Paget Brewster on DUCKTALES, working with Ryan Murphy, and her epic DRUNK HISTORY hangovers
Don't worry, Adult Swim: she makes a point of getting in another plug for BIRDGIRL.
Welcome back to my interview with Paget Brewster, the first part of which was - to put it mildly - rapturously received: I just got the stats from Substack, and it received 3,174 views over the course of the past 24 hours…and when you consider that the most viewed piece prior to Paget came in at somewhere under 300 views, I think you can see why the phrase I selected was in no way hyperbolic.
Quick remark, though: since the exclusive material is intended for subscribers, I’m offering a 48-hour grace period for both part one and part two, thereby providing Paget fans with the opportunity to read it without having to pay for a subscription. That way, it’s a win for the fans and it’s a win for the promotion of Birdgirl.
If you like what you see here, though, I hope you do decide to sport for a subscription, as this newsletter provides me with the opportunity to interview the people I want to interview and, of course, to ask them about the things I want to ask them about, which tends to be the stuff that no one else wants to ask them about…and yet it’s also how I so often get the stories that no one else gets.
Take this second part of my interview with Paget, for instance. Do you think she’s regularly asked about Max Q? Oh, hell, no. But you’d better believe that I brought it up, and I got a pretty great story out of it that I hadn’t previously heard anywhere else.
Okay, that’s all I’ve got for you, so let’s go ahead and dive into part two, wherein Paget discusses DuckTales, Ryan Murphy, Another Period, trying to turn Thrilling Adventure Hour into a TV series, being hung over after Drunk History, and the ungodly number of episodes of a specific series that she’s watched during the course of the pandemic…and how many times she’s watched them over again.
I still cannot believe that DuckTales ended.
I know!
My buddy Keith... He was already a fan of the original incarnation, but he was telling me about it, and he was, like, "No, you don't understand: you have to watch it. It's not just a reboot. They've kicked it up, like, five notches!"*
*This is less a quote than a vague paraphrasing, but it's pretty close in spirit, I swear.
Yeah! We had the best time, and it's such a bummer, but... Ugh. [Hesitates.] Have you heard this theory that shows for that age group are really only three or four years all the time anyway, because their audience grows up? Or is that crazy?
I have heard some semblance of that, but I don't know that I accept it
I don't accept it, either! As an adult who had a job that she loved...
Well, the reason I don't accept it is that I feel like it's only being applied to the original characters and not to the incarnation of the show. For instance, there was an incarnation of Scooby-Doo a few years back called Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated, and it was by far the best version of the series that they've ever done, just filled to the brim with callbacks and pop culture references...and they ended it after two seasons.
Wow.
And there was no need to end it after only two seasons. It was amazing. There were Twin Peaks references in it, for God's sake!
Oh, man... That's cool! [Pauses.] Wait a minute, I feel like there's some Scooby-Doo thing that happening...
Well, currently they've got Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? It's a whole different thing from what Mystery Incorporated was, but it’s actually a lot of fun: they team up with guest stars, and some of them are real people and some are fictional characters. I was sold as soon as they did an episode with Penn and Teller.
That sounds fun! I haven't seen that. But I don't know if that's what I was thinking about. Maybe I auditioned for something…? That's the thing with animation: half the time, you don't even know what you were auditioning for! [Laughs.]
haven't talked to you since you did Hollywood. How was the experience of working with Ryan Murphy?
Well, I mean, I was scared. [Laughs.] He's very nice, but it's a very unique world, and it's so artistically lush. Like, every department is at the top of their game. It's something I... I've never seen anything like it before. The props - including the food! - and the makeup, the hair, the wigs, the sets, the wardrobe, the nail polish... Every single thing. And every single thing is photographed for Ryan - who's still running, like, four other shows! A picture of your earring is texted to Ryan, and you wait. Everyone sits and waits. And then Ryan gets back and says, "Great! Go!" And you start shooting.
He's amazing. I cannot believe how much that guy works. It's staggering. So to be able to be a part of that was really amazing. His shows are the only shows I'd be willing to go out of this house for right now, not being vaccinated yet, because it's just such an extraordinary experience. And everyone is so happy to be there. And he was very nice in person, but he is definitely the king. And when he's on set, everyone knows. And it's like [Whispering.] "Ryan's here! Ryan's here!" It's wild. But he was lovely. It's not like he's a tyrant or anything. He's just, like, he knows what he wants, and he's gonna get it. It was great. It was just wild.
Now, did you feel obliged to do any deep dives on Tallulah Bankhead beforehand?
Oh, yeah, for sure. I did that before I auditioned...and, honestly, the only reason I got the job is because I spent so long working on her voice, which is...pretty close, actually, to Sadie Doyle from Thrilling Adventure Hour.
I didn't want to say anything, but...
Oh, no, of course. That's the only reason why I got the part: I had a familiarity with that accent. And then you have to match her laugh. I had to try and get my voice as low as possible without sounding fake. But you realize, "Oh, they could make anyone look like Tallulah Bankhead with that wardrobe, makeup, and hair department!" It was only because I did the voice. And the casting woman, when I auditioned, was, like, "Thank you for doing the voice." Like, she was exhausted from people... I don't know, doing Tallulah Bankhead as a valley girl? [Laughs.] I don't know! So that was the only reason I got that part...but by hook or by crook, any part on an amazing production, I'll do whatever has to be done!
So regarding Another Period, was there a plan for another season? Had it been mapped out where the series would've headed if it had been renewed?
No, not that I know of. We were just sad that it didn't come back. [Laughs.] Because that was a lot of fun. And that was a very unique experience, because we block-shot that whole show, so we shot 10 episodes simultaneously. All of the scripts were written - of course, there was a fair amount of improvising and rewriting on set - and we'd shoot scenes from all the episodes in a day. So it was, like, "Okay, we're here in this room, we're going to shoot scenes for episodes four, six, eight, and one," But it was a lot of fun. That's a totally depraved show that looks beautiful. I wish we'd had more time, but we had a great run with it.
When you mentioned Sadie a moment ago, it reminded me of something I'd wanted to ask: has there ever been any talk of doing an actual TV series of Thrilling Adventure Hour, either live-action or animated?
Oh, we've tried. [Laughs.] We've tried so hard. I mean, Paul F. Tompkins, Ben Acker, Ben Blacker, and I went and met with everyone all over town - five years ago, maybe six years ago - pitching Beyond Belief as a live-action show, but at the same time I was saying to the guys, "I don't think anyone's gonna spend the money on special effects for two middle-aged drunks on The CW, which is supposed to appeal to kids, so either we get a niece or..." And I kept begging them to do an animated series, and they've had meetings to do an animated Thrilling Adventure Hour, and I...genuinely don't know where that stands.
It's fallen through the cracks. Because we have 240 episodes, we have an amazing voice cast and guest stars, all people who did Thrilling Adventure live for a slice of pizza! [Laughs.] I'm really surprised that it hasn't been picked up as an animated show, especially now when everyone's converting series into animated shows. And we've got graphic novels, we've already got the voices...
Also, I was begging them to go animated completely selfishly, because now I have to wear glasses to read, and I didn't want Sadie to wear glasses. And I went to an eye doctor, and they gave me contact lenses, and you put the lens into one eye, but...it's so physically upsetting. You can't walk, you can't see properly and, frankly, we have cocktails before doing live shows, so it's like a double drunk. If you put a contact lens in that blinds you in one eye, it's almost impossible to get to your mark and then read. So I was just saying, "Please, why can't we just grow old with a little bit of dignity, and let's do this as an animated show?" [Laughs.]
I think it'd be perfect in that format.
I know. I'm waiting! I'm astonished that it hasn't happened. I don't get it. I just don't know.
Completely unrelated, but did you see when I tweeted out the clip of you in Max Q?
What?! No!
Yeah. I'm guessing you remember the TV movie in question, though, given that reaction.
Well, yeah, with Billy Campbell. [Hesitates.] Is that right? Yeah, that's right! Max Q! It was a space movie! And, no, I did not see that clip! I am so bad at Twitter... I pop in, fire off some tweets, and pop out for a week or two. I'm really... I can't be that invested, because sometimes people get crazy!
I am familiar, and I don't blame you: Twitter is full of wonderful people until suddenly it isn't. But I'll have to email you that clip, because it was just some top-shelf '90s TV movie goodness, where you're, like, hanging off of Billy Campbell and giving him crap.
Well, I told you what happened there, right?
No, actually, this is that rare beast: something I never asked you about during Random Roles. So now you have to tell me what happened there.
Okay, so Max Q was a made-for-TV movie that was executive-produced by... [Pauses, then makes a sound of aggravation.] Oh, come on, what's his name?
Oh, I saw his name on the credits: Jerry Bruckheimer.
Yes! Jerry Bruckheimer! And he basically had all of this stuff in Vancouver left over from shooting Armageddon, so everyone in the cast was wearing spacesuits that said "Affleck," "Buscemi," all the actors' names from Armageddon. They were wearing those costumes, and we were shooting on the old sets in Vancouver where they'd done, like, the floating space stuff for Armageddon. Now that's a great producer, I've gotta say. I mean, Jerry Bruckheimer, I don't know him personally, he came for dinner one night in Vancouver and he just wanted to talk about hockey. [Laughs.] But the fact that at the end of a big-budget movie...To take all your scraps from Armageddon and make a perfectly fine ABC TV movie out of it, that's great! He employed hundreds of people and probably brought it in for cheap because he had everything. That's great producing.
That's straight out of the Ed Wood or Roger Corman playbook: take whatever you've got, make the most of it, and don't waste anything.
That's right! It's recycling...and it's fantastic!
[Completely unrelated sidebar that’s simply for your musical education: Until I found out about this movie, the only meaning the phrase “Max Q” had for me was as the name of a Michael Hutchence side project with Ollie Olsen, which delivered a truly wonderful single entitled “Way of the World.”]
A quick observation about the late, great Grandfathered: my buddy Dave observed that the way it ended was heartbreaking, just because of the looks crossing your face.
Oh, really? God, I don't even know what he's talking about specifically! What did I do?!
I'm sure he's just referring to the fact that you think Jimmy's betrayed you when we the viewers know that he's done the exact opposite.
Oh, yeah, and then she ends up standing him up at the concert, and you don't know how it ends up playing out.
Dave and I are both very much of the position that we needed more.
Yeah, I mean, we all felt the same way, but again, what are you going to do? And...didn't they get rid of the Rob Lowe show, too? What was it called?
The Grinder. And they did get rid of it, unfortunately.
The Grinder! Thank you! I was going to say The Rookie. [Laughs.] But that's still on, right? With Nathan [Fillion]?
Oh, yeah, that's still on.
Okay, but they did get rid of The Grinder. Oh, well...
I just remembered something else I wanted to ask you about: IMDb shows that you only did two episodes of Drunk History, which is crazy, because I would’ve sworn that you’d done more than that.
No, I did seven!
[Regarding Paget’s work on Drunk History, the above clip may or may not be from the funniest of her episodes, but at the 1:20 mark, she delivers what - for my money - is her single funniest line in of all of her appearances.]
Oh, wait, now I get it: they've got your acting credits in the episodes listed one way and your...drinking credits? Listed another way.
Right, because when you're a narrator, you're listed under "Self." I did only do two episodes where I was part of the recreations.
And now that I’ve found it, it shows that you did six episodes as narrator.
Actually, I did seven, one in each season, but the seventh season... They canceled Drunk History before they started shooting the reenactments. So they have a season of narrators all shot. All the drunk narration is done.
They should just go ahead and release that to YouTube, that's what I say.
Yeah, but I don't think they can. Derek [Waters] and Jeremy [Konner] were trying to figure out what to do, and one idea was, "Do we animate it?" But that's not the show. So I don't know: maybe they'll release the narration at some point. But I think Comedy Central owns it, and you know how that goes: no network wants to admit, "Oh, we canceled this show when people still want more," and if I was an executive at Comedy Central, I'd feel the same way. I'd be, like, "Oh, no! Don't let them see the narration!"
They'll wait 20 years, and then they'll release it as a bonus feature on the complete-series anniversary set.
[Laughs.] Great! I have very short blonde hair in it!
Fantastic. So did you have a hangover after every single narration, or are you enough of a professional drinker...
[Interrupts.] Oh, no, you're hung over. I mean, it's a long time, and... You know, I think you have a responsibility to be inebriated. I think there were some people who maybe weren't, but I feel like it's your job. You have to be over the legal limit. You should be drunk. And they say that. They say, "Okay, this is the show, and this is what we do, so that's your job: to be drunk." And I remember they sent out a memo to people saying, "We know that some of you might think it's a good idea, but...don't smoke pot." [Laughs.] Which I thought was pretty funny. I don't smoke pot, but I'm fine with people who do, whatever. But that memo really made me laugh.
"The show is not called High History, people..."
Exactly! [Laughs.] Also, I'm weirdly...not a perfectionist. Maybe a goody-two-shoes. I want to be, like, the A+ student. So I would be drunk. I maintained my .10. I was dah-RUNK. So you're hung over for a couple of days.
Yikes.
Yeah, it's not just one day. And after the first one... The first one was the worst one. That was really... I was sick for two or three days after the very first one. But that was back when you told two stories.
Oh, well, that explains it, then.
So, yeah, that was fun, too. That was a great show! I wish they'd kept that show on. I learned so much about history from that show! [Laughs.]
You're not the only one! I think it's a case where people learned the history perhaps slightly inaccurately, but it was close enough to the truth to spur them into investigating it further.
Exactly: they go look it up. It's true!
Okay, I know we're in the home stretch here...
Oh! What should I say about Birdgirl? I have to tell you... What do I have to tell you? It's six episodes. Midnights. Sundays at midnight. Six episodes. Starting April 4th. And I'm sure you can DVR it…right? I'm not up at midnight...
At the very least, I'm sure you'll be able to stream it through Adult Swim's website or app or whatever.
[Actually, it’s even easier than that: Adult Swim uploaded the pilot to YouTube in its entirety.]
Oh, okay, great. Cool! So you can watch it whenever you feel like it. That's how I like my TV. I'm all spoiled now.
Which reminds me: what, pray tell, did you binge during the pandemic? Quite a bit, I'm sure, but...
What have I binged? Oh, gosh, what have I not?
Well, what did you binge for the first time?
[Takes a deep breath.] For the first time? Only new shows. [Laughs.] Otherwise, I have watched Top Chef. The entire...seventeen seasons? Eighteen? No, season eighteen is starting this week. Seventeen seasons. I have watched four times. Every episode. From the beginning. In a row. Now I'm back on Top Chef Masters, which I've only watched all the way through twice.
I binged Bridgerton. I binged The Queen's Gambit. I binged... I mean, you name, I watched it. I've been watching 90-Day Fiancee, Love After Lockup... What else? Now I'm back to watching Beavis and Butthead again and...I'm trying to think!
Oh, I, uh, also love Ancient Aliens. [Laughs.] I love it. I love it! I'm on season three, and I watch it. Every day I take a nap to Ancient Aliens, which I'm sure has completely successfully brainwashed me into believing that governments will start admitting more that, yes, aliens have been observing us or whatever. I don't know if they co-created our DNA as a species, but we're a pretty bizarre species for this planet. Really.
And just under the wire, I've got my headline.
[Bursts out laughing.] "Paget Brewster Believes in Aliens!" [Mock defensively] Well, I do!
Very brief post-script:
A few days after our conversation, with zero warning, I suddenly got a message from Paget, one which consisted solely of a photo accompanied by five words:
