#276 Eric Roberts is the Best of the Best

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Jeff Dwoskin 0:29

All right, Lisa, thank you so much for that amazing introduction. You get the show going each and every week, and this week was no exception. Welcome, everybody, to Episode 276 of classic conversations. As always, I am your host, Jeff Dwoskin. Great to have you back for what's sure to be one of the most classic episodes of all time. With me today is none other than the legendary Eric Roberts. That's right. Runaway train star at King of the gypsies over 700 credits if I listed them all, that would be the whole episode. I'm not going to do that amazing interview coming up in just a few seconds. And in these few seconds. I just want to remind everyone Jackie the joke man returned for the fourth unprecedented time to the podcast last week. Don't miss that amazing conversation talked all about his new documentary joke, man. But right now, we're going to talk all about Eric Roberts, Oscar nominated three times Golden Globe nominated. If you've ever wondered, why does Eric Roberts get 100 pounds of walnuts delivered to his home monthly? We answer that and more coming up right now enjoy. My next guest is one of the few actors with over 700 credit blockbusters independent films, animated films TV series, he's done it all. Oscar nominated three time Golden Globe nominated. We both have a daughter named Emma, one of Hollywood's most prolific actors. Welcome to the show. Eric Roberts. Hello, sir. Thank you so much. So funny story. It's a little awkward story. But it's kind of a funny story. So I know you, you are noticing my autographs behind me on my wall. And many, many years ago, you were at the Motor City Comicon. And so people always say people asked me about when you go to the comic cons. I'm like, oh, one time I went to the Comic Con. I was in the bathroom. And I was using the urinal right next to Eric Roberts, we went to the bathroom at the same exact time. And they're like, did you talk to him? Like, of course, I didn't talk to him.

Eric Roberts 2:46

That's a wrong place for a man to talk to a man when you have your junk in your hand. Besides that, it would have been fine. But you know, oops,

Jeff Dwoskin 2:53

exactly. But all right.

Eric Roberts 2:57

Good for us.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:59

Eric, so much going on, we got the strike going on. I know you normally have like 30 to 50 projects going on at the same exact time. So this, what are you doing just to pass the time?

Eric Roberts 3:11

Well, I'm, what do you what do you call that this not? Not financial course. I'm fi course. So I'm theoretically unaffected. But, you know, strikes are American, when you know, it's the American way when something has felt unfair, and you can't negotiate, then you have to stop production, you have to strike. So it's an American way of, of dealing with things that I have high approval of, you know, let's see what happens. And I just hate for it to happen to hurts everybody on both sides. It doesn't really help anybody. But you know, it's a statement we have to go through. And it's unfortunate, but strikes are American.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:50

Hopefully, it'll resolve sooner and later, it hurts a lot of the folks that most actors from what I've been reading, like, barely make enough to get health care and stuff like that. And that's the majority and so, so hopefully, it'll resolve quick, Eric, your three Golden Globe nominations. You got one right out of the gate. Right, I get your first project.

Eric Roberts 4:11

Yeah, I was nominated as Best Newcomer 1978

Jeff Dwoskin 4:15

as it feels like when your very first project, you get nominated. And it's gonna be such a high.

Eric Roberts 4:21

You don't you don't really swallow it. You don't really believe it. You don't really trust it. It's all like, it's all like a dream. And then when it's over and some time has passed, like 236 months, you look back on and go, Wow, that was so neat. But while you're in it, and it's also there's so much noise about it. You know, there's so much press and noise and interviews and everybody over talks it and everybody over talks you and everybody tells you all these ridiculous things about yourself and hopefully you won't be silly enough to believe it. And you you get through it, but it's a journey that is fun to take. But the most fun part of it is the process of acting That's the part that's the real fun.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:02

You come from your whole family. I mean, your parents, your sisters, you know that everyone's an actor or in some way Varner, your daughter, right? It's something about that family tree of yours. Your parents did they inspire you to kind of go down this path. And

Eric Roberts 5:21

they were really in show business. My father had a school, and he, it was called the actors and writers workshop and we were funded in part by the Martin Luther King Foundation. He a patterned that theater after Joe Pabst Theater, we had a show mobiel and we toured the underprivileged areas all weekend at theater in the park on weekends. That's how I grew up. I started acting because I had such a bad stutter, that I couldn't speak to people that are getting laughed at at school or what have you. But I found out when I memorize things, I could talk as if I could speak without a stutter. So it became an exercise of purse that I got good at, that I learned to have fun at. And then I got, I just fell in love with the whole process and it became my life.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:04

That's amazing is is that a technique that they teach to help with stuttering? To memorize and do that? Or was it just something that you accidentally kind of discovered?

Eric Roberts 6:15

I stumbled on mine I was in I was in speech therapy in grammar school, and it just would make it worse because it made me self conscious. But I learned on my own. If I memorize something, I could speak it as if I could talk. It was a self taught process.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:30

Is it something now that they teach? Do you know?

Eric Roberts 6:33

I don't and I've never inquired. I've always talked about it in very openly but and tried to be an example that there is hope if you stutter, because it feels like there isn't when you do it's an awful feeling to have trouble saying your name.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:49

You started out and soap operas, what's the difference between soap opera acting and acting like in a movie or in television,

Eric Roberts 6:58

a soap opera acting is the hardest acting there is in the entire world, entire industry, because it's the instant coffee of acting. It's expected to be just as good as everything else. But you're given five minutes, and then you're given a rewrite after that five minutes you're given. So it's very, very difficult. I was never good at it. I am one of my biggest fans. I was terrible on that soap opera. So I don't recommend watching any old soaps that aren't Roberts. And they they fired me from that soap opera because I would write my own dialogue. And I got called into the office and I was told if you rewrite your dialogue again, we'll fire you. I said okay, but I never changed in EQs as if that was okay. Anyway, I did it again. And they fired me. And so I thought I'd never worked again. Oh my God, the only job I've ever had that paid me well and Alan on I'm on the street. And the next week I just super king of the gypsies and got very lucky in my first show.

Jeff Dwoskin 7:57

When you transition from soap opera acting to now you're on your first film like what? What were the things that kind of surprised you about the whole process of movie making,

Eric Roberts 8:08

movie making. I was well taken care of by a man named Frank Pearson. He used an Academy Award and many time nominee and winner as a writer. And his last one big movie before mine was a star is born with Barbra Streisand Christmas shops. And you wrote and directed that that version of it. He was my director and my writer, my first time out. And he's the one who saw my screen test and told you know, DeLaurentis, this is who I want. And Adina said I agree with you hire him. So Frank, Frank was my, my mother, my father, my director, my mentor, my friend,

Jeff Dwoskin 8:46

what would you say are some of the things you've carried with you that he taught you?

Eric Roberts 8:51

Just the slice of life attitude that it can it can stay as small as a molecule as long as it's real?

Jeff Dwoskin 8:59

What was it like working with Bob Fossey? Well, that

Eric Roberts 9:02

is its own experience that is working with with a leader who's everything you could ever imagine or want in a writer, director, leader, mentor. He was the hardest working man I've ever known. And he was a genius. It's an overused and abused word. So it has very little meaning nowadays, but once you meet a real genius, you know two things that you're not one, and that they are very hard to find. And I've met too in my life. He being one and, man, what a cool cat. Just just the coolest. I'm very fortunate to have known him.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:42

Is this the movie? It is why people think you're mean Rob.

Eric Roberts 9:48

That's starting to love the first three guys I played were very nice. And then I played Paul Schneider who was a bad dude.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:55

It's funny because I went I was watching some interviews of yours. Just like doing some background before we were talking and stuff like that. And then I knew, some are more I know, some are more. You did a project with somewhere and she was just always as you were great and that and like she would always just talk about how amazing you and allies are. And was like, I remember like, in your head, you have like this image of somebody. And I remember it was the same thing when I interviewed Rodney Cox, the bad guy from Robocop and all that kind of stuff. And I was just like, it was the nicest guy also, it just funny how like, rolls can put an image in your head of somebody.

Eric Roberts 10:31

That's the experience you have with a person that your relationship with them. That's all you have to go by. And even though we as actors, we scoff at that, as an audience, I totally get it. And I understand that

Jeff Dwoskin 10:45

so early on, so king of the gypsies, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields, Annette O'Toole drilling Javelin winners, Shelley Winters, Mariel Hemingway, Cliff Robertson, and All righty. All righty. I mean, not just like, great mentor directors in your I mean, you were working with all these heavy hitters right out of the gate like really great. Well, at least great names. Now, I guess in context, I don't know where they were in their career at the time.

Eric Roberts 11:12

They were all to be enormously respected. Every one of them.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:17

And then Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah. Jon Voight. And then you discovered Danny Trejo. Yep.

Eric Roberts 11:25

You want to hear that story?

Jeff Dwoskin 11:26

I would love to hear that story. Yeah.

Eric Roberts 11:28

Well, we're we're doing we're doing pre production for runaway train. And they take John and I did a prisoner with the writer. His name was Eddie bunker, and then take us to a working prison. I believe it was Folsom? I'm not sure I remember correctly. Anyway. They have a bunch of ex cons who have been in Folsom, but are out who are visiting some kind of reunion weird thing that they do. Anyway, they wanted to cast the part of the guy that I box out of the prison. But the writer said, tell him no, tell him you want that guy with the tattoos and mixing with the tattoo. I said, Okay. He was a friend of his he'd been imprisoned with named Danny Trejo. Okay, so line them all up. And they're all Mexican. And they all have tattoos. So I'd say hold the page, and I go find any bunker and I see Eddie, they're all Mexican. If that is what how do I identify him without you he is he's got this little man on his chest with an sombrero. So go back and I picked him out. And he was so happy. He'd been picked, he cried. And he and I made very good friends. We've been friends ever since then. And a funny story about that day on the set with him when we're actually doing the scene or boxing. And the director, who is very Russian says, says, Eric asked Danny, if you're going to really hit him in the head because I need a shot of him getting hit in the head. So I go to Danny and I said the director wants to know if I can really hit you. And Danny said, but what they're paying me you can beat me up pal Here we go. And because you Danny and never made that much money before that day, so and then he's been a close friend impure ever since.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:09

That's cool. It's it's nice. When you can look back and be the person that changed someone's life or help them along that path.

Eric Roberts 13:20

I was on. Yeah. But you know, Danny and I have been in like four or five of the same movies together. Since then.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:26

Did you get to punch him in any other ones?

Eric Roberts 13:29

I did not. I did not. I did get to kill him once. I was that. It's always a pleasure.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:36

When you were studying, you studied acting in London.

Eric Roberts 13:40

Yeah, a little bit. Well, I went I went to summer school there. And I had a father who put on my resume that I like that I really went to school there. I didn't, I went to their little summer school there. They have their but my my training came from Repertory Theater. That's how I grew up.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:57

Okay, so primary, was it something was TV and movies, something you always aspired to, or did you want to be a theatre actor.

Eric Roberts 14:06

I didn't know what I wanted to be. I just knew if I memorize stuff, I could talk and love the joy of speaking. It was a surprise for me. Only after I'd done probably a dozen plays that I realized, hey, I can be good at this and my own private moments. So I was not until really I was about I was about seven. I was seven years old. When did I really decide I'm going to be an actor. And as much as a seven year old can. I decided I was going to be an actor.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:31

Do you still do theater whenever you can? Or do you love the rush of like a live audience?

Eric Roberts 14:36

Well, you know, theater is a lot of fun, and it's very rewarding. The only problem with theater is even on Broadway. They don't pay you where you can afford to support yourself. And it's a crime that the basis of all entertainment doesn't pay you well enough to have entertainers in it. But

Jeff Dwoskin 14:55

you mentioned we've mentioned your daughter a couple of times where you Are you at all hesitant when she wanted to go into? Sometimes actors aren't as you know, they're a little hesitant when their kids want to become actors themselves. How did you originally feel? I know she's huge now. And she is amazing.

Eric Roberts 15:15

My kid has a very dynamic personality and she wanted to be an entertainer. What am I going to say? No, no.

Jeff Dwoskin 15:24

It's funny. My we named our daughter, Emma as well. Oh, cool. If I have the timing, right, you named your daughter Emma, when it was a cool name, but it was like, not like it is now where it's in the top five. I mean, and I think when we named, it was like, top 100 names, like a cool name that some people used. But it was still unique enough that when it came up, everyone's like, Oh, that's a beautiful name. That's a beautiful name. And I remember we named our daughter Emma, because that's how we felt about it, because everyone was naming their kid Madison at the time. And we're like, no. And I remember we named our daughter Emma loved the name. It's such a beautiful name. We took her home a month later, Ross and Rachel name their kid Emma,

Eric Roberts 16:05

and the whole world. So it's mid. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:09

Sorry to interrupt. But we have to take a quick break. Do you want to thank everyone for their support of the sponsors? When you support the sponsors? You're supporting us here at Classic conversations. And that's how we keep the lights on. And now back to my conversation with Eric Roberts. We're gonna dive into a little Christopher Nolan conversation, and we're back. Oh, Christopher Nolan.

Eric Roberts 16:31

I got my favorite note, as an actor I've ever gotten from director from Christopher Nolan. I'm doing a scene. And I'm in the middle of a scene with a woman in a restaurant in a bar kind of situation. I'm doing the scene. And he seems caught. Right, Robert? Don't be funny. And I have never been accused of that in my whole life. I was very proud of it.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:58

So many iconic movies. And then. So you have you have a black belt in Taekwondo. Sometimes Yeah. When it's convenient when it's gonna give me I do a show where we talk about TV shows to binge watch and all that kind of stuff. And one of the folks was just on sometimes we do movies that we want people to watch again, and he was doing the best of the best.

Eric Roberts 17:19

It's a fun asked movie. So fun. I believe best of the best. Part two. It's a little gory for some people, but I like it. I like that's the best part two

Jeff Dwoskin 17:28

classics, all classics. Thank you. When you think about like, the amount of credits that you have, right? There's some obvious ones that would just pop out that somebody but are there ones that you're like, these are the ones people don't talk about, but I'm just so amazing in them and the people should see these like these are amazing.

Eric Roberts 17:47

Yeah, well, there's a half a dozen of those that that it's real crime that they they kind of never saw the light of day and there's one that Patrick Warburton, you know, the enterprise guy. No, I'm talking from Seinfeld. Right on nobody sees him as a great actor. They see him as what he is kind of a big Bungie likable dude. He's a brilliant over the top. Oh, my God, breathtaking, good actor. And this movie called The civilization of Maxwell bright. He stars him and he plays a guy who owns a TV repair and sale shop. And as you know, very successful Adela money. And he gets a mail order bride. She's Asian. And he's a bruit aihole. And she changes his life, she turns him inside out. But she does it in a way that can only be done with love. And that sounds really corny and really lightweight, but it's a heavy ass movie. And Patrick Warburton is unbelievable. And so is his co star and it's a crime. I don't know her name off the top of my head. But she's brilliant in this movie. Anyway, the civilization maximum. Right? That's one of them. And there's about a half a dozen of those that I just I just am very proud of love very much and wish

Jeff Dwoskin 19:04

the whole world could see him. Let me see if I can Marie Madico.

Eric Roberts 19:07

Marie Madico Yeah, right. That's far. Yes. Thank you. Yeah, Marie. Madico. That's her great actress. Oh, my God. Fantastic. Actress.

Jeff Dwoskin 19:15

Did you get to spend time with Heath Ledger? Yeah, sure. I mean, outside of like, just the scenes and stuff. And uh,

Eric Roberts 19:23

no, no, we only had a had a had a working relationship. But it was a nice relationship. And he was very unpretentious and very cool and very and very prepared and good. I had heard stories that all you guys share were from et. So when the character said, Okay, that was not the case. He was he's very approachable. He's very cool. He was humble and sweet. It was a last all of us,

Jeff Dwoskin 19:44

definitely. So you have a current project called hippo that you have narrated and your wife is one of the stars of the movie or the star of the movie.

Eric Roberts 19:52

Well, there's Kimball Farley and my wife Eliza Roberts. There's a Lila singer, and Jesse Powell. I'm involved. And it's directed by Michael Rapaport, who I just love and it just got picked up by a rough house pictures, which is Danny with any lesson. Any McBride's company so and I just saw the movie. Oh my god so good. And I don't hesitate to say that and most time I do about movies because you think I liked it? Well they like it this movie that you're gonna love. It's fantastic. It works on every level. And the boy Oh my god. He's just brilliant boy. Of course my wife is perfect.

Jeff Dwoskin 20:33

Of course. Of course. I watched the preview of it. It's a black it's in black and white which is Yeah, because it its own kind of are out and tell me about meeting your wife. You guys. You guys have an amazing love affair. Right? You met like 30 years ago, almost right? And you've been together.

Eric Roberts 20:52

And we were married 30 We met close to 32 years ago. And I'm still chasing her. I I like my wife. We uh we oh, we were on the same plane I flew in from Rome to JFK. I get handed a script to read on the way to LAX. So I get on my private airline cubicle and the MGM Grand and then walks in and tracks your redhead also with the script. We say hi, we read scripts we close our last page at the same moment. So we kind of have to talk we look at each other. I have one Baba Baba Baba you reading will you who wrote that? Who with this Baba Baba Baba. He says to me, who's your favorite screenwriter? I said, oh, one guy, David Redfield. He wrote Three Days of the Condor out of Africa the way we were blah, blah, blah. She goes, Why? No, he's my father. I said to her, Well, can I have your phone number? She said, I'm in a relationship. I said, I didn't ask to sleep with you. I asked you for your phone number. She laughed. And she gave it to me. So I had her phone number. So this was a story gets good. I got to work. I got home from work. I had to school someone from the airplane. I call her. A man answered the phone with a very deep voice. He goes Hello. This is her babysitter. His name was Jeffrey Dean Franco from walking dead. He was her babysitter. He goes to her. Hello ministry to Eliza masters calling Eric. He's gone for like three minutes. She comes back we have relationship. He goes straight. He says telephone call shows. Who is it? He goes, Eric. She goes I don't know when Eric. He says it sounds like Eric Roberts. She said, Oh, I met him on the plane. She took the call. If he hadn't recognized my voice, I would not have called back. I would not be married to my wife. Thank you, Jeffrey Dean.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:33

You're married to your wife? Because a Negan That is incredible. Isn't it funny, though, like, like these little like moments and the little connections that can lead like you recognize your voice and got married? Yeah,

Eric Roberts 22:45

I wouldn't have called back, I would have thought I got blown off. I wouldn't have called back. I wouldn't know her. It would be a loss.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:52

And it's interesting when you kind of look at like a life like we all help movie people for like you did with Danny Trejo and yeah, Jeffrey with connecting with your wife. But what how crazy is it that you just say you didn't know she was right on the plane? Like you just randomly say her father is your favorite screenwriter. And I mean, that's, I mean, that's the universe, kind of sending some science as well, right? You gotta think right? No, I

Eric Roberts 23:23

agree. I think it's all all fortuitous fate. Oh, yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:28

That is great. And then you guys work together? A bunch, don't you? You love

Eric Roberts 23:32

many times. Our biggest thing together was we post started in a piece called Love is a gun with me and my wife and Kelly Preston. Kelly. President is really good in the speech. It's a good piece. I play guy you've never seen me play. I play a real piece. And

Jeff Dwoskin 23:47

I had a question. If you don't mind me asking. Julia Roberts, your sister. Do you guys? Are you reconciled? You guys talk now?

Eric Roberts 23:56

We never we never had a problem. That was your problem in the press. It was

Jeff Dwoskin 23:59

on the press. I was. I wasn't going to ask what happened. I was just I liked it. Because the part of the press also talks about reconciliation. And the question I was going to ask was about the importance of reconciling relationships and moving past things. And

Eric Roberts 24:15

we never really had anything to reconcile, you know, we enter disagree, but we, we are who we are. And we like each other. And we talk all the time. In fact, we actually don't talk all the time. We talk rarely, but my wife and she talked all the time. And that's just what happened.

Jeff Dwoskin 24:32

Okay, well, that's even better. That's even better that I'm like, that makes me happy. Because like, it's horrible. When you read things, it was like, Oh, they don't talk to find out. It's just kind of the press. So the press can likes to manipulate things. And so I'll go then I'm sorry to hear that. You had to even read stuff like that. That's, that's unfortunate. It's been a

Eric Roberts 24:50

long time coming though. I think it all started back in late in the early 90s. When, when everybody's talking about Trump pretty woman and I said it out. Press Conference. Excuse me, can we talk about me being funny? And I was like, oh, ooh, you know, it became a thing. And it blew up and and things that just weren't realistic. That's good.

Jeff Dwoskin 25:13

That's a better version of. Okay. Cool. So I wanted to ask, I was reading about, you had an addiction early on, and then when you would come out, and you've talked about it on one of the shows, and people had told you not to do it. But then you found that talking about it actually helped your career didn't do anything like some of the people had maybe that again, now I'm, I'm repeating things I read in the press

Eric Roberts 25:38

ever said, talking about my addiction helped my career that sounded quote from me,

Jeff Dwoskin 25:43

when that helped, maybe they were saying it would have heard it and then being open about it. Actually, just no one didn't embrace you moving forward is I guess what it was?

Eric Roberts 25:53

Yeah, what it kind of kind of became evident that everybody was an addict. So everybody kind of got together and agreed that it wasn't a sin, it was a mistake that we need to reconcile. And so everybody kind of got their shit together. And you know, it got less and less and less as we went through the years, less people made the mistake.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:12

Gotcha. So of the film set, we talked about like films, maybe that the hidden gems, right, and you mentioned, the one with Patrick Warburton, if you were to say, what are the ones that you say, these are the ones that changed my life. These are the ones that kind of are the greatest experiences I had as an actor.

Eric Roberts 26:28

Let's let's go back to read experience that's a gem that nobody knows about this movie called The butcher. It's a bad title, because it's kind of on the head. It's about a hitman. But it's about a hitman who's not really great at any thing, except you're getting away. And I played this part. When I had just gotten my first fake hip, my first titanium hips, I was a bit of a guilt. So I corporated that into the part he was a bit of a gimp, but it's got the best shoot out in a movie I've ever seen. It was written and directed by who's the stunt men writer director, is it Jesse Johnson? Yeah, Jesse Johnson, and Jesse Johnson. This is a great piece. He's even in it for a second. But he's a great writer. He's a great director. And he's a great, he's a great stunt man. It's his piece. And it's magnificent. And it's about a loser, who happens to be hitman, but it's got the best shootout you've ever seen in them.

Jeff Dwoskin 27:30

Alright, I'm gonna have to check that out. I was supposed to talk to Jesse Johnson. And then he had to go out of town for a while.

Eric Roberts 27:37

He's a busy guy. He's always doing something cool. Yeah, but he got to work for I loved him off. loved him.

Jeff Dwoskin 27:43

You mentioned his name earlier. But talking about Danny McBride.

Eric Roberts 27:48

Well, I read in the trains, in the trades that John Danny McBride is having an open call for a part, and righteous gemstones. And they described the part. And I said to my wife, wife, this is my family. I have to go audition for this right now. And I go in the next room and I set up this scene, I put on the clothes and blah, blah, blah. And I say you're shooting this and blah, blah. And we put it up on the screen and I do it. And I send it in I get the part. And so that's kind of Danny right is and so my audition to go into the party kind of kind of that we've spent a great year working with that group, that group is unbelievable. Their dream come true for an actor, and that they're prepared. They're kind, they're in a great location. And they're all talented. And it's just a pleasure to be there to be one of them.

Jeff Dwoskin 28:37

You're great in that. I love that show. I'm a little I'm a little behind on the new season by like, I mean I they just as I like pay you back crazy and real. I mean, like there's so eccentric and like, I mean I

Eric Roberts 28:49

well, they're a group of of extreme geniuses, and when they get together, that's what you get. You get really organized and sanity. It's cool. That's

Jeff Dwoskin 29:01

awesome. So hide since I miss read so much of the press, what is what are some things that people think about Eric Roberts that aren't true that haven't accidentally brought up?

Eric Roberts 29:15

Like, people think I'm a badass, you know, because I play bad answers. So people think I'm a badass, but I'm a homebody and I got a lot of animals. In fact, we have a squirrel sanctuary. I found a squirrel about I don't know 1518 years ago in the yard. He was hurt he was hairless and I take it to him you know, I'm as PCA can replace. I said here's the squirrel they say thank you. They fix it. They call me that squirrels. Well, Kevin, bring them back to your property. Sure you can they come back. They go Gosh, you have all these trees. Can we bring all the hurt squirrels here when they get well? We said sure to be undisclosed later. We get 100 pound bag every month in the city of walnuts and we have a squirrel sanctuary. And our big trees are like apartment buildings for squirrels and And so that's, that's a one of my daily routines and Oh, my wife says we take care of our sanctuary of squirrels. And yeah, and they talked to us, and they're all hand tamed. And they eat out of our hands, and they call up my wife's dress. If you don't know them, they will scare you.

Jeff Dwoskin 30:18

You have three. Okay, so when you say sanctuary, they're just hanging out on your trees. There's no like fences, keeping them in there. Just like we got a good thing going here at the Roberts

Eric Roberts 30:27

going out like an insane asylum like, Oh, we're all here, but they'll have nests and things and yeah, we have about, we have a way and all right, we have a big place here. So we have a lot of trees. So we probably have close to 300. Squirrels. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 30:43

Wow, that that's really cool. That's awesome. And then they give you 100 pounds of walnuts. I. Yeah, from the city. Okay, so that kind of ties in so I read that I read. You're a vegan and supporter of animal rights, so I guess it's mostly squirrels.

Eric Roberts 30:59

Well, I'm gonna want them to get on it. So I want to disclose. I want to be totally honest with you. My wife is a VT, okay, wants me to be a vegan. In fact, every time I did chicken, I am told about how beautiful they are before they have feathers when they're soft and fuzzy, and I get the whole routine about a life I've taken. So I'm doing my best, but I'm having trouble catching up to my wife. So she tells me that I'm vegan to make them certainly vegan if I'm on the road. He's vegan. She was saying so they will certainly be. But I'm not really I have to be honest. Because I respect veganism. I respect vegans. I am just not one totally yet.

Jeff Dwoskin 31:42

A beginning progress. Your work in progress here.

Eric Roberts 31:44

Thank you. I'm a MP. I'm a vegan in progress. Thank you.

Jeff Dwoskin 31:50

I love it. i Oh, what else? What other amazing story like a Danny Trejo story is sitting there, that nobody's uncovered that I haven't brought it like what other, you have any other stories like that, just from the million things you've done? Well,

Eric Roberts 32:05

when seven years have passed, I can talk about the bank robbery yesterday, but not really for a while. So now, because of the characters I play, people think my life is out of control. Because all the characters I play have lives that are out of control. My life is very structured, as structured as an actor's life can be. And it's very pleasant. And I had this wonderful, calm marriage. And I have a couple of really calm boy dog friends. And that, and I and I go to the gym every day, I don't have to be on a set at the crack of dawn. And that's pretty much my life, up until really, but 10 years ago, I always had horses in my life, but then I'm on the road so much. And the horse or one of the horses died. And one of the horses I gave to a friend of mine, and then that horse died. So So you know, horses out of my life now. And but that's all I ever did was horses and act. And my marriage. I've been married for 3030 years now. And I've been kissing her for close to 32.

Jeff Dwoskin 33:14

That's awesome. i It's great. It's always nice to see a couple in love. And it's like and just kind of still doting on each other. Because I've seen you guys interview together and stuff like that. And it's it's nice. It's, it's really nice.

Eric Roberts 33:29

Well, the evolution of our relationship, if you stick with it is fascinating. And it's a kind of a thing that you can never really share, or describe because it is so personal. It's like It's like It's like the calluses on your hand. You can say hey, got them, but who cares? It's wonderful to be in it. But it's so personal. And it's so singular. And it's so unusual that you can't really even share it

Jeff Dwoskin 33:52

had a question. So I know. I mentioned Julia Roberts, but your other sister, Lisa. She acts and also but she does a lot of executive producing and like a lot of behind the camera stuff. And have you ever worked with her in that capacity?

Eric Roberts 34:09

I have not. No, that's not true. But we haven't worked together. We haven't been professionally together in like 30 years. But yes, she's she's a winner. Her name is Lisa.

Jeff Dwoskin 34:21

Yeah, I was looking at her IMDb too, and I was like, all of you guys are like powerhouses need to get one full Roberts all three Roberts together, and I'm off. So I guess four. That'd be like,

Eric Roberts 34:33

Wouldn't that be fun?

Jeff Dwoskin 34:34

I wouldn't be fun. Let's do I'm gonna I'm gonna write something. I'll send it to just send it to Jesse v. Johnson. And then he can

Eric Roberts 34:42

read it. I love Jesse directly.

Jeff Dwoskin 34:47

It's awesome. Eric, I can't thank you enough for hanging out with me. It's fine. You're great. You're so

Eric Roberts 34:52

pleasant, dude. Thank you.

Jeff Dwoskin 34:54

Oh, well. I appreciate that. It was good. I'm good. Your friend was out. have to decide to help with some of the details. Thank you, Burke. Okay, your view it was it was funny when it when he signed on because it was his name. I was like, oh no Burke Floyd. did. Did they give the wrong?

Eric Roberts 35:16

Oh no. Yeah. Just me.

Jeff Dwoskin 35:20

Well, Eric, thank you so much. And I'm glad we were able to meet again many years later outside of the Motor City Comic Con restaurant. And it was a delight hanging out with you and chatting with you.

Eric Roberts 35:31

You are so likable. Thank you so much.

Jeff Dwoskin 35:35

Thank you. Appreciate it. Peace out. All right. How amazing was Eric Roberts so many great stories. I love the Danny Trejo story if you remember Greg Baldwin told that story in Episode 238. So it was cool to hear directly from Eric Roberts as well. Also Eric Roberts came up during my conversation with some are more in Episode 130. Eric and his wife Eliza starred in summers web series, I'll put links to that in the show notes as well. So much goodness, I can't believe the interview flew by so fast. Another huge thank you to my guest, Eric Roberts. And of course, a huge thank you to all of you for coming back week after week. It means the world to me, and I'll see you next time.

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Transcribed by https://otter.ai