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And this is your super week. The last couple of years, Jared's play hasn't been up to park. Covering the biggest game. Goff is with the biggest guests. We view as a negative solid.
Earlier on the show. 49ers tight end, George Kittle. Westwood One radio voice for Super Bowl 55, Kevin Harlan. Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin. Coming up.
Actor, writer, and director Vigo Mortensen. And now. It's Rich Eisen.
Okay, everybody. Hour number three of the Rich Eisen Show on the Air. Great chat with Michael Irvin. We just had it. And Kevin Harlan, too, and our number two.
Both their answers to the question that we're asking everybody to call in at 844-204-Rich, it being Groundhog Day. By the way, the Groundhog did see his shadow, so that means six more weeks of winter. Which for those being socked in by the nor'easter right now in the northeast, I'm sure they're like, okay, great. I'm not a fan of how they do that. They pull the poor thing out, you know, the Puxatoni Phil.
Okay. Are you are you uh I didn't know you were an animal rights. I mean, I'm a big Well have your pet spad or neutered help control the pot population. I don't know. How do they know he's seen his shadow?
Exactly. They just make it up. I can't understand. But it's the animal version of you buying the stock of the Green Bay Packers. It means nothing.
Honestly, it's like a pet rock. It's the animal version of the pet rock. We had Kevin Harlan on before. I should have asked him about his dad. Like, you know, your dad used to run the Packers.
Mike is interestingly enough. Honestly, if I said Kevin Harlan, talking about, and that was a wonderful thing, he talked about his Groundhog Day moment. The first Super Bowl he called for Westwood won was the one the Packers won, and his dad was on the podium accepting the trophy. What's your moment, Rich?
Well, I'm not there yet. Oh. And so, you know, could you imagine as he's talking about his dad and the history of the Green Bay Packers? I would have said, you know what? It's amazing that you know somebody who was in management of the Green Bay Packers.
I've got one right here. He's our audio executive. Mike Del Tufo owns a couple of pieces of the Packers stock. What do you think Kevin Harlan would have said? He would have laughed.
How many stocks do you own? How much stock of the Packers do you want? I gave one away. I still have one at my house. I think I gave one to this girl that's a Packers fan.
Hey. One night. I think I might have had a couple more questions. That doesn't bring about any other type of questions whatsoever. And I think I gave it away.
Yeah. You did. You did hit on a girl? Is that what you said? How'd you like some Packers stock?
And by the way, that's not a metaphor for anything. How would you like actually some stock in the Green Bay Packers? Would you like one? Is that really your pickup line? Really?
You want to be an owner of the pack? I can't say what I want to say. I'm so close to saying it, but I know Richard. Just leave it. Let me handle it.
I can't. Let me handle it. I'm a turning point. I'm a 25-year broadcast professional. Let me handle it.
That's right. Can you imagine if I said that to Kevin Erlin? He is another member of the Packers management. He's right here. And then he had told him he gave one of his stock certificates.
We need to vote for everything? We get like a ballot.
Well at any rate, so it's just been neat. What's my Groundhog moment? I've literally been sitting here thinking about it. I've never seen the Yankees win in person without me working it. You know what I mean?
Yeah. And I've never seen Michigan. You know, win in person. They won the championship that year of Ramiel Robinson and Glenn Rice over your seat in Hall. Team when they were in Seattle.
I was on campus. Honestly, like as a fan, The only I I I haven't seen Yeah. I haven't seen championships, man, without working it. Like the night that Derek Jeter was Mr. November, I covered that.
Like, I'll never forget. But you were there. I was there. I was there. I was, dude, you know where I was when he hit that home run?
I've told you the story. Yeah, yeah. I was in the tunnel. Yeah, trying to get it. I was in a Yankee Stadium tunnel.
Yeah. Mm-hmm. You know, so which was amazing because you're just sitting here thinking, you know. Babe Ruth was probably in here smoking a heater or something, you know, like, and it was, it was the leading to the Yankees' dugout. Because the other way out Was the visiting dugout, and we had to guess which one, which team was going to win in this extra innings game because they were going to spill out on the field, and we would use their.
Ingress is our egress to the stadium.
So we went back and forth because if you remember the Yankees tied it up in the ninth, we were all set to go out on the field in the Diamondbacks dugout until the Yankees tied it up, went into extra innings. Then we ran like Benny Hill, like the Benny Hill show to date myself, where we were all running with cameras and members of the media and microphones running from one end of the stadium to the other. At any rate, I just remember being When you heard that the the Ceiling shake, and you heard somebody scream. Jeter hit a home run. Go, go, go.
And people pushed me out of the stadium. I just remember I had goosebumps thinking of it. I just walked out of the stadium as the dull roar of the crowd was now an actual audible. Party of an OVA. I just looked up in the rafters of Yankee Stadium where I grew up going to games in the upper deck and.
Just seeing people just jumping up and down and throwing stuff off on the field as Jeter's rounding third coming home. I mean. I had to be a professional about it. That's bananas. Insane.
Like confetti. I've been out watching. Those moments are great. But I mean, I'm talking about a personal moment of your sport team's triumph. Like, you saw the Red Sox win the World Series.
I saw the Red Sox win the World Series here at Dodger Stadium two years ago. Ending your run as the mush for Boston Sports. Yeah, I was also at, in 2016, Syracuse was in the Elite Eight. Huge comeback against Virginia. I remember you were there.
Send us to the Final Four. I was at that game. That was one of the greatest sporting events I've ever seen in person. 98 Mets. San Diego being there was insane.
on the field. In the dugout. The Mets? I'm in Yankees. Why was he saying Matt?
Yeah, but you weren't there as a fan where you were working? No, I was actually off. I had a pass from somebody. Yeah, I mean, that team was. I didn't work that.
That's the 125. That was insane. Matt Rivera on the map. I remember. Right, they were 125 and 50, right?
Wasn't that record? Yeah, just imagine you probably would love to go back. They were unbeatable that year. They swept the Padres. And look at it.
114 and 48. 114 and 48. Okay. And I will just say this, though, just to be fair and balanced. Certainly, since we're on the Mightier 1090, where there's here all across Southern California, there's a ton of San Diego fans.
I was at that game in game one, and Tony Gwynn hit one off the right field foul pole and gave them a lead. And it looked like they were going to win that game and put the Yankees down 1-0. And Mark Langston came in as a reliever and threw one 3-1 pitch to. Pardon me, a 2-2 pitch to Tino Martinez directly down the strike zone, threw it right in the middle of the plate. Belt high.
And it was called a ball.
Next pitch, Grand Slam. On a 3-2 pitch. And it changed the entire. It changed the entire series that Scott Brocious was the MVP for, just to show you again about the way the Yankees were just on fire. I've goosebumps.
0-2 Super Bowl, though, for him, for me, for Fox, being in a truck. I told Brockman. I'd go back to that just sitting in the truck watching on a monitor. Let's go to Michael in Missouri before Chris Brockman's news update. What's up, Michael?
Hey, how are you doing, Rich? What's going on? You bet. I want to comment on the Groundhog Day game. Go for it.
I wasn't there. But Lake Placid, nineteen eighty Winter Olympics. It's got to be the miracle on ice against Russians. Greatest game I ever watched. I was 14 years old.
Grew up in the hockey state of Minnesota. I am now in Missouri, but um well Herb Brooks up there, as you know. Herb Brooks was the you know, the coach at Minnesota. I mean, uh University of Minnesota hockey was a integral part of the Miracle on a Nice team. It was.
I mean, uh Between Minnesota and Boston. A majority of the team. I mean, there was some guys from Wisconsin and For sure. You know, Minnesota loots and stuff on like that. But, uh Yeah, it was incredible.
And I don't know. I'm sure you've watched the movie Miracle. Yeah, I just watched it with Michael. I watched it with my kids the other day, Michael. And thanks for the call.
Please be more than just a first-time caller. Big O'Mortensen was it there? Which and again, he's coming up in 12 minutes time. He was there. He's from Watertown, New York.
Are you aware of that? Oh, yes. Really? Yeah, so he's. He's all about central and western New York.
I know he's all about central New York. Yeah, that's awesome. And so. Yeah. Apparently he worked the game and then or worked at the Olympics and then got in the game.
Yeah. I just remember again, that was the game, the puck dropped with the Soviets at five in the afternoon, and it wasn't live. It was tape-delayed, shown on ABC later that night. And I remember my brother, my brother, we went through. God bless my my parents.
You know, they would My parents were Traffic and weather together junkies based on they were they were 1010 wins or 880 CBS news listeners, and we had to turn off the radio and turn off the TV. We went through sports blackout at 510 Harold Street in Staten Island, New York, because we were going to watch that not knowing. And I remember watching it in our downstairs television, all of us together watched The Miracle on Ice. I have goosebumps talking about it. could not imagine being in that building.
Could not imagine. Viggo Mortensen was, and the actor and director and writer of Falling, which is on digital and demand this Friday and available in theaters as well, is going to be joining us in ten minutes. Got a news update you want to whip? Shit, let's get to a news update right here on the Rich Eisen Show, the Tuesday of Super Bowl 55 week. Yeah.
And now With a report of the day's news from the world of sports and entertainment, someone who is not a journalist or newsman by any definition of the word whatsoever. It's Chris Brockman. Hi, Christopher. I'm watching the pitch of Mark Langston right now. It's so directly.
I know it's not, by the way, this is not news. It is literally 20-plus years old now, unbelievably. 22. 22. 23.
Couldn't be more right down the middle. I am sorry, Padres fans. I thought I just said strike three. Oh my God, that's the way that one went. Three outs.
Nope. And the very next pitch. See ya. Changed the whole trajectory of the World Series.
Okay, so as we talked about before, Rich, Media Day was yesterday. For Super Bowl 55, let's hear from the quarterbacks. Tom Brady talked about. playing potentially past the age of 45. Would you consider playing beyond 45, especially with the way you're playing right now?
Yeah, definitely. I would definitely consider that. And, you know, again, I think, again, it's a physical sport, and just the perspective I have on that is. You know, you never know kind of when. Uh you know, that moment is Um Just because it's a contact sport and there's a lot of training that goes into it.
And again, it has to be 100% commitment. from myself to keep doing it.
So Um Been very fortunate, like I said, over the years. Alex and I work Really hard at you know, making sure physically I can still prepare, you know, perform at the biggest. Uh perform at my best because You know, you take different hits, you take different You know, over the course of the year, deal with different bumps and bruises, different injuries, and so forth.
So. Um You know, it's just going to be. Maybe. Continuing to make that commitment to making it part of my year-round process to play football and continue my career. Hit it, Mike Del Tufo.
Hit it right now here on the Rich Eisen Show. What were they really thinking? All right, so here, okay. I play a game that I love at a high level. The whole world is recognizing me as one of the all-time greats, but that really isn't what I'm doing this for.
I get also to show my children what it was like before they were born. I get to have my kids. Watch dad do what they're doing. I get to my beautiful wife as a total understanding of what. I can do that I love at such a high level.
My parents, thank God, knock on wood. They are healthy. They get to see me go to the Super Bowl. This is the most amazing thing. But if I keep playing and if I keep going to the Super Bowl, than for at least two weeks a year.
My wife takes the children out of the house. Do you understand what it's been like? The peace and the quiet. for the last ten days in my house. I'm home alone, and it's the greatest thing of all time.
I plead the fifth. Yeah. What else over there? Can we take a second and look at Tom Brady? Does he look 43 to you?
He looks 33 to 30. Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me. I will say this, and you know, and you know, when I interviewed him for the Rich Eisen podcast show.
2011? That's how long it was. And I dressed in my finest Zenya suit. I put on my finest Zenya suit. He strolled out because he agreed to the interview before he went to the.
season opener kickoff celebration that I was MCing. In pay and inside Gillette, and he strolled in ready, all suited and booted. And it looked like that two-shot, I was wearing a burlap sack. It was bad for me. I will say this, I will say this, Christopher.
I will say this: a ring light is one of the greatest inventions of all time, certainly for Zoom. You look, I mean, you look 10 years younger. That ring light. I'm sure he's terrific. Look, if I ate like he ate, he ate too.
I mean, honestly, all of us look like George Blandon next time. I'm going to swim in avocados. Please, a ring line. You got one more thing? Yeah, one more time.
Let's hear from Patrick Mahomes talking about TB12. Great. The way he's able to dissect defenses before the snap is something that I truly admire. That I'm trying to get to that level. The way he's able to move within the pocket and to be able to reset his feet.
And be completely calm and still make the throw right on the money, no matter who's around them, is something that I have to continue to work on. And as I continue in my career, I'm just going to try to do whatever I can to watch the tape on him because he's doing it the right way. And you can tell by how many Super Bowl champions he has and the rings that are on his fingers.
Okay, I mean, so Just keep this in mind. In what um Super Bowl 65, right? Or Super Bowl 70. 70. When he's getting ready and.
Josh Hader's kid talks about Mahomes like this. Give me another middle reliever right now, pitching in the Midwest. I mean, it's crazy. The whole thing's crazy that Brady's still doing what he's doing, and Pat Mahomes' kid is doing what he's doing. It's incredible.
It's absolutely insane what's happening, but it's reality. Let's take a break. Vigo Mortensen, the actor, calling into the show. A die-hard fan of this man's work. His new film, Falling, is available in theaters.
We'll talk about that. And again, he was at the Miracle on Ice. That's coming up. Yeah. So, you know, we love talking movies around here.
You know, we love talking comedy around here. We also love talking about classics around here.
So, you know what I'm all about. That said. All of that said. You know how I must have felt when I was sitting in the movie theater like I was the other day watching the previews, and up came a preview. for the naked gun.
with Liam Neeson as Frank Grebin, junior. That Preview had me at hello. I loved police squad back in the day. I loved the naked gun back in the day. And here comes the naked gun once again with yes, Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr.
Come on now, son of the celebrated police squad, Lieutenant Frank Drebbin from the original movie, Paul Walter Hauser's in this movie, also Pamela Anderson. Guess who also makes an appearance? WWE superstar. Cody Rhodes, and the producer of the movie is Seth McFarlane, the creator of The Family Guy. Come on now.
This is going to be so much fun. I'm excited to see The Naked Gun in theaters on August 1st.
So. What do you do on August 1st? Of course, you're going to a theater near you and you're seeing the naked gun. I might even be there. Welcome to AutoZone.
What are you working on today? My car is making this noise.
Sometimes it's like and sometimes it's like crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr do you have a dashlight on oh yeah and we don't have to listen for clues with the free fix finder service we can read a check engine abs or maintenance light to find a likely fix and even recommend a local shop if you need one so you don't need to hear the crrkr not with fix finder everything you need nothing you don't Get in the zone, auto zone. Restrictions apply. How many planks do you have to break to be a black belt? How many do you have to, is that, is that an actual metric here? I don't think there's a number, but I think it's when the pressure's on, when the tournaments happen, when the tests happen.
Why I'll break one right now if you need one. Do we have one anywhere? Can we get a plank for this? It's a hot take plank, but don't break the hot take plank. I mean, why not?
That two by four that's right. What kind of what is it?
Now you got me. I have no idea. Let me see it. Hold on. Standard place, I'm guessing.
Give it to cancel my show at Morongo tomorrow. I have a broken hand. The sweatshirt we haven't taken it off in years. This would be amazing. If you could break this.
Is that a proper? I can break this. I haven't done this since I was 12.
Okay, do you want to give it a try if you think you can do it? But this is what I learned at the House of Empty Hands in Newark, New Jersey.
Okay, very good. There you go. Wow. Did it break? Hold on.
Can I hold it down? Would that be better? Yeah, that'd be good. Chris, hold it on the other side. Hold on the other side, Chris.
Alright, it's going. Pull it out a little bit more. For the end is on the box. You don't even have any You don't have any music from Karate Kid? If he gets it, Glory Lock, I'll play Glory of.
Here we go. Forget it. Damn it! I really thought I could do it, Rich. I really thought I could do it.
It's okay, Jeff. We still love you. To call Jeffrey Ross a lovely man is an understatement. Right, Chris? Big fan.
He's beloved by all of his peers, correct? Big fan. I've honestly never heard a bad word. He's great. I've never even heard uh a medium word about him.
It's just universally beloved. No question, right? Great guy. The office right here on Peacock, everybody. Everybody can check it out.
Every episode, extras exclusives. I mean, we're on a candle here and it's lit, right? WWE's coming, the office? I saw, by the way, Modern Families coming to Pico. Oh, I got Stone Street on the horn, don't you think?
I gotta catch up. I think it's this week. I won't be more by the way, Stone Street just goes without saying. Ed O'Neill on this show, I think he's been on it three times. Every single time, his stories are the best.
for some reason over the uh last couple weeks His story about getting out Bundy or illegally hitting Roger Stahlbach in a game. Yeah, yeah. Go check it out on our YouTube page, youtube.com/slash Rich Eisen Show. A big fan of this man's work. A very big fan of this man's work.
And I could not be more pleased that he's included our show on the tour that we have seen him make over the last couple of days in support of his new film that he has written, that he has directed, and he acts in. It's a beautiful film that is available in theaters, on digital, and on demand this very Friday. The written, a writer and directorial debut of the tremendous actor, Viggo Mortensen, who's here on the show. How are you, Vigo? I'm good.
Thanks for inviting me. I'm pleased to have you on this program. Before we get to your movie, I do want to hit you, if you don't mind, right away with a story that I heard tell on other spots, and I'd love for you to tell my audience as well. Starting off, you're from Watertown, New York, correct? That's where you're were born?
Technically? No, I was born no, I was born in New York City. You're born in Manhattan, but my mother's from Watertown, New York. And I spent my uh after my parents split up I spent my she went back to her hometown with me and my two brothers and we From the age of eleven through high school, I lived there. You lived in central New York.
Is that how you made your way to Lake Placid on February twenty second, nineteen eighty, Vigo? Yes, correct. I was there during the whole Olympics as a as a volunteer. What were you doing at the Winter Olympics, the the nineteen eighty Olympics? What were you volunteering doing?
Well, I was going to college nearby in Canton, New York, Saint Lawrence University, and um Uh January was And I got permission to go do this. You know, I got I volunteered. A couple other people, I think, from there did too. Two tr I was supposed to translate for the Danish. You know, team with some cross-country skiers, I guess.
And they ended up not coming. I guess they didn't think they stood a chance. They didn't want to spend the energy and the money. I don't know. And so they said, Well, if you want to translate for this week, then I said, Okay.
I mean, neither the Swedes nor the Danes. Really needed that much help to speak English really well. Maybe, you know, I taught him some swear words, I guess. But I just. I just ran errands and, you know, got 'em stuff and Hung out and got to see all these great athletes, amazing athletes.
And the best thing about the whole experience for me. was that I got to be friends with people on the Finnish team. Finland's team and um They said, If you ever want to see a hockey game I said, Yeah. Can I go to Go to one, they go, Sure. And then the next day I won again, and they said, Anytime you want to come, I said, Great.
So I went to every night to go see hockey. And we'd stop at the Finl Finland house. Each country had their house where they sort of had tourists. Pictures and of their products and in the Finland house it was pretty much just vodka.
So we've got a few drinks and go to the I go to the game really in a good mood and And uh yes, I saw I saw the United States Do the impossible with these college players, these kids, really. beating what was probably at that time the greatest hockey team. On the planet, so normally I'd want to immediately delve into this part of the story, and I will. If you don't mind, I will put a pin in it for the moment.
So, are you saying you've done vodka shots with Yari Curry at the 1980 Olympics? Is that what you're saying to me, Vigo Mortensen? That actually happened. Oh no, yeah, I I didn't I didn't drink with him. I think he was on his best behavior, at least as far as I can see.
But, uh, no, it was like other people in the delegation peers and people and, you know, yeah. Holy Saran. Finland did well, too. I think, didn't they get third place?
Well, no, they were in the medal. The U.S. actually, there was a gold medal game. Everybody thinks that when they beat the Soviets. They were silver, that's right.
Right. Everybody thinks that when they beat them. They play the final with them. Exactly. Because the Soviet game is the final, of course.
So then, where were you actually? Where were your seats inside that arena, Vigo? Where were your seats? Man, wasn't it? It was pretty center along the side and uh I'd say I can't remember.
Maybe eight rows back, ten rows back. They were great seeds, actually. They were really, really good. Um So it was it was an amazing thing. You know, I didn't think they would win it, but I thought they would give them a good You know, Yeah.
your fans, your country and I knew they would be feisty and just give it all, but I figured, you know, there's no way. And Lo and behold, It's numerical. Can you do your best, if you don't mind? I mean, you clearly are a storyteller of note. Again, your film Falling will talk about your writing and directorial debut, but you know what it takes to tell a great story, and obviously, emote a great story.
Can you describe for me what it was like in that? arena that night. I mean, walk me through it. It well, it became Bedlam, but it was there was this Growing Before they even past them, you know, in the scoring. There was just this This hum.
you know, you had this This sensation that, wow, maybe, well, nah, it won't, but they're giving them a game. You know, we thought it'd be like. They get their clocks cleaned probably, a lot of people. And they weren't. They were given as good as it got in every area of the game.
And it just kept growing. It was a feeling. it kept growing and I feel you know, the the last part of the game where everybody's on their feet and I was just It was tremendous. It was an amazing sensation. And after the game was over, I I still couldn't believe it.
It was incredible. It was just incredible. Do you have the ticket stub? I didn't need vodka. I didn't feel the cold when they were outside.
I bet. Did you have a stub or a? Sweden got the bronze, right? Didn't Sweden get the bronze? I think the Soviets dusted them off.
I think the Soviets might have gotten the bronze. You know what? I can't remember. I've kind of lost track on that. But do you have a stub or a program from that still, or any memento from that day?
I'm kicking my. I wish I did. I wish I did. I have my I have my v um volunteer, you know, laminated pass. That I have.
with the leg plastic symbol on it. It's on a little cord or string, I think. I have that stowed away. I don't have the ticket. It's so stupid.
I should have kept that.
Well, who the heck knows, right? Years later, yes, Sweden did, in fact, win the bronze in the 1980 Olympics. Yeah, that's right. Vigo Mortensen here on the Rich Eisen show.
So did I imagine. I was happy for them because I was supposed to be working for them, you know.
So that's what they only got. Swedes, I mean, technically, sure, of course. Not to be caring for the United States, blowing them off. Banging on the glass if you had gotten a seat so close, you know.
So, are you a hockey guy? Would you say that's your sport that you follow or at all? Or what would it say? I'm a Habs fan. When I.
I grew up most of the first decade of my life in Argentina, so football, soccer was was the name. was and is the sport. I like the The most probably, but right next to it, or just as much. I like hockey. When I moved to northern New York State, up by the Canadian border, In 1970, I lost contact.
Of course, there was no internet or iPhones or any of that stuff back then. There wasn't even cable T V yet. And there's only a couple of channels, you know, a local, regional. I think there was a CBS and an NBC. And then there was across the way, there was a Canadian channel.
And I started to see this sport. And it was Montreal Canadians, it was their heyday, the 70s. I started watching them play and they had the same colors as my soccer team. And the fans are pretty rabid. you know, from Montreal and I I I was looking at it, I thought, This is a great sport.
This is like soccer, but a lot faster and with sticks and you can beat the shit out of people. And there's no there's no there's not a lot of flapping. There's there's there's there's just a lot more grinding than flopping, you know? Yeah, and it was it was terrific. You know, Gila Flur and all those other great players, that was that was their legendary the golden age really, and uh one of them.
But uh yeah, so that's how I became a hockey fan and and yeah, I've followed them ever since. Yeah, Ken Dryden was on the call with Al Michaels on that Miracle on Ice Night in nineteen eighty. I mean, he's war I mean, you're you're talking about Les Abiton, as you refer to comedians as the as the Habs of Viggo Mortensen here on the One last thing. Their 100-year anniversary was December 4th. 2009, and I got, and they knew I was a fan, so they invited me up to the to Montreal to the Bell Center.
And uh to You know, they were gonna all the legends that were still alive. you know, in wheelchairs, however they could get there.
Okay. know, wearing sweaters. And um And Guila Fleur was one of them. He was my idol from back then. And they asked me, I said, Well, we'd like you to present one of the legends if you want before they do their skate around and everything else.
I said, anyone I want? And I said, sure. You know, if he's not taken, I and I guess it was early enough that he wasn't taken. I said, How about De LaFleur? And they said, Done.
So they got to present Gila Fleur on Shener Ice at the Pell Center. That was a highlight. Come on. That is so cool. That is.
That is so wonderful. Vigo Mortensen here on The Rich Eisen Show. Let's talk about your film Falling. And you wrote this. Is this true you wrote this on a plane flight or you began to write it?
And then it's now coming to this beautiful film with you and Lance Henriksen, who's a dynamite actor that so many people have seen from Aliens or The Right Stuff from back in the day. And Laura Linney, what a heck of a cast for your writing and directorial debut, Viggo. Yeah, I couldn't have got had a better cast. I was very fortunate, very, very happy to have them. And uh Lance Hendrickson gives an unforgettable performance.
He's he's astounding, really disturbing sometimes. No holes barred. He's j he's just terrific. I couldn't imagine anyone else doing it better. I think it's a performance that'll stand the test of time.
It'll it'll live long in memory. And by the way, there is a nod to Guila Fleur. I had to get permission from his family and from the NHL, but there's a diner scene. If you look closely on the wall there's a picture of Guila Fleur. It takes place in the seventies.
It's a flashback. Great Easter action. Anyway, but um Yeah, I was uh it was right after my mother died in 2015, and she had had Dementia first. several years like like Lance his character does in the movie. And, you know When someone dies you really love, they're very present.
everything about them, images of their, you know, My mom's face from different periods and stuff. stories about her that I could remember and shared with my brothers and that other people had their versions of the same stories of the funeral, which I thought was strange how subjective memory is, you know. And then new stories from old people that I've known her in childhood that I've never met. And so I just wanted to remember that. I wanted to keep it alive.
So I'm flying back, long plane flight overnight. When I started writing down these things, and I looked at what I was writing down, I thought this would be a good story.
So I wrote it as a short story on this plane. I wrote the whole thing out. you know, fast. And um and then I put it aside because I was at the time I was trying to get another screenplay made into a movie. I'd been trying for twenty five years to make a movie as a director.
from different screenplays. And so And one day I thought I should read that thing I wrote on the plane. It's probably not that great. It's like when you wake up in the middle of the night, if you have a notepad by your bed, you you scribble some line down or some idea you have maybe. And then the next day you think, Oh, that was a great idea, when we see that and it's usually not very great.
It's like, oh, I wrote a story and I was drunk and it was brilliant and then you read it. It's like, no. And but this actually was good. It had a really good structure, the basic structure that the movie had. And all these different points of view, memories from the father's point of view, the kids' point of view.
And it it isn't my mother's The character that plays my mother in the story is Kind of like my mother, but that's the only real thing. Right. One of the only. I mean it's a fiction. I ended up feeling freer.
didn't have to check with anybody in the family about facts, just making up a story. But based on the feelings I had for my mom and to some degree for my dad. And um I looked at it and I said, Ah, It's very visual. I can see these memory shots and all these things that I'm describing in the story. Maybe it's a movie instead of a book, you know.
And so I started I wrote that screenplay out. When the other movie fell apart, I started the process of trying to get this made, and it took me about four years. And I got Lance Hendrickson on board, fortunately, early on, and And he, to his credit, he stuck it out through thick and thin, you know, lost the money a couple of times and we finally Pulled it together. I called them one day, I said, Hey, we're going to finally make the movie, which was a lie. I didn't have the money yet.
So I just decided I'm going to pretend like I'm making it, and maybe other people, it'll be contagious, will join me. Which kind of happened. I just spent a little money. I just said to the cinematographer that I wanted to work with.
someone I've worked with before, a guy from Denmark, really good artist. And I said, bring the camera, let's go find this font, let's go find these locations, let's start filming because I want to have images for the memories from spring, summer, fall, you know. different seasons. Because it's really, nature is really important in the memories of the father and the son to a degree.
So Well you started, uh-huh. And then eventually I did find a co-producer in Canada, another English guy. we got it together. But even when we I wanted to have seven weeks, which is not a lot, five days a week, thirty-five days to shoot all that stuff. In the winter with kids and their limited hours and, you know, short daylight hours and all that.
It was ambitious, but They got the producer said, All we can get is five weeks I said, Oh, man.
Okay, well So we figured it out. We got a really good team together. We prepared really well. And then we're just a short way from starting to shoot. And the producer comes over and he says, the co-producer says, I'm sorry, but we only have enough for two weeks.
I said, Well, that's impossible. I can't shoot this in two weeks. He goes, Yeah, but we'll get the rest probably eventually. It's in the works, but we're. Right now you actually have enough money for two weeks.
Do you want to wait till next year? I said, No, I've been waiting, you know, four years ago and four years on this one.
So. Let's start. We got a great team. I couldn't think of a better cast. I mean, it's perfect from the littlest kid up to Lance Henderson.
They're all perfect for their roles. And who knows if I'll ever get this together.
So let's just start and go, okay, well, there's a risk. I said, that's all right. And so we got really into it. It was going great. And two weeks in, I'd completely forgotten about that conversation.
And he comes over to me one day, I was standing outside. Um between setups, you know. It's kind of cold and smelly. He says, Hey, listen, can I talk to you for a minute? I go, Sure, what's up?
And he goes, Well, you can finish. I go, finish. Yeah. You mean today? And he goes, no, no, I mean, you can finish the movie.
I go, of course, we're going to finish the movie. It's going great. And he goes. Um No, I mean you have enough money to finish the movie. I said, Oh.
Yeah, you have enough money for five weeks now.
So, oh, great. Thank you.
So that's how that went. Then you just call action and then just go back to doing it. And it is, it's just a it's a beautiful movie, Vigo. And people wi with parents who who suffer from dementia will recognize a lot of the signposts and moments that are heartbreaking and also. I guess what's the word for it?
Exasperating. And well, yeah. And the problems that any you know, most there's hardly any family that doesn't have some communication problems, some Disagreements. And this one, obviously, the son and the father, they butt heads a lot and have their whole lives together probably. And that that makes it even harder.
You know, he's not an old man who wants any help from anybody. He's just a tough bastard and he's he's really offensive to people. You know, he's just pushes people away. He's isolated and he's bitter and seems to want it that way. And yet he's my dad, so I want to help him.
And I realize to help him, I'm probably the only person he'll accept even minimal help from. Right. But in order to help him so he doesn't shut me off. I ha I'm gonna have to take I just I say to him, I'm lucky, you know, you can insult me all you want. I want to help you, Dad, so I'm not gonna I promise myself I'm not gonna get into another big blowout with you.
Um, you know, have at it, but I'm not responding to that.
So he tries, and most of the movie he manages to hang in there because he realizes if I want to help him, I'm going to have to take a lot of crap. And he does over and over again until it finally just blows up and That it's a movie that I didn't think of it at the time when I started writing it, but it's become. unfortunately, in some ways, really timely because What's happening in a lot of families, not to mention in society as a whole in our country, obviously. Is it we're at an all time high as far as people not talking to each other. Um, people not communicating well.
Obviously, it's not just politicians, it's just people in the country. And we have to sort of try to remember, just like this family and following does, let's think back at a time when we actually could talk and sort of listen to each other at least a little. and work things out. you know make some deals Try to just listen to people that you don't agree with, at least give them a chance, and hopefully they'll give you a chance. We've got to get back to that.
And so it feels very timely in that regard, too. I think a lot of people. know that feeling of Why can't I talk to my friends anymore? Why can't I talk to some people in my family anymore over some political thing or something? It's just ridiculous.
Following again in theaters on digital and on-demand this Friday. Vigo, before I let you go, out of all the films and people that you have acted with, and I would love if you don't mind to give me a Gene Hackman story you might have from Crimson Tide. He turned 91. Over the weekend, Do you have a good Gene Hackman story that you can share?
Well, that was an awesome experience. Both watching Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington was great. Great. I lived near the studio where we were shooting, and I didn't work every day because I had like a supporting part. But on my days off I went all the time just to watch those two go at it as as artists, as actors.
It was like like a boxing match verbally. It was it was really cool. I learned a lot watching those guys and and teen teenagman was a He was crusty, but he was always I mean, he was always on the set, always talking with the crew, always hanging out. He had a little dog, if you remember in that movie. This character had a little dog on the submarine and he was just hanging out with the dog.
drinking coffee with the with the grips and the people there and just hanging out. He never went to his trailer and hung out, whereas you know other actors often do that. He was just always on the set, always interested in what's happening, always Mentally getting ready, but just relaxing and enjoying the company of people. And that's that's my kind of actor. I've always I think that's why I wanted to direct.
I've always liked the collective aspect, the team aspect of making movies. I always thought it was a It was great to see how you could take something written down. To the screen, and what is that journey? All these different people with different skills. When it works, when it's well led and people communicate well.
It's amazing to see what people can do.
so-so script into a great movie, and I've seen really great scripts turn out badly as movies because people didn't communicate in that way. But Tony Scott was a very good communicator. That was a great through, and Gene Hackman. Yeah, he's just a he was a master, is a master in his art form. And so he was at at the top of his game at that time.
I think I know what you mean by Krusty, but what do you mean by Krusty, to call him Krusty? Um, he didn't suffer fools. I mean, he was just uh I don't mean krusty old, I just mean he was like, you know, he was You know. former Marine and a And uh just uh Just a tough guy, and fair, but tough. You know, he didn't.
you know he hated anybody sucking up to him or interrupting him or anything like that.
So it was like you had to be on guard and respectful and just like Watch him and learn, basically. And just watching him and Denzel go at it, is what you're saying. Just watching them in there. Yeah, it was really great. It was fun to watch.
Sparks were flying, that's for sure. And was it always hot on the set? 'Cause it or did they were just putting perspiration on you in between 'cause it looked pretty damn hot. But they were mostly, yeah. I mean, Tony Scott seems to love that.
Ridley Scott, too. Of course. He's always sweaty. I'm sure. But uh yeah, in a submarine it is actually You know, it is tend to be very warm.
And so that made sense to a degree. I just figured I'd ask those questions. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
It's very sweaty, right? I bet. And yeah. And this I guess it is kind of emphasizes the stress of the situation. nuclear weapons and You know, everything that was going on in that story.
Vigo, thank you for the call. I hope to do this again for the next time that you have a movie coming out that you want to talk about or any other time. I'm a big fan. Thank you for the call. Thank you so much.
Go Habs. There you go. Go Habs. There you go. And a Toronto Maple Leaf fan, you'll still love Falling.
Don't hold that against him. Thanks for the comments. Take care, Viggo. That's Vigo Mortensen, the writer and director and actor, three-time Oscar nominee. Right here on the Rich Isaac Show.
It's available in theaters, on digital, and on demand this Friday. We'll take a break and we will finish up strong on the matter that is still pending, not only on our Fantasy Online, but in the inbox of Commissioner Christopher Brockman. We will hammer this out in a moment. This episode is brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union. Navy Federal can help you find and finance the right vehicle with ease.
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Michael Tufo, are you out there, Mike? Yes, I'm here, Rich. How are you doing today? I'm doing great.
So, what are you revealing? You've got right here, you've got. Right up here above me is a brand new Rich Eyes in Show sign. A new Rich Eyes in Show sign. Am I going to do it now?
See this. Yeah, here we go. Here we go. Oh, it's going to be fun. I just hope it doesn't come down in your life.
I can't do it because the way it's set up. Put down the microphone, dude. I can't. This is the worst reveal ever. Take down people.
He's pulling Delto. Just put the microphone down. This is good, Rich. This is good. He's going to break down the whole thing.
Yes.
So both of them were you. Yeah. Hey, whoa! We cannot have this as the reveal. He does this.
He does audio. He does not just mean he will lay with it. That's the way he brings. It's messed up up there. I can't look at that.
I can't. Del Tufo. Walk up the stairs. Walk up the stairs, Del Tufo.
Okay. The not reveal. He's going to walk. Oh, no. I can't.
Because I can't climb. Yeah, you can. That's up. No, you can't. You got to have a cable.
You guys don't know OSHA rules. See, they screwed me. They did this on purpose. I'm convinced. Yeah, it's against you, Mike.
I'm telling you. Del Tufo, just tell everyone out there you don't have any change for them. Just pull it. Give a good jersey pull. Put them up.
Yeah, there you go. Watch. Put your microphone down and pull it. Or the other one. You're a big man, yank it!
Great. This is so much fun. Yeah, we've been at it a while, huh? I mean, I remember that. Oh.
That's five years. It's amazing. We've been in the studio since 2014. We've been doing a lot here, man. We've been doing a lot here.
We've been doing a lot. We've been through a lot. We know each other. We are farmers. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open, everybody. It's this weekend. Top-ranked field heads to the Valley of the Sun for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, the greenest show on grass where the finest act is performing under pressure. Coverage begins Thursday and goes through Sunday on the Golf Channel and am. I remember the Super Bowl?
the last one in Arizona. That was the Seahawks. I think this was, you know, I was staying with the NFL Network group of people. I think, I forget which one. One of them I stayed in a hotel for the Phoenix Open, the same hotel as Phoenix Open.
It was impossible to get in and out of. For the waste management open. Unbelievable. What a tournament that is. 844-204-Rich, number to dial here on the show.
Okay. Ha ha. Do we want to finish this thing up? Do we want to tie up loose ends here? What is the uh what is the uh Pull question results right now, Christopher.
Both poll question results at Rich Eisen Show. Let's go. First one: the best team Tom Brady has played in the Super Bowl. Chiefs this year. The 2020 Chiefs, 41%.
The 2014 Seahawks, 35%. And the greatest show on turf. People forget amazing. That's probably number one. The 21% for that.
I would say the eagles. Look, the best defense they faced. uh in my mind was the Legion of Boom. All right. And the best team that they faced, let's see you know Uh you can't answer it until we see what What the Chiefs look like.
We know what they're going to look like. I guess we can answer that because the same thing is that we knew what the greatest show on turf looked like. Yeah. Going from back to back. And, you know, right now, can you even sit here and say who's a Hall of Famer?
mean you kind of knew Marshall was a Hall of Famer at the time, and you knew Isaac Bruce was growing into one. But I mean Pace, Bruce, Kurt. And Marshall Hope. And Tori Holtzman.
Well, I'm talking about who's in the Holmes. They've been a finalist, Tori Holtz.
Well, Isaac Bruce is in. We're just waiting for him to actually get in because it's been delayed. He got named last year. You could say Tori Ald is on his way too. He might get in Lynn Swan style after 10, 12 years of knocking on the door.
And then the other poll result, Chris. The other poll result. That's me mistakenly offering Christaps Porzingis for an L ball. I didn't have my glasses. Oh, I make it.
I made the tray for Lonzo. It's um when I thought it was Lamello. And I would like the trade to be reversed, and they're not a lie. Wow. If you believe it.
Damn. Mm. I thought we've been hoodwinked, bamboos, and led astray is more appropriate than that. It's 56% say yes.
However, I'm not going to grant the thing. Why not? First off, it's user error. We're in a fantasy league. Don't make a trade unless you absolutely know what you're doing and what you want to make.
Rich, you got to move on. I said in the text to him.
Okay. To be honest, El Ball, who plays for NO, is not L Ball who plays for CHA. It's your damn act together. What happened before the show? You're like, I'm willing to, I'll reverse it if you want.
Now Because it's actually a good trade for you. You have this weird stigma with Lonzo and LeVar. They're not the same. Lonzo's a really good player, and he plays on a really good team, and he facilitates, and you need assistant steals. I mean, his preseason ranking was better than Porzingis by one, and Porzingis had a knee injury he was coming off of.
He's not even rostered in the I mean, okay. He's not. I will beat you. I will beat your team. I hope so.
No, you don't. No, you don't. Yeah. No, you don't. It's an even trade.
I would like to tell everyone who voted no to go kick rocks. You heard the callers today. It's an even trade. It's not an even trade. But I will.
It will. It's not an even trade. What's better? Hold on a minute. What's better for the content of this show?
That we keep the trade. Why is that better? Why is that better? How is it better than just like. You do something that's screwed up and you don't like, and then you just tell me to change it?
How is that better? It's not I'm not telling you to change it. I'm not telling you to change it. I will accept it. Play better than the rest of the world.
Paul makes a good point. I was. May he rest in peace, Larry King. I have. Been the commissioner of my poker fantasy football league.
The number of times that I've had my time wasted by my friends and ass hats, and they know who they are, reaching out to me. to say, you gotta do this, you gotta do that. It it stinks. I'm not a fan of it. Yeah.
But I will take Lonzo Ball. Enjoy poor Zingus. Enjoy poor Zingas. We have been hoodwinked and bamboozled and led astray. By the way, if I'm not mistaken, that Stephen A.
Drop was his reaction to Frank Nilakina getting drafted by. Phil Jackson. Or was it Porzza? Porzingis getting drafted. Yeah, it was Porzingis.
We have been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray. It was fled out deceived. Right? Was that Porzingis' draft? I think it is.
Well, isn't this fitting? I'm just sipping my tea, guys. And what is more outrageous? What is more outrageous? The fact that TJ Jefferson saw what I wrote to him and did not correct it and accepted the trade, where I said to him, My unicorn for your rookie, which clearly would indicate.
That I'm not after the ball that he has. What's more, what's more yeah, laugh all you want.
Okay. Laugh all you want with me using that like you're an eight-year-old. Or the fact that he used black history months. That was amazing. You know, a conversation about this where I said, you know.
That was pretty bad. What do you mean bad? That was why is that bad? That was perfect. It's like I'm just trying for peace, love and harmony this month.
I want to thank George. Take that for dad. George Kittle by the way, you're just drop crazy today. I want to thank George. It's okay.
You've you've been nailing it. George Kittle, Kevin Harlan, Michael Irvin. And Viggo Mortensen. Viggo. That's a good chat where I am.
See, now I don't even know who's on tomorrow's show, or I'm not even, you know, I'm so out of my mind outraged by everything that's going on right here. But Okay. I know Kyle Brandt. Thank you.
I know Kyle Brandt's on the show tomorrow. I'll tell the peacock about it. Let me get a Steve Smith, Devonta Smith. Thank you.
They're awesome. Heisman Williams. Wonderful. Brother for another coming up on Peacock. Yeah.
