Thomas Middleditch and O'Shea Jackson Jr. Take a Lie Detector Test

[dark, hushed music]

Thomas? Yes.

O'Shea? Yeah.

[Man] We brought you here today

to take a lie detector test.

Understood.

Please, our relationship needs this.

[O'Shea laughs]

[Man] One of you will be taking the test

while the other interviews.

Okay.

[Man] Then we'll have you switch.

Oh.

[Man] So who wants to be in the hot seat first?

I'll go.

Damn. Yes.

[metal briefcase clanks against table]

[electrical buzzing]

I've been doing pushups.

Are you trying to get me cold?

You trying to get me interrogated?

I'll be asking the questions.

[men laugh]

[boom]

Is your name Thomas Steven Middleditch?

Yes.

Are you 37 years old? Yes.

Allegedly.

Both of your parents, they're British, correct?

Yes.

Can you do a convincing British accent?

From what region?

Yes or no, sir. Yes.

[O'Shea] Would you say you're good

at accents and impressions?

Yes.

Can you do an impression of me?

Yes.

That's fair. [men laugh]

Did you grow up in British Columbia?

Yes.

I would like to hear this impression

of me that you think you can do.

Still hung up on the impression thing, okay, fair.

[chuckles] Let's see.

I don't see what's funny. [Thomas chuckles]

[laughs] You're right, sorry. Now I do.

[chuckles] Oh.

[men laugh hysterically]

Sounded just like me.

Yeah, I got you.

Would you say you're a proud Canadian?

Yeah. Hmm.

You speak French?

Oui.

Describe me in French.

[speaks in foreign language] .

[speaks in foreign language] [chuckles],

[speaks in foreign language].

Sounded like the N word was in there.

[men laugh]

What's the most French thing about you?

My big ass nose.

[O'Shea] [laughs] Oh.

[laughs] It's a Roman nose. Okay.

Are Canadians better people than Americans?

No.

Well, that's good to know.

Have you ever met Justin Trudeau?

You giving me this photo as if I wouldn't know

who the hell the greatest prime minister of all time is?

[laughs] JK, he's not. Oh!

Like every other prime minister, full of broken promises.

He said he's about the environment, the guy's a has been.

That's cool you do pushups, you know about math.

That's cool about that, dude! [O'Shea laughs]

Would you want him as your president?

Yeah. [O'Shea laughs]

Would you consider yourself a geek?

[sighs] Yeah.

I don't like labels.

Do you think going to Renaissance fairs

is the geekiest thing about you?

No. Then what is?

[sighs] I thought these were supposed

to be yes or no questions, dammit.

[O'Shea laughs]

Well, does being a geek help you with the ladies?

[laughs] Yeah, you tell me. Nice.

[laughs] I got one, didn't I?

[men laugh]

Yeah, man.

You don't even know what we're up to on a Friday night.

[O'Shea laughs]

Have you ever played video games

for more than 12 hours straight?

Oh, yeah. Right?

Yeah, come on. [O'Shea laughs]

I'm not a [beep] amateur. 12 hours?

Minimum, dude. So much more a day.

Minimum.

Your Twitch account.

[Thomas] Yeah.

Middletwitch hasn't been active in two years.

Is that correct? That's correct.

[O'Shea] Is that because you

have a private Twitch account?

No.

It's because I didn't like teenage boys making fun

of me on the internet.

[O'Shea] Hmm.

They're pretty savage.

So did you think that Middletwitch was a clever name?

Middletwitch is the thing that fans came up with.

I thought it was pretty fun,

so it was #middletwitchonmiddleditch.

[O'Shea] Oh, whoa.

Yeah. Were you ever cyber bullied

[laughs] on Twitch? Yeah.

Yeah, I was.

Look, honestly, I looked over at the dude,

and he quivered his lip when you said yes, he said.

Oh, like I wasn't? [O'Shea laughs]

You think I'm lying about that?

Yeah, he's telling the truth.

Oh, okay. [men laugh]

Oh, the painful realities of being online.

Who's the best video game player

of the cast of Silicon Valley?

These guys. Oh, thank you

for reminding me.

Look, Kumail's good. Oh.

I'm not gonna say.

He's bad, he's good.

Put a console in front of him,

he knows how to work the magic with the controller.

But you get me in front of a PC,

give me that mouse keyboard,

Ooh.

no one can even stand a flame.

Zach doesn't even know what a computer is.

He barely knows how to use his email.

[O'Shea laughs]

And Josh Brener, he likes musical theater.

Obviously, I'm not saying that

that's a reason to not like video games.

It's just that's where he spent his energy.

Okay, I feel that.

So he'll beat me on the musical theater,

but I'll beat him in just about anything else.

You think you're better than me?

PC, yeah.

That's fair. The console, no.

Thank you, man. Yeah.

I'm a PlayStation man. I say peace and blessings.

[laughs] Okay, for sure. Yeah.

Thank you, man.

Bless up. [men laugh]

One love, man.

Seriously, Ja.

Is it true you starred in a McDonald's commercial

when you were younger?

Yeah.

Be honest, have you ever ordered a Filet-O-Fish?

Very possible.

When I was eating McDonald's,

I was not after the Filet-O-Fish.

Yeah, who's-- And now I don't eat it.

It's like a rare occasion, maybe three in my life.

Yeah, I probably have.

I'm gonna say yes.

You've been an improviser for many years,

[Thomas laughs] correct?

Correct.

Yes.

[O'Shea] Have you ever considered getting a tattoo

that says yes, and?

[laughs] Oh.

[sighs heavily] That is inside baseball.

[laughs] Yes, and? Yes, I mean no.

Could you-- I don't do tattoos,

not on my body.

On anyone else's, sure; I think it looks cool.

But I'm not cool.

So you would tattoo somebody else's body?

Yeah, I...

If they really wanted me to, sure.

It would be a tremendous mistake.

Don't know how to do it.

Could you improvise a Godzilla impression right now?

Yeah, sure.

Do it?

We're being taped.

Oh. [man laughs in background]

I didn't even see the cameras.

Okay...

[lets out series of grunts]

I think you were a little flat.

[laughs] Yeah. Do you think

I would be good at improv?

Yeah. Thank you

for thinking highly of me.

Sure. You auditioned

for SNL, correct? Yes.

But you didn't get in. No.

Do you think Lorne made a mistake not picking you?

No.

Is there a cast member on SNL right now

that you believe you're funnier than?

[chuckles slightly] No? [laughs]

[O'Shea] You've worked with a lot of funny people

in your career, is that correct?

Yes. You think

you're funnier than Zach Woods?

No.

You think you're funnier than Kumail?

No.

He's one of the funniest people in the world.

Do you think I'd make a good addition to Silicon Valley?

Racist. [Thomas laughs]

Have you watched all of the Godzilla movies?

Let me finish.

No, 'cause you're black. [O'Shea laughs]

Thank you.

I appreciate you being honest. You got it, baby.

Have you watched all the Godzilla movies?

No.

Are you afraid of the Godzilla fandom?

Yeah.

You think Godzilla could beat the Avengers in a fight?

No. [laughs]

[laughs] You recently get married, right?

Yeah, four years ago.

So I guess that's recent to all these old [beep]ers.

[laughs] Do you think your wife made a good choice?

Absolutely not.

She's regretting it every single day of her life.

Would you say that you live by the motto

happy wife, happy life?

Absolutely not.

[laughs] Before you were married,

did you ever have dating apps?

Yeah.

If you were on Tinder, what would be your bio?

Here to have fun, let's get silly. [laughs]

Do you know I have a two-year-old daughter?

[beep] no.

Nice. [laughs]

Would you ever be down to babysit?

Absolutely not.

Do you think you would be a good father?

Yeah.

Do you think you're a good father to your dog?

[Thomas] Yes.

Is being a dog father the same as being a real father?

Ask Snoop.

[laughs] At any point in this interview,

did you lie and we didn't catch you?

I don't think so.

I think I was an Honest Abe. Nice.

[boom]

It's so cold!

That's lie detectors for you.

I've always said that; it should be my catchphrase.

My name is Thomas Middleditch, I'm with the LAPD.

Oh, well, that's terrible news for me.

Yeah, I'm a detective,

and I've been undercover for a long time.

Okay. Cool.

Is your name O'Shea Jackson, Junior?

Yes.

Are you 28 years old? Yeah.

Are you ready to take this lie detector test?

No.

All right, let's begin, shall we?

Did you go to school at Howard Taft High School?

Yeah.

Did your father, Ice Cube, also attend that high school?

That's true, yes.

[Thomas] Who do you think was more popular

at school, you or your father?

By far, me.

Cool.

That's actually pretty cool. [O'Shea chuckles]

[laughs] Do you--

I was only popular because I was his son.

[men laugh]

He paved the way.

Yeah, he was Hosea's son.

It just doesn't have that same ring as Ice Cube's son.

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. [O'Shea laughs]

Do you think we would've been friends

if we were in high school together?

For sure, for sure.

Same. [O'Shea laughs]

[laughs] You attended the University of Southern California,

right? Yeah.

Is it true you took your acceptance letter

to all your ex-girlfriends?

Oh, yeah, and teachers.

Yeah, I took it to teachers I didn't like,

including [beep]. [laughs]

Do you think they were impressed?

Probably.

The ex-girlfriends didn't really matter.

It was just to show them that they make poor decisions.

[Thomas] That's cool of you.

Do you think I could've gotten into USC?

[O'Shea] Yeah.

It's anybody's game.

[laughs] I see you as pretty smart.

Okay.

B plus student at best.

Okay. Yeah.

That's enough to get in.

[Thomas] [snaps fingers] My man.

Would you say you're a fan of your father's music?

Yeah.

Can you name five of his songs in 10 seconds?

And I will count.

Good Day, Check Yo Self, Only One Me,

Friday, Players Club. Seven.

Cool.

Who do you think has better game,

you or your dad, with the ladies?

Oh, me.

What about me or your dad?

Keep in mind, I've had a lot My dad.

of sexual intercourse. My dad.

I have sexual intercourse My dad.

whenever I want 'cause I'm married,

so I can do it. [O'Shea laughs]

My dad. Okay.

Any time, unless she's not in the mood, which is a lot.

[O'Shea laughs]

All right, you have a two-year-old daughter, correct?

Yes.

Are you gonna let her watch Godzilla?

Of course.

Have you ever rapped her to sleep?

Rapped her to sleep, no, no, no, no, no.

[Thomas] Save the rap for the stage.

Yeah.

Do you think I would be a good father? [laughs]

There's so many father-based questions.

Yes. You think I

would be a good daddy? Yes.

Okay, good.

What about a good rapper or rappist?

[laughs] Rappist is so not good!

That's not. Yeah, that's true.

No, I don't think you'd be a good rapper.

Agreed. Okay.

You were born in the 1990s, correct?

[O'Shea] Yeah.

[Thomas] Would you consider yourself a millennial?

By the numbers, I guess,

but that word usually is a bad word, for some reason.

Okay, okay, yeah, but would you consider me a millennial?

Yes. [laughs]

Oh, I possess all the characteristics; you're correct.

Do you know how many Instagram followers you have,

off the top of your head?

1.2 million.

[Thomas] That's my guy.

Do you ever slide on those DMs?

Oh, of course. [men laugh]

Not anymore.

I haven't been in my Instagram for over a year,

and, during that time, I got a serious girlfriend.

And I'm a dad now.

I've got responsibilities; it's hella whack.

That's true.

Have you ever slid into a celebrity's DMs?

Oh, yeah. [laughs]

[Thomas] Can you get that verified again?

Yeah, yeah. You just gotta check

around and say, what's up?

You have to, you have to at least throw.

You gotta shoot your shot.

Go for it. Wayne Gretzky.

Have you ever been on dating apps?

No.

[Thomas] So you haven't been on Raya?

I don't know what that is.

[Thomas] You haven't been on Thrinder?

No.

It's an app for finding threesomes.

Really? Yeah, I know.

I [beep]ing missed it. [O'Shea laughs]

I got married just before that shit came out.

I've seen somebody make an account of me on Tinder.

[Thomas] That's cool.

Not really. Oh.

But it's cool. That makes sense.

Okay.

Would you be upset if you found out that was me?

No.

It'd be weird. Yeah.

[laughs] 'Cause this was a while ago.

Yeah... [men laugh]

All right, now I do improv, improvised comedy,

and a few of your costars are big improvisers.

Would you say I'm a better improviser than Aubrey Plaza?

There's the photo of you guys.

Aubrey's my girl, no.

Okay, well, okay.

I can't, I can't. Okay, well, she

doesn't really perform all that regularly, but--

No, you're, yeah, No, she's funny.

you're definitely-- Don't get me wrong.

She's super funny, but she doesn't really perform.

When's her next show, off the top of the head?

Mine's Tuesday, so...

What about Seth Rogan?

Are you better than Seth? Just as an improviser.

I know his-- Yes.

He probably doesn't even got a UCB.

[O'Shea laughs]

You're a fan of Game of Thrones.

Oh, yeah.

[Thomas] Do you like season eight?

Yeah.

[Thomas] Do you like season seven?

No.

If you could play one role on Game of Thrones,

who would you play?

Ooh.

You gotta be Jon Snow.

You have to be Jon Snow. Fair enough.

Do you think I could play a convincing Jon Snow?

You could play a convincing...

No. [men laugh]

Okay, okay.

Strike that one, we can strike that one.

[man scoffs] [O'Shea laughs]

Next subject, sporting events.

Oh, God.

Are you a Lakers fan? Yes.

[Thomas] Why do you think the Lakers suck right now?

Well, I feel like our training staff

was to blame for most of it,

Lebron missing the most games that he's ever missed

in a season in his career on top of Space Jam 2.

There's a number of things that go

into the Lakers' terrible season last year,

and it's looking bad.

I've never been this worried as a fan.

Do you think Kobe Bryant could beat,

that's a picture of Kobe Bryant--

Hands down.

Do you think he could beat Hands down.

Lebron James Hands--

one on one.

Kobe Bryant has had my back for 20 years.

I just met Lebron.

Lebron James is an amazing basketball player,

but I gotta go Kobe Bryant everyday.

Do you have Kobe Bryant's email?

I have Kobe Inc.'s email.

Has Kobe Inc. ever responded to one of your emails?

[O'Shea] Yeah.

[Thomas] Do you think it was directly from Kobe?

Yeah, for sure.

He had to do a video for my father for his birthday.

I got a bunch of stars to do it.

So you have video evidence of this?

[O'Shea] Yeah.

Okay, your first major talkie was Straight Outta Compton,

is that correct? Yes.

[Thomas] Now did you feel prepared going

into that experience?

No, I was super nervous, but

I prevailed.

Was it strange portraying your father?

Yes,

I had my feelings about it.

I was worried about it.

When you're a son trying to move beyond your father's shadow

and then your first movie, after you look just like him,

is playing him, [laughs] it's pretty hard.

And then, over time, I just realized that

that shadow BS is not real.

He didn't do all this for me to not be known as his son,

so that was just about me making a name for myself.

But that shadow BS will just drive you crazy.

Did he ever, in between takes,

lean over and whisper into your ear, you're doing it wrong?

[laughs] No. Okay.

He was super giddy.

He loved it.

Now you're not only an actor

but rapper or rappist, correct?

Mmm, no,

no. No?

I used to be. Okay.

But used to is a rooster that don't crow no more,

and that's when I was 18.

I didn't know what to do with my life,

and it was like either I could rap.

I can't join the Lakers no more,

so it was either that or sell my ass,

and I just couldn't do that.

Oh, okay.

So you've never considered selling your ass?

No! [laughs]

In these movies, maybe. Okay.

It's basically So if there was

what we're doing. a film about a man

who sells his ass,

No [laughs], never! it was a good role,

top billing, number one Can't do it.

on the call sheet, number one on the call sheet.

Listen to me, O'Shea, 'cause I got script.

Okay.

It's called Ass Seller. [O'Shea laughs]

It's a little on the nose, but we can work with the title.

And it needs a young, sassy LA--

[laughs] Oh, yeah?

[Thomas laughs] Sorry.

He reaches hard times, and he's got to what?

Sell his ass. Sell that ass.

I'm cool. [laughs]

[Thomas] It's a miniseries, Emmy.

Nah, I'm straight, thank you, bro.

Your brother, Darrel or Darril,

is also a rapper; is this correct?

[laughs] We both used to be, yes.

Oh, okay, so it's...

[O'Shea laughs]

[speaks indistinctly]

[men laugh]

When you did rap, who was the better rapper,

D Man or you, man?

Oh, me, man. Yeah?

I gotta have confidence in me.

Everything I do, I gotta have confidence in.

Who is the best rapper outside of Ice Cube,

the father, in the family?

Oh, in the family? Yeah.

Oh, it's gonna be me.

Okay, so it's Ice Cube, you.

In the family? Yeah.

Yeah.

My dad's untouchable in music, man.

There's just no way

to get around it. Oh no, yeah, for sure.

There's no way to get around it,

so yeah, I gotta take that silver medal.

At any point in this interview,

did you lie and we didn't catch you?

Probably.

[chuckles] Damn. Whoa!

[Woman] Wow.

That was the lie at the end, then.

[boom]