Penn &... (Image by toadking.)

When two people have worked together for decades as Penn Jillette and Teller have, you assume they must like each other a great deal. But some people have little interest in each other personally though they are great for each other professionally. That seems to be the case as with the anti-magic duo, as evidenced by their comments in a new interview in the Telegraph. (Thanks to the great kottle.org for pointing toward the article.) An excerpt:

“And, most curious of all, they have worked together for an unbroken run of 35 years yet, even now, they appear utterly incompatible: the tall shouty one who thinks and laughs; the small quiet one who feels and cries. “We are artistic and business partners, not primarily friends,” Teller says. ‘When we look at each other, we don’t think: ‘Now there’s a likeable chap!’ We think about the projects we are doing and how we will get them done. When we were first working together, we didn’t have such thick skins. But we recognised how useful we were to each other. And that prevailed.’

Penn says we should compare their relationship not to a loveless marriage but to that of ‘two guys manning a 7/11 down the street. If they aren’t best buddies what do they care, as long as the coffee machine is working and the shelves are stacked? Teller and I work together every day, but socially we go out together maybe only once a year.’”

...Teller. (Image by Eqdoktor.)