The host of Comedy Central’s Win Ben Stein’s Money, Ben Stein successfully balances a professional life to encompass his many interests.
A graduate of Yale Law School, Stein served as a lawyer and speechwriter for Richard Nixon. He currently teaches law at Pepperdine University, and is a university adjunct at American University and the University of California
at Santa Cruz. Stein has authored 15 books in addition to numerous essays and online columns. He has written for numerous publications and papers such as The American Spectator, Barron’s and the Los Angeles and New York magazines. Stein‘s just kinda smart.
We sat down to chat with the caustically funny and sarcastic Stein to discuss such deep topics as whether he can take Regis in an all-out brawl.
For Win Ben Stein’s Money, you deservedly won a Daytime Emmy as the show’s host, but you also serve as a contestant. Which of the two roles is most rewarding for you?
Stein: Being a contestant is most rewarding when I win. Being host is most rewarding when I don’t.
Speaking of hosting, you’ve had two co-hosts on the show: Jimmy Kimmel and Nancy Pimental. Do you ever miss Jimmy?
Stein: Oh, I miss Jimmy every day. He’s the funniest man on Earth–I really believe that. Jay Leno should be nervous: Jimmy will have a late-night talk show very soon. He’s a genius. But we have a third co-host now, actually. Nancy has left the show and moved on. She’s been replaced by a man named Sal Iacono. He’s Jimmy‘s cousin. He’s a brilliant man. Very funny. We’re shooting the episodes with Sal right now. They debut in late March or early April. We’re shooting 130 episodes with Sal.
Do you watch Jimmy‘s The Man Show?
Stein: On occasion, when I can. I think everything Jimmy does on that show is hysterical. But there are those on the The Man Show who just take things too far.
Do you mean his co-host, Adam Carolla?
Stein: Well, Carolla‘s a funny guy, but not as funny as Jimmy. Carolla tends to get too dirty and I lose interest. He’s still damn funny, but in my opinion, Jimmy walks on water. No comparison.
In terms of awards, Win Ben Stein’s Money also won the Daytime Emmy for excellence in writing. Do you have much input into the writing of these wacky trivia categories?
Stein: None. No part whatsoever. I mean, the things that I say, I write myself, but I let the writers handle everything else. They are super funny, they work hard and they get paid almost nothing. But that’s the way it is with TV writers. If you write for a successful sitcom, then you make a fortune.
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As for the final showdowns at the end of each show, you win the majority of the time. But how do you feel when you’re defeated?
Stein: I just lose it. I throw a fit. I turn into such a drama queen. I get so stressed I’m in danger of developing severe gastric colitis. I get very upset, especially if I lose because the answers I give are correct but get marked down as wrong. When that happens, I feel like suing someone. I just haven’t yet.
Do you have a particular weakest category? Geography, sports, the arts?
Stein: Cooking. Definitely cooking. And also pop culture–like “Who starred in this film.” That sort of thing. I’m not really into modern movies. Since 1970, only one decent film has been made in Hollywood: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Your famous Bueller scene in the Economics classroom has been ranked among the AFI’s 50 most famous scenes of all time. Are you surprised by its popularity?
Stein: Well, it’s a very funny scene. That was one of those magical moments that just happened. I didn’t rehearse the scene or even think about it. I just said that I would do it and did it. Then again, I was having a very good day that day. I had just had dental surgery and was loaded up on Percoset.
You’ve actually worked with several big-name celebs, like Matthew Broderick and the like.
Stein: Oh yeah. Nic Cage in Honeymoon in Vegas was one of my favorites. But, I have to say, I’ve worked with one celebrity who I just didn’t care for at all: Carrie Fisher in Soapdish. She was a condescending bitch. Not a nice person. I think she had some serious personal problems.
Guess she needed some Percoset.
Stein: [Laughs] Maybe that was the problem. But I did have a good time on that film. It’s very funny. And I got to work with Robert Downey Jr., who is a very talented actor. One of the best.
Do you think he’s going to get his career back together?
Stein: I think so, yes. He’s so good, even he can’t stop him.
Moving on to the Encarta Challenge. How did you get involved in this event?
Stein: Well, I have a certain reputation for being somewhat of a quiz master, so they came to me. I jumped at the chance. Whenever I can be involved with something that furthers knowledge, I go for it. And Encarta is such an important research tool–online content, CDs, books, you name it.
Are you finding that these kids are actually smarter than the contestants on your show?
Stein: Incomparably smarter. I wouldn’t want them on my show, that’s for sure. If they ever did get on my show, I’d ask that they all come on the same day, so that I only get humiliated once. But these kids are great. There are five of them competing, all 17 years old. They’re wizards. They really are. And they’re very respectful of me-not to mention their own families.
And the questions? Are they very hard?
Stein: Oh, they’re impossible–to me anyway. Let me test you with one of them.
Oh, god.
Stein: Which of the following countries is closest to the North Pole: Finland, Greenland, Canada or Russia?
Um, Canada?
Stein: Canada’s what I would have said too. But it’s really Greenland. These kids figured out the answer in a heartbeat. Wham! Just after I finished asking the question. Just amazing.
Finally, Ben: in a fight, could ya take Regis?
Stein: Oh yeah. I could handle him.
And Carrie Fisher?
Stein: Yeah. [Pauses] Well, maybe not. I don’t know about her.
The new season of “Win Ben Stein’s Money” premieres Monday, March 25 on Comedy Central.
