9 Highlights from Woody Allen’s First Podcast (Even Though He Doesn’t Know What A Podcast Is)
Eric Eidelstein
Hilarious MTV news correspondent Josh Horowitz sat down with Woody Allen for a half-hour podcast session, which he debuted on his website Happy Sad Confused. The interview features the acclaimed director/writer speaking about his latest film “Magic in the Moonlight,” his childhood and bagels.
Here are 9 highlights from Horowitz’s podcast session:
1. He’s out every night. When asked about the similarities between his standup work and the recent work of Louis C.K., Allen says that he’s never really watched the comedian and doesn’t have much time for TV. Why? He’s always out. The director explains that he’s always either writing, editing, shooting and spends most evenings going out for dinner with his wife. The only thing he really watches are “the two guys who do the sports show.”
2. His treadmill helped him find Emma Stone. The director had never heard about the actress and discovered her while watching TV on his treadmill. Allen spends half an hour a day on the machine and was fortunate enough to come across the actress’s work while exercising. Otherwise, he explains, he is not typically the target audience of Stone’s movies.
READ MORE: Review: Woody Allen’s ‘Magic in the Moonlight’ is Exactly What It Looks Like
3. He hated school. Although it’s not exactly new information, Allen elaborates on his disdain for school, particularly his love for playing hooky.
4. He tried to stop “Manhattan” from being released. Known for being his worst critic, Allen especially didn’t enjoy “Manhattan,” despite it being arguably one of his best (if not THE best) of his works. He even told United Artists, the distributor, if they canned the project he’d make a film for them for free.
5. He doesn’t pray. One of the greater scenes in “Magic in the Moonlight” involves Colin Firth‘s character Stanley praying. When asked if he’s ever prayed in his adult life, Allen replies with a severe, “No.” He continues by saying, “When I was a kid they beat you into praying. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s like people who say ‘Have a good day.'”
6. He wanted Jack Nicholson to star in “Hannah and Her Sisters.” It’s hard to imagine anyone else but Michael Caine playing the role of Elliot in “Hannah and Her Sisters,” but the role was also offered to Jack Nicholson. Horowitz asked Allen about some of the great actors he has yet to work with and Nicholson’s name popped up. Unfortunately, the timing was off. Still, Allen asserts that he’s always been a huge fan of Caine.
7. He has one big-budget film in mind. But it’s never going to happen. Allen said that the one film he’d make that would require a larger budget is a biopic of New Orleans jazz musician Sidney Bechet. He’s also smart enough to know that the project would never happen and wryly mentions that it would be a bad investment for anybody.
8. He has strong feelings about his legacy. “Legacy doesn’t matter because I will be dead. I will get the same kick out of it that Shakespeare gets. Once you’re gone, you’re gone.”
9. He hasn’t seen a Michael Bay film. In a speed round towards the end of the podcast, Horowitz asks Allen a series of random, but fantastic questions. Does the director have an email address? No. Has the director seen a Michael Bay film. No (and he seemed unfamiliar with Bay’s filmography in general).
And how does he feel about the scooping of bagels? He doesn’t like bagels.
