Michael Shannon Thinks the Midwest Makes You Better

So, what's your take? Well, I thought since this is Subway Takes, I should talk about the subway.

Okay. Uh, people are real down on the subway lately. They're saying it's getting more dangerous or something, but I—I still like taking it. I don't mind. You like the subway?

Yeah, I like the subway. So your Subway Takes is that—should people should take the subway?

Yeah. Yeah. I—the subway is getting a bad rap nowadays. I guess people—I hear people say, you know, it's changed or they don't feel as—as safe on, you know, there's a lot of negative press about, oh, this that or the other happened on the platform or people assaulting people or whatever, but uh—but you take the subway often.

Yeah, I think uh—I think public transportation is the way to go. I—I can't believe how many cars there are in this city. Ridiculous. There's a lot of cars. What does it take for you to take a car?

Oh god. I don't know. Maybe if it's like really super late at night and I just want to go to bed, you know, but pretty much during the day I'm always on the subway and people are like, "Don't people bug you on the subway?" I'm like, "No, not really." You know, every once in a while somebody will say hi or you know, I like this—that—this movie you did or whatever, but it's pretty simple. Nobody gives me too much aggravation. They're pretty nice to you.

Yeah. Yeah. You know what they do to me? What do they do to you?

They pitch me takes. Oh, do they?

All the time. All day long. I can't even go on the subway. I actually have to take a city bike and wear disguise. Oh, wow. I'm sorry about that. You know, I got this movie coming out. I made Eric Laroo, which is kind of about—it's about the parents of a school shooter, and and and of course uh a lot of the people in the community that these people live in look at these parents like they've uh you know they've obviously created this—this shooter so there must be something wrong with them and uh I—I just hate the fact that people are so non-empathetic a lot of times they seem not curious about other people's—what other people are going through, you know, and I—anytime I see somebody on the subway boy who's, you know, struggling with something, I don't—I don't get scared necessarily. I just think, geez, that person's going through something. I wonder—I wonder what—how they could be helped. I uh—I—I read the synopsis of Eric Laroo.

Yes. And I also discovered that it's your directorial debut. It is. It is. Which seems like a—a real—a real decision to make. Uh because you've—I'm sure you've had the opportunity to direct films before.

Yeah. I mean, people have always been asking me about it. There hasn't been a specific thing, but like people keep wondering when I'm going to do it or whatever. And uh I don't know. I was—I was reluctant for a long time cuz it—it just looked like a lot of work. Directing is—it seems stressful.

Yeah. Yeah. I—I wondered how I would sleep at night, you know? I just figured I'd be worried all the time about—about the film. Yeah. Yeah. But so you much rather prefer to—to show up and do the job.

Yeah. When you act, you know, you're just kind of responsible for that one—one element, you know, but uh I was surprised. I actually really enjoyed it. Uh and what drew you to this story in particular?

I—I saw—yeah. You—you mentioned it's about a school shooter and it's really about his parents coping with "what did we do? Is this our fault?" Right. And so that kind of—that's that's tension. I mean that's a big tension.

Yeah, but I—I thought through the microcosm of this particular story and these particular people, I could tell a story that kind of reflects like I was saying earlier on a larger scale about our society in general and what a confusing country we live in right now. You know, I think America likes to identify itself as a country full of good, honest, decent, hardworking people. And yet there's all this uh loneliness and alienation that causes people to do really crazy stuff. And uh it's like, well, where is that coming from? And why is it—why is it not going away? Where do you think it's coming from?

Well, I—I think it's about authenticity. I think—I think it's about actually taking a—a closer harder look at—at—at who we are which I feel like was happening during COVID, you know, uh a lot of the—the realizations uh people are having particularly when it came to race and—and things like that, you know, these uh ideologies that are embedded in our culture that we kind of take for granted and that we you know kind of—kind of need to toss a—little shake it up and see, you know, who—who we really are and how we really treat each other. Yeah. Did coming from an acting perspective make directing a film that you're not in more difficult or easier?

You know, I say—I tell people I say the reason I was so uh excited to direct is when you direct, you get to have a hand in all of the characters, not just the character you're playing, all the characters, all the relationships, the story as a whole. So it's a way of participating in the entire community of the movie, which uh which I really enjoy. If I would have just played one part in the movie, I would have missed out on so much, I feel like, of of creating the—the world, as it were. And you think you'll do it again?

Uh I hope so. I—but I need to find the right material, you know? I need to find material. I'll write something for you.

Oh, will you? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Take a look at it. A buddy comedy.

Yeah. It's about uh this guy named Kareem. Okay.

And his pal Michael. Oh, okay. And what they're doing is they are on a mission—mission to open a new New York City souvenir shop.

That's hard. I know. And that's why it's so crazy and zany. Yeah. Yeah. Because everyone's like, "You can't open a New York souvenir shop. The city's filled with them."

Yeah. And they're like, "No, no, you don't get it. We have a vision, right? It's going to have a coffee shop in it, right? And it's also going to sell vinyls." Oh god. It's like a Target or something. It's got everything.

Yeah. It's about two guys that want to open an indie—indie Target—indie Target. It's an indie Target. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I—I do think a buddy comedy could be nice, though. I would like to see me and you in a buddy comedy. I—you know, for me, friendship is very serious. How about a buddy drama? I—I actually have a really good pitch. I've been crying the whole time. I have—I have a great pitch.

Yeah. I've been thinking about this. I love you. No, no. I've been thinking about this movie a lot. Okay. I'm serious.

Okay. So it's me and—it's you. All right. We're roommates and we've been roommates for twenty years. Like, we're good friends. Best friends.

Really? Platonic. Twenty years. Platonic heterosexual life partners.

Okay. But odd couple. Then I get a girlfriend.

Oh, man. And I got to go. Michael, I'm moving out. And you are so sad. It's like—it's like Marriage Story. I'm already upset.

Yeah, exactly. You're just pitching and you do everything in your power to keep me there. And I'm like, "Dude, it's not your fault, Michael. I'm growing up. I—I'm in love. I want to move in with my girlfriend." Do I use voodoo? Do I get like a doll and start sticking pins in it?

No, no, no, no. That's torture. No, no. It's more like Marriage Story. Oh, okay. It's more like you're like, "Is it my fault to—can I do something? Did I do something different?" And I'm like, "No, it's over."

Right. So it doesn't have to be over just cuz you met somebody. But the—the roommateship is over. Me and you being roommates, we're done. Can't she just move in with us?

Of course, she can move in with us. But that's a different movie. That's not the drama. See, that's the—that's more fun. I think she should move in with us. But that's—no, that's more fun. I want to—I want to do a—a male best friend breakup movie. That's what I'm—that's what I'm thinking about cuz nobody's really exploring the male friendship beyond buddy comedy.

Right. It's like you've g—