ah, who knows?
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
What I like about it, though, is that he very much does begin as Neighbor Guy. And while within the show, he certainly blossoms into a character who, you know... would have a name that Molly would know. Right.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
But I like that he doesn't because then he's just sort of this like concept, which is he starts as an annoying neighbor guy and then turns into something more wonderful just because Molly gives him attention. You know what I mean? He turns into a real boy.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Yeah, well, that's good. In real life, I have roughly six to seven personalities I unveil for my wife. And it's sort of on a Russian roulette basis. It's like a revolver. Where's the bullet? Yeah. Who am I getting tonight?
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
I mean, I'm kind of one of those people who's like, I'll go pretty far to make people laugh, you know? And I wrote a show with Sharon Horgan called Catastrophe that... One of my favorites, by the way. Thank you very much. And that had a lot of simulated sex in it and my butt. So I was not infrequently naked on that show. So I had practice in the simulated intimate arts.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
So I was fine with it, you know. And the good news is, is there's people doing stuff in the show that make what Neighbor Guy does look like, you know, checking your mailbox at the end of the driveway. Yeah, exactly.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Well, that's more challenging because just being naked, for whatever reason, we're not in the ancient Greek phase of... where a naked man's body was like a thing of magnificence. For whatever reason, in our collective cultural relationship to bodies and sex and stuff, naked men's bodies are funny now. And so it's easier to make people laugh if you're naked and doing something silly.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
So that's easy. Harder for the emotional vulnerability aspect. because, you know, that's really uncomfortable and really raw and tender. So this show, while I really loved doing it and really grateful to be a part of it, you know, there was a lot of crying when the cameras weren't rolling. Right.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
And there were times when you had to, like, emotionally budget yourself during difficult days of shooting. Yeah.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
It's really weird because I have had to simulate crying in jobs before where, like, you know, it just looked like I'm crying, you know? And on this, not necessary because it was so intense, you know?
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Oh, sure. I mean, shooting in the penultimate episode when Molly's in the hospital and we know she's going to die was... Brutal, you know, really brutal. But it was also like it felt sacred. Oh my gosh, right? It felt honest and beautiful and real.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
But, you know, it kind of felt like you're, honestly, it felt like you were in a lobby or the foyer of the afterlife, you know, because she's getting ready to move on. It was really, it was crazy.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Well, this was being really lovingly crafted by everybody there. Yeah. Everybody wanted it to be the absolute best that it could possibly be.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
So before and after takes, I'm talking to Shannon and Liz, director and writer-producer respectively. And then during takes, I'm opposite Michelle Williams.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
I'm really grateful Michelle and I hit it off. You know, we hadn't met before this. And so we got together and talked about the story and talked about ways to express it. And so we had a really good rapport. And a slice of the pizza... of her incredible talent is the generosity and the openness and the desire for you to do well too.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
I mean, I'll say we've both dealt with real life stuff that is pretty heavy duty. and we were both able to be very sensitive to each other about that. So I guess we kind of maybe developed a color palette together that we're, you know, like if she would mix a blue, I'd be like, oh, I know that color. And if I mixed a red, she'd be like, whew, haven't seen that in a while.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
We're not in the ancient Greek phase where a naked man's body was like a thing of magnificence. For whatever reason, naked men's bodies are funny now. And so it's easier to make people laugh if you're naked and doing something silly.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
I do feel very grateful that Michelle and I were kind of able to hit the ground running. And then, you know, she has the career that she does and the reputation that she does because she does have an oceanic talent. And so I just try to be as emotionally naked and present as possible. Oh.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
Like, I want to work with very, very good actors because it makes it easier for me to just listen, to just truly be there. So Michelle Williams makes that very, very easy.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
It's weird because some years into my career, I'm now trying to just like strip away, strip away. It's like, wait, don't you go to acting school to learn how to do an accent and put on a funny nose? And now I'm more about like get rid of all of that, everything that you can so that people can be watching real questions dance across my eyes or real hunger or curiosity or...
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
you know, confusion into anger because you want to be watching people discover stuff in real time. Yeah. I would never go into a scene like a bull in a china shop and here's how it's going to go.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
I mean, also coming from a comedy background and from writing with a partner and stuff, like you really want to be vulnerable and open so that you can be doing the stuff in real time and learning things and letting the audience see you learn things. Or be foiled or be whatever, you know.
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
So everything you've just said is 100% true. And by the end of it, it's such a beautiful thing that they have. And it's such a testament to... Liz and Kim that they could weave it in a way that all that craziness leads to such beautiful places. Yeah. And that it feels earned and organic and you believe it, you know?
Dying For Sex
Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass: The Men of Dying for Sex | 10
I mean, in childhood, it happened. My kids will hit me with like a football and that's not on purpose, I think, but not, no, I've never asked somebody to do it. And I don't personally, it's not on my list of, you know, secret desires. Yeah.