Interview With "3 Body Problem" Actor Jovan Adepo

[00:00:00] You are listening to the Next Best Picture Podcast, and this is Giovanni Lagod's interview

[00:00:05] with one of the stars from the new Netflix series Three Body Problem, Yovon Adepo.

[00:00:11] I have to tell you something.

[00:00:16] Something insane.

[00:00:20] But true.

[00:00:23] About all of us.

[00:00:26] It started a long time ago.

[00:00:34] Back in 1977, they detected a sequence called the Wow Signal.

[00:00:44] What's it say?

[00:00:46] Hello everyone, I'm Giovanni Lago from the Next Best Series Podcast and I'm joined by

[00:00:50] one of the stars of Netflix's hit show, The Three Body Problem, Yovon Adepo.

[00:00:55] Thank you so much for being here.

[00:00:56] Thank you for having me, man.

[00:00:58] This is a pleasure.

[00:00:59] You know, let's just get right into it.

[00:01:02] Three Body Problem, a very famous Chinese novel by Lu Xishan now being brought to American

[00:01:07] audiences.

[00:01:08] Was it something you were familiar with?

[00:01:10] Was it just, you know, your agent slides your script and it's Benny Hoffman Weiser

[00:01:14] involved and you're like, I'm in.

[00:01:16] I don't care what the project is.

[00:01:17] I'm just going to be a part of it.

[00:01:19] What was the process?

[00:01:20] Yeah, you just said it was the latter.

[00:01:22] I got the email from my agents and I was already filming at the moment.

[00:01:27] I was finishing Babylon and I had gotten the notice and saw what the job was.

[00:01:33] It was untitled at the time, but it said, you know, Benny Hoff, Weiser and Wu.

[00:01:37] And I was like, oh, right away I would love to have an opportunity to have a

[00:01:40] meeting with these guys to talk about the world that they're trying to create

[00:01:44] and see if through the casting process that I'm a right fit for the role.

[00:01:48] So to answer your first question, I was not familiar with the book beforehand, but

[00:01:54] after I met them in L.A. at their offices, I got the book, took a stab at it or took

[00:01:59] a swing at it and missed because it is so dense, such a thick book.

[00:02:02] The material is so dense that it took me two passes to get through it and to

[00:02:06] really try to keep track of what's going on with all of these characters.

[00:02:11] The second time being through audio books.

[00:02:13] So every time I was going on for Babylon, I was able to listen to the story.

[00:02:17] But I was really interested at the prospect of being a part of this just

[00:02:20] because, like you said, I mean, these are heavy hitters in storytelling.

[00:02:25] And so I wanted to do anything I could to be a part of this of this project.

[00:02:30] And it was an exciting prospect.

[00:02:32] And I'm glad that I got a chance to do it.

[00:02:34] One of my dear friends, he's really big reader.

[00:02:38] So when I was watching the series, he's read the book.

[00:02:40] One of the few people I know.

[00:02:41] So like I was asking him questions, I was like, is this matching?

[00:02:44] You know, like you mentioned, it's very dense.

[00:02:47] He described to me the cerebral intelligence to it where, you know,

[00:02:52] not everything is entirely action.

[00:02:53] It's through like intense physics and mathematics and through a scientist's mind.

[00:02:58] So I just I'm curious, you know, compare this to something like Watchmen,

[00:03:02] you know, something that exists as a franchise, but with such a loose adaptation,

[00:03:06] you had more freedom to the performer in interpreting that story for this.

[00:03:10] Did you feel a bit more obligated to stick to the script, to, you know,

[00:03:14] be more dedicated to the material just because you wanted to get it right?

[00:03:18] Well, I think we definitely had a bit of an advantage as actors because

[00:03:24] Benioff or I should say Dad, David, Alex and Dan.

[00:03:28] But we call them dad because it was easier than saying all the names.

[00:03:31] But we refer to them as dead

[00:03:33] because they had done all of the work adapting to characters

[00:03:35] and adapting the story to screen.

[00:03:38] And I think some of the concepts or most of the concepts

[00:03:40] that are shared in the books are so complex that it's tricky.

[00:03:44] To be able to find a way to adapt it to screen and in a way that's

[00:03:48] that the consumer can or mass consumers can can attempt to understand.

[00:03:52] So I think that they did most of the heavy lifting for us.

[00:03:55] We were very fortunate to have that because the conversation then became

[00:03:58] how do we as actors collaborate with you guys to to bring

[00:04:03] the characters that you put on paper so brilliantly.

[00:04:05] But they also allowed us to kind of put our own ideas into it as well

[00:04:09] as where it was where it was fitting as much as I can.

[00:04:13] If it's on the paper, it's on the page.

[00:04:15] I like to kind of stay on board with what the writers put there

[00:04:18] because they put it there for a reason.

[00:04:20] And they've done so much and such great things in storytelling

[00:04:23] that you want to trust what they're creating.

[00:04:25] But it was refreshing that they allowed us to kind of put our own quirks in.

[00:04:29] And when I say us, I mean Oxford Five and all the

[00:04:32] my other brilliant castmates to do things that were fun

[00:04:35] kind of loose wherever they saw fit.

[00:04:37] So it was it was a pretty.

[00:04:39] In my recollection, a pretty seamless

[00:04:43] process as far as conversations with those guys,

[00:04:46] going through the casting process, pre-production and then going in day

[00:04:49] to day on set and doing these scenes.

[00:04:51] Yeah, you mentioned the other cast.

[00:04:53] I want to ask what is it like working with them because, you know,

[00:04:56] Saul or Saul Duran in this English adaptation of it

[00:05:00] from his tiny counterpart, someone who doesn't fully live up

[00:05:05] to his quote unquote potential, he's eluded to a degree

[00:05:09] in the relationships he has.

[00:05:10] How does that play as a performer to developing those dynamics,

[00:05:14] especially with your relationships with Augie?

[00:05:16] You know, Isaac Gonzalez is amazing and the character of Will,

[00:05:19] of course, in that friendship.

[00:05:21] Yeah, yeah, I really I've really come to admire Saul as a person

[00:05:26] in a weird way because playing him was a bit difficult for me initially

[00:05:31] because, like you said, he is so much more

[00:05:34] on the on the standoffish or silent type of individual

[00:05:39] compared to his other brilliant counterparts.

[00:05:41] I think all of these guys have all done great things for the science world

[00:05:46] and he has the capability to do so in a major way,

[00:05:48] but he's just never done that.

[00:05:50] And even in the early episodes, when we first start to establish

[00:05:53] the game and the headset and, you know, the terrors

[00:05:55] that are haunting physicists around the world,

[00:05:57] everybody has such strong opinions about it.

[00:06:00] And they're trying and there's a lot of conflicting ideas

[00:06:02] and and all of the Oxford five, everybody's kind of

[00:06:06] handling different things in different ways.

[00:06:07] And it's kind of a task for Saul to be able to be somebody that just sits back.

[00:06:14] And I always thought that it was like, oh, he's just kind of being boring.

[00:06:17] He's kind of just deciding to ignore everything and kind of not care.

[00:06:21] But I think a lot of the time, people who are quietest

[00:06:24] are the ones that are spending time listening.

[00:06:28] Even more we're thinking about, I don't know if this is spoiler friendly,

[00:06:30] but when they first really as a group

[00:06:32] kind of face the the realities of the VR headset

[00:06:35] and they're all at Jack's house and they're all bickering about

[00:06:39] what they think this means for physicists and why they're as well

[00:06:42] as we would say, topping themselves, killing themselves.

[00:06:45] And they spend five, ten minutes, everybody going back and forth

[00:06:48] about what's the right way to attack this until they're like, OK,

[00:06:51] what is this as a VR headset?

[00:06:53] What does it mean? What is the relevance of it?

[00:06:55] And then they basically are like, OK, boy, genius.

[00:06:58] So give us something that we can use.

[00:07:01] And that's something that's really admirable, I think, because he is

[00:07:04] one of the most brilliant minds in the world, but he's the quietest.

[00:07:08] So it's like, what is it about his brilliance and his talent

[00:07:11] that he's so afraid of that he just actively chooses

[00:07:15] in every day of his life that translates to this entire season?

[00:07:19] He just chooses to sit back and do nothing.

[00:07:22] Is there a fear of failure?

[00:07:23] Is there a trauma of him, you know, never living up

[00:07:27] to expectations from his parents or whatever?

[00:07:29] There's so much about him that I tried to fill

[00:07:32] that we don't get to see on screen, unfortunately.

[00:07:35] And I'm hoping that that's all we'll get to

[00:07:38] express more of that in the event that we get to continue

[00:07:41] to tell his story in future seasons.

[00:07:44] You know, it feels very much into that when people think of really

[00:07:48] intelligent individuals and these theoretical doctors and geniuses

[00:07:51] of like the torture genius and you know what's going on.

[00:07:54] The way they interact with people are so different

[00:07:56] because of what is truly processing.

[00:07:58] It plays so well into Saul's eventual arc,

[00:08:02] you know, him starting to realize he needs to step up more,

[00:08:05] seeing the tolls it's starting to take him becoming a part of the wall

[00:08:09] facer program. What would you like to see that?

[00:08:11] You know, since we touched on spoilers, let's go into it.

[00:08:14] You know, that natural evolution of that and seeing how it tips off

[00:08:18] and sets off what could be happening for the next season.

[00:08:21] I think it's awesome, man, because in the earlier episodes,

[00:08:24] what's really cool is that like he's a physicist.

[00:08:26] It's been established that he's very intelligent.

[00:08:28] You know, they say, oh, you're a various favorite.

[00:08:30] Yeah, but he's such a relatable guy and it's been put on paper.

[00:08:34] And, you know, I think it's really cool that you can have someone

[00:08:37] whose brain is literally like at the top of the most intelligent

[00:08:42] people in the world.

[00:08:43] But you see him at a pub or you see him trying to talk to girls

[00:08:46] at the bar or whatever.

[00:08:48] And he's just a relatable guy.

[00:08:49] Now, he might be familiar and totally understand the most complex

[00:08:53] and diverse concepts that exist in our history of science.

[00:08:57] But at the end of the day, he can talk to you like he's a buddy

[00:09:00] that you that you shot the shit with for years.

[00:09:03] And I think going from that to him being able to really see

[00:09:07] that he's somebody that the world needs to step up and do something.

[00:09:11] I think I would hope that if we continue to tell this story,

[00:09:14] if we're fortunate to do so, people are going to want to see.

[00:09:17] OK, people are talking about how smart he was this whole season.

[00:09:20] He's been put in a place of power.

[00:09:21] What is he going to do with it?

[00:09:23] And I think that there's a few places you can go.

[00:09:26] I think, you know, you could just come up and be the hero right away.

[00:09:28] Or I think, you know, what's interesting

[00:09:31] in drama is a bit of conflict and a bit of obstacle and failures

[00:09:35] that he might not be able to immediately step into that role responsibly.

[00:09:39] So who really knows?

[00:09:40] I think it's it's an exciting prospect, I think, for Saul.

[00:09:44] You know, you mentioned when you first got the role

[00:09:45] and you were taking cracks at it, reading the material

[00:09:48] and you found parts frustrating or a bit difficult to get into

[00:09:51] for the character.

[00:09:52] Is there any like weird comparison to that of, you know,

[00:09:56] I mentioned Watchmen earlier when you're playing Will Reeves

[00:09:58] and sort of that internal

[00:10:01] silence that you mentioned, at least for Will Reeves,

[00:10:04] you know, he took his anger out on like when he's crime fighting,

[00:10:07] he's just beating people to a pulp.

[00:10:09] He's getting his emotions out, his frustrations about his own identity.

[00:10:12] Did you find at least like some weird throw line

[00:10:15] between the two characters that helped you get to that place?

[00:10:18] Somewhat, yeah, I think I spoke about this before.

[00:10:20] I think that. For whatever reason,

[00:10:23] I've gravitated to playing characters who are the underdogs in their story.

[00:10:30] I think people who who are walking down the street,

[00:10:33] the type of guy that you would never think twice about as being spectacular

[00:10:37] or being anything special if you're talking about Watchmen.

[00:10:40] I mean, the name of that episode was this extraordinary being.

[00:10:43] And I think before he became a crime fighter in the superhero sense,

[00:10:48] superhero and him just being a police officer for all, you know, intent,

[00:10:52] he was very ordinary.

[00:10:55] And I think it's the same for Saul, at least when we first meet him.

[00:10:58] I mean, he's of course, he has a stable job at Oxford University.

[00:11:01] You know, he's objectively smart.

[00:11:03] He's intelligent. But I think it has yet.

[00:11:05] I think we have yet to really see his power, his full potential.

[00:11:10] I think that his classmates, his his love, his best friends,

[00:11:13] the Oxford Five know that he has a very, very powerful brain

[00:11:17] and he's able to dissect theories and understand things

[00:11:20] at a very high level and fairly quickly.

[00:11:22] But I just think that that underdog aspect of it,

[00:11:26] I think we're still waiting to see what he can do.

[00:11:29] But it's interesting, you know, coming from, you know, his character

[00:11:31] doesn't come up until the second book anyway.

[00:11:33] So I had a lot of freedom this first or I would say a lot comfort

[00:11:37] in how I was playing him in the first season because

[00:11:40] he didn't need to make any big splash.

[00:11:43] I mean, I was there, I think, in the truest sense,

[00:11:45] he was he was a supporting character and that he like you mentioned

[00:11:49] at the beginning of the interview, he had, you know, a bit of an arc

[00:11:53] with with Augie. He had, you know, his friendship with Will

[00:11:55] that was growing in the middle of the season.

[00:11:57] And then by the time we go to episode eight,

[00:11:59] he's established this bond with with Dasha and Jess or Jim, excuse me.

[00:12:03] So he's just really been that that buddy

[00:12:07] that's been a part of everyone else going through this traumatic experience

[00:12:11] that they've all gone through respectively.

[00:12:13] But he's getting ready to go to it, go through it himself.

[00:12:16] And and I'm excited to see if he's if he's built for it or not.

[00:12:23] I'm a grown up. Me too. Yep, me too.

[00:12:25] But, you know, these days being a grownup can really suck.

[00:12:27] Luckily, we're grownups who grew up in the coolest generation.

[00:12:30] We had video arcade and also some of the best TV and movies ever made.

[00:12:33] We lived the origin of awesome consumer electronics.

[00:12:36] The list goes on and on.

[00:12:38] Yep. Generation X. Exactly.

[00:12:40] And we're Gen X grownup.

[00:12:41] Every week, the Gen X grownup podcast explores media, tech, toys, games

[00:12:46] and more from both yesterday and today through the eyes of generation Xers

[00:12:51] who absolutely love that stuff.

[00:12:52] You can find us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts

[00:12:55] or find us on our website. Gen X grownup dot com.

[00:13:01] I think that was good enough.

[00:13:02] I hope so, man. I'm tired.

[00:13:04] Who listens to a promo on a podcast and then goes

[00:13:06] and listen to a different podcast?

[00:13:08] I've never done it.

[00:13:12] Yeah, I mean, it's got to feel somewhat relieving.

[00:13:15] Like you put in the work for this groundwork to stepping stones

[00:13:19] of the character so that way, you know, let's be real,

[00:13:21] the show people who watched season two have been like,

[00:13:25] it's got to be like when the time you come to set season two,

[00:13:28] you know, a weight off your shoulders that you can just go right into it

[00:13:31] and just be like, OK, I know where this is going.

[00:13:33] The switches turn and you can lock it in easily.

[00:13:37] Well, I mean, I've spoken to the showrunners.

[00:13:39] I mean, I bugged them all the time just because I like talking to them.

[00:13:43] I like picking their brains about things.

[00:13:44] And I've heard loosely some ideas of what they want to

[00:13:48] what they want to do with soul.

[00:13:51] And it doesn't make me any less stressed or anxious

[00:13:56] because I just approach the work.

[00:13:58] I take it incredibly seriously in the exact opposite of soul.

[00:14:01] And I know that I've ventured into the second book.

[00:14:04] So I know about the dark or excuse me, dark force theory

[00:14:07] and everything like that.

[00:14:08] That's a very ambitious book as well.

[00:14:09] And so I think that I will be coming into set or pre-production

[00:14:16] if and when I just have to say that it's been when we make happen.

[00:14:20] I plan to come into it with a bit more aggression

[00:14:24] as far as how I'm going to attack the role

[00:14:27] that I didn't need to have this season.

[00:14:30] I just didn't need to.

[00:14:31] I think they kind of pushed me to just play him as honestly

[00:14:35] and sincere as you can.

[00:14:37] I don't need to walk into every scene and be like, I am a scientist.

[00:14:40] I am super smart, you know, pushing on my glasses and everything.

[00:14:43] It's not necessary.

[00:14:44] And I think people will relate to a guy that they that they can identify

[00:14:47] like, oh, that's a buddy that I go party with on the weekends.

[00:14:50] But then when it's time to kind of crank it up

[00:14:52] and show why I've been appointed the wallfacer,

[00:14:56] I think that that'll be the performance that I'm waiting to

[00:15:00] to share with the audience for sure.

[00:15:02] I mean, you've had a great career

[00:15:05] leftovers when they see us watch.

[00:15:07] And I guess got a fan out for a second.

[00:15:10] My favorite film of twenty twenty two is Babylon.

[00:15:14] So I would like regret it.

[00:15:16] I didn't bring it up to some degree.

[00:15:18] I mean, I'm just curious, you know, the film's reaction

[00:15:23] polarizing, you know, people either really love it,

[00:15:26] you know, those calling themselves the Babylon.

[00:15:29] Sure, sure. You've heard that before.

[00:15:31] Yeah. Yeah.

[00:15:31] Are those who had very, you know, opposite reactions to it?

[00:15:35] When you were making it, I know whenever you ask anyone on a film set

[00:15:39] when you're working, you never know how it's going to turn out till it turns out.

[00:15:42] Were you always conscious of like, this is going to be something

[00:15:46] that's divisive and really get like people talking?

[00:15:50] Or did you always expect or were you surprised by like the reactions

[00:15:54] like when it came out?

[00:15:55] I was never cognizant of it being polarizing.

[00:15:58] I don't think anybody who is a part of the principal cast

[00:16:02] or even, you know, the auxiliary cast, I don't believe that anybody cared.

[00:16:07] You know what I mean?

[00:16:07] I think that I mean, I can speak for myself and that's what I'll do.

[00:16:11] I'm a huge fan of Damien Giselle.

[00:16:13] I mean, that's my brother.

[00:16:14] Love to death. He's a brilliant mind.

[00:16:16] He's and he's a filmmaker that's not afraid to push the envelope

[00:16:19] as an artist, as an actor.

[00:16:20] That's what I'd like to say that I do all the time.

[00:16:24] That's definitely how I approach the roles that I want.

[00:16:27] I want to do things that challenge me,

[00:16:29] that push me to be as different from myself as I can.

[00:16:32] I don't know if I will succeed in that, but I try.

[00:16:35] So to come into a project where we're all doing

[00:16:39] the best we can to just tell a really interesting and intense

[00:16:43] and racy and dark and funny and dramatic story.

[00:16:47] I mean, that's why you go to movies, man.

[00:16:49] I think I don't.

[00:16:50] It is weird because I always I'm always a skeptic when it comes to like

[00:16:54] if there's a show or film, whatever.

[00:16:56] And everybody in the world is like.

[00:17:00] And this might be, I don't know, this might be the worst thing to say

[00:17:02] or whatever, but it's just like you got to watch such and such.

[00:17:04] Like I felt like I heard shows during the pandemic.

[00:17:07] You have to watch this.

[00:17:08] It will change your life.

[00:17:10] And that could be true.

[00:17:12] But hearing it, I'm almost like, I'll watch it later

[00:17:16] because I don't know if something the way somebody says it to me, it's like

[00:17:21] something being polarizing.

[00:17:23] That means that there is some really racy or really

[00:17:26] challenging ideas being presented.

[00:17:29] Yeah. And that's the type of filmmaking that pushes the genres forward.

[00:17:32] All of the genres, sci fi, horror, you know,

[00:17:35] romcoms, romance, whatever.

[00:17:36] That's what pushes it forward is if you're telling stories in a different way

[00:17:40] that hasn't been done before.

[00:17:41] You could pay respect to the films of the past.

[00:17:43] But the only way we're going to continue to evolve in filmmaking,

[00:17:46] get people to continue to go to the theater to get new experiences

[00:17:50] is to have some racy shit.

[00:17:52] Excuse my language, but that's what it is.

[00:17:54] It is true.

[00:17:55] I mean, that's I mean, it feels like at the core, that is what Babylon was.

[00:17:58] Like I lived in Florida when it came out.

[00:18:00] I forced 10 people to go opening night.

[00:18:02] I did not tell them what the movie was about.

[00:18:04] I was just like, we have to go see this because I was excited.

[00:18:07] Like Damien Chazelle, like Brad Pitt, Marco Ravi, Diego Calvo,

[00:18:10] who's amazing, you or everyone in that film.

[00:18:12] Just like the production line is saying is just fantastic.

[00:18:16] And, you know, watching it,

[00:18:18] because I think we now live in an industry that's focused so much

[00:18:21] feels in recent years more so towards the business sides and taking risks.

[00:18:25] The artistry of film.

[00:18:27] The film only came out two years ago, you know, COVID, the strikes.

[00:18:32] It feels like we're not having industry people who want to go

[00:18:36] and jump to make films like this.

[00:18:39] And I mean, the film had like close to like 80 million budget

[00:18:42] didn't perform as well as one would hope.

[00:18:44] Sadly.

[00:18:45] Do you think we'll get to a point again where studios

[00:18:49] want to go out and like back these on tour filmmakers like Chazelle?

[00:18:53] And I mean, I know Damien's got another film coming out next year.

[00:18:56] Like, I'm excited. I'm happy.

[00:18:58] You know, this people constantly were like, is he in director's jail?

[00:19:01] But, you know, are you concerned as a performer that seeing filmmakers

[00:19:05] you either want to work with or respect or struggling to get projects

[00:19:08] that aren't, you know, being given budgets that deserve?

[00:19:11] Well, as far as Damien goes, I'll break it up in pieces.

[00:19:14] I think his his high skill level is undeniable subjective.

[00:19:18] It's objective.

[00:19:19] So there's no surprise that he's going to continue to work.

[00:19:21] I mean, you objectively prove your, you know, your your talent

[00:19:27] once or twice, like it doesn't go away, you know, and the only thing

[00:19:31] that you can do, the biggest thing that you should respect about him

[00:19:34] is that he's willing to take risks and do things he hasn't done before,

[00:19:36] which he's done and I'm sure he's going to continue to do.

[00:19:38] So he's going to be fine.

[00:19:39] I don't believe in that jail.

[00:19:41] It could exist. I don't know. He's still working.

[00:19:43] He's got a movie come out next year in the prison.

[00:19:45] I'm excited. You know what I mean?

[00:19:47] But you're right. People do come up with those type of that's just good

[00:19:50] headline for the magazines and stuff like that.

[00:19:54] Hollywood doesn't whatever.

[00:19:56] But as far as what you're saying about, you know, that type of filmmaking,

[00:19:59] I think the pandemic and the strike and everything that you mentioned

[00:20:02] did play a part in how movies get made.

[00:20:05] I think it's easier to to adapt and bring known IP to the screen.

[00:20:11] But the same way that a new challenging type of film

[00:20:14] can fail at the box office, some of the popular IPs have failed as well.

[00:20:19] They burned a shit ton of money as well.

[00:20:21] So it can't for me.

[00:20:23] That's not my side of the of the industry.

[00:20:25] You know, the executive studio.

[00:20:26] I can't. Yeah, I'm not in those rooms, you know?

[00:20:29] So I don't know what the algorithm algorithm is,

[00:20:31] what they do to make things happen.

[00:20:33] I can't really speak on it in that way.

[00:20:35] But as an as a as a avid moviegoer

[00:20:38] and a lover of film and television and just good storytelling,

[00:20:42] I think we have to continue to take risks.

[00:20:45] Talking to some buddies who are writers and directors, they feel

[00:20:49] I don't know how I feel about it, but just listening to it.

[00:20:51] I'm wondering how valid it is.

[00:20:52] They feel like Hollywood is going to have to have like a mastery set

[00:20:55] at some point to really get into like I miss those days,

[00:20:59] like the golden era of filmmaking, you know, like the years of Godfather

[00:21:02] and on the waterfront, those type of films where there were all kinds

[00:21:05] of stories, this was like a story, you know, on the waterfront

[00:21:07] about a boxer who worked on the docks like I have.

[00:21:11] Like I used to be a contender.

[00:21:13] I used to be somebody, you know, like it's just like those movies

[00:21:17] were getting made all the time, but it's refreshing that we have movies

[00:21:20] like American fiction and, you know, all these different

[00:21:23] all these type of different new stories that are past lives,

[00:21:26] all these new films that are coming out there telling every story

[00:21:29] doesn't have to have a billion things going on.

[00:21:32] Sometimes the simplest idea

[00:21:35] and if it's executed well and the characters are interesting

[00:21:38] and the pacing is great, like that's all we can ask for for new things.

[00:21:42] And so I just think, I don't know, I would love for them to take more risks.

[00:21:46] I think that people are starting to, but it's only like a movie or two a year.

[00:21:51] And I think to really get people going to the movies again,

[00:21:53] we got to take a little bit more swings at bat.

[00:21:56] I mean, but that's the thing.

[00:21:57] I'm not the one that's. Yeah.

[00:21:59] Buddy, you know, yeah, no, I think in let everybody know

[00:22:04] on the record is my opinion.

[00:22:05] I don't know the right way to go.

[00:22:08] I just act. Yes.

[00:22:09] Yeah, no, I totally agree.

[00:22:11] I mean, Kord Jefferson, American fiction, we mentioned Watchmen alum.

[00:22:15] Hey, his speech was right.

[00:22:16] Let's fund these smaller films, get most of them out

[00:22:18] and let's take risks people.

[00:22:21] Giovanni, thank you so much.

[00:22:23] This was a delightful conversation.

[00:22:24] Everyone check out three body problem.

[00:22:27] If you have anything else that you want to promote or work it up next.

[00:22:30] Go nuts. Oh, man, I got it.

[00:22:32] It's all I got to bring.

[00:22:33] I got to let three body, you know, live in this live in this.

[00:22:36] Let's let it take up. Yeah, let it take up the headlines.

[00:22:38] Yeah, man, I'm really proud of that.

[00:22:40] Really proud of all of my caps.

[00:22:41] They saw my dogs barking in the back.

[00:22:43] All my castmates, everybody worked really hard.

[00:22:45] Dad, you know, Dan, Alex and David really, really appreciate

[00:22:49] being a part of the project with these guys.

[00:22:50] And hopefully we get to give you guys more.

[00:22:53] And Gio, it's been a pleasure.

[00:22:55] Well, thank you. Thank you.

[00:22:56] Hey, everyone.

[00:22:57] Thank you so much for listening to Giovanni Lago's interview

[00:23:00] with one of the stars from the new Netflix series Three Body Problem

[00:23:03] here on the Next Best Picture podcast.

[00:23:06] Three Body Problem is now available to stream on Netflix

[00:23:09] and is up for your consideration in all eligible categories

[00:23:12] at this year's Emmy Awards.

[00:23:14] You have been listening to the Next Best Picture podcast.

[00:23:16] We are proud to be part of the Evergreen Podcast Network,

[00:23:18] and you can subscribe to us anywhere where you subscribe to podcasts.

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[00:23:25] We really appreciate your feedback and your support,

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[00:23:35] Thank you all so much for listening, as always,

[00:23:37] and we will see you all next time.

[00:24:23] This is Krista Makes, guitarist and vocalist for Less Than Jake

[00:24:26] and host of Krista Makes a podcast, a songwriting podcast where every week

[00:24:31] I'm joined by an amazing guest to break down the writing,

[00:24:34] recording and release of one iconic song from their career.

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