Was it a different dynamic in “Sword of Trust”, which, although you starred in it, was ultimately his movie?
By then, we were struggling with feelings that were deeper than creativity and friendship. She was separated [from her husband, the host and actor Kevin Seal] and the tension had become more intense. We had been working on a script together for years and we just weren’t. She says, “I’m going to write you a movie.” I’m like, “Yeah, okay, sure.” And she did it. She and Mike O’Brien came up with an idea, she decided, because she passed a pawn shop, that I would own a pawn shop, and she made it happen.
What was your day-to-day experience like in the movie?
He was in a bad mood and difficult. It was hot down there [in Birmingham, Ala.]. I felt fat. It was very discouraging for me, because I was on set with a lot of monster improvisers. And after a day or two, I said to Lynn, if you don’t roll them up, I’m going to be this silly straight guy for a bunch of over-the-top characters. I will be full of resentment and I will not be able to relax with this. And Lynn made an interesting decision to act in that movie. [as the troubled ex-girlfriend of Maron’s character]. That scene when she comes to pawn that ring [chokes up], the emotions were real. It’s really Lynn who keeps me open, which is something she also did in real life. Once she got to a point where she had sorted out a few things in their relationship and we were able to recognize true love for each other, I actually said to her: There was drama here, and I said, “Look, if we don And so we did.
Did you hesitate to recognize your relationship on the podcast?
It took a long time and I learned many lessons about it. My audience has been through various relationships with me. When you talk about someone, they have no voice. So choose what you are doing there. Once Lynn and I were able to start seeing each other, we kept a low profile for about three to six months, and then she began to relax the conversation. I think he was getting mad at that. She said: “When can we be who we are? Enough. “And I say,” Yes, you’re right. “This quarantine was not the best of situations, but it accelerated things. It allowed us to double our time together. She had moved all her things here and we were together all the time. We were cooking and talking and finally started working on the script again.
