Excerpts from
Joe Rogan Experience #750 — Daniel Adler
Daniel:sips coffee "This is good coffee."
Joe: "Oh yeah? I just got that. It's pretty solid. Jamie, what's the name again?"
Jamie: "Uh—it's called Redwood Reserve."
Daniel:nodding "Yeah, this is nice. Strong, smooth."
Joe: "Alright, we're on now… First of all, welcome to the podcast. Man, I've been wanting you on here for a while."
Daniel: "Good to be here. Big fan of the show—I listen in now and then. You always have some interesting guests."
Joe: "Well, I try to bring the best."
Daniel: "Especially the conspiracy-focused ones—I love those. Flat Earth, aliens, ancient civilizations. That's my thing."
Joe:laughs "Yeah, we've had plenty of those guys… So are you a big believer in that stuff? Because I am."
Daniel: "Oh, I know—but this will be disappointing for you. I like hearing them, you know? They're like fuel for my imagination. Am I a true believer? Not really. I enjoy learning about lost cities and all the conspiracy stuff related to that—like the Atlantis era."
Joe: "Funny you say that, man. We just had Graham Hancock a few episodes ago. He's got some very compelling theories about lost civilizations."
Daniel:nodding "Yeah, I've listened to a bunch of his stuff. He's fun—he makes you want to believe. But let's be real, some of his ideas are… pretty out there. Graham, Randall Carlson, Robert Schoch—guys like that. I love hearing them; the mystery is what attracts me."
Joe:grinning "But you don't think any of it's true?"
Daniel: "I think Atlantis is just Plato being Plato—an allegory. A warning about hubris, not him writing a travel brochure."
Joe:leans in "C'mon, man. Plato had to get the story from somewhere. What if it was based on a real place?"
Daniel:laughing "Or, Joe—hear me out—it was just Plato being dramatic. Like, 'Guys, don't get too cocky or the gods will zap your city.'"
Joe: "C'mon, man."
Daniel: "And honestly, if you do want a real-world Atlantis, look at Thera. Big volcanic eruption around 1600 BC—wiped out a chunk of the island, sent tsunamis crashing into the civilization on Crete nearby, which was the Minoans—you know, the one with the Minotaur and stuff—whose fashion I would love to make a comeback."
Joe: "I did not know that… but fashion, why?"
Daniel:grins "I think Jamie can show you."
Jamie:laughs "Yeah, I get what you mean."
Joe:amazed laugh "Whoa, they've got their titties out!"
Daniel:laughs "When they say Atlantis was very ahead of its time, this is what they mean."
Joe:bursts out laughing "Free the nipple!"
Daniel:laughs as well
The Conversations shifts to other conspiracies mainly the Kennedy asssassintion for the next few minutes
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Joe:leans in "So, you're twenty-five?"
Daniel:smiles "No, just turned twenty-four."
Joe:shakes his head in amazement "Man… and you've been in the industry for fourteen years already. Fourteen. Not a lot of people in Hollywood can say that. Usually, if they can, it's child actors. But you were different—you started as a writer at ten. I mean, I read Toy Story to my daughters, and when I tell them, 'Hey, the guy who wrote this was just a few years older than you,' their eyes go wide. My oldest is a huge fan—she can't stop talking about Percy Jackson."
Daniel:grins "That's awesome to hear."
Joe: "And, dude, no one's done what you've done. You don't even have, like, a famous dad or uncle in the business, right?"
Daniel:laughs "No, no. Nothing like that. I remember really clearly the summer that began this journey for me. I'd always wanted to be a writer—always liked writing stories from when I was like six. My mom still has those… It was in the summer of '02 when I decided that I was going to write a proper story. It was based on a dream I had. I did it, and I convinced my mom to enter me into this writing contest that was happening."
Joe:raises his eyebrows "For kids?"
Daniel:grinning "Nope. I was the only child there."
Joe:laughs "That's wild, man."
Daniel: "Yeah, I was just this scrawny little kid in a room full of adults. I submitted what was basically a rough early draft of Toy Story for the competition. Then I joined this writing sprint against adults—and I actually won that part, which kind of got me my first little bit of recognition."
Joe:nodding "Right, I'd heard you won some contest that's how you got discovered."
Daniel:pauses "Yeah, I did—no, no… actually, no. I didn't win the contest. I lost under some very dubious circumstances."
Joe:eyes wide, leans closer "Wait—you lost?"
Daniel: "Yeah. After it was over, this woman named Lucy comes up to me. She says she's interested in buying the rights to Toy Story from me. And instantly I thought, 'Something's off here.'"
Joe: "Sounds like it."
Daniel: "Because she basically took it out of the competition so no one else would notice it—it was never judged."
Joe:gasps "Tell me you didn't accept that deal."
Daniel:shaking his head with a smile "I called her bluff. We worked it out. Instead of selling her the rights directly, I signed with the publishing company she worked for. That's how it actually got published."
Joe:shaking his head "Man, that's a big asshole move on her part."
Daniel:shrugs, chuckling "Yeah, she can be kind of an asshole sometimes, but honestly? Sometimes you gotta be ruthless. And that's why she's the head of my publishing company now, so… it worked out. Lucy and I are good friends now. She even became my agent for a while. I owe her a lot, considering how we met."
Joe:still laughing, pointing at him "I would've never trusted her."
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Joe: "So how did you go from being this ten-year-old writer to actually making movies?"
Daniel: "Well, that's simple. I was approached to make Toy Story into a movie by Chris Henderson. He's the CEO of one of the biggest studios in Hollywood now, but back then Stardust was still a struggling, brand-new animation studio."
Joe:grins "So considering where they are now, you must have been their savior."
Daniel:shakes his head modestly "I wouldn't say that. At the time, DreamWorks and others were approaching me, offering way more money than Stardust. But I picked Stardust."
Joe: "Why pick them if the others offered more?"
Daniel:leans forward, thoughtful "I liked how they wanted to adapt it. Their style of animation intrigued me. It felt different, experimental—and that's what I wanted."
Joe: "And then Toy Story becomes this massive hit. I remember people talking about you this kid Tom Hanks was praising as the 'future of Hollywood.' And I was like, 'Oh, get outta here.'"
Daniel:laughs
Joe: "And then your name kept popping up again and again. And then boom you make that horror movie."
Daniel:grins "Yeah, The Blair Witch Project. That was a big turning point for me. If it wasn't for that movie, I'd probably have stayed a writer. I met my best friend on that film, made millions from it my love for filmmaking came from it. Honestly, I'd call it the most important movie of my life because it set off a domino effect. I'm in the position I'm in because of it."
Joe:leans forward in disbelief "And you made it for, like… a million dollars?"
Daniel: "Even less."
Joe:eyes wide "Really?"
Daniel:nods "Yeah. And it made over 200 million. And I got most of it which the studio did not like, because they weren't sure about this movie at all. Only Chris and two others were supportive of it—and two of them are now heads of Stardust and DC, respectively. Me getting most of the profits caused some issues, and those issues eventually led to my position within the studio growing."
Joe:eyebrows up "Ohhh."
Daniel: "Yeah. And that's what eventually led to the merger with Nebula. That merger made Stardust what it is today. I'm not saying I caused the merger single-handedly, but it was my idea. I pushed for it inside the studio."
Joe: "Why did you think it was a good idea?"
Daniel: "Mainly Marvel. I saw Iron Man, saw how the superhero genre was making a comeback, and I knew I wanted to be part of that. The merger was my way of getting there."
Joe:laughs, shaking his head "So you basically pulled off a multimillion-dollar merger… just because you wanted in on making superhero movies?"
Daniel:shrugs, smirking "I've been told I do impossible things."
Joe:bursting out laughing "Yeah, no shit!"
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Joe: "…you're a billionaire just in your early twenties. Which is just… crazy, because you only see things like that in tech you know, like Gates or Zuckerberg. How the hell did that even happen?"
Daniel:pauses with a grin "I invested."
Joe:blank stare for two seconds, then both burst into laughter "You invested?"
Daniel:still laughing "Yeah. I got good financial advice, and I made the right calls. I went all in and somehow came out winning. Recently, I've doubled down with more investments."
Joe: "Yeah, I saw you bought into the Golden State Warriors with, uh—what was his name again?"
Daniel: "Henry Morgan."
Joe: "Right, the Texan the, uh, oil tycoon guy?"
Daniel:nods "Honestly, he's one of the people without whom I wouldn't be in this position. We met at a WrestleMania, of all places. His granddaughter was a big fan of mine, so that's how we got talking. I think I got his interest because I gave him some decent investing advice." laughs
Joe:grins "How does he factor into the life of Daniel Adler?"
Daniel: "He was the money, I guess…" grins "After Blair Witch, Stardust had some internal problems. Certain people in the company didn't like how much influence I had. Henry came in, bought up control, and solved the issue, you could say. I've been really fortunate. I ran into a lot of good people and very few bad ones."
Joe:drops it bluntly "Bad ones like Weinstein?"
Daniel:nods, face tightening "Yeah. Him."
Joe:serious "Did you have encounters with him?"
Daniel:sighs "Yeah, about three years ago when we were starting on The Revenant. Harvey decided I was enemy number one because Leo didn't want to do a movie for him and chose me. He tried some stuff, but I made it out without issues—the Oscar in-house can attest to that."
Joe: "Did you ever meet him?"
Daniel: "Yeah not a good one. One night, Margot and I were at this restaurant for dinner, and he shows up with some poor woman who definitely wasn't his wife. He comes over, forces a conversation it was uncomfortable as hell. Eventually he backed off, but… yeah. Not something I like to remember."
Joe:shakes his head "And now he's headed to prison."
Daniel: "Let's hope so."
Joe: "There are a lot of guys like him still out there."
Daniel:quietly "There are. Not everyone's going to get taken down. But the MeToo movement it's been important. It's forcing out a lot of these guys."
Joe:curious "So do you think things are actually changing?"
Daniel:takes a breath "I think there are positives. We can't pretend the system fixes itself, but what we can do is build on the progress. If you're coming up in this industry now, your job is to do better. Treat people better. Be better. The people who built the old machine were fueled by ego, power, and abuse. We don't have to repeat that."
Joe:nodding, impressed
Conversation continues into Daniel's movies and his upcoming projects, with Joe impressed by how much he's working on.
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Joe: "I think the movie that made me a big fan of yours was 12 Angry Men. Honestly, at first, I didn't think much of it. It was black and white just a courtroom drama. But then I watched it after you won the Oscar, and I was blown away. Like… how old were you when you wrote that?"
Daniel:smiles "I started it at 16."
Joe:eyes go wide "Wow. What the fuck, man? Don't be offended, but I had a buddy who had this theory that you were just, like… a face. Like you were fronting for his words, not mine 'an ugly screenwriter.'"
Daniel:bursts out laughing "Your friend's not alone. There are people on the internet who believe that. And I get it 12 Angry Men isn't something people expect from a 16-year-old. But honestly, that summer I was just bored. I started watching a lot of old films, and I began writing this, imagining all the jurors as old stars like Fonda. And I wasn't alone my stepdad helped me get the historical and legal details right. By the time I finished, I knew I had something special."
Joe:serious for a moment "And it was special. You deserved that Oscar for it."
Daniel:shrugs modestly "I was lucky."
Joe: "And then last year, you go and win two more Oscars. That's insane, man. Like wow. You ever think about directing your own stuff?"
Daniel:leans in, grinning "Yeah. Actually, I start my first movie this April."
Joe:excited "Really? Damn."
Daniel: "It's called The Witch. Very excited to do it."
Joe:nodding, intrigued "So you're writing, producing, and directing now. What's next, acting?"
Daniel:deadpan "I'll leave that to my girlfriend."
Joe:laughs hard
======
Daniel:smirking "So, Joe, are you going to ask me if I've tried DMT?"
Joe:bursts out laughing "I was getting there!"
Daniel:mock serious "I'm offended you didn't ask already."
Joe:still laughing "Alright, alright… But I heard you're very against alcohol?"
Daniel:nods "I don't have anything against people who do. But me, personally? I don't. Every time I've consumed it, it's been disastrous."
Joe: "Disastrous? In what way?"
Daniel:points over at Jamie "I think Jamie can show you that."
Joe:turns to Jamie, curious "What is it, Jamie?"
Jamie:laughing already "Look at this." throws something up on the screen—the infamous The Adler meme plays.
Joe:eyes wide, cracking up "What the fuck!"
Daniel:shaking his head, laughing too "Yeah. That's the last time I drank too much."
Joe:scrolling through more memes popping up on screen "Oh my god."
Joe:chuckling; leans in "But listen, I think if you ever tried DMT, you'd see some wild shit."
Daniel:smiles, shaking his head "Maybe. But I did recently have an experience with a substance."
Joe:leans in, eyebrows raised "Ohhh, so Daniel Adler's not that clean after all?"
Daniel:holds up hands "No, no. What happened was a total accident."
Joe:grinning "Everyone says that."
Daniel:serious now "I mean it. I never want to experience that again. I saw things. Almost embarrassed myself in a way I'd never recover from. Between that and something that happened, like, eight years ago, I've learned some valuable lessons."
Joe: "Damn—that bad, huh?"
Daniel: "Let's just say if you put my imagination into overdrive with something psychedelic… I don't think I'd survive that ride."
Joe:laughs, nodding "Fair enough, man. Still, I think your creative brain would probably perceive more than most people."
Daniel:smiling wryly "Or it'd just melt me."
The conversation continues, turning back to conspiracy theories once more.
.
.
.
It was noon, and Margot and I were having lunch together. She was back home from New York, taking a short break from Birdman shooting. She would only be here for two days, so we were spending as much time together as possible.
"And that's why I think Lee Harvey Oswald was working for the CIA," I said, stabbing a piece of chicken with my fork.
Margot looked up from her plate with that half-amused, half-tired smile. "Yeah. I know all this."
"Really?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes," she said, setting down her glass. "Because I heard the podcast where Joe Rogan convinced you this was what happened."
I grinned. "Well… he was really convincing."
Margot smirked. "I liked the part where you two argued about drug-hallucination aliens or were they interdimensional beings?"
I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. The podcast was kinda fun. Rogan was fun. He actually wanted me back a few months later and wanted me to meet Eddie Bravo the one with the conspiracies about me.
To which I politely declined.
Margot changed the subject. "Maybe we could go see the house later. I want to check how the balcony—"
The doorbell rang, sharp and unexpected.
"I'll get it," Margot said. She crossed the room and disappeared into the hallway. I heard the front door open.
"Who is it?" I called, craning my neck.
"A package!" Margot's voice floated back.
"A package?" I muttered, pushing my plate away.
A moment later she returned, arms wrapped around a big gift basket brimming with ribbons and cellophane. She set it down on the table with a soft thud.
I eyed it. "Is that for you?"
Margot tilted her head at the basket. "No… it's for you. There's even a note." She plucked a small white card from between the ribbons and read it aloud: "I win. —RR."
My eyes were glued to the basket, still wrapped in glossy plastic.
"'I win'? What the hell is that supposed to mean? And who is 'RR'?" Margot asked, puzzled.
I stood, tore the wrapping away, and froze.
Inside was a nightmare:
A pillow with Ryan Reynolds's smirking face plastered across it.
Three different T-shirts with his grin stretched wider than humanly possible.
A mug that read Maximum Effort.
And, to top it all off, one shirt with the Sad Adler meme printed right in the center, which said in big letters: LOSER.
A terrible realization struck me. I whipped out my phone and pulled up Twitter.
And there it was Ryan Reynolds, gloating to millions.
@VancityReynolds
It's official. Deadpool is happening. 2018.
First R-rated superhero movie.
After years of trying even after certain efforts to stop it…
with your support
I won.
PS I hope you liked your gift
There were people asking what the gift was, and Ryan had responded to one, saying that person knows.
"How…?" I whispered.
I made sure this wouldn't happen. How the hell did this fucker manage to pull it off?
Margot picked up one of the pillows, pressed it against her cheek, and tested the fluffiness. "I'm confused. What did he win? …This is actually a nice pillow, though."
I snatched it from her hands and threw it away.
"Hey!" she protested. Then, narrowing her eyes, she asked, "When are you going to stop this stupid feud?"
I leaned closer, eyes narrowing like a villain in a western. "Never."