Marc Maron’s stand-up career has had its ups and downs, but ever since he started his own podcast, his reputation as an interviewer and broadcaster has been steadily improving over more than ten years. Maron’s conversation-based approach eschews the traditional promotional interview, which has now been reduced to insufferable discussions on Late Night talk shows. Maron brings the same guests on his show, he’s not competing in the stream of all public relations outlets, but he brings a one of a kind style and demeanor that creates a completely different atmosphere with show people.

Maron isn’t afraid to ask any tough questions either. Thanks to this mea culpa, get it all out on the table approach, Maron is the king of luring guests into a conversation so they feel comfortable. He then poses the questions that a real fan would ask, eliciting some of the most candid truths; not just about shows or films they’ve worked on, but on being a professional artist, and how to operate in the wildly open market of show business.

Each episode is a lesson in pop culture and its components, so we’ve narrowed it down to just the juiciest parts.

Here are 20 Movie/TV Secrets Revealed on WTF With Marc Maron.

Bruce Willis/Kevin Smith Tension In Cop Out

2010’s Cop Out, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, was supposed to be a screwball comedy. The movie laughed at the hilarity of two NYPD cops as they use every ounce of their cunning to track down a rare baseball card.

Despite this hopeful premise, the comedy is now known for the resulting feud between Willis and director Kevin Smith.

Willis’ hard-boiled demeanor didn’t quite match with Smith’s fun-loving artistic style, as both parties made comments about how they couldn’t connect. On a 2011 episode of the WTF Podcast, Smith told Maron about Willis’ diva-like difficulty level, working alongside him on set. In defense of the movie star, a studio intermediary decried Smith as being either closed off or enshrouded in a haze of smoke.

Danny DeVito’s Role On It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

When Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day taped their interview on WTF, they gave fans an in-depth look at the unusual development of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the 21st century’s response to Seinfeld.

Like the ’90s sitcom, It’s Always Sunny started out a little bit smaller than it has become. It wasn’t until the second season that Danny DeVito was added to the cast and the chemistry took on a life of its own. Howerton and Day reflected on this moment and let on that they knew they were taking a big chance.

The production on Sunny was so small at the time, bringing in a heavy hitter like DeVito was a move they knew could make or break their experiment. Luckily for us all, the five leads’ formula brought so much depth to the show that it kept running for longer than ten seasons.

The Gang From Monty Python Aren’t Really Best Friends

Oddly enough, a member of Monty Python has never made an appearance on the WTF Podcast, which may be telling enough to describe the cast’s current relationship. Harry Shearer lent further evidence that the iconic British comedy troupe don’t still keep in touch on his appearance on the podcast in 2015.

Shearer, long time American comedy staple and writer/performer for The Simpsons and Spinal Tap, may have been speaking partially with this comment.

It’s not clear how much he’s involved with the personal relationships of Python members, but his words still hold value as a clue. A recurring theme in the podcast is revealing the true relationships behind performative friendships, and this nugget from Shearer lets fans see a little more of the real personalities behind show business.

Mike Myers Threatened To Quit Wayne’s World

Plenty of interviews and gossip magazines have given voice to Mike Myers’ stigma of having difficult working relationships. The Canadian comedian has a such a bold, insistent character running through his comedy that he appears to hate when his vision is compromised - he admitted as much during his 2014 appearance on the podcast.

He demonstrated the accuracy of opinion when telling a story about the cultural touchstone scene from Wayne’s World. It was the scene in which Wayne, Garth, and the other two members of their posse, vehemently rock out to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, in their AMC Pacer. Myers told Maron that the studio wanted to use a Guns ‘N’ Roses song instead. Only after his threat to walk off the movie, did the production relent, and the scene everyone loves survived.

Zach Galifianakis’ Hangover 3 Feelings

North Carolinian goofball Zach Galifianakis, current star of Baskets on IFC, came into the garage in 2016 to promote his show about the life of a classically-trained, yet still struggling rodeo clown. During his conversation with Maron, he talked about transitioning from being a struggling comedian to being one of Hollywood’s it guys, and he revealed that maybe he’s had second thoughts about signing on for the Hangover sequels.

This confession comes after both of the sequels have already been released, so he clearly didn’t have that many second thoughts.

Galifianakis is clearly wrestling with the temptation to overuse good ideas for commercial success, versus the effect it has on his creativity. His thoughts here aren’t radical, but they’re nagging, and they’re echoed in the artistic journeys of a lot of show business’ most famous celebrities.

Bill Hader’s SNL Panic Attacks

On a recent appearance on WTF to promote his constantly growing filmography of post-SNL comedy work, Bill Hader talked to Maron about his time as late night’s lead impressionist. Maron always loves hearing the behind-the-scenes scoops from his white whale Saturday Night Live, he and fans alike were delighted when Hader told a story about one of his most terrifying moments on the show.

Hader revealed that once he’d gotten such stage fright that he actually had a panic attack on set while filming a segment of Weekend Update. Guaranteed, no one outside Bill Hader’s own head even noticed his internal crisis, but it was a great look to humanize his celebrity. No one is more relatable than the goofy, yet genius Bill Hader.

Larry David Can Be Harsh In Person

Curb Your Enthusiasm star, and Seinfeld co-writer, Larry David has made a career in Hollywood over his journey to quell his neuroses amidst social norms. Fans learned, from the Bill Hader episode of the WTF, that David’s quirkiness isn’t an act.

Hader told Maron a charming story about how, despite Larry David’s caring and sweet personality, he can still be an unpredictable friend.

David might set up a dinner party and not show up at the appointed time, even after several guests had already arrived.

It sounds like this class of behavior qualifies as nothing more than general eccentricity, par for the course in Los Angeles, but it reveals a kernel of truth beneath the misanthropic comedy his fanbase has enjoyed for decades.

The Stories Behind Home Alone

Macaulay Culkin gave an open, vulnerable, and revealing interview with Marc Maron in 2018. It wasn’t always a comfortable listen, but the interview shed a lot of light on the life of one of America’s most recognizable child actors.

As soon as Culkin could perform, he joined his many siblings on the entertainment career track. He grew up driven by his working-class roots and his stage father, and quickly began, in Culkin’s words “earning for the family.”

When he got the opportunity to do Home Alone (1990), Macaulay Culkin was in full-fledged child-star nova as he was plied with Coca-Cola and thrown on-stage to run around, as hyper as possible, for the camera. Between his rigorous production schedule, vanished childhood, and abusive father, Culkin’s experience, and this interview, are a needed reminder on the state of young actors in Hollywood.

Apollo 13 Was Authentic

Of the dozens of amazing movies that Brian Grazer has produced, when he and Maron sat down for their interview, the one they talked about most was Apollo 13 (1995).

The movie is a classic, both for its faithfulness to space travel, and its testament to human struggle.

One behind-the-scenes secret Grazer shared was how they filmed real zero gravity for the astronaut actors to float around in.

Those scenes were cobbled together with footage shot at the top of a plane’s sharp climb and dive, in the middle of which there are several seconds, as the plane is changing pitch downward, when those scenes could be shot.

It sounds like the production required almost as much human struggle as the real expedition did.

Dick Van Dyke Show Theme Song Originally Included Lyrics

When Carl Reiner came on WTF to talk with Maron about his lifetime of work and contribution to comedy, the conversation drifted from his early days starting out with Sid Caesar, to focus mainly on his partnership with Mel Brooks.

In between those two topics, Reiner talks about his break-out success The Dick Van Dyke Show, and reveals that the original theme song for the show included lyrics. Morey Amsterdam, who played Buddy Sorrell, wrote the words to a tune that Earle Hagen composed. Hagen was also responsible for the hit theme song for The Andy Griffith Show.

Carl Reiner created, produced, and directed The Dick Van Dyke Show, as a clever commentary on the life of a comedy writer with a family and a sitcom of his own.

Wyatt Cenac And Race On The Daily Show

Comedian/writer/performer/director Wyatt Cenac opened up about his tenure on The Daily Show during his WTF interview, insisting that while he was, indeed, grateful for the four year opportunity, he and Jon Stewart clashed when it came to the way Stewart incorporated race into the show.

Particularly on a 2011 episode, when Stewart did an impression of Herman Cain that highlighted his race rather than his politics.

Cenac made his discomfort known to Stewart, and the confrontation escalated into a shouting match between the two. Cenac further elaborated that his alienation on that cast wasn’t limited to that instance, and he often felt pressure to speak for all minorities that were underrepresented on the show. 

Horrible Bosses Didn’t Need A Sequel

When Jason Bateman came on to talk to Maron, he showed fans that he was pretty much the same kind of sarcastic, straightforward, skeptic that he plays on Arrested Development.

Now in the second, or maybe third, or fourth act of his career, Bateman has found a niche as an elder statesman of comedic acting, capable of carrying his own story, or blending into an ensemble. His 2011 movie Horrible Bosses 2 didn’t showcase any of those talents, according to Bateman.

To be fair, he didn’t blame the sequel’s flop on his performance or any of the cast, including Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day. Instead, Bateman lampooned the industry he’s wrapped up in, saying they don’t know when to quit, pushing out a follow up to a movie that no one was super excited for to begin with.

The Gang From Seinfeld Aren’t Really Best Friends

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, aka Elaine Benes, dished the dirt on the Seinfeld cast in her interview with Maron. She didn’t go into too many details, professional that she is, but Maron, reflecting all fans of the show, kept asking about the dynamic between the four of those central comedic figures from the ’90s. Louis-Dreyfus broke fans’ hearts, but probably confirmed their suspicions when she said that the situation wasn’t as it seemed.

The four of them don’t all still hang out, and they were never really as great friends as they played on the show.

Their chemistry was electric on stage, but the magic of theater fooled audiences once again, as Seinfeld created a set of scenarios that not only suspended, but completely eliminated all disbelief that these four New Yorkers were really kindred spirits.

The Real Conflict And Rage Behind The French Connection

Director William Friedkin’s conversation with Maron turned into a lecture on the history of film in the ’60s and ’70s, and there’s no better storyteller from that era. Friedkin was particularly forthcoming on his seminal work The French Connection (1971), the movie inspired by the real-life pipeline that was eventually brought down by law enforcement.

Gene Hackman starred as the lead, portraying the cop who makes the case. Hackman’s performance was praised for having an easy demeanor while also being able to fly off the handle. Friedkin says that this wasn’t a natural acting ability Hackman had innately. Instead, the director really had to get in his face when the scene called for it and fire Hackman up a little bit.

It worked anyway; that performance set a great vulnerable tone to the hero of the story, bringing the whole movie together.

Daniel Day Lewis Was Lincoln For The Entire Shoot

Daniel Day Lewis has long-held a place as one of Hollywood’s most serious actors. Jared Harris added fuel to this fire, in his 2014 interview, when he spoke about their time together on Lincoln (2012).

Harris, who some fans may know best for his time as Lane Pryce on Mad Men, has an extensive filmography, including playing the role of Ulysses S. Grant, opposite Lewis’ Lincoln. With a tone of reverence, Harris described that for the entire work day, when they shot the movie Lewis was unrecognizable.

He would stay in character, in make-up, and costume, inhabiting the sixteenth president of the United States to the best of his abilities.

There’s a lot of downtime on a movie production, but a guy walking around all of the sets, trailers, and other people trying to do their jobs, while insisting on being referred to as “Mr. President”, has got to be as surreal as it gets.

When Sacha Baron Cohen came on WTF to give fans a look at the comedian behind the character in 2016, he spoke at length about his masterpiece, Borat (2006), and the ensuing backlash, even if he was hesitant to comment on current projects.

Borat is a joke that needs to be explained at times, it needed clarification for the multiple parties that sued the production after release, including: a group of South Carolina guys in an RV, the nation of Kazakhstan, and an Alabamian etiquette teacher. While none of these lawsuits have ever been successful, Cohen is constantly negotiating the reach of his projects, and a lot of his work can have negative consequences.

The greater point is that Cohen’s movies are of consequence, and beneath the bawdy humor and shocking jokes, audiences can find meaning, and learn more about themselves.

Spinal Tap Bites The Dust Too

Harry Shearer’s appearance on WTF covered The Simpsons, Le Show, and, most importantly, This is Spinal Tap - the 1984 heavy metal mockumentary. Between Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer, the magic on stage was visible from the sketches, all the way to some extremely viable original music, successfully captivating audiences and making them think twice.

The band didn’t last, and only released two follow-up albums, twenty years apart, that rehash almost every song from the original movie.

Shearer would go on to work on another fake comedy band film, A Mighty Wind, along with the same group, but even that, Shearer describes more as a working relationship. One learns from the interview that the movies these comedians star in, while magical, are really just finished projects of collaboration from several different creative minds, with ambitions of their own.

The Fight Of Bad Grandpa

Johnny Knoxville came on WTF to give a really honest, heartfelt interview. Maybe it just sounded honest and heartfelt because Knoxville really isn’t the crazy, out of control, prankster fans see on television all the time.

When Knoxville came to the garage in 2013, he gave some hilarious insight into the behind-the-scenes production of his hidden camera film, Bad Grandpa.

The movie follows a senile old man as he tries to stir up trouble and offend people all over the place, so it was predictable when Knoxville began to describe the times things got a little out of control and the production team had to step in, get official, and settle some hot tempers. In particular, an incident outside a gas station, and a wild gag in a strip club pushed bystanders a little bit too far past their breaking points.

Patton Oswalt: Ghostwriter

One of Maron’s oldest comedian friends Patton Oswalt has made several appearances on the show, always ready to riff with Maron about the state of comedy, politics, and media.

In 2011, Oswalt talked about being a script doctor, revealing he’s done uncredited work on some Shrek movies, and in Borat.

Oswalt’s a written comedian, for sure, as one can read in his memoirs Zombie Spaceship Wasteland and Silver Screen Fiend. His candor on his ghostwriting career makes fans of his wonder just how many other projects he’s participated in. If it’s a part of nerd culture, chances are high that his style is somewhere near it.

Much of the credit for today’s comic book subculture resurgence goes to Oswalt’s shameless embrace of the genre and its potential.

Thomas Jane Almost Played Don Draper On Mad Men

In 2011, when Jon Hamm came into the garage to talk to Maron, he surprised fans when he revealed that he wasn’t actually the first choice to play the role he’s now almost inseparable from, Don Draper.

When Mad Men was casting their lead, they initially offered the role to Thomas Jane (The Expanse, Punisher), instead.

At the time, the film actor turned the role down and the rest is history, but even Hamm didn’t blame the studio for going with Jane first.

He was as surprised to get the role as anyone, commenting how unknown he was at the time. Bringing an unknown face into that role made it easier to fit into the period, and Jon Hamm’s Emmy-winning performance stands as the correct decision. Fans of Mad Men won’t be able to help wondering: what if?

Which one of these Movie/TV Secrets Revealed On WTF With Marc Maron did you know about? Let us know in the comments!