"Timothy Olyphant"
Timothy Olyphant joins the SmartLess podcast to discuss his extensive acting career spanning comedies, dramas, and prestige television. The hosts explore his background in fine art at USC, his diverse filmography including Justified and Deadwood, and his experiences working with directors like David Fincher and Soderbergh, alongside personal anecdotes about fatherhood and life on set.
Summary
The episode begins with sponsored segments for Hotels.com, Apple Card, and Amazon Health AI before diving into Timothy Olyphant's interview. The hosts discuss childhood experiences with cheating and theft, with one host recounting a story about being arrested for stealing a turkey sandwich while drunk in college. Timothy shares his background, revealing he grew up in Modesto and attended USC as a fine art major, eventually receiving his degree in fine arts after 32 years following his current career success. He studied under professor Ruth Weisberg and chose to complete his degree while his children were finishing high school.
The conversation explores Timothy's path to acting, noting he never initially planned it but wanted to try multiple creative pursuits including stand-up comedy, acting, and being in a band before committing to fine art. The hosts discuss the range required in acting, with Timothy expressing admiration for Robert De Niro's ability to blend comedic and dramatic performance. They explore the concept of "sing for real"—a game where someone must sing a song from the radio authentically without performance tricks.
Timothy discusses his television work extensively. He spent three years on Deadwood and six years on Justified, working alongside actors like Margot Martindale. He shares a memorable anecdote about creator David Milch knocking on his trailer to announce the decision to kill off his character's son in the storyline, framed positively as creating better material for Timothy. He mentions his lack of a computer or laptop and his phone-less lifestyle, noting the advantages of unpredictability when making plans without constant contact.
The discussion turns to recent and upcoming projects: season two of Alien: Earth will shoot in London instead of Thailand; Stick season two is renewed; Lucky is an Apple TV crime thriller with Anya Taylor-Joy and Annette Bening; The Five-Star Weekend features Jennifer Garner on Peacock; and Adventures of Cliff Booth is a Quentin Tarantino sequel directed by David Fincher. Timothy describes his extensive experience working with Fincher, who conducted a day-and-a-half shoot for a brief scene, doing 20+ takes of master coverage and push-ins with technical precision about hand placement, timing, and performance nuance.
The hosts discuss directorial approaches and note styles. Soderbergh gave minimal notes (one exchange rating a performance "seven or eight out of ten"), while Bradley Cooper similarly operates cameras and gives minimal feedback. The episode concludes with promotion of the SmartLess live show at the Hollywood Bowl on October 17th, accessible through smartlist.com/live.
About this episode
No cheating nor stealing — it’s Timothy Olyphant. ‘A complaint of actors’ and other druthers: a hunch, being taken seriously, Mick’s vulnerabilities, cheap champagne and a pocket full of chips. “When he’s doing Taxi Driver, he knows that’s funny, right?” Welcome to SmartLess.
Key Insights
- Timothy Olyphant completed his USC fine arts degree 32 years after initially attending college, returning while his children were in high school.
- Timothy describes his path to acting as trying multiple creative pursuits (stand-up, acting, music) before committing, rather than following a predetermined career plan.
- David Milch framed the story decision to kill Timothy's character's son as beneficial for his performance, emphasizing 'there's more room for you' and promising 'wonderful moments' in the dramatic arc.
- Timothy experienced David Fincher's directing approach firsthand, shooting a brief scene over a day and a half with 20+ takes focusing on technical precision like hand placement and framing.
- Timothy maintains a lifestyle without a personal computer or laptop, relying only on his phone, which he contrasts with the productivity expectations of modern podcasting.
- The hosts discuss how great comedic performances rely on actors' commitment and understanding that the best comedians blend dramatic and comedic sensibilities (referencing De Niro and Will Ferrell).
- Timothy noted that when working with directors like Soderbergh, minimal feedback can paradoxically indicate effective performance, contrasting with high-volume take approaches.
- Timothy reflects on parenthood transitions, noting his daughter attended college in-town rather than leaving, and that children's behavior shifts before leaving home as part of their emancipation process.
Topics
Transcript
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