Tim Robbins reveals he nearly chose Eight Men Out over Bull Durham — and is glad he didn't, because Bull Durham 'shifted everything' for him. He's now launching timrobbins.com in September with unreleased concert recordings, behind-the-scenes video from Howard the Duck, and rare interviews with Johnny Cash and Kurt Vonnegut. He also reflects on how Bob Roberts, his 1992 directorial debut about a folk-singing right-wing politician, feels eerily prescient today.
Key Moments
Tim Robbins
“I got cast in another baseball movie the same time, Eight Men Out, that John Sales was directing. And um I love John Sales. It was, you know, I had to make a decision. And I'm glad I made the one I did because it kind of shifted everything for me uh in life.”
Tim explains he was simultaneously offered Bull Durham and Eight Men Out and had to choose between them.
“I got it up to 85. No control at all. No control at all. And you know, I threw it into the stand when he hits the bull, you know, that's that was, you know, basically me.”
Tim describes learning to pitch for Bull Durham, revealing his top speed and complete lack of accuracy.
“I was on that movie for six months. Um, it was supposed to be three and the last six weeks of it were the ultral light sequence which is like maybe five minutes in the film.”
Tim recounts the grueling production of Howard the Duck, which inspired him to start making his own behind-the-scenes videos.
“I also have all these interviews with people like you know uh Johnny Cash and Kurt Vonagget and uh Harry Bellfonte and I you know I've never released them.”
Tim describes discovering unreleased archival interview tapes while going through a storage unit.
“When Bill Clinton was playing his saxophone on our Saniel Hall, I was like, that's kind of Bob Robertsy, too.”
Tim reflects on how Bob Roberts, his 1992 film about a media-savvy right-wing politician, felt prescient not just about Republicans but about Clinton's celebrity-style politics too.
SmartLess is a comedy interview podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. Each episode features a surprise guest revealed only to two of the three hosts, generating genuine reactions and freewheeling conversation. The show blends celebrity storytelling, humor, and candid banter in a format that has made it one of the most-downloaded podcasts in the world.
Takeaways
1
Unreleased Cash and Vonnegut interviews sitting in storage Tim has never released taped interviews with Johnny Cash, Kurt Vonnegut, and Harry Belafonte, discovered while going through a storage unit. These, along with behind-the-scenes footage from Howard the Duck and live concert recordings, are being prepared for timrobbins.com, launching September 1st.
2
Bull Durham was a career-defining fork in the road Tim Robbins was simultaneously cast in Bull Durham and Eight Men Out and had to pick one. He chose Bull Durham, saying it 'shifted everything' for him. The audition callback wasn't a screen test — it was throwing a baseball with Kevin Costner to prove he could actually pitch.
3
Bob Roberts predicted celebrity politics — across both parties Tim's 1992 directorial debut Bob Roberts — about a right-wing folk-singing politician who weaponizes media and personality — is widely seen as prescient. But Tim himself notes it wasn't partisan: he saw Bill Clinton's saxophone moment on Arsenio Hall as equally 'Bob Robertsy,' pointing to a broader shift in how performance and politics merged.
4
Howard the Duck ran three months over — for five minutes of film Tim was on the Howard the Duck set for six months when the contract was three. The final six weeks were consumed entirely by the ultralight sequence, which amounts to roughly five minutes of screen time in the finished film — an object lesson in how blockbuster production can spiral.
5
Tim Robbins still plays roller hockey every Sunday at 60+ Tim plays roller hockey weekly in Los Angeles and also participates in informal baseball games when on the East Coast. He frames staying active as accepting occasional injury rather than fearing it, noting 'it just means you have to sit for a while.'