Every day I drive by and there's this giant billboard.
I'm sure everyone here has seen it.
It's out front.
It's all of you guys eating. Yes.
I guess that's the way to promote the show.
(laughing)
I guess people have these thoughts about...
The whole cast, they're all together,
they've gotta be doing something.
Yeah. Right?
And so, they had this idea of you guys eating.
We eat together (mumbling).
These guys are kind of like a family, you know?
So, it's a thing that we do together, but it's tricky.
It's tricky acting and eating at the same time
because you have to time the bites with the joke,
sometimes you choke,
and then when the camera cuts away
you kinda spit your food out,
but then when it comes back on you you're chewing, you know.
We aren't really chewing. You know, it's funny,
I've never thought about this,
but you guys do that a lot on this show where
they want the actors to all have
an action they're doing. Yes, you have to do...
The old adage is you can't come onto a scene
with just people sitting there doing nothing, right?
Right. Because that's not reality,
predominantly. Right.
So, we have to be doing something.
So, eating is a big thing.
If you watch sitcoms a lot, you'll see people eating a lot.
I've noticed on Will and Grace
Eric McCormack is always stirring a pot of...
He's always there stirring a pot,
and that's his action always,
and tasting it and then making a quip.
Yeah, always stirring. Stirring?
He's got a sauce that he's always making
over in the kitchen,
and then people characters come in and out.
He's like, 'you wise guy,' and he's stirring his pot.
He's literally stirring the pot and stirring the pot.
Ah, very nicely done. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'll sue you for that. (laughing)
But you know what's interesting?
I didn't think it was that hard,
and I was curious what is the technique
if you're trying to eat and act at the same time?
Could you show us what it is?
We brought some... Yeah, absolutely.
We just brought some food and I thought maybe
you could show... Oh, thank you.
How convenient.
Andy, do you want some there?
It's just, we're gonna learn.. No, I mean, well...
So, you do...
So, the number...
So, let me teach you my food acting class technique.
So, we're in a scene together.
So, we're in the scene together.
The first thing we're just talking, don't eat.
Just play around with your food, you're looking at...
You're kinda mixing your food.
You put it in, you'll say a couple of lines,
you know what I mean?
Now you're like, okay.
Now the camera's on you, you've said your joke,
it's about to cut away and you do this,
and then it cuts away.
You're chewing, you're chewing, you're chewing (mumbling)
And you spit it out.
And now it's a new thing. That's disgusting!
But now you're not really...
You know, I don't have anything in my mouth right now,
but it looks like I do, right?
Yeah, but it's....
But now that you've said that,
it's ruined all sitcoms for me
(laughing)
because all I'm thinking about...
You don't really spit it out, but you just...
You kinda fake it, like what I'll do is...
So, this looks like a really big bite, right?
So, it looks like I'm about to do this,
the camera will cut away, and I'll quickly throw it away
and I'll just take...
When the camera comes back to me, I'm like...
You know?
Do you get it?
Yeah, I think I get it.
Try and ask me a line, I'll do a line, ask me.
So, let's do like a...
Do me a line, I'll just...
I'll make up a line.
You ask me something like 'Hey, Conan.'
Hey, Conan, how was your...
What's going on in this second?
Oh, you know what, I've gotta tell you something.
What's amazing... (laughing)
You just took a bite, you didn't even do anything!
No, the point...
The rice was better...
The rice was better than I thought it would be.
It was! (cheering)
You can also...
Hey, that's what I would be doing.
I have to tell you, I come from a big Irish Catholic family,
and we just...
When there's food in front of us, we go.
I would get more interested in the hamburger
than in the scene I was playing, so I'd be...
Even in a drama, they'd be like 'Conan's the murderer!'
(gargling) (laughing)
I would just plow through my food.
Cool, that was good, that was exciting.
(laughing)
I wanna get you on camera eating.
But see, I've got nothing in my mouth.
That's the technique.
You're like a magician.
(clapping) Thank you.
It's like the least impressive thing to everyone.
So, it's 'yeah' (laughs).
Yeah, yeah, and then...
Yup.
Let me get this even better.
That's pretty subtle.
That's pretty subtle, yup.
This is the reason I've never been asked to be on a sitcom
and I never will.