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Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade

RE-RELEASE - Molly Shannon

20 May 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What makes Molly Shannon a standout guest?

0.031 - 27.963 Dana Carvey

So I just saw Molly recently, Molly Shannon. And she is on the show. We had her a little bit ago. And she is always such a bright light. When you see her, she always smiles. She lights up. She has something to say. She asks about me. And I think she's starring now with Will Ferrell in his new show, Hawk. Because he was at the golf tournament. And yeah, Will Ferrell's a golfer. Yeah.

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28.764 - 33.891 Dana Carvey

And I think she's the ex-wife, which is perfect. Those two are so funny from SNL.

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34.572 - 37.556 Unknown

Yeah, they've done a lot of things together over the years.

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37.676 - 42.582 Dana Carvey

Yeah. And a lot of people I know, she is definitely an SNL one.

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Chapter 2: How did Molly Shannon get involved with Will Ferrell's new show?

42.763 - 55.768 Dana Carvey

And especially women come up and go, Molly was so great and she's such a good vibe. And she's kind of quiet in real life. And then she has these you know, big characters. So a lot, lot to go over with her.

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57.19 - 79.262 Unknown

Yeah. Yeah. You'll see, we talk about what she does for working out. That's very funny. It really surprised me. And she just kind of in the running for as nice a human as you can kind of interact with that. You know, this is just for me, I was on a flight American going to New York and this woman was kind of like asking me questions and this and that. And she,

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79.242 - 87.102 Unknown

She said that Molly Shannon went up and talked to her for two hours about her life and her family and, you know, just the nicest person.

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87.122 - 92.395 Dana Carvey

I know, she's like, oh, really? She really gets into it and you go, oh, is this person actually listening to my story?

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92.696 - 92.796

Yeah.

93.468 - 112.579 Unknown

So I decided to try to go up there longer than Molly did because I was just competitive. Yeah, for sure. No, she's she's very nice, really funny, super talent and just a great hang. So I would check this out if you didn't hear it the first time. And if you did hear it the first time, do it again.

112.62 - 113.842 Dana Carvey

Why not go back for seconds?

114.783 - 123.04 Molly Shannon

Here she is, Molly Shannon. This is such a great idea. Congratulations, guys. Thank you, Molly.

123.14 - 130.472 Dana Carvey

And, you know, Molly, a bunch of high school friends and I chipped in and we bought a Bitcoin. So I'll let you know how that goes.

Chapter 3: What unique qualities does Molly Shannon bring to her performances?

168.67 - 174.021 Molly Shannon

It's real. I've had it since I was a kid. So Store, the game that we used to play, David, is kind of based on that.

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Chapter 4: How does Molly Shannon describe her workout routine?

174.442 - 186.807 Molly Shannon

But it is really real. If I ask a stranger for directions and say they had a certain voice where they were like, okay, let me just get the map. And then they touch the map and they have a certain type of voice, it puts me in a very relaxed state.

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186.82 - 198.79 Unknown

So is it like Zelig, Woody Allen, that you start to become them in a way? Like, hi, Molly, I'm just a really big fan. And you go, thank you so much. I love that. She just keeps asking for directions. No, it's not like that. I love that for you.

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198.81 - 204.162 Molly Shannon

It's a feeling of like, it feels almost like getting a massage. It's like, oh. I love this voice. I do too.

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204.182 - 209.492 Dana Carvey

It's like when you were a kid and people would read you stories, if you got the right voice to read you a story, that's what you wanted.

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209.712 - 210.073 Molly Shannon

Yeah.

210.093 - 212.117 Dana Carvey

Some teachers had it. Sometimes.

212.137 - 212.998 David Spade

That's cute, David.

213.018 - 219.591 Dana Carvey

When someone read you, go to sleep, you know, when you're little. Yeah. And you just go lock into it and you go, oh, it's the best. And then you zonk out. It's great.

219.611 - 229.274 Unknown

Teacher would read the story. And I'm in second grade and the teacher was like 25 and had like nylon stockings on and a short dress. I was just sort of, it made you feel funny.

Chapter 5: What personal experiences shaped Molly Shannon's career?

229.796 - 236.453 Unknown

Oh boy. It made me feel funny. Like when I used to climb the rope in gym class, where that came from. Anyway, I don't know why I went there, but.

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236.433 - 240.258 Molly Shannon

Wait, wait, wait. So you're saying that she would have stockings on?

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240.278 - 258.52 Unknown

Well, just that first time I'd seen an adult woman and they were very beautiful. They were second grade teachers. It's the 60s. Anyone can be a teacher now. And they were pretty young women and they would have just a normal skirt on and crossing and uncrossing their legs. And I'm seven, eight or nine. I just sort of got a little tingly.

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258.54 - 269.073 Dana Carvey

That's when you start noticing women and you go, oh, I like this. And then they're not doing anything wrong and everything is sexual to you. Yeah, they're just really sweet. They're just living their life and you're like, whoa.

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269.694 - 271.557 David Spade

So she's walking.

271.577 - 272.238 Dana Carvey

That's great.

272.258 - 278.628 Unknown

It's like when you fell in love with the lifeguard. Remember in seventh grade? I just made this up.

278.668 - 284.938 Dana Carvey

You know what I mean? I'm like, there's so much in her book and it's the only thing that isn't in her book about the lifeguard. I have a question for Molly about your book.

285.218 - 286.54 Molly Shannon

Okay. Great, David.

Chapter 6: How did Molly Shannon's childhood influence her comedy?

477.921 - 480.604 Dana Carvey

Do you guess it was at Dana's audition? Go ahead, Dana. Give it to her.

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480.625 - 495.706 Unknown

Okay, this is a 30-second story about me. Okay. I was on SNL. I played Brown University. Wow. And there was a woman in front that was kind of heckling me or friendly or whatever, and she had gigantic hair. So I did a comedian's trick of calling her Big Hair Woman.

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496.046 - 496.226 David Spade

Oh, yeah.

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496.246 - 511.1 Unknown

So I became a runner. It's an old comedian. So, hey, Big Hair Woman, what do you say? Yeah. So it ends up that was Marcy Klein. And then Marcy, the year next year, comes to SNL. I remember her from Brown University. So when we have her on this podcast, I'll call her Big Hair Woman.

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511.781 - 516.072 Dana Carvey

She has an incredible hair. What famous singer was at your audition?

516.322 - 537.132 Unknown

Well, I did it in Santa Monica as well, a little club called Igby's. Igby's. And Rosie O'Donnell was playing there, and I had to ask her. I didn't even know Rosie O'Donnell. She seemed like the most confident person I ever met. Yeah. Could I lean in on your show, and I'm going to bring Lorne Michaels? And then she said, okay, and we flipped a coin. I went on first, but Lorne walked in.

537.112 - 557.795 Unknown

Brandon Tartikoff, head of the network. I go, God, I'm getting really nervous. And then Cher saddled in. So that was my trio three shot. Here's your life. If I didn't make it that night, I think I'd be working at, what was it? Carrie's? Carney's? Where'd you work? Cravings. I know it's gone, but I'd reopen it so I could work there. And how many minutes did you have, Dana?

558.335 - 581.85 Unknown

I was actually doing the stand-up thing route. So I had an hour, hour 10 of stand-up. Amazing. But you would audition at the comedy store and you'd do five minutes. Well, isn't that special? Get off. Didn't work. I bombed every time. I followed Kenison once. Dead silence. So this time I had 45 in a real club. Yeah. And I was just scared out of my mind. When Marcy saw you. Wow.

581.83 - 591.92 Unknown

Did you, how was your nerve level at that point with your act? Did you, were you getting really confident or a little, were you nervous when Marcy was there or she, you didn't know who she was?

Chapter 7: What insights does Molly Shannon share about her time on SNL?

739.106 - 756.231 Molly Shannon

And she, she was like, what were you auditioning for? And I, I, I think I forget what it was, but She was just so casual, and I remember she was doing stretches by her car, like ballet, and stretching her leg, and I was like, oh, I wish I could be easy breezy like Catherine Lanassa, not caring.

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756.271 - 768.726 Molly Shannon

And I was feeling dark, like, ugh, this is so, so much rejection, and I think I'll just go to Gelson's and get a half a chicken and go home and go find shades. I call it a night.

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768.966 - 773.811 Unknown

Half a chicken. That's so specific. I love it. It kind of sounds delicious, though, in a way.

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773.831 - 785.921 Molly Shannon

It was delicious, yeah. And that is what I did. But I just, in that moment, was like, I don't think I have the heart for this anymore. This is just too hard. So much rejection. Yeah. So that's when I gave up for a year.

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786.101 - 798.854 Dana Carvey

I would be sitting in auditions, and it's so depressing with Brad Pitt next to me and going like, are you reading for Hunk also? Well, let's see who gets it. Let's stay friends after, though, if I get it.

Chapter 8: What does Molly Shannon do on her ideal day off?

799.576 - 820.513 Unknown

Anyway, I read for Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Did you really? They gave me a scene partner, and I sucked. You've seen my movies. I mean, I didn't know what I was doing. So Paul Newman's there, and I'm in awe of Kool and Luke. And he had these red socks on, and Joanne Woodward had a little dog. And I just got confused. But I'm with a scene partner, and she was really good. But we just fucked.

0

820.493 - 828.79 Unknown

And we went outside the room and I go, man, that went bad. She goes, you fucked me, man. Oh, no. And Robbie Benson got the part.

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828.89 - 831.275 Molly Shannon

Robbie, if you're listening, congratulations.

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831.295 - 846.544 Unknown

Robbie Benson really did get it. Robbie Benson, Harry and Tonto it was called. Robbie Benson is a badass actor. But yeah, I felt bad that I took her down with me. I apologize to Sherry O'Terry years later. No, I'm kidding.

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846.564 - 849.469 Molly Shannon

That's a joke. Were you just cold reading the scene?

849.489 - 858.284 Unknown

Yeah, you'd get it and you'd hold the script and you had a few minutes to look over it. Were you a good auditioner, do you think, and just had bad luck?

859.025 - 864.213 Molly Shannon

Let's see. I think, well, what about you? I can't imagine you messing that up, Dana.

864.474 - 864.574

Yeah.

864.554 - 884.031 Unknown

I was terrified of acting. I was good at like doing my own comedy, but to me, actors were, it was, I never took any acting lessons. I never did any theater groups. So it was like, what? I got to sound like someone else. It seems very easy now to me. Like I can really act good now, but I'm a little late to the game.

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