Michael Interview with W Magazine

Michael Discusses How Being Funny Made Him Love Acting Again, Leaving Acting for Good, his Breakup with Scarlett, Why He is 100% Over Mel, How Olivia Wilde Gave Him the Best Orgasm He Ever Had By Just Kissing Him, Wishing he Was British, and Why He Chooses to Live with Depression and not Take Anti-Depressants.

THE BEAUTY WITHIN THE SADNESS

INTRO:
Michael Reese Meyers is tired. His eyes are glazed over and seem defeated. He admits he got only 4 hours of sleep the night before. He's tired of paparazzi. Tired of relationships not working. Tired of having to lie to his agent about why he is not reading scripts. Tired of photo shoots (there's a reason there are only two pictures of him in this article, he refuses to do anymore). He is tired of doing interviews. The first thing he says to me when I walk into his sunbathed hotel room is "this is my last interview". The idea of being some recluse who rarely is seen on camera or in print unless he has a movie to promote (and even then he says "I might not even show up to that shit anymore either") seems quite appealing to him right about now. He says while he is a fan of social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter (he is active on both, especially Facebook) a part of him wants to leave them behind as well. "All the richest and most successful people I know don't have Facebook" Meyers says. "They don't go online. They don't do an interview every 3 to 6 months where they have to chronicle where their life is. It's just all kind of, too much ya know?" After a sip of his cranberry grape juice (he says he is "off caffeine" due to recent doctor's orders) and a few bites of his french toast, he takes back much of what he just ranted about and conceded "I mean, who am I kidding, I love that stuff. Being able to communicate with my fans. I probably won't disappear off the face of the planet, but I just don't feel the need to be so public with all my shit anymore". Meyers is, as he always was, ever the contradiction.

TED:
He knows he is doing this to promote his new comedy film "Ted", a movie he is genuinely excited about. "My last film didn't really hit the way I wanted it to hit. That was kind of a bummer. But this (film) I think is really gonna catch fire. It's fucking hilarious". Meyers has never done a comedy before, and the challenge of being funny was intriguing to him. In a way, it revitalized his passion for the craft of acting, which he has admitted in several recent interviews, had been waning. "I just saw no new challenge. Got no catharsis anymore from all the rage and the pain. I once thought acting could be my therapy and it was for a while. But now music does that for me. So acting got boring. I needed a change. And comedy provided that". Meyers plays an unemployed Boston stoner in the comedy which opens April 18th whose best friend is a talking stuffed teddy bear, voiced by Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame. Seth, who also wrote and directed the R rated film, allowed Meyers to pick his co-star. "I chose Amy Adams for a couple reasons. First, she's one of the best actresses working today. Also, because she nailed the Boston accent in The Fighter. Third she is no comedy genius so I knew she wouldn't act circles around me. I needed someone who was as new to this as I was so we could discover it together. Plus she's a sweetheart and so lovable".

LEAVING ACTING FOR DIRECTING:
Making the film opened his eyes to the world of comedy and he now plans to direct a few himself. "I think a lot about the mark I'm going to leave behind and I really wanna make films that say something. Something this generation needs to hear. I feel our biggest issue is the breakdown of relationships. The home, the common marriage, men and women trusting each other, loving each other, getting together and then STAYING together. We lost that. I have seen so much of it. I can't remember a time both men AND women have been so disinterested in finding love and settling down. They've just given up. That scares me. And the ones out there who still do wanna find it, have no idea where to look and what they are doing wrong. I really enjoyed films like 500 Days of Summer, Don Jon, and That Awkward Moment. Stuff like that. Romantic comedies from the guy's perspective that don't sugar coat. That really tackle the issues, but in a humorous way. I have been writing some scripts recently over the past 2 years or so that I think really tackle those issues in a  funny and relevant way and there's no one else I trust enough to give them to, so I figure, why not just direct them myself. THESE projects are what have me and keep me excited about filmmaking. Not some drama where I gotta scream or cry or kill someone. That doesn't interest me anymore." Meyers confesses he has given much thought to leaving acting for good to focus on just directing and music. "The director is the author. He tells the story. The actor is just the paint brush, but the director is the painter. I wanna be the painter."













SCARLETT BREAKUP:
During the past 6 months he has been involved in arguably Hollywood's most talked about relationship, one between him and sexy siren Scarlett Johansson. They met in 2005 when they co-starred in Woody Allen's "Desire" thriller together but did not become close until 2012 when she came to one of his Chants of Reign concerts. According to Meyers they went on a date that was unsuccessful but in August 2013 they tried again with much better results. But it was announced a few weeks prior to this interview the pair had gone their separate ways. While the Michael Reese Meyers of the past would normally be eager and open to discussing such a topic and even willing to bash the other person if he felt the breakup was their fault, the new Meyers seems angry that Scarlett was even brought up. "I have nothing bad to say about her. It's an ongoing situation, so, we'll see what happens". Other than conceding the fact he considers their current situation more of a "break" then full on "break up", he is extremely reluctant to divulge what caused it or elaborate further. He gets more prickly as I keep pushing for answers and eventually explodes "Look, sometimes people, couples, need their space, ya know? To figure out if they want the same thing, the same future. We're trying to figure that out right now."

BEING OVER MEL AND ONCE WISHING HE WAS BRITISH:
His most famous breakup was with Twilight star Mel Morley, his British co-star from The Best Tears (and later Inception). It put him through so much heartache he infamously tattooed her name Mel on his neck and he essentially formed his band Chants of Reign mainly just to purge his feelings for her into musical form. When I bring up her name he has no reaction on his face. Not anger. Not sadness. Not joy. Nothing. He jokes with a smile "She seems like so long ago". When I ask if he still ever thinks about her he says with relief audible in his voice "You know for the first time, I can honestly say, no, I don't ever ever think about her. I think you can get lost in the idea of what someone COULD be or who you WANT them to be but because of that fantasy, you choose to ignore who they really are. After being with some great girls since her, and seeing how she treats guys, how she treated me, it just became obvious she's one who can't be saved. She's trouble. She's damaged. And I was pretty damaged to think I deserve that. That I wanna go on that journey to try and salvage some happiness from that situation but I am not that guy anymore. And I don't want that in my life. I've moved on. I have no desire or yearning anymore for her. I try to search for why I fell so hard and all I can dig up is lust and wishful thinking but there was nothing real tangible there. No real love. All we did was fight and fuck. That's not a relationship".

When I ask how did he ever convince himself it could work and why he feels other people make the same mistake in relationships, he lights up and says with enthusiasm and profound insight: "Listen, sometimes we wish we were someone else. And we wish a person we meet could date us and that would then somehow make us feel more like that person we wish we could be. You get what I'm saying? People ask, why do some nice girls date bad boys. I say, it's because somewhere deep down inside, she wants to be bad. She's too afraid to do it on her own, but in her mind she thinks, spending time with this bad guy will make me bad too. It's like back in high school when you tried to hang with the cool popular kids thinking that somehow through osmosis or something it would rub off on you and you'd become cool and popular too. Dating is the same way. We all have this weird fantasy of the type of couple we wanna be in. How we would hold hands. How we'd dress. How we'd talk to each other. How we'd have sex. The places we'd go. The swag we would have and how people see us when we walk down the street ya know, haha. Like, for a long time I wanted to be some smooth James Bond-like English guy that British girls love and a part of me in some weird sick way felt, if she loved me, I could be that guy. That guy I dreamed about being in my mind. We'd be this sexy British couple. The new Sid and Nancy ya know? David and Victoria Beckham or something, haha. But that was a fantasy. That's not me. I'm not Ed Westwick. I'm not Daniel Craig. I'm not Alex Pettyfer or you know, whichever British male model whose out there. I'm me. This is what you see. You don't see me how I saw myself, at least not on the outside. And people fall for what they see. So I had to let go of that. I think a lot of people have this false vision of who they wanna be and who that ideal person would date and we feel if we date said person, we will magically become who we wanna be but it doesn't work that way. You have to either already be that person or become that person for people to see you that way. It doesn't work the other way around. Fact of the matter is, people who think that way, the way others see us isn't how we see ourselves. It's not congruent. So, you know, you end up reaching outside your grasp. It's all about self hatred. We have to live within our circles. Unfortunately that's how the human race works. I wanted to be in her circle so bad but I wasn't and it shattered me. Really fucked me up. But now I don't wanna be that guy anymore and therefore I don't want her. I just wanna be me and be with someone who wants me. Me for me. The real me that you and I both see, if that makes any sense."

OLIVIA WILDE FLING:
The one girl he is not so completely over yet is his Malibu's Most Wanted and Truth or Die co-star Olivia Wilde. While many knew the two were good friends who were starting a movie production company together in 2012, few knew that something romantic was brewing behind the scenes. Or almost did anyway. When I ask "what went down with Olivia?" Michael tenses up, becomes distant, rubs his face in a stressful manner, and his demeanor slowly shifts from content to longing. It's clear it's a sore subject and one that brings up many emotions for him, many of which not very good. I immediately sense this and tell him we do not have to discuss this but he is now an open book and is ready to clear the air on what happened between the two. As Meyers tells it, when they first met on the set of 2006's Malibu's Most Wanted (in which they only shared one scene together), he was "so depressed" over his breakup with Kristen Bell he was going through, that he barely took in much of the experience of even making that film much less took the time to get to know anyone. All he remembered of Emile Hirsch (whom he shared most of his scenes with) was finding him "kind of annoying, but maybe that was him being in character all the time" and of Justin Timberlake he recalls "how hard Justin wanted to give a good performance and be taken serious. I think he did a great job". Only thing about Olivia he recalls was her seeming like an "air headed party girl" and "she fucked up my nose" (he points to a scar on the bridge of his nose he still has as a result of their fight scene on that shoot where she accidentally stabbed him in the face with her French manicured finger nail). He says doctors and agents have asked him to remove it but he procrastinates on doing so since he sees it as "A badge of honor. Something to remember her by. It's funny since she came back into my life years later and scarred me in a much more personal way anyway."

When I investigate into how that came about he pauses for a moment, closes his eyes, and shakes his head as if he regrets having experienced any of it all. "I didn't see it coming. With most girls you know. You know from the first moment you look at them. 'I'm gonna fall for this girl. She's special.' But not with her. We truly started off as friends. What happened was after Malibu, we went our separate ways. Didn't speak for years. Then in 2012 we bump into each other at some bar in New York and she's a totally different person. So smart, mature, just different. A real woman. Not the blonde bimbo she seemed to be back in 2005. Again, maybe that was her just being in character at the time, I dunno. But we started talking about my band, about acting, business, her dreams of producing and directing, how she loved my movie I directed Look At Me Now, all sorts of stuff. We agreed to start a company together and join forces you know. Combine her interests and mine, her connections with mine. See what happens. It was great. I started to really respect her. But it was a lot of work. Getting the paperwork together. Hiring assistants. It was crazy. But genuinely it started off as just business, but slowly it turned into something more. She just has something about her. Maybe it comes from her modeling days but she has a way of walking. Like she's always on the runway. Like she just knows she's the shit. Her swagger. How she carries herself. Her sense of fashion. The way she crosses her legs. Everything about her, I dunno. She's just so downtown Manhattan chic. That's her scene. It's so elegant and sexy. It's so fucking sexy. I got hypnotized by her. Very quickly at that point. And her eyes. She has these eyes that will kill you. Just kill you. And she knows how to use them, believe me. She knows just how to look at you and get what she wants from you."

He continues: "But anyway, I went into business with her and started this production company and part of me was using it as a way to get close to her. I knew she was having problems with the guy she was with at the time. I was trying to find my way in. We became very close. Spending many many months together for much of late 2012 and early 2013. Between filming the movie we did together plus the time we were spending on the company, it was just a lot. Telling each other deep dark personal things. Really getting to know each other. I thought it was becoming, I dunno, something. Anyway, I started to fall really hard for her but was waiting for just the right time to say something." Meanwhile he slowly started to realize her actions didn't back up all her talk when it came to their company. "She was incredibly lazy, didn't make phone calls or send e-mails or do any of the tasks I wanted her to. I was the one doing all the work, then I'd read in interviews where she'd talk about stuff as if she was the one who did it and I would get pissed like, 'who the fuck are you to take credit for MY hard work?' You know? So that was the first warning sign of something wrong. Anyway one day she finally tells me it's over between her and the guy, but before I can even make my move she admits she's already onto the next guy. Like in the very same conversation. She's like 'yea me and so and so broke up 4 months ago, I'm with so and so now'. That really pissed me off. Anyway at some point in that new relationship he cheated and they took a break. This was when me and her hooked up for the first time. I'm telling you the sex was incredible. Maybe the best I ever had. But she's the type to leave before the guy wakes up. Just like in the movies you know, haha? So I could tell she wasn't the romantic type. In fact to be completely honest, we only did it twice. The first time was full on but the second we had just come back from the gym, were both dead tired, and just decided to kiss. Then I go, let me stick it in. So I put it in, not humping or anything, just on top of her making out, so slow, so sensual, it was like time just stopped. It was electric. Then within 2 minutes I just exploded. I think it was the best orgasm of my life. There's a song on our new album dedicated to that moment. It's my favorite song on the record. When you see the title of the song and how we spell he word wild, you'll know which song it is, haha."

When I ask what ultimately caused everything to fall apart he says: "It was a trio of things. One was on a night where I hinted to her that I loved her and she just changed the subject. It was such a crazy moment. I remember me and her met up at a bar one night in New York to discuss how to fix my issues with her lack of production with our company and she swore she'd do better, as usual. Then I mentioned to her how I had been complaining to a friend about how I always come this close to firing her but always keep her and I said to her he had an explanation for why I always do that. She goes "yea, power struggle" and I go no, he told me "bro, you're in love with her". She laughed it off and was like, "yea right, you're not are you" or something and I laugh and go of course not, but the way I was looking into her eyes and the way I said of course not, it was pretty obvious I was hinting that I kind of was. And she knew. She knew. I could see it in her eyes. And she looked at me, let the moment pass, then looked away and changed the subject. Like 'you know what happened to me the other day, some fan asked me to marry him, talk about people being in love with me...hehe'. I was like UGH! You know? And the thing was, I made that story up. There was no friend. I just made that story up to make her think someone else sees my behavior towards her as a guy whose too in love to cut her loose. That was my way of letting her know. Didn't work I guess. So that was strike one. Strike two was when she was a no show for my 29th birthday party bash I had last year. I begged her to come. I said 'it won't be the same without you'. She instead went on some trip to Costa Rica that she told me was for some charity event, and she could meet rich investors who could give our company money, so I was like, okay I'll give you a pass. Good luck out there and bring back some good connects. But strike three came when I found out that was all a lie. She went there with the guy she had been seeing. The one who cheated. Turns out there was no charity event. Turns out they were trying to work things out. So that's when I lost it and we had this really bad fight. I mean really bad. I told her some really bad things letting her know how I feel about what she was doing and she was like "don't ever speak to me again". So I didn't. This was last June or July 2013. We haven't spoke since. And I'm glad." I ask him if she is still with this guy and Meyers quickly responds "They're engaged".


HIS HEALTH:
After a recent stay at the hospital Meyers learned he has chronic panic disorder. Since 2010 he has been suffering from panic attacks but refuses to take any medication to deal with the issue. "I have been dealing with depression most of my life. I never took one pill for that in my life and I never will. It has been proven many anti-depressants make you wanna kill yourself. I don't want that to happen to me. So I deal with it. And all the Zoloft and Xanax crap that is supposed to help you with panic attacks and anxiety and shit, that shit has just as many side effects that really fuck you up, so no thanks. I can deal with this on my own. I have my friends, my family, music, movies, food, laughter, alcohol, haha. There are so many natural and healthy ways to deal with your shit. Drugs never help the problem, they just make it worse. I know that first hand." He admits he still struggles from time to time with pain killers but insists he isn't addicted and hasn't done them in a while. "Back when I did The Fighter I broke my jaw and some ribs so (the pain killer addiction) came back then. When I hurt my feet on the set of Alien: Genesis, same thing. Back to the pills. But when I am feeling okay it's cool. I don't do them to get high. Only when I have pain. But when I don't, I never touch them. So that's progress I guess."

CONCLUSION:
At the conclusion of our interview Meyers shakes my hand and says "That was cool man. I got a lot off my mind". He seems more at ease. At ease with the concept of interviews again and being forthcoming in them, something that has always been his trademark but now seems to be running from. He seems more okay with the idea that he can be brutally honest and not be seen as the "relationship snitch" or "Male Taylor Swift" (who is known to bash her ex-boyfriends in the press and her songs with overly personal information and candor). In a way, acting doesn't have to be his therapy. Interviews can. He knows this is why his fan love him. Why his haters hate him. But as he discovered in this very article, as long as he accepting of being him and not trying to be someone else, everything is as it should be. Besides, he gets paid to pretend to be other people on set. Sometimes it's best to leave that there and you know, just be yourself in real life. Some of us prefer that guy anyway.

Michael Discusses Panic Disorder on THE DOCTORS

Michael was on THE DOCTORS today to discuss why he was hospitalized last weekend. Apparently he had a panic attack that he thought was a heart attack. Here are some snippets from the interview. You watch the whole video HERE.

TD: So what were your symptoms Michael?
MRM: Well all my life I have had this heart condition called Mitral Valve Prolapse where one of the valves in my heart is a little weak and sometimes doesn't work. So maybe twice a year it acts up but I know that pain, this was different. I was having heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain. I thought it was a heart attack. I went to the hospital, they ran all the tests. EKG, chets X-Rays, blood work, everything. It all came back fine. Normal. Nothing was wrong with me. They told me it was a panic attack.

TD: How long have you been having these?
MRM: Since 2010. That's when it all started. I say pay attention to your body and don't waste your time and money on a hospital visit unless you are for sure it's your heart. I was just so concerned but at the end of the day I'm fine. It's all psychological.

Michael Hospitalized for Unknown Reason

Michael has been sent to an LA hospital for no known reason. Hopefully he is okay. UPDATE: Michael just tweeted THIS photo saying: "In the hospital. I'll explain later... #PrayForMe"

Michael and Scarlett Call It Quits

Michael Reese Meyers and Scarlett have broken up. Both their reps have confirmed that the two, who dated for about 6 months, have called it quits. Things seemed fine just as recent as this past Valentine's Day which was just a few days ago as Meyers tweeted/Facebooked photos of the pair out to dinner. Apparently all wasn't fine. Meyers also posted a comment days later saying "Ugh. Actresses. I swear to God you are all fucked in the head".

 The pair met on the set of their 2005 film "Desire" but according to Meyers, did not get along at all. He and her never became friends until 2012 when she told him she was a fan of his band Chants of Reign. They began dating officially in the fall of 2013.

UPDATED: Many rumors have swirled as to what caused the breakup. There are two that seem to be the most common. The first: Meyers asked her to marry him and she said no. An unnamed source claiming to be a friend of Johansson's says Meyers proposed over Valentine's and it "freaked her (Scarlett) out". It would not be the first time Meyers has proposed to a girlfriend. He proposed to first girlfriend Kristen Bell in Thanksgiving 2004 (and she said yes, but the couple ended up not marrying after deciding they were too young and instead, broke up the following June of 2005) and in 2009 during Christmas he proposed to then rumored girlfriend and The Believers co-star Naomi De La Fuente but she said no. The second rumor: When Scarlett showed up to Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier press conferences and premieres with a cast on her left wrist many suspected Meyers caused some sort of injury to her. Scarlett said on twitter she injured herself snowboarding.

Michael at the 2014 GRAMMY's. Discusses Chants of Reign's Next Album, Their Nomination, Dream Co-Stars, Ted, The Intern, & Directing Romantic Comedies

Michael recently spoke to Rolling Stone's Ethan Stephens at the 2014 Grammy Awards. His band Chants of Reign's recent album "Ill Escape" was nominated for this year's Grammy award for Best Alternative Rock Album of the year (for 2013). The third single from the album "Can't Sleep" was also nominated for Best Alternative Rock song. While they did not win either award, it was huge for the band to be nominated. He spoke about his pride in the album, their new album and the artists and producers they have been working with, his upcoming comedy Ted, techno-thriller The Intern, and what actors he wishes he could work with one day. Enjoy!

ES: So congrats on your Grammy nomination! This has to be a huge honor for you guys.
MRM: A bigger than huge honor. This album was not even supposed to have actual songs with lyrics on it! Haha. It was originally going to be an instrumental album but we kept adding more and more songs, now here we are a year or so later and it's our highest selling album to date and we've got our first Grammy nomination because of it.

ES: And "Can't Sleep" was also nominated for an award. That has to be gratifying considering all the controversy surrounding the song itself and the music video for it.
MRM: Hey, we knew underneath all that nonsense the song itself is powerful and speaks to a lot of people. Do we think it's our best song? No. But we're proud of it, it's one of the better songs we've done and if it's the one that wins the Grammy then we just see it as an overall trophy and acknowledgement of all the great songs we've done over the years that obviously never got noticed by awards people but we think should have won something.

ES: What is next for the band? We heard a while back you said something about you guys already working on the next one? A RandB album?
MRM: Yea RandB mixed with funk, amongst a few other influences. But that's the main gist of the sound. It's a romantic album. It's gonna be called The Last Romantic Left and his Phunky Phresh Phlow. All love songs. With a sexy feel. We been recording since last fall and we finished it recently. Can't wait for the world to hear this new sound man. We recorded in Paris, France with Daft Punk and this great writer/producer/artist named Matt Pokora. We also recorded in Toronto a little with an idol of mine, Drake, and his producer 40. We also did a bunch of stuff in L.A. with people like Timbaland, these great funk/jazz/rock producers called The Soul Collectorz who have worked with Maroon 5 and True Hollywood Story on their early albums. We wanted that sound they used to have. We've recorded some tracks I wrote with Travis Garland and I did some writing with a good friend of mine, the one and only Mr. Tito Craig from True Hollywood Story. Some of the songs Tito and I wrote will be on his upcoming second solo album "A Different Swag" and some will end up on our (new Chants of Reign) album. We'll see. Um, Childish Gambino came through and did some stuff with us. Wrote some cool songs with him. We did a bunch of stuff and created a whole new sound. It's gonna be so dope! Might be our best album yet. We could be standing here again next year! Haha.

ES: When does that come out?
MRM: Right now the plan is October. Expect the first single sometime in the summer. It's a sexy song. Co-wrote it with Travis Garland and 40 produced it. Travis is just a musical genius man. There's 18 tracks on the album. Just did the last song (for the album) a few nights ago. Drake is featured on it. It's straight fire.

ES: But obviously we know you for your acting. Whats ahead for you in that arena?
MRM: Got two movies coming out this year. Two VERY different roles. Two very different films. In April I got a comedy coming out, my first ever comedy. A little nervous but I got faith people will find it funny. It's called "Ted". Seth McFarlane wrote and directed it. Amy Adams plays my girlfriend in it. I play Boston stoner man-child who refuses to grow up and has a talking teddy bear he takes everywhere with him and it's about the crazy hijinks we get into. He's the real star of the movie. And Seth voices him as well. It's pretty hilarious, I think. Then this fall I got a thriller coming out I'm really really excited about called "The Intern". I sort of play a younger version of Jon McAfee. He's the guy behind McAfee internet security software. He had a crazy situation where the government found out about him trying to expose some stuff and how he tried to make money off of it and we based some of it off his book but also added a fictional character played by Alex Pettyfer who we sort of see the movie through his eyes and he's the one who has to ultimately bring me down. It's very much like Training Day, which is one of my all time favorite films, but we aren't cops. It's the corporate, computer technology world, which in my opinion, has bigger stakes. You will know what I mean when you do some research on our film, on McAfee and what he knows about what the government is doing, and some of the issues this film raises. It's gonna be quite the controversy but we are ready for it. It's a very smart and timely film that will have people talking that's for sure. And Alex gives a tremendous performance. I've been a fan of his for a while and I was happy to finally have worked with him. We've actually become good friends.

ES: Yea, I remember you have mentioned before he was one of the young actors you were excited to see more of. Him and Sebastian Stan.
MRM: Yea. I'm so happy to see Sebastian in (Captain America 2) Winter Soldier. It's gonna be a huge look for him.

ES: What are some other actors you want to work with?
MRM: Other young up and comers or...

ES: No, just anyone.
MRM: Oh. Well, Sebastian (Stan), for one. Um, the obvious legends like Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchette. Um, Mickey Rourke would be awesome. Val Kilmer. His performance in Tombstone made me want to be an actor. It's still my favorite from an actor ever, to this day. Um, Mark Strong. Joel Edgerton. Those guys are the new chameleons. I been studying up on them. Daniel Day Lewis to me is the standard. He's maybe the best ever. Would kill to work with him. Some other young guys, ummm, Andrew Garfield is really really good. I like his style. Jared Leto I think is this generation's Daniel Day Lewis. I really do. he is talented, so dedicated, it's scary. Plus he's an incredible singer and songwriter as well. The dude is just a freak of nature. I hope to emulate his career in a lot of ways. Would kill to work with him one day, that's for sure. Umm, I mean, I dunno. I've already worked with so many great ones already. Denzel, Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Joaquin Phoenix, Bruce Willis. Just did a film with both Sean Penn and Gary Oldman, two of my idols. Got to work with Leo (DiCaprio) in Inception. Maybe I'd like to work with Ed Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman again. For real this time. I mean I was technically in a film with them, Spike Lee's 25th Hour, but I was just an extra. I'd actually like to have scenes with them one day, haha. Oh, and maybe if I had the clout I could get Gene Hackman to come out of retirement. That dude was the boss. I just wanna work with the best.

ES: What about some of the younger female actresses we have now?
MRM: Um, well I think Kate Winslet is an absolute legend. She is the one of the best to ever do it. So it would be an honor work with her. Leo just raves about her. Um, Jessica Chastain seems good. Rachel Weisz is super underrated. I think she's one of the best we have out there. Uh, you know, Anne Hathaway. I know alot of people have their opinions on her but I'd love to work with her. I have yet to see her give a bad performance. I think she's super talented and she seems like a cool person. So maybe her. Yea.

ES: You said after working with Jennifer Lawrence on Trust Me you wouldn't work with her again because she 's so intimidating. Do you still feel that way or no? And what do you think of all her success now?
MRM: She deserves it. She's one of the best if not the best of her generation. I always knew she was gonna blow up. And I was just kidding when I said that. I was intimidated yes but of course if the opportunity came I'd love to work with her again. Why not? She's a super fun person to be around. There's literally nothing fake about her, which is rare in this town. And most importantly, she pushes you to be at your best, which at the end of the day is what it's all about.

ES: You said recently you have an interest in directing?
MRM: Yea. That's the next step. I'm writing a couple things right now. Not as intense as my first movie I wrote and directed back in 2010, "Look At Me Now", which was about a girl trying to escape the porn industry and a guy struggling with his sexuality. I'm working on two romantic comedies that are from the guy's perspective, in the vein of stuff like 500 Days of Summer, Don Jon, That Awkward Moment, stuff like that. I really wanna continue that movement of showing how this generation of young men is more sensitive than year's past and how we struggle to find love as well. It's a new time and the rules of dating have changed. People are getting married later or not at all, friends with benefits and 'hook up' culture has become increasingly prevalent, single people of both genders are allowed to be 'discovering themselves' for much longer than before. I mean think about it, back in the 70's or 80's or even early 90's, if you were still single and living alone and not earning a big income by the time you were in your late 20's or early 30's people saw you as a loser. Nowadays people are still figuring things out well into their 30's and even older. It's crazy. And that has a huge impact on the dating scene. We keep pushing that deadline back of when is it time to finally have your shit together. So I got one movie I'm gonna direct and write, not star in at all, about a guy who tries to get out the friend zone and stuff. He learns from different people the art of seducing women. I been talking to Leo (DiCaprio) about doing it. Miles Teller, Rosie Huntington, a couple other young female actresses are on my radar. Then another one I'm working on that I may star in and direct is about a guy and girl who are friends and in their early 30's and make a pact that if they aren't married to someone within 5 years they will marry each other. I think it's pretty clever and funny. So it's exciting. Doing Ted which was a comedy and just being a generally happier more positive person as of late in my life, along with my extensive research on the chemistry and science of dating, has made me quite fascinated with these types of stories and dedicating my time to telling them. I believe in the power of movies and I think this generation needs these stories more than ever. No one believes in love anymore and I think I have figured out the domino effects as to why and maybe these films can help solve that.

First Set Photo of Michael Filming "The Intern"

Michael has been filming "The Intern" in Costa Rica the past 2 months with Alex Pettyfer, Selena Gomez, and Idris Elba. The thriller, directed by Gregory Dark and written by Brad Furman, centers on a young British hacker whiz kid (played by Pettyfer) who gets kicked out of college for trying to hack into the school's mainframe and change his grades. He then gets recruited by a mysterious internet security technology business tycoon (played by Meyers) to intern for him. There the young student learns the ins and outs of online security, makes tons of money, begins to fall for his bosses girlfriend (Gomez) and soon enough he is hunted by a British secret agent (Elba) who suspects Meyers' character of some illegal business dealings. The film is loosely based off of eccentric McAfee online security software creator Jon McAfee and his book he wrote in 2012 "The World's Most Wanted Man" in which he details he true to life story of running from the government when it was discovered he was trying to expose illegal ways they were spying on the public. Expect the thriller to hit theaters in the fall sometime of 2014.

New Howard Stern Interview: Discusses Truth or Die and MUCH MORE!!!!

Ok here is the new interview with Michael and Stern. Meyers touches on many many things and says some stuff that is sure to be controversial, but hey it's Michael, did we expect anything else??? Here's what's discussed:

- The plot of Truth or Die

- His relationship with Scarlett Johansson and how they went from friends to lovers

- His dislike of Natalie Portman

- The reason for his falling out with Olivia Wilde

- Him thinking Robert DeNiro is overrated

- His controversial speech to the SFT students

- The controversy surrounding Chants of Reign's "Can't Sleep" music video

- He is currently filming Ted and recording Chants of Reign's fourth album as well as a remix album for Ill Escape

- His favorite porn stars

- Joe Wright, Matthew Vaughn, and Danny Boyle in talks to direct the next Bond film

- He wants to play Bond for as long as he can. He puts no limit on the number of films he'll sign onto

- He and Chants of Reign have signed a new rap group to their label who release their debut album in 2014

HS: Welcome! Welcome.
MRM: I'm back!
RQ: Seems like you were just here yesterday!
MRM: Yea I was here in May I think.
RQ: Yes you were.
HS: Most exciting actor in the game...I think!
MRM: Most exciting actor in the game. Most exciting interview in the game! Haha.
HS: Damn right. Let's get to it. Let's get to the controversy.
MRM: I'm joking, I'm joking! Don't need anymore of that.
HS: Oh come on, who do you hate???
MRM: But seriously, glad to be back, you guys give the best interview in the business.
HS: Sit down man I need to talk to you.
MRM: Uh oh, about what? What'd I do now?
HS: Your tweets are depressing me. I need to find out why you're so depressed man.
MRM: Depressed? What you talking about?
HS: I follow you on Twitter man, you're one of the few celebrities I care about enough to read their tweets. I think you are super talented and I want to keep up on your mental health and what's going on with you because every other month there is some new drama or rehab or something.
MRM: Nah man I'm steering clear of all that shit man. New leaf. All positivity.
HS: Are you sure because I'm reading some of these tweets man. You seem kinda depressed man. You seem damaged.
RQ: Damaged movie star!
MRM: I dunno what to tell ya man. I mean on Twitter, I just like to speak for the people and to the people. I like to show people I can relate to their struggles in understanding the opposite sex and the complexities of dating and life in general. I try to say stuff that people can relate to, laugh at, create discussion. I really love it. But sometimes that entails saying the dark stuff. It may not necessarily be stuff that I am personally going through but it's stuff I know others are going through, ya know?
HS: Oh so not all of this always applies to you and your life...
MRM: Right.
RQ: Yea see he's fine.
HS: Yea man what you gotta be depressed about? You're rich. You're good lookin'. You get pussy like no one's business. You're famous.
MRM: Hey now!
HS: Hey now! But seriously...you need to cheer up and stop focusing on the negative stuff man.
MRM: I try, I try.


HS: So you still banging Scarlett or what?
MRM: Haha. That's one way to say it.
HS: Well how else am I gonna say it? Are you dating?
MRM: Yes. Yes we are.
HS: What a piece that is.
MRM: She's a great girl.
HS: How'd you get that? How'd you even meet her? At an event or something?
MRM: No, no we did a movie together in 2005. That's how we met. And funny thing is we didn't even get along. We didn't hate each other or anything, but the friendly chemistry that you'd like to be there with a co-star with whom you're gonna have love scenes with, just wasn't there.
HS: So what she was being cold to you...
MRM: Pretty much. She was just coming into her fame at the time and was kind of struggling with how to deal with that, which happens to us all. But she was hard to crack but we got through it. Over the years we'd run into each other from time to time at events and stuff but I was always involved with other people as was she so I never thought about her in that way and really in a way she's not really my 'type' anyway. But last year she reached out to me for tickets to a show for my band Chants of Reign because she was a fan. She came to a show. We re-connected. She just seemed, different. So mature. So kind, so open and friendly. Nothing like before. We started hanging out. She opened up to me about her divorce from Ryan Reynolds. We became good friends. Went on a date but decided there was no spark and to stay friends. Then something weird happened. In August I was on tour with my band in Europe and the news came out about her getting attacked by some fans and my heart broke. I felt it deep. Like anger ya know? How dare someone hurt her. I couldn't wait to get back to the states and just be there for her. It awoke something inside of me for her I didn't even know was there. We been tight ever since.



RQ: So here's what I wanna know. How is that for an actor to have no chemistry with his lead or straight up not like each other?
HS: Yea I've always wondered how do you handle that? Has that happened with anyone, other than Johansson?
MRM: Haha. Maybe...
HS: Come on, give it to me, give us a name.
MRM: Oh boy. You guys want that controversy. I've had enough of that.
HS: Yea like that speech you made for the acting school.
MRM: Yea I'm sick of talking about that. I was just preparing those kids for the real world. I'm sorry if people don't like that truth.
HS: So what actress did you hate?
MRM: Well I didn't hate her, but yea, there was one, who, yea...
HS: Who?
MRM: Well first let me say I'm not saying I hate her or she's a bad person. I just think she's a little...in love with herself.
HS: Who?
MRM: Well, here's the thing... Natalie Portman is a decent actress, but working with her, wasn't fun.
RQ: Oh my but she's American's sweetheart.
HS: I always knew she was a bitch. She looks like she thinks her shit don't stink.
MRM: Haha!
HS: Isn't it true?
MRM: She's one of those straight A valedictorian class favorite types who thinks because her GPA is higher than yours she should always have her way and is always right and that kind of self serving entitlement to being the teacher's pet or in our world the director's pet, can get kind of annoying. But like I said, not a bad person, just a bit self righteous.
HS: So you wouldn't work with her again? Don't like her...
MRM: No I wouldn't. Just not my cup of tea.
HS: Would you fuck her?
MRM: Haha, what?? I just said I don't like the girl.
HS: Yea but do you find her attractive?
MRM: Yea she's a cute girl. She's pretty. I just don't like her as a person. I want to. You hear nice things about her and you think she's gonna be a sweet person but you come to find out she's very...judgmental. I don't find that attractive. She has this attitude of, if you are different from her, she ain't fuckin' with you. She puts you in this box and you stay over there and she will be over here. I just think she grew up very sheltered. She's a very sheltered girl.
HS: Oh I see. I think I got it. So she's one of those girls from the big house in the suburbs who gets around say a black guy or some minority or something she isn't familiar with and go...ok statistics say you guys are scary so I will stand over here and you stand over there because I'm supposed to be afraid of you.
MRM: Well maybe not that exact example but yea pretty much. Very closed minded. Which is shocking for a Harvard grad. I wasn't expecting that. But, like I said. Nice girl. Decent actress. Hard worker. Oscar winner, haha.
RQ: Wait did I hear you call her a decent actress? Just decent?
MRM: Yea.
RQ: You know she won an Oscar right?
MRM: Yea, so? What's that mean?
HS: So you think she's overrated?



MRM: I think a lot of so called great actors are overrated.
HS: Like who?
MRM: Oh boy here we go.
HS: Hey man you opened the door.
MRM: Well I just look at acting from a certain perspective. The actors who I think are overrated, I'm not saying their bad actors. They're good actors, heck even GREAT actors. But not the greatest of all time the way some people rank them. I just don't see it. And I'm very analytical and picky and particular about what is great acting.
HS: So who do you think doesn't deserve their reputation as the greatest?
MRM: Well A lot of people won't agree with this but I think DeNiro is a little overrated, in my opinion.
RQ: What???
HS: The guy hasn't done anything all that great in a while...
RQ: Both of you are crazy!
MRM: Listen I know people will say that but I don't care. I know what I'm talking about. I'm just not impressed. To me acting, again coming from someone who does it for a living...acting is like juggling. And the more balls you juggle the more I'm impressed by what you're accomplishing. So every thing you have to change about yourself is one more ball you're juggling. If you change your accent, ok that's one ball. You gained or lost a lot of weight, that's another ball. You changed your hair or eye color or grew a beard or something, that's another ball. You deepen your voice, another ball. Your mannerisms and movements and ticks, that's another ball. How many actors, each time out, every single time, juggle four or five balls with each performance? Gary Oldman. Daniel Day Lewis. Mark Strong. These are the guys, the real pros who I want to be like. Who I admire as the best of the best of the best of the best. Again, not saying DeNiro isn't real or believable. The guy is a legend and one of the most natural and effortless actors. I love what he does but how do you expect me to be impressed by him juggling one or two balls at MOST and hardly any in the last 15 years when other guys juggle 5 every role they do? How and why the fuck should that impress me? He stopped caring a long time ago. And even his best performances from back in the day and yes I have seen everything he's done, just aren't what I thought. Sorry that's how I feel.
HS: Hey I can respect that.



MRM: Ok now that I have pissed off half of Hollywood, don't I have a movie to promote?
HS: Oh yea, that thing? Yea...let's get to that. So "Truth or Die" right?
MRM: Yea comes out October 18th. Starring myself, Olivia Wilde, Keira Knightley, Sean Penn, Gary Oldman. Just a great thriller. A sequel to Phone Booth. I'm a young politician who gets caught in some lies and Kiefer Sutherland's caller character is back to make sure I start telling the truth. Pretty crazy flick.


HS: Now you and Olivia Wilde play husband and wife in this correct?
MRM: Yea.
HS: But I heard you two aren't even speaking now.
MRM: Correct.
HS: Whoa, whoa what happened there? I thought you two were tight.
MRM: We were man, we were. Like best friends but now we don't speak.
HS: Why, what happened?
MRM: She and I just had a falling out ya know? Shit happens.
HS: No shit doesn't just happened between two good friends, there had to be something going on.
MRM: I don't think it needs to be said. That's all.
HS: Oh come on you always spill the beans. What happened? You guys fucked didn't you?
MRM: I'm ...not...saying...anything!
HS: You fucked her!
MRM: It's more than that. It really is.
HS: Than what is it?
MRM: I gave her some friendly advice she couldn't handle and she chose to cut me out of her life.
HS: Friendly advice? Like what?
RQ: I read he didn't like her boyfriend or something.
HS: Is that so?
MRM: Yea she can do better.
HS: He's a loser?
MRM: He's a director.
HS: So what's the problem?
MRM: Just isn't a good guy. And she told me stuff he's done yet she goes back and one day I blew up on her and said you can do better and said some hurtful things and she basically said don't ever speak to me again.
HS: And that was it?
MRM: We haven't spoke since.
HS: And when was this?
MRM: ...Uh, June or July I think? Of this year.
RQ: You know as a woman, I can speak from experience when I say..I've dated my fair share of bad apples. And while my female friends always have their say and give me advice, they never stop being my friends just because I'm dating a guy they don't think is good for me. But I've had tons of guy friends, always straight ones of course, who the minute they find out I'm back with a not so good guy, they blow up on me, call me all sorts of names, and say the friendship is over. Make a whole production!
HS: Wow.
MRM: Oh yea?
RQ: Yea. And almost every single time...later on I come to find out, that guy friend had a crush on me.
HS: And you see, it's because he wanted you to give them the chance you keep giving this other loser, who doesn't even deserve you.
RQ: Exactly.
HS: So that means Mike you wanted her to give YOU that chance.
MRM: (smiles and rubs his face)
HS: Come on, admit it. You wanted her.
MRM: ...there was a moment in time where, yea I had it pretty bad for her. And she knew. I never verbally said it, but one night we had a moment, and she knew. And she chose to ignore that fact and pretty much rub it in my face she was with someone else. And I never expected that. She went from this great friend to a mean girl cheerleader type who flaunts her relationship in the face of the guy she knows wants her and it turned what I thought was a close friendship into this strange competition where I was dating girls just to show her I was over her and we would compare notes.
HS: Like how?
MRM: Just you know, like if they were having problems, I'd say, well me and so and so are doing great.
HS: Like to see whose relationship is doing better.
MRM: Yea as a way to sort of I guess, prove to other, hey you made the wrong choice. I'm still with so and so and I'm treating her great while your guy is doing dirt. You made a dumb move on your part.
HS: So what do you think her deal was? Why'd she choose this other guy over you?
MRM: Listen over the past couple years I have been doing an insane insane insane amount of research on human psychology and mainly focused on romance and gender relations and why we date who we date and stuff and I am not psychologist or anything but it's a fact we chase the people who fill a void. Who solve a psychological issue we have. And over the year's I've noticed Olivia has always been attracted to power. Her first husband was a prince. This new guy is a director. Rick Yune comes from a rich lawyer family. I dunno. It's just a trend I saw. I think she was dating a very famous DJ too at one point. There may be another common thread these guys have, but we've had many deep conversations about it. But whatever it is, I didn't possess it. Which is fine. Everything happens for a reason. She's not the girl for me. She showed her true colors. She's a very money hungry person, so she's in the perfect industry for that.




HS: Wow. This behind the scenes Hollywood stuff fascinates me. Whose bangin' who? Whose doing what?
MRM: Believe me a lot goes on behind closed doors you have no idea about. Alot of people who you think never even met probably know each other, may be friends, have hooked up, even dated. They just chose to hide it. When you want to hide something you can. Anything that gets "leaked" was leaked on purpose for a reason. Nothing's by accident.
HS: Oh Mike I've been known that. Like when these celebs act all pissed when they see the paparazzi outside following them, they knew they were gonna be there...
MRM: They're publicists told the paparazzi they were gonna be there! They aren't psychic.
HS: Exactly. It's all smoke and mirrors man.
RQ: So when Halle Berry fights off those paparazzi guys she asked them to be there!??
MRM: Well at the time she wanted to prove to the judge in her child custody case that LA was a dangerous place to raise her daughter because of how aggressive and invasive the paparazzi are so that run in was supposed to help her case.
HS: Oh...I see. There ya go.
RQ: Wow.
MRM: Exactly. They tip them off then act shocked they are there. It's all apart of the game. Hollywood is a crazy crazy place. That's why I tell young actors just be careful when you come here. It's not this nice happy place where everyone wants to help you succeed. It's the most fake, backstabbing, insecure, vapid, fame and money hungry and ego driven industry next to politics and wall street, haha. It's crazy!



HS: Well yea like I was saying, like how people made such a big stink about your speech you gave to those acting kids...
MRM: Yea.
RQ: Yea where you basically told them it's impossible to make it in Hollywood as a struggling actor without cutting ties with everyone close to you, sleeping your way to the top, paying off your agent, and basically selling your soul to the devil, haha!
MRM: Well I did those kids a service because I told them something teachers at acting schools NEVER tell them...the truth!
HS: That's right.
MRM: Why should we lie to these kids and not give them ever bit of correct info we can about the industry they are about to get involved with? They spending their time and money on getting an education, head shots, all kinds of things to get work and then you don't tell them the real ins and outs of it. That's a real shame. It's a scam really. I didn't want to do that. I didn't wanna stand up there for 15 minutes and say the standard cliche "just work hard" bullshit they paid me to say. That's all they wanted me to say. But I was like 'fuck that'. I'm gonna tell these kids how it really is. So now there's two things that will hopefully happen. One, the kids who realized, 'Wow I don't wanna be in a world like that..let me go apply for an office job somewhere', will get out now before it's too late and spare them self the pain and heartbreak of finding out they aren't cut out for this shit. I always say, salmon weren't meant to swim with sharks. And the second thing is the actors who decide, 'Ok I know this is gonna be an extremely difficult and very very competitive world to get into where morals are low and ambition is high but I want this more than life itself' then those kids will know now what they are up against and what it's gonna take to compete. I did them a favor. I saved the kids who weren't built for it from a major disappointment and I let the kids who are built for it sage advice on the tools of attack. I gave them priceless advice that will change their lives for the better, no matter which of those choices they make.
HS: I agree.


RQ: But you had another controversy recently with your band's music video where they said some girl was being raped???
HS: Yea???
MRM: No that was a misunderstanding. My band has a song out and in the music video for the song it's about a guy who is in some girl's friendzone and can't get out and ultimately kills himself. There's a scene where he is fantasizing about what it would be like to date her and in that scene he is ripping off her panties in a rough way but people got it confused and thought he was raping her when he wasn't. Guys do that to girls all the time.
HS: Yea I see it in porn all the time.
MRM: I know right. I think whoever started that controversy hasn't seen enough porn.



HS: You still watch porn?
MRM: Come on man. Of course!
HS: Thank you! At least you admit it. So many guys come here and are like 'man i don't watch that shit..i get laid bro'...I'm like Yea ok!
MRM: Bull. All guys watch it. Even when they are getting laid. Maybe not as much obviously, but you still check it out from time to time. Just to keep up with the trends, what's going on. Who the hot new porn star is.
HS: Whose your favorite?
MRM: Porn star?
HS: Yea.
MRM: Man...so many. Sooooo many, haha! Sasha Grey of course.
HS: You dated her.
MRM: Yep.
HS: Aye Marrone. I can't even imagine.
MRM: Who else? This girl named Dina, from backroom casting couch.
HS: Love that site.
MRM: Yea. Um, Asa Akira is this asian one I recently got into it.
HS: Don't know her.
MRM: Bangin' body. Bangin'. You gotta look her up.
HS: Ok I'll make a note of that.
MRM: Um, this blonde chick, forgot her name. But she's from some UK site. A casting couch spinoff from eastern Europe somewhere. I think Czech Republic or something.
HS: Czech chicks are hotttt!
MRM: Oh man...yea! This one looks just like a hotter version of Anna Kournikova.
HS: Oh, wait...I think I know who you're....is it...Veronika something...?
MRM: Veronika..??
HS: Yea czech broad? Veronika Love...something?
MRM: No it's um...
RQ: Wish I could help but uh....
HS: Let me look this up right now....
MRM: I think I know who you are talking about but I think Veronika is just the name they gave her on some early videos she did before she came up with an official porn name because I remember some YouTube interview I saw with her where she said it took her a while to come up with a porn name because she wanted something that was memorable but also represented who she really is or whatever...
HS: Candy Love?
MRM: YES! Yes!!! That's her! (high fives Howard)
RQ: HAHA! Oh my goodness. You guys. You guys. You men and your porn stars.
HS: Yea Robin go somewhere and occupy yourself. Go buy some shoes or do something women do. Leave us men alone here. We're talking about porn here. This is serious business right here.
MRM: This is serious business right here.
RQ: Male bonding at it's finest.
HS: Yea this broad is something...
MRM: I'm telling you man. That's my girl right there. If I ever meet her bro, it's over.
HS: I dunno about dating it but I'd let her do something to me...
MRM: Ok I maybe you're right, haha.
RQ: I think you have enough women in your life.
MRM: Nah, just one. One's all I need.
HS: Ok let me click outta this before I get all hot and bothered.
MRM: Yea man sorry about that. I got a little overzealous there.
HS: No it's okay man. I see what you see. But let me calm down here and get back to this interview before I start touching myself. Whoo! Look at that bod. God I love women. Sexy women!
MRM: They're intoxicating.




HS: So you still doing these James Bond movies right?
MRM: Oh yea. I signed on for two more so that will make four when it's all said and done but I have the option to do more.
HS: So the next one is happening?
MRM: Yea man, start shooting next year sometime, maybe summer or fall. It comes out November 2015. We're talking to three big name directors right now, waiting to see who signs up.
HS: Oh yea who?
MRM: Not sure if I can say...
HS: Come on it's just you and me talking here...
MRM: Haha, yea ok.
HS: Spielberg or something?
MRM: No, haha.
HS: Spike Lee?
RQ: HA! That'd be something.
HS: Who they talking to?
MRM: A couple guys. All British. One guy named Joe Wright. He's worked with Keira Knightley a lot. Pride & Prejudice. Atonement. Anna Karenina. He's very visual with his camera work and he directs actors really well. He's kind of eccentric but very funny and intelligent. Keira swears by him. If he does it I will try to convince him to get her in it too. She's always wanted to be a Bond girl. She's one of my best friends and we've worked together three times now so why not in a Bond film?
HS: Why nothing ever happen between the two of you?
MRM: Me and Keira?
HS: Yea man, too skinny?
MRM: Yea that...and just ya know, she's like a sister. We kinda grew up together. I never looked at her in that way and the few times I did it just felt wrong. Like if we broke up, I dunno how I'd get along without her in my life and there's no dying urge to bang her so the friendship becomes what's most important. I don't wanna risk it. She's one of the sweetest and most genuine people in the world and she's married now anyway.
HS: Oh yea, I didn't know.
MRM: Yea to Nate Foster. Lead singer of a band called Foster the People. But yea anyway so we're talking to Joe Wright and also a guy named Matthew Vaughn. He's married to or dating Claudia Schiffer. He's a real tough as nails old school type A personality director but I love those types. He gets the job done. He makes dark thrillers like Layer Cake with Daniel Craig, but also can jump into sci-fi/fantasy action with stuff like Kick Ass and X-Men: First Class. Then the third guy is Danny Boyle. He's a very celebrated cinematographer and director whose been around a long time. He has a very cool and fast editing style and jumps from genre to genre a lot. He directed James Franco's 127 Hours where he got nominated for the Oscar...
HS: The guy who went hiking and had to cut his arm off right?
MRM: Yea. And he also did Trance with James McAvoy recently. 28 Days Later. Bunch of stuff. Very eclectic filmmaker and personally he is just very friendly and almost Woody Allen-ish in his mannerisms. Like this short old nerdy white guy, but British, but even though he's stumbling over his words and seems nervous he's the smartest guy in the room. The guy's a pure genius. Even if it's not Bond I'd just love to work with Danny someday, on anything.
HS: Well good luck with that man.
MRM: Thanks. It's a dream role. Still can't wrap my head around it. Maybe it will all sink in after it's over.
HS: How long do you plan to do it for? I mean do you ever fear being type cast?
MRM: No, people asked that when I first got the part and I said the same thing I'm saying now. People already knew me before and I'm a chameleon anyway so it won't effect me because of the stage in my career when I took the role and the way I work.
HS: How long do you wanna do it for?
MRM: As long as I can. If they keep asking me I'll keep doing it until they tell me they found someone who can do it better.




HS: So what's next then for you?
MRM: I'm filming Ted right now. That's why my hair's grown out. It's a hilarious R rated comedy written and directed by Seth McFarlane from Family Guy. It's me and Amy Adams. It takes place in Boston. I do a Boston accent. I'm a stoner pothead slacker who won't grow up and Seth voices this CGI stuffed teddy bear named Ted who can talk for some reason. And my character has been friends with him for years. I mean since young childhood. Amy's character has gotten used to it but she reaches her breaking point and demands I choose him or her. It's really really funny man. It's a new challenge for me. Comedy. I needed to do it. And Amy, she's been great to work with. She's easily one of the nicest and most talented actresses in the game now and she's unexpectedly attractive. I mean on TV and movies and stuff you see her on screen and she looks, alright. But in real life, man, she's gorgeous. Her husband is very very lucky. She's like that 'every woman, average girl walking down the street' hot. She really is. Just a natural normal down to Earth person. Very funny. She's giving a great performance in the film. Loved working with her. So that comes out in April and I'm also going to Costa Rica in December and January to film a movie called The Intern with an actor named Alex Pettyfer and Selena Gomez. It's kind of like Training Day in the business world. I take Alex under my wing and he idolizes me until he realizes I'm doing some pretty shady stuff with the company and he realizes he has to bring me down. That comes out next fall. Other than that I'm still focused on music. My band. We're recording out fourth album now. It's an R and B album with some funk and jazz thrown in there. Very romantic. We're working with producers like 40, Timbaland, Daft Punk, so many great people. That will be out next fall as well. But we're also doing a remix album for our last CD, Ill Escape. That's gonna have some new tracks and remixes of a bunch of tracks from that album, which has been our biggest hit yet. That should be out March sometime. We also started a new record label called Chemical Chameleon records and this year we signed two new artists who we're really excited about. One is this rap group from San Diego called Hyper Crush and we can't wait to see them blow up next year. They are a guy, a girl and their DJ and they are all very...um, unique personalities. They are ready for fame, I'll say that. They have an 80's, early 90's type of sound that they mesh with current rap and pop and dubstep and rage music. They are like a raunchier version of LMFAO. They have a good formula. Can't wait for the world to hear their stuff. Another artists we signed is someone who I think is going to take over the music scene. Her name is Lordess. She's a singer from the Czech Republic. We met her this summer overseas. She is insane. Like truly insane. Crazy party girl which I am a little worried about but she has a Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, Ellie Goulding, Amy Winehouse kind of vibe. I just wrote a song with her and a guy named Hudson Mohawke that is going to be the biggest song in the world next year. It's her first single. I'm beyond excited about her potential. Also helping both those artists work on their debut albums now as well. So it's all coming along. We keep it moving.
HS: Well good luck with the acting, the music, the women.
MRM: Well thank you, thank you.
HS: We love you here. We have to go but we will see you soon, and everyone go out there and see Truth or Die on Friday. We'll be back after these words.