[MUSIC PLAYING]
[APPLAUSE]
EUGENE LEVY: Wow!
CATHERINE O'HARA: Oh my.
[LAUGHTER]
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: All right.
EUGENE LEVY: Turn my phone off.
DAN LEVY: Hi, everybody.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Hello.
So I assume you know who
all of these people are.
But just in case,
this is Dan and Annie
and Catherine and Eugene.
DAN LEVY: Hi.
ANNIE MURPHY: Hi.
[APPLAUSE]
ANNIE MURPHY: Wowee.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: So I
think one of the questions--
one of the questions that I had
as a "Schitt's Creek" viewer
going into the last season
is what a happy ending
looks like for these people.
They have been
growing in this place.
They are not the
same people they
were when they first got there.
And I was really
trying to think through
is it going to be happier for
me and for them if they stay
or if they go.
And I know you're not
going to spoil this for us.
DAN LEVY: Imagine.
EUGENE LEVY: I will.
DAN LEVY: So the last episode.
[LAUGHTER]
ANNIE MURPHY: There's an
unfortunate car accident.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Oh, no.
ANNIE MURPHY: So
they go in a way.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: What a--
as do we all.
All as do we all.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Oh, no.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
But I wonder
if you could talk through it.
So this is the debate that
I'm imagining about the end.
Was that the debate that you
were having about the end?
Or are there other
conversations that you
were having about
what it is going
to be like to shepherd
this show to the end?
DAN LEVY: [BLOWS RASPBERRY]
Well, yes.
I mean yes.
But I mean we always--
how do I put this?
We have always
approached the show
from a slightly more
emotional standpoint.
So the sort of surface idea of
will they stay or will they go
was sort of the last
thing we thought about.
And what we really
sat down with when
we started to brainstorm the
trajectory of this last season
was what do these
characters need.
What will make them happy?
What will make the
audience happy?
What will ultimately
be satisfying
for both the
audience's expectations
and our characters?
And that was a really
tricky conversation
because sometimes you know
the audience wants one thing
but the character might need
something completely different.
And the one thing
that I loved when
I was researching series
finales of other shows
that I really responded
to was the fact
that all of the
ones that I loved
presented me with something
that I didn't expect
but that I was
pleasantly surprised by.
So I think for me it was
about honoring the characters,
trying to honor the
audience expectation,
while at the same time offering
something fresh and unexpected
that will take people
by pleasant surprise,
if that makes any sense.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
No, I think that's good.
DAN LEVY: And then
obviously came
the what happens from
a story perspective.
But it really was rooted in
something far deeper and more
emotional, also.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
You guys have been living
with these characters
for a long time.
I'm sure you have thought
through what would
make the most sense for your--
what the debate would feel like
for each of your characters.
Do you think Alexis could be
happy living there forever?
DAN LEVY: Watch yourself.
ANNIE MURPHY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[LAUGHTER]
Well, I think Alexis is the one
of the family to kind of make
the best of any shitty--
I didn't mean it.
I didn't mean it.
Whatever--
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: It's
the name of the show.
ANNIE MURPHY: --kind
of miserable scenario
she's put into, she can
find a silver lining.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
ANNIE MURPHY: Do I think it
would be the best for her?
I don't know.
AUDIENCE: Perfect.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
ANNIE MURPHY: It's a very
stressful situation for me.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sorry.
ANNIE MURPHY: Yeah.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
That's on me.
Let me back up.
CATHERINE O'HARA: I just
love that anyone cares.
[LAUGHTER]
It really-- it's pretty amazing.
DAN LEVY: It is.
ANNIE MURPHY: Thank
you for caring.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
I can imagine.
The extent to which people
care about this show
is in some senses not
surprising because it
is such an amazing show and
because there is so much in it
for people to respond to.
But there is so much
TV on right now.
It is so easy to get
lost in the flood.
I wonder what it has felt like
to watch the response grow
for the last several years.
EUGENE LEVY: Well,
it's been pretty nice.
[LAUGHTER]
We did.
We started out doing
this show in Canada.
And we got an
American broadcaster--
Pop, who picked up the show.
And yet at that time it was kind
of a young network trying to--
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
EUGENE LEVY: --get its
feet off the ground.
And we did feel like we were
in a cultish kind of situation
back when we started.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah,
but not in a bad way--
cultish in a warm, happy way.
DAN LEVY: No, like
the best kind of cult.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Yeah, yeah, the fun ones.
DAN LEVY: The best moments
of your time in the cult.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Small, happy--
EUGENE LEVY: No, I actually--
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah, sure.
ANNIE MURPHY: Where they
actually serve Kool-Aid.
DAN LEVY: Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Real Kool-Aid.
EUGENE LEVY: I actually
meant in a bad way, but--
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Oh.
[LAUGHTER]
EUGENE LEVY: Anyway,
we'll go your route.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: I
just thought of that.
EUGENE LEVY: And then the
audience just seemed to take,
or fans just seemed
to take to the show.
Social media, at least
when we started in Canada,
was pretty strong
right out of the gate.
So that kind of moved us along.
And then the show-- we
just focused on the work.
And from season
to season the show
has just kind of
elevated itself.
And now it's people
are watching.
And critics are
writing about it, and--
DAN LEVY: It's a tricky
thing from a writing
standpoint in terms of
the growing fan base.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
DAN LEVY: And it's
interesting because often I've
been asked, have you considered
your fans in the process
of writing the show?
And the answer is no.
And that's not a
disrespectful no.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
DAN LEVY: But I think when
you're creating something,
it's always important to
realize why people are watching.
And it's interesting
because I've
watched TV shows where
I've become aware,
oh, the people making
this show are now playing
to me as an audience member.
And it's becoming aware
of itself, which in a way
distances me from
what I was watching
because the authenticity
of the show is gone.
So when we sat down with
our amazing team of writers,
the mandate was always
forget about the fact
that people are watching this.
Let's sit down and
explore in the same way
that we had with
our first season
when no one was watching.
And when it came to a
last season of a show,
that I think was the
only time where we opened
the door a crack when
it came to at this point
we have to give the audience
something a little bit more
than we have in the past.
And by that I mean Easter
eggs and unanswered questions.
And there's a
reason why we opened
the first episode of the
show by revealing the creek.
Those kind of details
from a writing standpoint
was our team of
people saying, now
we're going to give you
some fun little pieces.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
It's also because he
hates to get his hair wet.
Right?
That was the other reason
you put the creek in?
DAN LEVY: Yes.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
Full body work.
DAN LEVY: Exactly.
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
ANNIE MURPHY: I
thought you said creeg,
and I was wondering what a creeg
was for the last 30 seconds.
But I'm with you now.
DAN LEVY: The creeg.
ANNIE MURPHY: I'm back.
DAN LEVY: That was the
original title for the show--
"Schitt's Creeg."
And then nobody knew
what that meant.
But we were very lucky
because we actually
broke the last
season of our show
before I think culturally
speaking people started
paying attention.
So I love the fact that we
have had a very pure experience
with this show that was not sort
of dealing with expectations
of press or fans.
It's always been quite pure.
And I love that.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
EUGENE LEVY: But the intent
from the beginning was always
to make a strong
character-driven comedy--
emphasis on character.
And to do that well, you had
to focus and create characters
that were credible and real.
And then you needed a cast
who could take that and then
drive it home and create
characters that people actually
care about.
And that makes it so much
easier to weave your storylines
in and around the
characters when you
know the audience is with you.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
You have lived with these
people for a long time.
Your own input, I know has
shaped each of these characters
as they have grown for
the past several years.
But I'm curious.
If you had to play one of
the other four characters
on the show for just a wacky
Wednesday sort of situation,
who would you pick?
CATHERINE O'HARA: Whacky
Wednesday at work.
[LAUGHTER]
DAN LEVY: I love
Wacky Wednesday.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Yeah, me too.
ANNIE MURPHY: Just out
of the four of them.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
ANNIE MURPHY: Yeah.
EUGENE LEVY: Oh, yeah, four.
CATHERINE O'HARA: So that--
ANNIE MURPHY: Because
I want to play Bob.
[LAUGHTER]
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
[LAUGHTER]
Same kind of wrist
acting like a little--
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
It does translate.
Yeah.
ANNIE MURPHY: I think
I would pick Moira.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Honest to
God, I was going to say you.
But I know I'm old.
But I still would try.
The life you've
lived is so exciting.
ANNIE MURPHY: Yeah.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: It shows.
CATHERINE O'HARA: I want
to have that in my past.
ANNIE MURPHY: Yeah, OK.
What about you?
DAN LEVY: I would pick
the clothes alone, Moira.
[LAUGHTER]
CATHERINE O'HARA: That's great.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Say Moira.
EUGENE LEVY: And I would
say Moira because--
[LAUGHTER]
--just a step out
of my comfort zone.
[LAUGHTER]
CATHERINE O'HARA: Or into it.
[LAUGHTER]
ANNIE MURPHY: You don't know.
EUGENE LEVY: Or into it.
[LAUGHTER]
CATHERINE O'HARA: Finally.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
What do you think
would be the hardest
thing about trying to play
one of the other characters?
Would it be the manners?
You have such
distinctive mannerisms
that you've all developed.
And yet it also seems
almost easy to--
this is certainly
not denigrating.
But you could almost imagine
parodying some of them.
DAN LEVY: Right.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: --in some.
ANNIE MURPHY: There have
Been some Halloween costumes.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Oh, yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Yeah.
DAN LEVY: Where you really
get to see yourself parodied.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
What does that feel
like to see yourself--
CATHERINE O'HARA:
I don't do that.
DAN LEVY: People just clearly
cutting up black shag carpets
and pasting them
on their eyebrows.
It's a very sobering experience.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
Oh, that's great.
DAN LEVY: I would
say personally I
feel like trying to
replicate that accent.
As an actor, I feel
like you would almost
have to make a totally
different choice.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
DAN LEVY: Even though--
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Texan.
DAN LEVY: Yeah, like Southern.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
A really drawl.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Who's accent?
DAN LEVY: Yours.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Oh, mine?
Oh.
Well, I made a different--
DAN LEVY: Whose accent?
ANNIE MURPHY: Whose accent?
CATHERINE O'HARA: I
made a different choice
in every scene.
[LAUGHTER]
If you really listen,
it's not that consistent.
[LAUGHTER]
There are lots of
different choices going on.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
I had a choice--
I had a question
about her vocabulary,
which is prodigious.
CATHERINE O'HARA: You
feel the room bombilating?
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
And I had read
that you look for ways to
really throw in some extra--
CATHERINE O'HARA: Oh, yeah.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
--SAT words in there.
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: S--
Oh, yes.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yes.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Sorry.
Are those on SATs?
No, these are words
that nobody else
has heard of for 100 years.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
I wonder, what do you
imagine in your head?
I know where you
got these words.
Where did Moira get these words?
CATHERINE O'HARA:
The same place.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
She looks up--
CATHERINE O'HARA: We are one.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: She lives
with books of arcane words?
- "Foyle's Philavery."
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Oh.
- Our makeup artist--
Lucky gave me this book--
"Foyle's Philavery"
because I had
the idea I wanted to do this.
So I was going
through the source
all the time, as were
you and the writers,
or you, writer,
and the writers--
to try to floralize,
Moira-ize dialogue
from the very beginning.
But then Lucky gave
me this great book--
"Foyle's Philavery."
And then I found "Foyle's
Further Philavery."
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Oh, wow!
CATHERINE O'HARA:
Another friend gave
me "Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary."
DAN LEVY: Then she
gifted me the book.
[LAUGHTER]
And we still didn't do it.
I would say the greatest
humbling experience
was writing something
for Catherine
and then having
Catherine elevate
what we've written to a level
that was way beyond anything
we could do.
And we're thinking we're
being paid for this.
And she just threw in a
word that I have scoured
"Foyle's Philavery" for.
Can't even say it.
That's probably an example
of how much I struggled.
CATHERINE O'HARA: But that--
the best thing in the world
is having the creative
freedom to do that.
Thank you.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Other
people would go, no,
we'll take care of it.
Thank you.
No, but I have these books.
DAN LEVY: Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: And
I want to do this.
I know how she speaks.
DAN LEVY: Say it as it.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Yeah.
I'll tell you what's funny.
[LAUGHTER]
CATHERINE O'HARA: So
here's my serious--
we're at Google.
And it's a very
serious question.
DAN LEVY: OK.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: It's a
show about income inequality.
And I wonder.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Is it?
Who said that?
DAN LEVY: Thank
you for noticing.
Go on.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Does it feel
weird to be-- has it felt
different to be making
this show now than
it did when you
started because the world
feels like it's shifted?
And I don't know if you noticed.
DAN LEVY: What?
CATHERINE O'HARA:
It's good timing.
DAN LEVY: I think I noticed
the shift happened more
from an emotional
standpoint than
from a satirical standpoint.
Obviously it's a satire.
Obviously we're commenting
on the disillusion of money
and how that can
actually separate people
instead of bringing them
together despite what
those people think.
But for us it was the
emotional response shifted.
The show-- the fan reaction went
from, oh, this is a funny show.
I love the way Moira speaks.
Or I love the way that David and
Alexis bicker with each other.
And then once that happened,
politically speaking,
the response changed from
observational reactions
to more of an
emotional reaction.
And that's when we
started realizing,
oh, people need this.
Not necessarily our show
per se, but people need joy.
People need safe
places in their days
where they can turn
on the television
and feel safe for 21 minutes.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Accepted, and yes.
DAN LEVY: And seen.
And I think you
could really tell.
You could see a pendulum shift
in terms of just seeing it
for one thing and then needing
it for something completely
different.
And I think that's both lovely
and totally heartbreaking
at the same time.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Who do
you think they would vote for?
ANNIE MURPHY: We all know.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Yeah.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
CATHERINE O'HARA: I work.
I work blue.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
Sure.
DAN LEVY: Look at the man.
Do you think that David would
find any of that appealing?
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
But there are a lot
of options in this moment.
DAN LEVY: Yes.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: I wonder if
he would have any inclinations.
DAN LEVY: I don't, to
be perfectly honest,
know if he would
be that informed.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Oh, interesting.
[LAUGHTER]
DAN LEVY: Just going
to throw it out there.
I know who he wouldn't vote for.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
DAN LEVY: OK.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Fair.
ANNIE MURPHY: And Alexis
went there one time
but totally regrets it.
[LAUGHTER]
CATHERINE O'HARA: Oh, no.
ANNIE MURPHY: Imagine?
DAN LEVY: That is so disturbing.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Worse
than the back tattoo.
[LAUGHTER]
CATHERINE O'HARA: And Johnny?
EUGENE LEVY: Johnny would
be a Mayor Pete guy.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Really?
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Huh.
Interesting.
OK.
CATHERINE O'HARA: He might have
originally been Republican,
but not now, do you think?
Being a businessman.
A successful businessman.
EUGENE LEVY: I think in
his time, yes, he dabbled.
CATHERINE O'HARA: You
got to wonder, eh?
EUGENE LEVY: In Republicanism.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Sure.
DAN LEVY: This is interesting
backstory we haven't it.
CATHERINE O'HARA: That's true.
EUGENE LEVY: Well, it could
come out next season-- oh,
wait a minute.
DAN LEVY: Oh.
Wow.
CATHERINE O'HARA: [CRIES]
[LAUGHTER]
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
Moira, do you think
she would have any--
would she be similarly
a Mayor Pete?
Did she vote the family ticket?
Or is she?
CATHERINE O'HARA: I'm
still sad about Hillary.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: I think
sartorially speaking,
they could all put a
little more effort.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Up
the eyeglass frame game.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Uh-huh.
Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Hire a tailor.
Lose the primary colors
story, unless it's a hair hat.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yep.
[APPLAUSE]
So we're going to transition
to audience questions now.
I don't know.
DAN LEVY: Why not?
There's no way to transition
out of that into anything.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Into
really anything else.
DAN LEVY: So we could
just-- let's 180 it.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
We're going to go.
DAN LEVY: But I could
live in this world
for a very long time.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
I mean, yeah.
I want a spinoff now.
I want Moira to
work on a campaign.
Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Life coach.
EUGENE LEVY: It's the
definition of it writes itself.
Yes.
All right.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
So we have questions that
were submitted ahead of time.
So I will read a question.
I will select from the
many interesting options.
Oh, are you going to
keep any of the wigs?
This is a question from Jay.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
Who are you asking?
EUGENE LEVY: Me.
[LAUGHTER]
CATHERINE O'HARA:
I took maybe three.
I can't carry them off
the same way Moira can.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
You took a lovely one
that looks so great on you
with the rainbow colors.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Are you
going to keep any of her wigs?
You should have a--
DAN LEVY: I have.
Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Yeah.
ANNIE MURPHY: Dan quite
fancies himself in the wigs.
DAN LEVY: I love the wigs.
I kept a wig that was not
used this season that I
loved that I purchased myself.
It didn't get used.
It's fine.
CATHERINE O'HARA: I didn't
know you wanted this.
DAN LEVY: No.
Listen.
Here's what I'll say about the
process of the wig selection.
It is so organic.
I said to Ana, who is the
hair stylist on the show,
just make sure she has 8
to 10 wigs at all times
to choose from.
I want it to feel impulsive.
I want it to feel like
we have a selection.
And that's how it
really happened.
So I was not going to interfere
in that creative process
at all.
And I got to keep the
wig that was brand new.
And it was just an anime--
it was a "Sailor Moon" wig.
But it was blue.
And it was like a heavy
bang with two huge pigtails
on the side with
big anime curls.
CATHERINE O'HARA: That's brave.
DAN LEVY: It's in my closet.
[LAUGHTER]
And who knows what next
Halloween will bring,
but I have an idea.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure, sure.
Are there any other things
that you kept from set?
I mean, it's a small space.
I mean, it's a very
emotional place for you.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Menu.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Aw.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
Who's got a menu?
Oh.
ANNIE MURPHY: I
didn't get a menu.
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
I took a menu.
DAN LEVY: You didn't get a menu?
ANNIE MURPHY: No.
I ransacked the place, though.
CATHERINE O'HARA: You took
all the furniture of the cafe.
DAN LEVY: Exactly.
ANNIE MURPHY: Yeah.
I got literally everything else.
I took Alexis's pubic
relations diploma.
And what else?
Oh, I have the painting
that was behind Johnny
and Moira's bed of the boat.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Ooh.
That's nice.
ANNIE MURPHY: So that's nice.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
And Emily has the--
DAN LEVY: Emily has the stag.
ANNIE MURPHY: Oh, right.
DAN LEVY: At the motel.
Her apartment's the
size of a postage stamp.
The painting is this big.
So I don't know
where it's going.
But I know that it's
taking up an entire wall
at her apartment.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
What did you take?
EUGENE LEVY: I wanted
to take the bell that
was on the desk in the motel
office that didn't work.
And when I went
in to look for it
after we wrapped the last scene
in the motel, it wasn't there.
Somebody took it.
DAN LEVY: Someone
stole the bell.
EUGENE LEVY: Why
the bell, though?
DAN LEVY: And it was something
that my Dad for seasons--
it was like three
seasons, everyone on set
knew that the bell
was going to my dad.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Oh, no.
DAN LEVY: And we went to get it
once we wrapped the motel set
and it was gone.
EUGENE LEVY: Gone.
DAN LEVY: And nobody-- and we
sent out emails to the staff
being like, if it happened
to fall in your purse,
we are all going to turn our
backs and you can put it back
on the--
it never got returned.
We don't know where it went.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Wow.
EUGENE LEVY: But such an odd
thing for somebody actually
to take if they're going to
actually take something-- well,
let's say steal.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
EUGENE LEVY: If they're going
to steal something from the set,
this little thing that was such
a meaningless thing to take.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Plus,
you put it in you pocket
and it starts
ringing, which seems--
CATHERINE O'HARA: No.
It didn't work.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Oh, sure.
Yeah.
EUGENE LEVY: No, no.
That was the thing.
Every time you hit
it, it didn't work.
That's all.
And I did take a
menu as well, which
is it's actually more fun in
your own home than in the cafe.
CATHERINE O'HARA: And you're
ordering from your wife.
DAN LEVY: Yeah.
EUGENE LEVY: And I
took a family picture
that was on the table
in our motel room.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Yeah.
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
DAN LEVY: Noah and
I shopped the store
when we wrapped the apothecary.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Oh.
DAN LEVY: Yeah.
It was lovely.
It was like all the
crew went outside,
cause they had to
do something else.
And then he and I were just
in the store by ourselves.
And we got our little Rose
Apothecary totes, and filled--
ransacked our store.
So I have little candles,
and I have notebooks,
and all of these things.
Yeah.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: I
have at least one friend
who wants to know why she
can't buy like a gazillion Rose
Apothecary things.
Just I'm putting that out there.
DAN LEVY: Well, there's a merch
site if you're interested.
[LAUGHTER]
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
So let's see.
What, if any other
songs, were considered
for "Simply the Best"?
ANNIE MURPHY: "The
Thong Song" by Sisqo.
DAN LEVY: That's one.
[LAUGHTER]
Mhm.
We couldn't get "The
Thong Song" cleared.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Oh, wow.
DAN LEVY: So we had
to settle for Tina.
Nothing.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Nothing.
DAN LEVY: That was a song
that had meant a lot to me
just personally.
I've always admired the
lyrics to that song.
And whenever it came
on, I was always
the person in the bar
being like, no, no, just
listen to what she's saying.
It's like pumping
through a nightclub.
I'm like a nightclub.
Like I go to those.
Anyway, so when
we were writing, I
had always had
this song in mind.
And I thought the sentiment
of it was so great.
And I knew that
Noah was a singer.
And I know that he
could've probably done
a really good job,
which he ended up doing.
So I basically put
in the request.
And then we just
crossed our fingers.
And fortunately,
her team said yes.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Wow.
That has to have felt--
DAN LEVY: It felt great.
It felt better
when Noah actually
came to me with the song,
and I was like, yes, exactly.
That's exactly what I want.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: I have
heard of people writing letters
to try to get songs cleared.
Was that something you had
to do or was it just a--
DAN LEVY: I had a--
ooh, you almost caught
me in something.
AUDIENCE: Oh.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Ooh.
Oh.
Tell me!
[LAUGHTER]
ANNIE MURPHY: No, oh.
DAN LEVY: I'm not telling.
No.
You're mic'ed.
ANNIE MURPHY: I'm
not even listening.
DAN LEVY: OK.
Here's a spoiler.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
She's a professional.
She's a professional.
DAN LEVY: I almost--
anyway, I'm going to avoid.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Just yell pass.
Just yell pass.
DAN LEVY: Pass.
No.
We've been very lucky in the
fact that we've been able to--
anyway.
EUGENE LEVY: Good answer.
Good one.
DAN LEVY: Hi.
Hi, everybody.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: I feel
simultaneously disappointed
and elated by that answer.
DAN LEVY: Ooh,
you were so close.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: So close.
DAN LEVY: Anyway.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
Oh, this was another question.
So you get a lot of questions
about being a family when
you work together as a family.
One thing that I had
heard was that when
either Dan or Sarah are
on camera and you are not,
you watch the monitors and
you mouth their lines along.
ANNIE MURPHY: Like a dance mom
is the end of that sentence.
EUGENE LEVY: I'm
not aware of that.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
EUGENE LEVY: That
certainly may have
happened in the very
beginning when I was still
like, I can't believe my kids
are in a scene with Catherine
O'Hara.
That's how it was.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
That's how it started.
EUGENE LEVY: So yeah.
I was glued to the monitor.
I wasn't aware my lips
were moving with theirs.
DAN LEVY: It was
particularly fun when
Noah and I had to kiss a lot.
And I remember being like,
does he need to be there.
[LAUGHTER]
CATHERINE O'HARA:
He would act out--
DAN LEVY: Supervising.
Supervising.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
But that makes
it seem like it's
not an early thing.
That was much later, into the--
EUGENE LEVY: Much later.
ANNIE MURPHY: This
went on until the end.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK, good.
[LAUGHTER]
I just wanted to clear that up.
DAN LEVY: What can I say?
My dad champions his kids.
It's a wonderful thing.
EUGENE LEVY: Yes.
Yes, yes.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
DAN LEVY: Take
six, kissing Noah.
Do we need him in the
monitors for this?
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
So you are wrapping up the show.
And so it's weird to ask you
about what would be happening
in the distant future of it.
But I am curious, there
is a question here.
It's 2025 and it's time
to reboot this sucker,
or revive it.
DAN LEVY: Mhm.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
What story would you
want to tell about these
characters in the future?
DAN LEVY: If I had
that story I think
we'd still be doing the show.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Oh, really?
OK.
DAN LEVY: And if
I had that story,
I think we'd be doing a-- no.
The answer is I don't know.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
DAN LEVY: I mean,
people have been asking,
which is very flattering.
ANNIE MURPHY: Mostly me.
[LAUGHTER]
DAN LEVY: I've come to
realize that anything you
care a lot about,
things speak to you
in almost subliminal ways.
And the show spoke to me.
And I have such a close
relationship to it.
This is sounding sort of weird.
But I do feel like you have
to sort of read the room.
You have to sort of gauge the
pulse of what you're doing.
And I think I have such a
closeness to the show that it
felt like it said something.
And then we got our last
two seasons ordered.
Five and six were
ordered together.
And that, to me,
felt like a sign
that we have 28 episodes
to wrap this up,
which is exactly
sort of-- originally
I almost thought we were
going to end after five.
I'm glad we didn't.
But it did feel like
someone gifted us
the perfect amount of
time to sort of lay
the foundation of how
this story would end.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
So what you're saying
you don't want to reboot this?
DAN LEVY: Well, we've
just spent so much time
getting it to a place
where I hope you all
enjoy how it ends that the idea
of exploring what happens next
is like, I might need a minute.
ANNIE MURPHY: It's
still very fresh.
DAN LEVY: But also,
I want to give it
space, because I do hope that we
can do something in the future.
I do hope that something
crosses my mind that
feels worthwhile to
explore in terms of--
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Feature length film!
DAN LEVY: That's a lot.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
That's it, yes.
DAN LEVY: I loved
our holiday special.
I would love to maybe tack
something on down the line.
But again, it has
to mean something.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
Purim something.
DAN LEVY: Purim.
[LAUGHTER]
And I think particularly
because the fans of our show
have been so supportive,
and know it so intimately,
and have championed
it for so long,
we can only do things of quality
if we continue this story.
So it has to be meaningful.
It has to be special.
And when that day comes, if
that day comes, I can't wait.
But yeah, no.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah?
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
I mean, it is.
It's hard to think about what if
and what could and what would.
The story of the series
reaches its natural end point,
and anything past that
you get into the law
of diminishing returns.
It's like we're just peaking.
DAN LEVY: You don't want
to be one of those shows
where they're like, it
was good until season 17.
And then it started
to feel a bit--
I think there's something really
special about leaving people
with a good taste
in their mouth.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
DAN LEVY: And that's rare in TV.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Tell
that to my manager.
[LAUGHTER]
He's so upset.
He calls me about anything else.
Yeah.
What is with Daniel?
And why does he not want to--
let it go.
DAN LEVY: You know, as is life.
CATHERINE O'HARA: I'm
sorry to interrupt you.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: This
is, I believe, a question
for Catherine.
As a cooking enthusiast,
can you please demonstrate
how one folds cheese?
CATHERINE O'HARA:
You just fold it.
[LAUGHTER]
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
CATHERINE O'HARA: I
think we've all learned.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
We've all learned.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Though I was
folding cheese at Christmas,
and laughing to myself
about the scene.
Yes.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
So there is a message.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Well,
there's a good chocolate cake
recipe I had there.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
CATHERINE O'HARA:
We melted chocolate.
No.
It isn't cheese.
It's egg whites.
DAN LEVY: Ah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: You fold
egg whites a lot into things.
You freshly whip
them, and then you
fold them in, with a spatula.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
CATHERINE O'HARA: A
nice rubber spatula.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: How
would Moira say spatula?
CATHERINE O'HARA: Spat-u-la.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Oh, sure.
Scene.
[LAUGHTER]
CATHERINE O'HARA:
Like anyone who
cares about the English
language would say it.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Obviously, yes.
Thank you.
Yes.
OK.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Those
letters are there for a reason.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
You have to respect every one.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
They want to be heard!
[LAUGHTER]
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
This question may be
a continuity problem
that's going to blow this
whole thing wide open.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Good luck.
ANNIE MURPHY: Oh, god.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: In the
beginning they have no money.
I mean, truly, right?
They're rock bottom.
Who pays their phone bills?
DAN LEVY: Well, Alexis got
the phone through Stavros.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Uh-huh.
DAN LEVY: And for
a longtime Stavros
was paying her phone bill.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
DAN LEVY: And by the time
that we actually got phones,
we were able to pay.
ANNIE MURPHY: No.
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
DAN LEVY: When
did I get a phone?
ANNIE MURPHY: You had a
phone from the beginning.
DAN LEVY: No.
I didn't have a phone
from the beginning.
[LAUGHTER]
When did I have a phone?
It was not first season.
My phone came in, I
think, second season.
ANNIE MURPHY: Maybe
we had a family plan.
Maybe Alexis seduced
Stavros into a family plan.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Yeah.
Stavros played the family plan.
DAN LEVY: Yeah.
Bottom line, Stavros
paid for the phone.
CATHERINE O'HARA: We were
rich but we were cheap.
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: And we would
take advantage of anyone.
DAN LEVY: Exactly.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
That's how we got rich.
ANNIE MURPHY:
Stavros, family plan.
DAN LEVY: But the
only reason why
I know there was
no cell phones was
because for the
first season I didn't
want to show cell phones on TV
other than Alexis' cell phone
because I was so bored.
Even though I'm on
my all the time.
EUGENE LEVY: All the time.
DAN LEVY: I don't want to.
I have a lot of
business to do anyway.
ANNIE MURPHY: He's a busy boy.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
DAN LEVY: Anyway.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
But then he made a chunk of
money at the Blouse Barn.
He got a good--
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
EUGENE LEVY: And that
made that check--
DAN LEVY: I made at least
$17 bagging groceries.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Yeah.
DAN LEVY: $17.
No.
I was making I don't even know
what bagging those groceries.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
So we'll say they were
Blouse Barn phones.
DAN LEVY: Yeah.
Let's just say if
we're focusing on that,
we're focusing on
the wrong thing.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
And, by the way,
all our other luggage
full of wardrobe
was up behind the motel sign.
DAN LEVY: That's true.
EUGENE LEVY: On
the second floor.
CATHERINE O'HARA: In
case you're wondering.
ANNIE MURPHY: Vacuum
sealed, waiver thin.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
That was the thing
they did as they were
running out of their house.
They were vacuum sealing
all of their clothes.
DAN LEVY: 100%.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Was the final move.
Nice.
This is another
interesting small question.
What is Moira's maiden name?
CATHERINE O'HARA: Ooh, did we
ever have one in the script?
DAN LEVY: We never
had one in the script.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Do
you have one in mind?
DAN LEVY: We had
one in the room.
And I've forgotten it.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Oh, OK.
CATHERINE O'HARA: And
I am going to say Mien.
It's my mother's maiden name.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure.
EUGENE LEVY: No.
We never had a last name.
DAN LEVY: I wish that I could
remember, cause it was funny.
Her last name was
not a pleasant sound.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Not pleasant?
DAN LEVY: No.
It was something very
sort of cacophonous.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Ooh.
EUGENE LEVY: Oh.
[LAUGHTER]
DAN LEVY: Anyway.
EUGENE LEVY: Interesting.
CATHERINE O'HARA: I
love you for that.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
See, that's what
you can keep for the episode.
DAN LEVY: Exactly.
That's a reveal down the line.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
The Moira origin story.
DAN LEVY: It's written
down somewhere.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
DAN LEVY: I have a big
binder of information.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: OK.
Good.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Moira
didn't speak like this then.
So that would be really, as
interesting as the way I speak.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah?
CATHERINE O'HARA:
Naturally, it's not.
I'm trying to say not
interesting, sorry.
Thank god.
Go on.
Carry on.
[LAUGHTER]
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Can you remember,
is there a scene that you
can describe that was very
hard to shoot without laughing?
EUGENE LEVY: Well,
yeah, for me I know.
Shooting a scene
with Chris Elliot.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Oh, yeah.
EUGENE LEVY: Who always
had my number on the show.
He's one of the funny
guys in the world.
And it was a scene
where I was teaching him
how to-- he started out
teaching me to do a golf swing.
We were showing Stevie
how to swing a golf club.
And then I end up
saying, you don't
know what you're talking about.
So I go in behind Roland.
And I'm behind him with
my arms around his arms.
And I'm saying
things like, are you
using the Vardon grip, Roland?
And I can hear him say,
yes, I'm using le Vardon.
[LAUGHTER]
And I just started laughing.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
EUGENE LEVY: I'd say, Rolan,
are your hands gently kind
of cradling the shaft?
And I'd here, oh,
they're on the shaft.
And I was gone.
And I couldn't really contain
myself from take to take.
I would just start
laughing hysterically.
I couldn't get it back.
I think you guys had a thing.
You and Daniel had a--
CATHERINE O'HARA: Allez-Vous.
EUGENE LEVY: Allez-Vous.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Yeah.
Your face.
DAN LEVY: Allez-Vous,
Catherine had a moment where
she couldn't keep it together.
And I have never been
more excited in my life.
I remember thinking
in that moment,
we are doing something
right here, folks.
If Catherine broke, we're
doing something right
in the comedy department.
CATHERINE O'HARA: You
know what I realized?
Every time we had to do
some kind of performance
together, because the other
scenes that really made
me laugh were the "Asbestos
Fest" and the Christmas
in the past when we
performed together,
and you had that sad hairdo that
young David thought was cool.
DAN LEVY: Of course.
Very sweet.
CATHERINE O'HARA: They're
just forcing you to perform
in "Allez-Vous."
And then in the songs.
Just watching you.
DAN LEVY: Well, he
really got into it.
That's the thing.
It was reluctant.
But then he
committed more than--
CATHERINE O'HARA: Oh,
more than you ever should.
Than that boy should.
DAN LEVY: Yeah.
The fold in the cheese
scene was very funny for me.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
Oh, I don't think we
were laughing when we did it.
I heard afterwards
that it was funny.
But when we were
doing it, we were--
ANNIE MURPHY: You
were very serious.
DAN LEVY: No.
At the ends when we got to--
CATHERINE O'HARA: We
were serious about it.
Weren't we?
DAN LEVY: We were very
serious until the end
when we were yelling
at each other.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Oh, yeah.
DAN LEVY: And then it
started getting ad-libby.
And then I couldn't.
[LAUGHTER]
Annie?
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
What makes you laugh?
ANNIE MURPHY: Ooh.
Remember that scene
in the first season
where it was like all
of the kids at dinner?
DAN LEVY: Ah, mhm.
ANNIE MURPHY: So it was
Ted, Mutt, Twyla, Stevie,
Alexis, and David.
And it was like the last scene
before we broke for hiatus.
And everyone just wanted to
get the hell out of there.
All the crew was
like, we need to go.
And all of us were like,
but we're laughing!
[LAUGHTER]
And we couldn't stop.
And because we
were at a table, we
were making eye contact
with everyone at all times.
And it was just an absolute--
we were eating cold lasagna.
DAN LEVY: Yeah.
ANNIE MURPHY: Which
didn't help matters.
DAN LEVY: And the fun thing
is that by the end of it,
no one's laughing with you.
ANNIE MURPHY: No.
DAN LEVY: You look out to
camera guys being like, I--
aha, yeah.
Get it done.
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
ANNIE MURPHY: But it becomes
not funny at a point.
DAN LEVY: No.
I don't even think it
was funny to begin with.
ANNIE MURPHY: No.
But you get so racked.
You just get a
case of the laughs,
and you can't turn them off.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
And the more tired
the crew would get with
it, the more we'd laugh.
ANNIE MURPHY: Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: It's like
being at church as a kid,
laughing at church or something.
EUGENE LEVY: And
the irritating thing
was, there were like
five people at the table.
And every take it was somebody
else that would break.
ANNIE MURPHY: Someone else.
Yeah.
Yeah.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Who breaks the most?
Who broke the most?
DAN LEVY: I sort of built
it into my character.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Sure, OK.
That helps.
DAN LEVY: But honestly,
to my defense,
I did, in the beginning,
even before I started
breaking and being
very unprofessional,
I always when I watch TV,
particularly comedies,
and people were saying one
liners or jokes and things,
I always found it strange that
other people weren't amused
by the people doing the lines.
So part of it was
me being amused
as a character at the
things that were being said.
And then it made it very
easy to cover my amusement
as a human on this
planet, finding
what was happening very funny.
And in the pilot episode
of the series when
Catherine is looking-- she's
lost her diamond bracelet
or something.
CATHERINE O'HARA:
Earring or something.
DAN LEVY: Earring.
And you open a drawer and
pull out a light bulb,
and make a sound.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Which just
happened to be in there.
ANNIE MURPHY: Ah.
DAN LEVY: And I, if
you rewatch that scene,
I am doing something like this.
ANNIE MURPHY: Dan
literally just goes--
DAN LEVY: And it was
because I physically
could not take my hands
away from my mouth,
cause I would have laughed.
And we did not have a
budget for multiple takes.
So you have to be very thrifty
with how you go about covering
up your own amusement.
CATHERINE O'HARA: We didn't
have a budget apparently
to clean up the set either.
Cause I opened the drawer,
looking for an earring,
and there was a
light bulb in there.
So I pulled it out like, ah!
Like what are you doing here?
And then, an idea.
Ah!
Oh.
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
CATHERINE O'HARA: With no idea.
But apparently no
budget to clean it up.
DAN LEVY: No.
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
Scream, scream, scream, scream.
CATHERINE O'HARA: Prop
people are really funny.
Let's see if she can think
of something with this.
Let's give her
something to work with.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
So I believe
we have run out of
time, which saddens me.
AUDIENCE: Oh.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: But I did
want to ask as a last question,
you guys have been
doing a lot of events.
You have done a
tour of the show.
There are a lot of
fan interactions
you guys have been doing.
I wonder if you could just talk
a little bit about why that
was an important thing for you?
Because yes, you need to do
stuff to promote the show.
But clearly, not every show
that's trying to promote itself
is like, we're going to
go on a multi-city tour
and interact with
thousands of people.
So I wonder if you could just
talk a little bit about what
that has been like and why
that was something that was
important for you guys to do?
EUGENE LEVY: Yeah.
DAN LEVY: For me,
I mean, I wanted
to do the tour because I
was becoming more and more
aware of the excitement,
the enthusiasm,
and the cheerleading
that was happening
with fans across North America.
And we don't necessarily
have the scope
to get out there
other than to tour.
And I feel like most of
the success of the show
is on the shoulders of our fans.
I feel like they found the
show when no one was watching.
They told their friends.
They've championed it.
They've watched
it multiple times.
I'm saying they.
Some of you are in the room.
[LAUGHTER]
It's been an unbelievable
ride in terms
of an interactivity
sort of relationship,
interactive relationship
with the fan base.
And I think when
people find something
that not a lot of
people know about,
there's a sense of ownership
and pride in the fact
that they've found
something special.
And I found that to be
such a compliment that it
was the least we could do to
get out there and meet people,
and to continue
the relationships,
and continue the conversations,
and to pull back the curtain,
and to share those sort of
behind the scenes stories,
because that's what got
our show to where it is.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK: Yeah.
DAN LEVY: So if you don't
have your relationship--
it's why I'm active
on social media,
and why I'm active on Twitter.
Because to me, I owe
the success of the show
to the people that are on there,
sharing it, and retweeting
articles, and doing
all that stuff.
It's such a reciprocative
relationship.
So yeah, it was a way
of promoting the show.
It was a way of
meeting the fan base.
And it was a way of saying
thank you, ultimately.
EUGENE LEVY: And I wanted to
do the tour because I just
love hearing people scream
with joy every time I walk out
on stage.
[LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE]
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
So thank you very,
very much for doing this.
This has been lovely.
I'm very sorry that
we have to end.
But thank you to
everyone for having them.
DAN LEVY: Thanks for
coming out, everybody.
EUGENE LEVY: Yes.
Thank you all.
Thank you.
KATHRYN VANARENDONK:
Watch the show.
[APPLAUSE]
