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Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend

Josh Safdie

02 Feb 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What does Josh Safdie say about being friends with Conan O'Brien?

3.473 - 17.093 Josh Safdie

Hi, my name is Josh Safdie and I feel like a liar. Saying that I feel anything about being Conan O'Brien's friend.

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17.193 - 38.438 Conan O'Brien

Fall is here, hear the yell. Back to school, ring the bell. Brand new shoes, walkin' loose. Climb the fence, books and pens. I can tell that we are gonna be friends. Hey there, welcome to Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend.

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38.659 - 61.221 Unknown

I'm the aforementioned Conan, joined by Sonam of Session, Matt Gourley. How we doing, gang? What's happening? Good. Good. Good in the hood. What's the mood? What's the mood today? Mood's pretty good, I'd say. Yeah? Yeah. No, am I wrong? No, I don't know. I'm just, I like to get the vibe in the room. I like to match the temperature. And I wasn't sure today. You all seem pretty happy, right?

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61.241 - 62.963 Matt Gourley

Yeah. I wish I ate more.

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63.183 - 63.544 Unknown

What do you mean?

63.965 - 69.933 Matt Gourley

I just didn't eat a proper meal before. And we're recording. It's like almost two o'clock and I'm hungry.

70.093 - 72.536 Unknown

What is a proper meal for you? What would that be?

73.177 - 74.759 Matt Gourley

Literally any food in front of me.

74.779 - 75.52 Unknown

What did you have for breakfast?

Chapter 2: How did Josh Safdie showcase Adam Sandler's dramatic chops in Uncut Gems?

94.807 - 121.713 Unknown

My wife, I learned from her early on going out, she would say, I'm getting a little hungry. What are you thinking about lunch? And I would think- Yeah, yeah, we could do lunch. I learned that I need to act on that first warning sign because she's a lithium battery. She goes from having a charge to having no charge instantly. And so then it would go downhill very quickly.

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122.054 - 123.897 Unknown

And you're the same way, Sona.

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123.877 - 132.146 Matt Gourley

I pack snacks for my kids all the time, but then I'll eat them because if I don't eat, but also- Can I say something else?

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132.266 - 133.387 Unknown

Your kids are malnourished.

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133.487 - 135.589 Matt Gourley

Yeah, they are. They're not eating. You're constantly eating their snacks.

135.61 - 139.354 Unknown

They're not eating. Is this like the oxygen mask in an airplane where you got to take care of yourself first?

139.374 - 148.844 Matt Gourley

Yeah. Okay. But Liza can live off of like an almond. I need like a whole- Pheasant. What?

148.864 - 149.284 Unknown

It is true.

149.524 - 152.027 Matt Gourley

Like a rotisserie chicken. No. What the fuck?

Chapter 3: What is the significance of casting real-world characters in filmmaking?

203.469 - 204.17 Matt Gourley

Like I need, I need a lot.

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204.19 - 208.396 Unknown

What are you going to get after this? Then are you going to go straight to a restaurant just by yourself and corner table?

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208.476 - 210.879 Conan O'Brien

I might, I might. I need to eat.

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212.161 - 224.117 Unknown

You all both need to eat. Yeah. Yeah. I need to eat something that gives you more intelligence. Not just brain food, but food that actually is made of brain and gives you brain.

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224.097 - 229.528 Matt Gourley

Did you say walnuts? Yeah. Walnuts make you smarter? Walnuts make you smarter?

229.549 - 229.809 Conan O'Brien

They do. Why?

229.829 - 234.479 Matt Gourley

Walnuts make you smarter? Yeah. Tell people, too. It's good for your semen.

235.02 - 244.941 Unknown

What? Wait. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. I'm pointing the finger at you, Sona. What do you mean it's good for your semen? What are you talking about?

244.921 - 252.413 Matt Gourley

And like, you know, when you want to make a baby, you eat a lot of walnuts. Nobody? Tell me about it. Are you serious?

Chapter 4: How did Timothée Chalamet prepare for his role in Marty Supreme?

278.254 - 280.037 Matt Gourley

Now, there are foods that have low motility.

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280.198 - 301.849 Unknown

Aren't there foods that affect the taste of semen? Well, I think, is that a myth? They say pineapple, right, is supposed to help it taste better. I mean, I say that. Can I just say something? I can't taste the difference. I can. I've had, I ate tons of pineapple. And then I'm like, I gotta get any pineapple here! What, you're drinking your own semen?

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301.889 - 321.764 Unknown

Of course, I'm not gonna eat someone else's junk. What was that? And you want Erewhon to make a smoothie with your name on it. Yes. Oh no. Yeah, I'm not gonna, someone else's semen, that's disgusting! Why do you think I do all those back exercises? Such a narcissist. You only drink your own. I'm constantly doing yoga and I'm like, I'm almost there.

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323.206 - 325.708 Unknown

Anyway, no, I've had so much pineapple and nothing.

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326.67 - 327.51 Matt Gourley

Oh, God.

327.53 - 354.235 Unknown

I've never held up a rap sign more. Well, listen, I think it's time to talk to an iconic filmmaker. Every publicist right now is taking us off the list. My guest today is a filmmaker known for such movies as Uncut Gems and Good Time. His latest film, Marty Supreme, is already getting just insane. Oscar buzz, it's everywhere. I'm sorry to interrupt. What?

354.696 - 382.422 Unknown

When I go home, I have to log these things into a spreadsheet, what each thing is about. Sure. Eduardo and I will put in a small description. Sona talked about being hungry, but this one's going to be Conan drinks on jizz. Oh, post-pineapple binge. Okay, continue. You know, not for no reason. All right. I'm thrilled he's here today. Joss Hafti, welcome.

387.11 - 394.102 Josh Safdie

I think you and I are friends now. I think so, too. I think we are. I do. You know why? Through Sandler. Anyone who you know through Sandler, you feel like you're a friend.

394.122 - 400.934 Unknown

The best! You know, my favorite observation about Sandler, and this is in the last couple of years, is he always says the best.

Chapter 5: What unique casting techniques does Josh Safdie use in his films?

400.994 - 408.326 Unknown

I'll bring up anyone. So let's say I see Sandler in half an hour at the store where they sell overly long gym shorts.

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410.009 - 429.817 Unknown

for middle-aged men. And I say to him, hey, I just- Only middle-aged men. Yeah, only middle-aged men. It is such a long marquee. They card you when you go in. But it's actually, I see Sandler and I'll be like, oh, I know. What are you doing, buddy? What are you doing? Oh, I just saw Josh said, the best! And then I can go, okay.

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429.937 - 451.013 Unknown

And then 20 minutes later, I can say, oh my God, by the way, I was just at a restaurant and I had a Reuben sandwich. The best! And he keeps saying the best down to the point where you're like, yeah, and then I was in New York and I actually, I took the Lexington Avenue. Oh, the best!

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451.033 - 455.341 Josh Safdie

The best of the subways. He said once to me, I was like, I'm going to go to the bathroom. He goes, the best.

455.361 - 455.541

The best.

455.521 - 461.492 Josh Safdie

And I understood it, though. It was real. I was like, yeah, it is the best. It is the best.

461.532 - 465.6 Unknown

You have that pressure feeling in your bladder and then you don't. Then you don't.

466.341 - 481.909 Josh Safdie

It's the best. It is the best. My wife has to text me throughout the day saying, go to the bathroom. I'll pee when I wake up and then I go to sleep. Is that right? Yeah, it's unfortunate. So that's why when I talked to Santa, I said, we're going to the bathroom and he was saying the best, like I'm doing it.

Chapter 6: What insights does Josh share about the awards season experience?

514.096 - 520.223 Unknown

And he calls you Coney. Coney. He calls me Coney. He's the only one that can. And, you know, we live- I accidentally said it to someone.

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520.263 - 528.492 Josh Safdie

They're like, what are you doing? I was like, well, I'm going to go see Coney. And we're like, who the fuck are you talking about? Coney 2012. Coney. Is Coney like a seven-year-old boy?

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529.568 - 551.222 Unknown

Also, we live in the same neighborhood and I have been driving through my neighborhood and seen what looks like 1975 Stevie Nicks walking down the street covered in different colored garments. And I look closer and it's Sandler where there's, and God bless him, he doesn't try to match any clothing.

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551.202 - 566.443 Unknown

You know, it's just, it looks like a handkerchief store blew up near him and everything got glued to his body. And it's every single color you can imagine. It's unbelievable, yeah. And then I'll pull up and I'll be like, you know, hey, Adam, it's me. I'll lower the window. It's me going, oh, the best!

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566.423 - 582.651 Josh Safdie

He got pulled into a, when I was once, I was once with him and he got pulled into like a, some sort of high end retail store because someone, you know, he's the nicest guys or someone's like, oh man, I'm a fan. He's like, let's take a picture. And they invited him into the store. He's like, I'd love to show you my, my clothing.

583.232 - 598.797 Josh Safdie

Adam Sandler in a high end retail store is not, it does not make sense. So he said, I was like, what was going on in your head? He's like, I was counting the hangers. You know, like at some point I have to just stop counting. I did 20. Very nice stuff you have in there. You got good stuff.

598.817 - 600.781 Unknown

Buddy, you got good stuff.

600.801 - 601.402 Josh Safdie

I gotta go.

601.482 - 624.25 Unknown

I gotta go. Well, I also love, he will come by my house and he'll, unlike other people, like in LA, you call ahead. No one just drops in. He'll do a drop in. Sandler will be outside the gate going, Cody! And then you let him in and he's like, oh, buddy, buddy. And I'll say, hey, sit down. And then within maybe two minutes, he'll say, cause one time he brought his daughters with him.

Chapter 7: How does Josh Safdie define the essence of his characters?

647.102 - 654.382 Unknown

But we are not here to eulogize Adam Sandler. He's alive and well, and we love him. Yes, the best. The best. The best.

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655.49 - 682.034 Unknown

We are here, and I want to start with this, and then we'll talk about other things, and then we'll get back to it. But your movie, Marty Supreme, is a juggernaut of delight. It is a just love that movie. I have watched a lot of... Oscar movies, because I got to host that thing. I mean, movies that are getting award, you know, getting up for awards.

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682.074 - 690.274 Josh Safdie

Thank God you're hosting. You're a great, you know what I was telling Mariel's, you know, you could be the, if you were the host of a Denny's, I would go to that Denny's every day.

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690.294 - 723.612 Unknown

Oh, thank you. Every day. That might be more appropriate. If this year goes well, it's on to Denny's. I saw your movie with my friend Rodman Flender and I sat and the movie begins and it was a party. It was just like the crowd. It was one of those things that you dream about where... The laughs are all there, the highs, the lows. And from the moment that movie begins, I was in all the way.

724.133 - 745.835 Unknown

Amazing, amazing. And it was just an absolute pure delight. And so I'm so happy you're here because, no spoilers, but I wanna talk about this movie. Wow, okay. this movie is a major achievement and I hope, I mean, I know you're getting a lot of love, but I mean, love from the people who you look up to and respect is different.

746.216 - 769.63 Josh Safdie

Uh, it's just different. Yeah. But it means a lot. And also weirdly, weirdly, I was saying someone was asking me cause Abel Ferreira, who's in the film, uh, Who I've been a huge fan of. And I knew him when he was not a sober person. And I know you did too. And one of the best Conan interviews is the Abel Ferreira Conan interview because it is like yoga, man. You are stretching. You are doing.

770.111 - 771.033 Josh Safdie

It was unhinged.

771.254 - 794.969 Unknown

It's unbelievable. You know, sometimes there are movies about show business and in movies about show business, like, you know, my favorite year, there's just improbable crazy things that happen. People get on stage seconds after they fix the broken set and the curtain comes up like a second before. Abel Farrar was on the old late night show. He was this legendary director and persona.

Chapter 8: What humorous anecdotes does Josh share about his filmmaking journey?

825.884 - 839.515 Unknown

And I didn't know anything about this, but God bless him, Frank Smiley, who's been one of my segment producer forever and did every single late night show and was a major force behind the show. He takes off. Wow.

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839.495 - 855.967 Unknown

gets another elevator, goes down, and then runs out onto the street and does that thing in movies where you look right, you look left, and then he just gets a glimpse of Abel Farrar in like a leather jacket and that saunter, and he takes off, and Abel Farrar goes into a bar. And starts ordering a drink.

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856.127 - 874.531 Unknown

And Frank goes in and has to drag Abel Farrar back, convince him, cajole him, physically pull him, gets him back. They take the elevator up and he gets him back on his mark backstage. As I'm saying, ladies and gentlemen, Abel Farrar. That's unbelievable. And you didn't know any of that? I didn't know anything because how could I? You're on the stage. Yeah.

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875.833 - 898.931 Unknown

And I'm just, you know, in full host mode. And then... He comes out, and if you ever want to look up that interview, it's Abel Farrar, Conan O'Brien on the late night show. And it is me talking to a wild animal. And he is, I think, a big part of Marty Supreme, which we will talk about.

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898.951 - 916 Josh Safdie

My favorite part of the interview, though, is how quickly Dennis Leary abandons any sort of allegiance he has to you. And you would think the two of you kind of would be connected and bonded. Yeah, two Boston Irish guys. Yeah, he's like, all right, this is my... He goes right. Maybe he wanted a part. I don't know what it was, but he went right to Abel. Abel doesn't smoke cigarettes.

916.02 - 935.513 Josh Safdie

He takes a cigarette. He's talking to Dennis. Abel Farah asked me once to do a Q&A with him, and I've watched him do Q&As. And his thing... particularly when he was not a sober person was to throw the moderator under the bus instantly and just take it to the audience and then just make fun of the moderator. And he did that to you. He did that to you.

935.574 - 957.387 Josh Safdie

And I, but he's, he's, you know, I think you said something about like Stallone subtitles at some point and he was just like, What does that mean? He would ask me every take. He would say to me, he would say, I'd tell him, you know, what the scene was and, you know, whatever. We had all these amazing conversations through WhatsApp because he lives in Rome. And he said, he's like, are you do it?

957.367 - 973.914 Josh Safdie

He's like, I'll do it. Yeah, he's like, you do the scene. And I'll watch, you know, I'll know, I'll watch you, you do it, and then I'll know how to do it. Something no actor wants, usually. And then he said, so I did it, but I'm doing the scene as if I'm Abel Ferreira. So, and I'm like doing like the, I'm not talking. He goes, you're doing me doing the scene.

974.014 - 976.438 Unknown

I was like, yeah.

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