Transcript of Noah Wyle

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Good Hang. Boy, we have one of my favorite actors on today from one of my favorite show— parentheses— shows, and that is Noah Wyle. Noah Wyle is joining us, and we're going to talk about so many fun things. We're going to talk about, um, well, people falling asleep on set. We're going to talk about what it was like playing basketball with George Clooney. We're going to talk about a little show called ER that I've worked on. We watched in its entirety 3 times through. We're gonna talk about The Pit, a little show that's winning every Emmy, including 1,000 awards. Oh, and speaking of awards, we're gonna talk about the fact that Noah Wyle, announced here for the very first time, is People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. Yeah, baby. Okay, we're gonna get into it. But before we do, we always try to talk to somebody who knows our guest or has a question ...for me to ask our guest. And we are talking to Sean Hattisey. Yes, Dr. Jack Abbott. The Nightcrawler himself. The man from the night shift from the pit. And you know Sean, he's an incredible actor, director.

He, you know, you know him from Animal Kingdom, you know him from Southland. He's just our favorite crazy doctor who's, you know, who's bringing us along for the ride. So, let's see if we can get Sean on the Zoom. Hey, Sean! Hi, everybody. This episode of Good Hang is presented by PayPal. Brighten up the start to the festive season by getting ahead of the holiday rush. Shop your favorite online stores with PayPal this holiday, like Sephora for gift sets, Target for toys and electronics, and TikTok Shop for fashion, apparel, and gadgets. Check out with the flexibility to pay now or pay later and split your payments with Pay in 4 with no interest. No late fees. Shop now with PayPal. Pay in 4, subject to approval. Learn more at paypal.com/payin4. PayPal Inc., NMLS 910457.

Sean?

Amy, how are you?

Sean, it is good to see you.

It is good to see you.

You know, we just officially met in person just recently.

The pre-Emmy party. And right, we were near the bar area, and you did this thing which I often do, which is I put my head down and walk away. And I was like, she doesn't want to talk to us. And then your friend looked up, and, and there was a moment of recognition. And my wife was like, he knows you. We're going to go talk to Amy right now.

Wonderful wife, Kelly. I got to talk to you both. And you're right. I mean, I, I get a little overwhelmed at parties.

I understand. But we didn't give you that chance. We took you hostage for like 20 minutes and we threw up all over you. And thank you for indulging.

Oh, yeah. Right back at you. I'm very, very excited to talk to you today. I mean, Sean, I love your work and have for a very long time. And it's been awesome to watch what you do so naturally and so well coincide with this, like, huge hit show. Like, You know what it is to work in this business and to be on shows that are really, really good and that don't have this kind of momentum behind them.

Yeah.

What's it like to be on a hit? You're on a hit, baby.

You do so many shows and at the beginning you're like, this is going to go forever. And then it like gets canceled after 5 episodes. So when you're starting a show, you just sort of kind of go, I don't— you know, it feels like we're doing good work. I'm not sure. I got to say, with The Pit, you know, um, with all of the elements in place— I, I've worked with John Wells, who was the executive producer, on, on other shows, and they didn't do as well. But it— there's something about this that felt really solid. And obviously with Noah and, um, you know, his contributions to this type of show, and then the fact that it's, it's taking something that we're familiar with but changing the concept by putting it in one day, it, it just It gave a very, like, immersive quality to it that just felt really, you know, exciting.

Let's talk about John Wells for a second. Like, what a giant of a producer. I've never had the chance to meet him. He has done so much TV, incredible work. How did you guys first meet?

I was a guest star on ER. My manager brought it to me. He said, you're gonna go audition for this. And I was like, I don't know if I want to do— like, I was doing a lot of movies at the time. And she was like, no, you need to do this one because John is directing it. And when he directs, He directs, you know, it's a big episode. So I read it, and it was, of course, you know, multiple personalities, very, like, transformative characters.

Very cool.

And so it really was wonderful. And at the end of it, I looked at him, and I was like, I really want to keep working with you if I'm so lucky. And, you know, then Southland came a couple of years later when it ended, and it just has worked out. You know, it's one thing to be able to write a show, but it's a whole other thing to be able to produce a show and know how to put the people in place to make a quality show. He's very loyal. You know, I've been fortunate to work on 3 shows shot in LA.

I think people sometimes think that making television feels like it's just people dressed up in fancy clothes going to Emmy parties and talking to each other, but it's a weird factory where you're just in there with the same people every day, and you're grinding.

And a show like The Pit is very much that because we're in one location, which feels like an office, right? The lighting is the same. And yeah, I mean, but like— As you know, there's also an immense pressure. I watch your show, Parks and Rec, and it's funny every time. Like, you guys are presenting something that clearly works because it kept going and going. But at a certain point, you feel that pressure to deliver, which also creates a special kind of environment when working together, if that makes sense.

I'll tell you what works. The Nightcrawlers.

Ooh.

Sean.

What? What?

Okay, first of all, the little pep talk, the Friday Night Lights pep talk that Dr. Abbott gives to the night shift.

Yes.

Fantastic.

It takes a certain kind of person to work nights, or to choose to work nights. You know what it feels like to—

Totally. I think that that's such an interesting— and it's investigated more in season 2, and I hope it continues to be, which is what personality trait constitutes a night person and someone who wants to take a night shift. Like, but, you know, whatever the job is, I would just love to pitch that we take Nightcrawlers and we just develop Nightcrawlers as a separate show. I'm going to talk to Noah.

All right. But I didn't tell you to do that.

Okay, so we're talking to him today. And I mean, I'm going to talk to him about all this stuff because I, I think I'm really fascinated by how, like, our people our age— we're about the same age. I'm a little older, but like, How we like to work now. Like, I love listening to people's systems of how they work, what works for them, you know, no matter what their job is. Doesn't just have to be acting. But I think one of the nice things about being in your 50s is you start realizing, oh, this kind of version of work works for me, or I do better when I'm around these types of people. Like, all that stuff. I think there's a little bit of wisdom that comes with that. But I feel like he feels like a very serious guy and kind of private. Are either one of those things true?

I mean, he is a serious guy, but he has a really good sense of humor about stuff. You know, he's like a big brother, you know, a much older big brother.

Yeah, much older.

Much, much

older. Much older. That's really nice to hear, 'cause the vibe on that show is like there's just a lot of fraternal love between your characters. And look, we as viewers, we're just looking for, like, positive masculinity. We're just looking for examples of it, honestly, anywhere we can find it. And the way you guys play these very, you know, complicated and accomplished men who are taking care of each other, sometimes in limited ways, but they're still trying. It's really, really moving to watch.

Yeah. The thing that excites me the most about the relationship and just sort of their competency when it comes to the medical, like, you just— those are the guys you want if something is going wrong. Like, there's nothing that can come through on a gurney that they can't fix. They have all the answers, like, right on the tip of their tongues. But when it comes to their mental health, You know, they just are idiots and they, they just don't have the tools. And because of their position as leaders, as men who are supposed to be counted on, it's hard to raise your hand and say, hey, I'm struggling, I need help, you know? And I think that the fact that we're tackling that and in the way that we are is, is incredibly positive.

Okay. So do you have— I ask all my, my Zoom guests if they can give me a question to ask my guest. Big or small, anything you might think Noah wants to talk about or anything you want to know about him.

I was thinking about this and sort of what we were talking about. Like, he's such a masterful performer when it comes to acting. His ability to bring out the medical jargon. I've seen it as an actor and also as a director. His access to vulnerability, his ability to play emotion, heavy emotion, and— Like, the stamina that is required to do it over and over again. He never changes. And the other thing I really think Noah is good at is listening. He's got these eyes that when he's— he has to convey some sort of story point just from listening, he does it brilliantly. And so, All that aside, as somebody watching it, it just seems very easy to him. And I was curious, is there something he reads as an actor that he's scared of? Is there an insecurity? Is there something that he would read in a script that he's like, oh, man, I'm afraid. I wonder if I could do that. Because we all, as actors, have deep insecurities.

Oh, my God.

You know what I mean? And so I'm just curious. What does he read and go, fuck, I don't know if I can do that?

That's a great question because he's had to do— he's gotten a lot of scripts over the years where he's had to do things, and they— especially, certainly on ER, it was like big physical comedy and big emotional moments and romantic moments and big breakdowns that you know are coming. And just like, what is the thing that you read on the page, or you are in the room pitching, that you're like, oh, no, I'm gonna eventually have to do this?

Yeah. And then my second question is, he's putting together a basketball team, okay? He can use anybody from the pit or ER. He's the point guard, okay? He needs to bring on 4 more players from the pit or ER. What is that team?

Oh, fantastic question.

And I gotta say, Don't tell him this, but if he doesn't pick me, we're gonna have to talk about that.

Yeah, he'll sense that in the question you might be hoping to be picked, but I will— I'll try not to deliver it that way.

I think he's definitely gonna pick George Clooney, right? Because he plays basketball still, doesn't he? I don't know.

I don't— I think so. I mean,

does he have time?

He probably has some guy play basketball for him at this point. He's not having— he's not playing his own basketball.

Yeah,

he has a gentleman, an Italian gentleman who plays for him.

For sure.

No way,

right?

But you're right. I mean, basketball was a big thing in ER. It was just like they were always shooting hoops. And you— and you're a good basketball player? You like basketball?

I played a lot of basketball and, and like as a, as a kid, high school. But I play tennis now. I play pickleball. So there's where they played basketball on the pit— I mean, on ER— that right next to the Friends stage, there's a basketball court, but they've put pickleball there. So sometimes at lunch, we'll go— not Noah, he has never made it out there. But I'll drag some people out there and we'll play pickleball.

A lot of people don't know that The Pit and ER were not shot in Pittsburgh and in Chicago, but right on the lot in Los Angeles. Thank you so much for doing this. I'm— I know Noah will be thrilled that we talked. And thank you so much for the time. And it was so great to meet you in person. I love your work. I can't wait for the next season and all the good stuff ahead. So thanks again.

Thank you.

Bye, Sean. Bye. This episode is brought to you by Allstate. Checking Allstate first could save you hundreds on car insurance. Not checking which group chat you're typing in before hitting send? Next thing you know, you sent a scalding hot take about the restaurant to the group with the person who picked it. Yikes. Yeah, checking first is a good idea. So check Allstate first for an auto quote. It could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate. Potential savings vary, subject to terms, conditions, and availability. Allstate North North American Insurance Company and Affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. May I open this on the air?

Please do. Please do. Yeah.

Oh, wait, this is from your wife and daughter?

Yeah, they found these and they know that you have all this little stuff and they thought that you would think this was cute. Oh my gosh.

Come on. First of all, a tie.

They called it eye joy, just to look at these and get a little bit of pleasure.

Oh, this is really nice. This is an anthropomorphic pretzel, like the one I asked for. And same with a croissant with legs. And then this is— oh, it's broccoli. I had it upside down. I thought it was an octopus.

It's versatile.

Broccoli. Listeners, Noah just came with presents and beautifully crafted presents. And I'm also going to read the card on air.

It won't be hard. My daughter's got the most incredible penmanship.

How old is your daughter?

She's 11. This one is 11.

Oh, come on.

I actually don't know what it says.

Is there anything nicer than 11-year-old girls? Dear Amy, my mom and I are big fans of your podcast and heard you collect fake food. Although this isn't realistic, we thought you might love it. Love, Frances and Sarah. All I ever wanted was a good, good hang. And then she drew a picture. Come on.

She used her cursive. Oh, she broke out the cursive for you too. She's really showing off.

What a sweetie pie. Girls are the best. That is so sweet, Frances. Thank you, Frances. Thank you, Sarah.

She's gonna be so tickled.

Oh my God. Thanks for bringing that. We'll put it on the shelf before we're done. For continuity's sake though, we gotta leave it off. Noah Wiley is here. Noah Wiley is here. And also Noah, I just want you to know, no presh, but you were like one of the first people that I, when people were like, who do you want on your podcast? You were somebody that I've been, I've been trying to get you for a long time.

I haven't been playing hard to get. I've just been working a lot.

I know. I've been watching your work.

I'm really happy to be here. And you've been very kind about my work through the years. So I'm really— Oh, get ready. Buckle up.

Okay. I heard from your people that you refused to come until you were voted Sexiest Man. You said, I will only be on this pod if people—

I need something legitimate to talk about.

People's Sexiest Man Alive. And I guess my first question is, Jonathan Bailey was last year. Yeah. How is your administration going to be different? What are you going to do different than the Bailey administration?

I'm really disappointed with what he's done on the international front and with immigration. So

yeah, you're going to start with the heavy—

My administration is going to really crack down on the borders of beauty.

Congratulations.

Yeah, thank you. I think that one goes to my mother and my father, but yep, thank you. But I could almost remember Chronologically, the ones that came out during my formative years.

Well, don't you remember? I mean, People Magazine was very big in my house.

Huge.

And it was— and you'd get it and you'd sit down, you'd be like, here we go.

Cover to cover. Not a problem.

Cover to cover.

It wasn't like that cumbersome Time or, you know, Newsweek.

No, People, you just breeze through it.

It's just pie charts, baby. Come on.

Yeah. But I have genuinely wanted you to be here for a very long time. Thank you for being here.

My pleasure entirely.

And thank you for being here on what is like 120-degree occasion.

It is warm out there. I was just in Burbank where it was 108 in Burbank today. It felt like in—

You know, fall.

Yeah.

But you like had an LA experience growing up and then kind of like a ranch horses California experience growing up.

I had a very atypical upbringing for a city kid. 'Cause my grandfather back in the late '50s, he was a really brilliant guy and he went to a symposium on population explosion in 1959 at Caltech. And he came away thinking that water and land are gonna be the 2 most precious resources in California. So he went looking for both. And he found this piece of property about an hour north of Fresno, in the exact geographical center of California, north to south, east to west, in this little town outside of North Fork. And he bought this cattle ranch that's been in our family forever now. And we all grew up kind of playing Huck Finn there, you know, getting dirty and riding horses and hurting ourselves and each other. And so I had a kind of country upbringing and a city upbringing. I had both.

Oh, that's so cool. What a, like, Great place to be a kid and run around, and that's awesome.

Yeah, you don't realize how special it is until you compare your childhood to other people. And, you know, I was very fortunate.

Do you have an animal that— like, do you have like a farm animal that you love?

I've had pigs at my place. I think pigs are really great and full of character and personality.

I mean, you know, not— I've had emus.

They are different.

I've seen emus on TikTok, and I'm— I don't want to—

They're a little scary, and they don't They're not very social.

What happened?

Well, I was trying to feed them, and they got really aggressive after they had babies. And I had a 3-walled enclosure for them, and I had a trash can with their food in it. And they both came in, and they fight by kicking up their big, taloned feet like velociraptors. And all I had to defend myself was the lid of the trash can. So I was holding it like a shield.

You were like Captain America.

Not quite. More like Coward America. And I was, you know, crouched down thinking about all the headlines I would not want to read about how I was killed by an emu. So I kind of bum-rushed them and got them passed them and thought, uh, that's it, that's it, they're out of here.

Yeah, you're like, I'm getting you out of here.

Uh, their poop is extremely rich in nitrogen, so it makes great fertilizer for pot. And their feathers are what fly fishermen like to make flies out of. So I found a pot-smoking fly fisherman who came down and took them all away.

He was like, jackpot! Did you have— when you were on the ranch as a kid, little Noah, were you a funny kid? Were you— did you— were you performing as a young person?

I was a very moody kid. I was a very temperamental kid. And occasionally one of those temperaments would be funny. And I figured out early that I could get attention by being a storyteller and a bit of a comedian. So I kind of latched onto that. But I was, you know, always trying to find my tribe, always trying to find my rhythm, you know, always feeling a slightly step out of my class and my group. But—

But I'm surprised to hear you say that because I know you made some like big choices very young about what you wanted to do with your life. You decided, I'm not gonna go to college, I'm gonna be an actor.

That's true.

And that's a big swing for somebody who—

Well, that was after I found my tribe. I went away to do this theater program that's sponsored by Northwestern University in the summer program called the Cherub Program, kind of an all-star program for theater kids from all over the country. And I went and was like, oh, here you are. Yeah. My people. Let's, uh, let's play. And I came back just committed that, uh, college schmology, you know, I wanna start. I'm gonna get an apartment with my best friend and we're gonna hustle.

Did you wait tables during that time?

I did. I worked for a man named Dmitri Dimitrov at the Bel-Age Hotel. Dmitri's now gone on to become a rather famous connector in this town. But when I was 17, he hired me to bus tables for him.

Is this the Dmitri that—

Live is pleasure. Live is pleasure. Sunset Tower and 7th Century Bungalows.

People should know he is very famous. Dmitri is like an incredible character.

He's in my A&E biography talking about how he molded me From a scruffy young street urchin into a rather accomplished busboy.

He's kind of like— you don't make them like that anymore, Dimitri. Like, he was a maître d'. Well, when I met him, he was a maître d'.

Yeah.

And he was like the epitome of what you would imagine fancy service would be.

He drilled into us this wonderful phrase, the nobility in humility, that you're not subservient because you're serving. And if you want to be an actor, think of this as putting on a show for these people. Give them the most incredible dining experience and play that part. and pay attention to detail. And his work ethic was so intense that one night, my job at the end of the shift was to make him an espresso with 4 sugars while he counted all the money and tipped us out. And one night, he was just sweating profusely. He'd been really aggressive all night, telling us to change ashtrays and get more bread. And it was because he was working with a burst appendix. And he— once he paid us out, he went to the emergency room and had it operated on and showed up the next night for the shift. So, do you know how painful that is to work with a burst appendix?

I do, because I've watched a lot of your medical shows. I do.

Um, well, he, he, he's a, he's an absolute soldier when it comes to work.

Whoa, that's wild. And did you like, do you feel like you were a good waiter? Because I, I think there is something about waiting tables and being in the service industry in, in general that when, especially when you're a young person where you get very good or you get practice anyway at figuring out how to deal with a lot of different people fast.

Oh, absolutely. I think that's really true. In fact, I've recommended it to my kids. I say, you know, working, you'll, you'll understand why you won't want to do it for the rest of your life really quickly.

Yeah.

But you'll get this camaraderie, this bond with your fellow workers that you'll never forget. And it will battle test you for all sorts of different kinds of people.

Yeah. The, the idea that you have to very quickly make an impression is really—

But you're so good at impressions.

Oh, thanks. Well, I think No, I'm learning. Okay. I'm too excited. Let's take a drink of water. Mmm. I did not know that you were auditioning at 20, 18, 19, 20, 21, like really young and auditioning. Did you ever do commercials during that time? Did you ever—

No, I was really cocky. And I was really— I thought I only wanted to do theater and film. That was my whole thing when I started out. And, uh, I signed with a wonderful agent, a woman named Eileen Feldman, signed me basically with a list of plays on the back of an envelope that I'd done in high school. And on the recommendation of a casting director named Gretchen Rennell, who I'd met at a party, who was very kind to me. And she said, okay, if that's what you want to do. And then eventually, when that didn't pan out, she sent me the pilot script for ER, which had been written as a feature script. And at that point, I was ready to do whatever.

Did you feel like you nailed it when you— like, did you feel good about your audition?

I'm gonna date it so specifically when I say this.

Let's talk about faxes and pagers.

Well, I had just gone through a rather tumultuous breakup. My first big love had broken my heart, and I was trying to rebuild my life, and I was sort of thinking through all these— So good for the audition, though. And I had gone back into therapy, and I was reading The Celestine Prophecy. Do you remember that book? Yes. And so, I was super into this, like, idea of control dramas and recognizing what someone's trying to do to you and being neutral and all that shit. And so, I remember sitting in the hallway thinking about not letting the other actors that were auditioning around me's energy affect me and what I wanted to do. Perfect. And I went in, and the first one went very well, and they called me back for the producers. And then I tested against one other actor, a gentleman named Raphael Sabarge, who's very talented.

Wow.

You know, changed my life.

Yeah. I mean, that— I just don't think I really understood how young you were when you were on that show.

I turned 22 while we made the pilot. So I was 21 when I was auditioning for it. Yeah.

Wow.

Which is my daughter's age, which is crazy.

I know. And that age is such an interesting age because it is that middle feeling where you're just— you're like, I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a— I'm an adult. But you've— you're just, just stepping into that. It's so, so tender, that age.

I had great big brothers on that one, though. I had George, Tony, and Eric, who were all 10 years older than me, who had already been down those roads before. And I had a huge crush on Sherry. So, it felt very comfortable to be part of that ensemble.

I didn't know that. I can't— I can't wait. I'm sorry, but no, I'm—

Everybody had a crush on Sherry.

You're gonna have to bear with me because I'm gonna ask you a lot of ER questions.

Okay. I'm

ready. Where do I start? I think you share a similar love for television than I do. And I think there's something about television that is so... And we revisit these people, and these shows, and these characters, like, if we're lucky enough to get to do that, over and over again. When I first watched ER, like everyone else, I was— I, you know, in the '90s, I was— had just graduated from college. Then cut to, I'm watching ER at 7 o'clock every night on TNT in reruns when I'm, like, ripping bongs and going to weight tables. You know, with not a care in the world, but I'm 20, you know, 21. whatever it is, 26. Well, maybe that's a little old to be doing that, but— And then I watched it again when in my 30s. I rewatched it again during the pandemic. I have rewatched that series a lot. It is one of my comfort shows. My first question is, have you rewatched it?

Not in its entirety. Not start to finish. I've caught episodes over the years and kind of, you know, caught up on it.

Do you watch it when you see it?

When I first started dating my wife, Sarah, she wanted to watch it from the beginning, and I had the DVDs, so I gave them to her. And every once in a while, I'd walk past and go, what are you up to? Oh, yeah. Oh, that's a good one. Or, I have no memory of this whatsoever. Who is that kid? Yeah. So, but I'll go back to say that when I said I wanted to do only theater and film, it's so ironic that I've made my entire career in television. And it's been the most rewarding career you could want because it is a family that you build up over a long period of time. There is a culture that's within the show that you're making that's just as fun to be part of that nobody else really gets to know about because it's so insular to the— just the environment of the work. Um, and then this relationship that you build up with audiences who are attending you in their moments of their life that are important, and you kind of are an anchoring point for that. It's really— it's been astonishing to have people grow up with me and have me grow up with them and have these shared experiences and times.

It's been wonderful.

Well, I've said this, but the arc of John Truman Carter on that show is, I think, one of the best arcs ever on television.

There aren't many shows that run 15 years, so you can get a lot of lifespan in that time frame. And they did. But they also had— it was such a lovely bookend to have his first day of work be the pilot of the hospital. So it's the audience's exposure to the environment is coming through this character. And even when I left after the end of the 11th season and left a few episodes in the balance, I called it a divorce with visitation rights. John Wells was always adamant about Me coming back and being part of the end so that we could close the chapter on that career, and that the 3rd-year medical student becomes the chief attending was a lovely road to travel.

Oh, yeah. It's so satisfying to watch that in, like, what felt like real time, even though— and, you know, spoiler alert, if you haven't watched ER, fast forward now. But if you haven't, literally, what's wrong with you? But the way— talk about bookends. Dr. Greene getting woken up, come on, let's go, Dr. Greene, and ending with with John Carter saying, Dr. Green, are you coming? To Dr. Green's daughter. I mean, good Lord. I mean, the circle of life!

I know. It's good stuff. It's good stuff. I know. I get very— Yeah, it's beautiful.

It's beautiful. And also, what was so incredible about that show, and honestly, what is incredible about shows that deal with people who do that kind of work, is there is this feeling of celebrating life. Like, one must.

Yes.

One must.

Yes.

Because it's all we have.

Yes.

And so, I know— I just— anyway, that was so beautifully done. And okay, but I haven't even seen it.

There's a great Pittsburgh poet who wrote a poem called A Brief for the Defense that has a line in there that I think about a lot.

Oh, I love this poem.

Do you know the poem? You must have the stubbornness to accept your gladness and the ruthlessness What is this furnace of this world?

What is this furnace of this world? I love this poem. I just sent it to a friend who's going through a hard time. Jack Gilbert. Okay. 48 million people watched ER. It's such a hit. It's insane. I just want to talk about what I believe was the most, for me anyway, the most important relationship on the show, which was you and Eric LaSalle.

Sure.

Dr. Carter and Dr. Benton.

Dr. Peter Benton.

Peter Benton, who was the surgeon who— It was— everything about that portrayal was ahead of its time. Uh, Eric's choices, your choices together, the writing of that character, the way that character changed, the way that Eric, I think, and all of you kind of fought for ways in which to make sure that that character stayed true to himself. Um, how would you describe that relationship, and what did you two talk about to make sure to, like, maintain its integrity? It's such a beautiful thing.

It was very instinctual, and it wasn't very verbalized. You know, Eric and I just fell into a really great rhythm early on with each other where, because of the power imbalance being the exact opposite of what you would imagine it to be, where the young white doctor is killing himself for the approval and approbation of the older Black surgeon, and holds his estimation as the highest level of validation. And Eric got to play this sort of— I always laugh. When I went to Japan on a press tour once, they showed me ER in Japanese. And of course, they gave Eric the very deep, like, Shundo datte kara, huda da da da! And then they gave me the, Hadada da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da.

Yeah, sure. Status.

And the journey was to have my voice deepen and to have his voice soften. In my mind.

Yeah. I mean, even watching it when I was a young person, I remember thinking, Wow, Dr. Benton is so— he's, like, so moody. He's so uptight. He's like, you know, he's so tough on Carter.

I used to go to the post office, and all the ladies would go, he's so mean to you. He's so mean to you.

Just the physicality when you watch the way you two walked. I mean, the way he was, like, striding constantly down the hallway, the way you were always behind him, over his shoulder, peering until eventually, you know, throughout the seasons, you just become literally on the same plane as him. The way you are constantly watching him, is so— it's just what a relationship that was.

He gave me a lot to play off of. And I've said many times how much respect I have for what he was doing in a way, without, I think, recognizing what he was doing consciously, but what he was representing at a time where that wasn't being represented. And, you know, to us, occasionally, it seemed like Eric's being kind of stubborn. You know, he doesn't want to be a team player and take this picture this way. And we didn't really understand what he was trying to represent, which was a different stripe of Blackness, maleness, professionalism. And I have to give him a tremendous amount of credit, and have through the years for that. But I didn't get it in the beginning, and I really got it now.

It was so beautifully done because his tension about being being successful, being right, being at the right time, like, advancing comes from a much different place than Carter's. And the clash of that was so interesting to watch.

Eric and I come from very different backgrounds, but we have a lot in common. And it was really interesting to sort of mine both of those arenas, how different we are and how much, you know, we end up liking each other despite our differences, maybe because of our differences.

Did you guys giggle a lot together, though? Were you gigglers?

Yeah, he has a very infectious laugh, and getting Eric to break is one of the best things joys in life.

It feels like, like you kind of were a couple of goofballs at times.

We were all goofballs. We were all the class clowns in our class trying to get attention. So the idea that we would all be serious doctors, you know, is a finite concept before we all want to start making fun of what we're doing, especially when you've got George Clooney in the scene, you know. It was people that— and he really set the tone. Let's work really hard. Let's play really hard. Let's take this work seriously, but not take ourselves seriously. Yeah, I could tell that. Let's show up, be on time, be professional. Erase the division between cast and crew, between foreground and background. Let's just see if we can make this feel like a company. And I've taken that exact ethos and recreated it with The Pit. That is how— that was baked into the intentionality of The Pit, is how can I recreate the environment of family, hard, good, relevant work, and, you know, a respectful, inclusive environment at the same time?

Did you like his pranks, though? Now, the answer's no.

No. Well, you know...

Who likes the pranks?

They're funny stories to tell.

Are you a prank guy?

I've never— I'm not a big pranker. No.

I knew it. I knew it. Who's a big pranker? We don't have the time.

I like— this is gonna— like, I— when my son was small, he was super into trains. And when he would fall asleep, I'd run downstairs and create these elaborate train layouts for him and then tell him, like, the layout fairy must have come. Oh,

that's cute.

And so he believed in the layout fairy. Like, I, I like magic making, and I like blowing people's minds that way.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I just want to ask you about a couple moments on ER, acting-wise.

Okay, back to that.

Okay, sorry.

You want to talk truth to somebody?

I mean, I only watched it 5,000 times.

Fair. I'm all ears.

Okay. In addition to Dr. Peter Benton being someone that I— it took me a minute, just like the character of Carter, to realize, like, oh, I'm talking about someone who's had a different experience than me, and I'm learning about their experience through this character. Laura Innes, Carrie Weaver. What a beautiful performance she gives.

Oh, my goodness. I was at her audition. I sat in on maybe 2 or 3 auditions in 15 years. I just happened to be in the office when they were casting that role. And I had a friend who was reading for it, so that's maybe why I was there, as sort of an anchoring energy for my friend. But Laura walked in and walked out, or limped out with the part. It was just— it was like a revelation, what she did with that part. And that

is a part that, again, when you mature, I think, at least for me as a woman watching the show, when I was in my 50s, I was like, oh. I mean, suddenly, that character who honestly, frankly, sometimes has to be the one that's like, stop having fun, guys. We gotta get back to work. You realize the pressure that that character is under to keep that hospital going, which you really take a hard look at in The Pit. This idea of like, there's a whole other world. There's like the world— there's like the street-level world of stuff. There's the bird's-eye view of stuff. Then there's like this management piece that is just keeping the lights on. She's so, so good in that. Yeah. And in the scene when Dr. Carter is— spoiler alert— when he has to go to rehab, when they call him out. What a— I watched that scene. I don't even have a question. Such good acting. Noah, you're so good in that scene.

I think I got good on that show. I got, I mean, the luxury of getting that writing week after week and those directors week after week. And you're working with guest stars that are Academy Award winners and icons and legends, and you're getting to share the stage with them every week. I got better so that when— after year 5, when George left, and after year 8, when Tony and Eric left, and I inherited some of the bigger, more meatier storylines, I was ready for them then in a way that I wouldn't have been ready for them in those early seasons. So, I credit longevity to preparing me for the juicier stuff. But those were great. And to give Carter the drug addiction, I remember thinking and telling John Wells, like, I don't know if I want to do that. Same. He goes, that's the point, is that you're the most unexpected face for drug addiction, but the face of drug addiction is every face, and that's the point we want to make.

And lastly, I know you've worked with incredible people, but do you remember working with Adam Scott?

Yeah. Well, I remember that.

Season 1, episode 20.

It was reminded to me by Instagram.

So, he told a very funny story about that. Do you remember it? So, Adam was on a gurney, and it was you and Ming-Na doing your scene. And he, I think, is just supposed to lie there as the patient, and he realizes he forgot to put the breathy thing in, the tube that he— He forgot a prop, basically. And you guys have all this jargon. And he's like, oh, shit. And he's like— he kind of raises his hand like, does it matter that I didn't have my thing on? And everyone's like, yes, dumbass, it matters.

I'm gonna forgive Adam and put that all on our prop department.

Yeah, it wasn't Adam's job, was it, Asbaut?

No, that would've been Rick Laddamade's

job. Like, I know you've answered— Yeah, I know you are.

Rick's the prop master on The Pit.

Rick? He is?

Yeah.

Same ER prop master?

Yeah, there's a few connective tissue people that really make it very lovely.

A good prop master is no better feeling. You— it is so important.

Well, you know, I mean, it's from SNL and all. I mean, it's the best.

Well, I didn't want to make comparisons, but I'm going to. I'm going to compare SNL to ER. I'm going to compare Parks and Rec to The Pit. I'm sorry.

Do it.

But SNL was like a comedy emergency room. program. And I know we are not doing the kind of work that emergency doctors are doing.

Way higher stakes with what you're doing.

Way higher stakes.

Way higher stakes.

Way higher stakes. Not at all. Please know that I'm not making that comparison. But what I notice is, you know, you just— there's no time to panic.

No.

There's no one running around being like, what are we going to do? How are we going to fix this? We go on air in a minute. There's just— in fact, the more stressful things get, the quieter people get. And when you start to work with those kinds of people, you never want to work with anybody else again.

Yes.

They're just the people you can depend on when the shit goes down.

I'll give my father a lovely compliment. My dad is a brilliant man, but, um, in life, you know, uh, sort of comes off occasionally like an absent-minded professor. But he's also a small plane pilot, and I've been with him in the plane when something isn't working. And that's when you want to be in Stephen Wiley's plane, because he's got an engineer's mind who just says, problem, work the problem. And emotion, fear, all those other things don't seem to kind of come into play. And it's a really— I don't have that ability. I lead with emotion and empathy. So the first thing is like, well, what does that feel like as a person? You know, what would be the right thing to do?

You don't have that?

No, no, I can act it though.

Yeah, you sure can.

My wife will tell you, she slammed her finger in a car door and Dr. Robby was nowhere to be seen.

You just immediately started crying and you were like, oh my God.

What are we gonna do? You know, elevates and drives the dogs to Santa Barbara for like 3 hours, comes back, goes to urgent care. Meanwhile, I'm still boiling water and finding hot towels.

And you're like, I gotta— I need a moment. I gotta find my feelings. Okay. But I want to talk about The Pit because— oh, here's my other, uh, uh, you know, clumsy comparison. But first of all, congratulations on a wonderful show and a beautiful, well-deserved and, and satisfying rise as you made it. Like, it feels like you got to make the show before the show became— Do you know what I mean? Like, you got to make what you wanted, and then people noticed.

Yes.

That's not always the right— That's not always the timing that happens.

It was, uh, it was a whole confluence of events, which I'm sure you're well aware of, that we were gonna start down an ER reboot road that didn't come to pass. But we sort of set a table of expectation for a medical show from us that we were then allowed to really fast-track the development process because of that vacuum that we'd created from the near miss. And so, this just happened so quickly that it seemed like there was a larger force behind it, and we just needed to stay on the surfboard and let it push us.

What creatively came out of that, like, early stutter step that you're so happy it did?

Well, I'm sorry to say for all the ER fans, but once we uncoupled ourselves from that IP, it suddenly liberated the storytelling. It wasn't about, who do we see again? And what have they been up to? It's, what are the issues of the day?

And how do we—

And how is the— what's the most cogent way to put them across? So, in a lot of ways, it kind of liberated the narrative for us and allowed us to reframe and kind of modernize it and not have to pay any homage to Traveled Road.

Yeah, because the— why I think about Parks and Rec when I think about The Pit is the show is about a place, and the place is this beating heart that everybody is gathered around, and the place is like— has its own system, and the people kind of almost like come alive when they're in the place. And sometimes you kind of feel like they're like at rest, like computers, when they're not in the place. And then the other thing I'll say is that I feel like people really want to watch people who are good at their jobs.

100%. I do.

Me too. It's like competency porn. Like, people are like, wow, look at those people. They care and they're good at their jobs. Like, sign me up. It's what we're desperate to see.

I recently rewatched All the President's Men, and just watching Redford and Dustin Hoffman embody Woodward and Bernstein, and seeing that Washington Post office, the verisimilitude, the detail, the specificity of everything in it, and what everybody's doing is so good that you don't question anything. You're just along for the ride. That's movie-making at its best.

I meant to ask you, Noah, you had the chance to work with Rob Reiner.

I did.

How was that?

Oh, my goodness. It was a dream. It was absolutely— He was everything you would imagine and want him to be. Yeah. I've told this story before, but I'm happy to share it as many times as I'm asked about it. I got to the set early for my first day of work.

I saw— This is on A Few Good Men.

A Few Good Men. I saw Rob Reiner talking to Aaron Sorkin, and I didn't want to bother them, so I started to move away, and this big booming voice said, Noah! And I turned, and Rob came at me like a big lumbering bear, and he picked me up, and he goes, hey, man, I'm so excited that you're here. We're gonna have so much fun today. And he turned to Aaron and goes, this guy's fantastic. Well, you saw the audition. He's great. It's gonna be great. I'm so happy you're here. Listen, it's a little overcast. We're not gonna get to your stuff for a little bit. Go check out your room. Go get some breakfast. This is gonna be great. And he walked away. And if he had said, go kill that guy, I would've said, you got it, Rob. Like, I was so excited that I was so welcomed, that he made me feel comfortable and confident and competent, all in about 8 seconds. Hmm. And I took that lesson on every set I've ever been on. And I got to tell him 20 years later when I auditioned for something I didn't get, Listen, I just want to thank you for this gift of set deportment that you gave to me because I've welcomed every guest star onto every set I've ever been on in the same way and gotten their best work and gotten them to be relaxed and to feel comfortable in the same way that you made me feel.

So, that's my takeaway story from that is, you know, you can get such better work out of treating people with kindness and generosity than being austere or sort of aloof and making somebody wonder whether they belong and having their insecurities and imposter syndrome syndrome be the ruling emotion, you know.

Oh, what a great story. What a beautiful story with him. You know, I do want to just— you're not asking me for feedback about the pit, but I'm going to give you a little bit of feedback. Are you ready?

I'm ready.

If you're going to show so much guts and blood, if

you're

going to go there, which you go there, and it's incredible. Your makeup team is incredible. The stuff you do is bananas. I don't watch most of it. I cover my eyes. But I mean, I can't take it. I'm eating spaghetti.

You need the pit blinders. Yeah. You're gonna sell glasses.

If you're gonna show that much, you gotta— every time you do that, you gotta get a little smooch. Someone's gonna do a little smooch.

Oh, you think it's one for one?

One for one. Just a tiny smooch. Wow. Just one little smooch. No, not one for one.

Maybe I would discuss maybe a 1 to 4 ratio, but certainly not 1 to 1.

Okay? You gotta show the guts. You gotta show some butts.

We do show butts.

You do show butts, but, you know, in a romantic way.

Oh, no, we don't show those kind of butts. No, we don't do that.

Okay. And then also, Robbie riding the motorcycle without the helmet. Incredible. Such a great detail. So great. So smart. Such tension in the second season because he's riding without it. And of course, he's— Of course, he's not a good patient. You know, all those things. And it tells us so much. It's so good. I want him to come back from that motorcycle trip, and I want it to have been good.

I think you're gonna be okay.

Thank God.

I think you're gonna be okay.

Literally, I can't take it anymore.

The fact that he comes back at all is a wonderful sign.

Exactly right. But I need him to have gone a little— gone somewhere and had a—

Yeah, it's good.

Had some smooches somewhere.

Oh, you know.

Oh, maybe not smooches. Come on. Okay.

I don't wanna give anything away.

Have you ever fallen asleep or seen anybody fall asleep while they were in a gurney on the show.

Oh, it happens all the time.

Right?

Yeah. We'd actually tell, 'cause, you know, we tell our background, like, go party all night, take a second job, come in. Just, this is your job. Just, you know, and you hear 'em snoring or farting or whatever every once in a while. It's wonderful.

It's pretty hard to lay down for many, many hours and not fall asleep. Yeah. Yeah.

No, it's a great gig.

Yeah, that's great.

And it's great, you know, it's not just our background. We intentionally have patients that are seeded into the environment that don't pop until 5 or 6 hours later.

Oh, yeah.

There's a guy that I'm just working with who's been there since week 1, in a gurney for 7 weeks. After week 5, we let him turn over. After week 6, I think he sat up, and now he's awake and is carrying the narrative for the next 4 episodes.

That is so cool. And it is a part of the show that's, like, just very fun, puzzle boxy, is you're just wondering who's gonna be the main character in the next hour.

And this is a show that audiences seem to like to pull from the back row. Like, I really like Mateo, or, I really like Ahmad, the security guy. You know, people are really finding on the peripheral characters, which makes this feel like, okay, the narrative is working if you're getting invested in people that only sometimes have 2 or 3 lines per episode.

And, you know, we talked very early on about this idea of, like, knowing when you met your people, like at that program at Northwestern. You love actors.

I do.

Very much. You've spoken about it, and I find it really very, very moving the way you feel count yourself lucky to be among the actors as a community. And I think the way you treat actors on the pit, you can tell your love for them. You give people a lot of opportunity to score.

I just want— during the strike, when I was walking around with a picket sign in my hand, I was walking a lot with Matt Weiner, and I was walking a lot with— I don't know, I had a lot of people that I was conversing with, and we were talking about work and what work should mean and used to feel like and what we'd want it to mean again. And I feel like that became the intentionality of what I wanted to look and feel like. And I even wrote a letter that I sent to our casting director saying, you know, this is the look and feel of this show. It's like an old Altman movie where you just— you gotta throw in like you're going to summer camp or doing kind of rep and TV and camp at the same time. Leave your ego behind, bring your creativity. You're never gonna work like this again. This is a really immersive experience. So, if you're thirsty for something like that, and you want to buy into something and play hooky from your life 12 hours a day, Come join our pirate ship. And it was just like, calling all pros, calling all pros.

People just came, and they show up to play. It is not hard for me to be focused at work because everybody's coming in there to give the best of themselves. And I find that so inspiring. That's what I love about actors is their courage. And they can be petulant, and they can be petty, and they can be gossipy, and they can be like cats that never want to get on their mark or come to rehearsal. Once you get them there, they'll kill themselves for you. They really will.

You know, you speak really well about a lot of things that matter to you, and you also show up. Um, there's— there, I could list a million things in which I've— even in the past year, I've seen you speak passionately about. Where's this, um, feeling of like justice and advocacy? Where did, where did it come from? Is it— is it— is— was it in your family of origin?

I definitely think— I think I grew up in a family that, that preached a version of social justice and was always conscious of inequality and Our responsibility, because we had opportunity or, uh, um, you know, advantages, was to try to level the playing field and democratize it wherever possible. So, you know, we all grew up with this sense of civic-mindedness.

Yeah.

The sense of you have to participate in society, that, you know, there is a limit of enough for yourself and you can define what is enough. And that makes the, you know, define the difference between want and need. What do you really need versus what do you want? And I had this wonderful, huge career in my 20s when I got all the big toys, the big house, you know, I got to see what my grandfather said was true. You can only be in one room at a time. And sometimes the bigger the space, the lonelier the space. So I've been on my own journey of defining what is enough and what makes me happy. And I've gotten to a place where it really is defined by meaningful work and meaningful family life. Anything other than that is give back. Mm-hmm. So I'm allowed to be philanthropic and feel magnanimous because my cup is full, which is a lovely thing to be able to say. And then being in a position with this show to, you know, have an opportunity to go to Washington, have doors open, and have people listen to things that are important to me.

Yeah. Be, um, an advocate for Los Angeles-based production. A couple other things have become very important to me.

I love— I loved, uh, watching you and your mom go together.

Oh, that was amazing. That was amazing. To me, that's not a an act of charity if you get this incredible opportunity to be with your mother and have your 2 careers dovetail together. I got to watch my mother, you know, uh, I don't want to say my mother's age, but of advancing age, walking with her fellow nurses and feeling relevant at her advanced age, which isn't always easy for women of advancing age.

Yes.

Sometimes you feel rather invisible. And for my mother to feel like, like a bit of an icon, like an elder stateswoman who had put in the time and put in the years and was earning the respect of her colleagues was huge. It was wonderful to see.

When you saw her being a nurse, she was an ICU nurse?

She was an operating room nurse for 10 years. And then she was chief orthopedic nurse at Kaiser in Hollywood.

When you saw her at work, like, you know, I let— I, you know, I have 2 sons. I love hearing from men my age, like what they took away from seeing their mother work.

Well, I've talked about this. I had— my mother and I had a big moment after season 1 of The Pit aired. And she watched episode 12, where my character has this breakdown. And she came over to my house, and she just said that it's triggered something for her. And she started having all these memories of all these cases that she didn't save the patient. She starts listing a gang member who had been shot that she was trying to help with 2 units of blood and a little kid that she put into a morgue drawer. And I was like, I don't know these stories. I've never heard these stories.

Yeah.

And I said, where were all these? And she goes, oh, I don't know. I said, how old was that— how old was I when you put the kid in the drawer? She goes, well, I think it actually— your brother was that age, and that's why that one got to me. But then, in retrospect, what I remember is she made us dinner, she drove us to practice, she helped us with our homework. She didn't bring her work home unless she was bringing us gauze to be mummies on Halloween, or surgical tubing so we could use it for our Star Wars figures layouts or whatever.

Yeah.

Like, I didn't learn about who my mother was professionally until 54 years old.

Honestly, a lot of kids don't learn who they're— like, a lot of times we don't see our mothers as people for a very long time.

Yeah, no, I'm giving her her flowers now though.

Yeah, it's awesome to see. Well, we're going feminine to masculine now because I have to say, on The Pit, there's just a lot of incredible investigations into, like, men's friendships and relationships, and you don't see the— often see the kind of complexity of that. And the relationship you have with Dr. Jack Abbott, with Sean Hattie, is really something.

Yeah.

It's so good.

And the same with Langdon, you know.

Oh, I mean, Patrick Ball is so good.

And to an extent Whitaker as well. Like, uh, the mentor-mentee, uh, you know, it's, it's really lovely to explore these things.

Yeah. Well, we have this thing on the podcast where we—

Lovely is not a really masculine adjective. It's really cool.

But you know what? The guys are really cool.

Yeah, the guys are cool.

So we spoke to Sean.

Oh, Haddasy?

Haddasy.

Okay. I was hoping you'd go with the other one, but okay.

Okay, first of all— I

was hoping you'd go Cassidy.

I know. Oh my God, I love Sean Cassidy.

You want to hear an embarrassing story? Yes. Okay.

I love Sean Cassidy.

I— there was a night where it was brokered where we were gonna hang out and play pool.

For anybody under 55, Sean Cassidy was like, uh, how— he was kind of like Harry Styles.

He was like the Timothée Chalamet of his time, except more TV than film. And he cut albums too.

Yeah, he was— I knew him as a musician first.

Sure, of course. Um, did Do Run Run.

Yeah, yeah, of course.

So we're gonna hang out, we're gonna play pool this night. And I tried too hard. Sometimes I come on too strong. Sometimes I'm a little overbearing. overly zealous in the questions I ask and the things that I'm interested in. And I turned him off completely. Never got a callback. Yeah, never got a callback.

Because you came on too strong?

I believe that was what happened. In fact, that was— I don't want to—

Sean Cohen. Sean Cohen.

But I did get a review from the mutual friend. He was like, he thought you came on a little strong.

I mean, I'm sweating thinking about it.

I'm sweating retelling the story.

I know, because I— I think about so many times when I audition for stuff, and it is— take the feeling you have of being on a bad date and multiply it by 10. When you're like, oh, fuck, this date sucks. I am— and you can hear your own voice.

Oh, yeah.

And you're like, mm-hmm. This is not going to go well. Well, I didn't care.

I thought it went great. Went home and bragged to my wife. I'm like, we're like this now, baby. Like, I may go out on tour with him. You never know. And then you started going, maybe he didn't want to talk about Hardy Boys for an hour. Maybe... Why? Shaun White?

How could you not want to talk about the Hardy Boys? That's his problem. He missed out. He's kicking himself.

I got a million of those stories if that's what you want.

You do? I do feel like, Noah, you— I'm learning that you, you go in.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. And sometimes I come out, but most of the time I don't.

Yeah, I can tell. I can tell. If you're gonna be the sexiest man alive, you can't do that. You gotta get out.

I think Sean

Connery and Denzel and the sexy men of yesteryear would look down Disrespecting you for all the work that they did?

Oh, my God. I'm not holding it up.

Thinking about how hard it was for them?

I should have trained harder for this, really. I didn't realize that there was so much—

Your sexy forefathers did not battle so that you would get—

There's no guidebook.

No, no.

There's no rules.

Okay. So, Sean, uh, and I was saying to Sean, we were talking about you, talking well behind your back, and he's very, very in awe of your talent and what you can do and, and, and all that you do. And I was just saying, like, what I love so much about his character on the Pit and what you guys have done is you've created this mystery, this nighttime mystery for the night shift that is so fun because we're just projecting a lot on them.

Yes.

What kind of people they are, what did they like? You know, they kind of show up as the show is ending, and you're like, what? Those little tastes are so well done. Thank

you.

He had 2 questions for you.

Okay.

Okay. One is serious and one is fun.

Okay.

Is there anything that you read in a script that scares you that you have to do? Like, you know, when you see something come up and you think to yourself, okay, this is going to be hard or scary. Um, that it didn't have to be necessarily in the pit, but like something that you know is coming coming. What do you do when— what is that, and what do you do when you know it's coming?

Hmm. Well, I can kind of answer it 2 different ways. One, generally speaking, when I read a script, if I think, oh, I couldn't do that, or I don't—

Like what? What could you not do?

Well, for example, I remember the first time I read the pilot script for a show I did called Falling Skies, where it was like, oh, this guy is a history teacher. I'm into that. Oh, wait, no, he's going to kill aliens with a machine gun? Oh, wait a second. Nobody's going to want to see me do a And so you start to think like, nah, that's not me. I'm not an action hero. They're gonna want to get, you know, that guy. And then you say, well, what are you afraid of? What is it that you're resistant to? And you think, do you think this history professor wants to be an action hero? And you start to make logical leaps within to sort of figure out how you would get there if you had to be.

Mm-hmm.

And then suddenly that thing that is sort of scary is more of a mirror saying, Look, you're post-divorce. You don't know quite what the future holds for you as a single father. You're rebuilding your life. He's rebuilding his life. Maybe you're afraid of leadership. Maybe you're afraid of fatherhood. Maybe you're afraid of loss. Those are the 3 defining characteristics to this character. Maybe that's exactly where you need to go. So, I tend to look at those things as barometers for where I need to go rather than where I want to go.

Hmm.

And then when I'm in the job, if there's a challenging thing that's coming up, coming up, you know, I protect it like I'm, like I'm a caveman trying to protect a kindled fire so it won't go out. I'm just, I know it's coming and I just keep blowing on it and adding a little straw to it every day, thinking about it every day. You know, I can make it bigger and then, okay, just, just tamp it down until the day so that on the day it is a day of release. It's a day of liberation. It's a graduation from having to tend that fire. And so it's not intimidating. I actually get excited when I go to work.

Yeah.

And I think this is gonna be so fun to see what comes out. now that I can actually make this an inferno.

I love that visual of that fire, of keeping that going and letting—

Especially on this pit. You know, when you've got to, in episode 1, know that you're going to have a breakdown in episode 10, that's a long time to keep the fire lit. And that every day, you know, I'd be at breakfast with my kids and think, is it there? Yeah, it's there. And I'd be, you know, shopping in the grocery store. Could you do it right now? Yeah, I could do it right now. And to me, that is the technique I've always wanted to have. I wanted to be able to have a technique that required I just required fresh coffee and a folding chair, and I could do it anywhere.

Fuck yeah, Noah! That's so cool. You're really good at acting.

Thank you. Thank you.

Well, that's going to help you in this basketball team because Sean Hattie— second question is— Second question, here

we go.

You're the point guard of a basketball team and you have to bring—

Never played point guard in my life.

You've never played point guard?

No, I'm too

tall. Yeah. Congrats, by the way, because literally in the world of actors, you're a

giant. It's true. It's true.

Actors are pretty tiny. How tall are you?

Uh, 6'1.

Hey.

Hey, baby.

And change. Hey, 6'1 and change. 6'1 and change. So you're 6'1 and change. So, okay, you're right. Maybe Sean— anyway, you're the point guard of the basketball team.

On Sean's team, I'm not playing point guard.

Okay, you're just on a basketball team and you're to bring 4 more players from ER and The Pit, who would you bring?

Obviously, I'm going to take Clooney. You don't grow up in Kentucky without growing up with a basketball in one hand. So he is a great ballplayer, and I played a lot of ball with him, and he beat me a lot of games.

Okay.

Um, so I'm taking Clooney. I gotta pick how many more? 3 more?

3 more.

Uh, was Sean asking to play? Is this the kind— it was like a— it was like a—

This is a great question.

Was he like, you know, tell him I still got my wheels, you know?

I mean, I don't know. What do you think?

I don't think he's asking for a spot. I don't think— He's a tennis player.

Okay. He did mention that he plays tennis.

I bet he did.

But I mean, I'm sure if you asked him to play, he'd be psyched.

Luke Tanney's really big. He's on our night shift.

Yeah, Luke is great.

I might bring in Luke for some size down low.

Great. Who's your big guy?

That's the tricky part. Mm-hmm.

I mean, you can—

If I could go all the way back to ER, I'd take A-Ban Ruby, who plays Jerry the desk clerk.

That's what I was gonna say!

A-Ban Ruby! Jerry's a hell of a rebounder. He actually never, ever played with us, ever. He would, like, nag Champa incense and sit off to the side and watch us play.

But he's 6'6, 6'7 or something?

Yeah, he's like 6'8. He's a good ballplayer. Okay. Um, and then who else am I gonna take? I gotta take one more.

You got one more.

I'm gonna take young, scrappy Garen Howells. Probably never played the game before, but damn it, I'm gonna teach him. I'm gonna teach him.

You're gonna have one person you're gonna teach.

Remember that guy in Hoosiers who makes the winning basket by throwing it underhand? Oh yeah.

Just rewatched Hoosiers with my kid.

Yeah, the kid that makes the underhand free throw. That's gonna be Garen on our team.

And you always need somebody that's like gonna be like, give us the spirit. Okay, so Sean was Sean was not picked. That's okay, Sean. He didn't want to be picked anyway.

It's just odd that he would use a basketball metaphor and want to get picked.

I love that. I love that you got hung up on the fact that you weren't going to be the point guard, which is so great.

I'm just thinking, because I'm really thinking like, Wiley, no, no, no, you can't dribble up there. You know, get down low. Get down low.

It is, it is, uh, like, I always loved the fact when I was watching you guys on ER that I could tell you all were shooters. Like, that's— it just was a very satisfying thing to watch.

We had a hoop right outside the soundstage, which my trailer was the backstop for, and we played all the time. We played every lunch. It was the bane of all the makeup artists' existence 'cause they had to constantly clean off the sweat and, like, you know, cool us off after lunch. But, you know, George was religious about it, and I could either listen to them play outside my trailer or join them.

Yeah. That's awesome. Is there a show that you've watched over and over again? Like, what is your ER? Oh yeah.

I, I have this very bizarre habit in that I travel with like a jewel case of DVDs, and I pack a DVD player because most places don't have them anymore. And I carry with me the collected, uh, episodes of Columbo and M*A*S*H. And, uh, there's a few that I just— I go to all the time.

You've spoken about Alan Alda Can we speak on—

Let's talk Ellen.

I love— M*A*S*H was really important to me too, and very important to my parents. I had young parents and they would like— M*A*S*H was a really big thing in my home when I was growing up. And how important was it for you? What do you love about

it? Well, I— that relationship with television shows and actors on television shows is so ancient for me because I was the classic latchkey kid. You know, I was raised by a square babysitter. And, you know, I watched so much television that my parents were concerned. What parents are concerned about video games or TikTok, my parents were concerned because I was, you know, playing hooky from school so I could watch Big Valley and Bonanza and Emergency in the morning, and then Laverne and Shirley and Happy Days or Love Boat or Fantasy Island or The White Shadow or Hill Street Blues or M*A*S*H.

Yes!

I mean, I just loved them all. And I don't know what it was about the 2 actors in particular, Henry Winkler and Alan Alda. Like, to me, I was like, oh, I could do that. I could do that too. Like, one, they both made acting seem accessible, and I loved both of their characters, and I knew from other stuff, so I saw their versatility as well. But getting to meet and work with Alan was— it's not always exciting to meet and work with your heroes, but he did not disappoint. Oh,

yeah.

And we've now been on a television show together. We did a play together. We did a movie together. And I've done his podcast. So we've been able to be in each other's company quite a bit.

That's awesome. And you worked with Sally.

Oh, she was the best.

Sally Field, who is like our generation— she's just incredible.

I got to reconnect with her doing an Actors on Actors interview. which was so cool.

So cool. So good.

She is one of those people, you know, it's like Disneyland. I remember Disneyland at 3, 5, 7, 11, 15. I remember Sally.

Yeah.

Each stage of my life and development, whether it was a comedy, a drama, she was there.

No, I, I talk about this a lot, but Norma Rae was one of those films where, I mean, I don't know if I watched it and thought I could do it, but I watched it thinking, I like whatever she is doing is the thing I want to keep watching forever. She's just—

That's how I felt about Ron Liebman in that movie. Yes. He was never better. Incredible. so good in that movie. Everybody is.

And then what are you watching to laugh?

My wife and I call it palate cleansers. If we watch something really intense, it's like, we need a Key Peele. We need a— Key Peele! Yeah. Key Peele.

Let's watch a Key Peele on the way out. What's your fave Key Peele?

Oh, my goodness. That's, like, really hard to pick. But there's one that they've been showing on Instagram a lot where it's a bunch of gang members sitting around a table, and one of them is talking about how they've just lost a friend. And it was a friend he grew up with, and they used to play Care Bears together. And they try to figure out which one, which kind of Care Bear they were. And Keegan is daring everybody else at the table to not laugh while my man shares his feelings.

Manly tears.

Manly tears.

Okay, let's watch this. Those guys are incredible. What geniuses they are.

Genius.

I know.

Okay, you know what? None of you look at them tears and think that shit is funny. Because it takes a big fucking man to cry in front of his crew. Go ahead, Carvel.

Go ahead, Carvel.

Oh, my God! Noah!

I'm dying. I'm dying. I'm a sweaty mess. Oh, my God.

Ari, do you cry when you laugh?

Yeah. I cry all the time, but this is a good— these are good tears.

Oh, my God. Key Peele, come on and perform this live for Noah.

I got to meet them at Comic-Con once, years and years ago. That was super cool. I was with my son too, who thought that was instant street cred with them.

Do you ever think about hosting SNL? Did you host SNL?

When Julianna Margulies was the host, I did a pre-taped sketch with her, so I got to go out on stage and wave, which was super cool. And DMX was the musical guest, and I'm waving to everybody, and I feel this like, oh! And I turn, and DMX is like, come on, man. Like, I'm holding out my hand. I was like, I'm so sorry. DMX, I'm so sorry.

Mr.

X, I'm so sorry. Mr. X, I'm so sorry. Um, I would love to. I would love to. You would be— And I recently met Lauren, you know, and, um—

You should do it.

Kind of put the bee in his bonnet, as they say.

Yes, you would.

I think you would love it. I would love it. I would live at the studio all week. I would just, you know—

Don't overthink it.

Okay.

Don't live at the studio too much. You don't want a Sean Cassidy on your hands.

That's a really good point. Or a Kevin Bacon. Oh, I've got so many. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Great warning.

Just go home at night.

Yeah, right.

And enjoy. Take it and take a load off. Don't work too hard. I got pizza!

No, don't be that guy.

Oh my God. So many times I've been that guy. Um, so many times. But you know what? You— I, I always want to go down swinging. I think you're that way too. Like, no one's gonna accuse you of not caring.

No, I will, I will try and try and try.

Yeah.

And I think it would be amazing. It's— I mean, since I was a kid, I, I could— from— I mean, I watched the first cast in reruns, but my first cast was, you know, the Eddie Murphy years. Yeah, exactly.

We were the same age.

And it was just like, you know, I'd do every Joe Piscopo bit. Yeah. I could do them all. Tim Kazurinsky, I could do all his stuff. I met Eddie once when I was a kid. You did? And I asked him for his autograph, and he— and I said, I really like you on SNL. And he goes, what are you doing up that late? And I said, uh— and I said, can I have your autograph? He goes, fuck off, man.

And how old are you?

Like 9. So I always sign an autograph. Whenever a 9-year-old needs an autograph from me, I sign that so fast. You want to hear a great story? So I've told this story in my house, and last year for my birthday, my daughter didn't know what to get me, so my 10-year-old daughter printed up a picture of Eddie Murphy and then wrote on it, Dear Noah, you're a great Eddie Murphy.

Oh, my God.

And she spelled Eddie E-D-D-Y. And I have it framed in my office. It's the greatest gift that my 10-year-old thought, you know what? And then she came up with a story. She's like, Dad, you're never gonna believe who Mom and I saw yesterday. Eddie Murphy. And we got what you've always wanted, his autograph. And then they gave me the gift.

Oh, Frances.

Isn't that awesome?

Oh, you're the— she's a doll.

She's the best. She's the best. Oh, my God.

What a great— I love that story. And I also love Eddie's story, too. I don't think— I think we've turned— we've treated kids differently. too nicely sometimes.

You know... You

used to be able to tell a kid to scram, at least.

Yeah. Get away. Scram, kid, you're bothering me. Scram! Get out of here now, God forbid. Yeah. No.

All right, let's end it on that note. Noah Wyle, everybody. Thank you.

Scram, kids!

Noah, thank you for doing this. Thank you so much, Noah. It was such a delight to talk to you. And thank you for tolerating all of my fan questions and for the work that you do. And we mentioned a movie when we were— discussing some of the legends, and that movie is Norma Rae. If you have not seen Norma Rae, I understand why, because it's so hard to find on streaming. So if there's any people listening right now that, like, I don't know, like Jerry Netflix or Dave Amazon or whoever is owning those places that can, like, flip a switch and get Norma Rae on streaming, please. That film is so incredible. incredible. It's, uh, Sally Field plays like a Southern mill worker who encourages her, um, factory to unionize, and it's so, so good. And also, you know, ties into a lot of what Noah was talking about. So, um, check out Norma Rae on DVD, I guess. Um, and, um, remember those. And thank you, Sally Field, for that performance. And thank you, everybody, for listening. And see you soon. Bye. You've been listening to Good Hang. The executive producers for this show For Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman, and me, Amy Poehler.

The show is produced by The Ringer and Paperkite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spillane, Kaya McMullen, Aleah Zaneras, Bridget Gearlings, Paige Garbarini, Belle Roman, and Drew Van Steenburgen. For Paperkite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss-Berman. Original music by Amy Miles.

All I ever wanted was a really good hey.