This is Later with Lee Matthews, The Lee Matthews Podcast More what You Hear
Weekday Afternoon's on the Drive. Always enjoy talking to actor and director and writer
and producer Tim Blake Nelson. You've known him from movies like Lincoln Holes,
Minority Report, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,
and my favorite Old Henry. He really does a great job of molding
into his characters to where you scarcely realize it's him. His son, Henry
Nelson, is a director and musician in his own right, and he's wrote
and directed his first film that Tim Blake Nelson plays in. It's called A
Sleep in My Palm. They both join us now Tulse's own Nelson's good to
have you along. It's absolute pleasure to be hearing and I love being here
by with Henry by my side. Well, Henry, let's start with you
and the inspiration for this story. It's an unusual look at culture in America
these days. Yeah, I suppose it is. Yeah, I you know,
I went to school. I went to school in Ohio at a liberal
arts college, you know, very similar to what's depicted in the movie.
I think a lot of that sort of stemmed from there, and Tim,
you have to mold into a character that is very flawed but still has parental
instincts. Yeah, I it's a character Henry wrote. And I it was
amazing watching Henry develop this character, which I, as far as I'm concerned,
he did over four years going to college at Oberlin because the movie or
the story really explores the dynamics between that often wealthy, privileshed kids at a
liberal arts college and the people who live in the town that where that college
is, and the disparities wealth disparity, social disparities between counties and college students.
And I watched Henry experience that as a student at this elite liberal arts
college, looking around and being sensitive to the world he saw on the town
around him. And in his after his fourth year he did five years at
Oberlin because he had two degrees there. He came up with this script which
was this beautiful reflection on that dichotomy. And I got to play one of
the lead characters. Tim Blake Nelson is with us. You know him from
a brother ware aunt. Now the Ballad of Buster Scruggs Old Henry, his
son, Henry Nelson is the writer of the film Asleep in My Palm,
which is out now everywhere you get movies, and Henry, I'm so glad
that your dad didn't say, yeah, they get ready for this script.
We went and lived on the street for ten days. So where did you
come up with the flawed character of the father in a Sleep in My Palm?
He seems to be suffering from some PTSD. Uh. Yeah, I
think it's PTSDSD. But I also think that I also think that the character
had a lot of skepticism and paranoia, probably before being in Desert Storm,
you know. I think that I think that he was always a relatively cynical,
lonely guy who didn't really know his place, and like and and and
sort of like, like a lot of other folks, found himself in the
military for a lack of other options, And I think there it only really
I think his experiences there really only exaggerated those aspects of him. And as
far as the direct inspiration, you know, I think that Tom in a
weird way. A lot of a lot of folks always ask if Tom is
based on Dad and dad parenting in any way, and it's really not.
It's it's it's mostly based off of some of my own darker thoughts and some
of my own questions about the world. I think one of the really interesting
lines wrote in this movie is that the father character, my character, goes
into the military because he feels like he'll find more truths about who and what
man is in that arena than in society at large. She actually articulates that
point, and I found that a really provocative conceit. Tim Blake, Tim
Blake Nelson, along with Henry Nelson. The film is Asleep in My Palm.
It's out now and has got the attention of a lot of the film
festivals. Also, who's garnered some of the attention as your co star,
Tim Blake Nelson, Chloe Kerwin. She's a newcomer, but she really I
think she just made her mark in this film. Yeah, I think,
Chloe. I really hope Henry and I both hope that this will be an
extraordinary introduction to folks of this oneonderful, wonderful talent. And yeah, you're
right. It's her first movie and she's really extraordinary and we loved working with
her. Tim Blake Nelson, his son, Henry Nelson. The film is
Asleep in My Palm I thank you for bringing it to us and good to
hear it from one of Tulsa's own doings so well, Tim Blake Nelson.
Yes, and go see that the theater. The movie will be at Circle
Cinema and Tulsa I believe on March eight. Got it on the calendar,
and thank you for joining us. Guys. Thank you of course, thanks
for listening to Later with Lee Matthews, the Lee Matthews Podcast, and remember
to listen to The Drive Live weekday afternoons from five to seven and iHeartMedia presentation