In this episode, Ryan Murphy talks about what it's like to be nominated for an Emmy, and how he deals with the pressure of being the first black director to get an Emmy nomination. He also talks about his morning routine on nomination day.
00:01:27.680You can listen to American History Hotline on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:01:38.560Just like great shoes, great books take you places.
00:01:42.300Through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget.
00:01:47.540I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of, like, butterflies.
00:01:52.000I'm Danielle Robay, and this is Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club.
00:01:55.160The new podcast from Hello Sunshine and iHeart Podcasts, where we dive into the stories that shape us, on the page and off.
00:02:02.920Each week, I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TBR pile.
00:02:13.000Listen to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:02:19.040Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebony, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free.
00:02:27.900I'm Ebony, and every Tuesday, I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that will challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you.
00:02:37.580Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network.
00:02:42.840Tune in on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
00:03:00.120From Gleed and Nip Tuck, Monsters, the Lyle, and Eric Menendez story, one of the most prolific writers, producers, and directors in Hollywood today, this is Ryan Murphy.
00:03:18.420I mean, where do you even hang out on an Emmy nomination day?
00:03:23.320Is that, I mean, or is this old hat for you and you just, you know, it's nice, you act humble, you say, yeah, it's the work, we just put it out.
00:03:43.400So I started, I had my first Emmy nomination in 2003 for directing the pilot of Nip Tuck.
00:03:52.900I would say through Nip Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story, even People vs. OJ, like I was, you know, they used to do it at 5.30 in the morning and now they mercifully moved it to 8.30 to be on the New York newscast.
00:04:07.840So I used to be up at the crack of dawn and I would sit there and I'd pace and, you know, have my coffee and worry.
00:04:17.280The interesting thing about it is today my company received its 350th Emmy nomination, which was a big number for me because I've only been doing this for like 21 years.
00:04:31.400So I found that out later, but that put it in perspective.
00:04:35.460No, what happened is I went to bed and I thought, I'm going to wake up, I'm going to wake up.
00:04:39.940And then I woke up and then I forgot and then I remembered and I turned off my phone and I went to the live feed and I just watched them come in and I wrote down all the different ones that my company got.
00:04:53.260And, you know, for me at this point, it's all gravy, but I was thrilled.
00:04:56.880I was thrilled for, thrilled for like people like, you know, Javier Bardem, who's a legend.
00:05:03.220I think it's his first Emmy nomination and, you know, Cooper Koch, who plays Eric Menendez, first Emmy nomination.
00:05:09.620So for the people who were, you know, first time at bat, it's amazing.
00:05:34.460Like for me, you're probably a sports guy, you know, sports, like, so the Oscars and the Emmys and the Grammys were my Superbowl, my World Series.
00:05:42.960So it's, it's, it's a childhood thing.
00:05:45.860And when you say underdog, you mean you're still that guy just starting out?
00:05:50.220And that was, I mean, so you still have that person.
00:05:53.640I mean, you know, when I first started out, it was a really different time in our culture.
00:05:59.940And the stuff that I was writing was pretty boundary pushing and I was always told that you were never, it was never going to go.
00:06:07.080So then when it would click and it would be a hit, I would always be surprised, but people would write, you know, underdog, underdog, new, new kid, new kid in town.
00:06:26.980And also sometimes you don't get in like, and I also.
00:06:30.560I have those years, but, um, to, to make it into the big three race, comedy, drama, limited, it's, it's a thrill.
00:06:38.460And what is, I mean, over the years, how much pressure, because it is, it's unbelievable how many projects you're working on at the same time, how many projects have been under the belt, et cetera.
00:06:49.620And the success obviously you've had, but I mean, how about the pressure you put on yourself to constantly, I mean, you're competing against this guy, Ryan Murphy.
00:21:21.620And is that expression, as it relates to your leadership, your ability to sort of create the conditions where this kind of creativity formats?
00:21:30.740Well, first and foremost, you know, I have amazing collaborators, many of whom I've had for many years.
00:21:35.600Like, you know, Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson, who did Versace and OJ with me and Pose with me.
00:21:41.820And Ian Brennan, who does all of the monster scripts, is one of the most brilliant, if not the most brilliant writers I've ever worked with.
00:21:48.940I work with Max Winkler, who is Henry Winkler's son, who's an amazing collaborator.
00:22:06.560Sometimes I'm more like, well, you write a script and show it to me and I'll give you thoughts.
00:22:10.420But anything that I make, I have really big opinions on because I'm passionate about it.
00:22:17.180And over the years, have you learned through trial and error the things you weren't passionate about were reflected negatively in the outcome?
00:29:24.600Every week, we go behind the headlines and beyond the drama of America's royal family.
00:29:29.580Listen to United States of Kennedy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:29:35.640American history is full of wise people.
00:29:44.600What women said something like, you know, 99.99% of war is diarrhea and 1% is glory.
00:29:50.940Those founding fathers were gossipy AF and they love to cut each other down.
00:29:56.800I'm Bob Crawford, host of American History Hotline, the show where you send us your questions about American history and I find the answers.
00:30:05.640Including the nuggets of wisdom our history has to offer.
00:30:09.840Hamilton pauses and then he says, the greatest man that ever lived was Julius Caesar.
00:30:15.020And Jefferson writes in his diary, this proves that Hamilton is for a dictator based on corruption.
00:30:21.620My favorite line was what Neil Armstrong said, it would have been harder to fake it than to do it.
00:30:28.220Listen to American History Hotline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:30:35.640Just like great shoes, great books take you places.
00:30:42.980Through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget.
00:30:48.140I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of like butterflies.
00:30:52.720I'm Danielle Robay and this is Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club.
00:30:56.160The new podcast from Hello Sunshine and iHeart Podcasts.
00:30:59.520Every week I sit down with your favorite book lovers, authors, celebrities, book talkers, and more to explore the stories that shape us, on the page and off.
00:31:09.000I've been reading every Reese's Book Club pick, deep diving book talk theories, and obsessing over book-to-screen casts for years.
00:31:16.040And now, I get to talk to the people making the magic.
00:31:19.620So if you've ever fallen in love with a fictional character, or cried at the last chapter, or passed a book to a friend saying,
00:31:26.440you have to read this, this podcast is for you.
00:31:30.620Listen to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:31:36.680What's up, guys? Welcome to Augusto, Papa, the go-to spot for everything Musica Mexicana.
00:31:45.100We're proud Mexican-Americans who live and breathe this music.
00:31:48.080We started this podcast to share and discuss our views on Musica Mexicana.
00:31:52.080Whether you like Peso Pluma, Los Alegres del Barranco, Ariel Camacho, or Ivan Cornejo when you get in your feels, then this podcast is for you.
00:32:01.360Peso Pluma show last year, everything was a 10 out of 10.
00:32:04.440Fashion and lifestyle inspired by the roots of Musica Mexicana, the craziest controversies and chismes.
00:32:09.780I don't have nothing against Fuerza, you know, and I don't think J.O.P. should be mad at me.
00:32:13.380Song and artist comparisons, competition in the scene.
00:32:16.300There is competition, there is sides to this.
00:32:19.460There's Peso Pluma, Double P, and there's J.O.P., Street Mob.
00:32:23.340I think at the end of the day, it's business, it's all competition.
00:32:26.360And of course, our personal stories and opinions along the way.
00:32:29.340This isn't just a podcast, it's a movement for fans who live Musica Mexicana every single day.
00:32:33.800Listen to Augusto Papa as part of the My Cultura podcast network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:33:00.880I was sitting here recording episodes of Dear Cheekies and Cheekies and Chill, and I just had to take a timeout and purge my thoughts and feelings here on Sincerely, Janae.
00:33:11.400Because I've been so emotional lately, you guys.
00:33:15.100Whether I'm in my feels, I've just had a breakthrough with my therapist, or I've just had a really deep conversation with my siblings,
00:33:21.320or I'm in glam getting ready for an award show, I'm sharing my most intimate thoughts with you on the podcast.
00:33:27.940You guys know I always keep it real with you guys, but this time I'm taking it to the next level.
00:33:32.700Listen to Cheekies and Chill on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:33:37.620Honestly, do you just write a list down of all these crazy ideas?
00:33:47.040You're on a trip, taking a vacation, and then you see, you know, I don't know, you see a statue of someone, you're like,
00:33:54.160I'm going to do a movie on Marcus Aurelius or something, or Da Vinci.
00:33:58.020No one's talked about Da Vinci, and he's, you know, he's an interesting character, a cat.
00:34:02.560And then 10 years later, you go back to the diary, and you go, oh, yeah, what about that Da Vinci idea?
00:34:06.980I do have a little black book that always starts off, what about dot, dot, dot, right?
00:36:52.160But also, I think it's interesting because when I was writing it, you know, we had an interesting writer's room where I was the one person in the room who kept saying, I'm not so sure.
00:37:09.760I don't think they should, I don't think they should get out.
00:37:10.900I was the voice of like, I don't know.
00:37:16.340And you know what I think that was, is I think generationally, young people have a much different way of identifying and talking about and navigating abuse than we did.
00:37:31.480It's just like, I remember that trial too.
00:37:33.240It wasn't even something you could imagine or, you know, people our age are very different than younger people in terms of what they see as abuse and they can talk about it.
00:37:46.180So in a weird way, what has happened through the show is I was really, really educated a lot by the other people in the writer's room and by the actors.
00:37:56.400I was astonished at how I went into something with such a predetermined point of view and came out of it at the end of it thinking, you know, where I am today is I really do think they should be released.
00:38:35.500It was, it was learning about, listen, what happened between the Menendez brothers was between them and their two parents and nobody else will ever know what happened.
00:38:44.820Um, what happened to me was there was a lot of, of very interesting voices in my path along the way.
00:38:53.680You know, for example, um, one of my good friends, who's the star of one of my shows coming up, Kim Kardashian, you may have heard of her, arguably the most famous woman on the face of the earth.
00:39:04.640You know, she's a very big victim's rights advocate and she's very, very smart.
00:39:09.600And she's, you know, I can't even get her on the phone to talk about our show right now because she's practicing for the bar.
00:39:15.540And she's constantly reaching out, talking about cases, advocating for, um, for our fire crews that are part of our state prison.
00:39:43.180And she was really obsessed with it and then went to visit them and then called me up and said, you know, like, I really feel like they deserve to be paroled.
00:39:54.020And she talked a lot of, about a really interesting points of view that I had not really thought about, which is, you know, they were, they were under 25, um, you know, which I think is an interesting point of view.
00:41:00.080The conversation there is have they exercised a process to rehabilitate themselves and through an independent psych evaluation and risk assessment, are they, quote unquote, suitable for parole on the basis of in prison behavior and a series of other criteria that's well established and laid out?
00:41:21.860And so it's an almost separate, it's not almost, but it is a separate question than the broader feeling of whether or not it's the right or wrong thing.
00:41:30.780So it's an interesting, for these things, it's why, for me, I didn't want to be colored or don't want to be colored by sort of the atmospherics.
00:41:36.940I had to deal with this with Sirhan Sirhan.
00:42:27.480It works absolutely for you, but it is a sword used against you at the same time.
00:42:33.240And I think that's what the Menendez, what, what, what your series did is it really elevated that conversation as well.
00:42:39.860Because there are a lot of other people in prison that don't get any attention, that don't even get in front of the parole board, that don't have advocates, that don't have Kim Kardashian making phone calls, that don't have their day in court, so to speak, at least the court of the parole board.
00:42:55.080And, and so it's, you know, it's trying to balance all that.
00:42:58.480Same time, you've got people that are releasing that have done equivalent or worse, that have spent less time.
00:45:24.580I think that's what I love about the show.
00:45:26.660Like if it's very complicated, like you can be, you know, if you, you, you think about season three, which is coming up where Charlie Hunnam plays Ed Gein, which is not, you know, for the squeamish.
00:45:39.760But really what it is about is this was an, this was a person who was mentally ill, who was an undiagnosed schizophrenic his entire life.
00:45:49.080And not until it was too late, till he was in prison, I believe in his fifties, was he diagnosed.
00:45:56.240So it really is sort of a story about mental health and awareness.
00:46:11.060And I think that that story of Ed Gein is both.
00:46:15.020He was born that way and made that way.
00:46:17.380And are you, do you do, I mean, so you have a team doing that research, but you're writing, I mean, you're, I mean, as you're writing this, is it coming from your own research?
00:46:27.440I mean, on all of my shows that are, are, you know, true stories.
00:46:32.400I would say, based on my research, like I have a very large amount of, of researchers who spend years before we write something.
00:46:43.840Like if you look at, at Gein, JFK, Carolyn Bissette, we spend a lot of time, you know, because those things, what you try and do with the biopic, right.
00:46:55.120Is you don't want to do a Wikipedia thing.
00:47:03.200You know, I remember when we were doing Dahmer, I was astonished by the fact that he, and I had never heard this before, that he in prison would play whale noises to fall asleep.