Hollywood Director Says the Industry Needs More A-Holes

Welcome to the Actors Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 94! It's another wild week in Hollywood, people.  A Hollywood Reporter Op-Ed by Hollywood director Joseph Kahn has caused a stir, stating that the industry needs to "Bring back the Hollywood asshole"... E-Kan and Rían dig into this, and question if the reason for our industry's problems is because we need more people shouting in boardrooms. Another bold claim from the op-ed "If studios don't start making more movies about white guys in fighter jets, the box office won't cover the gardening bill"... Does Hollywood needs its monsters back? That also brings us to an update on the Paramount-Skydance Warner Bros Discovery merger. The latest - David Ellison threatens to take Paramount out of California. So let's just say it's not going well. Is this merger even going to happen? Is that a good thing it won't? The guys also discuss why California has a responsibility to keep the industry here too.  And for a sliver of hope, none other than Seth Rogen, whose NY Times interview has shed a lot of insight on the current industry from someone who would know a thing or too. One stunning revelation - how making a movie like they did with Superbad would never happen today, and how gun shy and risk averse Hollywood really is. This is the real wisdom for filmmakers and storytellers alike.  Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ActorsGuidePod New episodes every week! Follow @actorsguidepodcast wherever you find your podcasts. Please like, follow, review, and rate if you can. @ekansoong @ríansheehykelly https://variety.com/2026/film/news/goodbye-to-hollywood-paramount-california-exit-david-ellison-1236837300/ https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/17/paramount-bond-merger-delay-costs.html https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/bring-back-hollywood-asshole-joseph-kahn-column-1236653278/ Seth Rogen Interview- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt11UnYXzCw HIDDEN GEMS: Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge https://www.cedarrun.org/ Sleep earplugs -  https://a.co/d/07kgQE6T Sleep eye mask - Super Sunnies  Time Stamps:  (00:00) Intro (01:03) Paramount threatens to leave California (04:23) The shocking size of Paramount if merger happens (05:05) Paramount also asks for a 1.1 billion dollar bond (06:44) Is it possible to take Hollywood out of Hollywood? (09:25) The responsibility on California to keep Hollywood (12:12) Bring Back the Hollywood Asshole (14:34) The tension between the creative and the executive (15:34) The executive's job is to make money (17:20) Nobody knows anything (20:09) If you wanted to be a creative, why did you become an executive? (22:57) Seth Rogen's NY Times Interview (22:38) How Rogen creates his characters and drives his story (24:47) How movies aren't made like they were before (28:34) The daunting reality of being a crab on the sea floor (31:11) Hidden Gems