All language subtitles for my_boys_s04ex1_life_in_the_press_box

The history of baseball is filled with
so many myths and legends that sometimes

you wonder what the real stories are.

Of course, sometimes a simple story can
take on a life of its own.

And action.

Hey! I wanted to do a show about a woman
who was more like me.

I felt really alienated by a lot of the
women that were on television. I just

felt like I couldn't relate.

And I wanted to do a show about a woman
who liked sports and played poker.

Had guy friends and drank beer and was
sort of, in a way, the anti -sex in the

city.

Betsy hosts a poker game every week in
her house, so obviously that's, you

a lot in her life.

Betsy Thomas is a very close friend of
mine, and I've been playing in a poker

game in her house for, I think we're
going on about eight years now.

The first time I remember hearing about
the show was hearing sort of the idea

about it when she was sort of talking
about it at the poker table. Part of the

staff now are Betsy's like close
friends, some of whom have characters in

show that are based on them. And it's so
cool that we're half the time sort of

telling like these real stories that...

happened to betsy and all of her friends
you're always looking for a distinctive

perspective and i think that i thought
this was you know a very relatable

universal point of view that sort of
wasn't out there everybody had the same

note is that when we all read it we all
knew this was the project that we wanted

to do which is very rare because usually
you're kind of juggling oh i like this

one but this one's maybe a little more
commercial or something and everybody

on the same page like my voice is what i
want to be doing it's not the money or

the contractual obligations a lot of
times We didn't shoot for like eight

months, and I just hung out here, back
behind the bar.

I made kind of like this makeshift hand
motion.

So are you good? I haven't played much
since college.

Oh, so like last year?

She's funny. You didn't tell me she was
funny.

Georgiana is awesome. You're not going
to find a better actress to work with

than Georgiana Spiro.

She's got it tough in this job.

She's literally got to play one of the
guys.

And in the first week of the pilot, we
were all so impressed. I imagine it

have to be daunting to be the only...

woman to sort of fit right in and within
like 24 hours she was just she was

picking up our cues and she just we had
off this banter already pj is very sure

of herself except for the ways that
she's not she lives in a man's world

very comfortably and partly because she
doesn't think of it as one i got to um

shadow some sports writers which was
really really fun and i spoke to a lot

sports writers on the phone and spent a
lot of time in sports bars tough

homework it's really tough

Being one of the guys and sort of being
a guy in many ways, but at the same time

maintaining that girly quality, it's a
weird balance, and I just think that she

pulls it off so well. Okay, you guys,
look, I'm not going to judge, and

secondly, I understand you guys, and I
understand women.

Kind of, dude. She's such the everyday
girl that's not really shown on TV.

not the hair -blown, you know, extra
-accessorized female. She is real, and I

think women have needed to see that
image for so long.

Most of the experiences on the show come
from her real life, and all of the

friends on the show are essentially
friends of hers.

do sit around every Thursday night at
her poker table.

And so I watch Betsy a lot on set and
see how she handles situations and try

kind of incorporate them.

Jordana, as an actor, it's just really
apparent that she very much cares about

what this character's journey is, you
know, what's happening in the moment,

does PJ want, what's her obstacle.

I think with each episode, I'm learning
more about the character and how she's

kind of growing up.

That's what's exciting about her is
that... She's still evolving as a

She's not some kind of finite, concrete
character.

And all of our characters like that, and
we're taking them in new directions.

That's what I really find exciting, and
I think the actors do too.

Booty calls are not worth it.

The one thing you learn as you get
older.

That's the one thing.

I play Mike Callahan, and he's the
misunderstood one. I would

say I'm probably the alpha male.

The redheaded, fiery jackass who's
always pushing and fighting and thinks

right, but typically ends up learning a
life lesson. There's a lot of life

lessons learned in this show by me.

Mike is based on a friend of mine who is
just your classic guy's guy. I mean,

he's got a recliner and a TV.

You know, he owns no dishes. He's not
evolved in any way to, like, have a

complex relationship with women. He's
still trying to date the hot

He is the character that has absolutely
no filter. He thinks something and it

just comes tumbling right out of his
mouth. So he's really tactless, really

entertaining at the same time.

And Jamie, he's pretty similar to that.
When I read it, I was like, oh, my God,

this character's me.

And it's kind of weird how casting goes
because you really do get cast for who

you are. Jamie always brings it, always
brings energy, always commits.

Table reads, rehearsal, he never phones
it in.

You could hit Jamie Kaler like a feeder
bar of caffeine.

Like he was always, you know, up and on
and ready to go.

Um, it's not a mime club. Which one are
you, Crockett or Tubbs? Well played.

Mike and Kenny to each other are checks
and balances.

Kenny is...

A perfect foil for Mike because Kenny is
so sensitive.

Having coffee with this girl I've been
seeing, Jennifer.

Coffee, wow. Haven't we been through
this? Coffee is how I get to know a

Is never going to sleep with you. He's
got more of the stereotypical, like the

way a female is being portrayed of those
needs.

He's kind of like a little bit of like a
puppy dog, you know?

He's really sweet. He's got a little bit
of a Charlie Brown aspect to him, you

know? Mike Bunin, who plays Kenny, is a
friend of mine, and I based Kenny on

him. And almost never just the guy. I
mean, it never happens. You never get

role that somebody based on you. Now
people are starting to sort of mention

And if anybody wants to take the time to
say anything about the show, it's nice

of them to do that. So you want to hear
what they have to say.

A lot of times it's funny because a lot
of times they talk to you as if you're

completely the character. And in my
case, I know I'm based on a little bit,

sometimes I want to be like, hey, I'm
not that shy. I do talk to some girls.

just talked, I swear.

Little cut. Betsy initially wanted me to
read the Bobby character, not the

Brendan character.

And as I was reading, I was like, you
know what? This Brendan character is

standing out to me so much more.

When I was about to go in, I asked, do
you mind if I read Brendan? And she's

like, sure. And actually, Brendan is
based on one of Betsy's real -life best

friends, who's a writer on the show,
Brendan Smith. Now everyone sort of

me and Brendan Smith that we walk alike
and we have the same, you know, hand

mannerisms and stuff like that. The
jumping -off point was my friend Brendan

always been sort of a serial monogamist,
and I think that that's where Brendan

the character also is. You know,
Brendan's a really handsome guy, and

think, like, he'd be a dog, and he's
not.

He loves long -term relationships and
kind of gets jerked around within them.

He's so handsome that, you know,
normally you get a handsome guy in the

you take the character actors like me or
Jim or something and, like, you know,

people forget about it. I'm telling you,
he's so handsome, we might actually get

a little bit better looking just by
standing close to him. I'd say I'm in

with him.

You know, not because he's a good
kisser.

A lot of the girls come up to me and
they say, oh, are you the girl on My

I say, yeah. They say...

Oh, yeah, it's a really nice show. I
like it a lot. And they kind of give me

this small talk, and I can tell they're
getting to a question. And the question

they're getting to is, so the guy that
plays your roommate, what's he like?

That's all they want to know.

My God, why is it that every time I talk
to you, I feel like a chick?

In a way, Bobby was written in the pilot
as sort of the leading man guy.

And I just, like, sort of get freaked
out by that because I don't think I'm

guy. But Jordana and I ended up just
totally having chemistry, and it went

really well. And then Betsy actually
just really told me on the whole idea.

Bobby is so much more together than I
think the world is ready for.

There's little things about Bobby that
emerge because Bobby actually has so

going on. Like, he's incredibly smart.
He's done a lot and seen a lot. And I

think he has a lot to offer. But I think
he keeps all that a little bit of a

secret, you know, so he can fit in with
everybody.

Kyle, not a sweeter kid out there, I'm
telling you. He's Mr.

Yeah, I got up today and...

Just grabbed my guitar and my surfboard
and went to the beach.

Yeah, I mean, that's it. He's so
easygoing.

Kyle is such a great quality person. And
then in addition, he's just so solid.

If Kyle reads something that's not
funny, you know you have to change the

It's not performance.

I'm going to stop bullet train to
Suburban now.

From here on in, my life will only
involve Naperville and stay -at -home

alcohol. Give me. I got a phone call.

And they said that there might be an
offer coming in for this show called My

Boys. And I thought, who's going to do a
show about genitalia?

Jim's brain never stops working. He's
always trying to make it funnier. He's

always trying to make it better.

Betsy came in and... told all of us, oh,
we got Jim Gaffigan, he's going to play

Andy. And everybody's like, oh, that's
great.

That's so awesome. And I was like, who's
Jim Gaffigan?

And then I saw some of his stand -up,
and I was just like, oh, my God, this

guy's genius.

I've played a lot of nerds and dumb
people, and Andy's a nerdy, dumb

guy. No, and Andy's far more sardonic
and sarcastic as opposed to purely being

the victim.

He has this wife, this ogre wife that he
gets to blame. It's always off camera.

And, you know, it's so common. Oh, I
love to be, you know, the boss. He's not

good. Like how many guys I know that do
that constantly. And most of the time

it's crap.

He's the one out of everybody like we'll
break and we'll have moments. But he's

the one that if I'm in a scene with him
and he starts to get the giggles or

something.

I don't know what he will make me laugh
every time. I have the most trouble

holding it in when it's just he and I
doing a scene and he starts to goof

around. A lot of guys come up and say,
oh, you know that Jim Gaffigan, he's a

really, really funny guy.

And I say, yeah, of course.

And they say, so are you going to sleep
with him?

And I'm like, well,

he's my brother.

I'm thinking about getting hair
extensions.

Well, that was kind of what we were just
talking about.

I play Stephanie Lane. I have a more
feminine view on life and relationships

things like that than PJ does. Some
would say that Stephanie is the opposite

what PJ is, but they both need each
other because she grounds me and I curl

hair.

developed her as a character. She was a
girly girl. You know, she was the

opposite. You know, it's the classic
television convention.

And then we cast Calais, and Calais I
love so much as a person.

She's so much more interesting than that
that I definitely have been trying to

steer Stephanie more towards, you know,
who Calais is as a person. My character

tends to brush things off too quickly,
and she's the one that's like, wait a

second, you did what? You know, and
makes me kind of face.

some emotional stuff that I kind of
maybe try to wiggle my way out of. Kalei

cast the day we were doing kind of a big
read -through.

So they cast her. She walked in, and we
all met.

And my first line was, Hi, Mike. Hi,
Kenny.

And this was the first line in the
pilot.

So for whatever reason, I just decided
that I did not like Kenny, played by

Michael Bunin.

And so I delivered the line, hi, Mike.
And then I'm like, hi, Kenny.

And without missing a beat, I just went,
mm -hmm. And it just got a big laugh.

And you looked out and you saw every
writer writing it down. Hi, Mike.

Hello, Stephanie.

Hi, Kenny.

Hello, Stephanie. I knew I was going to
like her instantly when she made that

choice. And I just jumped in. And again,
it was like, oh, I think I've been

acting with her for years.

Right from minute one, everyone said.

The best thing about the show was the
chemistry, and it was weird right from

first take, from the first table read.
We were messing with each other, and it

was a very natural friendship
immediately.

When we did the pilot, the cast had such
amazing chemistry, and everybody got

along so well, and everybody had so much
fun, and the crew and the cast, and

everything just really worked, that it
was one of those, like...

Oh, we don't want this to end. This
happens so rarely that something, you

that kind of chemistry and that kind of
opportunity.

So we were really excited.

It is very much a family.

We do spend a lot of time together, but
we actually spend the time together, not

just in front of the camera.

We're off goofing around.

I have like five big brothers now. Well,
some of them are younger than me, but

I'm not going to say who. There's
rivalries, feuds, occasionally jousting.

which is very awkward because then we
have to bring horses in.

Get naked for your pictures.

Jamie and Mike Bunin, they both are
really talented improv guys. They'll go

day if you let them. There is some
improv, and that's a real compliment to

Betsy. Hold on a second. That is a real
compliment to Betsy where that element

is free, and I think it gives it a lot
of life.

I love the chicken.

The guys who've done stand -up like
Gaffigan and Mike Bunin and Kaler,

times where you want to let them go
because you get some really good stuff.

Hey, what do you guys think would be the
worst way to die?

I'm going to say being hit in the balls
with lightning.

Mike Bunin always gives you reactions,
and his reactions are so much funnier

sometimes than the lines, and he's
learned to do it in a way that really

created a whole character.

You know, he's really, it's become part
of his character, this whole reaction

guy. And I just love it. The greatest
facial expressions. I mean, it's so

subtle. He's going to be one of those
guys, you know, once people start

watching the DVDs, they're going to
start picking out the little things that

Bunin's doing, that the camera cuts
through real quick. He's got some great

expression on his face.

You like to be with people, and I think
that...

What makes the people tune into
everything?

You know, because it is an intimate
relationship. They're in your living

or your bedroom, or wherever you watch
TV.

You have to want these people around,
and I think that you do want to be with

these people.

A lot of the reason that the show has
done well, because I think there's a lot

of girls out there, like PJ, that are
watching the show because that's what

relate to.

Everybody that I talk to, men and women,
both love it. And what I like so much

is that the guys like it, because you
don't really see so many...

Audience members that are guys coming up
to you going, man, I love your show. I

feel like they have something to relate
to because they have five guys and they

can find themselves in one of them.
Everybody sort of says something along

same lines of, you know, that's how I am
with my group of friends. Or my

friends, we pick on each other all the
time like that. And that makes me feel

good because that hopefully means we're
doing something right.

They'll be in a diner at 9 in the
morning just reading the paper and

up and go, my boys, and they'll take
pictures. It's so much fun.

You're like, yeah!

I got so much joy out of the shows that
I watched growing up that helped sort of

make me who I am, that it makes me happy
when people like the show because I

feel like I'm able to give a little
something back.

You can't plan chemistry. It just
happens. It's that trust, that great

that electricity that makes for a
championship team or for great friends

you know no matter what will be on your
team forever.