The characters on “The Studio” — the Apple TV+ hit that just lately earned a record-breaking 23 Emmy nominations, essentially the most ever for a freshman comedy — don’t have a lot of a life exterior the confines of their high-pressure jobs operating the fictional Continental Studios.
However they do get out once in a while. And after they do, the present presents a view of Los Angeles that’s each sardonic and affectionate, portraying a spot the place goals can come true, supplied you’re not caught on the 405 at rush hour. (Which, to be clear, is just about any time of day.)
“L.A. is a wild, loopy, partially s—, madhouse,” says Evan Goldberg, one of many present’s creators and, with Seth Rogen, its co-director. “But it surely’s additionally a magical, creative haven of loopy folks with numerous ambition and/or artistic vitality they need to share.”
We requested the present’s Emmy-nominated actors — Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara and Rogen — how their characters channel that artistic vitality into their downtime within the Metropolis of Angels. Seize your infrared sauna blanket and pour your self a glowing water with three lemons. That is “The Studio” information to Los Angeles.
Ike Barinholtz as Sal Saperstein
Continental Studios’ artistic exec, a divorced dad, a survivor, albeit one who’s anxious (for good motive) about navigating the brand new sensibilities of Hollywood.
Favourite neighborhood: He lives within the Hollywood Hills. Why? It has the title Hollywood in it, and he nonetheless thinks that in the event you’re super-successful on this enterprise and single, having a spot up is the way in which to go. You don’t want a yard. You don’t want house to your children to go on walks. You’re single, and your children solely come as soon as each different week, so it’s only a bachelor residing up within the hills.
Final live performance seen on the Hollywood Bowl: He went on a date with a a lot youthful actress to see Think about Dragons. And he didn’t have a good time.
Clothes model that dominates his closet: For Sal, the peak of trend is Tim Robbins’ Armani fits in “The Participant,” fits which can be ever-so-slightly huge. In his downtime, he’s the type of man who likes to go to Nordstrom and do numerous harm. Earth tones, it doesn’t matter what.
Tim Robbins in “The Participant.”
(Lorey Sebastian / New Line Cinema)
Go-to date spot: Undoubtedly Sundown Tower. He additionally has a membership to the San Vicente Bungalows, however he’s mad at them as a result of they made a date put the sticker on her telephone digital camera. He received into it with the maître d’: “You don’t belief that my date isn’t going to take photos?” They lastly relented and let her take the tape off, and he or she took a bunch of images of celebrities. So he’s not in a terrific place with the San Vicente Bungalows, which is why he’s again on the Sundown Tower.
Most-shared wellness tip: He’s an IV man. So while you hit it slightly too onerous, this man will come to your workplace. He hooks you up, the entire thing out and in in 25 minutes, and you are feeling such as you didn’t drink a bottle of vodka the night time earlier than.
Favourite place to see a film: Sal cherished the ArcLight as a result of they’d nice parking and you could possibly smoke weed on the roof and nobody ever stopped you. However now that the ArcLight’s gone, I might see him doing Mann’s Chinese language along with his daughters. Sal Saperstein isn’t afraid of Hollywood Boulevard. He loves it. He loves Musso’s and he loves the attraction of it. And, sure, he nonetheless calls it Mann’s Chinese language. And persons are like, “It’s not known as that anymore.” And he’s like, “What are you gonna do? Cancel me?”
Exercise routine: He has employed a man who involves his house to do cardio boxing thrice every week, however he so usually cancels that he’s mainly simply paying this man $500 every week to do nothing. He has good intentions, however the follow-through isn’t nice.
The Grove, adore or keep away from? He thinks of it as a gem. It brings him again to when he would go there along with his youngsters and they might meet Santa. Additionally, he’s met Rick Caruso and so they’re pleasant.
Rush–hour coping mechanism: He has slightly weed vape pen that he can hit at any time when he’s feeling visitors stress. And he has numerous playlists, traditional rock, first wave. He’s undoubtedly mourning Ozzy [Osbourne], admiring him for the nice music and likewise pivoting to TV and creating an empire.
Los Angeles Worldwide Airport.
(Reed Saxon / Related Press)
Native information that may darken his doorstep: He knew folks concerned within the USC dishonest scandal. “We belong to the Jonathan Membership collectively. He’s gone down for that. That basically sucks.”
What the TikTok / Instagram algorithm serves him most: Trip spots. Folks going out on Ritz-Carlton cruises. Plastic surgeons speaking about what work Hollywood folks have gotten finished, as a result of Sal might be going to be like a type of guys that round 55 begins actually f— along with his face.
Energy–lunch order: Grilled rooster paillard with a inexperienced salad and two martinis. He’s a Vesper boy. It will get him by means of until 5 o’clock.
Most L.A. criticism: Navigating LAX may be very aggravating, even in the event you’re extremely rich. He’s mad that he has to take care of LAX bull—. “Why are we not transferring? Why is visitors utterly stopped right here?” He simply flew again from New York and the motive force that they employed for him isn’t there, and he has to go as much as departures. He believes L.A. is such a terrific metropolis, it must have a greater airport.
Kathryn Hahn as Maya Mason
Audacious, profane advertising and marketing govt who views herself, fairly rightly, as essentially the most artistic individual within the room.
Favourite neighborhood: I’ll inform you this, she will’t drive “east of the 405” and has been saying that for the reason that early ’90s. Actually, she got here up with it. She loves Sycamore Avenue. There’s a Tartine and the clothes retailer Simply One Eye, which is insanely costly however she nonetheless loves to buy there.
Clothes model that dominates her closet: Concern of God. Most likely her stylist was like, “It’s very area of interest, uncomfortably uncooked trend.” It’s very ahead, and that’s what she likes.
A band performs contained in the San Vicente Bungalows, the place pictures are often verboten.
(Vivien Killilea / Getty Photos for Conde Nast Traveler)
Go-to date spot: San Vicente Bungalows. She was one of many founding members. She put her money down immediately as a result of she was so sick of the freaking Soho Home. San Vicente Bungalows are cooler and chiller. However sincere to God, she hasn’t been on a date in 20 years, until you depend Raya.
Most-shared wellness tip: Ayurvedic, however solely as a result of you possibly can s— so much. For her, it’s all in regards to the old-school colonic. A therapeutic massage takes too lengthy.
Favourite place to see a film: Whereas sweating in an infrared sauna blanket. And he or she’s solely watching screeners of upcoming releases. She hasn’t watched a film for pleasure in years.
Exercise routine: In her workplace at lunch with Dave, her coach. She likes to get “stretched out.”
An Ayurvedic therapeutic massage.
(Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Occasions)
The Grove, adore or keep away from? By no means. She will be able to’t deal with the parking storage. It’s the identical motive she doesn’t go to the Hollywood Bowl. The inconvenience drives her loopy.
Rush–hour coping mechanism: Matt Belloni — or the sound of her personal screaming.
Native information that may darken her doorstep: Something about highway closures as a result of f— marathons.
What the TikTok / Instagram algorithm serves her most: Mukbangs.
Energy–lunch order: The rooster paillard at Il Pastaio — pounded, pounded, pounded. Further pounded. And a glowing water with three lemons.
Most L.A. criticism: “I would lose you within the canyon.”
Catherine O’Hara as Patty Leigh
Straight-talking former studio head, now a mentor to Matt Remick and having fun with her personal manufacturing deal at Continental.
Favourite neighborhood: Culver Metropolis. She likes the historical past and needs to be near all of the studios. Her work is her life.
Final live performance seen on the Hollywood Bowl: Oh, it’s been some time, I feel. She’s been busy. Most likely Garry Shandling. He was good. God bless him.
Clothes model that dominates her closet: Max Mara. A lot of beige and pumpkin. She undoubtedly received sucked into having her season finished, so she is aware of she’s an autumn. The garments aren’t the best finish. She’d fairly spend her cash on meals and booze and journey.
Downtown Culver Metropolis.
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Occasions)
Go-to date spot: Chinois on Major. Or Mr. Chow. You possibly can discuss over shared dishes. And there’s at all times somebody she is aware of within the room, so if the date goes south, she will name them over to the desk. These locations are additionally good as a result of she will see in the event that they know how one can use chopsticks. In the event that they ask for a fork, there’s no second date.
Most-shared wellness tip: All you want is a stable 5 hours of sleep. But it surely’s received to be steady.
Favourite place to see a film: She has a pleasant house theater, good sound, comfortable chairs. Actually comfortable. Stunning couches and chaise longues. It doesn’t seem like anybody else’s movie show.
Exercise routine: Mountaineering within the hills. And after I say “hills,” I imply hilly residential streets, like in Brentwood, so she will take a look at houses and gardens and in folks’s home windows and get some extra good concepts for landscaping and adorning.
The Grove, adore or keep away from? Keep away from. Earlier than the fires, it will have been the one within the Palisades. She hopes it’ll come again.
The Doobie Brothers.
(Theo Wargo / Getty Photos for Songwriters Corridor of Fame)
Rush–hour coping mechanism: Yacht rock. Michael McDonald. The Doobie Brothers. Christopher Cross.
What the TikTok / Instagram algorithm serves her most: She scans it each on occasion if she’s bored or if she will’t sleep. However social media isn’t her factor. She’s received folks to observe that.
Energy–lunch order: A salad with grilled rooster or salmon. It was with a glass of rosé, however she’s in the reduction of on that. It received her in hassle a few instances. She’s largely give up the booze and the swearing.
Most L.A. criticism: The visitors. At all times the visitors.
Seth Rogen as Matt Remick
New head of Continental Studios, a folks pleaser making an attempt to steadiness his love for filmmaking with the calls for of commerce.
Favourite neighborhood: He has a fixation with Outdated Hollywood — the Chateau Marmont, Musso and Frank. I’m certain he finds himself on the Soho Home and the Sundown Tower.
Final live performance seen on the Hollywood Bowl: A kind of nights the place John Williams conducts a film rating. Just like the “Jaws” night time. It doesn’t even need to be John Williams. Hans Zimmer would do. Something linked with the films. I don’t assume he has a lot style in music past music from films.
Clothes model that dominates his closet: Brunello Cucinelli, one of the unbelievably costly clothes manufacturers there’s. It’s an Italian model that makes a stunning double-breasted swimsuit, however, once more, simply extremely priced. It’s a must to be fairly useless to make that leap, which Matt is.
Dan Tana’s.
(Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Occasions)
Go-to date spot: Matt doesn’t date a lot. I’d begin there, initially. But when he have been to exit, he’d need to go someplace he feels type of cool and the place he appears like they know him. Dan Tana’s. Once more, Outdated Hollywood vibe. And the waiters know him by title, so when he walks in, they go, “Matt!” I feel he’s jockeying to have a dish named after him. That will be the last word accomplishment.
Most-shared wellness tip: Matt has a high-end physician who is available in and does blood work and tells him what he ought to be doing to be more healthy, after which he simply neglects all the pieces he heard. Matt likes speaking about well being and wellness. Like, “Celebrities are into wellness. That is one thing we might speak about.” I guess he has a sauna and a chilly plunge someplace, however by no means makes use of them. He tells folks to meditate, however by no means meditates. He talks in regards to the significance of sleep, however he doesn’t sleep very effectively.
Favourite place to see a film: If the Cinerama Dome have been open, it’d be the Cinerama Dome. But it surely isn’t, so it’s the Chinese language. Stunning theater, unimaginable sound, and the gown from “The Wizard of Oz” is within the foyer. It’s a real piece of Outdated Hollywood that’s nonetheless purposeful right this moment. And you will get harassed by a man in a Spider-Man swimsuit on the way in which in!
Exercise routine: Simply operating up and down these stairs in that workplace is a big a part of his exercise routine. He’s in all probability like, “I stand so much. That counts.” Like many Hollywood males, he doesn’t work out and runs off of consuming half a salad and ingesting 100 cups of espresso after which having a pair martinis on the finish of the day. They’re not chubby, however they’re not in any manner wholesome or match.
The Grove, adore or keep away from? He’s OK with the Grove as a result of he likes the Farmers Market subsequent door. Once more, Outdated Hollywood. He would in all probability like telling those that James Dean ate his final meal there earlier than he went on his ill-fated automotive journey.
Rush–hour coping mechanism: He’s rolling calls in a convertible in 105-degree warmth, you understand, yelling at somebody’s agent.
Native information that may darken his doorstep: Issues like manufacturing in Los Angeles is down, California subsidies and tax credit aren’t the place they need to be. He runs a complete film lot. He needs to see the soundstages full, contributing to the underside line.
Willem Dafoe in “To Stay and Die in L.A.”
(MGM / UA)
What the TikTok / Instagram algorithm serves him most: Movie stuff. Letterboxd evaluations. Little clips of filmmakers like, say, William Friedkin speaking about making “To Stay and Die in L.A.”
Energy–lunch order: He orders one thing wholesome, in all probability the salmon, after which doesn’t eat it as a result of he’s speaking by means of the entire lunch. Like, he goes to the Beverly Hills Resort, orders the McCarthy salad, and it stays on his plate.
Most L.A. criticism: Matt loves L.A., so his greatest criticism is folks coming to the town and making disparaging feedback. Like, it’s an unpleasant metropolis or it has no historical past or tradition. It’s a good looking metropolis! And it has a storied historical past and numerous tradition! Matt sees the town’s magic and marvel and will get very defensive when folks don’t prefer it.
(Javi Aznarez / For The Occasions)
