S1: Hey, this is director Jenny Curtis. You'll hear me say
S1: this in the coming clip. But the character of Chelsea
S1: is one of my favorites in the entire series, and
S1: she is played beautifully by Julia Henning. Julia is a
S1: friend of ours. So when she joined Chris Porter and
S1: I to talk about the role, we had a really
S1: candid conversation about who Chelsea is and the joys and
S1: challenges of recording this character.
S2: You guys kind of took the words out of my
S2: mouth in terms of Chelsea being the personification of the
S2: thing that's left behind. We know Chelsea to be Jamal's
S2: best friend. They're like brother and sister. They were neighbors.
S2: She was his greatest cheerleader is in so many ways.
S2: But in my mind it was like she's the humanity
S2: in the show that like, carries across gravity. So you
S2: think about your isolated in space, you're isolated in yourself.
S2: I mean, if solo is so much about being separated,
S2: but the unity of hope, of grace, of the will
S2: to live, the will to survive, I feel like Chelsea
S2: represents what we're surviving for, what we're living for. I
S2: loved that she kind of had, you know, this energy
S2: to her. We're hearing so much of the crew in
S2: space kind of panicking and struggling. And I feel like
S2: she's going through these moments of tender celebration and these
S2: moments of tender reflection. And she's so innocent and beautifully
S2: naive to the whole situation of what Jamal going into
S2: space is. And for me, that's just such a beautiful
S2: representation of. You know, love like people are going through
S2: crazy things, and yet we just think of them as
S2: being our best friend. You know how you're in space.
S2: But like she says, she's like, What up, J? You know,
S2: she talks to him as if there's no distance or
S2: proximity between them. So for me, Chelsea was so much
S2: the essence of what we're fighting for and who we
S2: are at our core. And I actually I love that
S2: in the show, you guys talk about so much of
S2: the Russian doll, and I felt like Chelsea in a
S2: lot of ways was the core of the Russian doll. She's,
S2: you know, part of what they keep peeling back.
S1: Oh, I love that. I love it.
S3: Also, I want to mention that the what up, Jay
S3: was 100% Julia country.
S2: Oh, yeah.
S1: We didn't say no. No, you're.
S2: Right. You did. You forgot about.
S1: I've said this before. I'll say it again. That's the
S1: beauty of working with actors, because you guys come in
S1: with personalities that we couldn't have anticipated and surprises. And
S1: I remember moments we were in the booth and we're
S1: finding like where the humor is and where the gravity is.
S1: And I remember one of my favorite things is the
S1: joke of Schrodinger's box. And Chelsea doesn't know what Schrodinger's no,
S1: And so Julia mispronounced it and we were like, Huh,
S1: that's funny, but maybe say it right once just so
S1: we have it. And they were like, How? How do
S1: I pretend.
S2: Like this is real time, real life? I have no
S2: idea what that says.
S1: But it like, became this really wonderfully rich moment because
S1: it felt so authentic.
S2: Yeah, I know there's some quantum component that you mentioned,
S2: so I don't get this joke, but here goes. Schrödinger's
S2: cat walks into a bar. That's it. That's the setup
S2: by J. O. I do remember that moment to actually
S2: my laugh in the take that you guys kept was
S2: true was honest because I just remember we got it.
S2: I finally said it right and then I laughed because
S2: I was like, I don't know. I had no idea
S2: what this means.
S1: Just to go back into the editing in the first
S1: monologue in episode four, you go, Here I am sending
S1: you this message. Woo! The woo is actually not from
S1: that chunk. I think we had like said, okay, we
S1: got it. And you went, Woo! And that was like
S1: somewhere else. And I was like, I love that. That's
S1: got to go.
S2: I was going to say, I don't remember reading there
S2: and I was listening to it again yesterday and I
S2: was like, okay, I was really excited for it. I
S2: think really you can hear it. You can feel it.
S2: You leave Earth orbit the day you start getting these messages.
S2: So here I am sending you this message. I mean,
S2: I'm sure that will come up again. But I in
S2: talking about recording, nothing will ever be the story of
S2: me getting over the question mark line. There is one line.
S2: I don't remember what it is, but Dear Jenny had
S2: to stop me so many times and literally go, Julia.
S2: This is a statement with a period and you keep
S2: making this a question. And I was like, okay, I
S2: got it. So I would do it. Question Mark. And
S2: I was like, okay, mirror to me, Jenny, tell me,
S2: what am I doing wrong about this line? And of course,
S2: as an actor, you can't help but like suddenly become
S2: really conscious of that because when somebody gives you a
S2: very specific thing and you're like, I got to get
S2: it right and nothing will ever be me hearing you
S2: say it. I mirrored it back. And then as soon
S2: as you press record couldn't get out of it, it
S2: was like, I'm sorry, this is going to be a
S2: question from here on out.
S1: It's also the director actor thing of like finding the
S1: performance and finding who the character is. And I think
S1: you as Julia, are such a grounded person. You're like
S1: the most grounded person I know. It gives me chills
S1: just thinking about with Chelsea. Like you said, she's light hearted,
S1: and I think that encourages the little bit of thinking
S1: like this.
S2: Yeah, exactly. And I think.
S1: That's what we kept trying to get out of. But
S1: we didn't end up in question. We did end up.
S2: You got it. Because you literally I remember you, like,
S2: conducted me with your finger. You were like, go up now.
S2: Go down with the statement. Go down with the statement.
S2: And I was like, And it's done, done. I remember
S2: when we had it and I was like, Can we
S2: please provide? We're doing that right now. Those are my
S2: favorite moments, though.
S1: That was also part of like me as a director,
S1: but not a learning process for me in this. But
S1: I did that with a lot of our actors where
S1: there would be like a line or a word. Sometimes
S1: it was just like the word yes. And I swear
S1: to God we did it 20 times and everybody in
S1: the booth, like, not in the booth because they're on Zoom,
S1: but everyone be like, okay, Jenny, you have 20 takes of. Yes,
S1: like move on.
S2: That actually came up, though. I was thinking about that.
S2: That was actually a really beautiful moment that I kept
S2: between you and I during that, because you even said,
S2: you know, I'm an actor and I'm directing and we're friends.
S2: I'm hearing this line in this monologue in my head
S2: and how I would say it. And so that's coming
S2: through a little bit in how I'm directing you. And
S2: I remember separating in that moment as an actor, you know,
S2: some people with I think a thicker ego might go, okay,
S2: this is my time. I'm the actor. But it actually
S2: was really impactful to me. A that admittance and that
S2: humility because I was able to go I want to
S2: hit what she's hearing in her head as a director
S2: and as an actor because the resonance of the emotion
S2: underneath both of our performance, if we can amalgamate those
S2: two tones, then it's going to come out and it's
S2: going to hit so many more listeners. And I just
S2: remember as an actor going, I understand that the actors director,
S2: I understand the director's actor, those two roles coming together.
S2: And I don't know, it just taught me a lot
S2: in that moment. I was really grateful that you shared
S2: that with me because it allowed me to understand your process.
S2: And I think open up as an actor a little
S2: bit more.
S1: I love you so much of you, but it is.
S1: And I've had this conversation with John Bangs to working
S1: with friends who you can really just be with. Yeah.
S1: Has been a huge learning tool for me because there
S1: is that graciousness there of let's stumble through this together.
S1: And I really love that when I really said that
S1: to you was when we were doing the second monologue
S1: from ten, which when I say these are two of
S1: my favorite monologues Chris has written, the second one is
S1: just gut wrenching.
S2: I mean, it was, Yeah. Oh my God. It was
S2: an honour.
S1: Best with it. Thank you, guys. Like I have said before,
S1: I was like, I was almost upset that I was
S1: Ali because I would have just seen.
S2: So I, like.
S1: Perform.
S2: That monologue. I feel that.
S1: I think that's why I did have to say to you,
S1: I'm aware of this thing that I have so totally
S1: thank you for working through it with me. But also
S1: when we were trying to get through it and we
S1: were going through the various takes and I was probably
S1: asking for too many takes and whatever, I think we
S1: were doing the thing. Everyone's like, okay, you got it,
S1: you got it, you got it. And I was like, okay,
S1: I want to do it one more time. And I
S1: gave you this direction. Julia I just want you to
S1: think about how much art means to you.
S2: So that night you scrawled on a series of 15 napkins.
S2: Hiroto showed them to me a list of every book.
S2: Every movie, every show, every song. Every play and free musical.
S2: Anything that had ever given me joy. Anything that you knew.
S2: I loved any piece of creativity you ever saw me
S2: digest and comment on. And you told Hiroto that if
S2: he read every book, watched every movie, listened to every
S2: piece of music on that list, that he would know
S2: who I was. That he would know how to love me. Oh,
S2: my God. I remember.
S1: That. That's like the acting in the show is phenomenal,
S1: but I did a lot of micro cutting. I really
S1: crafted some things in this show. That's just a take, man.
S1: Like you went through.
S2: You're when it starts in the monologue, too, because the beginning, again,
S2: was kind of that energy where we were like, This
S2: is foreign to me a little bit, especially when coming
S2: out of the pandemic. I mean, and that being the
S2: first recording, that energy, accessing that levity in myself was
S2: an exercise with you guys that I felt safe to do.
S2: But the minute I remember that, the minute you said
S2: that you hear it, I'm choked out from the beginning.
S2: And it's like your lines, Chris, when you're like the movies,
S2: the plays and the musicals. When I hit musicals, it
S2: was like my favorite musical is Phantom of the Opera
S2: and Cats. And I do not I do not apologize
S2: for it. So deal with it. You know what I mean? Like,
S2: I know the difference. But I just remember thinking that
S2: and especially at that time, the relationship I was going
S2: through at that moment, those were the things that we
S2: bonded over. So that art became like, Oh my God,
S2: the people who know me, it's in my voice now.
S2: Who the people who know me know where art lives
S2: in me. And I don't actually share that part of
S2: myself with a lot of people. And so when you
S2: said that, I just remember being like, We're not going
S2: to go any deeper than this. You opened up my
S2: heart and it was perfect. Oh, thank you so much
S2: for that. What a gift to be reminded now. Thank you.
S2: Thank you both. Thank you, everyone. I guess we would
S2: just say that I love us.
S1: Julia has so much more to say about Chelsea, and
S1: it's all available for you to listen. To hear the
S1: entire conversation in the solar panel on our Apple Podcasts
S1: Premium channel.