June Squibb

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Amy Poehler: Hello, everyone. This is Amy Poehler. Welcome to another episode of *Good Hang*. I'm in a different studio today, but don't worry. I have my fake food with me, so no need to panic. But I have the great June Squibb here today. June is a legend. She is an incredible artist and wonderful person, and we talked about a lot of things today. We're going to talk about *Eleanor the Great*, her new movie that premiered at Cannes. We're going to talk about what it was like being an actor in New York in the 1950s. Her love of sketch comedy. The fact that we were both in *Inside Out*. And we're going to just talk about her incredible career and what it's like being 95, which June makes it look real good. So I always like to do this at the beginning of every episode. We talk well behind our guest's back and we have someone who has worked with June in a great film called *Nebraska*. He is SNL alum, an incredible actor, and dear friend, Will Forte, joining us from a trailer somewhere on the set of something. Hi, Will.

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Amy Poehler: Hello, how are you? Will Forte, it looks like you're in a trailer.

Will Forte: I am in a trailer. Where are we talking to you from? I don't even know. I'm outside of Atlanta somewhere. I'm like an hour south. McDonough, I think it's called. McDonough, Georgia.

Amy Poehler: We are talking to June Squibb today.

Will Forte: Oh, get ready. I'm very excited for you. I'm very excited.

Amy Poehler: You've met her before, right?

Will Forte: You know what? We only met once briefly at a Pixar event because we were both there for *Inside Out 2*.

Amy Poehler: Wait, you came, didn't you come to the *Nebraska* screening in New York?

Will Forte: Well, I don't remember. I don't remember things. If you say I was there, sure. But I don't have any memory of that.

Amy Poehler: I think you might have been there, but it doesn't mean you ever met her. In fact, she might not have even been there. In fact, I think she wasn't there.

Will Forte: If someone tells me something happened, I have to believe them. Because if someone could come up to me at this point and say, "We were roommates in New York," I would say, "Okay." Because I cannot remember. Somebody asked me the other day if I met Oprah Winfrey. I couldn't answer. And I'm like, I love Oprah. You would think that I would know if I met her or not. I can't remember.

Amy Poehler: Do you remember meeting June?

Will Forte: I met June for the first time about a week before we started shooting *Nebraska*. We got together to do some little rehearsals, and she was just very instantly charming and put me right at ease because I was very nervous about the experience. She was just so wonderful.

Amy Poehler: What were you nervous about at the time?

Will Forte: I just had never really done something that was more on the dramatic side, even though it's kind of a comedy and a drama. But to do it on that scale with the director, Alexander Payne, and then Bruce Dern and June Squibb, it was daunting.

Amy Poehler: How would you say June works? Does she like to rehearse? Is she loose?

Will Forte: From what I remember, June had the entire script memorized before we even started. You can ask her if that's true, but I'm pretty sure that she had memorized every one of her lines before we even started.

Amy Poehler: Wow. That's so prepared. I'm somebody who really tries hard to make sure that everything is memorized. I don't want to be the person who screws that up. But I was just blown away by that. That was way over the top. When I've been doing research on her, she's such a formidable actress and started out in the theater and just has a ton of experience and training, so it's not surprising to me. But that's a lot to memorize.

Will Forte: Yeah. And she just was amazing. Such a pro and at the same time, so warm. You just love being around her. You'll see.

Amy Poehler: You know what I'm finding is so many people, I bet you've seen this too, like people 90 and over, nonagenarians or whatever, people tend to either speak to them like they're little kids, like say, "How are you? Are you having a nice day?" Or they assume that they've got a ton of wisdom that they want to share. Like they assume they're, you know, "Tell us your secrets." And what I've noticed about when I've done some research on June is June does not, you know, she's so together with it and in the moment. She's not interested in being this wise person who's learned all these lessons. She seems very current, I guess is the best way to put it.

Will Forte: Yeah. I mean, she has that wisdom for sure, but she doesn't hit you in the face with it. She's just the perfect person because she's super sweet, but got a little spice to her also. It's just a perfect combination.

Amy Poehler: Did she ever give you some wisdom?

Will Forte: Yeah, a few times.

Amy Poehler: Did she ever have a little sharp tongue, like little spice that you saw while you were working together?

Will Forte: Well, that's the thing is she's so sweet. But then the part that she plays in the movie is she's defending the family and she gets really spicy.

Amy Poehler: Do you have a question you think we should ask June? Anything you think you'd want to hear on this podcast?

Will Forte: June, my question is, what is your favorite food and why? And will you please tell me in song? Answer the question in song. An existing or made up song.

Amy Poehler: Well, I mean, hopefully we can get the rights to whatever thing she sings. But that's a perfect question, Will. You want to take it one more time?

Will Forte: Yeah. And just play around with it. Have fun. What is the... Oh, my God. Okay. No pressure, but we are getting ready to break for lunch. So whenever you're ready. Oh, I knew this was going to happen.

Will Forte: June, hello. I love you and I miss you. You are one of the most wonderful people I've ever gotten to work with. My question to you is this. What is your favorite food and why? And please answer this question in song. And that song must be in the public domain. Thank you.

Amy Poehler: Perfect question. Forte, do you think you're gonna live to 95 and do you want to?

Will Forte: I know that the Ouija board has said I will be dead at 73 by stabbing, but I think I'm gonna figure out a way. Like whoever makes it through those *Final Destination* movies, I'm gonna be that guy. And I will make it to 95. I believe it.

Amy Poehler: How about you? I hope so. I definitely want to make it to 100. And June is aspirational to me. I want to be like June at 95, working occasionally, having fun with my friends, being really sharp. She is an amazing role model. And I'm with you.

Will Forte: Yeah. I can't wait to have her.

Amy Poehler: All right. I love you so much. Thank you so much for getting on and doing this in the middle of your work day. Have fun with her. I'm jealous you get to talk to her for so long.

Will Forte: Thanks, buddy. But tell her hi for me. Talk to you soon. Love you. Bye.

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Amy Poehler: June, I'm so happy to have you here.

June Squibb: Oh, I'm thrilled to be here.

Amy Poehler: You know, someone asked me today, they said, "Have you met June?" And I said, "Well, we've met in that Hollywood way where we've just seen each other at events, but we haven't really been able to chat." I remember Scarlett and I saw you at the rehearsal for the Oscar presenters.

June Squibb: That's right. Yeah.

Amy Poehler: That's right, Scarlett Johansson. Yeah, that's the last time I think I saw you. And a lot of people don't know that you have to show up for those events and rehearse on stage.

June Squibb: Rehearse them, yeah. Which is kind of good because you have to see where to walk. I had never done it before. I'm sure she has. But I hadn't. So it was all completely new to me. Where you go, what you do, everything.

Amy Poehler: You are in a new movie right now that Scarlett directed.

June Squibb: That Scarlett directed, yes. And her directing debut.

Amy Poehler: Yes, feature. Feature, excuse me. Do you like working with first-time directors?

June Squibb: I do. And I've worked with quite a few. I really have.

Amy Poehler: What do you like about it?

June Squibb: I find if they're good, they're good, if they know what they're doing. And first-time directors so often do. And I think that many of them work hard at finding out what to do. If they're confused or not sure, they try to make sure they find out the answers.

Amy Poehler: Do you have a style or a way that you like to be directed? Do you like more thoughts right away? Do you like rehearsal? Do you have a way to prep in a way that you like?

June Squibb: I certainly prep in a certain way. I learn by just going over and over and over. But in doing that, I'm studying the script. So I know that script backwards and forwards by the time I get on set. I really do. I just feel I know everything about it.

Amy Poehler: Do you think it comes from your training?

June Squibb: Yeah, I think I was in theater for so many years. And the learning process is different because there you usually learn as you rehearse. And of course, with film, we learn and then go do it. So there's a difference. But basically with theater, did we ever learn the on-time thing, which is so everybody preaches in film all the time, too.

Amy Poehler: I feel like I don't think enough people know your extensive theater background and where you started. You were also married to an acting teacher and you studied a lot and you did a lot of things. Can you tell me a little bit about what it was like in the 1950s to move to New York as an actor?

June Squibb: It was wonderful.

Amy Poehler: Was it?

June Squibb: Oh, I loved it. I loved it. I felt I breathed really fully for the first time in my life. And I had had five years at the Cleveland Playhouse. So that prepared me in so many ways for New York. But there was nothing like New York. And being young in New York, being in the theater, and I was one of the lucky ones that started working fairly soon.

Amy Poehler: Where were you living when you first moved to New York?

June Squibb: We lived, there were three of us. My first husband and a very dear friend, Jack Lee, who was a Broadway conductor before his career ended. And we lived in a funny apartment that they took down for Lincoln Center.

Amy Poehler: Oh, wow.

June Squibb: Yes, we lived there for two or three years, and then they sort of bought us out. And then we moved to a very duplex in the village. And Albie moved in after we did.

Amy Poehler: Edward Albee? The playwright?

June Squibb: Yes.

Amy Poehler: Wow.

June Squibb: It was a wonderful apartment. It had a garden and everything.

Amy Poehler: Do you remember what the rent was back then?

June Squibb: I think it was about $200. And that was humongous to us, of course, at the time. It was like, we can't afford this. Three of us.

Amy Poehler: What was the vibe in being in New York in that time? The post-war, boomy vibe of the 50s in New York? What did it feel like?

June Squibb: I think it was very up. I remember that. And of course, we were seeing a lot of theater, and we saw all the big musicals. We saw the original *My Fair Lady*, the original *Music Man*. We saw *West Side Story* in its second or third week of playing.

Amy Poehler: Who was on stage then? Do you remember?

June Squibb: Well—

Amy Poehler: Was it Chita?

June Squibb: Chita. And I knew a lot of the dancers at the time, and I don't remember their names now.

Amy Poehler: Wow, that's so cool.

June Squibb: But it was a wonderful time in musical theater. And many people don't know this. My first 20 years in New York was spent in musical theater. I did either musical theater, cabaret, revues, some nightclub. I had an act with another comic actor.

Amy Poehler: You did? A comic actor? What kind of stuff would you guys do?

June Squibb: Well, we wrote everything. And I remember we wrote—I wore an ape head and a beautiful blue dress, just a real frothy dress. And he sang about loving his girlfriend no matter what. Well, and then *Cabaret* did the same thing afterwards. And this was before *Cabaret*, and we did it in our act.

Amy Poehler: What happened to that partner?

June Squibb: Barry Denon. Well, we actually broke up the act because he was offered *Cabaret* in London as the emcee, and I was offered *Happy Time* for Broadway. So we both felt we wanted to keep working singly, so we broke up the act.

Amy Poehler: Wow. But we did some television. We did a little—

June Squibb: What television did you do back then? I mean, your IMDb is incredible. I feel like I could shout out a million shows to you. You'd be like, "Maybe I was on it, maybe I wasn't."

June Squibb: It was some revue thing. I don't even remember what it was. I think it was local. But we also did some of the small clubs in New York.

Amy Poehler: I just feel like it would be so cool to time travel back to that time.

June Squibb: Oh, it was wonderful. And I think that everybody was eager to be there. It was like the place to be in the world to all of us.

Amy Poehler: It still feels that way, though. I have to say, I moved to New York in '96 and it still felt like when you arrived there, at least for me, it felt like some version of your life was beginning.

June Squibb: Yeah. Basically. I felt that. Well, I lived there for 65 years before moving out here.

Amy Poehler: Wow. Your family, your mom had a job that is such a great job because it just doesn't exist anymore. What was your mother's job?

June Squibb: My mother played piano for silent films.

Amy Poehler: How did she start doing that?

June Squibb: Well, she was a piano player, and my grandfather owned a music store. So they were sort of into all the music that was happening in the area. He had a store in—I grew up in Vandalia, Illinois, and there was another store in Centralia, Illinois, that he owned. So they were big in the music, and I'm sure that's how it happened.

Amy Poehler: So was your mom teaching you how to sing and play from an early age?

June Squibb: Oh, no. She played the piano, and she taught piano. And because she taught piano and played piano, I didn't want to have anything to do with the piano. And she tried to teach me, and it didn't work out. So she sent me to another teacher in Vandalia, and that didn't work out. And so the teacher said, "I think June maybe should give up on the piano." So she sent me back to my mother. So my mother said, "Well, I'm going to try again." So she was giving me a lesson. And she went outside for some reason. She came back, and I was playing the piano with my feet. I never had to touch a piano again. I got out of it. She saw me, and she said, "This is it."

Amy Poehler: Isn't it funny that it's kind of like the last thing you want to do often is the thing your parents are doing?

June Squibb: Your parents are doing, yeah.

Amy Poehler: And did they, what did they think about you being an actor? Were they supportive? Were they worried?

June Squibb: They were not supportive. My father was somewhat supportive. My mother was never. She saw me on Broadway doing a supporting role in a big musical and said, "Well, do you think you'll come home now?"

Amy Poehler: I don't think so.

June Squibb: And I was married again. It was ridiculous. But in her mind, I might decide to come home again.

Amy Poehler: I don't think people remember that in this world where everybody is creating content and trying to be famous, I don't think people remember during that time, acting was a very treacherous, uneven profession. And so many people didn't make it. I have been lucky with my career, and I would think you feel the same way.

June Squibb: Absolutely, yes. And so many really talented people. It's a very difficult career to want, let alone to do the stage.

Amy Poehler: What I see you do that I feel like I relate to is I've always wanted diversity and longevity in my career. And half the battle is hanging in there, just getting rejected a lot and just hanging in and believing in yourself because it can be a really long runway before you feel—

June Squibb: Yeah.

Amy Poehler: Who is someone that you worked with when you were young and you thought, "I feel like I'm in the right place"?

June Squibb: I think with Ethel Merman with *Gypsy*. And I was with that show eight months on Broadway and then eight months on the road with her. And she was an amazing woman. And everybody loved her that was in the company. She was very much a *hausfrau*. She loved gossip. She loved to hear everything she could about anybody in the show. And she used to tell me dirty jokes all the time. She would be—we were getting ready. I was behind a scrim. I was the lecturer, so I was doing my light bulbs. And she was getting ready to come on. And she would sidle up behind me, "June, June." And then she would tell me a dirty joke. Right before you were done.

Amy Poehler: Queen, what do you mean "doing your light bulbs"?

June Squibb: Well, I had a costume. And you had to do your own light bulbs. On the front and in the rear and the crotch. I had bulbs that lit up. And you did the buttons. I did the buttons like this. I'm sure they do it entirely differently now because it's running on Broadway right now. But then that's what, and these long wires went all the way up. And it was heavy because I had this huge battery in my behind.

Amy Poehler: That term, "doing my light bulbs," sounds like it could be an old Broadway term. Like, "He was fired for trying to do my light bulbs. I'm going to do my light bulbs."

June Squibb: Well, I had that a few times, too.

Amy Poehler: I mean, you could probably write a book about how so much has changed in the industry.

June Squibb: Oh, God, yes.

Amy Poehler: And I can only imagine that you had to deal with a lot of inappropriate behavior. It was a completely different time then, right?

June Squibb: Well, you know, it's funny because I have friends, and we were both dancers. I mean, I danced a lot. And when the Me Too thing started, we looked at each other and said, "Me too. What do I mean?" I know. And then we talked about it. And we both said, "Oh, my God, if we'd had this when we were coming up." But we both said the same thing. We both knew when to say no. I knew when it was going to be not good for me. So that was it.

Amy Poehler: I feel you when my generation kind of looks at the generations below and notices the things that they don't put up with anymore. And it really makes you take stock of the stuff that you did put up with.

June Squibb: Yeah.

Amy Poehler: Who's your favorite dancer?

June Squibb: Jacques d'Amboise.

Amy Poehler: Oh.

June Squibb: And I've seen him dance up close. I mean, real, not just television and film.

Amy Poehler: You have.

June Squibb: Oh, yeah. I saw him. He was a guest at a theater in, I guess it was Kansas City. Or, no, Dallas, too. All these big theaters. I worked a lot in those. And he was doing a leading role in one of them, and I saw the rehearsal of it. But I just think his career, and he's still going.

Amy Poehler: He is?

June Squibb: He has a group.

Amy Poehler: Well, I'm sure he's in his 80s or 90s now.

June Squibb: Everybody's in their 90s now.

Amy Poehler: Right. Yes, they are. I'm glad you said that. It's really true. There's so many people in their nonagenarians. We're all living so much longer, Amy. I mean, it's fantastic. There are so many people in their 90s now. It's fantastic. My dear friend who passed, Norman Lear.

June Squibb: Oh, yes.

Amy Poehler: He made it to 101. And Carl Reiner who passed and Mel Brooks who's still—there's just a lot of—

June Squibb: It's almost like, "Oh, to 100, okay."

Amy Poehler: Do you want to make it to 100?

June Squibb: Oh, sure. Yeah.

Amy Poehler: That's a great number to make it to.

June Squibb: My agents say I'll still be working. So I don't know about that.

Amy Poehler: I know you love *Singin' in the Rain*. You also love Gene Kelly.

June Squibb: I know. I loved his dancing.

Amy Poehler: Me too.

June Squibb: I loved him as a dancer. I think it's some of the best dancing. And I love Donald O'Connor. I thought his dancing was rather underrated, really. I think he was so much better than many people realized. And Debbie was good. Debbie was very good in it. They all were. And that wonderful woman who was so funny, who played the actress. I have a laptop. I can find out who it is. Look. I can't remember her name.

Amy Poehler: I can't, June, I can't remember anybody's name. So, okay, *Singin' in the Rain*. She played—I can't remember her character name, but it was the actress.

June Squibb: Jean Hagen?

Amy Poehler: Jean Hagen. Yes. She was so funny.

Amy Poehler: You grew up in the Midwest. And people think I grew up in the Midwest because I did a show that took place in a fictional town in Indiana. But what I love about people from the Midwest is a real sense of community and forthrightness. Do you think that that is true? Do you find that to be true?

June Squibb: Yeah, I think the forthrightness is because everybody just sort of always says what they think. Yeah, I think it's true. I think they do, even to the detriment of perhaps the person listening, but they say it. I find it very nice to be around.

Amy Poehler: Do you find in your life, did any of that Midwest stuff travel in any of your work?

June Squibb: Oh, very much so. Yeah, I think it did very much. I think there's a stick-to-it-iveness and I think that that's very Midwestern.

Amy Poehler: Agree. It's like you've got a job, so you do it. And no matter what that job is, if it's yours, then you have to do it. I spent some years in Chicago. I just feel like there was a sense there of exactly what you just said, one foot in front of the other. There wasn't a ton of complaining.

June Squibb: You don't complain. Yeah.

Amy Poehler: You just do what you're supposed to be doing. Do you feel you do that?

June Squibb: I think I do. Yeah. I think that's something that has been a part of me. And we were very far south. We were on a line with St. Louis, Missouri, which is considered a southern city, really. And my accent, I still had a southern, I probably still do have a southern sound. And they tried to take—I remember when I went to the Cleveland Playhouse, one actor went out of his way to take the Midwest Southern out of my voice. And he did, for the most part.

Amy Poehler: Interesting.

June Squibb: So by the time I went into New York, it was more, it wasn't a Southern. It was like voice lessons to flatten that out.

Amy Poehler: Or not flatten it out, maybe take it. Not flatten it out.

June Squibb: Lehman.

Amy Poehler: Which one?

June Squibb: Lehman.

Amy Poehler: That's Lehman. Gotcha.

June Squibb: Lehman? Lehman.

Amy Poehler: Lehman Brothers.

June Squibb: I had lemon in my tea. Lemon. Lehman.

Amy Poehler: Lehman.

June Squibb: Ooh, that's a good one.

Amy Poehler: Do you remember any other ones?

June Squibb: Lehman. Lehman. Let's see.

Amy Poehler: I know with my Boston accent, I had a hard time when I would do, and I had to say it a lot on *Parks and Rec* where I had to say the word. I still have to swallow before I say it. Government.

June Squibb: Government? Something about my Boston accent makes me want to say "government."

Amy Poehler: Oh, yes. I hear that. I get rid of that, but it's "government."

June Squibb: Government.

Amy Poehler: That was a hard one for me. And when you get, does your accent come back at all when you're with people?

June Squibb: If I get tired, it does, too. I get very Southern if I get tired.

Amy Poehler: Picture?

June Squibb: Picture? Yeah. That's another one.

Amy Poehler: Do you like doing accents? Are you good at them?

June Squibb: I don't. I'm not great at accents. And supposedly, if you have a Southern accent, it's harder for you to do accents. I don't know why. I think it's the slowness that you're—I don't know, but I've been told that or read that or something.

Amy Poehler: Have you ever had to do an accent in a film or a part that was challenging?

June Squibb: Yeah, I do. I can do Irish fairly well. I've done that on stage and in film. But I'm just not—I don't have that kind of ear. I really don't.

Amy Poehler: I know what you mean. I think you either have it or you don't. It's amazing to watch real mimics, people who can pick it up fast. Some people could just read and do it.

June Squibb: I mean, you know, what do you want? Polish? Okay. I mean, I can't do that. I can do it if I work at it a long time, but you can't just throw something like that at me.

Amy Poehler: I won't throw it at you.

June Squibb: Oh, good.

Amy Poehler: We're going to do the rest of this interview and we're going to pretend we're French. Okay. Having come from musicals, are you hoping to do more musical stuff? Do you want to ever—have you been able to do anything musical lately?

June Squibb: I did *Glee*. And I think I did three numbers in it.

Amy Poehler: What did you sing? Do you remember?

June Squibb: "Memories" from *Cats*. Chris Colfer and I sang that together.

Amy Poehler: You guys are buddies.

June Squibb: Yes, we are heavy-duty buddies. And we did another—I can't even remember what number it was, but "Memories" was the big one that we had.

Amy Poehler: What's so great about Chris? What do you love about Chris Colfer? He seems like a peach.

June Squibb: Well, I met him on *Glee*, and he had written the script and was doing the lead. And it was *Peter Pan*, and I was playing Wendy. It's a whole story, but anyway. So we worked together so closely, and I think we were shooting—it was big scenes, and I think we shot like a week and a half or two weeks. It was a long shoot. And I just sort of got to know him and liked him a lot. And so we started then having dinner together. And he has a great partner, Will Sherrod, who I adore too. So it was just great fun.

Amy Poehler: What do you learn from and get out of people who are younger than you? Because as an older person, I feel like what happens is people want to ask you for a lot of wisdom.

June Squibb: Oh, no, no. They know they're not going to get it. So they don't. They don't ask that at all for me in any way.

Amy Poehler: And I feel like people really project on people that are older that they have something they want to share. When in my experience, younger people teach me stuff all the time. I learn a lot from them. What do you learn from people like Chris and your other—I know you have a lot of younger friends.

June Squibb: Yeah. I don't know. I mean, I just, if I like someone, I don't think I ever think in terms of how old they are. If I feel an affinity, that there's something here that I want to be more a part of.

Amy Poehler: Yeah.

June Squibb: I mean, why would I tell anyone what to do?

Amy Poehler: Well, because I think people in their 90s are treated like astronauts. I think people are like, "You got to go somewhere. You're there. And what are you bringing back?" I think people really—I mean, people are all afraid to die. Mortality is the thing we're obsessed with. And when people are in their 90s, I think some people want to know the secret. They think you've got something in your pocket.

June Squibb: Well, I don't think any of my friends feel that way. Let's just put it that way. We're sort of on an even keel. Keep me happy or forget it.

Amy Poehler: What age do you feel you are?

June Squibb: 35. I always feel I'm 35. I don't know what I felt when I was younger than 35, but as I got older, I kept referring back to 35. I don't know why.

Amy Poehler: I deeply remember my 35th birthday, too. Do you? Where were you when you were 35? What year was that? Where were you?

June Squibb: Well, I was in New York. I don't know. I don't remember why 35 is so important. I think it's because I remember my mother at 35. There was something very grand about her at 35, which I did not always find as she got older or even younger than that. But somehow my mother at 35 was great.

Amy Poehler: I agree with you that when we meet people, I feel like we meet them and we meet very old, wise 25-year-olds and we meet really hectic 95-year-olds. We meet all of those people. Age doesn't have a lot to do with where you're at.

June Squibb: No, it really doesn't.

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Amy Poehler: CarMax. Shop now at CarMax.com. It makes me think about what we're talking about kind of makes me think about what we worked on together, this film *Inside Out*, *Inside Out 2*, because there's some themes in there, too, about the idea of time passing. And for people who haven't recognized June's voice yet as they've been listening, you played Nostalgia.

June Squibb: Nostalgia.

Amy Poehler: What I loved about Nostalgia when she comes in and she's drinking her tea is that it's kind of Buddhist what Nostalgia does. Because Nostalgia kind of says, "Remember." Basically, "Remember when we were all getting along." But she keeps coming in during chaos to kick everybody back to, "Let's just take a minute and remember." Which feels very... I don't know. But I usually keep pushing her out.

June Squibb: I know. It's kind of interesting why they don't want to get nostalgic in that moment.

Amy Poehler: How... what is your relation? Are you a nostalgic person?

June Squibb: Not terribly. Yeah, I'm really not.

Amy Poehler: Yeah.

June Squibb: I've always been like, "What's gonna happen?" Even as a young person, I was like that. "What's next?" Yeah.

Amy Poehler: Yeah. And do you think that's one of the reasons why you've worked so much and had such a long career? As you've been thinking that way?

June Squibb: I think it probably has a lot to do with a career. Yeah. And the working so much. I mean, when I started out, I wouldn't have done anything. And I think you have to. I think when you're just starting out, either out here in Hollywood or in New York, wherever you are, or Chicago, because there's a big group there, you have to do everything. You can't say no to anything. Because it's working, keeping that thing going that is going to save you.

Amy Poehler: Well, I know you describe yourself as a character actor. And I love the way you talk about how you approach. You've obviously done these amazing films in which you've led them and been number one on the call sheet and been nominated for awards, and you've done so much work where you have been part of an ensemble. And you talk a lot about how you treat them the same.

June Squibb: I do. Yeah.

Amy Poehler: Why?

June Squibb: Well, to be honest with you, I feel if I'm doing it, it's the most important thing in the film. I've always felt that. And that just carries through. I mean, you know, and I think, too, you've seen films where somebody comes in and does one scene, and you go, "Wow, who's that?" I mean, you just don't know. Yeah. And I just, I like the work. I enjoy doing what you do to get it up there on the screen.

Amy Poehler: When you worked on your performances in *About Schmidt* and *Nebraska*... they're so good. Your *Thelma* is so great. You and Fred are so great in that together. And then *Eleanor the Great*. When you work on films like that with directors, and you've memorized your script. Do you like to come in feeling like you know who you are already? Or are you hoping that gets shaped as you're working?

June Squibb: I think it's more shaped as it goes on. I think I know a lot, but I also work with no idea of what I'm going to do. I have none. So what happens is what happens hits me, and then that's how I react.

Amy Poehler: Who are some of your favorite scene partners? People where you felt like you were in the scene with them and there was a vibe that was really working.

June Squibb: Well, Richard Roundtree and Fred in *Thelma*. I think they were both kind of amazing. Yeah. And Eleanor, Aaron as the young girl. We have so much together. And, well, Jack Nicholson. I mean, he was so great and so wonderful to work with. And he always made me feel like a peer. He never once—

Amy Poehler: Well, he better. You are a peer.

June Squibb: Yeah. Well, but, you know, I came in and he could so easily have been, "I'm Jack Nicholson and you're not," one of those. And he never, ever.

Amy Poehler: I love to hear that. I appreciate that so much with him. Love to hear that. Did you ever have a young actor in their first role or film and you thought, "Oh, they're very good," and then see them ascend? Does anyone come to mind?

June Squibb: I did *Scent of a Woman* and... oh God, what is his name? We can look it up. We've got Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell... Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Amy Poehler: Philip. Wow.

June Squibb: It was so funny because I had a scene with both Chris and Philip, and I came home and I said, "Boy, I just worked with this young kid, and he is going to be so big." I said, "This kid's going to be a star." I knew it. And I really don't do that very often. I mean, I don't sense that.

Amy Poehler: What did you remember seeing in him?

June Squibb: I don't know what it was. There was something about him, and he was never, like, standing out. He was always a part of. He and Chris, he and the other boys. I mean, he didn't push anything. He was amazing. But you knew... I knew just the minute I worked with him. He was such a talented actor.

Amy Poehler: Oh, God, yes. Did you get to work with him again?

June Squibb: No, I never did. They used to tease me because my character's name was Hunsacker, so they called me "the Hun." And they would tease me all the time. And we lived in this motel, all of us, because we were shooting outside of New York. And he and Chris constantly were trying to get me to go have booze and beer in the bar downstairs. And I would go once or twice, but I was a big Knicks fan. So I would sit there watching the Knicks and they'd be up at the bar drinking.

Amy Poehler: Are you a basketball fan?

June Squibb: I am.

Amy Poehler: Are you a big sports fan in general?

June Squibb: Not hugely. I played basketball in high school and I loved it. And I started watching the Knicks when I lived in New York.

Amy Poehler: Were you a guard? I mean, you don't have the height.

June Squibb: I was a guard. I was a guard. We don't have the height. I could have stopped anything. I was really good at it.

Amy Poehler: That's cool. Yeah. Wow. And were you a sporty kid?

June Squibb: Yeah. I ran. I was a pretty good runner. And the tumbling that you do in the gym. I was a cheerleader. You had to be sort of sporty for that. And a drum majorette. They're all sort of sporty. It's more or less.

Amy Poehler: And like in your 70s, 80s, and 90s, how do you stay... I mean, you're very physically fit. What do you do?

June Squibb: I do Pilates once a week for an hour.

Amy Poehler: On the reformer?

June Squibb: Some on that, but some just stretching and weight stuff. I have two different masseuses. And I try to walk. I try not to just sit all the time.

Amy Poehler: Now you have... we spoke a little bit about your late husband who was an acting teacher and who taught... I thought this was really wonderful... taught, worked with Margot Martindale's husband. And you and Margot were neighbors.

June Squibb: Neighbors, yeah.

Amy Poehler: And still remain very good friends. And Margot is such a terrific actress.

June Squibb: Oh, she's heaven.

Amy Poehler: And is this a true story that she got the script for *Nebraska*?

June Squibb: Yes, it is true.

Amy Poehler: What's that story?

June Squibb: I was coming out of my apartment, and she was coming out of hers, and she said, "Hey, have you heard about this new film, *Nebraska*?" And I said, "No." And she said, "You've got to tell your agents about it. You should be doing this role." And she said, "They sent it to me, but I'm too young. I really am too young. And it's a wonderful role." So that sort of started it. And so I talked to my agents about it, and they kept up. And since I had already done *About Schmidt* with Alexander, the thing was that they didn't... Alexander and the casting director both thought I was wrong for *Nebraska*. And I said, "They think I'm that little lady from *About Schmidt*," and that's exactly what it was. And my agents kept at them to the point where they finally said, "Have her send... we'll send a script or send some scenes and have her send a tape in." So that's what happened. And Alexander again said the minute he saw it, he knew I should do it. But he said it was so funny because for *About Schmidt*, he had cast it from somebody out here. And I was in New York, and my agents kept pushing me, pushing, pushing me. Finally, they again said, "Just tell her to send a tape in." I'm sure they thought that would be the... and Alexander told me, he said, "I saw that tape and knew you had to do it."

Amy Poehler: Well, we do this thing on this podcast where we have people talk to me before I talk to the guest and give me a question to ask. And we kind of try to talk well behind people's backs. So I was talking with Will Forte earlier.

June Squibb: Isn't he the greatest? I adore him.

Amy Poehler: I know. And he adores you.

June Squibb: Yes.

Amy Poehler: And he was on set of a new movie in a trailer, and we got him on Zoom to tell us what it was like working with you, and then just to give you a question, to give me a question to ask you. What was it like working with Will?

June Squibb: Oh, he's great. And he was so scared because he kept saying, "I'm a comic, I'm a comic." And we all said, "No, you're an actor now, Will. Just shut up and do it." And so he was wonderful. He was so great. And he went to Cannes the first time I went, he and I and Bruce Dern.

Amy Poehler: What was it like working with Bruce?

June Squibb: Oh, Bruce is great. He's one hell of an actor. He really is a great actor.

Amy Poehler: You guys were great together.

June Squibb: Yeah.

Amy Poehler: So Will wanted me to ask you... this was his question for you, and he wanted me to tell you, "June, I love you. I love everything about you. What is your favorite food, and could you tell us about it in song?" So no pressure, June.

June Squibb: Well, my favorite food are papoosas. I have a cook who's from one of the islands that her mother makes papoosas for me all the time.

Amy Poehler: Sounds like a good title of a song.

June Squibb: Let me see. [Sings] Papoosas. Papoosas. Papoo says I love you!

Amy Poehler: Yes! There, Will Forte. One of the lost songs from *South Pacific*.

June Squibb: [Laughs]

Amy Poehler: That's beautiful. That's like the new "Peaches" song that Jack Black sang. So the other thing I wanted to ask you about... I'm the mother of boys. You have a son and he is in the business, writer, director. What was it like... you were a working mother in the 70s. What was it like being a working mother in the 70s?

June Squibb: It's much different. He was born in the 70s.

Amy Poehler: He was born in the 70s. Yeah, so 80s, I guess. The 80s. What was it like?

June Squibb: Well, by then, he was in high school. So he was pretty loose. In New York, he was pretty loose.

Amy Poehler: Oh, yeah, you guys were in New York.

June Squibb: Yeah.

Amy Poehler: Do you ever work together?

June Squibb: Yes, I did some films for him. I did in New York and out here, both. And gosh, he was... I don't know, it was just a little family of three.

Amy Poehler: Yeah.

June Squibb: And I went off, but he had his dad there always.

Amy Poehler: And your ex-husband Charles was an acting teacher. Did you work with him on your stuff? That must have been really interesting. What did you learn from him?

June Squibb: Well, everything. Truly. Because my work as a performer, really in musicals, I considered myself pretty realistic. And I was considered one of the more realistic actors doing musical theater. But Charlie, when I met him and we met doing a musical in stock, he said, "You could be a really fine actress if you really do what you were doing." And he was right. I mean, and I remember going into his class and it was hard because it was like tearing down everything that I believed or thought I was doing, and to put something else in there. And I was crying and he was yelling at me and all the kids in the class were laughing. They thought, "Oh, this is pretty funny." So we went through this awful screaming and yelling and everything. But I mean, truly, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if it were not for him.

Amy Poehler: It seems very passionate.

June Squibb: It was. I mean, he was determined, almost more determined than I was to do it. He was determined I was going to do it.

Amy Poehler: That must have been nice to have someone in your corner like that.

June Squibb: And it was interesting because we worked together then for years, and I was auditioning for a regional theater, a script that I liked a lot and wanted to do. And he always helped me at home. And I said, "I have this audition." He said, "I'm not going to help you." And I said, "No, I need help." And he said, "No, you know what you're doing. You do it."

Amy Poehler: This is very exciting foreplay that you're talking about.

June Squibb: No, I know it wasn't. It was like... but we kept, and then I got the role and I said, "You've got to help me." He refused again. He died about six months later.

Amy Poehler: Wow.

June Squibb: Wow.

Amy Poehler: Do you think he knew?

June Squibb: I think he knew somehow that he had to push me out. Out of the nest is what he did.

Amy Poehler: Wow, June. That's wild. He probably maybe sensed something?

June Squibb: I think so.

Amy Poehler: So do you feel like in the early days you were kind of dependent on his—

June Squibb: Oh, very much so. I couldn't... I felt I couldn't do it if he didn't help me, set me straight. And he just... and that was... he just refused. And he never once helped me after that.

Amy Poehler: And how old were you when he passed?

June Squibb: 1999.

Amy Poehler: Right, so—

June Squibb: How old was I? I have no idea. I mean, I can't do that math.

Amy Poehler: Let's not do it. Let's not even try it. That's outrageous. And did you ever consider dating or did you date after that?

June Squibb: I did date a little bit, but I dated a little bit in New York and I dated some out here.

Amy Poehler: What's dating like in your 80s?

June Squibb: Not very interesting. It really wasn't. Nobody came along that really excited me. And I was working all the time, so it just sort of went by the wayside.

Amy Poehler: Well, you know, I ask a lot of my guests this, but you have friendships now, especially female friendships, that probably span many decades. What do they continue to do for you, even into your 90s?

June Squibb: Well, I think mentally. I think without them, I would... I need that, I think. The mental push, the mental excitement.

Amy Poehler: And someone who kind of knows your story.

June Squibb: Yeah. And we still... I mean, I have two female friends that I'm very, very close to. And I see them all the time, so it's great.

Amy Poehler: What are you doing right now? What do you listen to, watch, read that makes you laugh? When you want to laugh, when you want to check out.

June Squibb: Well, I watch *Saturday Night Live*.

Amy Poehler: Do you?

June Squibb: Oh, yes.

Amy Poehler: Every week?

June Squibb: Not every week, but a lot.

Amy Poehler: So good. Who are some of your fave performers on that show right now?

June Squibb: I love Colin. I mean, I just think he and Michael Che together just knock me out.

Amy Poehler: So you like sketch comedy.

June Squibb: Yeah. And I did it, you know. So I really sort of... I have a thing. I understand that.

Amy Poehler: Were you big... what kind of shows did you like in comedy? Were you a Monty Python fan?

June Squibb: I love Monty Python. I liked laughing.

Amy Poehler: Buzzy was a really good friend of mine.

June Squibb: Ruth Buzzy was a friend of yours?

Amy Poehler: We worked together in revues in New York. Actually, in Provincetown.

June Squibb: Tell me about that. What was Ruth Buzzy like?

Amy Poehler: Well, she and I worked in the same little group. I love that you called her Buzzy.

June Squibb: Yeah. That's what everybody calls.

Amy Poehler: I didn't know that. I always called her Ruth Buzzy.

June Squibb: No, Buzzy. And so we worked together. We did a ship. We did a cruise ship together. And we did some nightclubs in New York together. And then she had gone to Provincetown the year before and they needed someone. The summer coming, it was a summer job and she suggested me. So they talked to me and then they hired me. So we had the whole summer together.

Amy Poehler: Oh, that's fun.

June Squibb: Do you ever watch *The Neighborhood*? That to me is funny.

Amy Poehler: Oh, with Max Greenfield?

June Squibb: Yes. And Cedric?

Amy Poehler: Yes. Yes, so funny.

June Squibb: They are funny. They're really funny. Max is so funny. And I used to watch Cedric the Entertainer. He used to be part of those comedy Def Jam things where there'd be a bunch of stand-ups together. And he was so funny. That's a good show. I'm amazed at him. I watch him on the show. Because of how he knows he's going to do it and it's comedy, but he's just sort of like... I don't know. He's wonderful.

Amy Poehler: Did you ever see him get arrested on stage?

June Squibb: Oh, I know who you mean.

Amy Poehler: Okay, let's play this game. Let's see how long... Okay, I heard that for memory, you shouldn't look things up. You should try to visualize. Okay, we're going to do it.

June Squibb: Lenny Bruce.

Amy Poehler: Lenny Bruce. Oh, my God, dude. Lenny Bruce. I did see him in Chicago.

June Squibb: I knew you would see him. What was that like? Do you remember seeing him?

Amy Poehler: Yes, I remember that everybody... oh, because he would say these things. He was an interesting guy. And that... I mean, I think that's going back to where we started our conversation. There's something about... I would have loved to have been... it must have been so cool to have been in the city during that time in the 50s and 60s when everything was just starting to unravel in an interesting way.

June Squibb: I keep thinking, I can remember being worried about things. And again, it passed. And I hope that's what happens with us now. It, too, will pass. But I don't know. I don't know.

Amy Poehler: Well, I think that is the one thing that a long life gives you. You get to see... I see it a lot pass. Let's just say that.

June Squibb: Yeah.

Amy Poehler: I loved our time together, June. Thank you for coming and doing this. It's been so great. I mean, I just think you're such an incredible talent.

June Squibb: Oh, thank you.

Amy Poehler: And I'd love to be your friend. And I know this is awkward, but I tend to bully people into being my friend. So you don't have to bully me.

June Squibb: Okay, so if you would accept the invite, I would love it.

Amy Poehler: I would love to be... yeah, consider... I'd love for us to be new friends.

June Squibb: And I know I'm asking you on this podcast. I mean, what are you going to do? Say no?

Amy Poehler: No, no. June just hands me her card, and it's just 555-5555. I'll call you next week. Thank you so much for doing this, June. This has been the best. I hope you had a good time.

June Squibb: I did. I had a great time.

Amy Poehler: Okay, great. And I got a mocha.

June Squibb: Oh, gosh, your mocha. We didn't even sip it.

Amy Poehler: Sip some of that mocha. It's going to be watery now.

June Squibb: It's still good.

Amy Poehler: Thank you so much, June Squibb, my new best friend. You heard it here. She can't take it back. We recorded it. June, you're the best. Such a great artist and person. Thank you so much for coming in. And June talked about a lot of exciting musical theater. So for today's Polar Plunge, I just want to take a moment to say that *West Side Story* was so important to me as a young person. And being able to even picture the original musical and seeing it on stage in its first week or two that June talked about... I just, I don't know. If you haven't seen the film, watch it. I'm sure there are productions, local productions happening right now. The original film from the 60s is so beautiful and the music is so beautiful. And I'm sure we can't afford to sing this, but I would like to say... and everything is... I am, too. Anyway, thank you for listening and see you soon. You've been listening to *Good Hang*. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by The Ringer and Paper Kite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Cat Spillane, Kaya McMullin, and Aleya Zanaris. For Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss-Berman. Original music by Amy Miles.