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  • [doorbell rings]

  • - [Interviewer] Hey Dan.

  • - Hi Vogue, welcome.

  • - [Interviewer] Let's do this!

  • - Let's do this!

  • - [Interviewer] You now why I'm here.

  • - I'm gonna be asked some questions today, I think.

  • - [Interviewer] 73 of them.

  • - That's true.

  • - [Interviewer] How excited are you?

  • - On a scale of one to 10, I'm at a solid 14.

  • - [Interviewer] That's not high enough,

  • that's not high enough!

  • - That's pretty high!

  • - [Interviewer] Come on!

  • All right let's begin this interview.

  • So, what's the first thing you thought of this morning?

  • - What I was gonna eat for breakfast.

  • - [Interviewer] What's the first thing on your to-do list?

  • - Ordering what I was going to eat for breakfast.

  • - [Interviewer] What's the fourth thing on your to-do list?

  • - Figuring out where I was gonna go for lunch.

  • - [Interviewer] What's something that you feel

  • like should be on your to-do list but it's not?

  • - Scheduling a workout for after the breakfast and lunch.

  • - [Interviewer] And what's your go-to breakfast?

  • - Blueberry ricotta pancakes

  • from Little Dom's around the corner.

  • - [Interviewer] Delicious.

  • - Mm-hm.

  • - [Interviewer] All right.

  • - Come on in.

  • - [Interviewer] Who's your favorite artist?

  • - Chris Knight is a favorite.

  • I have a lot of his work.

  • He's also Canadian.

  • - [Interviewer] Nice, and favorite cocktail?

  • - Oh no!

  • Cosmopolitan on the rocks.

  • Can I say that in 2019?

  • - [Interviewer] Yeah, you can.

  • It's unique, that's a unique answer.

  • And what's your favorite scent?

  • - Anything woody, like a burnt wood.

  • Like a cedar or a pine, something oody.

  • - [Interviewer] Okay, who is this friendly little furry guy?

  • - This is Redmond.

  • - [Interviewer] Hey, Redmond.

  • - This is my dog and best friend.

  • - [Interviewer] How would Redmond describe

  • himself if he could?

  • - Better than all of us.

  • - [Interviewer] How do you think he'd describe you?

  • - I don't wanna know.

  • - [Interviewer] What's your favorite thing about your dog?

  • - He is very calm and level-headed.

  • Qualities that I strive for every day of my life.

  • - [Interviewer] Okay Dan, I'm a huge

  • huge fan of "Schitt's Creek".

  • I love that show--

  • - Thank you.

  • - [Interviewer] And I'm just putting it out there,

  • did you have any idea when it started

  • that you'd be here five seasons deep, Emmy-nominated,

  • next to the likes of all these shows right now?

  • - Absolutely not.

  • The past six years have been an absolute dream come true.

  • - [Interviewer] Congratulations.

  • - Thank you.

  • - [Interviewer] And you acted, produced, wrote,

  • and show ran "Schitt's Creek".

  • How are you still standing?

  • - You might wanna ask my therapist.

  • I don't know.

  • I think when you do something that you're passionate about,

  • that you love, it just comes quite easily.

  • - [Interviewer] Which of those roles

  • did you truly relish the most?

  • - I loved doing them all at the same time.

  • There was something quite amazing about having an idea

  • that only existed in my head and by the end of it,

  • seeing it come to life.

  • It was fantastic.

  • - [Interviewer] What will you miss the most about it?

  • - The people.

  • - [Interviewer] Now your character, David,

  • once famously said,

  • "When it comes to fashion--"

  • - Uh oh.

  • - [Interviewer] "Durable and elegant

  • "usually don't go hand-in-hand."

  • Is this really true?

  • - I love durability in my clothing

  • and I think this sweater is both durable and elegant

  • so I'm gonna say I disagree with David Rose.

  • [laughs]

  • - [Interviewer] Now as someone who is

  • never not well-dressed--

  • - Thank you.

  • - [Interviewer] What style advice can you offer?

  • - I think you have to feel comfortable in the clothes

  • that you're wearing because if you are uncomfortable,

  • people can see and people can tell

  • and that's not a good look.

  • - [Interviewer] Is there any trend you

  • are uncomfortable trying?

  • - Hats, but I've tried all those trends

  • and they did not work out unfortunately.

  • - [Interviewer] What was the last thing that you purchased?

  • - A house.

  • - [Interviewer] Congrats again.

  • - Thank you very much.

  • - [Interviewer] Adulting so hard!

  • - Mm-hm, I know, I'm terrified and excited.

  • - [Interviewer] What's the most lux thing

  • that you've ever worn?

  • - Probably the Rick Owens leather jacket

  • that I wear in the pilot episode of our show.

  • It was actually mine from my own closet.

  • I bought it with my first paycheck.

  • I went to the store in New York.

  • I swiped my credit card, my hand was shaking,

  • and I've worn it every day since

  • and I'm so glad that it made it into the show.

  • You gotta get your money's worth at the end of the day.

  • - [Interviewer] What is something you can

  • never over-invest in?

  • - Your relationships with your friends,

  • and family, and loved ones.

  • - [Interviewer] Wise words, what is your

  • most prized possession?

  • - My relationships and

  • I mean this is gonna seem sort of boastful.

  • - [Interviewer] Okay.

  • - But why not?

  • - [Interviewer] I'm ready for it.

  • - My MTV Movie Award.

  • - [Interviewer] That's it, I was gonna say,

  • "That is an MTV Movie Award!"

  • - It is indeed.

  • - [Interviewer] I saw the popcorn.

  • - And I'll tell you why it means so much to me.

  • I started my career at MTV as a television host

  • so to win this for my role on "Schitt's Creek"

  • was a full circle moment.

  • - [Interviewer] That's cool, look at that.

  • - Its also very heavy so I use it to work out.

  • - [Interviewer] Yeah, it's a good way to do exercise.

  • - [whispers] I don't, I don't do that.

  • - [Interviewer] What is your favorite movie of all time?

  • - Bridget Jones's Diary.

  • - [Interviewer] What is your favorite song of all time?

  • - If pressed, I would say "I Will Always Love You"

  • by Dolly Parton/ Whitney Houston.

  • I will take either versions.

  • - [Interviewer] It's a good combo.

  • - Mm-hm.

  • - [Interviewer] Now I heard a rumor

  • that you're a huge Beyonce fan.

  • Can you rank every Beyonce album?

  • - First of all, absolutely not.

  • Why would I ever do that?

  • They're all masterpieces.

  • - [Interviewer] All right.

  • - And second of all, is someone not a Beyonce fan?

  • - [Interviewer] Doesn't exist.

  • - Okay.

  • - [Interviewer] Doesn't exist.

  • - Just checking.

  • - [Interviewer] Now if it's not Beyonce though,

  • can you rank every Mariah Carey album?

  • - Absolutely not, why would you ask me that?

  • They're all masterpieces.

  • - [Interviewer] Okay, I get it, I get it.

  • Now, if you were seated at a dinner table

  • with Beyonce and Mariah Carey,

  • how would you kick off the conversation?

  • - Well, first of all, I would've passed out

  • when I got the invitation to that dinner,

  • so I would be unconscious for the dinner

  • because people would have to marionette my body

  • into making it look like I was enjoying myself.

  • [doorbell rings]

  • - [Automated Voice] Someone's at the door.

  • - I will say this.

  • Mariah Carey once tweeted about our show

  • and I had a full panic attack.

  • - [Interviewer] That's a pretty big deal.

  • - It is a big deal.

  • I got on the airplane and I cried.

  • Thanks.

  • I don't know why I just told you that I cried.

  • - [Interviewer] That's okay.

  • - I guess we're getting pretty intimate.

  • - [Interviewer] What did you get?

  • - These are blueberry ricotta pancakes for Little Dom's.

  • - [Interviewer] That sounds good.

  • - [Dan] Mm-hm.

  • - [Interviewer] Now, let's talk about your creative process.

  • - Oh, that sounds intellectual.

  • - [Interviewer] It is.

  • Time to get intellectual.

  • When is the best time for your writing?

  • - I feel like every CEO says in the mornings

  • but for me it's very, very late at night.

  • - [Interviewer] And where do you get

  • your inspiration writing?

  • - In my little writer's nook

  • that I'll show you right now.

  • - [Interviewer] Oh, that sounds nice.

  • What's the most important thing for you when writing?

  • - Oh boy, probably to just make sure

  • that anything I'm writing feels honest

  • and grounded and real.

  • - [Interviewer] Yeah, do you remember the first

  • thing you ever wrote?

  • - Yes, it was a short story about a young girl

  • that got kidnapped and taken to Russia

  • at the turn of the century.

  • - [Interviewer] What inspired that?

  • - I don't know, I've never been to Russia

  • and I know nothing about the turn of the century.

  • So, I remember my grandmother crying at the story though,

  • but that could be because it was so bad.

  • - [Interviewer] At what age did you feel confident

  • in your voice as a writer?

  • - I would like you to re-ask me that question in a decade.

  • - [Interviewer] Okay.

  • How do you beat writer's block?

  • - On the best of days, I would walk around the block.

  • On the worst of days, I would plan a trip somewhere.

  • - [Interviewer] Whose writing do you read or hear

  • and feel utterly blown away by?

  • - I would say Joan Didion, or nowadays,

  • Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

  • - [Interviewer] Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

  • - A fellow 73-questioner.

  • - [Interviewer] She is incredible.

  • Dan, would you consider yourself to be a routine person?

  • - No, I am not a routine person.

  • - [Interviewer] Ah, no routines.

  • So, you don't have a morning or evening

  • skincare beauty routine?

  • - I would say, in that case, I am a routine person.

  • I have a regimented skincare routine

  • that I don't care to share with all of you.

  • - [Interviewer] I knew it, I knew it.

  • So, besides the MTV Movie Award,

  • what is your exercise regimen?

  • - I take a lot of walks around the block

  • like a 92-year-old grandmother in Florida.

  • I have bad knees.

  • - [Interviewer] What three staples should everyone

  • have in their closet without fail?

  • - I would say a great pair of dress shoes,

  • a great pair of dress pants,

  • and a crisp white T-shirt.

  • - [Interviewer] Whose fashion advice do you worship?

  • - Paul Newman.

  • And I wish I could ask him about it.

  • - [Interviewer] What's something you learned from The Gap

  • that still holds true.

  • - How to perfectly fold a turtleneck sweater.

  • - [Interviewer] If you could distill your personality

  • into one item of clothing,

  • what would it be and why?

  • - I guess sweater.

  • - [Interviewer] Sweater, yep.

  • - For lack of a better idea.

  • I don't know, they're versatile,

  • they can be expensive and cheap,

  • and they pretty much, I guess, look good on everybody.

  • Does that even make sense?

  • - [Interviewer] It does.

  • - Okay, I'll go with your word on it.

  • - [Interviewer] Totally, coherent.

  • - All right.

  • - [Interviewer] You source costumes for your show

  • which was the hardest to find?

  • - Season two of "Schitt's Creek"

  • I wanted this Helmut Lang mohawked hoodie

  • that I had longed for for quite some time.

  • It took me six months to find.

  • I finally found it on Ebay

  • and we purchased it, we wore it,

  • and I now have it in my closet.

  • - [Interviewer] Who's your favorite designer right now?

  • - Dries van Noten.

  • - [Interviewer] Who's the most fashionable character

  • on any rom-com ever?

  • - Bridget Jones.

  • - [Interviewer] Favorite fashion moment

  • in any rom-com ever?

  • - Probably, "This dress is an Alaia."

  • When Cher Horowitz was held at gunpoint in "Clueless".

  • - [Interviewer] That's a good one.

  • - Mm-hm.

  • - [Interviewer] You were born in Canada.

  • - I was born in Canada, proudly.

  • - [Interviewer] What does Toronto have over L.A.?

  • - I would say the seasons and nice people.

  • - [Interviewer] What's the most Canadian thing about you?

  • - I say sorry a lot.

  • Sorry, is it sorry here?

  • I don't know.

  • - [Interviewer] I'm not hearing none of those.

  • - Sorry, sorry.

  • - [Interviewer] Now, you said growing up

  • you were an introvert as a kid.

  • Do you still say that you are an introvert?

  • - Yes, which is why a one-take 73 questions situation

  • is not necessarily in my comfort zone.

  • - [Interviewer] Well, you're doing fine.

  • And we have some family over here.

  • - [Dan] Oh.

  • - [Interviewer] Is this a photo of you and your dad?

  • - This is a photo of my family

  • and a photo of me and my dad.

  • My dad actually gave me this little framed photo

  • on the last day of shooting our show.

  • - [Interviewer] What does it say on that?

  • - It says, "Daniel, it was an honor being

  • "your partner, son.

  • "Dad, XO"

  • Oh no, I don't wanna cry for you Vogue

  • but I just might.

  • - [Interviewer] You're so lucky to have a father like him.

  • - He is a lovely, lovely, sweet, generous man.

  • - [Interviewer] Now, when you were growing up

  • did you have any idea that he was famous?

  • - Not until I was around 15 when "American Pie" came out

  • and then everyone started asking me

  • if the movie was based on my life.

  • And unfortunately, I have not made love to a pie.

  • - [Interviewer] You wrote his part on "Schitt's Creek".

  • - I did.

  • - [Interviewer] How similar is that persona

  • with his real-life one?

  • - I would say there's a lot of similarities.

  • He does not like getting his hair wet.

  • So obviously in the first season of our show

  • I wrote a scene where his hair gets wet.

  • It's what you do to your family.

  • - [Interviewer] Dan.

  • Now everyone in the show is individually so funny.

  • - They are indeed.

  • - [Interviewer] Who is often the first to crack up?

  • - I would say me.

  • And then, I built it into my character.

  • I feel like David laughs a lot at people.

  • And that's just my way of blurring the lines

  • between my unprofessionalism and his eccentricities.

  • - [Interviewer] Now, you once described "Schitt's Creek"

  • as being a celebration of love.

  • And rather than just a comedy a drama with comedic elements.

  • - That is, you have done your research, wow.

  • - [Interviewer] Would you change that?

  • - No, I think that is the most accurate

  • description I have heard so far.

  • - [Interviewer] What's something you learned recently

  • that really impressed you or blew your mind?

  • - How cashews are made.

  • They're not made they're actually grown on trees.

  • Anyway, Google it it's crazy.

  • - [Interviewer] Okay.

  • What are you currently excited about in life right now?

  • - Figuring out what my next show is going to be

  • and also, I have a little...

  • I've been working on something and I guess Vogue

  • is the place to show it to.

  • - [Interviewer] Oh, saving it for Vogue that's smart.

  • - Uh-oh, I'm nervous.

  • - [Interviewer] What's your favorite book?

  • - It's a long-form poem called "Autobiography of Red".

  • - [Interviewer] Right, what's your favorite pizza?

  • - Pepperoni, double cheese.

  • - [Interviewer] Do you have any regrets, Dan?

  • - I feel like regrets are a waste of time.

  • - [Interviewer] What was the last thing that made you cry?

  • - Shooting the last episode of our entire series.

  • - [Interviewer] What was the last thing

  • that made you cry from laughing?

  • - Shooting the last episode of our entire series.

  • - [Interviewer] And when was the last time

  • you were surprised?

  • - When we got our Emmy nominations.

  • - [Interviewer] What do you want to be remembered for?

  • - I guess having done some good.

  • - [Interviewer] Wow, take a look at that.

  • - Uh-oh, I don't know.

  • I don't know what these are.

  • - [Interviewer] Those look cool.

  • - Don't look too closely they're just samples.

  • But it's a little project I've been working on.

  • - [Interviewer] Well, I want a pair of those.

  • - Mm-hm.

  • - [Interviewer] Now, you've been lauded

  • for how you present queer stories.

  • How does that make you feel?

  • - Very grateful to have been given

  • the opportunity to do that.

  • - [Interviewer] What's been the most surprising response

  • from telling those stories?

  • - Probably the letters that we've received

  • from people who have told us that the show

  • has changed their relationships with

  • their family and friends for the better

  • and has made them more confident people.

  • - [Interviewer] That's incredible.

  • - It's amazing.

  • - [Interviewer] You are someone who has proclaimed

  • they love Japan.

  • - Yes.

  • - [Interviewer] So, this is correct?

  • - Verified, that is a fact.

  • - [Interviewer] Now, what do you love most about Japan

  • as a country and culture?

  • - I feel like when you're there

  • you feel like you're trapped between

  • the past, the present, and the future

  • and that's pretty magical.

  • - [Interviewer] And what's something you always,

  • without fail, have to buy when you're there?

  • - Glasses.

  • Which is why I wanna--

  • - [Interviewer] I'm gonna try them on.

  • - I just wanna see which one works best for you.

  • - [Interviewer] Let's see how I look.

  • - We might have to do this fitting a little later

  • but I would go with a sunglass, I think,

  • if I were to do anything.

  • - [Interviewer] Yeah?

  • Yeah, we'll try them later.

  • - Yeah, we'll figure it out.

  • - [Interviewer] But if I had 24 hours to spend in Japan,

  • what one store, bar, or restaurant should I have to hit?

  • - Okay, store, I would pick up something from Kapital

  • with a K it's very special.

  • Bar, JBS which is a little record bar

  • and Bar Trench which is sort of a feels like

  • Sweeney Todd England or something.

  • And restaurant, there's a little dumpling place

  • in Harajuku.

  • If you just look up best dumplings in Harajuku

  • you will find that place but it is extraordinary.

  • And they have the most amazing cucumber salad

  • I have ever eaten.

  • - [Interviewer] Nice, and I just brought you to a place

  • to the last question.

  • Talking about food, 'cause the last question

  • I have for you Dan.

  • This has been great.

  • Can I have some of those pancakes

  • 'cause I haven't eaten all day?

  • - First of all, we are not eating on camera for Vogue,

  • and second of all, that is an order for one, sir.

  • So, no you cannot.

  • - [Interviewer] Oh.

  • - I'm very grateful you were here though, sorry.

  • - [Interviewer] Fine, I'll take it.

  • All right, thanks so much, Dan.

  • - [Dan] Thank you.

  • - [Interviewer] This has been really ,really cool.

  • Bye.

  • - [Dan] Bye.

[doorbell rings]

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