1 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:05,000 Speaker 1: Hey guys, it's Sammy Jay and welcome back to this 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: week's episode of The Left Bureau Podcast. I hope your 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: day is going well and I hope this episode hopefully 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: makes your day a little bit better. This week I 5 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: got to chat with the incredibly talented writer, director, actor 6 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 1: James Morrisini. And you may know him from the film 7 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: I Love My Dad, which he wrote, starred, and directed. 8 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 1: We talked about everything from filmmaking to college days and 9 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,599 Speaker 1: everything in between. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode 10 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:38,919 Speaker 1: and I'll see you in a bit. By James, Welcome 11 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: to the Last Bureau Podcast. How are you? I'm good, 12 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: I'm ready to be real. I am so excited for 13 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: this because it's so rare that two people from the 14 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: East Coast find each other in l A. Is it 15 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: that rare? I find it very rare. Most people I 16 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: know are either from the Bay Area, Seattle, or like 17 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: twenty minutes outside about or l A. It's good to 18 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: meet fellow East Coaster, you know. I can feel it 19 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: in your spirit. Really, that's so interesting because a lot 20 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: of people say are very surprised when they find out 21 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: I've gotten like, are you from San Diego before? Like 22 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:14,479 Speaker 1: quite a few times. No, there's like a knowing edge 23 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: to you. That's that's that's how he coasted me. Yeah, 24 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: you're like, I don't have time for this. It's the 25 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: part of me that can cut through crowds that when 26 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: I can feel that kind of that, I can feel 27 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: that attitude in you. I really can. It's ingrained in me. 28 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 1: I don't know how it's not when you're born and 29 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 1: raised in like in a city. How do you think 30 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: you'd be different if you're raised here. I think I 31 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: was thinking about this actually because over the summer, I 32 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: traveled for the first time by myself, and I went 33 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 1: to Paris. It was like a big trip, and I 34 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: was thinking, like, man, being in New York really taught 35 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: me to kind of like I know how to go 36 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: forward and walk forward without looking at anybody and just 37 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: getting my way through. And I think that kind of 38 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: way helped a lot when traveling especially. I don't know 39 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: if i'd have that. I think I'm somebody that when 40 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: I walked down the street, I'm like kind of trying 41 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: to make eye contact with everybody. I don't know why 42 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: I do that. I think I just if you don't smile, 43 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: if you can get a little I don't know if 44 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:17,119 Speaker 1: I'm looking for a smile or what what is going 45 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: on in my brain that causes me to do that, 46 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 1: but it is something I do. And then I'm like, 47 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: I'm like, oh, that person doesn't want to look at me. 48 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:27,799 Speaker 1: I guess it's because I'm not good enough, you know, 49 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: I know what you mean. I'll be walking across campus 50 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: and I just I like to try and make sure 51 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: I don't have a resting bitch face, just because you 52 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: never know when opportunities arise to meet people, so I 53 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:40,920 Speaker 1: try and have a nice face. And I'm just like, 54 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: how do you feel when somebody just comes right up 55 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: to you, a stranger and it's like, hey, I guess 56 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: that doesn't really happen that all. I don't. I don't 57 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: know happen to you. No, I don't. That's not really 58 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: something people do, like a strangers coming up to you 59 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:58,520 Speaker 1: and being like hello, I'm this person. And it's weird 60 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: that happen, Isn't it weird the that doesn't happen more 61 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: often that people just go up to you and go hello, 62 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: I'm Johnny and you're like, hey, Johnny, what do you want? 63 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 1: And they're like nothing, I just thought i'd say hello 64 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: and you're like, well, dude, you want something, Johnny, what's 65 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: going on? I mean movies and TV. I think gave 66 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: me a very false sense of what reality would be 67 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: like just going to high school. I thought it would 68 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: be high school musical, straight up, I feel like where 69 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: And then it was a bunch of prepubescent boys. I 70 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,079 Speaker 1: was like, this is high school. Yeah, high school. You 71 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: were saying on the way up here that high school 72 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 1: is tricky for you, and I really relate to that. 73 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: It's I mean, high school is tough because everybody is 74 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: trying to figure out who they are simultaneously. So everybody's 75 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: trying out different versions of themselves and they're all just 76 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: kind of colliding into one another. And meanwhile, you're trying 77 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: out a version of yourself and you're like, I remember 78 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: every summer, I feel like I'd discover a version myself 79 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: that I thought was maybe more likable, and then that 80 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,119 Speaker 1: first week or two of school I'd be like, this 81 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: is the new me. Everyone. People would be like, oh cool, 82 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: and like they would enjoy the novelty of this new 83 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: version of me, and then I would run out of 84 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: steam and then I would just revert to whoever I was, 85 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 1: and ever would be like, oh, it's just him. Still, 86 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: it's just so much easier to be yourself. It's so 87 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: hard add social media onto it in this day and 88 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: age when everyone's still trying to figure out yourself. When 89 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: you have like pressures that you didn't even know existed, 90 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:31,719 Speaker 1: it's how do you navigate this? It's funny you're closer 91 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 1: to the high school experience than I am, So it's 92 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: it's more it was your what was your high school experience? 93 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,920 Speaker 1: Like what I mean by closer is just it time wise, 94 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: You're it happened more recently for you, whereas for me, 95 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,720 Speaker 1: I think I've had an opportunity to process it, and 96 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: I don't know like you have, like the distance, Yeah, 97 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: like a few years out from high school? Is that 98 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: kind of where you're at few years out, two or 99 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 1: three years out? Two years out? Yeah, it's like I 100 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: was still going, how did I even? Like? That? Was terrible? 101 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: And so, but like you know, now I'm like, you know, 102 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: like like twelve years out from high school, so I'm 103 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: kind of like, huh, I'm able to see the more perspective. 104 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 1: Encountering people from that period of my life has been 105 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: really Um, I guess you just see them as people 106 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,359 Speaker 1: and you're like, oh, man, that they're they're not really 107 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:26,720 Speaker 1: scary anymore, and you put them on a pedestal that 108 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 1: they're not bigger than life as a character kind of yeah, exactly, 109 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,440 Speaker 1: like a character. And because you don't know when you're 110 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: that age, you also haven't met that many people. So 111 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:40,039 Speaker 1: each person you meet feels like much more of a 112 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: distinct presence that you're that feels like a character like you. 113 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,960 Speaker 1: You're like, oh, that's this person and that's the Whereas 114 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 1: when you're older, I think you just are like, if 115 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,159 Speaker 1: you don't like somebody, you can move on a lot 116 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: more quickly. High school you're trapped without just yeah, you're 117 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 1: literally trapped with them, Like, how's that at all? Ten? 118 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: I couldn't do that now. It felt really big. I 119 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:08,280 Speaker 1: remember everything felt really big. But for me, what was 120 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: my outlet was my work. So it would give me 121 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:13,799 Speaker 1: a perspective to be like, Okay, this feels really big, 122 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,920 Speaker 1: but wait, there is a whole career out there, something 123 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:19,919 Speaker 1: that I want to do that's bigger than myself. And 124 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: that kind of pulled me away from the high school. 125 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: And so I think having an outlet was really helpful 126 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:28,200 Speaker 1: for me, and having it be around adults made me 127 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:32,160 Speaker 1: realize like, Okay, this is only temporary, because I really 128 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 1: did not thrive in that, and I've always gotten along 129 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: better with adults just because I've always felt older than 130 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: my age. I've always felt similarly, it's hard to remember 131 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:44,599 Speaker 1: the temporariness of high school when you're you're like, this 132 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: is what it is. Everything, this isn't what it is, yeah, 133 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 1: and you can't really wrap your head around what it 134 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: would look like after high school. When you're in high school, 135 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,600 Speaker 1: I know, I remember it like college, what is college? 136 00:06:57,720 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: And then when I got to college, I was like, oh, 137 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: this is just a different type of social experiment, Like 138 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: this is just really you put a bunch of people 139 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: from all over the country, all over the world, grown 140 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: up in different you know, places, different areas, different people, 141 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: and then put them living together in two or three 142 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: people a room, share a bathroom and just post pandemic 143 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 1: and see what happens. So I feel like that's a 144 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 1: reality show in itself. I feel like it is. Yeah, 145 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,120 Speaker 1: living through it felt like was like something that I 146 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: didn't realize going into college was that I was like, oh, 147 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: my goodness, there's gonna be so many more mature people. 148 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: But I didn't take into account that it's just people 149 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: from high school also going to college freshman year and 150 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: sophomore year. There is that transition of this isn't high 151 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: school anymore, this is life. And some people, you can 152 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: tell there, will always be stuck in high school a 153 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,760 Speaker 1: little bit. But it's really interesting kind of seeing that 154 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:54,520 Speaker 1: evolution of people just in the past couple of years. 155 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:58,679 Speaker 1: Are Yeah, I think some people get to high school 156 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 1: and then they stay there for ever and they're kind 157 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: of always locked into that version of themselves. What a 158 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: shame not to grow. Well, that just doesn't sound fun 159 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:13,160 Speaker 1: to me. So was it during high school or college? 160 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 1: I know you went to college for film, but when 161 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 1: did you start making films and being interested in filmmaking 162 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: and creating as a whole. Yeah, it's funny. So I 163 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 1: went to college for theater and film that so yeah, 164 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:28,160 Speaker 1: So I was studying acting and then I was also 165 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: making a lot of things. And when you're studying acting 166 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: at like a conservatory, you're doing like voice classes and 167 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: movement classes, and like seeing study and voice and movement classes, 168 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 1: you're I mean, you're essentially you're like rolling around on 169 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:45,839 Speaker 1: the floor. I mean, for anyone that hasn't taken a 170 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 1: voice class, if you solve voice class, you'd be like, 171 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,360 Speaker 1: this is the craziest thing. You're like on the floor 172 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 1: basically doing like different yoga positions a lot of the time, 173 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,559 Speaker 1: and then and then making like sounds like you're trying 174 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: to connect with your like your diaphragm and your because 175 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 1: it's for theaters, it's super vulnerable, and you're also trying 176 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 1: to like learn how to access the emotion that lives 177 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: in your body through sound. Similarly with movement, just on 178 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: the movement from But so that's what my college experience 179 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 1: was like. When you study theater in a program like that, 180 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 1: you're you're really you learn a lot about who you 181 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: are and about your I hate myself for saying this, 182 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,840 Speaker 1: but your instrument and what what you're made of, But 183 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,680 Speaker 1: you know, I didn't. I've always been a creative person. 184 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: When I was a little kid, I remember I would 185 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,599 Speaker 1: go up to my room and I would make comics 186 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: and I would like come up with stories and then 187 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:47,080 Speaker 1: I would get really into the world of the story 188 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: and I would I would write and draw these comics. 189 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: I don't know where they came from. I never really 190 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:58,840 Speaker 1: showed them to anybody storyboarding before storyboarding, and I was 191 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: super I was just like I was always really into 192 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:04,720 Speaker 1: this idea that like I could tell a story, and 193 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 1: the more of the story I told, the more real 194 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: it felt, and that I could just keep exploring, and 195 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: there was like more and more the further into it 196 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,359 Speaker 1: I went. I remember I wrote this little comic book 197 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 1: about I think I was probably ten or eleven years old, 198 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: about like a bunch of like misfit medics like E. M. T. S. 199 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: It was called Breathe and they were all these like 200 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 1: funky characters that were like trying to save people and stuff, 201 00:10:31,679 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: and I like wrote several issues of it, and then 202 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 1: I started the first like big creative endeavor I think 203 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 1: I had. I mean, my dad got me a video 204 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 1: camera when I was a little kid, and uh, I 205 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 1: would like make little movies of my action figures and 206 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:52,559 Speaker 1: I would like do stop motion with my action figures. 207 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:54,959 Speaker 1: Well it did, yeah, And so it's like I did 208 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 1: a lot of that kind of stuff. I was always 209 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 1: directing my home videos, but I didn't I didn't necessarily 210 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:02,679 Speaker 1: think about it like I'm a film director. I just 211 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 1: liked the idea of crafting things and putting it together. 212 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 1: And then in high school I made a lot of 213 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 1: shorts and stuff with my video class, and I would 214 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 1: act in other people's things. But I didn't really do 215 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: any theater in high school. I don't know. I found 216 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: it hard to connect with the folks at my school 217 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 1: that we're doing theater. And I was more than like sports. 218 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: I was boxing, I was wrestling. I was like, I 219 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:28,880 Speaker 1: smoked a lot of pot when I was in high school. 220 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 1: Would you say smoking weed helped you creatively? No, I 221 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 1: think it hurt me creatively. It made me really paranoid 222 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 1: and neurotic. And it's funny because I remember watching like 223 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 1: Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Dazed and confused and 224 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,479 Speaker 1: half baked, and I was like, I loved stoner comedies 225 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 1: and I was always looking for the experience that characters 226 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:51,679 Speaker 1: in those films were having around weed. But but I 227 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:54,240 Speaker 1: could never get there. I always just felt like it 228 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 1: made my brain move too fast and made me have 229 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: this like meta experiences to whatever I was actually experiencing, 230 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 1: Like it like oversensitized me and made me question everything, 231 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: and I like I couldn't. It made me super paranoid. 232 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,079 Speaker 1: I think a paranoid bad high is the worst feeling. 233 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 1: And that was like every time for me, and I 234 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 1: smoked every day. I don't know. I think I think 235 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:22,800 Speaker 1: I was like I liked the identity that it gave 236 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 1: me of like, oh, I'm a stoner. I think I 237 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:28,600 Speaker 1: fetishized the idea of Like I don't know, there's a 238 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:30,360 Speaker 1: part of me that thought it was kind of luxurious. 239 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 1: Like I get home, I smoke a blunt. But I 240 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 1: would do it and then I would just panic for 241 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:40,040 Speaker 1: the rest of the day wants not exactly like I 242 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:43,320 Speaker 1: would try to make it enjoyable for myself, Like I 243 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 1: would make a bunch of food and like put on 244 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:49,320 Speaker 1: a movie, but I'd be like breaking out. You're like, 245 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: I like this, I promised why exactly? So then in 246 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: terms of the filmmaking I was doing, I would like 247 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 1: film when they were like fights at my school sometimes, 248 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:02,640 Speaker 1: like if they were people that were mad at each 249 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:06,640 Speaker 1: other in school, they would like plan a fight. They 250 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:09,040 Speaker 1: would go like, Okay, we're gonna meet up the basketball 251 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: court after school. Uh. I was participant to a couple 252 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:16,480 Speaker 1: of those throughout my high school experience, but we would 253 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 1: I would film those and then share them with people 254 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:24,760 Speaker 1: because they were crazy looking. Um, but I was like, yeah, 255 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,120 Speaker 1: I was like really into that. And then I was 256 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 1: like making kind of Jackass type videos. I was really 257 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: in the c k Y at the time, which was 258 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:35,760 Speaker 1: a predecessor to Jackass. And I was also really in 259 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,400 Speaker 1: the Jackass and and I was watching so many films 260 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,200 Speaker 1: and it's funny, I wasn't like. I wasn't like, oh, 261 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 1: I'm a film kid. I just was obsessed with movies. 262 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:47,760 Speaker 1: And I didn't really have a ton of friends that 263 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: were also obsessed with movies. I was kind of doing 264 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:53,880 Speaker 1: it on my own. And then after school, I took 265 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 1: a year off and I was in New York and 266 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 1: I tried working as an actor. Um, not super well, 267 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:06,200 Speaker 1: but you know, at least you did it. I tried, uh, 268 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 1: And I just like it was just like I didn't. 269 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:14,800 Speaker 1: I hadn't really developed like life tools yet to to 270 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: really be able to navigate the ups and downs of that. 271 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 1: And I think so much of any creative work is 272 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:25,480 Speaker 1: about like really being okay with yourself in a way, 273 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:30,200 Speaker 1: or or like having confidence in your voice, and I hadn't. 274 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: I didn't have that confidence in my voice. I don't 275 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:38,440 Speaker 1: think now I have extreme confidence, not in the most confident, 276 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:42,680 Speaker 1: but it's funny I'm saying that. I'm also like, sometimes 277 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: i feel like I'm creating from a place of my insecurity, 278 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:49,960 Speaker 1: and I'm like doing it to express what that feels like. 279 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 1: So it's it's funny. I don't know if you necessarily 280 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 1: need to feel confident to be fake it till we 281 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: make it, or just be really honest about like I would. 282 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 1: I think I've gotten a lot more comfortable being really 283 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:05,920 Speaker 1: honest about who I am and what I'm feeling. And 284 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: I think that's uh, that's helped me create from a 285 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 1: from a place that I that resonates with me more. 286 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 1: And I feel like that's kind of the compass I 287 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 1: used to to determine if it's going to resonate with 288 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: audiences and other people. And it's kind of one of 289 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:22,920 Speaker 1: those things where if you talk about something and no 290 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:24,920 Speaker 1: one talks about it, and you talk about you realize 291 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 1: people are going through it too, and then other people 292 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 1: start talking about it, and it's just a chain reaction. 293 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 1: It's just about getting the first one going. It's so true. 294 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 1: I know, it's it's weird that many of us go 295 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 1: through the world, and there's this feeling like we all 296 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:41,000 Speaker 1: have to pretend like we're doing great when in reality, 297 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: like when we're on our own a lot of the time, 298 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 1: we're not. We're anxious about something or that it's totally 299 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: okay and it's very normal. I think that's what drew 300 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:53,360 Speaker 1: me to filmmaking, was like trying to capture that experience, 301 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 1: that universal experience that we're all that we're all having 302 00:15:57,320 --> 00:15:59,720 Speaker 1: on our own or in our own minds, and but 303 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 1: do it in a context that was super entertaining and 304 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,880 Speaker 1: weird and funky. Do you remember the first movie you wrote? Oh, 305 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:08,320 Speaker 1: that's a great question. I mean, so the first like 306 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:11,640 Speaker 1: actual movie I wrote, Like, the first feature I wrote 307 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:15,200 Speaker 1: was about my high school experience, and I still might 308 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 1: make that movie. I think movies about high school experiences, 309 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:21,600 Speaker 1: like real high school experiences, need to be made more 310 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 1: like I think Eighth Grade showed that really well. I 311 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 1: hope that gets made because it can relate to it. Yeah, 312 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 1: that movie is called Acne, and it feels kind of 313 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:34,880 Speaker 1: like eighth Grade meets Good Fellas. Okay, that's I love 314 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:37,400 Speaker 1: the pitch. Yeah, that's that's kind of how I how 315 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 1: I think about it. Um, but the first movie I 316 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: think I ever wrote. I mean, it's it's hard to 317 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 1: remember exactly. I think I wrote something in college. It 318 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: was about a really sensitive t rex that I couldn't um. 319 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 1: He couldn't connect with anybody because everyone was really scared 320 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 1: of him. Sounds like an animated show. It was an 321 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 1: animated show. Yeah. It was like it was really sensitive 322 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,800 Speaker 1: t rex that couldn't and and all the other dinosaurs 323 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,879 Speaker 1: were terrified of him, and he was like and everyone 324 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:09,440 Speaker 1: was like the other t Rexes were like, dude, you 325 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:13,320 Speaker 1: gotta get it together, Like you're kind of like you're 326 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:17,239 Speaker 1: kind of like, why are he's so over released? And 327 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 1: he was like he just felt really awkward with his 328 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: little arms, like he he felt uncomfortable in his own skin. 329 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 1: I think I was maybe working something out through this 330 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:30,199 Speaker 1: sensitive t rex. And I remember I shared it with 331 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 1: a filmmaker that I was in school with. I think 332 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 1: I went were at Coachella and I told him about 333 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:40,639 Speaker 1: it and there's always a great place for a business, bitch, 334 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:43,120 Speaker 1: and he just kind of shipped on it. I mean, 335 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,639 Speaker 1: he just told me how he just like made me 336 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:48,960 Speaker 1: feel like it was a bad idea. And it's funny, 337 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 1: like thinking about it now, I'm like, that actually sounds 338 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:54,520 Speaker 1: like a cool show. Like I I don't know. So 339 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:58,800 Speaker 1: much of creating is just going like trusting your gut 340 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,240 Speaker 1: and being like, if I think it's cool, then it's cool. 341 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:04,520 Speaker 1: I don't care what anyone else thinks. It's like you 342 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:06,480 Speaker 1: can listen to what other people are saying, but like 343 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:12,000 Speaker 1: it's not no one has any idea what they're talking about. 344 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:16,360 Speaker 1: And it's the people that are making brilliant work are 345 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:20,200 Speaker 1: just the people that have really realized that the most fully. 346 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: And you're just kind of like, yeah, I think it's cool, 347 00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:25,919 Speaker 1: and I'm going to follow what I like. Yeah, And 348 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 1: it's having success mean to you, being like if it's 349 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:31,640 Speaker 1: not successful, it doesn't make a lot of money. I'm 350 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:34,119 Speaker 1: so proud of what I made because that's what it 351 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:38,000 Speaker 1: should be. We have to take a quick break, but 352 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:40,119 Speaker 1: when we come back, I'm going to talk about the 353 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:44,159 Speaker 1: balance between the economics of filmmaking versus doing something that 354 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 1: satisfies you creatively, your film, I love my Dad and 355 00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 1: so much more. We'll be right back and we're back. 356 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,239 Speaker 1: You know, it's hard when you're a filmmaker. You have 357 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: to make a living and you have to be realistic, 358 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:05,359 Speaker 1: but at the same time, it's your creative pursuit. So 359 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,200 Speaker 1: how do you balance the two of those? Yeah, it's 360 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:10,280 Speaker 1: a great question. I mean when I first got out 361 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 1: of college, I was catering and bartending and working as 362 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:22,119 Speaker 1: a uh table service assistant to cocktail waitresses at nightclubs, 363 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:25,320 Speaker 1: Like I was just doing anything I could to make 364 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:28,439 Speaker 1: ends meet, uh And then I was also auditioning a 365 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 1: ton and um and it was a tricky time in 366 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:36,440 Speaker 1: my life. I was getting these migraines constantly, like several 367 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:39,160 Speaker 1: a week, to the point where they were debilitating, and 368 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: so it was kind of a dark time right after 369 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: college where I was trying to figure out work as 370 00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:48,679 Speaker 1: an actor and a filmmaker and I couldn't really I 371 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:52,720 Speaker 1: was just like too anxiety written to to really land anything. 372 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,720 Speaker 1: And then I was working long, long nights working in 373 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:00,080 Speaker 1: the service industry and then barely making ends meet to 374 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: live in like this tiny, tiny studio apartment in Hollywood, 375 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: And so for a while, the balance was just like 376 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:09,720 Speaker 1: how do I survive? And then how do I But 377 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:12,040 Speaker 1: I held myself to account that I was going to 378 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:16,480 Speaker 1: spend at least one hour every day on my creative work. 379 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:19,280 Speaker 1: And and and was going to spend an hour day 380 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: just focusing on what really excited me creatively, and then 381 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: that hour grew and became longer. But I just knew, Okay, 382 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 1: if I can, it's funny. Uh. My uncle was the 383 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: actor Christopher Reeve uh and very famous actor, very famous actor, 384 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:41,639 Speaker 1: and I when he passed away. Philip Seymour Hoffman was 385 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:46,080 Speaker 1: around my family a lot and was really good to 386 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:50,400 Speaker 1: my cousin, Will Chris's son, and he told me that 387 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:53,560 Speaker 1: I should just you just have to do one creative 388 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:57,320 Speaker 1: thing every day, or one thing towards your goal every day, 389 00:20:57,359 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 1: even if it's small. But if you do that, if 390 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:02,639 Speaker 1: you do one thing every day, it it occrets and 391 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 1: those small actions become big results or they become consequential. 392 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,639 Speaker 1: So that's kind of that was kind of my mantra 393 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:13,440 Speaker 1: for the first couple of years out of college. And 394 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:15,920 Speaker 1: then I started working as an actor, so I had 395 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:19,240 Speaker 1: some money, uh, not a ton, but I had enough 396 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: to pay my rent. I didn't have to cater and 397 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: barton stuff anymore. And then I started being able to 398 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: have free time to write and make stuff, and I 399 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:33,679 Speaker 1: was able to upgrade to a more comfortable living situation 400 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:38,360 Speaker 1: and started meeting having more friends out here and collaborating 401 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:41,119 Speaker 1: with them. And but in terms of this balance of 402 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:45,359 Speaker 1: like creative and financial, you know, at the end of 403 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:48,199 Speaker 1: the day, like it's just the most satisfying thing is 404 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:50,280 Speaker 1: being able to make exactly what you want to make. 405 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:53,520 Speaker 1: So for the movie that I just made, I Love 406 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:56,919 Speaker 1: my Dad, the person that financed it gave me final 407 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:59,360 Speaker 1: cut on the movie, so I was able to make 408 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:02,119 Speaker 1: exactly the movie that I wanted to make. Yeah, And 409 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:07,800 Speaker 1: so contractually I was making every decision, uh, and having 410 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:11,120 Speaker 1: that creative authority meant a lot to me and allowed 411 00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:13,320 Speaker 1: me to just give everything I had to the process. 412 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: But you know, now I'm getting presented with a lot 413 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:23,360 Speaker 1: of really compelling offers that have big financial upside behind them, 414 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 1: and sometimes the scripts are not good, or sometimes there 415 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,959 Speaker 1: are elements to the project that aren't creatively exciting, and 416 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 1: it's required a lot of discipline, uh, navigating quality over quantity, 417 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,080 Speaker 1: quality over quantity, or just like not not operating out 418 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:43,360 Speaker 1: of fear and going like, Okay, well I'll just take 419 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,240 Speaker 1: this because it's a lot of money, and then I'll 420 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:50,919 Speaker 1: do what I'm creatively excited by. It's like It's required 421 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:56,880 Speaker 1: this kind of internal diligence of going, what is the weirdest, craziest, 422 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,879 Speaker 1: funkiest thing that I can imagine? And how can I 423 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:03,679 Speaker 1: how can I continue getting behind that? You know, regardless 424 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 1: of what I'm making for or whatever. That's that's how 425 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:09,200 Speaker 1: I feel most myself. You know, that is so interesting 426 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:11,560 Speaker 1: you say that because I've been living by that I 427 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:13,439 Speaker 1: called the one percent rule, just doing one thing a 428 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:17,000 Speaker 1: day to make yourself better in one aspect, and it's 429 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,160 Speaker 1: I've also been doing one thing a day to make 430 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:24,199 Speaker 1: myself uncomfortable. Boy, it's made me uncomfortable. And I I 431 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,960 Speaker 1: am an anxious, girly at heart. Um so it really 432 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:29,680 Speaker 1: pushes me. I'm an anxiously at heart. I love that 433 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:33,879 Speaker 1: we finally always find each other. Um No, I found 434 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:36,440 Speaker 1: for me at least. I've grown up with anxiety and 435 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:38,880 Speaker 1: o c D my entire life, and it's just been 436 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,640 Speaker 1: very interesting to navigate because I always felt like there 437 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:45,480 Speaker 1: was something wrong with me or that I wasn't good 438 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,960 Speaker 1: at something. And so for me, podcasting was an interviewing 439 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 1: was the first time I realized, like, wait a second, 440 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:53,919 Speaker 1: there is something I'm good at. I can't tell a 441 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 1: story I can't talk to people, and so it's kind 442 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:58,840 Speaker 1: of what I first fell in love. And so I 443 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: feel like just santly, like I never thought i'd fall 444 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:03,879 Speaker 1: into this, and just I'm trying to immerse myself and 445 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 1: as many mediums and varieties as possible. So that reminded 446 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:11,600 Speaker 1: me of that. Oh so cool. Yeah, what what was 447 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:14,800 Speaker 1: the first Do you remember the first podcast you ever did? Oh? Yeah, 448 00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 1: so I am the biggest. Do you ever hear the 449 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 1: song Anxiety by Julia Michaels and Selina Gomez. Uh, maybe 450 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:26,200 Speaker 1: I'd recognize it if I heard it, Okay, So when 451 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:29,080 Speaker 1: I first heard this song, I was like going through 452 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 1: it in high school and I was working for Radio 453 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:35,040 Speaker 1: Disney at the time. Um, and I had interviewed Julian Michaels, 454 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:37,040 Speaker 1: who sang the song, who, like I was obsessed with 455 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 1: her music. Um, and she remembered me and was about 456 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:43,760 Speaker 1: the time the podcast was happening. UM, And I was like, 457 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:46,639 Speaker 1: if Julie Michaels could be the pilot on my podcast, 458 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:50,159 Speaker 1: like that would be a dream. And the head of 459 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: Radio Disney, who I told about the pilot, was like, oh, 460 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,199 Speaker 1: I'm friends with her. I'll ask you interviewed her, and 461 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:57,760 Speaker 1: then she agreed to do the pilot. I had never 462 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:00,399 Speaker 1: done a long form interview before. Longest I've done with 463 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:02,240 Speaker 1: twelve minutes, and then we did an hour and a 464 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:07,040 Speaker 1: half interview. And then usually with podcast series, you you know, 465 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:09,320 Speaker 1: waited until it's edited to see if it gets greenlight. 466 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:12,960 Speaker 1: Mine was a little bit different because after nine days 467 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:15,680 Speaker 1: still and edited, we got green light to series after 468 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:19,359 Speaker 1: that episode. So I, oh, Julia like so much, you know, 469 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:23,680 Speaker 1: And that was the start of it. And how doing 470 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:25,399 Speaker 1: one thing a day, whether it's small or big, is 471 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:29,200 Speaker 1: truly like just changed my life. So I live by that. 472 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,640 Speaker 1: So cool. Yeah, I mean that's that's definitely how I've 473 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:36,359 Speaker 1: proceeded through my life as well. I mean, what was 474 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 1: the last thing that he did that was uncomfortable? Oh 475 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: my goodness, I asked someone out for coffee. Wow, that's 476 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 1: always so hard. It isn't that weird that that feels 477 00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 1: so climaxic, But you know what, it counts as my 478 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 1: one thing a day. I also my viewers, notice if 479 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:56,080 Speaker 1: I've been doing tap this this semester, I've never tapped before. 480 00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:59,359 Speaker 1: I'm doing it again next semester. Just to pick up 481 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:04,440 Speaker 1: some I took a ballet class in college. Um, and 482 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:08,840 Speaker 1: it was it was, it was, it was, it was. 483 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:13,919 Speaker 1: It was humbling. It was me almost all women and 484 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:18,119 Speaker 1: then a couple, uh, a couple of football players that 485 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:22,359 Speaker 1: I think we're taking it for balance balance, I think. 486 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:24,560 Speaker 1: I mean, so it was. I feel like I would 487 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:26,480 Speaker 1: like goof around with them, and then sometimes I would 488 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:29,360 Speaker 1: get really into it and like it's it's it's fun 489 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 1: always like pushing forward your hobby or your passion in 490 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,399 Speaker 1: one way, and whether that's writing an email to someone 491 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,160 Speaker 1: or doing an activity to like progress yourself. Like it's 492 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,480 Speaker 1: so simple, but just breaking it down has been super 493 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:44,960 Speaker 1: helpful for Yeah, it's like I think, I guess I 494 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: think about it like the more like any time I 495 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,480 Speaker 1: have like the quietest instinct in my mind, I try 496 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 1: to just bring it to the surface and I try 497 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:54,879 Speaker 1: to listen to it and I try to just act 498 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:57,679 Speaker 1: on it. I journal a lot, and it helps me 499 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:02,640 Speaker 1: discover what those impulses might be. Uh, And when I'm 500 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:06,520 Speaker 1: creating something, that's really my primary tool is having this 501 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:11,159 Speaker 1: like ongoing long form conversation with myself so that I 502 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,960 Speaker 1: can be like, oh, this thing is important to me 503 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:18,240 Speaker 1: or that thing or like it helps me detect things 504 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,760 Speaker 1: that might feel off about what I'm doing or like 505 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:24,480 Speaker 1: something that might be bothering me. So much of my 506 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:29,560 Speaker 1: creative life and the way I'm try to navigate my 507 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:34,040 Speaker 1: life as a whole feel like they're operating around the 508 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 1: same principles, which is like sometimes like sensitizing myself to 509 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:41,600 Speaker 1: to what things feel like or what I'm aiming at 510 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:44,200 Speaker 1: um or what I want or what I don't want, 511 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:48,280 Speaker 1: But like, how deeply can I listen to to what 512 00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:52,360 Speaker 1: is actually happening in my mind and in my environment 513 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:55,720 Speaker 1: and what's being reflected back to me, And then how 514 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,439 Speaker 1: can I work with that feeling and shape it really 515 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,560 Speaker 1: or put it into a context like a film or 516 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:05,919 Speaker 1: a story or whatever. But how can I express that 517 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:09,960 Speaker 1: feeling in a way that is satisfying for me to divulge? 518 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 1: You know, I think it's such a relief when you 519 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:17,080 Speaker 1: express a deep, nuanced feeling that you've been holding onto. 520 00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:19,240 Speaker 1: It's such a relief to express that and then have 521 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,560 Speaker 1: somebody go I feel the same way. And so I 522 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:25,080 Speaker 1: feel like, why I am a filmmaker or an actor 523 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:26,880 Speaker 1: or any of these things, it is just because I'm 524 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: going there is I think it's my outlet, and I 525 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:34,959 Speaker 1: feel like I'm inherently kind of often pretty uncomfortable, and 526 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:37,240 Speaker 1: it's it's like it's like it's like a coping mech. 527 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 1: It's like, hey, does anyone else feel this? Like? What's 528 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 1: going on? This can't be right? Does anybody else? Is 529 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:46,120 Speaker 1: anybody else feeling this? Or like if I have a 530 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 1: moment where I, you know, something strikes me as like 531 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 1: extremely beautiful and I'm like, oh God, I want somebody 532 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:56,959 Speaker 1: else to share in this thing that I'm experiencing and 533 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: it comes from a place of like a real loneliness 534 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: really and like but wanting to share with other people 535 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:07,240 Speaker 1: in that feeling and go like hey am I alone here? 536 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 1: Or or other people feeling this way too. Okay, we 537 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: have to take one final break, but when we come back, 538 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 1: I want to talk more about anxiety and how it 539 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 1: affects your filmmaking process. You're amazing movie, I love my 540 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:29,720 Speaker 1: dad and so much more. We'll be right back and 541 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:34,800 Speaker 1: we're back. How has your anxiety affect your filmmaking or 542 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,440 Speaker 1: does it or do you feel more yourself and it 543 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,520 Speaker 1: helps with your anxiety when you're working or does it 544 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 1: have the opposite effect for you? It's a great question. 545 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:47,440 Speaker 1: I think it's a it's it's kind of both things, honestly, 546 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:55,440 Speaker 1: Like when I'm making a film, Uh, sometimes anxiety, I've 547 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 1: found is helpful in that it forces me into action, 548 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:05,680 Speaker 1: but it's often not totally, but it's it's often not 549 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:09,760 Speaker 1: the kind of action that produces the best results. So 550 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,680 Speaker 1: by that, I mean if I'm like anxiously we gotta 551 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:14,640 Speaker 1: get this, I've got to write this, or I've got 552 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:15,920 Speaker 1: to get this take, or we've got to do this, 553 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:20,800 Speaker 1: or that it contaminates everybody else's headspace and makes them 554 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 1: anxious to which I think limits people's ability to be 555 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:31,280 Speaker 1: free and create from a place of trust and playfulness. Totally. 556 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:34,720 Speaker 1: It's like we're all of a sudden creating and operating 557 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:40,360 Speaker 1: from place of fear, which is just not fun. Yeah, 558 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:43,000 Speaker 1: and it should be playful, and I think that it's 559 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 1: hard to have Uh, it should be fun because you're 560 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:50,520 Speaker 1: asking an audience to have fun. I look at the 561 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:52,840 Speaker 1: experience of a film that I'm making is like the 562 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:56,360 Speaker 1: experience I imagine of a of a good friend or 563 00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:58,760 Speaker 1: person of like, And you want that person to be 564 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 1: free and playful and silly and deep and dynamic. And 565 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:05,800 Speaker 1: if you're freaking out. You know, you don't want to 566 00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:08,479 Speaker 1: be with a friend that's just like freaking out and 567 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 1: that and and nervous. So they're just making small talk 568 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:17,320 Speaker 1: and don't have freedom of expression. So short, my anxiety 569 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:21,360 Speaker 1: compels me into action. But I feel like I'm in uh, 570 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 1: I'm in my strike zone when I'm like letting go 571 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 1: of that as much as i can, and I take 572 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:30,400 Speaker 1: some deep breaths, and I'm I'm kind of slowing way down, 573 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:33,720 Speaker 1: and I'm just giving myself permission to be exactly where 574 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:36,280 Speaker 1: I am and creating from that place. And I think 575 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:39,120 Speaker 1: the work I've done from that place is the work 576 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:42,080 Speaker 1: I'm the proudest of because I think it delivers that 577 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:45,200 Speaker 1: same experience to an audience. I mean, I definitely felt 578 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:48,600 Speaker 1: that way with I Love my Dad. I genuinely love 579 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:52,120 Speaker 1: how it's written, the social media elements that are throughout 580 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:55,720 Speaker 1: the way. It's like it's just so well done. And 581 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 1: I know it's based on a true story from when 582 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:01,800 Speaker 1: you're growing up. Do often pull from true stores or 583 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:05,680 Speaker 1: do you like to create generally something fresh. It's sometimes 584 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:10,040 Speaker 1: useful jumping off point because it feels like I have 585 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:17,280 Speaker 1: something that's really something to say about whatever that you've experienced. Yeah, 586 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:21,640 Speaker 1: I have some authority around that subject, but I I 587 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 1: generally am using it just as a jumping off point 588 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:28,360 Speaker 1: because I think that that if I'm like trying to 589 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:33,080 Speaker 1: capture it very literally, that's not the point and it 590 00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:37,000 Speaker 1: doesn't that it's bigger than that, and like it needs 591 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: to be a window into the universal. It's not just 592 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:44,960 Speaker 1: the thing itself. I mean, it's like taking elements of 593 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:47,680 Speaker 1: it and then going thinking about the theme and what 594 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:51,000 Speaker 1: you're trying to say. Like with my movie, it's metaphorically 595 00:32:51,080 --> 00:32:55,320 Speaker 1: and poetically and emotionally all true. But I wasn't beholden 596 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 1: to beat by beat what literally occurred, because nobody care. 597 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:03,080 Speaker 1: It doesn't matter. It's it's about how do I as 598 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:08,560 Speaker 1: a catalyst, Yeah, and how do I deliver the felt experience? 599 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:11,680 Speaker 1: So what was pre production? Like, how long did it 600 00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:14,000 Speaker 1: take you to write the script generally? And then at 601 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,600 Speaker 1: what point did you go into production? Yeah? I think 602 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: I took like a year or so to write the script. Uh, 603 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:24,560 Speaker 1: the movie was going to be called Age Sex Location 604 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:28,560 Speaker 1: very different back in the day. For people that are 605 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:31,479 Speaker 1: familiar with were you on like a O L instant messenger? 606 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:34,480 Speaker 1: Was that before your time, I wasn't on a well, 607 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:36,720 Speaker 1: but I'm very My mom is still on a well. 608 00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:40,920 Speaker 1: She has not gone to Gmail. There were like chat 609 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:45,720 Speaker 1: rooms like a sl and then you'd be like fifteen 610 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:50,000 Speaker 1: m M A or whatever and you'd like meet random 611 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:52,560 Speaker 1: people that way. Uh, that that was the thing, and 612 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:55,480 Speaker 1: so that there was I was kind of pulling from 613 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:59,720 Speaker 1: that whole realm of my past. And then as the 614 00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:03,880 Speaker 1: story where he took more shape, the title shifted and 615 00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:08,399 Speaker 1: the subject really shifted to what it became, and the 616 00:34:08,400 --> 00:34:12,120 Speaker 1: writing process was super iterative. I would share it with 617 00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:15,479 Speaker 1: a lot of folks. I got a lot of help, uh, 618 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:17,640 Speaker 1: And I continue to get a lot of help in 619 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: everything I do because I try to surround myself with 620 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:25,359 Speaker 1: really smart creative people and really listen to what their 621 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:27,640 Speaker 1: thoughts are. And it can only make your work better. 622 00:34:27,719 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 1: It makes you work better, and even if you get 623 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:33,920 Speaker 1: feedback that you think is not accurate, it helps you 624 00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:37,160 Speaker 1: understand what you are chasing and what you are after. 625 00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:39,480 Speaker 1: And so yeah, I took it about a year, and 626 00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:41,880 Speaker 1: then I brought Patent on board, and then I built 627 00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:44,640 Speaker 1: the cast around Patent and then we shot it in 628 00:34:44,840 --> 00:34:49,919 Speaker 1: June and July of and um in Syracuse, New York 629 00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:52,680 Speaker 1: with the company called American High who had done a 630 00:34:52,680 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 1: lot of uh like high school set movies for Hulu. 631 00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:00,000 Speaker 1: So we had all of our production services and stuff 632 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:02,000 Speaker 1: run through them, and then they may be good for acne. 633 00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:06,200 Speaker 1: You never know, right totally, and and um they were great. 634 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:08,800 Speaker 1: We also worked with a great company called hands Motion 635 00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:12,560 Speaker 1: Pictures and burn Later and several other folks you know. 636 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:16,160 Speaker 1: And I edited the movie, sent it off to south 637 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:20,080 Speaker 1: By and then how long did take? Probably like eight 638 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:23,640 Speaker 1: to ten weeks. The toughest parts of the process were 639 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:27,240 Speaker 1: like getting the tone right in the edit, because it's 640 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:30,880 Speaker 1: it's such a delicate tone, it's so specific, like it 641 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:34,279 Speaker 1: could so easily feel like I didn't want it to 642 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:37,160 Speaker 1: feel slapsticky, and I also didn't want it to feel 643 00:35:37,280 --> 00:35:41,000 Speaker 1: like hyper sentimentalized. It needed to kind of have this 644 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:44,960 Speaker 1: balance of sincerity and sarcasm where there was this kind 645 00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:48,359 Speaker 1: of tonal ambiguity throughout where you weren't exactly sure how 646 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:50,560 Speaker 1: you should be feeling about it. I wanted to have 647 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:53,800 Speaker 1: the audience feel a little on edge, because that's really 648 00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:57,800 Speaker 1: the feeling that I think I had growing up, especially 649 00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:02,080 Speaker 1: with my dad, of just like where are what what's happening? 650 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:05,040 Speaker 1: What's happening? Are you being ostening? Are you? Are we 651 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:07,719 Speaker 1: in a good place? Are we? Is there tension? Like 652 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:11,160 Speaker 1: this kind of feeling like you're on your back foot? 653 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:13,880 Speaker 1: That that kind of push and pull throughout the story. 654 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:15,560 Speaker 1: And it's funny. I was, I mean, I was kind 655 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:19,640 Speaker 1: of making two movies in one where it's like in 656 00:36:19,840 --> 00:36:23,759 Speaker 1: my character Franklin's world, he's kind of in this rom 657 00:36:23,880 --> 00:36:27,680 Speaker 1: com where he's like, I finally found I found someone. 658 00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:31,640 Speaker 1: She's amazing, you know. Uh, We're lucky to have Claudia 659 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,000 Speaker 1: Saluski play that part I know what you talked to 660 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:38,399 Speaker 1: and she was just phenomenal and killed it. I mean, 661 00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:41,520 Speaker 1: she really kind of captured the spirit of what was 662 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:44,160 Speaker 1: required there. And then we're lucky to have Patton Oswald 663 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:47,800 Speaker 1: to play Chuck, who plays my dad in the film 664 00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:51,719 Speaker 1: Franklin's Dad. The casting is just so it's so perfect 665 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:56,880 Speaker 1: because it just it feels real and realistic. I don't know, 666 00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:59,600 Speaker 1: I felt like the casting of Claudie was perfect because 667 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:03,520 Speaker 1: she's gorgeous, so she you know, could play a catfish, 668 00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:06,040 Speaker 1: but also has this great personality. We get to see 669 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:08,879 Speaker 1: her character unravel a bit too, totally yeah, So it's 670 00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:11,799 Speaker 1: it's it's funny. It's like I was making this, I'm 671 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:14,920 Speaker 1: a big believer that genre should come from the character 672 00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:17,680 Speaker 1: in the film, like what movie do they think they're in? 673 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:20,920 Speaker 1: Because we're kind of subjectively rooted in them and sometimes 674 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:23,160 Speaker 1: it's fun to subvert that and have the character think 675 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:25,200 Speaker 1: they're in a different film than they aren't. And in 676 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:27,040 Speaker 1: the case of my film, that was kind of the case. 677 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:30,080 Speaker 1: My character thinks he's in a rom com and then 678 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:34,799 Speaker 1: from Chuck's perspective, he's in like uncut Gems or something like. 679 00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:39,359 Speaker 1: He's he's fish like his life is unraveling and he's 680 00:37:39,440 --> 00:37:42,279 Speaker 1: just trying to keep up. In every decision he makes, 681 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,800 Speaker 1: it just gets worse and worse and worse. Wow. And 682 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:49,240 Speaker 1: so all in all of you spent about two years 683 00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:54,600 Speaker 1: on this film, I'd say maybe to two or three. 684 00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:57,080 Speaker 1: I mean it's funny, like once you release a movie, 685 00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:00,280 Speaker 1: you're you still do you know? I traveled around ound 686 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:06,560 Speaker 1: the country doing festivals, which is a whole other world itself. 687 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:09,400 Speaker 1: What was it like going into festivals? I mean, just 688 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:12,200 Speaker 1: so fun. It's a movie that was really exciting to 689 00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:15,759 Speaker 1: see in theater because it's there are parts that are 690 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:21,319 Speaker 1: so uncomfortable and and you're just like, it's so fun 691 00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:23,919 Speaker 1: to watch with other people because you're able to kind 692 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:27,279 Speaker 1: of delight in the discomfort together, similar to how you'd 693 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:30,359 Speaker 1: experience like a horror movie, where the more people you're 694 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:32,320 Speaker 1: watching with, the more fun it is because you're getting 695 00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:36,200 Speaker 1: to hear people's people screaming and reacting to it. And 696 00:38:36,239 --> 00:38:39,880 Speaker 1: there's like another that's another part of the whole experience, 697 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:42,600 Speaker 1: just going to the theaters. Finally, and being able to 698 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:44,600 Speaker 1: be in a theater. I was with my friend when 699 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:48,799 Speaker 1: I watched it, and my reaction, which is, yeah, it's 700 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:51,120 Speaker 1: like and it's it's fun because you're then able to 701 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:54,120 Speaker 1: like connect with the person or people you're with watching 702 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:56,560 Speaker 1: this movie, and we'll be on Hulu. I think by 703 00:38:56,560 --> 00:38:59,719 Speaker 1: the time anyone who's listening to this, here's this and 704 00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:02,520 Speaker 1: so yeah, I just encourage people to watch it with 705 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,719 Speaker 1: somebody else because I think it's it's kind it's a 706 00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:08,399 Speaker 1: tough watch. I think to watch solo, I mean it'd 707 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:11,320 Speaker 1: be fun, it'd be fun, but still make you crawl 708 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:13,680 Speaker 1: a little bit in your skin. Yeah, I mean it's 709 00:39:13,719 --> 00:39:17,880 Speaker 1: fun to kind of celebrate how heightened and uncomfortable like 710 00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:21,680 Speaker 1: that I definitely made it for that. You build it 711 00:39:21,760 --> 00:39:26,640 Speaker 1: up to the point like like how how crazy it gets. 712 00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:30,759 Speaker 1: I wanted to be celebrated like with other people, like 713 00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:32,680 Speaker 1: so that you're it's like you're like, oh my god, 714 00:39:33,360 --> 00:39:35,279 Speaker 1: I don't know. I'm a big fan of like when 715 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:37,880 Speaker 1: somebody is telling me a story or I'm telling somebody 716 00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:40,560 Speaker 1: a story of like an awkward thing that happened. There's 717 00:39:40,600 --> 00:39:45,280 Speaker 1: something just fun about like collectively cringing. It's the collective 718 00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:47,359 Speaker 1: cringing not knowing what's going to happen. Now. Yeah, you're 719 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:52,000 Speaker 1: like please, no, no, no, no, You're like, but yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, 720 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:55,520 Speaker 1: you're like And it's weird. It's almost like this massochistic 721 00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:58,880 Speaker 1: appetite that we have to like see how bad it 722 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:00,799 Speaker 1: can get, because I think it watching the car crash, 723 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:04,120 Speaker 1: you can't look exactly exactly, and when we're watching like 724 00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:07,640 Speaker 1: a social car crash, I think there's something that's weirdly 725 00:40:07,719 --> 00:40:12,520 Speaker 1: healing about it because we can relate so strongly and 726 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:15,200 Speaker 1: we've all been there where we're just like how am 727 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:18,800 Speaker 1: I in this conversation or like there's this misunderstanding or 728 00:40:18,840 --> 00:40:22,280 Speaker 1: there's something in the unspoken and it makes us feel 729 00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:26,160 Speaker 1: so lonely because we're like, gosh, I wish somebody else 730 00:40:27,400 --> 00:40:30,120 Speaker 1: was witnessed to this feeling that I'm having. And so 731 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:33,840 Speaker 1: you've communicated with anyone via the internet, you can relate 732 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:37,719 Speaker 1: to totally. So the festival experience is great. It was 733 00:40:38,200 --> 00:40:44,200 Speaker 1: just exciting to see different parts of the country react differently. Um, 734 00:40:44,239 --> 00:40:46,200 Speaker 1: I mean, you get to see all these places that 735 00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:49,239 Speaker 1: you normally wouldn't. I got to spend a week in Nantucket. 736 00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:53,120 Speaker 1: I was in Seattle, I was in Traverse City, a 737 00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:55,480 Speaker 1: little bit everywhere, so fun. And then and then I 738 00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:58,400 Speaker 1: was able to go internationally. I was like, I showed 739 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:01,279 Speaker 1: the film in London and they really dug it. I 740 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:04,960 Speaker 1: was in Rome, and then the movie continued all around 741 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:07,080 Speaker 1: the country, all around the world, and it was just 742 00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:11,279 Speaker 1: it's just cool to see all these different groups of 743 00:41:11,280 --> 00:41:14,040 Speaker 1: people experienced the film differently. And it's just going to 744 00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:17,200 Speaker 1: keep going. It's just gonna keep it's creating a life 745 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:19,759 Speaker 1: over itself. I know. It's such a trip and it's 746 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:22,640 Speaker 1: something you've created and that's awesome, and I'm excited to 747 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:27,000 Speaker 1: see what you do next, whether writing, directing, acting. I'm 748 00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:29,760 Speaker 1: just I think you're the way you go about filmmaking 749 00:41:29,880 --> 00:41:33,000 Speaker 1: is really smart, just from the character's perspective and not 750 00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:35,040 Speaker 1: having an overall like it has to be this theme 751 00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:36,719 Speaker 1: because not a lot of people, I feel like, go 752 00:41:36,880 --> 00:41:39,680 Speaker 1: from that perspective, but it goes to the human element 753 00:41:39,719 --> 00:41:42,120 Speaker 1: of it, which is what we're all drawn to. Thank you. 754 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:44,680 Speaker 1: Thank you for coming on my podcast and taking the 755 00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:47,440 Speaker 1: time and this was so crazy, This was really fun. 756 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:50,160 Speaker 1: Thanks for having me. I appreciate