Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend

Josh Safdie

February 2, 2026

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  • Filmmaker Josh Safdie confirms the premise of the podcast, stating he feels like a liar claiming friendship with Conan O'Brien, but feels closer due to their mutual connection with Adam Sandler. 
  • Conan and Josh extensively discuss Adam Sandler's unique personality, including his tendency to overuse the word "best" and his habit of making unannounced drop-ins. 
  • Josh Safdie reveals that casting for his films, including *Marty Supreme*, prioritizes finding individuals whose real-life essence matches the character, often leading to casting non-traditional actors like Kevin O'Leary and viral personalities. 
  • Filmmaker Josh Safdie recounted a deeply uncomfortable experience at a Polish film festival where filmmakers were pitted against each other for a large cash prize, leading to unexpected alliances. 
  • Conan O'Brien launched a public campaign directed at the Erewhon market to rename the 'Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie' (formerly the Hailey Bieber Smoothie) after himself, citing his own luminous skin and celebrity status. 
  • The conversation concluded with Conan O'Brien asserting his intention to secure the endorsement deal for the Erewhon smoothie, demanding compensation and comparing his potential succession to Hailey Bieber to Lazenby following Sean Connery as James Bond. 

Segments

Sona’s Hunger & Food Needs
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(00:01:59)
  • Key Takeaway: Conan observes that Sona, like his wife, exhibits significant mood changes when hungry, requiring immediate sustenance.
  • Summary: Conan notes that Sona’s mood rapidly deteriorates when she hasn’t eaten, comparing her to a Tasmanian devil. He contrasts this with his wife, whom he describes as a lithium battery that goes from charged to dead instantly upon hunger. Sona admits to eating her children’s snacks because she needs more substantial food than they do.
Walnuts and Semen Advice
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(00:04:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Sona claims walnuts improve semen motility and morphology, a claim Conan finds highly questionable.
  • Summary: Conan jokingly seeks food that increases intelligence, leading Sona to suggest walnuts improve semen quality. Sona cites the internet, stating walnuts improve sperm motility and morphology. Conan expresses disbelief, leading to a humorous tangent about foods affecting semen taste, like pineapple.
Welcoming Josh Safdie
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(00:06:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Conan introduces Josh Safdie, praising Marty Supreme for its Oscar buzz and acknowledging the difficulty of his previous work, Uncut Gems.
  • Summary: Conan apologizes for the preceding chaotic discussion, which he notes will be logged as ‘Conan drinks own jizz.’ He then formally welcomes Josh Safdie, director of Uncut Gems and Good Time, whose new film Marty Supreme is receiving significant critical acclaim. Conan expresses his excitement to discuss the new film.
Adam Sandler’s Quirks
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(00:07:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Adam Sandler frequently uses the word “best” in conversation to describe nearly everything, and he exhibits a pattern of brief, rapid visits to friends’ homes.
  • Summary: Josh Safdie details Sandler’s habit of calling everything ’the best,’ even mundane or negative things like using the subway or lethal toxins. Safdie also describes Sandler’s unpredictable drop-in behavior, where he arrives unannounced, stays for only a few minutes, and then abruptly leaves, stating, ‘we know when we’re not wanted.’
Praise for Marty Supreme
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(00:12:02)
  • Key Takeaway: Conan found Marty Supreme to be a ‘juggernaut of delight’ that immediately engaged the audience with its highs and lows.
  • Summary: Conan praises Marty Supreme as an absolute pure delight, noting the audience reaction during his screening was overwhelmingly positive. He emphasizes that receiving praise from respected peers like Josh Safdie is uniquely meaningful. The conversation briefly pivots to recall the famously ‘unhinged’ interview Conan conducted with Abel Ferrara.
Casting Philosophy and Real People
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(00:29:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The Safdie brothers employ a casting technique focused on finding real-world individuals whose essence perfectly fits the role, often casting non-actors like Kevin O’Leary and viral figures.
  • Summary: Josh explains that he and his brother seek out people who are ‘iconically themselves’ to populate their films, citing examples like the horse better who became a character and the viral ‘Man with the Golden Voice.’ This method allows them to extract the essence of real people, making even minor roles fascinating. Conan notes this fearlessness in casting people like Kevin O’Leary in major parts.
Timothée Chalamet’s Dedication
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(00:38:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Timothée Chalamet spent six years training in table tennis and guitar to authentically embody the character in Marty Supreme and a previous role.
  • Summary: Josh confirms Timothée Chalamet’s spectacular commitment, noting he spent six years learning guitar for a Bob Dylan portrayal and similarly dedicated time to table tennis for Marty Supreme. The sport was chosen because Chalamet’s wiry, kinetic energy perfectly matched the historical figures from the sport’s Ping Pong Diplomacy era. Chalamet trained with Olympians and choreography consultants to perfect the mechanics.
The Unlikable Hero and Loneliness
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(00:45:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Audiences root for the unlikable protagonist Marty because the film connects his desperate chase for happiness to the universal, yet fleeting, nature of love over mere likability.
  • Summary: Josh observes that despite Marty’s brash and rude behavior, audiences root for him because the film taps into the pure, loving moments over casual liking. He suggests that Marty is desperately chasing happiness, which is inherently a haunted and fleeting feeling. The film also leverages the inherent narrative structure of sports, forcing the audience to invest in his success.
Post-Film Emptiness and New Goals
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(00:49:04)
  • Key Takeaway: After completing a decade-long project like Uncut Gems, Josh experienced a profound hollow feeling of lost drive, leading him to contemplate pursuing architecture.
  • Summary: Josh admits to feeling a hollow sense of accomplishment after finishing Uncut Gems, realizing the decade-long drive was suddenly gone. This feeling mirrored the emptiness Marty experiences after achieving his goal in Marty Supreme. As a new goal, Josh jokingly plans to contact Burger King to improve the aesthetics of fast-food design.
Competitive Film Festival Anecdote
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(00:51:46)
  • Key Takeaway: A Polish film festival introduced a high-stakes competition where one winner received 200,000 Euro, creating immediate tension among filmmakers.
  • Summary: Josh Safdie described a film festival in Poland where participants were told one of them would win 200,000 Euro, causing instant competitiveness. When US judges were grounded due to a volcano eruption, Safdie and his brother partnered with another filmmaker to agree to split the prize money if either won. They ultimately won, but the experience highlighted the unpleasant nature of such direct competition.
Auschwitz Tour Logistics
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(00:53:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Logistical scrambling caused by a volcano eruption forced a group to take an abridged, rushed tour of Auschwitz.
  • Summary: Due to travel disruptions from a volcano, the group’s planned visit to Auschwitz was compressed, leading to a highly inappropriate, abridged tour. A woman running another screening insisted on an hour-long version of the tour, resulting in the group literally running through the historical site. The alternative prize for winning the festival was 2 million Euros to make a Polish film, potentially a comedy about Auschwitz tourism.
Car Buying Experience Contrast
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(00:55:01)
  • Key Takeaway: CarMax offers a standardized, simple car buying/selling process that contrasts with the preferential treatment Conan O’Brien receives at dealerships.
  • Summary: Conan contrasted his experience being immediately attended to at car dealerships with the experience of others who might be ignored. CarMax is promoted as making the process simple, allowing customers to shop online, in person, or blend both methods. Their pre-qualification tool allows checking personalized payments without impacting credit scores.
T-Mobile Couch Life Perks
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(00:56:37)
  • Key Takeaway: T-Mobile benefits, such as included Netflix and DoorDash deals, support embracing ‘couch life’ without leaving home.
  • Summary: T-Mobile travel perks are contrasted with the appeal of staying home, where T-Mobile still provides value through included benefits like Netflix standard with ads. Listeners can enjoy takeout and binge-watching, bragging about staying in. The service encourages living life at its most supreme from the comfort of one’s couch.
Erewhon Smoothie Endorsement Crisis
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(00:57:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Conan O’Brien discovered the Erewhon smoothie formerly known as the Hailey Bieber Smoothie was renamed the ‘Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie,’ prompting him to pitch himself as the replacement endorser.
  • Summary: Conan expressed distress that the $25 smoothie he enjoys regularly lost its celebrity association, stating he only trusts products with celebrity endorsements like the George Foreman grill or Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. He argued that he is the logical successor due to his luminous skin and immature behavior, which appeals to a youthful demographic. Conan demanded financial compensation for taking over the endorsement, threatening to aggressively negotiate with Erewhon.
Podcast Production Credits
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(01:09:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode credits list key production roles including executive producers, theme music by The White Stripes, and voicemail instructions.
  • Summary: The episode is hosted by Conan O’Brien, Sona Movsesian, and Matt Gorley, with theme music provided by The White Stripes and incidental music by Jimmy Vivino. Listeners are encouraged to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts and call the Team Coco hotline at (669) 587-2847 with questions. SiriusXM is offering three free months via a specific sign-up link.
Sponsor Reads: Dave’s Killer Bread and Wonder
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(01:10:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Dave’s Killer Bread emphasizes second-chance employment for its staff, while the Wonder app allows mixing and matching dishes from various chefs in one order.
  • Summary: Dave’s Killer Bread features a guitar-wielding founder who received a second chance, and the company employs people given a chance to make a life, not just a living. Wonder solves mealtime compromise by allowing users to order from multiple renowned chefs in a single delivery. New Wonder customers can use code Wonder50P for 50% off their first two orders.