Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hi, it's Terry Gross. Somehow, we're almost at the end of 2025. It's been a rough year for a lot of people and for NPR and all public radio stations because of the elimination of all federal funding for public media. Despite that loss, and despite attacks on the free press, we are still here for you.
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I know times are hard, but if you're in a position to give, please end the year by investing in a public service that matters to you and know how much we appreciate you for it. Just go to plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org. Thank you so much. This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross. My guest is Will Arnett. He co-wrote and stars in the new movie, Is This Thing On?
He was one of the stars of this series, Arrested Development, played the title role in the animated satirical series for adults, BoJack Horseman, and was Batman in the animated Lego Batman series. He also co-hosts the podcast Smartless with his longtime friends Jason Bateman, who also starred in Arrested Development, and Sean Hayes, who has a small part in Arnett's new film.
Another longtime friend of Arnett's, Bradley Cooper, directed the new film and plays Arnett's self-absorbed best friend. The story is adapted from the true story of the British comic John Bishop. The film's title, Is This Thing On?, has a double meaning. It's what a lot of people say when they first get to a microphone. It also refers to whether Will Arnett's character's marriage is on or off.
The movie is a hybrid of comedy and drama, focused on the anger and resentments that can undermine a marriage, and how your sense of identity can change if you're lucky enough to discover work that is meaningful to you. Arnett plays a middle-aged father of two whose marriage has fallen apart. He and his wife, played by Laura Dern, are separated, and he's feeling lonely and miserable.
One evening, while aimlessly walking down a Manhattan street, he sees a restaurant with a comedy club downstairs. Admission requires a $15 cover charge, but if you sign up to perform, the cover charge is waived. So he signs up because he doesn't have the cash. When his name is called and he gets on stage, he has no clue what to do.
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Chapter 2: What is Will Arnett's new film 'Is This Thing On?' about?
And as you get older, you just kind of, you get to the point where you're like, you might as well just say and be honest. And you have to allow people to have their own reaction to what you say. And sometimes you, so to instigate that, you have to say like, all right, tell me, tell me the thing. Like just, what is the thing that I do that drives you crazy? Just say it. And I, at the risk of,
of blowing it all apart. And I think that's really important. I think I'm much more willing to get in the deep water now myself than I was when I was a younger man, for sure.
I'd like to offer an example of that from having heard you talk about this on Smart List, your podcast with Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman. And Bradley Cooper was the guest on this episode. And of course, Bradley Cooper directed your new film, Is This Thing On?,
So Bradley Cooper had been talking about how he really admired how angry some of your jokes were, that you would joke with people and say things that, you know, sounded angry in general or angry at them. But you were so funny and you knew these people so well that it was just like great fun. So he figured, okay, I'm going to fit in by doing something similar, except it didn't come off that way.
It just came off as like really rude. And so what I'd like to do is play a clip from that episode of Smart List and hear what Bradley Cooper had to say. And then I want to ask you your perspective on it. Okay? Okay. Okay, here it is.
And he was like, hey, man, do you remember we had dinner the other night? And he goes, how did you think that went? And I was like, and I remember being at the dinner thinking I was so funny. And I thought these two guys who were my heroes were so, thought that I was so funny. I don't know if you remember this, Will, and you're like, I was like, oh, I thought it was great.
I thought I was killing it. He goes, hey, man, you were, and Will, or Annette, he's like, you were a real asshole, man. And I was like, what? He's like, yeah. And by the way, have your dogs gone out to the bathroom? And I was like, what? What time is it? It's four o'clock. Oh, no. I think they have to go to the bathroom. They're literally standing by the door.
And that was like the first time I ever realized I had a problem with drugs and alcohol. And I'll just never forget it. And I was like, oh, the guy that I think is doing mean humor is telling me the truth about that. And it changed my entire life. And that moment was when I stopped pursuing this sort of mean humor thing. Wow. Do you remember that, Will? I do remember that, yeah.
Okay, so that was Bradley Cooper on the podcast Smart List, which Will Arnett co-hosts with Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman. Were you surprised he told that story? And I really want to hear your perspective on it. And I'm curious, like, what made you think that it would go okay and be helpful? Because there's the flip side of that coin. It could go really terribly sometimes.
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Chapter 3: What themes does 'Is This Thing On?' explore regarding marriage and identity?
Well, yeah.
I mean, it saved his life, but you don't know the outcome when you go into it. Well, it's funny.
I mean, I don't know if it saved his life. First of all, he did it all. I didn't save his life. I did not know he was going to bring it up, of course. And I was surprised, but I'm also not surprised because Bradley is somebody who he does sort of – especially as we've gotten older –
He's one of those people who tries to be as open as he can about his experience and honest as he can about where he's at. So having said that, I think that is an example of that day when I went into his place and we had that conversation. I had to be willing to risk it all because I love him. And, you know, I wanted him to be okay. And I know what it takes that sometimes you have to
You know, be brutally honest within reason. I don't want to hurt him. I'm not there to judge him for what he's doing. I'm there to be as honest as I can because I want him to figure out a way. And luckily for me, but also mostly for him...
he was open enough to the idea of this and that's really a testament to him um and his ability to to recognize in that moment it's got nothing to do with me i'm just a messenger and i'm just
You know, the only reason I did that is because I've been a beneficiary of so many great people in my life, in incredible relationships that I have, especially with a lot of great men in my life who've been honest and loving to me.
Your voice, I don't think it's just me, the way I hear it. Your voice has gotten deeper over the years. Am I right about that?
Yeah, probably. I think... Has yours?
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Chapter 4: How did Will Arnett prepare for his role in stand-up comedy?
Yeah. Okay.
All right.
We're just gonna keep rolling here, because we're rolling, girl. We're rolling. Here we go. Hey, girl, I love your smile. Crest white strips. Yeah. That's good. We're banging them out. We're banging them out. We're done. Oh, we're not done here. Hang on. We're still rolling here. Here we go. Three, two, one. Fleneman's racist butter. Spread it all around. Wait a minute. Yeah.
That couldn't be a product. Is that butter for racist people or is the butter itself racist? I don't know. I do not know and I don't care as long as the check clears. Okay, so let's do...
That's so great. And like the first one we heard was for GMC trucks. And you've done a lot or you did a lot of voiceovers for them. And, you know, it's done in the style of like a rugged man who likes driving over tough terrain and wants a vehicle that can handle it. So you have the voice for that. But do you ever feel like that kind of a man?
Great question, Terry. Yeah. It's not necessarily how I see myself, but yeah, I still work with, I still do the, I'm the voice of GMC Trucks, and it's something I'm really proud of. It's been a long time. I've been doing the ads for GMC since 1998.
That long?
Yeah. I've been the voice of GMC trucks since, since actually it's, this is the anniversary month, December of 1998.
And, uh, I never realized that was you.
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Chapter 5: Why did Will Arnett choose to tell the story from a middle-aged perspective?
Let's get back to my interview with Will Arnett. He co-wrote and stars in the new movie, Is This Thing On? Let's talk about your formative years. Your father, James Arnett or Jim Arnett? I don't know. Yeah.
Both.
Okay. So he was a graduate at Harvard and he was for a few years president and CEO of Molson Breweries. So when you – I know a lot of people, they look at their parents' lives and they think, I want a different life. And your life is very different. You're both very successful, but you went in an opposite direction. Not corporate, not law, and it's a more artistic world.
Did you feel like he led an interesting life, but you wanted a different life? Or did you see his life as... It must be uncomfortable to be asked this question when your father's alive. So I realize... I don't want you to... I don't want to ruin your relationship with your father.
No, no. No, I'll do that.
Yeah, you'll ruin it yourself? I'll ruin it myself. Or you'll answer the question?
I don't need any help, no. No, my dad, you know, I have a lot of respect for what my dad did. My dad came from, both his parents were teachers, and his dad at one point was a, teacher in a one-room schoolhouse on, you know, in Manitoba, not even in Winnipeg. And my dad worked really hard, and he got everywhere on his own merits. You know, he got into Harvard on his own.
He became a partner at this law firm, Stikeman Elliott, in Toronto on his own as a kid from Winnipeg. And he didn't... He didn't have a fancy background. So I've always respected how much of a sort of a self-made guy he is. And he's always, you know, my dad said to me once, I asked him once years ago, he's, you know, he's long since retired.
And I said to him, I said, why didn't you move to the States? Because you could have made a lot more money in the corporate world. You know, you see how CEOs are compensated in this country and how absurd it is. And he said, because I have an obligation to give back to the system that allowed me to come up. And that's the kind of guy he is.
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