WEBVTT - Emmanuelle Chriqui 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.960 For the longest time. I sort of just it didn't 0:00:04.000 --> 0:00:08.480 click in my brain that, oh, yeah, I do comedy. 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:11.600 Like to me, I just didn't do comedy. I'm like 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:14.720 not not funny, like not at all, Like that's why 0:00:14.760 --> 0:00:17.720 would I do comedy. I remember even saying, like, it's 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:21.119 not like I'd ever do an Outam Sandler film. Cut 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:33.360 to zone. Hi, I'm Emmanuel Shrieky, and I am an 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:45.240 actress that loves to travel the world. Hello, gentle listeners 0:00:45.360 --> 0:00:49.680 from far and wide, Welcome to a new episode of 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:53.840 Off the Beat. I am, as always your host, Brian Baumgartner, 0:00:54.000 --> 0:00:56.640 and as you just heard, today, we're gonna be joined 0:00:56.640 --> 0:01:01.200 by one of my favorites, the amazing Emmanuel Shrieky. You 0:01:01.280 --> 0:01:05.400 might know her as Sloan from Entourage. She also played 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:09.640 Claire Bonner in snow Day and now she's starring as 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:14.600 Lana Lang in the hit TV show Superman. And Lois 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:21.120 from rom Coms to video games and now the Arrow Verse. Emmanuel, 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:24.360 she has truly done it all, and to think it 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:29.760 all started with a McDonald's commercial at age ten. Yes, 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:35.280 the acting bug got her very early on. Look, I 0:01:35.319 --> 0:01:37.319 don't have to tell you everything. She's done, because she 0:01:37.480 --> 0:01:40.920 is here to do that herself. Let's dive right in, 0:01:41.200 --> 0:01:49.960 shall we. Here she is Emmanuel, Shrieky, bubble and squeak. 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:57.640 I love it, Bubble, squeak, bubble and squeaker. Cook it 0:01:57.840 --> 0:02:14.760 every month left from the people. What's up? Hello? Um? 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:19.840 How are you? I'm so good? How are you? I'm fantastic. 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:22.120 Thank you so much for coming to talk to me. 0:02:22.480 --> 0:02:27.520 Oh my pleasure of course. Where are you at my 0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:31.440 house in West Hollywood? You're in You're in l A. Well, 0:02:31.440 --> 0:02:35.959 I know you travel around all the time, constantly working 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:40.720 and on the road. Well, welcome back home to Los Angeles. 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:43.239 Thank you. Let me tell you it's so. I'm on 0:02:43.240 --> 0:02:47.120 a hiatus right now and it is so good to 0:02:47.200 --> 0:02:50.560 be back in l A for the summer. It's been amazing. 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:56.480 Where where do you film Superman? Lois? We shoot the 0:02:56.520 --> 0:03:00.520 show in Vancouver? All right? Your home, your homeland, yes, 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:06.400 my homeland, but this is my home here. But it's great. 0:03:06.440 --> 0:03:09.480 It's the same time zone. It's an easy flight, right. 0:03:09.560 --> 0:03:11.560 All right, Well, I want to talk to you about 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:14.880 Superman and Lois and a little bit. First. I want 0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:19.320 to start by going back to your your homeland. I 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:22.919 know you grew up outside of Toronto, is that right. 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:26.960 I don't think that I've talked to anyone else that 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:30.119 this is true of You grew up in an Orthodox 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:38.360 Jewish household, is that right? Yeah? Modern Orthodox, like you weren't. Yeah, 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:42.160 like it wasn't. When I say, I think, I don't know, 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:45.360 maybe I should come up with a different terminology. It 0:03:45.440 --> 0:03:49.200 was Orthodox in the sense that like we did shabbut 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:53.520 every Friday, and we were kosher at home, milk and meat, 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:59.360 like separate sinks, you know, dishes um all the high 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:05.560 holiday but like day to day was normal. Okay, so 0:04:05.640 --> 0:04:08.560 really just the Shabbat and the big holidays. But I 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:11.480 mean keeping a kosher kitchen at home, it was a 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:14.200 big deal. That's a thing. That's a thing, right. Yeah. 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:15.880 When I had friends over, I had to be like, 0:04:16.040 --> 0:04:24.120 don't use that sponge. Yeah no, I know, Well that 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:27.960 that's so interesting. I mean, to come out of that 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:32.960 type of environment and that type of household. Um. I 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:37.880 was told your first at least paid acting job was 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:41.719 in a McDonald's commercial. Is that? Now? This is my guest, 0:04:41.720 --> 0:04:49.280 as you probably weren't eating McDonald's, right, maybe the fish? 0:04:49.400 --> 0:04:53.960 Oh was that fine? Yeah? Like that's the thing. We 0:04:54.040 --> 0:04:56.760 would go out to dinner, you know, It's just nothing 0:04:57.000 --> 0:05:04.120 was allowed to eating the house. That was the okay stipulation. Yeah, okay. Um, 0:05:04.240 --> 0:05:08.919 you started you started acting young? Now were you instantly 0:05:09.520 --> 0:05:14.440 Well how did you start acting? What was your first experience? 0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:19.560 My first experience was doing community theater in Unionville where 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:24.000 I lived. UM. We had was called the Unionville Theater Company. 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:27.880 And my classmate at school had said, you know, do 0:05:27.920 --> 0:05:30.400 you want to audition for my dad's play because his 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:33.640 dad ran the theater company. And I auditioned for the 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:38.360 role of the baby ghost in this Canadian play called 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:41.680 Listen to the Wind. And it was like, you know, 0:05:41.920 --> 0:05:45.760 a full on theater experience at seven years old, and 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:48.719 I was in like, I was like, this is amazing. 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:53.360 I this is what I want to do at age 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:56.520 seven as baby ghosts who were like this, this is it? 0:05:57.360 --> 0:05:59.920 Was it theater specifically or was it was it being 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:03.360 on stage act theater? That's that's like my roots. And 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:07.920 then you know the town that I lived in, Unionville, 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:11.200 we um at the time, like when it was time 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:14.839 to start high school. Uh, they were building a high 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:18.480 school for the performing arts, and they had an amazing 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:21.720 theater program. So you know it was it was like 0:06:21.880 --> 0:06:24.000 I was all in. I was like I had to 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:27.280 audition and I had to get in. I mean, I 0:06:27.320 --> 0:06:28.960 don't know what I would have done if I never 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:35.719 got accepted. How far How far were you from Toronto? 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:42.600 Like minute drive outside the city? Okay? And so you 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:46.760 started because I mentioned the McDonald's commercial, you started? What 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:49.040 did you get an agent or you started like in 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:53.559 terms of commercial So what happened was that, um, during 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:58.800 high school in the theater program in Canada, there is 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:03.279 a levision station called y TV, which is like the 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:08.520 equivalent of Nickelodeon, will say, and they were having a 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:12.480 writing competition and the winner of the writing competition would 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:16.280 have their show produced and they shows our school as 0:07:16.400 --> 0:07:19.520 as the location, just because it was a new, you know, 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:23.480 very beautiful kind of nine o two one oh looking 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:28.840 high school and they used are they auditioned our theater department. 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:32.760 So that was sort of like my foray into film 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:36.080 and television. And from that I got an agent and 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:40.760 then sort of started, you know, doing commercials and one 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:44.520 liners and two liners and you know, a week here 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:49.200 guests are there. Right. So in your early experience on 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:53.680 on camera, how for you was that different than doing 0:07:53.720 --> 0:07:56.920 work in the theater. Were you still interested more in theater, 0:07:57.080 --> 0:07:59.760 or did you start to really feel like film and 0:07:59.800 --> 0:08:02.840 tell where you wanted to move. You know, it's interesting 0:08:02.920 --> 0:08:05.679 I think that I made that decision sort of later 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:08.920 because when I started in film and television, I was 0:08:08.960 --> 0:08:13.680 still in high school and you know, learning everything from 0:08:13.800 --> 0:08:17.960 Stanislavski and Udahogen and all the method acting and all 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:20.480 the things, and so it was just sort of something 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:24.240 that I was doing parallel to going to school. And 0:08:24.280 --> 0:08:27.800 then when I went to college for a year and 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:31.920 I majored in another theater program, and it was at 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:36.199 that point that it felt a little bit redundant, like really, 0:08:36.320 --> 0:08:39.439 my high school had such an amazing program, And at 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:43.640 that point, sort of later on, I really saw that 0:08:43.679 --> 0:08:49.079 I actually wanted a career in film versus theater. And 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:53.280 so then I think, just you know, I have intense 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:59.000 stage fright, really, I know, it's it gets crazy. Yeah, 0:08:59.160 --> 0:09:06.160 it's like really intense still, and yeah, I get really nervous, 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:10.400 like like sick, Like I'm like I literally am like, 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:12.600 oh my god, why am I doing this? This is 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:15.840 a nightmare? Why, you know. And then of course, once 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:18.600 you're in it and the magic takes over. You're like, oh, 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:22.080 that was the best thing after ever. But that was 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:25.000 like a big thing for me, And I don't know, 0:09:25.120 --> 0:09:29.360 I just felt that. I think my inspiration really came 0:09:29.400 --> 0:09:32.160 from so many movies that I had watched growing up, 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:35.240 and I think I just had this dream that I 0:09:35.280 --> 0:09:37.280 really wanted to be a part of that. That way, 0:09:37.320 --> 0:09:40.560 I had like a very big influence on me. So yeah, 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:43.760 so I just sort of pursued it and it seemed 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:47.120 to have been the way to go. Yeah, it's fascinating 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:52.200 to me because my experience was was just so different. 0:09:52.440 --> 0:09:54.840 Like I and now, you know, you hear so much 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:57.480 about Atlanta. I grew up in Atlanta, and there's so 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:02.400 atta but there you go there and there's so much 0:10:02.480 --> 0:10:05.079 work happening. You know, you can't be an actor now 0:10:05.120 --> 0:10:07.640 and not not work in Atlanta, And there's so much 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:10.920 stuff happening there At the time, either, I mean, I 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:15.120 think I know there was less, but it wasn't even 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:18.800 a part of my consciousness film and television or being 0:10:18.840 --> 0:10:21.640 on film or like getting an agent like and I 0:10:21.640 --> 0:10:24.960 don't know what that says about me or you know, 0:10:25.000 --> 0:10:27.600 obviously it was it was a different time but for 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:30.560 me it was just theater was like, oh no, I 0:10:30.559 --> 0:10:32.520 want to be an actor, and I want to be 0:10:32.640 --> 0:10:35.120 a theater actor. And that was that was for a 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:39.720 really long time. Actually, um so yes, fascinating to me 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:43.360 to talk to people whose experience started at least early 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:46.400 on and yeah, I mean McDonald's commercial here and a 0:10:46.480 --> 0:10:50.160 couple of lines there or whatever, but having that experience 0:10:50.200 --> 0:10:53.240 of being on film, on being on a set, which 0:10:53.440 --> 0:10:57.400 is such a different experience. I mean, you're fundamentally you're 0:10:57.440 --> 0:10:59.360 doing the same thing. You're acting, you're playing a character, 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:03.520 whatever that character is or does, but the experience of 0:11:03.640 --> 0:11:11.320 creation is so different. Beyond yeah, I think you know that, Brian. 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:14.720 To your point was that, like you're right nowadays to 0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:18.840 be in film and television, it's virtually unheard of to 0:11:19.000 --> 0:11:23.520 not end up in Atlanta. But I think that that 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:28.280 happened fairly recently. Like I would say that the industry 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:33.880 exploded in Atlanta, what within the last ten years maybe, 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:38.760 you know, whereas like Toronto was always a place where 0:11:38.760 --> 0:11:42.160 there was a pretty thriving film and television community. So 0:11:42.200 --> 0:11:45.760 I think it just is exposure, like I think, you 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:49.479 know what I mean. Like and also in my theater program. 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:53.120 There were kids, you know, who were on Degrassi Junior 0:11:53.200 --> 0:11:57.160 High So it was in my consciousness already. But I 0:11:57.200 --> 0:12:01.000 think if I had grown up like you, I probably 0:12:01.040 --> 0:12:06.320 would have stuck in theater far longer until maybe the 0:12:06.360 --> 0:12:11.880 opportunity arose. You know. Yeah, how were your were your parents? 0:12:11.880 --> 0:12:14.800 Were they supportive? I mean obviously at your ten they 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:19.480 have to drive you or whatever. Yeah, were they support 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:24.720 him of the experience and obviously beyond, Like, I am 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:28.240 so lucky I had the support of my entire family. 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:31.360 I mean, my parents were supportive, my older brother and 0:12:31.400 --> 0:12:35.239 my older sister, like everybody sort of felt like that's 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:38.640 what I should be doing. Like I think, you know, 0:12:39.960 --> 0:12:42.839 just because I was sort of one of these youngsters 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:48.240 that was. I was really into music and dancing and 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:51.640 entertainment of all kinds. And I was a bit of 0:12:51.640 --> 0:12:54.439 a ham as a kid. I became a lot shyer 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:58.720 though older I got, but like as a little little one, 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:03.760 I was really I loved just performing for people. Um. 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:06.760 So I think I'm so lucky that I had the 0:13:06.800 --> 0:13:11.439 support of my family, you know, fairly consistently. That's great, 0:13:11.960 --> 0:13:17.280 did you sing? I thought I couldn't think that's what 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:21.640 I always say that's what I because I mean people 0:13:21.640 --> 0:13:23.559 are like, oh, did you do musicals and stuff? And 0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:29.960 I was like, yep, kind but like, looking back, I 0:13:30.000 --> 0:13:34.720 was very very clearly talk singing like I could. I could, 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:38.600 I could talk sing on the rhythm and as long 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:42.640 as there was some comedy role involved that I could, 0:13:42.720 --> 0:13:45.360 I could crush that pretty good. But looking back is like, no, 0:13:45.440 --> 0:13:51.760 I couldn't really, I couldn't really think I had to 0:13:51.840 --> 0:13:55.800 sing from my audition for theater school for college, and 0:13:55.840 --> 0:14:00.559 I mean like I did it, but I mean, you know, 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:04.000 like and not to basically be like, well, she can 0:14:04.040 --> 0:14:06.679 hold the tune, you know. But it's so it's so 0:14:06.720 --> 0:14:10.760 crazy because I've often thought about how, like even today, 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:15.720 like how I would actually love to take the singing 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:20.320 classes because similar to like my stage fright, like I 0:14:20.360 --> 0:14:25.040 think the two are linked, Like I feel I know 0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:28.560 that I can hold the tune, but I am so stuck, 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:32.160 like I just can't let go. I get so freaked 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:34.200 out and I just don't do it. And I feel 0:14:34.240 --> 0:14:36.560 like if I can get over that hump, it could 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:40.840 probably free me up as a performer just all around. 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:44.960 Because it's it's a bit of a fear you know. Yeah, 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:46.920 I want to talk about your stage fright just a 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:49.400 little bit more because I didn't know this is it? 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:52.280 Is it about being in front of people. I think 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:55.200 like stage fright is a combination of like, you know, 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:59.880 it's the actor's nightmare of being like out there. It's 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:03.720 you can't call cut and like but if you forget 0:15:03.720 --> 0:15:07.040 your lines what you want to I think wrong. It's 0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:09.480 all the things, like all the narratives that go in 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:14.480 your head that are completely fear base, that like paralyzed me. Um, 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:16.560 but just a little like I mean, I managed to 0:15:16.600 --> 0:15:20.680 get through it, but man, it's pretty intense. Yeah I was. 0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:27.040 I would say I didn't have like traditional stage front. 0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:29.840 I mean, of course I have had those nightmares. Those 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:33.240 nightmares continue to today. And for those of you who 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:36.320 are listening who don't know what we're talking about, there 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:41.640 is a very specific actor's nightmare where you are sleeping 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:45.320 but suddenly right. I mean, it could be any number 0:15:45.360 --> 0:15:48.960 of things, like you're about to get on stage and 0:15:49.080 --> 0:15:54.640 you don't know where your costume is or your wardrobe, 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:58.360 or you're on stage and you don't know what you're 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:01.520 supposed to say and everyone is looking at you, and yeah, 0:16:01.600 --> 0:16:05.880 that that anxiety dream that exists. I think I had 0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:11.040 it more on live shows. I had it for a bit, 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:15.720 and I think for me it was about there wasn't 0:16:15.720 --> 0:16:19.520 a script, right, but and somehow it was different than 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:22.480 improv because I feel like an improv you sort of 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:25.360 find your time to jump in, and you jump in. 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:29.000 This is more like someone is asking you questions and 0:16:29.040 --> 0:16:31.640 you're not exactly clear what those questions are going to 0:16:31.720 --> 0:16:35.400 be or where it's going to leave. And I'll tell 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:39.120 you a quick story. I was still getting this is 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:41.200 a this is a long time ago now, but I 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:43.280 was on a late night television show. I'm not going 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:45.720 to mention the name of it is since it does 0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:50.320 not exist. And I am there's a live studio audience 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:55.000 and it's live late night and I'm in the chair 0:16:55.360 --> 0:16:58.400 and the host says to me, so we have a 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:01.240 surprise for you. You don't know what it is, right, 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:06.280 And I said no, and he said yeah, and then 0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:08.480 makes this very big deal about the fact that this 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:11.880 is truly a surprise. This isn't a TV surprise, Like 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:15.000 you really don't know what it is. And I felt 0:17:15.280 --> 0:17:21.240 my face turn hot and begin to sweat, like uncontrollable 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:25.760 because I truly don't know what it was. And it's 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:28.879 funny that it's this because we were just discussing it. 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:32.240 This was, by the way, this was not planned. They 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:36.399 suddenly start playing a video and the video is a 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:40.600 video of me in high school, singing in a tux, 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:46.440 singing in and this is kind of before you can 0:17:46.480 --> 0:17:51.040 find anything in the world online or whatever. And I 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:54.800 had not seen this video. I don't think ever. I mean, 0:17:54.880 --> 0:18:00.080 it was like VHS recorded video of me singing to 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:05.560 dream the impossible dream on video, and I'm like, and 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:08.159 I kind of got up and started saying on the 0:18:08.200 --> 0:18:09.919 show like at the end, because I was like, I 0:18:09.920 --> 0:18:12.320 don't even know what to do. I don't even know 0:18:12.359 --> 0:18:15.639 what to do. And that probably damaged me for a while, 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:19.040 just that experience of not it actually coming out, but 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:21.560 just saying like, we're going to surprise you and you 0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:23.439 don't know what it is in front of all of 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:28.159 these people. That was my That was my nightmare. Hell, like, 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:31.440 you're personal that was my personal health. Yeah, oh my god. 0:18:31.920 --> 0:18:37.440 You know I also had um like the true it 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:43.160 was my nightmare come true. But ironically it wasn't on stage. 0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:46.320 It was on a television show that I was doing 0:18:46.520 --> 0:18:49.400 a couple of years back called Murder in the first Yes, 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:54.600 I was playing this gang unit cop and for a 0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:59.560 week I had been learning like pages and pages of 0:18:59.640 --> 0:19:03.360 dial log and I had it down. And then the 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:09.200 night before the writer sends me new scenes. But like 0:19:09.560 --> 0:19:13.760 Brian brand New, Okay, now here's what I need to 0:19:13.800 --> 0:19:16.960 tell you. This is everybody who knows me knows this. 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:22.720 I do not have a photographic memory, and I need 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:26.439 time to work on my ship, like for real, I 0:19:26.440 --> 0:19:29.560 mean Superman and Lois knows that. Every show I work 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:32.600 on knows that. That's just how I roll, It's how 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:39.159 my brain works. So the night before I am flicking out, 0:19:40.240 --> 0:19:42.960 and for the first time in my life, I took 0:19:43.040 --> 0:19:46.119 like half an adderall and I was like, I have 0:19:46.280 --> 0:19:49.280 to learn this, I have to do this. So I'm 0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:53.840 stressed to the max, anxious, barely slept. Get to set. 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:57.440 The next day, I am beside myself and I go 0:19:57.720 --> 0:20:03.199 to the director on She's like the loveliest woman, Alesan Andrews. 0:20:03.280 --> 0:20:06.840 She was directing our episode, and I'm like, Alison, I 0:20:06.920 --> 0:20:10.159 got to tell you. They changed all my stuff at 0:20:10.160 --> 0:20:13.320 the very last minute, And like I don't learn stuff quickly, 0:20:13.359 --> 0:20:16.320 but I've got certainly done my best. I just want 0:20:16.359 --> 0:20:18.560 you to know that. She's like, no problem, it's all good. 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:21.720 I was like, awesome, we'll probably just you know, do 0:20:21.840 --> 0:20:26.720 it in snippets whatever. I get to set and she 0:20:26.800 --> 0:20:34.159 says to me, sweetheart, it's a walking talk, one shot, 0:20:36.800 --> 0:20:43.080 walking talk instant, like you don't even know. So I'm 0:20:43.160 --> 0:20:46.919 like there. I mean I think of maybe seven or 0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:51.920 eight takes. I think I got it once. Honest to god, 0:20:52.040 --> 0:20:54.640 I got it once, and I got it because like 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:57.640 after the fifth or sixth take, I'm like in the back, 0:20:57.880 --> 0:21:01.560 we're like shooting in this warehouse. Um my co star 0:21:01.720 --> 0:21:04.879 Kathleen Roberts, and she was like, you've got this. I 0:21:05.000 --> 0:21:08.679 heard you in the trailer. You got this. I'm like panicking, 0:21:09.200 --> 0:21:14.480 and I tears are streaming down my face and I'm 0:21:14.520 --> 0:21:18.440 like before action, I like walked to the bathroom warehouse 0:21:18.920 --> 0:21:22.800 and I literally pray to both my parents. They're both 0:21:22.840 --> 0:21:26.800 passed away, and I'm like, well, Dad, if you could 0:21:26.800 --> 0:21:30.280 hear me right now, I did you so bad. I 0:21:30.359 --> 0:21:34.080 have to get through this and I would be cold. 0:21:34.160 --> 0:21:40.520 Somehow I did. However, Brian, after I had a meeting 0:21:40.560 --> 0:21:42.960 with the with the writer with the creator of the show, 0:21:43.040 --> 0:21:46.400 and I was like, that was easily the most stressful 0:21:46.440 --> 0:21:48.520 moment of my life. And I'll tell you I got 0:21:48.560 --> 0:21:52.960 it just barely. Uh. I did not do my best work, 0:21:54.280 --> 0:21:59.600 honest good, but it was a true after nightmare. That's 0:21:59.640 --> 0:22:22.560 that's off. You started with a lot of comedy and 0:22:22.760 --> 0:22:28.160 kind of romantic comedy roles Detroit, Rock City, snow Day 0:22:29.080 --> 0:22:35.720 with the amazing Gene Smart Chevy, Adam and Eve. Uh 0:22:35.800 --> 0:22:38.440 you don't mess with the Zohan. Was there something specifically 0:22:38.480 --> 0:22:40.600 that drew you to those type of rolls or those 0:22:40.640 --> 0:22:44.160 type of roles just start finding you. I think they 0:22:44.240 --> 0:22:48.600 just started finding me, you know, because for the longest time, 0:22:49.040 --> 0:22:52.560 I sort of just it didn't click in my brain that, 0:22:53.040 --> 0:22:56.959 oh yeah, I do comedy. Like to me, I just 0:22:56.960 --> 0:23:00.480 didn't do comedy, and I gotten that funny like not 0:23:00.600 --> 0:23:03.360 at all, Like that's why would I do comedy. I 0:23:03.400 --> 0:23:06.199 remember even saying like, it's not like I'd ever do 0:23:06.240 --> 0:23:11.399 an Adam Sandler film. Cut to Zan. You know, I 0:23:11.440 --> 0:23:15.320 remember a few years ago, Uh, I did Super Troopers too, 0:23:16.000 --> 0:23:20.480 and Jay chandrashekr you know, we we talked on the 0:23:20.560 --> 0:23:25.000 phone and he's like he wants me for this part, 0:23:25.440 --> 0:23:30.240 and I'm like, Jay, I don't honestly think that i'm 0:23:30.240 --> 0:23:33.840 your person, Like I don't do comedy, and he was like, 0:23:34.440 --> 0:23:38.679 are you kidding. I was like, no, I'm not kidding. 0:23:38.720 --> 0:23:42.199 I'm not kidding at all. He's like, I mean he 0:23:42.320 --> 0:23:44.639 did this thing and he jokes about it today. He 0:23:44.760 --> 0:23:47.720 was like, Emmanuel is like the only actor that I've 0:23:47.760 --> 0:23:50.440 ever like spoken to on the phone that tried to 0:23:50.480 --> 0:23:54.399 talk her way out of doing a part. And I 0:23:54.560 --> 0:23:57.959 was like, oh god, that's really messed up. Anyway, I 0:23:58.000 --> 0:24:01.159 did it. I had the best time. So yeah, I 0:24:01.200 --> 0:24:06.080 guess I do do comedy. Yes, you, of course you 0:24:06.160 --> 0:24:13.160 do do comedy. You were then eventually cast in well, 0:24:13.200 --> 0:24:18.560 I would say, a very important obviously huge comedy Entourage. 0:24:18.800 --> 0:24:21.840 It's crazy when I looked back on and I was like, 0:24:21.920 --> 0:24:25.720 I think this is true? Is this really true? Two 0:24:25.720 --> 0:24:32.840 thousand five, Entourage and The Office started at like exactly 0:24:32.920 --> 0:24:40.040 the same time. Oh, two crazy different shows, both successful 0:24:40.200 --> 0:24:44.280 in their own way, but they started at the same time, 0:24:44.840 --> 0:24:49.480 obviously on two different networks. Now you join Entourage in 0:24:49.520 --> 0:24:52.800 the second season, obviously, as sloan, did you watch the 0:24:52.880 --> 0:24:57.400 first season? Were you aware of it? Barely? I think 0:24:57.400 --> 0:25:00.920 I've watched a couple of episodes just to know what 0:25:00.960 --> 0:25:04.240 I was going to go, do you know? Um? But no, 0:25:04.440 --> 0:25:08.960 I was. It wasn't even you know, it really popped. 0:25:09.200 --> 0:25:13.640 By like third season, it really hit, but I think 0:25:13.640 --> 0:25:15.639 like it was a little slow burned out the gate. 0:25:15.960 --> 0:25:19.280 Second season it started to definitely get some momentum, and 0:25:19.320 --> 0:25:23.560 by third season it was just like water cooler conversation, Right, 0:25:24.240 --> 0:25:29.240 what was your experience of auditioning for the role of Sloan? Oh? 0:25:29.280 --> 0:25:33.200 My god, it was so wild. First of all, it 0:25:33.280 --> 0:25:36.679 was like a three episode arc. It's literally like just 0:25:36.800 --> 0:25:41.840 three episodes. But apparently the story goes that they really 0:25:41.880 --> 0:25:47.880 wanted to find ease new girlfriend, and you know, they 0:25:47.920 --> 0:25:51.959 had cast some wonderful ladies and for whatever reasons, it just, 0:25:52.240 --> 0:25:55.960 you know, never really worked out. And so when I 0:25:56.000 --> 0:26:00.280 auditioned initially, it went really really well. And when I 0:26:00.320 --> 0:26:05.040 got the call back, they had already like altered the 0:26:05.200 --> 0:26:09.520 role to be like to basically insinuate that my father 0:26:09.800 --> 0:26:14.040 was Malcolm McDowell and that my mother was Israeli, like 0:26:14.200 --> 0:26:17.760 just to explain the coloring or whatever. And that's interesting. 0:26:18.119 --> 0:26:22.800 And like Kevin Connolly had called me before the callback 0:26:23.320 --> 0:26:27.240 because I think he just loved I didn't even know him. 0:26:27.280 --> 0:26:29.280 I guess he had seen the tapes or whatever and 0:26:29.800 --> 0:26:34.359 really sort of gravitated towards my audition and he just 0:26:34.440 --> 0:26:37.639 called me and he was like, do exactly what you did, 0:26:37.640 --> 0:26:40.960 Like that was great. And then we read together at 0:26:41.000 --> 0:26:44.600 the callback and in the very last hour there was 0:26:45.000 --> 0:26:50.400 another actress that was like right like primed to get it, 0:26:51.119 --> 0:26:54.440 and I think, you know, Doug Ellen sort of fought 0:26:54.480 --> 0:26:57.679 hard for me and it went my way. And Kevin 0:26:57.720 --> 0:27:01.520 Connolly was the one who called me and offered me 0:27:01.720 --> 0:27:05.320 the part, like he got permission to do that, so sweet, 0:27:05.480 --> 0:27:09.000 I know. And then and then like it was it's 0:27:09.080 --> 0:27:12.119 you know, I've talked about this so much. Is that 0:27:12.320 --> 0:27:15.400 Entourage was like the gift that keeps on giving, Like 0:27:15.600 --> 0:27:19.639 it was the rest of this series plus a movie 0:27:19.920 --> 0:27:23.560 that started out as like a three episode ark, the 0:27:23.640 --> 0:27:29.679 game Changer that one. How how long after the first 0:27:29.760 --> 0:27:31.760 three did you know you were going to stick around? 0:27:32.920 --> 0:27:36.600 I think it just sort of kept happening incrementally, like 0:27:36.760 --> 0:27:40.000 they just kept writing and writing, and then third season 0:27:40.200 --> 0:27:42.959