1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,720 Speaker 1: I always say like shows are like kids. I have 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: no children, So this is as close as I can 3 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: get to the analogy in that the oldest show is 4 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: like having a kid who's left the house and has 5 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: gone to college or is so when there's an emergency, 6 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 1: when there's a real issue, you check in. Yeah, you 7 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: celebrate birthdays, you know it's correct. You make yourself available 8 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: for whatever's necessary. But honestly, you you spend a lot 9 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:37,160 Speaker 1: of time lauding them for their thriving survival in Hi, 10 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 1: I'm Betsy Beers and I make television. 11 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 2: Hi, everybody, you found us. If you were looking, you 12 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 2: have found us. We are off the beat and I 13 00:00:55,080 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 2: am your host. Brian Bamgartner. I'm very excited about today's gat. 14 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 2: You know, usually we talk to actors, or we talk 15 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 2: to athletes, sometimes musicians, but today I'm talking to a 16 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 2: powerhouse in television. She is the force behind many of 17 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 2: your favorite shows. 18 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 3: She is Betsy Beers. 19 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 2: Now she's not the face you see on screen, but 20 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 2: she is someone whose work you know and I promise 21 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 2: you love. She is the producing partner of Shonda Rhymes. 22 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 2: And even though Shonda's name is the one in the 23 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 2: title of Shonda Lant. Betsy has always been right beside 24 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 2: her from day one on Grey's Anatomy. She's also executive 25 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 2: produced Private Practice, The Catch, Scandal for the People, How 26 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 2: To Get Away with Murder Station nineteen Bridgerton, Inventing Anna, 27 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 2: and Upcoming The Residence. She is amazing and you are 28 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 2: going to love what she has to say today. Before 29 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 2: she was the other half of the Shondaland Empire, she 30 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 2: brought you some of your favorite indie classics like Safe 31 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 2: Passage with Susan Sarandon, Two Hundred Cigarettes with Ben Afflack 32 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 2: and Kate Hudson, High Fidelity, The Hoax, Just Chef's Kiss 33 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,239 Speaker 2: to all of it. And apart from her amazing body 34 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 2: of work, she has an amazing story to tell as well, 35 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 2: from studying to be an actor to realizing maybe it 36 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 2: wasn't her calling to where she is today. This is 37 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 2: a fascinating conversation for me. I know it will be 38 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 2: for you as well. Here she is the incredible Betsy bears. 39 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:51,679 Speaker 3: Bubble and Squeak. 40 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 2: I love it, Bubble and Squeakano. 41 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: Bubble and Squeaker, cook it every move from the Nuo. 42 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 2: Hi Betsy, Hi, Hi Brian, how are you. 43 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: I'm peachey. It's a Monday after holiday, and I'm peachee. 44 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 2: You said it was a Monday after the holiday. I 45 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 2: just I don't want to scare you. It's tuesday. 46 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,519 Speaker 1: Oh no, oh no, I did it again. 47 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 3: It's tuesday. 48 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: It's the last weekend. Oh no? 49 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 3: Was it? 50 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 2: Was? 51 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 3: It a good weekend? 52 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: It was lovely. Thank you for asking. It was actually 53 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: relatively relaxing and relatively planned free, which sometimes is the 54 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: best thing personally for me. I just it was. It was. 55 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: It was pretty chill, which was good. How about you. 56 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 3: That's good. 57 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 2: Mine was the opposite, actually, and I'm with you. I 58 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 2: like I like your I think I had ree barbecues 59 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 2: in three days, my lord, I know well, and of 60 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 2: course I end up having to cook no matter, none 61 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 2: of them were at my house, yet I still somehow 62 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 2: managed to be behind the grill. But it was it 63 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 2: was nice. I mean, I appreciate you taking the time. 64 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 2: I'm glad you had a relaxing weekend. 65 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 3: You are well. 66 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 2: You're you're the busiest woman is showbiz. I think well, 67 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 2: and have been for a long time. 68 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: You know, you get in less trouble if you stay busy. Right, Yeah, 69 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 1: we're very, very fortunate to be busy and happily working 70 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: and all that other kind of good stuff. So it's, uh, yeah, 71 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: it's it's been a little aerobic, and you know it's good. 72 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,600 Speaker 1: Everyone's well, just to sit and stare into space and 73 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: walk the. 74 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 3: Dog, that's right, you know. 75 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 2: Well, that's that's why I cook. That's because then I 76 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 2: don't have to think about anything else. 77 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:51,840 Speaker 3: Exactly. 78 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,040 Speaker 1: My husband does all the cooking, and that's partially why 79 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:57,720 Speaker 1: he cooks. Is he just just like I'm going to 80 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: stand here and cook and y'all can greu what heck 81 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: you want to talk about? 82 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 2: All right, Well, we have a lot to talk about today, 83 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 2: I know, I know. Just don't get nervous. It's fine. 84 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 2: Just think of it this way. It's my this is 85 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 2: me auditioning you. Okay, that's all it is. So don't 86 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 2: get nervous. 87 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,120 Speaker 1: Just as I don't have to do like an up 88 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 1: tempo and a ballot. I'm fine. 89 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 3: Oh here's here's the thing. It's just like they say, 90 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 3: when you're auditioning. 91 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 2: I want to like you, so I want I want 92 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:32,799 Speaker 2: I want to think that you're right for this, Betsy. 93 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 2: So don't don't be nervous. There's no reasons. 94 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: Okay, that's good. Okay. Yeah. 95 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 2: Well, and I understand after my extensive research team and 96 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 2: myself did some research on you. You you you started 97 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 2: out acting. We're going to talk about that in a minute. 98 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 2: But you you grew up in Massachusetts. No, no, no, I. 99 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 1: Grew up to Long Island. 100 00:05:57,520 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 3: There you go. 101 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: Okay, where's that correct team? Right now? 102 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:03,280 Speaker 3: That's what I There you go. 103 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: It's a it's a common mistake. Ran, it's a common mistake. 104 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:09,640 Speaker 2: I love, okay, because you went to you went to 105 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 2: Milton there, the boarding school in Massachusetts, but you came 106 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 2: from Long Island. I was just there roundabouts last week, 107 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,040 Speaker 2: beautiful area of the country. Tell me a little bit 108 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 2: about you growing up there on Long Island? Are you 109 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:28,440 Speaker 2: interested in as a as a kid? 110 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: I was interested in mainly acting. Actually, Like I grew up. 111 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 1: To give you some backstory, my father was an agent. 112 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: He was older when he had me. He died when 113 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:46,760 Speaker 1: I was pretty young, but I had a number of 114 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,320 Speaker 1: formative years with him where we spent a lot of 115 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: time at home. My mother was working. He happened to 116 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 1: be there, and a lot of what I learned in 117 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: terms of how to identify people read, came from city 118 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: with him and watching television or reading books about plays 119 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: because he was a theater agent. Okay, And so from 120 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: a really early age, it seemed like the only thing 121 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: that was interesting was acting. I liked that, and I 122 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 1: liked reading, and I liked badminton weirdly because we had 123 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: a badminton. 124 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 3: That and I really long. That's a long island thing, right, 125 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 3: I don't know. 126 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: Man, I don't know. Like I think it was the 127 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:31,640 Speaker 1: only thing we could fit in the yard, right, you know? 128 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 1: It was like so, and I loved to torture my 129 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: sister by following her around too is my older sister, 130 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: and desperately trying to get involved in every single thing 131 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: she was doing, which of course meant that she would 132 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: figure out jobs for me to do, like pick up 133 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: dog poop and that's what, So, this is your job? 134 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:51,880 Speaker 1: You wanted to help so long, within a way of saying, like, 135 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: very very early on, I thought, wow, acting must be 136 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: great because my dad loves them and they're on TV 137 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 1: and they seem to be good. Well do you know 138 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 1: about that too? Since you're on TV? 139 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 2: Well, I mean I get I get a little bit 140 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 2: about why that would be attractive for people. 141 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 3: You But so when did you start? When did you 142 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:15,520 Speaker 3: go to boarding school? Is this your board? 143 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 1: I went to boarding school. Now, it wasn't like Dickensie 144 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 1: and I was five type thing. 145 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 3: Okay, it was. 146 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: I went to boarding school when I was about fourteen 147 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: thirteen fourteen. It was my sophomore year in high school. 148 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:32,200 Speaker 1: So my school, my elementary school, finished in ninth grade 149 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: and then you either had to go off to a 150 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 1: high school or go way to boarding school. So both 151 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:38,959 Speaker 1: my sisters went to boarding school. A lot of the 152 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: people at the school went to boarding school, so it 153 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 1: was not it was not a you know, incredibly untoward 154 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 1: or unknown thing to me because I'd watched both sisters 155 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:48,320 Speaker 1: go off. 156 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 3: And do it. Right. Do you do? 157 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 2: You do you feel like that being on your own early? 158 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 2: Was there an independence thing that you gained there? And 159 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 2: partly I'll tell you why I asked because because I 160 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 2: didn't go to boarding school, but I did go to 161 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 2: this program between junior and senior year of high school 162 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:11,559 Speaker 2: where I went to Northwestern. 163 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 3: University for oh wow, eight. 164 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 2: Weeks or something and was studying theater there. And I 165 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 2: was like, probably too young to do that, but I 166 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 2: was like, oh wow, like, this is what it means 167 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 2: to like be on my own. And even I remember, 168 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 2: you know, taking is at the l right, taking it 169 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 2: in from from Northwestern into the city. I saw a 170 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 2: baseball game, like on my own. It's like, wait, this 171 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 2: doesn't happen at home. There's there's just sort of a 172 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:43,560 Speaker 2: level of independence you have just just by having that space. 173 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,040 Speaker 2: I feel like you you begin to do things on 174 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:48,200 Speaker 2: your own a little bit earlier. You think that's true. 175 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:50,080 Speaker 1: Can I ask you a question, did you ever go 176 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: to camp? I did, yes, because camp was sort of 177 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: like the starter kit in a way, Like I went 178 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 1: away to camp. I went to a sleepway camp, and yeah, 179 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: it's like boarding school. There there were house mothers and 180 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:04,560 Speaker 1: there are people in charge and stuff. But it was 181 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:08,240 Speaker 1: definitely the first time I was really away from home 182 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: and I sort of understood that, yeah, your your whole 183 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 1: life and sort of personality and the way you reacted 184 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:21,720 Speaker 1: wasn't solely dependent on your home situation. Because I know, 185 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 1: like for me, I ended up loving camp and I 186 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,719 Speaker 1: loved boarding school. I think it was a wise thing 187 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:30,280 Speaker 1: at a particular point for me to get out of 188 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:33,560 Speaker 1: the house. It just it was there was more for 189 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 1: me to explore and more to do. And at that 190 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,080 Speaker 1: stage of the game, both my sisters, who were older 191 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: were out of the house and I was alone with 192 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 1: my mother. 193 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 2: So it's you know, which God bless her understanding here? 194 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:49,320 Speaker 3: Yes, yes, you. 195 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 1: Might, you might, you might know what that that feels like. So, yeah, 196 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: it was. I found boarding school to be the most amazing, 197 00:10:56,800 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 1: delightful experience ever. And I I think I found a 198 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: lot of my own confidence there. I don't know if 199 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,199 Speaker 1: you felt that way by going to your Stinton Northwestern, 200 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: but I really started to develop my own voice, I 201 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:13,360 Speaker 1: really started to understand what and I had a great education. 202 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:17,720 Speaker 1: Milton is a great school, and you know, I think 203 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:21,719 Speaker 1: it was just this amazing exposure to all this all 204 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:25,679 Speaker 1: these different areas of study and people who were both 205 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 1: the same and different, and it was I loved. I 206 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: loved the experience. I found incredibly liberating. 207 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:32,320 Speaker 3: Yeah. 208 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:40,000 Speaker 2: Uh, you go to Williams College, prestigious, Williams prestige college. 209 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:44,600 Speaker 2: Uh and and you studied acting there. So at this point, 210 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:45,440 Speaker 2: is this what you. 211 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:47,680 Speaker 3: Want to do? You want to you want to be 212 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 3: repped by your dad or whatever, and you want to 213 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:50,520 Speaker 3: be an actor. 214 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: Well, my father, unfortunately died to get out, clearly, clearly, 215 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,120 Speaker 1: to get out of repping me. I think we should 216 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 1: just we should just make it clear. 217 00:11:58,640 --> 00:11:59,200 Speaker 3: I made it. 218 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 2: I made it. I made a choice, and you know what, 219 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 2: it failed. 220 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 1: Sorry, you know it, and it didn't fail. It just 221 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 1: was a choice. It's fine. And you couldn't comprol whether 222 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 1: he died or not. What are you freaking psychic? 223 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 3: No, no, no, that wasn't in my research. 224 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:20,079 Speaker 1: Well, i'd be surprised. I'd worry about your researchers if 225 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:23,120 Speaker 1: honestly they were sitting around going like life expectancy of 226 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 1: Betsy's family. No. I started actually like when I was 227 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 1: about five or six. I remember I was the I 228 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:36,360 Speaker 1: was a butterfly in the local production of Noah's Ark. 229 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 2: Remember, and I remember, I remember, Okay, it was it 230 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:42,960 Speaker 2: was amazing. 231 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: It got clearly four stars on YELP. 232 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:46,720 Speaker 3: So I. 233 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 1: Thought that it was terrific. And I kept acting all 234 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: the way through elementary school, and then acted all through 235 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: high school, and then acted all the way through college. 236 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:59,319 Speaker 1: So by the time I think I was twelve thirteen, 237 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:01,079 Speaker 1: I was pretty sure sure that that's what I wanted 238 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 1: to do. But I also knew that I had to 239 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:07,080 Speaker 1: go through college, and I wanted to go through school 240 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,120 Speaker 1: and you know, finish all that before I before I 241 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:13,240 Speaker 1: hit the boards. So that was that was definitively what 242 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: I was going to do. There was one brief period 243 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: when I studied. I did a year abroad in London 244 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 1: to study theater and literature, and I had a great 245 00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:28,320 Speaker 1: literature professor who sort of said, you know, you might 246 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 1: have you ever thought of going into literary criticism because 247 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:33,120 Speaker 1: you know how to analyze books and stories and I 248 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 1: loved reading. And I was like, no, I want to 249 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 1: be an actress. I just want to be loved, I 250 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:41,560 Speaker 1: you know, like you normally do. And he was like, well, 251 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 1: this would be an interesting career path if you wanted to. 252 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: And you know, I haven't thought about that until very 253 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:50,720 Speaker 1: recently when I realized, I guess that's what I'm sort 254 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:56,440 Speaker 1: of doing, is evaluating literature. So basically, yeah, I went. 255 00:13:56,679 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 1: I got out of college, I went straight to New York. 256 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,440 Speaker 1: I did some summer theater and then some really bad 257 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: dinner theater. Did you ever do dinner theater? 258 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 3: I never did. If they were I needed more attention 259 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:14,559 Speaker 3: just about to. 260 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 1: Say that it's the worst. There's nothing like doing a 261 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: British force and running around like in your underwear on 262 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: a stage while people are asking for prime rip, like 263 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: there's just sauce. It's also like the clink clink clink 264 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 1: clink clink of silverware and stuff. It was. It was 265 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:39,960 Speaker 1: just it was beyond humiliating and it should have been 266 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:43,320 Speaker 1: an early harbinger for my career. But I got I 267 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:46,600 Speaker 1: got to New York, and uh, it was very clear 268 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 1: I was never going to be like Lady Macbeth. So 269 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 1: I tried it and got into this improvisation group. And 270 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 1: I did that and realized, oh, I really love sketching, 271 00:14:56,680 --> 00:15:00,640 Speaker 1: improv comedy. Comedy seem like a real good plan. 272 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 3: You know. 273 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 2: I actually about the Dinner Theater though you know, this 274 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:07,480 Speaker 2: was this was this is a number of years ago. 275 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 2: But I realized, and maybe the only person who has 276 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 2: like truly emerged from Dinner Theater Amy Adams chan Hassen 277 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 2: Dinner Theater musical theater in Minneapolis, because I spent some 278 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 2: time in Minneapolis. 279 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 3: So there you go. There's some fun. There's a fun 280 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 3: fact for you today. 281 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:28,880 Speaker 1: Somebody, somebody, somebody succeeded in see you know what, you 282 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 1: know what Amy Adams got them to put their forks 283 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:34,160 Speaker 1: and knives down for a second and focus on something 284 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: besides the lava tower. 285 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 3: That was that's right, Uh comedy, Yeah, that's I did 286 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:42,120 Speaker 3: not know. 287 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:44,760 Speaker 2: That about you. You were doing and so you fell 288 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 2: in love with like So it was improverse, like sketch 289 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 2: that was sketched like. 290 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: I started with improv and it was a group that 291 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 1: was around in New York when I graduated, which was 292 00:15:56,800 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: the early eighties, late seventies, early eighties. Yes I'm old, 293 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:04,920 Speaker 1: and I found this group and it was kind of 294 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:07,400 Speaker 1: an offshoot of the Proposition in Boston, which were people 295 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:09,360 Speaker 1: who don't know is where, like Jane Curtin came from 296 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 1: and was one of the along with Second City, was 297 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: sort of one of the the og improv groups and 298 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:21,080 Speaker 1: I did. I performed with them for a while and 299 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 1: then met a couple of people and we branched off 300 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 1: and started our own group where we did sketch. I 301 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 1: wrote the music, my friends did sketches that were based 302 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 1: on our things, and then we did like theme shows 303 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 1: and we performed them and I acted in commercials sometimes 304 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,040 Speaker 1: to support that. But I wasn't very good at that. 305 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 1: I was way better at auditioning and making shit up 306 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:44,840 Speaker 1: and then they would take the shit I made and 307 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:46,720 Speaker 1: then they'd make it into the commercial, but they wouldn't 308 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:49,920 Speaker 1: hire me, so which was okay. And then I got, 309 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: you know, the other kind of the the canary and 310 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: the coal mine when one of the AD execs took 311 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 1: me out to drink and he said, you ever thought 312 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 1: of being an AD executive? Because you'd be amazing And 313 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:01,000 Speaker 1: I was like, no, I just want to be loved. 314 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,960 Speaker 1: What kind of a doctor? And let's just say, Brian, 315 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: that's the way it went for a while. 316 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:13,800 Speaker 2: Well that is I I'm telling you, I have not 317 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:15,800 Speaker 2: I have not thought about this in years and years. 318 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:17,159 Speaker 3: But see, and I was. 319 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,159 Speaker 2: I was one of the protective ones, right like I 320 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 2: was when I was auditioning for commercials and it would 321 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 2: be like, just improv this moment eating pizza, and I 322 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,359 Speaker 2: would be like, you know what, what I come up 323 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:31,800 Speaker 2: with is better than what they're going to come up with, 324 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:33,119 Speaker 2: and then they're going to steal it from me and 325 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:35,720 Speaker 2: they're going to hire somebody else. So now, how how 326 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 2: do I how how can I possibly succeed in this scenario? 327 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:42,840 Speaker 3: And exactly, yeah. 328 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 1: I see you were so much smarter if if I 329 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 1: had met you in the future, but the present for 330 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,280 Speaker 1: me that the future, because you'd be in the future, 331 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:53,280 Speaker 1: I would have said, you would have come to me 332 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: and you would have said, dude, you've got this all wrong. 333 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,879 Speaker 1: They're just raping and pillaging your slightly crappy material to 334 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:05,879 Speaker 1: less crappy. I mean, how long did you do commercials? 335 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 3: I did not very much. 336 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:11,720 Speaker 2: I mean, I I know I didn't. I mean I 337 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:15,119 Speaker 2: still have like visceral. 338 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:20,120 Speaker 3: What is it, uh two oh one South Librea one 339 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:22,359 Speaker 3: one oh one. 340 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:26,800 Speaker 2: The enormous like I have like an actor's nightmare, but 341 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,560 Speaker 2: not about forgetting my lines on stage, like that of 342 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:36,200 Speaker 2: walking into that bullpen where they're simultaneously auditioning for twelve 343 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 2: commercials at one time, and I was, I was, I 344 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:42,359 Speaker 2: was a good boy, Like I would go to the 345 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:44,560 Speaker 2: doors that I actually had an appointment, and then I 346 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:47,359 Speaker 2: would watch these people too, who are probably smarter than me, 347 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 2: probably Amy Adams, where they would want it would go, 348 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 2: and they would they would just walk around and if 349 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:57,520 Speaker 2: they saw like a similar looking type person to that, 350 00:18:57,600 --> 00:18:59,399 Speaker 2: they would just go sign in and just go audition. 351 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:00,639 Speaker 3: I'm like doing that. 352 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 1: Oh my god, that's so gutsy, that's so Gutsy. I 353 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:09,480 Speaker 1: primarily auditioned badly in New York. I did some auditioning 354 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:11,919 Speaker 1: badly in LA, but I really locked it up in 355 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,159 Speaker 1: New York. And I remember thinking, I walked into one audition, 356 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 1: I haven't thought about this in years because I'm having 357 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,880 Speaker 1: total PTSD right now right. And they also never knew 358 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 1: what to send me out for, so it was like 359 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:24,440 Speaker 1: I was like twenty six and they sent me out 360 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:26,600 Speaker 1: for like a Tampax commercial, and they're all these girls 361 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 1: who are twelve, and they're like, like, what am I 362 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: doing here? But I remember walking walking into this one 363 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:36,199 Speaker 1: audition and Robert Morse was sitting there and he was 364 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:41,639 Speaker 1: waiting to read, like, come, I don't know ben Gate commercial, 365 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:44,639 Speaker 1: and I was like, oh my god, it's Robert Morrison. 366 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:46,640 Speaker 1: For all of you who aren't listening, Robert Morse, one 367 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 1: of the finest actors, made his name for most people 368 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 1: and had to how to succeed in business without really 369 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 1: trying a Broadway ended up obviously a lot of people 370 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:56,280 Speaker 1: know from mad Men, but this guy was a god 371 00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:00,520 Speaker 1: to me. And I remember walking in and you have 372 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: this moment you go like you can't go up to 373 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: him and go like what the fuck are you doing here? 374 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 1: Like why are you auditioning? Because like all the ship's 375 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:12,120 Speaker 1: going on in my head and this weird jinga that's happening. 376 00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:14,359 Speaker 1: But part of me was going, this is not a 377 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:18,119 Speaker 1: good route. This is this is this is not a 378 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 1: do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars. 379 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:25,639 Speaker 1: This is yeah, so so many, so many warnings, Brian, 380 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:26,920 Speaker 1: so many warnings. 381 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:29,879 Speaker 2: Here here's the thing, Betsy. Still, I still deal with 382 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 2: that to this very day. So you changed, you changed paths, 383 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:38,000 Speaker 2: and that was that was very smart in. 384 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: That read I changed past and I actually, in fairness, 385 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 1: like I realized I got this job when I came 386 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: out to Los Angeles. I was a really good waiter 387 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:48,600 Speaker 1: by the way, in New York, and I could not 388 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:53,280 Speaker 1: get a job waitressing in LA because in the late eighties, 389 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: as a woman, you could not get a job in 390 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,040 Speaker 1: a fine dining restaurant as a waiter, like it was 391 00:20:58,080 --> 00:20:59,959 Speaker 1: pretty much for Boton. You could go to a coffee, 392 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:02,879 Speaker 1: you could go to like edd Bebeck's, which is this 393 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 1: old timy place that used to be, but you couldn't. 394 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:08,679 Speaker 1: And a friend of mine suggested reading scripts, and so 395 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 1: I started reading scripts to make money. And I like 396 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:15,040 Speaker 1: sent things out blindly. I didn't really know anybody, And 397 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:17,520 Speaker 1: after like two weeks people started calling and they were like, 398 00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:20,800 Speaker 1: this is really good coverage because for people who don't know, 399 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: you read a script or a book and you write 400 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:25,840 Speaker 1: down the whole plot synopsis like a book report, and 401 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:27,359 Speaker 1: then you give sort of comments as to what you 402 00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:28,960 Speaker 1: would do to either make it better or whether or 403 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:33,880 Speaker 1: not it sucked or And after like years of acting badly, 404 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 1: in like three months four months, I got a job 405 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:42,160 Speaker 1: reading at a studio, at a movie studio, and they 406 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:44,359 Speaker 1: offered me this full time job. And I sat and 407 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:47,639 Speaker 1: I drove around Beverly Hills where the studio was with 408 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:49,200 Speaker 1: my friend in a car, and I was like, I 409 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:51,520 Speaker 1: don't know what to do? And he said, how do 410 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 1: you feel when you do this? And I said, it's easy. 411 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:56,679 Speaker 1: I really like it. I can solve problems. It's like 412 00:21:57,119 --> 00:21:59,400 Speaker 1: my brain works like it's a puzzle. I love puzzles. 413 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: You said, how do you feel like when you're acting? 414 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 1: I said, I love acting, but I just it's so 415 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:07,760 Speaker 1: painful and I'm just I feel like I'm not good enough. 416 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:12,359 Speaker 1: And he was like, is that your answer? And you know, 417 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:16,680 Speaker 1: dear reader, The best thing is that the super skill 418 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 1: it gives you is when you go into producing, you 419 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 1: love actors so much that and I genuinely love and 420 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:25,679 Speaker 1: have so much respect for actors because I don't know 421 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:27,560 Speaker 1: how the hell you do what you do, Like I think, 422 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:29,960 Speaker 1: it's such a hard job. And I can tell you 423 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:31,920 Speaker 1: for me, it was really hard. 424 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:54,560 Speaker 3: That was at United Artists, right where you started. Yeah, 425 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:55,480 Speaker 3: where you started. 426 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 2: You started reading, and so I've got a bunch of pieces, 427 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 2: but I want to kind of have you help me 428 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:06,280 Speaker 2: navigate what happens. So you're reading scripts and then I 429 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:10,600 Speaker 2: read you got into development at Booboo Productions. So was 430 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 2: this a natural transition or well. 431 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:15,440 Speaker 3: It's greed. 432 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:19,000 Speaker 1: You know what. I got a mini upgrade while I 433 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 1: was still United Artists because I got there. I started 434 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 1: reading scripts and the same thing happened there that had 435 00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 1: happened actually with companies before I took the job, which 436 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:32,639 Speaker 1: is I started to get invited upstairs to give notes 437 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:35,159 Speaker 1: to actors like I made. I went to all the 438 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:37,360 Speaker 1: different executives and met them to try to figure out 439 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:40,920 Speaker 1: what they wanted. And one executive in particular, Ruth Vitally, 440 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 1: who still is in the business, who was one of 441 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 1: my first mentors. She would call me and say, I've 442 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:50,159 Speaker 1: got a writer up here. Can you basically explain what 443 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:52,960 Speaker 1: you think the script needs and give them notes? And 444 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:55,280 Speaker 1: so I didn't know. I mean, I just gave notes. 445 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: And I have to tell you, Brian, like sometimes they 446 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:00,400 Speaker 1: were really famous writers and I had no idea who 447 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:02,280 Speaker 1: they were. So like Ron Shelton came in and I 448 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:05,000 Speaker 1: told him miss scrip sucked. And it was great because 449 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:06,959 Speaker 1: I would say, to blame it on me, and if 450 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:09,920 Speaker 1: it's good, you take it like it's fine. Then Ruth 451 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 1: got a job. UA closed down and I was free 452 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: lancing again, and Ruth got a job with Gary Ye 453 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:21,679 Speaker 1: of Goldberg Ubu for this short lived but mighty film development. 454 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:25,040 Speaker 1: And I had done what I think is sort of 455 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:29,679 Speaker 1: baby development in fixing people's scripts. But then we had 456 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:33,359 Speaker 1: we had a very large discretionary fund because Gary brand 457 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:38,720 Speaker 1: family ties, and you know pretty much they were incredibly generous, 458 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:42,359 Speaker 1: and I like to say, like God bless them. I 459 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:45,800 Speaker 1: got paid to learn how to develop and kind of produce, 460 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 1: and we would basically take the discretionary fund and go 461 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:54,440 Speaker 1: out and go this person looks nice, let's try writing 462 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:56,480 Speaker 1: us a good lay had and I learned a ton 463 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:58,119 Speaker 1: and it was real boots on the ground and it 464 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:01,160 Speaker 1: was great. And so from there I went after they 465 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:06,880 Speaker 1: shut down. You might see a pattern starting here. It's okay, 466 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:08,400 Speaker 1: the pattern changes, you'll see. 467 00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:11,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, I was gonna ask you. 468 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, after twenty two years, I think she's probably gonna 469 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:20,080 Speaker 1: go Yeah, I got you too. This woman, she's just 470 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: got the mark. 471 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:21,600 Speaker 3: Uh. 472 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,680 Speaker 1: Then I went to work with Galen Hurd and ended 473 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:28,960 Speaker 1: up running her development and she's doing just fine. Yeah, 474 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,080 Speaker 1: so the curse of non Harry Potter stopped. 475 00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:38,840 Speaker 2: Okay, okay, it's interesting your story about giving notes to 476 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:41,680 Speaker 2: famous writers and not just not knowing who they were. 477 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:44,600 Speaker 2: So you were just saying, there is a parallel that 478 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:48,679 Speaker 2: for me as well, which was I hadn't done the 479 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 2: film and tell like I hadn't been beaten down in 480 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:55,720 Speaker 2: a way like everyone else. I had, just I was 481 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 2: like I was working on theater production after theater production. 482 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 2: I was just trying to do the best I could 483 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 2: to create a character within this and make this the 484 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:09,159 Speaker 2: best show. And so when I came and I think 485 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,920 Speaker 2: meeting the folks on the office so fast and having 486 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:15,959 Speaker 2: that happen, definitely that was a part of I believe 487 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 2: why that happened for me at the time, because I 488 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:22,320 Speaker 2: was too dumb slash an experience to know any better 489 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:27,080 Speaker 2: or be nervous about anything. Anyway, there's something kind of 490 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:30,720 Speaker 2: beautiful about that. I mean within your story as well, 491 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:35,600 Speaker 2: that you were given the freedom to say what you 492 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 2: thought because you didn't know you weren't supposed to maybe right. 493 00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:42,200 Speaker 1: I think that's absolutely I think that's really well put. 494 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:44,880 Speaker 1: I do think what you're describing in terms of your 495 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:47,320 Speaker 1: experience is very similar. So you don't know to be afraid, 496 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:50,760 Speaker 1: and what it did was it taught me there's no 497 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:54,680 Speaker 1: point in being afraid. I also, as anybody who knows 498 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:58,400 Speaker 1: pretty well can tell you that I have a tendency 499 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:01,440 Speaker 1: if I feel really strongly about something, you can see 500 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:03,560 Speaker 1: it all over my face. Anyway. I'm a really bad 501 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:08,680 Speaker 1: facial liar, like I learned. Actually, one place is when 502 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 1: you're on a set and you're watching something film. It's 503 00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 1: really important to learn not to make weird faces because 504 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:20,320 Speaker 1: we may not be doing it about the acting, but 505 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:22,840 Speaker 1: every poor actor will come up and go what I do. 506 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,879 Speaker 1: I'm like nothing, I just the sandwich was bad, and 507 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:32,320 Speaker 1: they're like no, So I think sadly, I have a 508 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:35,159 Speaker 1: bad poker face, and I do think what it does 509 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:39,920 Speaker 1: is it does encourage you to really to act how 510 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:43,440 Speaker 1: you feel, or to follow your instinct or to because 511 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,040 Speaker 1: it got you that far. And when you realize that 512 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:48,399 Speaker 1: somehow or another, you gave notes to a fancy person 513 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 1: and you didn't know that they were fancy, the next 514 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:53,240 Speaker 1: time you give notes to somebody's fancy or you're in 515 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:58,440 Speaker 1: a situation with a director or a show, you feel 516 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 1: very confident in your own choices because I have not 517 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:01,560 Speaker 1: worked once. 518 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 3: Right, right, twice exactly. No, that is very true. 519 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:12,520 Speaker 2: I will about about you having a poco face. I 520 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 2: will tell you I remember the first time we met. 521 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:17,360 Speaker 2: I don't know if you remember. 522 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:17,479 Speaker 3: This or not. 523 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:20,399 Speaker 2: This is a long long time ago, and I can't 524 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:25,080 Speaker 2: remember exactly what it was, but it was either something 525 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:29,399 Speaker 2: in or around the Emmys, some event, and or in 526 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:32,720 Speaker 2: or around the Screen Actors Guild Awards. It was some 527 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:34,440 Speaker 2: awards party. 528 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:36,240 Speaker 1: Were we were on that same circuit. 529 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:40,920 Speaker 2: I thought, that's right, absolutely, and you were. You were 530 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:45,680 Speaker 2: just unapologetically kind to me. And I spoke about you 531 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 2: afterward to some of my other cast mates at the time, 532 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 2: and I was like, you know it was just really nice, 533 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:54,719 Speaker 2: and I'm sure because you were saying nice things, I 534 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 2: was like, Betsy Beers is so she's she was just 535 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:02,400 Speaker 2: so there was something about your openness and directness and 536 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:06,440 Speaker 2: unpretension to just tell me very clearly what you thought 537 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 2: about the show, and I know I found it like 538 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 2: so incredibly refreshing, and I've I've we don't know each 539 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:18,680 Speaker 2: other very well at all, but I've always had just 540 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:23,520 Speaker 2: such positive thoughts about you because of that, not trying 541 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 2: to hide, you know, not say something because oh you 542 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:30,360 Speaker 2: get that all the time, right, like people being guarded 543 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:32,680 Speaker 2: because they think they should be guarded for like why 544 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:36,479 Speaker 2: like we're just working on two different television shows, like 545 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 2: like what difference does it make? But anyway, I didn't want. 546 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:40,520 Speaker 3: To tell you. 547 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 1: That makes me really really happy. And I do believe 548 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,480 Speaker 1: that so much of what we do is it's got 549 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,800 Speaker 1: to be genuine enthusiasm, and I was genuinely enthusiastic about you. 550 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 1: I was genuinely enthusiastic at the show, but especially like 551 00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:57,200 Speaker 1: what you do and what you did, so I am 552 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 1: very I feel like people don't share that enough too. 553 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:03,440 Speaker 1: I guess the deal is, you know that is it's 554 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 1: it's exactly what you say it and it kind of 555 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 1: it bugs me. And ask people what my pet peeves are, 556 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:11,640 Speaker 1: and one of them is just say what you mean, 557 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 1: like just I mean I I do it to a fault. 558 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 1: Sometimes there have been moments where you know, I've I 559 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,520 Speaker 1: think I've made actors freak out a little bit, or 560 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,080 Speaker 1: you know, great writers or whoever, where I just go 561 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: up and I just I either gush or I say 562 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:32,560 Speaker 1: something really really specific. But then I don't care because 563 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:37,880 Speaker 1: I just virtually nobody hates to be told that you're 564 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:42,160 Speaker 1: they're seen, at the very least, maybe if you're actually 565 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:45,120 Speaker 1: talking to the fake president from twenty four and telling 566 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:47,280 Speaker 1: him you wish it was the real president from twenty 567 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:50,520 Speaker 1: four and he's a little weirded out. That might have 568 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:57,280 Speaker 1: happened once at a party late, but I try to 569 00:30:57,360 --> 00:31:01,880 Speaker 1: keep it, you know, generally. Okay, that's great, I'm glad. 570 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:02,640 Speaker 1: I'm glad to hear it. 571 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 3: I do. 572 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:10,800 Speaker 1: I do think. I think kindness and and honestly listening. 573 00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:14,600 Speaker 1: Just listen to what somebody has to say. I know 574 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 1: it sounds simple, but you're doing a podcast, you have 575 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:21,400 Speaker 1: to listen. I've done them. It's but it's just you 576 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:23,800 Speaker 1: learned so much. I don't know, it's good, but thank you. 577 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:25,720 Speaker 1: That's a really nice compliment that means a lot coming 578 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:26,040 Speaker 1: from you. 579 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:28,760 Speaker 3: Well, and it's it's it's it's true. 580 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 2: You eventually become president, which sounds like a fancy worder. 581 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:36,840 Speaker 1: United States of America. 582 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:39,400 Speaker 2: Is an amazing transition from the story you just told 583 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:45,360 Speaker 2: of Dog Star films, two hundred cigarettes, high fidelity, pushing 584 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:51,400 Speaker 2: ten and at this point, at this point, you're you're 585 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:55,880 Speaker 2: a producer. Now, how do you define the work that 586 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:59,239 Speaker 2: you do as a producer because and I say that, 587 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 2: one because I'm genuinely interested and want to listen, And two, 588 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 2: there are so many different types. 589 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:08,360 Speaker 3: So for people out there, how would you define. 590 00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:12,280 Speaker 2: The role that you play in these projects starting then 591 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 2: and then moving forward. 592 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:18,880 Speaker 1: It's such a hard question to answer succinctly, because first 593 00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:22,040 Speaker 1: of all, they're the same job in movies and TV. 594 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:26,240 Speaker 1: You just the focus is different in movies, and just 595 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:29,400 Speaker 1: in movies, the person who's really in charge of the 596 00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:32,280 Speaker 1: vision is the director. So as a producer, your job 597 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:38,240 Speaker 1: is to me to take I believe it's everywhere from 598 00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:42,120 Speaker 1: starting with an idea to acquiring piece of material to 599 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:48,560 Speaker 1: finding a writer to putting together and developing, and by 600 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:53,320 Speaker 1: that I mean working on story and figuring out different 601 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:55,440 Speaker 1: beats and how a story should play and why you 602 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 1: want to do it, through conversations with the writer, to pitching, 603 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:06,040 Speaker 1: through production, then post and then out in the world publicity. Right, So, 604 00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:08,240 Speaker 1: if I'm being cute, I would say, it's those piece 605 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:12,440 Speaker 1: but the way I see and then in TV, take 606 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:14,640 Speaker 1: the director, take that person out and make it the writer, 607 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:17,680 Speaker 1: because the writer is the showrunner. The director was always 608 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:21,680 Speaker 1: the sort of core creative vision. Fancy producers, yes, but 609 00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:25,680 Speaker 1: it's usually the directors you know, the last name, And 610 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 1: for me, it's always meant I want to make sure 611 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:32,640 Speaker 1: that I am there to help articulate the vision of 612 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:37,520 Speaker 1: the show, which means that I am I'm in service 613 00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:40,240 Speaker 1: of the show. I'm always in service of whatever anybody 614 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:42,920 Speaker 1: needs to make the show as good as it can be, 615 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:45,160 Speaker 1: and that means I will I will do anything that 616 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,880 Speaker 1: I'm vaguely qualified to do and part of my job 617 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:55,040 Speaker 1: which I'm like vaguely qualified, but if needed, I don't 618 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:58,440 Speaker 1: go off and do it. But if needed, the important 619 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:00,240 Speaker 1: thing is that I can look at the writer, the 620 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:01,959 Speaker 1: creator and the showrunner and say what do you need 621 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 1: me to do? Or this is what I think needs 622 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:07,840 Speaker 1: to be done, And it might be different showrunners and 623 00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:10,760 Speaker 1: you know this too. Different creators of shows have different 624 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,239 Speaker 1: areas where they feel incredibly strongly about input, and then 625 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:15,200 Speaker 1: they have other areas where they really love to delegate. 626 00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:18,080 Speaker 1: I love to be involved in every single piece that 627 00:34:18,160 --> 00:34:22,799 Speaker 1: I can be, and a lot of it is how 628 00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:26,160 Speaker 1: do I contribute to making the best product possible? And 629 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:29,719 Speaker 1: different people need different things. I've worked with showrunners who 630 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:32,480 Speaker 1: and you know, the folks that I work with here 631 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:35,560 Speaker 1: at Chanelan who are great, want very specific things in 632 00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:39,440 Speaker 1: order to help shore up and articulate their vision. I 633 00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:44,319 Speaker 1: work with other showrunners and creators who want a much 634 00:34:44,360 --> 00:34:49,239 Speaker 1: more wide partnership. You know, I think it's an I 635 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:54,440 Speaker 1: frankly love partnerships. I love working closely because I think 636 00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:56,239 Speaker 1: this is going to surprise you. I have a lot 637 00:34:56,280 --> 00:35:02,560 Speaker 1: to say, hah. And I think that collaboration very often 638 00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:10,520 Speaker 1: makes for the most fun and great television and movies. 639 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:12,120 Speaker 3: It's the best. 640 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:12,879 Speaker 1: Yeah. 641 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:16,319 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, if you can do everything on your own, 642 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:20,279 Speaker 2: then you don't need anybody else. And no matter how 643 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:23,680 Speaker 2: great your vision is as a writer or a director. 644 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:27,560 Speaker 2: As you indicated on the medium, you're bringing other people 645 00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:29,440 Speaker 2: around to try to make it better than what you 646 00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:30,440 Speaker 2: can create yourself. 647 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:33,680 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, And I think one of the great things 648 00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:37,799 Speaker 1: about having experiences. I've told this story before, but when 649 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:40,200 Speaker 1: I was doing two hundred Cigarettes was my first movie. 650 00:35:40,239 --> 00:35:43,000 Speaker 1: We had five dollars in ninety five cents. It was 651 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:45,960 Speaker 1: four billion five year old actors. Not really you know, 652 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:49,440 Speaker 1: they were all really cool kids in their early twenties, lateeens. 653 00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:52,840 Speaker 1: And it was me standing for thirty eight days, freezing 654 00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:55,040 Speaker 1: my ass off all night long, every night in New York. 655 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:58,200 Speaker 1: And I'd never done anything like it before. I'd done 656 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:00,160 Speaker 1: all the steps before, but it was my first just 657 00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:04,800 Speaker 1: real like almost so adventure. And I remember like somebody 658 00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:07,279 Speaker 1: asked me a question and I did, like that, well, 659 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:09,680 Speaker 1: I you know, think blah blah blah blah, and it 660 00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:13,680 Speaker 1: was I clearly had no idea what I was talking about. 661 00:36:13,719 --> 00:36:17,080 Speaker 1: And a dude, I was like two in the morning, 662 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:21,239 Speaker 1: and I still remember we were like downtown and this 663 00:36:22,239 --> 00:36:24,640 Speaker 1: it's somebody I think was like a grip was moving 664 00:36:24,719 --> 00:36:26,879 Speaker 1: something and he said, can I can I just give 665 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:30,160 Speaker 1: you a piece of piece? And I said, yeah, sure, 666 00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:33,000 Speaker 1: I'm I'm sure I know the answer, and he said, 667 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:35,480 Speaker 1: you know, it's fine to admit you don't know what 668 00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:37,839 Speaker 1: you're doing. People love it when you ask for help 669 00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:41,440 Speaker 1: because they love to teach you what they know. So 670 00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:46,080 Speaker 1: that's okay. And I went, oh, I get it. That's 671 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:50,400 Speaker 1: that's really you're smart, that's you're not I'm not fooling anybody. 672 00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:52,520 Speaker 1: And you know that. I mean, Brian, you've been through 673 00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:55,600 Speaker 1: that where it's like, Okay, dude, you clearly have never 674 00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:58,839 Speaker 1: done a shot list before, so just ask someone how 675 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:01,080 Speaker 1: to do the shot say you don't need a shot 676 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:05,200 Speaker 1: list or whatever the heck kid it, but I will. 677 00:37:05,239 --> 00:37:07,640 Speaker 1: I will go into I always say it's a successful 678 00:37:07,680 --> 00:37:12,120 Speaker 1: show or movie or project when I can walk away 679 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:13,719 Speaker 1: at the end of it and say I didn't know 680 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:15,839 Speaker 1: that thing, and I learned that I didn't know how 681 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:18,719 Speaker 1: to handle that kind of person. I didn't. I think 682 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:22,759 Speaker 1: it's a great job because there's an endless opportunity for 683 00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:27,920 Speaker 1: learning and growth if you just listen, and like we 684 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:31,520 Speaker 1: always say, here and Sean and I've talked about this 685 00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:33,319 Speaker 1: for reason. I think it's true. With Alison Akel and 686 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:36,080 Speaker 1: all the wonderful people in development, the whole company but 687 00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:41,040 Speaker 1: I we don't want to do anything we've done again, Like, 688 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:43,520 Speaker 1: we don't do the same thing twice. And that's the biggest. 689 00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:46,960 Speaker 1: One of the biggest things initially that I think we 690 00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:50,480 Speaker 1: discovered when we were first starting out on Grays was, 691 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:53,239 Speaker 1: you know, ABC wanted to spin off of Grays and 692 00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:57,799 Speaker 1: I think they wanted, you know, Gray's Chicago. So it's like, 693 00:37:58,280 --> 00:38:03,000 Speaker 1: here's here's a girl named you know, Beredith and she's 694 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:05,960 Speaker 1: you know, it's that was terrible. I'm sorry, I don't 695 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:08,279 Speaker 1: why I said that, but you get the idea. And 696 00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:09,480 Speaker 1: so we looked at each other. 697 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:09,840 Speaker 3: Idea. 698 00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:14,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, we looked at it, and you know, and the doggie, 699 00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:17,879 Speaker 1: and we looked at each other and we were like, 700 00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:19,360 Speaker 1: do you want to do that? I was like, I 701 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:20,600 Speaker 1: don't want to do it all over again, do you? 702 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:22,120 Speaker 1: And it would have I'm sure it would have been 703 00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:25,799 Speaker 1: gigantic success. But we did private practice because it was 704 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:28,040 Speaker 1: much more interesting to say, hey, those are people in 705 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:30,520 Speaker 1: their twenties, they're just starting out. What happens if you 706 00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:33,480 Speaker 1: take a group of doctors that we know, some we know, 707 00:38:33,600 --> 00:38:35,440 Speaker 1: so we don't, and you put them in a different 708 00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:38,520 Speaker 1: time of their lives, which is late thirties early forties, 709 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:41,680 Speaker 1: when the decisions are getting really hard, you experience death, 710 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:43,759 Speaker 1: you have to make decisions about your relationships and and 711 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:45,880 Speaker 1: all that kind of stuff. And I think from that 712 00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:48,160 Speaker 1: point on we both were sort of like, at least 713 00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:51,720 Speaker 1: I can say for me, what I love is getting 714 00:38:51,719 --> 00:38:55,640 Speaker 1: the opportunity to say what you want in different formats 715 00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:56,920 Speaker 1: and stories and different ways. 716 00:38:56,719 --> 00:38:57,320 Speaker 3: Of saying. 717 00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:02,759 Speaker 2: You. I mean, it's time to make sure everybody knows 718 00:39:02,760 --> 00:39:03,759 Speaker 2: what we're talking about here. 719 00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:04,360 Speaker 3: Betsy. 720 00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:07,520 Speaker 2: You're at the Mark Gordon Company. You meet a writer 721 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:12,719 Speaker 2: named Shonda Rhymes. Shonda Rhymes has created a show, Gray's Anatomy. 722 00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:17,080 Speaker 2: You began working with her and on the show since 723 00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:18,719 Speaker 2: day one. No, that's not true. 724 00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:23,520 Speaker 1: There was no show. So basically we developed a pilot 725 00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:27,600 Speaker 1: together the first year that we met that was about 726 00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:31,200 Speaker 1: work correspondence. It didn't get picked up, okay, so the 727 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:34,560 Speaker 1: second year we definitely wanted to work together again. It 728 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:37,160 Speaker 1: was for those of you who you probably all know 729 00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:38,719 Speaker 1: because you listen to this podcast, and I'm sure he 730 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:41,200 Speaker 1: talked about this a lot. But there's a pitching season 731 00:39:41,239 --> 00:39:43,160 Speaker 1: and network in the old days, and it was summertime 732 00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:45,959 Speaker 1: and you came up with your ideas and you'd pitch 733 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:49,160 Speaker 1: it and then you'd write the script and the fall, 734 00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:51,840 Speaker 1: and then you get picked up around after the holidays, 735 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:54,880 Speaker 1: and then you'd film your pilot. So we heard that 736 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:59,880 Speaker 1: ABC was looking for a medical show, and she was like, 737 00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:01,839 Speaker 1: I was going to go to medical school. And I said, 738 00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:03,879 Speaker 1: I hate medical shows. I think they suck. I don't 739 00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:07,280 Speaker 1: understand what's going on. They're screaming and yelling. They're scary. 740 00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:10,399 Speaker 1: I don't get it. And she was like, it's so weird. 741 00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:13,560 Speaker 1: I said, because you need a you know, she was. 742 00:40:13,719 --> 00:40:15,160 Speaker 1: We basically talked about it. She was like, there are 743 00:40:15,160 --> 00:40:17,719 Speaker 1: these things called interns, and I was like, those sound good. 744 00:40:18,760 --> 00:40:20,680 Speaker 1: In turns sound good because they don't know what they're 745 00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:23,440 Speaker 1: doing either. So we sat and we had a lot 746 00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:25,279 Speaker 1: of conversations, which is what we've done in the other 747 00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:28,920 Speaker 1: script developed, you know, talked, and then she went off 748 00:40:29,239 --> 00:40:34,520 Speaker 1: and based on conversations around Big Brain, she did what 749 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:38,399 Speaker 1: I now call the percolating process, which is she takes 750 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:41,200 Speaker 1: all these things I'm making weird finger moves for people 751 00:40:41,239 --> 00:40:45,319 Speaker 1: who don't know what I'm doing, weird finger moves, not 752 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:47,200 Speaker 1: those kind of weird finger moves stopping. 753 00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:49,000 Speaker 3: I didn't say a word. 754 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:53,239 Speaker 1: I'm saying it. I'm saying it too some listener. But 755 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:58,920 Speaker 1: she she will go off and take things and do 756 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:02,680 Speaker 1: this incredible work where all of a sudden she came 757 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:05,319 Speaker 1: back and she handed me this piece of paper which 758 00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:08,520 Speaker 1: was the pitch, and it was unbelievable and it was 759 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:12,160 Speaker 1: the first episode. Is pretty much the first episode. And 760 00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:17,400 Speaker 1: so we got the pilot picked up for a script 761 00:41:17,520 --> 00:41:20,480 Speaker 1: and then they couldn't decide if they wanted to pick 762 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:23,160 Speaker 1: it up to make a pilot. We were the last 763 00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:26,719 Speaker 1: show to get picked up. We had to do all pitch. Yeah, 764 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:30,960 Speaker 1: nobody got it except the executives who were behind it 765 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:34,200 Speaker 1: were really pro it. But up top there was one 766 00:41:34,239 --> 00:41:36,719 Speaker 1: woman named Susan Lyne who was a co president with 767 00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:38,960 Speaker 1: Lloyd Bron at that time. I think at ABC I 768 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:43,640 Speaker 1: could be wrong, and Seanda I went in and basically 769 00:41:44,560 --> 00:41:47,279 Speaker 1: made a plea and told her why we thought it 770 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:49,520 Speaker 1: was important. I made up a bunch of stuff. I 771 00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:53,520 Speaker 1: have no idea what I was thinking. And God bless her, 772 00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:55,520 Speaker 1: and God bless Lloyd Bron or whoever else who. By 773 00:41:55,560 --> 00:41:57,920 Speaker 1: the way, there is a real Lloyd Braun for all 774 00:41:57,920 --> 00:42:01,719 Speaker 1: of you who watch side Field. Anyway, they picked up 775 00:42:01,719 --> 00:42:03,680 Speaker 1: the pilot and then we were the last show to 776 00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:06,360 Speaker 1: get picked up for series and they put us on 777 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:10,960 Speaker 1: a mid season and that's when we started. So I 778 00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:13,719 Speaker 1: went through the whole one hole pilot and then this 779 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:18,319 Speaker 1: whole journey, and then I went off to continue to 780 00:42:18,360 --> 00:42:20,960 Speaker 1: work on the first season of Grey's Anatome while I 781 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:23,600 Speaker 1: still had my job at Mark Gordon Company, where I 782 00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:26,279 Speaker 1: was producing a movie in Italy called Casanova, and I 783 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:29,160 Speaker 1: was commuting back and forth every couple of weeks to 784 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:33,160 Speaker 1: work on Grays and then go work on Casanova. And 785 00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:39,200 Speaker 1: shortly after that I ended up quitting that job and 786 00:42:39,239 --> 00:42:42,400 Speaker 1: going to work full time with Shonda on Grace. 787 00:42:43,719 --> 00:42:45,960 Speaker 3: Wow, those early days. 788 00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:49,359 Speaker 2: Now you're commuting back and forth from Italy, so you're 789 00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:52,239 Speaker 2: not there every day. How much are you working on 790 00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:56,560 Speaker 2: the day to day scripts? Production, reviewing cuts? 791 00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:00,440 Speaker 1: It's a TV show, so initially when the scripts are 792 00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:03,440 Speaker 1: being written, I would be giving notes on scripts. But 793 00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:05,200 Speaker 1: there was a writer's room for the first time. Up 794 00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:07,239 Speaker 1: until then, it had just been the two of us. 795 00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:09,839 Speaker 1: And then obviously there was a writer's room. We had 796 00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:12,759 Speaker 1: a great guy come in who you know, helped sort 797 00:43:12,760 --> 00:43:15,600 Speaker 1: of organize stuff. So it's a hard question. To answer, 798 00:43:15,680 --> 00:43:19,920 Speaker 1: because initially I was involved and aware of everything that 799 00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:22,680 Speaker 1: was going on, but the writer's room was sacras anct, 800 00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:26,280 Speaker 1: and they would write scripts. I would look at stuff, 801 00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:30,360 Speaker 1: and then I was pretty much back and forth whenever 802 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:33,000 Speaker 1: it was necessary. And then when cut started to come in, 803 00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:36,600 Speaker 1: definitively I was there. That started around the time that 804 00:43:36,640 --> 00:43:39,080 Speaker 1: I was there more than I was in Italy. I 805 00:43:39,080 --> 00:43:40,799 Speaker 1: went back and forth to Italy a few times. And 806 00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:44,680 Speaker 1: true story, I was sitting on set after being on 807 00:43:44,719 --> 00:43:48,520 Speaker 1: the pilot and sitting on set in La, and I 808 00:43:48,600 --> 00:43:51,440 Speaker 1: was sitting in Piazza San Marco, and I was waiting 809 00:43:51,480 --> 00:43:54,880 Speaker 1: for the sun to be perfect, because the DP needed 810 00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:58,480 Speaker 1: a perfect son. And I didn't understand why it was 811 00:43:58,480 --> 00:43:59,799 Speaker 1: taking so long at this point. I mean, I came 812 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:01,920 Speaker 1: from movies, Brian, this is so ridiculous. But I was 813 00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:05,080 Speaker 1: sitting there. I'm by nature really impatient person, as you 814 00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:08,439 Speaker 1: can tell, but I was like, what's taking so long? 815 00:44:09,239 --> 00:44:11,799 Speaker 1: And I think, I said, you know what, if I've 816 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:15,040 Speaker 1: been back in La, we could have gotten ten setups 817 00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:18,399 Speaker 1: in this amount of time. And Jeremy Irons comes over, 818 00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:22,279 Speaker 1: who is in the movie, and he looks at me 819 00:44:22,360 --> 00:44:26,320 Speaker 1: and he goes, you know, dear girl, you really should 820 00:44:26,320 --> 00:44:29,680 Speaker 1: go back to Los Angeles because you're more I think 821 00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:32,279 Speaker 1: you're more of a television person than you are a 822 00:44:32,280 --> 00:44:35,480 Speaker 1: movie person. I was like, you're right. I think you're 823 00:44:35,520 --> 00:44:38,719 Speaker 1: probably right. And you know, in the movie version, I 824 00:44:38,719 --> 00:44:40,520 Speaker 1: would have packed everything up. But I went back and 825 00:44:40,520 --> 00:44:43,319 Speaker 1: forth and it was wonderful during the movie. But that 826 00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:45,279 Speaker 1: was the moment when a penny dropped and I was like, 827 00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:50,120 Speaker 1: I love TV. People just keep working. Nobody stands around, 828 00:44:50,320 --> 00:44:51,600 Speaker 1: you know, no one stands around. 829 00:44:51,719 --> 00:45:14,480 Speaker 2: Nope, you just finished your twentieth year, became the longest 830 00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:20,000 Speaker 2: running drama in ABC history. Do you ever give yourself 831 00:45:20,040 --> 00:45:21,759 Speaker 2: a moment to go back and think of those early 832 00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:25,359 Speaker 2: days and think, oh my gosh, we're still doing it 833 00:45:25,440 --> 00:45:27,560 Speaker 2: twenty years later. 834 00:45:27,400 --> 00:45:30,080 Speaker 3: And how does that? What does that mean to you? 835 00:45:31,680 --> 00:45:37,440 Speaker 1: I mean, it's a stand it's astounding. Like I remember 836 00:45:37,600 --> 00:45:41,560 Speaker 1: season one where we were just like throwing the kitchen 837 00:45:41,600 --> 00:45:44,839 Speaker 1: sink because this is probably our last. And the great 838 00:45:44,840 --> 00:45:48,400 Speaker 1: thing about Shanda, Shanda is fearless when it comes to storytelling, obviously, 839 00:45:48,480 --> 00:45:51,520 Speaker 1: so it was just like, I just pull all the 840 00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:56,279 Speaker 1: stops out and I don't know, it's such a testament 841 00:45:56,360 --> 00:46:01,320 Speaker 1: to both our fans I mean have such incredible, crazy 842 00:46:01,360 --> 00:46:06,480 Speaker 1: loyal fans, and something about the show keeps resonating. I 843 00:46:06,480 --> 00:46:08,640 Speaker 1: mean it does for me. It's better for me because 844 00:46:08,680 --> 00:46:11,399 Speaker 1: you know that would be embarrassing, but it didn't. And there's 845 00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:14,759 Speaker 1: so many talented people involved, and I think it means 846 00:46:14,760 --> 00:46:17,799 Speaker 1: so much to me that over the years, like now, 847 00:46:17,840 --> 00:46:21,759 Speaker 1: we have Meg Morenis, who started with us in like 848 00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:24,920 Speaker 1: season two as an assistant as a runner and who 849 00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:28,480 Speaker 1: is now running the show. And I think there's something 850 00:46:28,600 --> 00:46:32,280 Speaker 1: so wonderful and incredible about so many of our actors directing, 851 00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:36,359 Speaker 1: and I it just it means a ton. It's it's 852 00:46:36,480 --> 00:46:39,560 Speaker 1: mind boggling. I mean, if you had said to me, 853 00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:43,560 Speaker 1: if you had said to the way younger less wrinkled 854 00:46:43,680 --> 00:46:47,160 Speaker 1: me like years ago, that we would be going, I'd go, 855 00:46:47,600 --> 00:46:57,359 Speaker 1: that's unbelievable. But yay, I mean it's it's definitely it's 856 00:46:57,360 --> 00:47:00,920 Speaker 1: definitely crazy. But I'm very proud of you. 857 00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:06,680 Speaker 2: In addition to Gray's Anatomy, served as producer on Private Practice, 858 00:47:07,239 --> 00:47:11,200 Speaker 2: among others, The Catch Scandal for the People, How to 859 00:47:11,239 --> 00:47:16,000 Speaker 2: Get Away With Murder Station nineteen, and now of course 860 00:47:16,239 --> 00:47:25,799 Speaker 2: the smash Sensation, Bridgerton Inventing Anna and upcoming the Residents, 861 00:47:26,000 --> 00:47:28,840 Speaker 2: who I just was able to talk to Susan collect you. 862 00:47:29,160 --> 00:47:31,319 Speaker 1: Susan, right, yeah, how did you? 863 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:34,440 Speaker 2: How did you know that? Now now you don't research me. 864 00:47:35,280 --> 00:47:40,520 Speaker 2: I talked to Susan. I talked to Susan, and she 865 00:47:40,680 --> 00:47:43,040 Speaker 2: told us, by the way, everything that happens. So I 866 00:47:43,080 --> 00:47:46,120 Speaker 2: don't even know if you need to run it. Do 867 00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:47,719 Speaker 2: we have a release date on that yet? 868 00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:52,080 Speaker 1: By the way, No, we don't, but I'm sure whatever 869 00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:54,120 Speaker 1: release date it will be, it will be a terrific one. 870 00:47:55,239 --> 00:47:56,200 Speaker 3: She's lying everyone. 871 00:47:56,239 --> 00:47:59,239 Speaker 2: She knows exactly when she knows, she knows exactly when 872 00:47:59,239 --> 00:47:59,879 Speaker 2: it's coming out. 873 00:48:00,600 --> 00:48:01,040 Speaker 3: I don't know. 874 00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:04,640 Speaker 2: I didn't I didn't do the math. I don't do 875 00:48:04,760 --> 00:48:09,240 Speaker 2: numbers that well. This is like a combined nine hundred 876 00:48:09,239 --> 00:48:14,600 Speaker 2: and seventy three years of television, it appears to me. 877 00:48:15,680 --> 00:48:18,920 Speaker 2: So this I'm going to ask this question again in 878 00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:22,799 Speaker 2: a in a slightly different way. I mean, at one 879 00:48:22,880 --> 00:48:25,720 Speaker 2: point in time, you've got at least Gray's Anatomy, Private 880 00:48:25,800 --> 00:48:31,720 Speaker 2: Practice and Scandal that's on the air. At the same 881 00:48:31,800 --> 00:48:36,200 Speaker 2: time you now have other you know, Bridgerton, at the 882 00:48:36,200 --> 00:48:40,000 Speaker 2: same time that Inventing Ana is happening, and now the Residents. 883 00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:44,239 Speaker 2: So you have to be more macro now right, I mean, 884 00:48:44,280 --> 00:48:46,840 Speaker 2: are you are you reviewing scripts for these shows? 885 00:48:46,880 --> 00:48:47,200 Speaker 3: Still? 886 00:48:47,520 --> 00:48:49,839 Speaker 1: It depends on the screen, It depends on the show. 887 00:48:50,000 --> 00:48:53,120 Speaker 1: Is I think if I always say like shows are 888 00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:55,600 Speaker 1: like kids, I have no children. So this is as 889 00:48:55,600 --> 00:48:58,840 Speaker 1: close as I can get to the analogy in that 890 00:48:59,640 --> 00:49:02,759 Speaker 1: the oldest show is like having a kid who's left 891 00:49:02,800 --> 00:49:05,560 Speaker 1: the house and has gone to college or is So 892 00:49:05,840 --> 00:49:08,040 Speaker 1: when there's an emergency, when there's a real issue, you 893 00:49:08,120 --> 00:49:13,279 Speaker 1: check in, You celebrate birthdays, you know it's correct, You 894 00:49:13,320 --> 00:49:16,840 Speaker 1: make yourself available for whatever's necessary. But honestly, you you 895 00:49:16,920 --> 00:49:22,120 Speaker 1: spend a lot of time lauding them for their thriving survival. 896 00:49:22,239 --> 00:49:22,840 Speaker 3: In my opinion. 897 00:49:23,440 --> 00:49:27,080 Speaker 1: On the other spectrum, on the other end is when 898 00:49:27,080 --> 00:49:29,200 Speaker 1: a new show is around, it's a baby and that 899 00:49:29,239 --> 00:49:32,680 Speaker 1: needs a lot of Karen feeding. So when Bridgerton was 900 00:49:32,680 --> 00:49:36,360 Speaker 1: starting out, I was involved in every aspect of Bridgerton. 901 00:49:37,320 --> 00:49:40,880 Speaker 1: Now I'll be involved in different aspects of Bridgerton, but 902 00:49:40,880 --> 00:49:43,680 Speaker 1: it's not the same. That's only been four seasons with 903 00:49:44,280 --> 00:49:47,000 Speaker 1: eight episodes, as opposed to something like Gray Is Where 904 00:49:47,800 --> 00:49:50,640 Speaker 1: And you remember this, Brian, like we made TV and 905 00:49:50,680 --> 00:49:51,920 Speaker 1: it was twenty four episodes. 906 00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:56,080 Speaker 3: You know, so we were doing thirty. By the way, 907 00:49:56,080 --> 00:50:02,160 Speaker 3: you guys, thirty thirty right against you guys. 908 00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:03,560 Speaker 1: That is rape and pillage thirty. 909 00:50:04,040 --> 00:50:04,919 Speaker 3: I mean it's a lot. 910 00:50:05,200 --> 00:50:07,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, that was a lot. Like you so you had 911 00:50:07,680 --> 00:50:10,719 Speaker 1: like a bathroom break and a trip to Disneyland, and 912 00:50:10,719 --> 00:50:12,839 Speaker 1: then you came back and you started again. It's like there, 913 00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:14,120 Speaker 1: that's no hiatus. 914 00:50:14,480 --> 00:50:16,480 Speaker 3: No, no, thirty is a lot. 915 00:50:17,520 --> 00:50:20,560 Speaker 1: Thirty, Yeah, I think. So bottom line is every it 916 00:50:20,600 --> 00:50:22,800 Speaker 1: goes back to what I said about producing. I'm here 917 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:26,960 Speaker 1: for whatever is necessary for whatever is going on. And also, 918 00:50:27,000 --> 00:50:31,640 Speaker 1: remember when we were doing it was like Gray's Private Scandal, 919 00:50:31,760 --> 00:50:35,240 Speaker 1: how to get Away with Murder. We are also developing shows, 920 00:50:35,440 --> 00:50:39,439 Speaker 1: so on top of it, I would be theoretically keeping 921 00:50:39,480 --> 00:50:42,280 Speaker 1: an eye on a bunch of shows and then trying 922 00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:44,200 Speaker 1: to get new shows on the art because why not, 923 00:50:44,320 --> 00:50:48,840 Speaker 1: I mean, we have there's time for bathroom break. 924 00:50:49,080 --> 00:50:53,319 Speaker 3: Yeah, yes, exactly. 925 00:50:54,239 --> 00:50:58,200 Speaker 2: Well, Look, I was told I needed to ask you 926 00:50:58,360 --> 00:51:00,880 Speaker 2: what's happening in Bridgerton third season? 927 00:51:01,560 --> 00:51:03,280 Speaker 3: I mean I need all the answers. 928 00:51:03,520 --> 00:51:07,800 Speaker 1: What's happening third season in Bridgerton? You can see it. 929 00:51:07,800 --> 00:51:11,759 Speaker 1: It's it's it's on it's on the it's on the 930 00:51:11,960 --> 00:51:12,800 Speaker 1: streaming device. 931 00:51:13,080 --> 00:51:15,640 Speaker 3: It's all it's all, you're all done, it's all out. 932 00:51:15,920 --> 00:51:18,680 Speaker 1: No, it's out. The second part is out in a 933 00:51:18,719 --> 00:51:20,520 Speaker 1: couple of weeks. The first part is out. 934 00:51:20,760 --> 00:51:24,239 Speaker 2: Yes, right, So what happens in the first part No, 935 00:51:24,719 --> 00:51:26,440 Speaker 2: in the second part, Oh, I thought. 936 00:51:26,280 --> 00:51:28,840 Speaker 1: You just want to know in general. Oh, in the 937 00:51:28,880 --> 00:51:30,240 Speaker 1: second part, a lot of stuff happens. 938 00:51:30,320 --> 00:51:33,759 Speaker 3: Yeah. Oh see, that's not that's not the kind of 939 00:51:33,920 --> 00:51:35,439 Speaker 3: you know, breaking news we need. 940 00:51:35,680 --> 00:51:37,879 Speaker 1: No, no, you're yeah, you won't get any breaking news 941 00:51:37,880 --> 00:51:41,239 Speaker 1: for me. There will be wearing corsets. There will be 942 00:51:41,280 --> 00:51:45,760 Speaker 1: some dancing, undoubtedly, there might be some romance. 943 00:51:47,280 --> 00:51:49,080 Speaker 3: Romance or sex, you know. 944 00:51:49,560 --> 00:51:51,240 Speaker 1: I think sometimes there's both. 945 00:51:51,680 --> 00:51:57,879 Speaker 2: Okay, this show is I mean, this has taken over 946 00:51:57,920 --> 00:51:59,279 Speaker 2: the zeitgeist here. 947 00:51:59,360 --> 00:52:03,719 Speaker 3: This is like a cultural uh what do you call it? Phenomenon? 948 00:52:04,239 --> 00:52:04,920 Speaker 3: Is that it. 949 00:52:07,239 --> 00:52:11,480 Speaker 1: I it's a lot of people love, have a lot 950 00:52:11,480 --> 00:52:14,720 Speaker 1: of love, which is really good because it's really bad 951 00:52:14,760 --> 00:52:19,640 Speaker 1: when they don't. But no, it's it is. And I think, look, 952 00:52:19,800 --> 00:52:23,799 Speaker 1: I feel incredibly lucky that when we first debuted this 953 00:52:23,960 --> 00:52:27,240 Speaker 1: it was the middle of COVID. I had no idea 954 00:52:27,400 --> 00:52:29,719 Speaker 1: because I don't I'm not a big social media person. 955 00:52:29,760 --> 00:52:32,480 Speaker 1: Although everybody here keeps starting to change that and I'm like, 956 00:52:32,880 --> 00:52:36,960 Speaker 1: you just don't want this. But I was like sequestered 957 00:52:37,000 --> 00:52:40,880 Speaker 1: during the holiday, and I started getting phone calls to 958 00:52:40,880 --> 00:52:42,719 Speaker 1: my friends in London and stuff, and it was like 959 00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:45,520 Speaker 1: this amazing thing when everybody was all separate and we 960 00:52:45,520 --> 00:52:48,160 Speaker 1: were all kind of everything was kind of grim that 961 00:52:48,200 --> 00:52:51,279 Speaker 1: the timing I think worked incredibly well for us too, 962 00:52:51,360 --> 00:52:55,279 Speaker 1: and it got It was a little beacon of you know, 963 00:52:55,680 --> 00:52:59,399 Speaker 1: X case escapism and hope distraction, distraction, and I think 964 00:52:59,440 --> 00:53:02,040 Speaker 1: everybody got. Really what I love about this show is 965 00:53:02,080 --> 00:53:05,120 Speaker 1: you really engage in the whole family and the families, 966 00:53:05,560 --> 00:53:08,840 Speaker 1: and so you have a kind of a fighting rooting 967 00:53:09,880 --> 00:53:14,000 Speaker 1: side for every couple as they come up right. And 968 00:53:14,239 --> 00:53:16,440 Speaker 1: the thing that has been hardest for people to understand 969 00:53:16,520 --> 00:53:18,560 Speaker 1: is that we really do mean that happily ever after 970 00:53:18,600 --> 00:53:20,120 Speaker 1: at the end of a season and then the next 971 00:53:20,120 --> 00:53:22,880 Speaker 1: season starts, and after the first season, people I think 972 00:53:23,120 --> 00:53:26,880 Speaker 1: used to seeing our serialized shows, We're like, but when's 973 00:53:26,920 --> 00:53:29,839 Speaker 1: the duke going to come back and leave her and 974 00:53:29,880 --> 00:53:35,400 Speaker 1: do something? Really, No, Jolia Quinn, It's these are nice stories. 975 00:53:35,480 --> 00:53:43,080 Speaker 2: No, Well, you may not know social media, but you 976 00:53:43,120 --> 00:53:45,000 Speaker 2: know other things. I don't know what that was a 977 00:53:45,080 --> 00:53:46,960 Speaker 2: terrible transition. But you didn't. 978 00:53:47,120 --> 00:53:48,680 Speaker 3: You didn't. You didn't take my bait. 979 00:53:48,880 --> 00:53:55,000 Speaker 2: So anyway, it has become such a cultural phenomenon. You 980 00:53:55,480 --> 00:54:00,880 Speaker 2: are the host of a companion podcast A side the 981 00:54:01,080 --> 00:54:03,160 Speaker 2: ton Get it, Bridgerton. 982 00:54:03,640 --> 00:54:04,960 Speaker 3: Are you having fun doing that? 983 00:54:05,760 --> 00:54:08,360 Speaker 1: I love doing it? But also, Brian, I used to 984 00:54:08,400 --> 00:54:11,600 Speaker 1: do Most people don't know this, but back in the 985 00:54:11,640 --> 00:54:15,239 Speaker 1: old old days, Shonda and I did a podcast which 986 00:54:15,280 --> 00:54:19,560 Speaker 1: was called we just called it Gray's Anatomy, and we 987 00:54:19,600 --> 00:54:21,520 Speaker 1: would do that. In the beginning, we'd be like, I'm bad, 988 00:54:21,520 --> 00:54:26,239 Speaker 1: super like Gray's Anatomy, and we would just talk. I 989 00:54:26,239 --> 00:54:28,400 Speaker 1: don't even think we had guests. I think we just talked. 990 00:54:28,920 --> 00:54:30,759 Speaker 1: So we started with that and I ended up sort 991 00:54:30,800 --> 00:54:33,839 Speaker 1: of asking a lot of questions. And then after that 992 00:54:34,080 --> 00:54:37,640 Speaker 1: I did a Scandal podcast, and then I did I 993 00:54:37,680 --> 00:54:39,640 Speaker 1: did a Gras Anatomy podcast, I think, and then I 994 00:54:39,640 --> 00:54:44,120 Speaker 1: did an Inside Shondaland podcast, And so now I'm doing 995 00:54:44,160 --> 00:54:47,720 Speaker 1: this and it's I really I love I love the medium, 996 00:54:47,800 --> 00:54:52,720 Speaker 1: and yours are delightful, like you are, like, you're really 997 00:54:52,719 --> 00:54:55,879 Speaker 1: really good at this, and I think, oh me, oh yeah, 998 00:54:56,480 --> 00:54:58,600 Speaker 1: I think you're really really good at it, and you're 999 00:54:58,800 --> 00:55:03,440 Speaker 1: you just get people to tell great stories and and 1000 00:55:03,600 --> 00:55:06,200 Speaker 1: everyone just always it always sounds like everyone's having a 1001 00:55:06,200 --> 00:55:08,240 Speaker 1: really good time, which they are because I'm actually genuinely 1002 00:55:08,280 --> 00:55:11,919 Speaker 1: having a good time, which well, thanks deep until now 1003 00:55:11,960 --> 00:55:15,640 Speaker 1: today was not as sunny. But I'm I'm not going 1004 00:55:15,719 --> 00:55:17,520 Speaker 1: to go punch someone in the face now because you've 1005 00:55:17,520 --> 00:55:21,960 Speaker 1: been so lovely. That's good. But no, I just think 1006 00:55:21,960 --> 00:55:25,560 Speaker 1: they're great. I think it's yeah, I think I think 1007 00:55:25,560 --> 00:55:26,279 Speaker 1: you're really good at it. 1008 00:55:26,600 --> 00:55:28,920 Speaker 2: Well that's very nice. I will tell you this, and 1009 00:55:28,960 --> 00:55:31,440 Speaker 2: this is not a joke. It's my favorite thing that 1010 00:55:31,480 --> 00:55:34,160 Speaker 2: I do. I love having these conversations with people like 1011 00:55:34,239 --> 00:55:36,840 Speaker 2: you and others. And again, I mean, it goes back, 1012 00:55:37,440 --> 00:55:39,719 Speaker 2: you know, a good a good storyteller always goes back 1013 00:55:39,760 --> 00:55:42,000 Speaker 2: to the beginning. But it is what you talked about, 1014 00:55:42,080 --> 00:55:44,760 Speaker 2: the grip telling you like, don't act like you know everything, 1015 00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:47,560 Speaker 2: and if you can learn something from somebody over the 1016 00:55:47,600 --> 00:55:51,640 Speaker 2: course of a conversation, well my day feels better. 1017 00:55:51,800 --> 00:55:54,200 Speaker 3: So I truly do love doing it. 1018 00:55:55,440 --> 00:55:56,080 Speaker 1: You can tell you. 1019 00:55:56,800 --> 00:55:58,320 Speaker 3: Can tell thank you for saying it well. 1020 00:55:58,160 --> 00:56:03,520 Speaker 1: Because you genuinely ask questions and that come from other questions. 1021 00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:04,960 Speaker 3: Like you your I'm listening. 1022 00:56:05,239 --> 00:56:08,560 Speaker 1: It's but that's the thing That's where we go back to. 1023 00:56:08,760 --> 00:56:11,200 Speaker 1: If there's one thing I could say about everything in 1024 00:56:11,239 --> 00:56:15,560 Speaker 1: the world right now is if everybody, if everybody listened better, 1025 00:56:15,600 --> 00:56:19,600 Speaker 1: if we all listened, there might be I don't know 1026 00:56:19,600 --> 00:56:21,600 Speaker 1: if there'd be solutions to problems, but at least there 1027 00:56:21,600 --> 00:56:25,960 Speaker 1: wouldn't be so much intense and hideous frustration. Maybe, I 1028 00:56:26,000 --> 00:56:26,319 Speaker 1: don't know. 1029 00:56:26,560 --> 00:56:28,240 Speaker 3: I find that divisiveness, Yeah. 1030 00:56:28,080 --> 00:56:32,879 Speaker 1: Divisiveness, but hey, I'm an idealist, yes, which is. 1031 00:56:33,040 --> 00:56:35,880 Speaker 2: Well, I know me too, But it does feel in 1032 00:56:35,960 --> 00:56:38,680 Speaker 2: some ways that that would make things a hell of 1033 00:56:38,719 --> 00:56:45,120 Speaker 2: a lot better, for sure. I I gotta let you go, 1034 00:56:45,200 --> 00:56:49,000 Speaker 2: But I do have to mention again after my conversation 1035 00:56:49,080 --> 00:56:52,640 Speaker 2: with Susie who, Susan who? By the way, By the way, 1036 00:56:52,680 --> 00:56:57,120 Speaker 2: I just made Susan Colecchi Susie. So I don't know 1037 00:56:57,120 --> 00:56:59,160 Speaker 2: if she would appreciate that or not, but I did it. 1038 00:56:59,560 --> 00:57:02,920 Speaker 2: The rest it's coming out. She would give me no information. 1039 00:57:03,040 --> 00:57:04,600 Speaker 2: You want to tell me any more about that. You 1040 00:57:04,680 --> 00:57:06,080 Speaker 2: want to tell me what happens. 1041 00:57:06,680 --> 00:57:09,360 Speaker 1: What I can tell you probably exactly what she told you, 1042 00:57:09,360 --> 00:57:12,960 Speaker 1: which is a it's a very funny murder mystery set 1043 00:57:13,000 --> 00:57:14,239 Speaker 1: in the White House. And I'm going to. 1044 00:57:14,239 --> 00:57:17,680 Speaker 3: Say upstairs, downstairs, Susie yep. 1045 00:57:17,520 --> 00:57:23,160 Speaker 1: And Susie aka Susan Glad Susie formally known as Susan 1046 00:57:24,280 --> 00:57:29,240 Speaker 1: Desperately Seeking Susie. She's so good, I mean, she's she's 1047 00:57:29,320 --> 00:57:33,320 Speaker 1: so good, she's and she's such a delightful human like yes, 1048 00:57:33,680 --> 00:57:37,360 Speaker 1: she's just genuinely couldn't be lovelier, but she's everybody in 1049 00:57:37,400 --> 00:57:40,600 Speaker 1: it's wonderful. Uzzo dubo, like the whole. But it's one 1050 00:57:40,640 --> 00:57:48,000 Speaker 1: of the most incredibly delightful, talented, joyful casts I've ever encountered. 1051 00:57:48,800 --> 00:57:52,080 Speaker 2: The cast, the cast is incredible. I remember mentioning it 1052 00:57:52,080 --> 00:57:54,360 Speaker 2: with her. I don't have it in front of me, 1053 00:57:54,440 --> 00:57:58,160 Speaker 2: but you know, it feels like it's lacking. It's lacking 1054 00:57:58,240 --> 00:58:00,760 Speaker 2: me for sure, So let's just get out of the way. 1055 00:58:00,960 --> 00:58:02,240 Speaker 1: I think that's about. 1056 00:58:02,680 --> 00:58:07,160 Speaker 2: Other than that, it sounds like it's spectacular, a spectacular 1057 00:58:07,240 --> 00:58:12,520 Speaker 2: cast that I know will be yet another massive hit 1058 00:58:13,440 --> 00:58:20,920 Speaker 2: for Shondaland last question, what makes your partnership with her 1059 00:58:21,520 --> 00:58:23,800 Speaker 2: work so well? 1060 00:58:24,200 --> 00:58:29,720 Speaker 1: You know, I think from my point of view, when 1061 00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:31,920 Speaker 1: I work with her and when I work on things 1062 00:58:31,960 --> 00:58:35,080 Speaker 1: with her, I do my best work. I feel like 1063 00:58:35,240 --> 00:58:37,080 Speaker 1: I'm challenged to do my best work. I feel like 1064 00:58:37,120 --> 00:58:42,720 Speaker 1: I'm engaged to do my best work, and I genuinely, 1065 00:58:43,320 --> 00:58:46,760 Speaker 1: I genuinely respect what she does. And two she is 1066 00:58:46,920 --> 00:58:50,800 Speaker 1: and and I don't. I don't know, you know, it's 1067 00:58:50,840 --> 00:58:53,680 Speaker 1: sort of like what makes it work so well? I 1068 00:58:53,720 --> 00:58:56,920 Speaker 1: think we both listen and we both have my guesses. 1069 00:58:57,080 --> 00:58:58,640 Speaker 1: You could ask her me if she'll say no, but 1070 00:58:59,000 --> 00:59:01,320 Speaker 1: I think we both have a genuine that would be 1071 00:59:01,400 --> 00:59:04,840 Speaker 1: really embarrassing when like I don't respect her what I 1072 00:59:04,880 --> 00:59:09,600 Speaker 1: think we have. I just she won't leave the office. 1073 00:59:09,680 --> 00:59:15,360 Speaker 1: It's so it's so incredibly uncomfortable. That's not true, you guys. 1074 00:59:15,560 --> 00:59:17,800 Speaker 1: I do feel like I feel like, you know's there's 1075 00:59:17,840 --> 00:59:21,320 Speaker 1: that old improv thing which is yes, and it's yes, 1076 00:59:21,400 --> 00:59:24,880 Speaker 1: And I always feel with her. I can, you know, 1077 00:59:24,880 --> 00:59:26,240 Speaker 1: say I don't like this or blah blah blah, but 1078 00:59:26,320 --> 00:59:29,240 Speaker 1: there's always a yes, and there's always a yeah. But 1079 00:59:29,280 --> 00:59:32,080 Speaker 1: what if we did this? Yeah? But what? And I 1080 00:59:32,200 --> 00:59:35,480 Speaker 1: know if I'm genuinely excited or interested about something, the 1081 00:59:35,720 --> 00:59:38,880 Speaker 1: likelihood is there'll be a real conversation that we're having 1082 00:59:38,880 --> 00:59:41,200 Speaker 1: and vice versa. That there's always something at the core 1083 00:59:41,240 --> 00:59:45,760 Speaker 1: of it where there's something really meaningful to discuss. And 1084 00:59:46,600 --> 00:59:49,080 Speaker 1: I think That's an incredible privilege in a world where 1085 00:59:49,160 --> 00:59:51,480 Speaker 1: you get to work with somebody Because people are like, wow, 1086 00:59:51,480 --> 00:59:53,760 Speaker 1: you worked together for so many years. I'm like, why 1087 00:59:53,800 --> 00:59:57,440 Speaker 1: wouldn't we Like, why wouldn't I right, it seems to 1088 00:59:57,440 --> 01:00:00,560 Speaker 1: be doing okay, and I still I think she's one 1089 01:00:00,560 --> 01:00:01,919 Speaker 1: of the most delightful people on earth. 1090 01:00:02,000 --> 01:00:05,960 Speaker 2: So well, after this many years, that is an amazing 1091 01:00:06,240 --> 01:00:08,959 Speaker 2: thing to hear. You know, I've never done this before, 1092 01:00:08,960 --> 01:00:11,280 Speaker 2: I've never said this before. I've never used these words 1093 01:00:11,800 --> 01:00:16,840 Speaker 2: here before. But there's to steal from a good buddy 1094 01:00:16,840 --> 01:00:20,440 Speaker 2: of mine, Dan Patrick, who talks mostly about sports and 1095 01:00:20,440 --> 01:00:23,520 Speaker 2: some entertainment. At the end of every show, they go 1096 01:00:23,560 --> 01:00:25,480 Speaker 2: around the room and say, what did you learn today? 1097 01:00:26,040 --> 01:00:28,120 Speaker 2: And let me just say, the combination of what you 1098 01:00:28,320 --> 01:00:32,160 Speaker 2: just said combined with something that I've never really occurred 1099 01:00:32,160 --> 01:00:35,040 Speaker 2: to me before, which is really stupid on my part. 1100 01:00:35,680 --> 01:00:38,280 Speaker 2: But the fact that you all have or that you 1101 01:00:38,360 --> 01:00:40,640 Speaker 2: have made a decision that you don't want to do 1102 01:00:40,680 --> 01:00:45,600 Speaker 2: the same thing over and over, and the diversity of 1103 01:00:46,120 --> 01:00:49,880 Speaker 2: style within the work that you guys have been creating 1104 01:00:50,200 --> 01:00:55,200 Speaker 2: now for twenty years is astounding. And the fact that 1105 01:00:55,240 --> 01:00:58,320 Speaker 2: you all are able to listen to each other and 1106 01:00:58,360 --> 01:01:02,320 Speaker 2: that you work well together, you must despite her wanting 1107 01:01:02,360 --> 01:01:05,400 Speaker 2: you to leave the office sometimes like each other, and 1108 01:01:05,440 --> 01:01:09,120 Speaker 2: that you're creating work that is different. I mean, you 1109 01:01:09,200 --> 01:01:11,640 Speaker 2: look at because I have a list here, because you know, 1110 01:01:11,680 --> 01:01:15,360 Speaker 2: I'm very prepared, but you look at like Bridgerton and 1111 01:01:15,440 --> 01:01:19,720 Speaker 2: Scandal and Grays and even Private Practice how to get 1112 01:01:19,760 --> 01:01:22,520 Speaker 2: away with murder inventing on it. I mean you, the 1113 01:01:22,600 --> 01:01:27,440 Speaker 2: diversity with which you continue to explore within the medium 1114 01:01:27,440 --> 01:01:30,160 Speaker 2: of television is great. I'm sure the residence is going 1115 01:01:30,200 --> 01:01:33,360 Speaker 2: to be incredible, And I just want to thank you 1116 01:01:33,400 --> 01:01:36,120 Speaker 2: so much for taking the time out of your very 1117 01:01:37,000 --> 01:01:40,160 Speaker 2: very busy schedule to have a conversation with me today. 1118 01:01:40,600 --> 01:01:41,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, right, I appreciate it. 1119 01:01:41,520 --> 01:01:44,160 Speaker 1: I know, I really appreciate you asking. And look, I 1120 01:01:44,160 --> 01:01:46,000 Speaker 1: also want to give a shout out to all the 1121 01:01:46,040 --> 01:01:50,160 Speaker 1: writers and creators that we work with, because Shanda creates 1122 01:01:50,280 --> 01:01:54,000 Speaker 1: some of the shows, but you know, Paul Davies and 1123 01:01:54,160 --> 01:01:57,160 Speaker 1: Pete Nook and Alan High, like, there's a bevy of 1124 01:01:57,200 --> 01:02:02,120 Speaker 1: folks that I feel like we're also incredible, incredibly fortunate 1125 01:02:02,240 --> 01:02:05,840 Speaker 1: to be trusted with their vision. And I appreciate your 1126 01:02:05,920 --> 01:02:09,160 Speaker 1: kind words, and uh, this has been really really fun. 1127 01:02:09,280 --> 01:02:12,880 Speaker 1: I anytime you're just sitting around doing a podcast and 1128 01:02:13,040 --> 01:02:15,200 Speaker 1: if you want someone to pop on, just. 1129 01:02:15,160 --> 01:02:17,880 Speaker 3: Give me a I got you anytime. 1130 01:02:18,080 --> 01:02:21,840 Speaker 1: I'm always sitting here pretty much pretty much here. Yeah, 1131 01:02:22,040 --> 01:02:26,560 Speaker 1: so easy to find. It's easy to find desperate to talk. 1132 01:02:27,040 --> 01:02:30,360 Speaker 2: Oh, I know that that's not true, but thank you 1133 01:02:30,440 --> 01:02:30,920 Speaker 2: so much. 1134 01:02:31,000 --> 01:02:31,760 Speaker 3: And listen. 1135 01:02:32,120 --> 01:02:35,000 Speaker 2: After the Residence here wins an Emmy or two, and 1136 01:02:35,040 --> 01:02:38,520 Speaker 2: that becomes that becomes more of a grown up than 1137 01:02:38,960 --> 01:02:42,480 Speaker 2: at the very least, when you've got something else, your 1138 01:02:42,560 --> 01:02:45,760 Speaker 2: next major hit that is about to launch, that you 1139 01:02:45,800 --> 01:02:50,400 Speaker 2: won't give me any freak information about. Yeah, then the end, 1140 01:02:50,480 --> 01:02:51,439 Speaker 2: we'll talk then for sure. 1141 01:02:52,000 --> 01:02:52,440 Speaker 1: Awesome. 1142 01:02:53,800 --> 01:02:55,400 Speaker 3: Thank you, Betsy, Thanks so much. 1143 01:02:55,480 --> 01:03:10,520 Speaker 2: Thank you, Brian, Betsy, thank you so much for being on. 1144 01:03:10,720 --> 01:03:13,600 Speaker 2: I appreciate your time so much. I know how busy 1145 01:03:14,120 --> 01:03:17,400 Speaker 2: you are. Thank you for your openness, for your insight 1146 01:03:17,880 --> 01:03:19,720 Speaker 2: to a part of the process a lot. 1147 01:03:19,600 --> 01:03:23,480 Speaker 3: Of us don't always see. So thank you. I enjoyed 1148 01:03:23,480 --> 01:03:24,240 Speaker 3: this conversation. 1149 01:03:24,560 --> 01:03:29,760 Speaker 2: Everybody, go watch the new season of Bridgerton out on Netflix. 1150 01:03:30,040 --> 01:03:33,800 Speaker 2: Part two coming very very soon, although Betsy wouldn't tell 1151 01:03:33,840 --> 01:03:39,640 Speaker 2: me about it, And listen to Betsy's podcast Inside the Ton, 1152 01:03:39,920 --> 01:03:42,960 Speaker 2: And of course we're all going to be waiting for 1153 01:03:43,280 --> 01:03:46,760 Speaker 2: the residents. I'm going to see you here next week. 1154 01:03:46,920 --> 01:03:59,760 Speaker 2: Until then, everybody, you guys have a great week. Of 1155 01:04:00,080 --> 01:04:04,000 Speaker 2: A Beat is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, 1156 01:04:04,280 --> 01:04:08,240 Speaker 2: alongside our executive producer Lang Lee. Our senior producer is 1157 01:04:08,320 --> 01:04:12,360 Speaker 2: Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and 1158 01:04:12,400 --> 01:04:16,800 Speaker 2: Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and 1159 01:04:16,920 --> 01:04:21,040 Speaker 2: our intern is Ali Amir Saheed. Our theme song Bubble 1160 01:04:21,120 --> 01:04:25,120 Speaker 2: and Squeak, performed by the one and only Creed Bratton.