Ted Danson Talks Bored to Death

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Audra Lowe: It was once the owner of your favorite local bar. I’m Not going to try to
sing it but you know the song Where Everybody Knows Your Name now
he’s just a Bored to Death hot shot looking for some action. The funny
talented and pretty tall Ted Danson dropped by our studio recently for a
chat and trust me it’s a good thing that this guy can act because he’s one
man that definitely isn’t bored.

Ted I’m so glad that you’re here, what took you so long to get over here?

Ted: I don’t know.

Audra: You want to come back.

Ted: I wanted to see if this was going to flow you know.

Audra: Hopefully we’ll flow for you. Thank you so much for joining us though I
got to ask you right off the top. How did you get into acting what was that
moment where you said I made it this is it?

Ted: When I said I made. I’m still flirting with that. You know clearly Cheers
you know put television shoots you out into the world so much that even
though I’ve done a couple of films Cheers clearly.

Audra: Was it exactly something you always wanted to do?

Ted: No, I have no idea what I wanted to do and I was second— I wanted to be
a basketball player.

Audra: Your tall, you’re pretty tall yeah.

Ted: And I went on a tried out for freshman basketball at Stanford University
and it was like oh this is a different world I’ll try acting I guess.

Audra: Really, well now you’re on the HBO’s Bored to Death which so many
people said that they’re not bored watching the show. They love, love the
show.

Ted: Very funny.

Audra: Yeah magazine publisher George--

Ted: George Christopher yeah with Jason Schwartzman and Zach Galifianakis
and it’s a wonderful show.

Audra: But what is it like workign with those guys on the show.

Ted: They treat me like my kids do. They’re very sweet and they include me.

Audra: They do include you. Well let me ask you this because your character has
some pretty interesting characteristics I want to know anything at all like
you totally opposite. George has had 3 marriages and countless lovers.

Ted: No comment.

Audra: He’s working really hard to stay relevant.

Ted: I’m an actor I just pretend the stuff.

Audra: You just pretend but he also has a best friend who has access to marijuana
which makes George very, very happy.

Ted: I’m an actor I just pretend to the stuff.

Audra: Right to the next questions right here too—

Ted: I do have a solution for the drug problem at least marijuana because we
clearly smoked ginseng fake things nothing bad for television but if you
put the fake stuff ginseng herbs into a pipe light it, smoke it hold it in and
then say something stupid. You feel like your stoned but you haven’t
smoked anything elicit so that’s how just pretend use your imagination
you don’t need marijuana, pretend.

Audra: Put it in a link on our website that information. Alright you also played
yourself obviously, HBO has curved your enthusiasm but I have to ask
you though is it tougher just playing yourself or do you prefer –

Ted: Your playing Larry David’s scene partner and its improvisation so your
job is to push him around and get him in a place where he’s at his funniest.

Audra: Is that tougher than having a regular script.

Ted: No it’s all versions of the same. It’s actually much more relaxing because
you don’t have to worry about forgetting lines; there are no lines because
he’s a very lazy writer.

Audra: He’s was on HBO obviously network and cable as well to do, do you see a
different in terms of what you can get away with and helping.

Ted: Sure because that work to a big broad audience cable although they
probably would like to have a big broad audience doesn’t but because they
don’t they can do what they do best and not worry about it.

Audra: Yeah.

Ted: They can just go here and this is who we are if you like us go with it if not
whereas network has to please everybody.

Audra: A lot of people, exactly. Let’s talk about something else a little different
here.

Ted: Please.

Audra: Because I know you’re involved in a lot of different charities and one in
particular Heifer International.

Ted: Heifer International.

Audra: Trying to bid about it, trying to end poverty right?

Ted: And doing it, I mean it is sadly a billion people are hungry are starving in
this world and a lot of times it just overwhelms you and makes you want
to almost turn your head. Heifer International is brilliant they give a farm
animal and teach you how to take care of it so they prepare the land to
villages all over the world including United States and they give the
family cow, a chicken a goat depending on what the land can take and it’s
a breeding animal s that they can either take the wool or the milk.

They can feed themselves, clothe themselves then when their healthy
enough they can sell that milk and then their kids get to go to school but
they really neat thing is at a certain point when they are stable from this
animal that they got and their life is transformed they then take the next
neediest person in the village and pass on the offspring of the cow or the
you know the goat or the water buffalo so they not only get to receive
help, the get to give help.

It’s not just a brilliant organization but you with 10 dollars can end up
giving a gift to somebody so I in the mail get oh you know a goat has been
given in your name to somebody in Rwanda or something and it makes a
huge difference when you realize that a gift given to you has just
empowered a family to live and survive and perhaps educate their kids and
so to give that gift that in a time when you don’t have a lot of money so
make your money count. You know do something that gives people joy
because we all want to make a difference and make it count.

Audra: Wow your so passionate about it I love it.

Ted: But its brilliant absolutely works and one of the neat things because
there’s a room full of women.

Audra: Today it is yeah.

Ted: Most of the times they give the animal to a woman. They empower the
woman so that the man doesn’t sell and go have a drink. You know the
women take care of their families so it empowers women around the world
too. It’s a brilliant organization.

Audra: You guys are doing a fantastic job. I’m glad you came to talk about that as
well. Now to completely difference channel here switching gears I heard
you have a hobby of tap dancing. You like to tap dance? You’ll go
dancing with the stars with it?

Ted: If my knees could I would no Mary my wife Mary trying to do dancing
with the stars.

Audra: Really? I see a partnership over here. I don’t know we’ll see you out there.
Remember we said it first too. Thank you so much Ted for stopping by
and congratulations to you as well.

Ted: Thanks.