DISCLAIMER:
The following output was transcribed from our audio recording.
Although the transcription is largely accurate, it may be incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.
It is posted to aid in understanding the interview but should not be treated as an authoritative record.
Christian Brescia 00:00
Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of Monday's with Monday. Good morning Monday.
Mindy Cohn 00:05
Good morning, Christian. How are you doing?
Christian Brescia 00:07
I'm good. Thank you. How are you?
Mindy Cohn 00:09
Good? Well, I am so tickled I feel there's no better person to close out our season five. With today we're having a conversation with an actor, writer, producer and philanthropist Rainn Wilson. Born in Seattle, Washington rain began happening at the University of Washington and later worked extensively in Theater in New York City after graduating best known for playing Dwight. on NBC is the office he first showed up on television and HBO six feet under which is when I became a fan, and most recently reoccurring is Trevor in the CBS hit mom. Rain made his film debut and Galaxy Quest and follow that up with roles in Almost Famous Full Frontal Juno's Star Trek discovery. The Meg and most recently appeared in Blackbird alongside Kate Winslet and Susan Sarandon hits newest television project is as a series regular in utopia and Amazon original series with junk status. And actually he is off in Atlanta filming his next what I'm sure will be an amazing project with Bryan Cranston and attending absolutely rain co founded the website and YouTube channel SoulPancake. The channel has over 3 million subscribers featured on Oprah Winfrey super soul Sunday. And tagline is we make stuff that matters in October 2016. It was purchased by participant media and currently actually rain has a podcast that he does with SoulPancake and Reza Aslan, called Big Ideas, likes big questions. Something with a milkshake...
Christian Brescia 01:35
Metaphysical milkshake, perhaps?
Mindy Cohn 01:37
Yes, called metaphysical milkshake. Thank you partner. Rainn is also a climate change advocate and visited Greenland in 2019 with Arctic Basecamp, whose advisory board he also serves on during his trip he made the documentary The Idiot's Guide to climate change available to stream online. I recommend it highly rain also co founded with his amazing wife and my dearest darling holiday Ryan horn lead a Haiti in 2013. Along with Dr. Katherine Adams, Lee recently lost to her battle with cancer. It's an educational initiative that uses arts and literacy to empower adolescent girls in rural Haiti. They currently work in over 13 locations, dare I say schools and with over 500 girls providing scholarships and training and employing locals as teachers and managers. Rainn lives in Southern California with his wife Holiday, their son Walter, pitbulls, bo and diamond, guinea pigs, and two pigs: snortington and Amy, along with amazing amounts of horses, and a donkey that I am so happy to be a tanta for.
Christian Brescia 02:44
I love the Menagerie. Ladies and gentlemen, we are very excited to welcome very funny Rainn Wilson.
Mindy Cohn 02:53
Yeah. Both sides. Yes. And around, around around and all around. Thank you. Oh, my God. Oh, my God, and we have a musical accompaniment that we didn't even expect. It's just Bravo. I'm starting off with our questions.
Christian Brescia 03:11
Let's see what you get.
Mindy Cohn 03:12
I mean, who knows what you're gonna get. You may have heard it before.
Rainn Wilson 03:15
You're just diving right in. We're just going right into the question.
Christian Brescia 03:18
I know. Right?
Mindy Cohn 03:20
Come on, um, rainn. Who do you admire?
Rainn Wilson 03:23
Who do I admire? Yeah. Wow. There's so many people I admire. You and I, Mindy are in the mutual admiration society of my wife holiday course.
Christian Brescia 03:35
Who has been a guest on our show, as well.
Rainn Wilson 03:37
Yes, she has. And she I truly, like. I know. It's like, Oh, he's got a wife. He's Of course he's got to say it. As much as I admire my hearing. Let me tell you about how much I admire my wife. Please. She has been hardcore, studying Tai Chi slash Kung Fu for like six years. She has a kung fu sword. Christian. I did not know any of this. Love this. She has a kung fu sword. And she practices these movements. And she knows hours of in karate. They're called Cocteau's the forms that you have to do. She can do all the animals, the turtle and the baby dragon and the horse. And she does these with her sword, and she's badass. Yes, and the thing I really admire about it the most is it's pretty rare for someone in their 50s to kind of undertake the study of something that's so hard core i mean it's Yeah, this is really super challenging to do, but besides this, she rides horses and dresses does dressage so she's writing these 1200 pound animals around and making them like trip trot and then go backwards and then turn around stop on a dime and then go right into a gallop and and it's all about the union between the the horse and the rider in dressage. And, and she's a badass Can I continue though, and I continue with someone else?
Mindy Cohn 05:03
Yes. But I would like to pause and just say that I was gifted enough. You know that I abscond with your wife on my birthdays? Yes. Yeah. And she actually my birthday Instagram picture. She let me use her sword. And she put me in a pose. And that was my 55th birthday picture.
Rainn Wilson 05:21
That's fantastic.
Mindy Cohn 05:23
So it is no joke.
05:24
It's no joke.
Mindy Cohn 05:25
No. Okay, so moving on to more admiration for someone else. Yes.
Rainn Wilson 05:30
So I just before this podcast, and I was just reminded of this, I really admire this professor at USC, Varun Soni, is his name. And he's a good friend of mine, and he's raised Hindu studied Buddhism. And he is the chaplain at USC, as well as being a professor. So they have a Hindu Buddhist chaplain. And he's, yeah, yeah. And he's brilliant dude. And so well, it has a deep kind of understanding of all the religious traditions, and also the secular traditions and the atheists on campus, which are a large proportion, but he serves as kind of a counselor to them. And I tell you, Mindy, the reason I bring this up is one of the main things he has to deal with is suicide and mental health issues on campus, which, as we know, especially over the last 10 years have just skyrocketed. And so he's constantly having to, you know, go when there's a suicide or a suicide attempt, dealing with the families and kind of word and using his spiritual tools, from inner wisdom from Buddhism, to help heal families, and to help kind of try and uplift students in a really difficult time. Plus, you throw in COVID, and everything else, it's it's a really challenging time. So he's someone else that I greatly admire.
Mindy Cohn 06:56
Wow, it's so interesting, because every time I hear about someone doing that kind of work, I really do view them as a creative, you know, someone who is imparting or leaving room and allowing people to feel a feeling guidance through. I don't know, it's very touching. It's very moving.
07:15
No, it's true, because he's not a therapist, per se. He's not really a chaplain. It's kind of like, he has to use various spiritual tools to help inspire people uplift them, you know, help them in a grieving process. So there's there's definitely a creative aspect of that. Yeah, it's amazing.
Mindy Cohn 07:37
I want to meet him. said okay, said selfishly. Oh, hook you up. He's awesome. Yeah. How do you unwind or unplug?
07:46
I'm going to giant sirens outside my window. Can you guys hear me okay? Okay. Yeah, so hear you. Okay.
Mindy Cohn 07:51
We don't have,
07:52
how do I unwind or unplug? Well, you know, for me, the number one thing that I do, I'm my wife is such a badass, she's got a katana sword, and she's riding horses. I mean, she's like Milan, just like a white, middle aged white woman, Milan. And I play tennis. I mean, I have a daily practice of meditation that I do. That's very important to me, that helps me unwind and focus and whatnot. But for me, it's like one of the few things that I can do, I'm a high anxiety person, I have an anxiety disorder, I have struggled with anxiety my entire life. And if for some reason when I play tennis, anxiety goes away. And then I have a period of bliss for hours afterwards or even a day afterwards. And there's because I think Monday that tennis requires such focus I mean it is of all the sports instruct buyers is kind of Zen like ability to witness the ball and address the ball and see it as you're hitting it you can't look where you're hitting, you know, you can't be thinking two moves ahead, you have to just see the ball and hit it. Now all of that focus, focus focus of being in the moment that you're never more in the moment like than when you're playing a game, tennis when the ball is in motion. And me that really helps reduce my anxiety and I get a great rush of endorphins from it. And and I love I'm not very good. I'm pretty mediocre, but I love being a student of the game. You know, I love Yeah, studying.
Mindy Cohn 09:27
Are you playing with the same people over and over? Are you singling it out? Are you doubling it?
09:32
I played singles and doubles and I play with friends. But recently we moved out to this small town north of LA and so I joined a little tennis club. It's the first time I've ever joined a club so I'm getting to know a new slew of middle aged men and and play with them.
Mindy Cohn 09:49
But I mean, I think that's brilliant because the camaraderie over sport, I think you can't beat it. I think you'll find it. Yeah, absolutely.
09:57
Absolutely.
Mindy Cohn 09:58
I bet you're better than you think. If you're playing as much as you are,
10:01
yeah, you know, it's all on a spectrum. I'm Oh yeah, I can hold my own.
Mindy Cohn 10:05
I bet you're more than I have a feeling. Um, if you could ask anyone alive or dead anything, who would it be? And what's the question?
10:14
I guess I would ask Jesus how his dad was doing
Mindy Cohn 10:19
Yes. I think that's the most brilliant answer not to be judgmental but wow Yes.
10:26
I don't know it's the first thing that popped into my head
Mindy Cohn 10:30
first thing Yeah,
10:32
I mean there's so many I mean that's God you could go anywhere with that question. Couldn't you know right? It's It's amazing. I mean, I would love to, to spend some time with Marlon Brando's being Jesus and Marlon Brando.
Mindy Cohn 10:45
I think he would love that, by the way.
10:48
Love that comparison.
Mindy Cohn 10:51
I happen to have known him and I trust me that he would have loved that way. You met Marlon Brando? A few times. Yes. Through Cloris Leachman, Holy moly, florists, his ex husband George England produced three of Marlins movies and they remained very, very good friends throughout his life. So yes, believe it or not, I've dined with the Brando. That's amazing. What was that? Like?
11:15
Come on gave me the first time I don't remember
Mindy Cohn 11:17
it. Because I went deaf, dumb and blind. I just have to be honest, I sort of didn't. I was not in my body. I just associated almost completely for the whole evening. I mean, I don't think I came back in ever, right? So I remember meeting him and that was it. And the second he asked me a question, because again, I think I would have not disassociated but just in my introverted self, okay, I really am. If there's more than three people in a room, I tend to, and he asked me a question, and we proceeded to talk for about an hour about acting, which sounds so highbrow and stupid, but it really wasn't about acting shafting. He was about what you get out of it. Why you do it? Why do you love it? And it was, I asked him the same thing. And he said, Well, it's different now. And I don't even think like that anymore. But yeah, he was very much a philosopher. Hmm. And talk. very lofty about the most benign things as well. You just talked in? Yeah, like
Christian Brescia 12:14
that. In the stratosphere.
12:15
Mandy, when I'm acting like a transform. You know, it's a whole other level. Yeah. I don't know. anymore. I mean, I turn into Trump a little bit. I turned out,
Mindy Cohn 12:34
I was just gonna say, Oh, my God, that's amazing. I when I asked him, you know, did he ever fall in love with his co stars? Or did he get on with his co stars? And he said, I don't have one story about one co star because I was never there. I was never present. It was just oh, I was in Yeah, so he had no he says I have none of that. Wow. He was fascinating. smart about it. When we see each other picking
13:04
up Brando and Jesus, I read his autobiography. And there was a woman that was a kind of a stalker that was showing up every night when he was doing a street car and she thought he was the return of Christ and she would kind of wait in the hallway and be like you're the return of Christ and and so what did he do? What would you do you have there so he took her back and so she she had with Brando, Jesus, and she was obviously mentally tremendously imbalanced. So
Mindy Cohn 13:36
it's a whole nother description of this session coming apparently Oh, she said it I went there I love it. Oh my god I've never heard that story that is insane. Yeah, yeah. on a lot of levels. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Well that's more about him now To be honest, which is not great.
13:53
No, it's not great. But it's a it's a really interesting read. I
Mindy Cohn 13:59
might have to pick that up. What is your guilty pleasure
14:03
to have one? Yeah, sure. Chocolate every night. I have to have some chocolate and I can't give it up and so I gave up smoking and gave up drinking. I gave up pretty much everything but I need to have like an ounce of chocolate at night. Yeah. Yeah. Be harmless. I
Mindy Cohn 14:19
say. Yeah, I do. I think that's how much I'm judging every answer. Apparently. This is okay. where I am today. I'm sorry. I apologize in advance. What scares you?
14:29
You know, I tell you something, I was a friend of mine right now is dying of cancer. And my Thank you. It's been a really rough i mean he's he's lived way longer than the doctors prognosticated and he's in a lot of ways has done and was doing really really well. It's been very sad and challenging but you know, I've been able to be his friend throughout it and every week go you know, walk on the beach with him revisit and but that has gotten thinking a lot more about my mortality. And my father passed away a year ago. And that as well. And then, even last night holiday, and I were watching a documentary, and there was this guy on and he just kind of this griddle guy. And he was like, Well, I'm 65. You know, I'm almost dead. And you know, you really should be talking to the young people about this, whatever they were talking about. And I was like, wait, 65 almost dead, like, I'm 55. I'm 10 years away from 65. I really definitely had like a flashes of like my own mortality flashing in front of my eyes. And those like, Oh, goodness, yes, I am in this. I'm getting close to the final chapter here. I've never been afraid of death before. But I've been having some some flashes of Ooh, this is getting towards the end of the novel right now.
Christian Brescia 15:53
We're only halfway through your novel, maybe halfway through.
15:57
You're very kind Christian. That could be it could be that I lived to 110.
Mindy Cohn 16:01
Yes. It's so interesting. You said it turned 55 this year. And I have to say it wasn't the number or the you know, my philosophy still could change. But the best is yet to come for me. So I'm very optimistic in that regard. Having said that, there is something about oh, my gosh, I'm no longer middle aged. I mean, truly, it is sort of the other side. I don't feel close to death. But I mean, it is very weird.
16:25
Do you want to go to an AARP meeting with me Monday,
Mindy Cohn 16:29
when I got my card, literally, I felt the hair grow out of my chin. I mean, it was so disturbing, for some reason to be a member. No,
16:41
we never thought we would
Mindy Cohn 16:42
achieve. And I have to say, and I don't usually speak this out of turn on the podcast, but you live and a very incredible life. And what I mean by that is, I admire you so much in the life that you've created for yourself in that there is love around you, and humility and beauty and animals and music and all of these things that I've been told my whole life and I experience on smaller levels that are additive. And you live and breathe that kind of, if not every day, often. And so I always think someone like that whatever your as the juice would say service you've got going on between your ears, that pulling back, it's quite fabulous a life lived if you are touching all of those bases. So I don't know you are one of those people to me when I think about admirable lives, that whatever your hardships and your struggles, your anxieties, I don't know you are one of those people to me rain. I have to say you're on holiday.
17:44
You're very kind. Thank you.
Mindy Cohn 17:46
Thank you, man. Yeah, it's the truth. Um, so having said that, what's shaking on the acting tree? What's this sort of like in work? Not in work, work life been like for you? As far as the trajectory goes, if not, like all current, I mean, just in general.
18:01
Well, you know,
Mindy Cohn 18:02
it's not the creative process.
18:04
Yeah, it's, you know, I am the luckiest guy on the planet. I get to make a living from doing creative projects. And wow, I never could have imagined that being this nerdy, gawky, pimply kid from suburban Seattle that that I would end up, you know, making a living in this way. It's certainly fraught with challenges. We were just discussing this movie that I had been cast in. It was a big movie. And then due to the funding of the film, and the new producers that came on, I wasn't a big enough name and I was let go. And then that goes with the territory. Yes. And, but it's disappointing. Nonetheless, holiday always describes showbusiness as a ham sandwich in a club. Like you get something great. And it's like here have a ham sandwich and you reach for the ham sandwich. And then bam, you're hit with a club, like, oh, here's a club. So it's a constant duet of like ham sandwich and the club and not a club sandwich, by the way. Yeah. And but yes, so acting wise, you know, it's a challenge, because I'm known so much as Dwight that can be limiting. And a lot of people I know, producer, director types kind of struggle with that. Yes. Oh, that's the guy who played Dwight. No pass. Yeah. And I know Mindy, you've, you know, you and I are cut from the same cloth in that way of known felon. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Christian Brescia 19:27
So it's for me, it's a
19:29
and I'm so grateful for a while and I'm grateful for the role and what it's brought me in. I bought a house and you know, and it's opened a lot of doors for me, but it's this kind of long process of me doing some indie films here and some TV here and opening people's eyes I two films came out last year one was Blackbird with cannons lit and
Mindy Cohn 19:50
I love that film. Oh, cool. And I loved you in it.
19:53
Oh, thank you. And another one is don't tell a soul which is a nifty little thriller that I did, and the Finn Whitehead and jack Dylan grazer and Mena suvari. And that was cool. I'm gonna go do a supporting role in a new movie with Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening this summer so I, you know, I do those kinds of things. And then I'm trying to generate projects on my own. I have a couple of podcasts that I'm doing one was a fictional comedic podcast called dark air with Terry carnation, and another one metaphysical milkshake, which is a, you know, conversation podcast about life's big questions, but I'm also you know, generating scripts and trying to get projects going on my own stuff like that. Yeah,
Mindy Cohn 20:31
you'll have to tell Bryan Cranston Hi. Okay. He's one of my favorite people on the planet. He's a match. He is a man. And, and I, we have known each other almost 40 years. And he is consistently the same warm, generous, loving human being. It's quite astounding. That's amazing. You
20:50
got to get him on Mondays with Mindy. Yeah, yeah,
Mindy Cohn 20:52
he's been asked. He is soon to follow. Yes. All right. I'll twist his arm a little bit. Yes, yes. No, we'll do it. His schedule is ridiculous. Yes. But yes, we will. Thank you for that. Um, tell me about this new podcast that you're doing with in conjunction with SoulPancake. Is it in conjunction with our Yeah, yeah, yeah, I want to say it correctly.
21:13
SoulPancake is a digital media company that I co created about 12 years ago, and they're producing this podcast called metaphysical milkshake. And I do it with a co host, Reza Aslan, who is a very well known New York Times best selling author, and host and roust about and provoca tour and intellectual and producer, TV producer, and he's terrific. And we dig into life's big questions and life's biggest possible topics with some really interesting guests. And
Mindy Cohn 21:47
give me an idea what a big idea. Like what, what are a couple of the topics?
21:52
Sure, like Adam Grant, who's a best selling author, we did a topic with him about, like, you know, how do you change someone's mind, you know, in our minds to be changed. We did that. With Krista Tippett post of the podcast on being we did what is wisdom? And it was all about because as a podcast host of a spirituality podcast, she's interviewed so many great thinkers and learned people kind of glean from her like, what is wisdom? How do we get wise Do we have to suffer to get wise? The one that was just released today is with Mike Sure. The creator of The Good Place and parks recreation, and it's about how can we be good? You know, it's a very complicated world. You know, I bought this T shirt I'm wearing, but I don't know if it was made for 57 cents by, you know, a 12 year old Vietnamese girl in a sweatshop, you know, how do we in such a complicated world to try and be good. And so these are some of the kinds of the kinds of guests we had Malcolm Gladwell on. And some of the kinds of topics we try and get into, but it's really we hope it is, is that it's a unifying conversation, because whether you're democrat or republican or right or left, or red state or blue state, like life's biggest questions are what unites us. You know, we're, we've been talking about this stuff. Since the dawn of time, you know, since humans lived in caves, and we had shamans it's about, you know, philosophy, spirituality, psychology, sociology. So it's been really fun.
Mindy Cohn 23:24
It sounds amazing. And it's my most favorite thing, because I go deep. So and those are my favorite topics. And I've always said, I was complimented at a very young age, oh, you're such a fun dinner companion like it because I would ask questions like that, because I think it's the best way to get to know somebody. Right? Right. Right. And people aren't really used to being asked about how they feel about certain things like that. Oh, I just I'm fascinated rain. I'm
23:49
weird. We are definitely cut from the same cloth, mainly because I was the kid even in high school, kind of, like, at a party, like to a girl at a party like, so what do you think happens when we die? You know, and, and she would like, look and say, Excuse me, I need to go into the kitchen and meet a friend and they'd be gone. But I would always just kind of blurt the biggest kind of most inappropriate questions, and I wasn't talking about the weather. Well, I
Mindy Cohn 24:19
still do and did Oh, and it's so funny, because not more than once. I've been told that we just thought you were gonna be kind of like bubbly and funny. And I'm like, thank you. I mean, I am also but the expectation was blown, apparently by what I wanted to talk about. Oh, well, right. Yeah. Oops. And still can we find us on all platforms? When is
24:42
Yeah, metaphysical milkshake wherever you get your fine podcasts. Thank you link up.
Christian Brescia 24:47
Now for our viewers and listeners.
Mindy Cohn 24:48
Thank you. I'm all about it. Um, we've talked about this before, but I wanted to ask you again about weather growing up where you grew up and how you grew up, created or added to your aesthetic or What you see as your creative process or how you beat things, or did you absolutely go opposite of that?
25:06
That's a great question. I am definitely a product of my environment. And that was suburban Seattle in the 70s and early 80s and a very awkward family that had a lot of dysfunction in it. And you know, basically my parents were in a loveless marriage. And you know, this is a very peculiar kind of torture for a kid we would eat dinner together and we'd watch TV shows together and we would walk the dog together and there was a garden in the backyard and it all by all looks and appearances It was very normal, but it was a very strange petri dish to grow up in because and I asked them this my parents before my father passed like, when did you know that you didn't love my mom and he was like, within a year we got married and then I asked my mom this was actually my stepmom. When did you know and she said the same thing within a year and yet they were married for 15 years and the second I went off to college they got a divorce like literally like went off to college. I called in like October Hey, should I come back for Thanksgiving? What are we gonna do? Like we're getting a divorce. Okay.
Mindy Cohn 26:14
Wow, wow, so really what's not you you but for the children that kind of fast change idea.
26:20
Yeah, which is a terrible idea, it would have been so much better for them to just go be happy and to have two divorced very happy, inspired fulfilled parents instead of an a miserable ones. But the other aspect is that my dad wanted to be an artist, and he was kind of, I guess, for lack of a better word, a failed artist, he didn't he painted and he wasn't able to sell his paintings and he wrote books and he other than one little science fiction book he wasn't really able to sell those and so for me, I kind of saw what it would take for me to be an artist I was like, Oh, I don't want to go down my father's path. So if I'm going to do this acting thing I'm going to go whole hog I'm going to go to New York City I'm going to try and get the best education I can I'm gonna you know network I'm gonna you know, really, really work at it with everything that I have in order to make it and and that really was in a reaction to my father and his grief around never moving forward as an artist. Yeah,
Mindy Cohn 27:21
I mean, do you see I can't imagine you not creating for the rest of your human existence? Would I be correct in that or you're one of those lifers? I just feel
27:31
Yeah, and I always have you know, I'm creative dude. And I always Perry was always making art in some ways drawing painting now I just got to kill him. I want to do ceramics.
Mindy Cohn 27:41
I have. You understand? I will become a barnacle on that barn? Because I yeah, my jam. I'm so excited. You guys did it.
27:50
Now, are you? Do you have knowledge of ceramics? Yeah. Will you teach me cuz I don't know how to do it.
Mindy Cohn 27:57
I mean, I have skills. Okay, and I know what I'm doing. But whenever someone says teach, I get flopsweat so maybe that was we can surely throw and glaze. I've got really good knowledge of blazes. Oh, wow. So I got a little cheese. Yeah, but we'll have some fun down there for sure.
28:19
Oh, that's fantastic. That's great. Yeah, yeah. So um, but I'm always you know, writing playing music working on a book right now on spirituality and also working on a couple screenplays and, and I like I said, Do you
Mindy Cohn 28:32
want to get behind the camera to rain? Do you have aspirations to direct what you write?
28:36
Or Yes, I would love to direct more. I love acting, but it loses a little bit of its luster. I think and yeah, I would love to be involved in other ways, writing, producing, directing, like that. So I'm trying to nudge in that direction as well.
Mindy Cohn 28:52
I saw you put your hands on the most ridiculous and sublime instrument.
28:57
Yes, it's right here. For those watching. On the YouTubes. Instead of listening, I have a bassoon in my hand and no, that's, that's not a euphemism.
Mindy Cohn 29:08
Like not by any shot. And it's so serious in such a distinct Rainn Wilson way.
29:15
It is. Yeah, I played a bassoon in high school. You know that my nerd crucifix?
Mindy Cohn 29:21
That is not nerdy kiddo. I got an A stereo. That is just the coolest.
29:25
You're the literally the only person who feels that way about a bassoonist.
Mindy Cohn 29:30
I can't imagine Now granted, maybe when you picked it up in high school, Okay, I get it. But just from where I sit, that is just that you went to that instrument and went, yes, it's fantastic.
29:42
I got conned into the instrument. I wanted to play the saxophone. But my junior high music teacher was like, Oh, we got too many saxophone players. And then he's like, you're gonna play. I got an idea for you. The bassoon. It's most awesome instrument. You know, he didn't say it but he's like, you're gonna get all the girls to like You play the bassoon didn't actually say that. But he kind of hinted at, it's like so cool, right? He gets cool looking. It sounds amazing. What do you think I was like, Okay, I'm in. And, but I love it. I really do.
Mindy Cohn 30:14
It's really difficult. I mean, that is not an easy instrument by any stretch perhaps.
30:19
Yes, that is true. It is very, it's very challenging. It's very challenging.
Mindy Cohn 30:23
Yeah.
Christian Brescia 30:24
Again, you enjoy that aspect of that, that it's difficult to play and that makes it kind of unique or what kind of draws you to it still. I mean, obviously, the,
30:32
I mean, I true. I really, I'm not very good at it. I was taking some lessons in the pandemic, but I really, those fell off, but I need to get back in. I just love the sound of it. I mean, it really is a haunting. It's a haunting, beautiful sound. And I just enjoy making that the sound that the instrument makes, even if I'm not very good. I just kind of do. You know, I have like a right here. Here's my bassoon book. In case you're wondering. Yeah, isn't born bassoon manual, but I also just kind of freeform improvise. My kind of mystical doodling is on
Mindy Cohn 31:15
Yeah, why not? Okay, so you know what? You've seriously opened the door and I can't help it. I have two questions for you to close our episode. One is Rainn Wilson. Are you wise?
31:26
Wow. That's a good question. No one's ever asked me that before. I don't know that wise is something attainable? I think it's not like you reach a mountaintop. And there's like, you're wise, like a guru sitting on a mountain. I think it's a, it's a journey. But I tell you, I'm a hell of a lot wiser now than I was 10 years ago. And I'm hella hella hella lot wiser than I was 20 years ago. So I'm headed in the right direction at least and that's all we can ask for.
Mindy Cohn 31:57
Yes, great. I can car also so are you a good person?
32:02
That's a great question too. Am I a good person? So you're, you're you're turning some of my life's big questions from I just took a milkshake. It's
Mindy Cohn 32:10
so fascinating to me, because I knowing you as very little as I do, honestly, you know, truth be told, I'm someone with the who walks through the world, the way that you do that I've been a little witness to, I find that to be very wise because you have humility and you're teachable, and you're curious, I find that to be the most interesting and fascinating and wise people, people that do that and secondly, you always are in search of and questing to be better or get good or try and I think that defines a good person so that's why oh,
32:44
that's very nice. I will say that terms of being a good person I try and do the next right good thing in my life and sometimes that works out I have a lot of character defects that are you know, I can be selfish patient judgmental and narcissistic and self involved. And so it's a that's a daily kind of struggle is not the right word, but it's this daily dance between yeah I don't want it's too limiting to say dark side and light side but yeah, to kind of like restrain those elements and you know that analogy of the good wind factors of podcasts the good Wolf and the bad wolf. You know, this Yeah. elegy. Yes.
Mindy Cohn 33:28
I know the little story. There's a little
33:30
Yeah, fable. Christian shaking his head. So there's a Native American fable. Apparently, we're grandfathers talking to a grandson. And the grandfather says, you know, we have two wolves inside of us. We have a good Wolf and a bad wolf. And they're in a constant battle. And the grandson says, well, which wolf wins? And the grandfather says, well, whichever wolf you feed, so you try and feed the good, wolf. That's what I'm doing. in suburban Los Angeles. I'm trying to feed the good wolf over here, right? not always successful.
Christian Brescia 34:01
Well, that's what I was gonna say. Like out here. The fact that you're aware, already opens up so many doors to improvement of yourself, because so many people, particularly in LA, just aren't even aware that those parts of themselves exist, you know?
Mindy Cohn 34:14
Yeah, that's true. I declare you a rock star. Truly, truly, thank you, kind, sir. I so appreciate you being on our episode. Exactly. Yes.
Christian Brescia 34:25
Thank you, ladies. Thank you. Once again, thank you for saying yes, Rainn Wilson. Ladies and gentlemen.
34:30
Yay. Yay. Thanks, guys. Thanks for having me. What a pleasure and an honor really appreciate it's so much fun.
Christian Brescia 34:39
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