1 00:00:05,110 --> 00:00:07,780 S1: Hey, this is director Jenny Curtis. You'll hear me say 2 00:00:07,780 --> 00:00:10,060 S1: this in the coming clip. But the character of Chelsea 3 00:00:10,060 --> 00:00:12,610 S1: is one of my favorites in the entire series, and 4 00:00:12,610 --> 00:00:16,840 S1: she is played beautifully by Julia Henning. Julia is a 5 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,180 S1: friend of ours. So when she joined Chris Porter and 6 00:00:19,180 --> 00:00:21,370 S1: I to talk about the role, we had a really 7 00:00:21,370 --> 00:00:25,060 S1: candid conversation about who Chelsea is and the joys and 8 00:00:25,060 --> 00:00:27,160 S1: challenges of recording this character. 9 00:00:29,930 --> 00:00:31,580 S2: You guys kind of took the words out of my 10 00:00:31,580 --> 00:00:35,090 S2: mouth in terms of Chelsea being the personification of the 11 00:00:35,090 --> 00:00:38,089 S2: thing that's left behind. We know Chelsea to be Jamal's 12 00:00:38,210 --> 00:00:41,239 S2: best friend. They're like brother and sister. They were neighbors. 13 00:00:41,330 --> 00:00:44,630 S2: She was his greatest cheerleader is in so many ways. 14 00:00:44,630 --> 00:00:47,720 S2: But in my mind it was like she's the humanity 15 00:00:48,110 --> 00:00:52,250 S2: in the show that like, carries across gravity. So you 16 00:00:52,250 --> 00:00:55,930 S2: think about your isolated in space, you're isolated in yourself. 17 00:00:55,940 --> 00:00:58,520 S2: I mean, if solo is so much about being separated, 18 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,760 S2: but the unity of hope, of grace, of the will 19 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:04,430 S2: to live, the will to survive, I feel like Chelsea 20 00:01:04,430 --> 00:01:08,899 S2: represents what we're surviving for, what we're living for. I 21 00:01:08,900 --> 00:01:12,229 S2: loved that she kind of had, you know, this energy 22 00:01:12,230 --> 00:01:14,540 S2: to her. We're hearing so much of the crew in 23 00:01:14,540 --> 00:01:16,790 S2: space kind of panicking and struggling. And I feel like 24 00:01:16,790 --> 00:01:19,940 S2: she's going through these moments of tender celebration and these 25 00:01:19,940 --> 00:01:25,789 S2: moments of tender reflection. And she's so innocent and beautifully 26 00:01:25,790 --> 00:01:29,630 S2: naive to the whole situation of what Jamal going into 27 00:01:29,630 --> 00:01:32,090 S2: space is. And for me, that's just such a beautiful 28 00:01:32,090 --> 00:01:36,410 S2: representation of. You know, love like people are going through 29 00:01:36,410 --> 00:01:39,260 S2: crazy things, and yet we just think of them as 30 00:01:39,260 --> 00:01:41,270 S2: being our best friend. You know how you're in space. 31 00:01:41,270 --> 00:01:44,000 S2: But like she says, she's like, What up, J? You know, 32 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,490 S2: she talks to him as if there's no distance or 33 00:01:46,490 --> 00:01:50,810 S2: proximity between them. So for me, Chelsea was so much 34 00:01:50,810 --> 00:01:54,740 S2: the essence of what we're fighting for and who we 35 00:01:54,740 --> 00:01:57,590 S2: are at our core. And I actually I love that 36 00:01:57,590 --> 00:01:59,480 S2: in the show, you guys talk about so much of 37 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:02,090 S2: the Russian doll, and I felt like Chelsea in a 38 00:02:02,090 --> 00:02:05,030 S2: lot of ways was the core of the Russian doll. She's, 39 00:02:05,030 --> 00:02:07,190 S2: you know, part of what they keep peeling back. 40 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:08,690 S1: Oh, I love that. I love it. 41 00:02:08,900 --> 00:02:10,490 S3: Also, I want to mention that the what up, Jay 42 00:02:10,490 --> 00:02:12,360 S3: was 100% Julia country. 43 00:02:12,540 --> 00:02:13,010 S2: Oh, yeah. 44 00:02:13,070 --> 00:02:14,600 S1: We didn't say no. No, you're. 45 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:16,810 S2: Right. You did. You forgot about. 46 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:18,650 S1: I've said this before. I'll say it again. That's the 47 00:02:18,650 --> 00:02:21,200 S1: beauty of working with actors, because you guys come in 48 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:26,240 S1: with personalities that we couldn't have anticipated and surprises. And 49 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:28,490 S1: I remember moments we were in the booth and we're 50 00:02:28,490 --> 00:02:31,370 S1: finding like where the humor is and where the gravity is. 51 00:02:31,370 --> 00:02:34,250 S1: And I remember one of my favorite things is the 52 00:02:34,250 --> 00:02:39,140 S1: joke of Schrodinger's box. And Chelsea doesn't know what Schrodinger's no, 53 00:02:39,620 --> 00:02:43,430 S1: And so Julia mispronounced it and we were like, Huh, 54 00:02:43,430 --> 00:02:45,260 S1: that's funny, but maybe say it right once just so 55 00:02:45,260 --> 00:02:47,270 S1: we have it. And they were like, How? How do 56 00:02:47,270 --> 00:02:47,720 S1: I pretend. 57 00:02:48,410 --> 00:02:51,560 S2: Like this is real time, real life? I have no 58 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:52,459 S2: idea what that says. 59 00:02:52,850 --> 00:02:56,389 S1: But it like, became this really wonderfully rich moment because 60 00:02:56,389 --> 00:02:58,610 S1: it felt so authentic. 61 00:02:58,620 --> 00:03:01,040 S2: Yeah, I know there's some quantum component that you mentioned, 62 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:06,620 S2: so I don't get this joke, but here goes. Schrödinger's 63 00:03:06,620 --> 00:03:12,489 S2: cat walks into a bar. That's it. That's the setup 64 00:03:14,710 --> 00:03:20,770 S2: by J. O. I do remember that moment to actually 65 00:03:20,950 --> 00:03:23,950 S2: my laugh in the take that you guys kept was 66 00:03:24,130 --> 00:03:27,370 S2: true was honest because I just remember we got it. 67 00:03:27,370 --> 00:03:28,960 S2: I finally said it right and then I laughed because 68 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:32,710 S2: I was like, I don't know. I had no idea 69 00:03:32,710 --> 00:03:33,579 S2: what this means. 70 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:36,820 S1: Just to go back into the editing in the first 71 00:03:36,820 --> 00:03:39,520 S1: monologue in episode four, you go, Here I am sending 72 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:45,010 S1: you this message. Woo! The woo is actually not from 73 00:03:45,010 --> 00:03:47,710 S1: that chunk. I think we had like said, okay, we 74 00:03:47,710 --> 00:03:50,080 S1: got it. And you went, Woo! And that was like 75 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,150 S1: somewhere else. And I was like, I love that. That's 76 00:03:52,150 --> 00:03:52,589 S1: got to go. 77 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,970 S2: I was going to say, I don't remember reading there 78 00:03:56,980 --> 00:03:59,080 S2: and I was listening to it again yesterday and I 79 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,330 S2: was like, okay, I was really excited for it. I 80 00:04:01,340 --> 00:04:04,050 S2: think really you can hear it. You can feel it. 81 00:04:04,420 --> 00:04:07,600 S2: You leave Earth orbit the day you start getting these messages. 82 00:04:08,290 --> 00:04:14,050 S2: So here I am sending you this message. I mean, 83 00:04:14,050 --> 00:04:15,910 S2: I'm sure that will come up again. But I in 84 00:04:15,910 --> 00:04:18,670 S2: talking about recording, nothing will ever be the story of 85 00:04:19,089 --> 00:04:22,930 S2: me getting over the question mark line. There is one line. 86 00:04:22,930 --> 00:04:25,180 S2: I don't remember what it is, but Dear Jenny had 87 00:04:25,180 --> 00:04:30,580 S2: to stop me so many times and literally go, Julia. 88 00:04:30,910 --> 00:04:33,789 S2: This is a statement with a period and you keep 89 00:04:33,790 --> 00:04:36,520 S2: making this a question. And I was like, okay, I 90 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,400 S2: got it. So I would do it. Question Mark. And 91 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:41,490 S2: I was like, okay, mirror to me, Jenny, tell me, 92 00:04:41,500 --> 00:04:43,900 S2: what am I doing wrong about this line? And of course, 93 00:04:43,900 --> 00:04:46,000 S2: as an actor, you can't help but like suddenly become 94 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,270 S2: really conscious of that because when somebody gives you a 95 00:04:49,270 --> 00:04:50,650 S2: very specific thing and you're like, I got to get 96 00:04:50,650 --> 00:04:53,950 S2: it right and nothing will ever be me hearing you 97 00:04:53,950 --> 00:04:56,650 S2: say it. I mirrored it back. And then as soon 98 00:04:56,650 --> 00:04:58,990 S2: as you press record couldn't get out of it, it 99 00:04:58,990 --> 00:05:01,030 S2: was like, I'm sorry, this is going to be a 100 00:05:01,029 --> 00:05:02,020 S2: question from here on out. 101 00:05:02,110 --> 00:05:05,080 S1: It's also the director actor thing of like finding the 102 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:07,659 S1: performance and finding who the character is. And I think 103 00:05:07,660 --> 00:05:11,740 S1: you as Julia, are such a grounded person. You're like 104 00:05:11,740 --> 00:05:14,860 S1: the most grounded person I know. It gives me chills 105 00:05:14,860 --> 00:05:19,380 S1: just thinking about with Chelsea. Like you said, she's light hearted, 106 00:05:19,390 --> 00:05:24,340 S1: and I think that encourages the little bit of thinking 107 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:25,390 S1: like this. 108 00:05:25,390 --> 00:05:26,410 S2: Yeah, exactly. And I think. 109 00:05:26,410 --> 00:05:28,300 S1: That's what we kept trying to get out of. But 110 00:05:28,300 --> 00:05:30,100 S1: we didn't end up in question. We did end up. 111 00:05:30,190 --> 00:05:32,140 S2: You got it. Because you literally I remember you, like, 112 00:05:32,140 --> 00:05:35,080 S2: conducted me with your finger. You were like, go up now. 113 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,600 S2: Go down with the statement. Go down with the statement. 114 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,320 S2: And I was like, And it's done, done. I remember 115 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:42,400 S2: when we had it and I was like, Can we 116 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,760 S2: please provide? We're doing that right now. Those are my 117 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:46,780 S2: favorite moments, though. 118 00:05:46,810 --> 00:05:49,090 S1: That was also part of like me as a director, 119 00:05:49,089 --> 00:05:51,310 S1: but not a learning process for me in this. But 120 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,170 S1: I did that with a lot of our actors where 121 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:56,349 S1: there would be like a line or a word. Sometimes 122 00:05:56,350 --> 00:05:58,510 S1: it was just like the word yes. And I swear 123 00:05:58,510 --> 00:06:00,910 S1: to God we did it 20 times and everybody in 124 00:06:00,910 --> 00:06:02,620 S1: the booth, like, not in the booth because they're on Zoom, 125 00:06:02,620 --> 00:06:06,159 S1: but everyone be like, okay, Jenny, you have 20 takes of. Yes, 126 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:07,150 S1: like move on. 127 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:09,729 S2: That actually came up, though. I was thinking about that. 128 00:06:09,790 --> 00:06:13,330 S2: That was actually a really beautiful moment that I kept 129 00:06:13,330 --> 00:06:15,550 S2: between you and I during that, because you even said, 130 00:06:15,580 --> 00:06:19,029 S2: you know, I'm an actor and I'm directing and we're friends. 131 00:06:19,330 --> 00:06:22,390 S2: I'm hearing this line in this monologue in my head 132 00:06:22,390 --> 00:06:24,609 S2: and how I would say it. And so that's coming 133 00:06:24,610 --> 00:06:26,560 S2: through a little bit in how I'm directing you. And 134 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:29,980 S2: I remember separating in that moment as an actor, you know, 135 00:06:30,070 --> 00:06:33,550 S2: some people with I think a thicker ego might go, okay, 136 00:06:33,790 --> 00:06:36,250 S2: this is my time. I'm the actor. But it actually 137 00:06:36,250 --> 00:06:40,300 S2: was really impactful to me. A that admittance and that 138 00:06:40,300 --> 00:06:43,210 S2: humility because I was able to go I want to 139 00:06:43,210 --> 00:06:45,760 S2: hit what she's hearing in her head as a director 140 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,760 S2: and as an actor because the resonance of the emotion 141 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:52,719 S2: underneath both of our performance, if we can amalgamate those 142 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:54,909 S2: two tones, then it's going to come out and it's 143 00:06:54,910 --> 00:06:56,560 S2: going to hit so many more listeners. And I just 144 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,710 S2: remember as an actor going, I understand that the actors director, 145 00:06:59,710 --> 00:07:02,620 S2: I understand the director's actor, those two roles coming together. 146 00:07:02,620 --> 00:07:04,360 S2: And I don't know, it just taught me a lot 147 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:06,490 S2: in that moment. I was really grateful that you shared 148 00:07:06,490 --> 00:07:08,860 S2: that with me because it allowed me to understand your process. 149 00:07:08,860 --> 00:07:10,300 S2: And I think open up as an actor a little 150 00:07:10,300 --> 00:07:10,770 S2: bit more. 151 00:07:10,810 --> 00:07:13,960 S1: I love you so much of you, but it is. 152 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:16,960 S1: And I've had this conversation with John Bangs to working 153 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:20,770 S1: with friends who you can really just be with. Yeah. 154 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:24,640 S1: Has been a huge learning tool for me because there 155 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,270 S1: is that graciousness there of let's stumble through this together. 156 00:07:28,270 --> 00:07:30,429 S1: And I really love that when I really said that 157 00:07:30,430 --> 00:07:32,920 S1: to you was when we were doing the second monologue 158 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:34,840 S1: from ten, which when I say these are two of 159 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,300 S1: my favorite monologues Chris has written, the second one is 160 00:07:37,300 --> 00:07:38,800 S1: just gut wrenching. 161 00:07:38,860 --> 00:07:40,750 S2: I mean, it was, Yeah. Oh my God. It was 162 00:07:40,750 --> 00:07:41,200 S2: an honour. 163 00:07:41,430 --> 00:07:43,840 S1: Best with it. Thank you, guys. Like I have said before, 164 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:45,490 S1: I was like, I was almost upset that I was 165 00:07:45,490 --> 00:07:48,220 S1: Ali because I would have just seen. 166 00:07:48,220 --> 00:07:48,610 S2: So I, like. 167 00:07:48,700 --> 00:07:49,180 S1: Perform. 168 00:07:49,180 --> 00:07:50,620 S2: That monologue. I feel that. 169 00:07:50,830 --> 00:07:52,810 S1: I think that's why I did have to say to you, 170 00:07:52,810 --> 00:07:55,870 S1: I'm aware of this thing that I have so totally 171 00:07:55,870 --> 00:07:58,090 S1: thank you for working through it with me. But also 172 00:07:58,210 --> 00:08:00,460 S1: when we were trying to get through it and we 173 00:08:00,460 --> 00:08:02,710 S1: were going through the various takes and I was probably 174 00:08:02,710 --> 00:08:05,020 S1: asking for too many takes and whatever, I think we 175 00:08:05,020 --> 00:08:06,610 S1: were doing the thing. Everyone's like, okay, you got it, 176 00:08:06,610 --> 00:08:07,840 S1: you got it, you got it. And I was like, okay, 177 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:09,580 S1: I want to do it one more time. And I 178 00:08:09,580 --> 00:08:13,270 S1: gave you this direction. Julia I just want you to 179 00:08:13,270 --> 00:08:15,340 S1: think about how much art means to you. 180 00:08:16,780 --> 00:08:21,340 S2: So that night you scrawled on a series of 15 napkins. 181 00:08:21,340 --> 00:08:25,090 S2: Hiroto showed them to me a list of every book. 182 00:08:27,340 --> 00:08:37,530 S2: Every movie, every show, every song. Every play and free musical. 183 00:08:38,710 --> 00:08:42,880 S2: Anything that had ever given me joy. Anything that you knew. 184 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:47,380 S2: I loved any piece of creativity you ever saw me 185 00:08:47,380 --> 00:08:51,220 S2: digest and comment on. And you told Hiroto that if 186 00:08:51,220 --> 00:08:58,720 S2: he read every book, watched every movie, listened to every 187 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:03,130 S2: piece of music on that list, that he would know 188 00:09:03,130 --> 00:09:08,770 S2: who I was. That he would know how to love me. Oh, 189 00:09:08,770 --> 00:09:10,240 S2: my God. I remember. 190 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,620 S1: That. That's like the acting in the show is phenomenal, 191 00:09:13,630 --> 00:09:16,719 S1: but I did a lot of micro cutting. I really 192 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:20,470 S1: crafted some things in this show. That's just a take, man. 193 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:21,460 S1: Like you went through. 194 00:09:21,730 --> 00:09:24,400 S2: You're when it starts in the monologue, too, because the beginning, again, 195 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:26,440 S2: was kind of that energy where we were like, This 196 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:28,990 S2: is foreign to me a little bit, especially when coming 197 00:09:28,990 --> 00:09:31,000 S2: out of the pandemic. I mean, and that being the 198 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:35,200 S2: first recording, that energy, accessing that levity in myself was 199 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:37,840 S2: an exercise with you guys that I felt safe to do. 200 00:09:37,870 --> 00:09:39,760 S2: But the minute I remember that, the minute you said 201 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,820 S2: that you hear it, I'm choked out from the beginning. 202 00:09:42,820 --> 00:09:46,689 S2: And it's like your lines, Chris, when you're like the movies, 203 00:09:46,690 --> 00:09:49,359 S2: the plays and the musicals. When I hit musicals, it 204 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:52,270 S2: was like my favorite musical is Phantom of the Opera 205 00:09:52,270 --> 00:09:55,360 S2: and Cats. And I do not I do not apologize 206 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:58,689 S2: for it. So deal with it. You know what I mean? Like, 207 00:09:58,690 --> 00:10:01,420 S2: I know the difference. But I just remember thinking that 208 00:10:01,420 --> 00:10:04,959 S2: and especially at that time, the relationship I was going 209 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:06,730 S2: through at that moment, those were the things that we 210 00:10:06,730 --> 00:10:10,840 S2: bonded over. So that art became like, Oh my God, 211 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:13,150 S2: the people who know me, it's in my voice now. 212 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:16,480 S2: Who the people who know me know where art lives 213 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:18,550 S2: in me. And I don't actually share that part of 214 00:10:18,550 --> 00:10:20,800 S2: myself with a lot of people. And so when you 215 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:23,710 S2: said that, I just remember being like, We're not going 216 00:10:23,710 --> 00:10:25,540 S2: to go any deeper than this. You opened up my 217 00:10:25,540 --> 00:10:27,700 S2: heart and it was perfect. Oh, thank you so much 218 00:10:27,700 --> 00:10:30,790 S2: for that. What a gift to be reminded now. Thank you. 219 00:10:31,150 --> 00:10:34,300 S2: Thank you both. Thank you, everyone. I guess we would 220 00:10:34,300 --> 00:10:35,890 S2: just say that I love us. 221 00:10:40,300 --> 00:10:42,910 S1: Julia has so much more to say about Chelsea, and 222 00:10:42,910 --> 00:10:45,310 S1: it's all available for you to listen. To hear the 223 00:10:45,309 --> 00:10:48,670 S1: entire conversation in the solar panel on our Apple Podcasts 224 00:10:48,670 --> 00:10:49,479 S1: Premium channel.