WEBVTT - Jamie-Lynn Sigler 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:02.960 They were looking for a sixteen year old Italian looking 0:00:03.000 --> 0:00:06.880 girl for a show called Sopranos. I figured, oh, I could, 0:00:07.040 --> 0:00:10.520 I could look Italian. And because of the title, I 0:00:10.560 --> 0:00:13.720 assumed it was a musical because I had heard the story. 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:18.200 I never put that together that it was because Sopranos. 0:00:19.079 --> 0:00:21.239 Did you go in? Did you go in with a 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:25.599 song prepared? Of Well, I had tons of songs prepared 0:00:25.760 --> 0:00:28.960 all the time, but I my first audition was with 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:32.640 Georgian Walkin. It was just the sides, and then they 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:34.480 called me back to come the next day to read 0:00:34.520 --> 0:00:36.919 for David Chase, and I remember at the end of 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:40.479 the audition I said to him do you need me 0:00:40.560 --> 0:00:45.560 to sing? And he said for what? And they said 0:00:46.440 --> 0:00:57.560 never right. Hi everybody, my name is Jamie Lindseigler. You 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:00.880 probably know me best as Meato soprano from the Sopranos. 0:01:01.000 --> 0:01:13.320 And you're listening to Off the Beat. Yes, they are 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:17.720 Jamie listening to Off the Beat. Hello everybody, and welcome 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:20.840 to the highlight of my Tuesday every week hanging out 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:24.000 with you guys here on Off the Beat. I am 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:28.559 your host, Brian Baumgartner. Do I sound excited today? I'm 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:32.040 sure that I sound excited because, as you just heard 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:37.520 in studio today, I have Jamie Lynn Siegler. She played 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:44.200 Meadow soprano on my all time favorite television show, The Sopranos, 0:01:44.680 --> 0:01:47.440 and I'm lucky enough to call her a friend. And 0:01:47.520 --> 0:01:50.400 I just did. I called her a friend. Jamie Lynn, 0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:53.320 of course, has done so much more than just being 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:55.600 in the greatest show of all time. First of all, 0:01:55.880 --> 0:01:59.360 she has been acting almost her entire life since she 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:03.160 was a little it in musicals and then on Broadway. 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:07.520 And she was, in fact so entrenched in the musical 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:10.680 world that, as you just heard, when she auditioned for 0:02:10.800 --> 0:02:15.120 The Sopranos, she thought it was a musical, genuinely thought 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:18.120 that they were gonna, I don't know, sing about drug 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:24.079 deals and breaking fingers. How does that go? Fuckget about it, 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:28.280 forget about it. I don't know anyway we're gonna get 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:31.680 into that story and of course lots more. All right, 0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:34.560 I'm gonna stop dilly dallying. I feel like someone someone's 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:36.480 gonna put a hit out on me if I don't 0:02:36.480 --> 0:02:39.120 start the episode soon. So here we go. Here she 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:48.320 is Jamie Lenn Sigler, Bubble and squeak. I love it. 0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:55.600 Bubble and squeak, Bubble and squeaker cookie every month, left 0:02:55.840 --> 0:03:12.040 over from the nut Pole. What's happening? Hi, Brian, how 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:16.680 are you? I'm so good. How are you? I'm good? 0:03:16.760 --> 0:03:20.320 Thank you? Oh my god, it's been so long. I mean, 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:22.480 do you remember the last time that I saw you? 0:03:22.840 --> 0:03:25.480 Was it in New York? I mean, that's a good guess. 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:32.560 I went back to New Year's Eve in Miami. But 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:37.040 has it been that long that I was trying to 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:42.400 reconstruct why we were even there, who I was with. Yeah, 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:47.200 I've spent many a New Year in Miami, so maybe 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:49.839 that's more of a conundrum for you to figure out. 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:52.720 I was definitely a frequent er of Miami for New 0:03:52.800 --> 0:03:57.120 Years for a while. Oh my gosh, Well, it's so 0:03:57.120 --> 0:03:59.320 good to see you. Where are you right now? I 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:02.480 am in a Querque, New Mexico working on a show 0:04:02.520 --> 0:04:05.040 called Big Sky. I'm very We're going to talk about that. 0:04:05.080 --> 0:04:08.480 I'm very show um, but I have to have to 0:04:08.480 --> 0:04:12.880 come clean about something. I'm a COVID cliche. What does 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:15.320 that mean? I got a dog? Okay, I didn't have 0:04:15.320 --> 0:04:17.800 a baby. I didn't have another baby, but I got 0:04:17.800 --> 0:04:19.840 a dog, right, Like that was the thing. To do 0:04:20.520 --> 0:04:24.640 and my favorite show songs. One my favorite show that 0:04:24.680 --> 0:04:29.159 I've never been involved in is The Sopranos. And I 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:33.760 got a chocolate lab during COVID three guesses of the 0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:41.920 chocolate labs name. It's female, Okay, Meadow, Meadow, Meadow, Really, 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:49.159 Meadow is my baby chocolate lab named in honor of 0:04:49.839 --> 0:04:53.520 kind of you, I guess, I mean definitely you. Honestly, 0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:56.640 there's no you know, you could have named or Carmela, 0:04:56.880 --> 0:04:59.960 and it could have been maybe Carmela soprano other thing, 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:02.200 but I guess Meadow is a name that really it's 0:05:02.240 --> 0:05:05.520 only Meadow Soprano. Right, there's no other real there is 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:09.839 no and and and in fact, the name, like I 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:13.040 guess it, it has like a residence of like Hippienus 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:16.200 or something like if you just ignore the fact that 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:19.719 Meadow Soprano existed and you were like Meadow, it would 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:22.599 be like, well, sort of like rains like ray Wills, 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:28.680 like sort of this hippie ish nature. But no, not anymore, 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:32.640 not anymore, quite the opposite. No, it's not all right. 0:05:32.680 --> 0:05:35.000 We're going to talk about that. But I kind of 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:39.240 want to take you back back, like way back to 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:43.760 where you started. You grew up in New York. Yes, 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:49.720 on Long Island, on Long Island at Jericho, to be specific. 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:54.279 As I understand, Yes, So at what point did you 0:05:55.120 --> 0:05:58.200 decide that you wanted to be an actor or that 0:05:58.240 --> 0:06:02.200 you wanted to pursue this UM. I was about seven 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:06.599 or eight when I realized I really enjoyed musical theater. 0:06:07.680 --> 0:06:10.040 I wouldn't say that I thought this is what I'm 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:13.159 gonna do with my life. But while some of my 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:17.320 friends were getting serious about tennis or you know, other 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:21.440 sports or activities, I just loved performing on stage. I 0:06:21.480 --> 0:06:25.839 loved watching musicals, I loved UM performing in them. So 0:06:26.080 --> 0:06:30.039 I just was on the community theater circuit on Long Island. 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:32.160 Like anytime there was a show like Sound of Music 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:33.920 or Fiddler in the Roof that had any kids, I 0:06:33.960 --> 0:06:38.360 was auditioning for it, and UM got to become part 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:42.280 of a family of this theater that in Bethpage that 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:46.160 was called Plaza Playhouse and then turned into Cultural Arts 0:06:46.160 --> 0:06:49.839 Playhouse later UM a few years down my change management. 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:52.400 But I, from the ages of eight years old till 0:06:52.560 --> 0:06:57.719 eighteen performed in that theater multiple times a year, like 0:06:57.800 --> 0:06:59.920 it was my home away from home, and I loved it, 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:04.919 and I would say probably when I was around thirteen, 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:11.960 I got my first opportunity to do a professional national 0:07:12.000 --> 0:07:17.680 tour of a music and that's when my parents were like, okay, 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:19.960 so if this is something you really want to do, 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:21.960 you know, let's talk about it. Do we need to 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:23.320 get to an agent, do we need to get you 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:25.880 a manager. You have to understand the commitment. They were 0:07:25.960 --> 0:07:28.440 very strict in that if my grades dropped at all, 0:07:28.520 --> 0:07:31.120 I couldn't do this anymore, because they didn't know how 0:07:31.160 --> 0:07:33.200 long this would last. I was such a kid, and 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:35.640 no one in my family was involved in show business 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:39.440 by any means, so this was new to everybody. So 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:43.760 I made the commitment. I did the tour. My grades 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:46.320 didn't dropped. In fact, I even learned my half tora 0:07:46.520 --> 0:07:49.880 for my bot Mitzvah online by sending cassette tapes back 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:53.520 and forth to my cantor. I was very committed. Okay, 0:07:53.560 --> 0:07:56.480 but you booked this national tour without an agent. I 0:07:56.560 --> 0:08:00.200 had like there was like a long island agent that 0:08:00.240 --> 0:08:02.800 would every once in a while get you an audition 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:06.120 in the city for something. I never got it, but 0:08:06.400 --> 0:08:09.840 you know, it was fun to go. But that was 0:08:09.880 --> 0:08:12.000 the first time where I was like, oh, okay, you 0:08:12.000 --> 0:08:13.880 know I'm going to be actually making money. I have 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:17.560 to leave town, you know, I have to really commit 0:08:17.600 --> 0:08:21.480 to this. And then after that I got an actual manager, 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:25.840 an agent, and started auditioning more professionally. Okay, what was 0:08:25.880 --> 0:08:28.920 that show? It was It's a Wonderful Life the musical. 0:08:29.560 --> 0:08:32.840 I haven't seen that? Is that a class? Of course 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:37.200 you haven't. I think I was the only time. I 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:40.920 think it came and wet, But I played young Mary, 0:08:41.000 --> 0:08:44.640 and then I played his daughter, not the little one, 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:48.439 Janey maybe or something like that. It was so I 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:53.440 wasn't Zuzu. I was too old for Zuzu. Okay. So 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:58.440 then you started auditioning for theater or for theater? Uh, 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:01.200 you know, I would go for shoals here and there. 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:04.080 But I remember at the time, you know, this was 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:06.400 a different time in the business where they were very 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:10.200 much like is she all American? Is she Latina? And 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:13.160 I was such a mix of things. You know. My 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:17.880 dad is from Brooklyn, He's Jewish, Greek, Romanian. My mom's 0:09:18.000 --> 0:09:20.920 Cuban and Spanish, and so I couldn't ever fit in 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:25.480 a box. So I just really focused on musical theater 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:28.080 because I just didn't think film or television would ever 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:30.240 work for me because I never went anywhere for me 0:09:30.280 --> 0:09:32.640 any of the auditions, I never got any traction. And 0:09:32.679 --> 0:09:35.840 so then when Sopranos came along, I was sixteen. I 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:38.680 feel like you know this story, probably, but all I 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:41.280 heard was they were looking for a sixteen year old 0:09:41.320 --> 0:09:45.840 Italian looking girl for a show called Sopranos. I figured, oh, 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:49.200 I could, I could look Italian. And because of the title, 0:09:49.760 --> 0:09:52.600 I assumed it was a musical because I had heard 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:55.400 the story. I never put that together that it was 0:09:55.480 --> 0:10:00.920 because Sopranos. Yeah, did you go in? The song prepared? 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:05.319 Of well, I had tons of songs prepared all the time, 0:10:06.280 --> 0:10:09.480 but I my first audition was with Georgian Walkin. It 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:12.160 was just the sides, and then they called me back 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:14.160 to come the next day to read for David Chase, 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:16.760 and I remember at the end of the audition I 0:10:16.800 --> 0:10:20.760 said to him do you need me to sing? And 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:28.240 he said for what? And they said, never mind because 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:29.920 that was a lot. But then he did actually have 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:33.080 metal sing in the show. I think he maybe you 0:10:33.120 --> 0:10:36.120 know or something that well that was for you? Right? 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:40.040 Was that was that really you singing? That was you 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:43.800 that's amazing. I just went back and watched it again, 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:48.240 the whole thing, the whole thing start to finish. So 0:10:48.280 --> 0:10:50.720 I hear you just went and watched it the first time. 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:55.520 Is this true? You didn't watch it when it was out. No, 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:58.080 I think for a lot of reasons. You know, I 0:10:58.120 --> 0:11:02.480 was a self critical teenage girl, and also we were 0:11:02.600 --> 0:11:05.360 filming it and it was airing, and I was young, 0:11:05.640 --> 0:11:08.920 and it just I just didn't do it. And then 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:12.160 as I got a little older, I felt like I 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:14.680 needed the space. I I just I didn't want to 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:17.360 watch it and not enjoy it. And whether that was 0:11:17.400 --> 0:11:20.160 the right decision or not, I'm actually glad I did 0:11:20.240 --> 0:11:22.560 it that way because watching it for the first time 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:27.160 in as a thirty nine year old woman and having 0:11:27.200 --> 0:11:30.320 a more greater understanding of the world and appreciation for 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:33.120 acting and the people that I was with, I really 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:37.560 was able to enjoy it as an audience member as 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:39.720 opposed to somebody that was so close to it. There 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:45.600 was enough space, right, Yeah, it's interesting. I do you 0:11:45.640 --> 0:11:49.560 watch other things? You do? No? Not a lot. Okay, 0:11:49.960 --> 0:11:52.120 so I don't either. I've always felt sort of the 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:55.720 same way, like I can't change it. Now, what if 0:11:55.720 --> 0:12:00.360 they chose a take I specifically did not want, like 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:04.200 there's nothing I can do, whereas you know in theater, 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:07.760 you come from theater. I feel like it's like if 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:11.840 if I had the opportunity to watch every performance that 0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:14.400 I ever did, even shows I did a hundred times, 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:17.439 I would watch it right after because the next day 0:12:17.440 --> 0:12:19.120 you have a chance to go back and do it again, 0:12:19.520 --> 0:12:23.080 that's right, and find more and find better. Yeah, so 0:12:23.240 --> 0:12:26.160 I I don't either, because it's and I don't know. 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:30.160 It also sort of feels I don't know, like I 0:12:30.160 --> 0:12:34.040 get it. Yes, I understand, it's just like it feels 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:36.320 weird to sit back and like, let me let me 0:12:36.360 --> 0:12:40.600 watch what I did you know? Yes, no, totally. I 0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:43.880 will tell you The Office was different for me. We 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:46.199 watched it as a cast when it was first starting. 0:12:46.360 --> 0:12:48.920 How could you not, though, I feel like you guys 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:51.959 had to just watch it and enjoy each other and like, 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:54.920 because I think part of the appeal of Office, I mean, 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:58.400 obviously it's like a great comedy and all of you 0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:00.400 are just at the top of your game and it's 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:04.600 so amazing. But what I really enjoyed about it as 0:13:04.640 --> 0:13:06.920 well was it looked like you guys were having the 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:10.000 best time ever. And maybe that's as an actor just 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:12.080 knowing like, oh my god, that's just got to be 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:15.840 the most fun job. Yes, I mean that that may 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:17.840 be part of it. I mean there were practical things, 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:20.800 you know, we were we were so sort of slow 0:13:21.080 --> 0:13:23.440 off the gate, you know, it took I just did 0:13:23.440 --> 0:13:27.240 the math recently. It was something like seventeen months where 0:13:27.240 --> 0:13:31.800 we had shot six episodes. Gosh, so by the time 0:13:31.800 --> 0:13:35.720 it came out, we were literally on hold waiting to 0:13:35.720 --> 0:13:37.480 see if we were coming back, and we had nothing 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:40.880 better to do. So, Yeah, we would go to each 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:44.400 other's houses every Tuesday or Thursday nights and we would 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:47.920 watch it together because it was like, well, we'll probably 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:49.679 never get to do this again. I mean, that may 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:51.400 have been part of it. And we had so much 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:54.360 Like you said, we had so much fun and we 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:59.840 really enjoyed the show. But what a difficult thing for you. 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:03.960 I mean, as one of the only kids on the show, 0:14:04.640 --> 0:14:09.600 especially with so many big and experienced personalities. Was that 0:14:09.960 --> 0:14:13.960 was that a challenge work wise? You know, at the 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:17.360 time I would have said no, But in hindsight, I 0:14:17.400 --> 0:14:20.360 can look back. I actually just had this conversation with 0:14:20.440 --> 0:14:24.440 Robert Eiler, who played a j on the show. Where 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:28.760 you're kind of blessed at that age, especially when you're 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:31.280 a theater kid. You're like used to hanging with adults, 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:34.400 You're used to doing things that aren't necessarily kid things, 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:35.880 so you kind of just like fake it till you 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:38.840 make it. You say you're good, you've got it. I 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:42.560 think I was really bolstered and supported by Jim and 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:44.800 Eatye in a lot of our scenes, and they made 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:48.600 me feel really safe and comfortable and pushed me when 0:14:48.600 --> 0:14:53.280 they needed to gently um. But I was a people pleaser. 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:54.960 I was like a kid that just wanted to be 0:14:55.040 --> 0:14:57.120 validated that I was doing a good job. And so 0:14:57.160 --> 0:14:58.680 that's why I say, in hindsight, I can look back 0:14:58.680 --> 0:15:01.600 and it was it was probably harder than I even 0:15:01.640 --> 0:15:06.520 realized because of I felt a lot of pressure. But 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:10.640 I used to marvel at Robert because he never cared. 0:15:10.800 --> 0:15:13.920 He always he never He wasn't that type of actor 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:17.760 kid where he felt like I probably did a good 0:15:17.840 --> 0:15:19.360 job and he didn't need to hear it, you know. 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:23.320 For me, I was I was so afraid all the time, 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:27.080 and I felt my first day of work on the pilot, 0:15:27.120 --> 0:15:28.880 I mean It was really my first time ever on 0:15:28.920 --> 0:15:32.560 a set. They had the stand ins rehearsing with the camera, 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:36.760 and I got scared. I thought, well, what is this 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:40.280 not really yet? Like is this girl maybe doing it too? Like? 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:43.240 I was so green. I was so green. I had 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:47.120 no idea of anything. But I didn't let on. I 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:49.200 didn't say a word. I just kind of kept it 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:52.480 in and panicked myself and until I figured, you know, 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:55.640 how everything works. So I would say the first year 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:58.560 or two was really hard for me, But in that moment, 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:01.520 I wouldn't have said it was right. I mean, in 0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:05.840 thinking back, having just watched it, I guess a lot 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:10.840 of yours, a lot of your work, especially early on, 0:16:11.160 --> 0:16:13.640 was kind of the quadrant kind of the family, you know. 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:17.240 It wasn't at least just around those people. I just 0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:21.640 can imagine as a sixteen seventeen year old girl those 0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:26.520 scenes later on with like seventeen twenty seven, you know, 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:34.080 older experienced men with huge personalities. That had to be 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:39.320 a challenge, you will. Jim was really careful with me. 0:16:39.920 --> 0:16:42.840 I think one of the things I loved most about 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:47.200 my relationship with Jim is that contrary to how I 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:51.320 am now, where I'm very comfortable being vulnerable and open 0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:53.480 with who I am and what I'm feeling and just 0:16:53.560 --> 0:16:56.720 with life in general. I wasn't that way then, but 0:16:56.840 --> 0:17:01.280 he knew, He always knew where I was at without 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:04.800 me having to say it, and so he could always 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:09.119 kind of support me in that way. And I remember 0:17:09.119 --> 0:17:11.720 when we were shooting the college episode. You know, it 0:17:11.800 --> 0:17:14.399 was my first really big episode, and it was a 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:16.840 lot of dialogue and it was a lot of stuff, 0:17:17.640 --> 0:17:21.360 and he really literally and figuratively held my hand through 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:23.960 all of it. I remember our first scene of that 0:17:24.040 --> 0:17:25.960 episode was when I asked him if he was in 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:27.760 the Mafia. We did an entire day in the car 0:17:27.840 --> 0:17:30.399 of all the car driving stuff, and he was really 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:33.159 proud of me, and he was really encouraging, and no 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:35.040 one was in the car because we were on a trailer, 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:36.800 so the director, you know, we're talking everybody through a 0:17:36.840 --> 0:17:39.280 walking and I remember he held my hand literally at 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:41.000 the end of one take because they were like, okay, 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:42.679 we can move on, and he looked at me, goes, Jamie, 0:17:43.359 --> 0:17:45.439 is there anything else you feel like you want to do? 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:46.800 And I was like, well, what do you mean. He's like, 0:17:47.000 --> 0:17:49.199 you can ask for another take. You can ask if 0:17:49.200 --> 0:17:51.720 you want to try something else, you're and I was, 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:54.080 and I didn't know that I was able to do that. 0:17:54.200 --> 0:17:59.119 And through that whole episode, he really taught me my 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:02.760 worth and how to you know, speak up for myself 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:05.840 and how to like how film worked really and the 0:18:05.880 --> 0:18:08.199 collaborative experience of it all and not you're not just 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:09.960 like this puppet that shows up and you're like, oh, 0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:14.040 I did what you wanted, okay, Like he he really, um, 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:15.760 he really taught me a lot, and I took that 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:17.679 with me. I think through you know, the whole season, 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:20.040 and like you said, I mean, most of my stuff 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:22.240 the first couple of seasons was really with the core 0:18:22.320 --> 0:18:26.280 family and especially with him, and I owe so much 0:18:26.440 --> 0:18:29.720 of everything to him and what he you know, he 0:18:29.800 --> 0:18:31.960 but he wasn't like a preachy guy or he wasn't 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:33.720 like taking on the role like I gotta teach you 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:35.680 the ways. He just always did it at the perfect 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:39.959 moment right by the way, maybe your work is spectacular, 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:43.240 maybe the greatest episode in the history of sopranos as well, 0:18:43.280 --> 0:18:46.400 So that's that's great to hear. Your relationship with him 0:18:46.760 --> 0:18:50.880 good throughout always. I mean, we all had our stuff 0:18:51.080 --> 0:18:53.520 going on personally, I mean it's ten years. You know, 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:55.800 we all had a lot of ups and downs and stuff. 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:58.280 But you know, like I said, he just was the 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:00.760 guy that like he wasn't overbearing, but like he just 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:03.399 he just had a pulse on like when to check in, 0:19:03.920 --> 0:19:06.439 when to ask. I was diagnosed with MS in the 0:19:06.440 --> 0:19:08.320 middle of the show, and I didn't tell anyone, and 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:12.119 he just like knew something was wrong. I remember it 0:19:12.240 --> 0:19:15.040 was during the time when I can't remember what season 0:19:15.080 --> 0:19:17.040 it is, maybe four or five, when Tony's in the 0:19:17.040 --> 0:19:22.280 coma and you know, he's laying down sleeping basically all day. 0:19:22.400 --> 0:19:25.960 It was said, and I had done to seed it. 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:28.119 I was like sitting out in the hospital hallway and 0:19:28.160 --> 0:19:29.879 he came out behind me and he like put his 0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:32.960 big hand on my shoulder and he's like hey, I'm 0:19:32.960 --> 0:19:36.000 like yeah, He's like are you okay? And I just 0:19:36.040 --> 0:19:39.480 started crying because they just I couldn't lie to him. Remember, 0:19:39.520 --> 0:19:41.919 he just took me over and you know, we had 0:19:41.960 --> 0:19:43.639 a long talk and he was just he was that 0:19:43.680 --> 0:19:46.000 guy to everybody. Though everybody on that show could have 0:19:46.000 --> 0:19:47.920 had that story with him. You know, like I said, 0:19:47.960 --> 0:19:52.720 we all had stuff going on, but he really unnecessarily 0:19:52.800 --> 0:19:55.640 took on the role as like the head of that 0:19:55.680 --> 0:20:17.600 show and really looked out for everybody. So I gotta 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:22.200 tell you a story. Yes please, my favorite show. He 0:20:22.560 --> 0:20:26.520 I think gave the greatest performance in the history of 0:20:26.520 --> 0:20:29.280 television and a dramatic role. Just I could not be 0:20:29.320 --> 0:20:32.560 a bigger fan. And uh, there was a period of 0:20:32.560 --> 0:20:34.919 time I was playing poker. I played poker quite a 0:20:34.920 --> 0:20:38.080 bit back in the old days. We're going to Miami. 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:40.879 We're going to Miami, and yeah, exactly for New Year's 0:20:41.240 --> 0:20:45.280 and I gave it up. Basically this is I get 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:47.400 a note from my publicist said, I know you've given 0:20:47.440 --> 0:20:49.600 up poke. You know there's all these charity poker things 0:20:49.600 --> 0:20:53.639 and these excuses to go play poker. And she said, 0:20:54.000 --> 0:20:58.560 James Gandelfini is hosting a charity poker event for the 0:20:58.760 --> 0:21:02.639 l A Firefighters. And I said, what time do I 0:21:02.680 --> 0:21:07.320 show up? And I come in to this poker thing 0:21:07.359 --> 0:21:10.800 and I get my assignment at a table and he's 0:21:10.800 --> 0:21:14.080 sitting next to me. We're sitting at the table number one. 0:21:14.200 --> 0:21:15.720 I don't know how I got the invite to be 0:21:15.760 --> 0:21:17.719 at table number one or sitting next to him, but 0:21:17.800 --> 0:21:20.760 there there I am. So the first thing that strikes 0:21:20.800 --> 0:21:24.879 me because he's so real, was so real, unbelievable to me. 0:21:25.240 --> 0:21:27.800 He doesn't know how to play poker. He doesn't know 0:21:27.840 --> 0:21:31.679 how to play Texas holds him. I'm going, you know, 0:21:32.000 --> 0:21:37.320 my brain is like just swear. My brain is exploding, 0:21:37.560 --> 0:21:39.760 like you guys never played car. I mean I didn't 0:21:39.760 --> 0:21:41.719 say anything out loud. I'm like, oh, yes, here, let 0:21:41.760 --> 0:21:44.520 me help you, sir. And so we go back and forth, 0:21:44.720 --> 0:21:47.760 and he's betting really crazy, you know, I mean, it's 0:21:47.760 --> 0:21:51.800 all fake money. And he gets busted out immediately and 0:21:52.720 --> 0:21:55.800 he just sits there and we continue to chat. Anyway, 0:21:55.840 --> 0:21:58.800 A little bit later, I bust out and I stand 0:21:58.880 --> 0:22:02.480 up to leave, and he stands up with me, and 0:22:03.240 --> 0:22:05.960 he you talked about his his giant pol He puts 0:22:05.960 --> 0:22:09.760 his arm around me, on my shoulder, and we turn 0:22:09.800 --> 0:22:12.880 around and immediately there's like playing playing playing playing playing 0:22:12.920 --> 0:22:15.360 playing people taking picture that you know, guys who are 0:22:15.400 --> 0:22:18.840 hired for the event. And he turns to me and 0:22:19.080 --> 0:22:22.359 very casually, very much you know, in my mind, like 0:22:22.480 --> 0:22:25.840 the show. He says, um, you want to get out 0:22:25.840 --> 0:22:27.760 of here and get a drink, And I was like, 0:22:29.400 --> 0:22:34.200 this is your event, but okay, okay, we go next 0:22:34.200 --> 0:22:40.000 door and we sit there for over two hours while 0:22:40.000 --> 0:22:43.280 this charity event is happening next door, and we talk 0:22:43.400 --> 0:22:47.520 about art, and we talk about the sopranos, and we 0:22:47.600 --> 0:22:50.760 talked about the office. Now he was there was a 0:22:50.800 --> 0:22:53.520 possibility when Steve Carrell left that he was going to 0:22:53.720 --> 0:22:56.040 come on and do the show, and so there was 0:22:56.080 --> 0:22:59.239 some conversation about that, Like he was really asking me 0:22:59.320 --> 0:23:03.000 questions of out, you know, myself and what had become 0:23:03.040 --> 0:23:07.080 my identity and worries about typecasting and what you know. 0:23:07.119 --> 0:23:09.239 This is like right when the show was ending, like 0:23:09.320 --> 0:23:11.280 what I want to do now and how I want 0:23:12.359 --> 0:23:17.960 to define myself? Like basically the most incredible first date 0:23:19.040 --> 0:23:22.399 that could have existed for me. And he is about 0:23:22.440 --> 0:23:25.800 to go on a trip to Europe. We exchange information. 0:23:26.480 --> 0:23:29.480 His car pulls up and I will never ever forget 0:23:29.520 --> 0:23:31.320 he's standing there by the car and he turns around. 0:23:31.320 --> 0:23:33.560 He goes, we're gonna go to Chateau mar Mom, you 0:23:33.600 --> 0:23:38.359 want to come? And honestly, Jamie, where my brain went 0:23:38.640 --> 0:23:43.439 was I felt like a young woman on a first 0:23:43.520 --> 0:23:46.879