WEBVTT - Best of 2022 - Pt. 1 0:00:09.160 --> 0:00:13.840 Bubble and Squeak. I love it Bubble and Squeak on 0:00:16.320 --> 0:00:20.599 Bubble and Squeaker cookie every month, left over from the 0:00:20.720 --> 0:00:35.720 night before. Ho Ho ho. My holiday listeners, welcome to 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:40.720 a very special holiday edition of Off the Beat. Tis 0:00:40.920 --> 0:00:45.159 the season. I am your host, Brian Baumgartner. Today we're 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:48.040 gonna do things a little bit differently because I don't 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:52.760 know if you've noticed, but it's almost January already, which 0:00:52.800 --> 0:00:58.720 means it's almost which means that I am just this 0:00:59.240 --> 0:01:02.520 close to making an entire trip around the Sun with 0:01:03.240 --> 0:01:06.160 Off the Beat. Now. I have to tell you all, 0:01:06.520 --> 0:01:10.360 this blows my mind. Week after week I have gotten 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:14.480 to talk to some of the most incredible people from 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:18.200 some of my absolute favorite film and TV shows, and 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:22.679 you all, you're out there listening, You have made this 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:27.720 all possible. I cannot I truly could not be more 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:30.279 grateful for each and every one of you for coming 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:33.679 on this journey with me. I am having a blast. 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:37.559 I hope you continue to have a blast as well. 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:40.679 So my special gift to you, we put together a 0:01:40.720 --> 0:01:44.600 couple of best of episodes for Off the Beat, featuring 0:01:44.680 --> 0:01:50.000 just a very small sampling of the hilarious, emotional, and inspirational, 0:01:50.360 --> 0:01:53.240 if I do say so myself. Interviews that I've put 0:01:53.280 --> 0:01:57.720 on this year, this is by no means a comprehensive list. 0:01:57.920 --> 0:02:01.680 There are some truly fan seking tastic guests you're not 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:06.360 going to be hearing from. But tis the season for reflection, 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:10.720 for looking back and looking forward. So we're going to 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:14.320 do just that, starting with some of my very first guests, 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:17.880 and one in particular who I had happened to cross 0:02:17.960 --> 0:02:22.000 paths with on a boat, well maybe more of a 0:02:22.040 --> 0:02:25.200 booze cruise while filming The Office. So here he is, 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:28.680 my good friend Rob Wriggle, with the story of what 0:02:28.720 --> 0:02:33.280 it was like to play the iconic Captain Jack. Of course, 0:02:33.360 --> 0:02:38.600 I can't not mention Captain Jack uh your role of 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:45.639 The Office coming out to film what was, without a doubt, 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:51.799 the most difficult film we that we had in ten years. 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:56.760 There's no question, There's no question. Working from seven pm 0:02:56.880 --> 0:03:00.200 to like seven am out on the water, it was. 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:02.160 It was Were you aware of the Office when you 0:03:02.280 --> 0:03:06.480 got that job? Was so I was. I was very 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:11.480 aware of the BBC version while I was on snl Uh. 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:14.080 You know, we're on the writers are on seventeen and 0:03:14.120 --> 0:03:19.120 the studios down on eight and on sixteen. They have 0:03:19.200 --> 0:03:23.560 a casting directors and stuff. I actually auditioned for Michael Scott. 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:30.080 I knew this, and I auditioned for Dwight and Keckner's 0:03:30.200 --> 0:03:35.000 role I forget his name, Packer. They made the right choice, obviously, 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:39.200 but I was fresh in their minds because I think 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:42.320 I did the episode that I did the Booze Cruise 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:46.880 before I got the Daily that gap between sn L 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:49.120 and when I got the Daily Show, that's when I 0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:52.600 got the office role, which I was so happy to 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:55.440 get and so on, and for me it was super 0:03:55.480 --> 0:04:00.000 cool because one I love the show is your Guy. 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:03.200 As his second season, I think the show's a hit. 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:06.480 Everybody knows and everybody's loving it, and I was one 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:07.560 of them. I was like more and more and I 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:09.440 get to be part of it, which was great. But 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:13.360 I'm still so green as an actor and as a performer. 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:16.800 Being on cameras still may be nervous. I'm nervous as hell. 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:18.880 And when we got out on the water, remember when 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:24.040 we floated out? Okay, Between between setups, normally everybody goes 0:04:24.040 --> 0:04:26.000 back to the trailer. They go back to crafty kind 0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:28.760 of everybody separates against their space. There was nowhere to 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:30.520 go on that boat. When they say, okay, we're setting 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:32.400 up for it, moving on, it's time for a new shot, 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:34.440 they'd go to set up. We all just go sit 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:37.280 on the dance floor or sit in those boots and 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:41.520 hang out, yeah, those booths, And I remember thinking this 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:44.800 is awesome. I just remember enjoying the hell out of it, 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:47.719 and not even dawning on me that we were dust 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:51.599 till dawn, um and it was draining, and I think, 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:57.279 if I'm not mistaken, Correll was shooting Evan Almighty and 0:04:57.680 --> 0:05:01.039 he would literally leave, we pull back to the to 0:05:01.160 --> 0:05:04.080 the dock. He would get out, get into sedan and 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:07.760 drive to film all day. And I remember thinking, when's 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:11.800 this guy getting his sleep? This is insane. And yet 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:14.200 his performance on the boat, and I'm sure his performance 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:17.280 in the movie fantastic, but it was totally fun. One 0:05:17.279 --> 0:05:20.720 thing about that episode that bumps me out to this day. Okay, 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:23.320 for whatever reason, I don't know, maybe it was the Devil, 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:27.760 maybe evil demon angel, somebody would not let me get 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:30.240 the words Wall and Paul Pack out of my mouth. 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:35.160 I couldn't say it. I couldn't say it. We're supposed 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:36.960 to be on Lake Waldon Paul Pack. I can say 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:40.560 it now as if it's nothing. I can say it 0:05:40.600 --> 0:05:44.960 with ease. That night I maybe got it out once 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:47.760 or twice correctly, and the rest I just couldn't do it. 0:05:47.800 --> 0:05:50.560 And I remember they were looking at me and they 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:53.320 were baffled. They were absolutely baffled, like what is this 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:55.919 guy has a major malfunction? How do you can you 0:05:56.000 --> 0:06:00.120 not say? Waldon Paul Pack? And I can't explain it. 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.240 It's just one of those moments where you're like, I'm 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:05.200 so sorry. I wanted to die. I wanted to go crawl. 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:08.440 I wanted to dive off that boat they died. Well, 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:11.560 first of all, everyone has been there. I have not 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:14.640 thought about that in fifteen years, and you and I 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:18.320 see each other, I don't know, ten times a year 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:22.880 at various things. I have not ever once I thought 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:25.080 of that moment until right now. And the second you 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:28.960 said it, I was like, oh, that's right. He couldn't 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:32.800 say it. I couldn't say it. I couldn't say it right. 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:35.680 And I know it was so simple, and they were 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:37.680 literally they were looking at me. Go wall in, Paul Pack. 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:41.080 I go, well, it's just wall and well, while Papa 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:44.280 pack while play Pop. I mean really there was some 0:06:44.360 --> 0:06:47.280 synapsis in my brain that would not connected. And you know, 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:51.680 you know Brian as an actor. To Drive Home, I 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:55.680 said every line perfectly, I said every word perfectly. I mean, 0:06:56.360 --> 0:06:58.960 I couldn't have been more spot on the drive Home. 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:04.200 Oh that's so funny. That is Oh that is amazing. 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:06.920 Do you get recognized? Do people yelled Captain Jack at 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:10.800 you every now and then? Yes, yes they do. I 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:17.280 was probably no joke, probably heavier, so I looked a 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:22.360 little different then. Interesting that episode, by the way, it 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:25.640 was was shared with me or reminded by Kevin Riley actually, 0:07:25.640 --> 0:07:27.360 who was the head of NBC at the time, that 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:33.520 he would call about the ratings after every night, and 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:36.560 obviously the Office became a big show for him and 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:39.280 he kind of staked his reputation on it. And after 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:44.480 Booze Cruise, the Office didn't just retain the number from 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:47.360 my Name is Earl, which came before, but actually beat 0:07:47.440 --> 0:07:51.360 it in the ratings. And he said, he said, I 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:54.800 may have cried. It was like that kind of moment 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:58.400 for him. Like that episode so significantly the only thing 0:07:58.400 --> 0:08:00.600 that brought other than not being will say well in 0:08:00.600 --> 0:08:03.080 Paul pack, which still haunts me. I mean, I still 0:08:03.120 --> 0:08:07.080 feel so bad about that. I was bummed out because 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:11.080 I knew that once my episode was over, you wouldn't 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:13.120 see Captain Jack again. And I was like, and they're 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:14.800 not going to bring me back as some other character, 0:08:15.240 --> 0:08:17.680 because I just wanted to be reoccurring on on the Office, 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:21.920 just because it's such an iconic, legendary show. But I 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:24.160 won't be greedy. I was very grateful for the opportunity 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:26.800 to to be Captain Jack. Well, look, I mean during 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:30.800 that time and just setting the Office aside, you were 0:08:30.920 --> 0:08:35.840 really on had the opportunity to appear on every great 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:40.560 show during that time with you know, all due respect 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:42.560 to the ones you weren't on, but I mean Arrested 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:48.120 Development and thirty Rock and Modern Family and just amazing 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:50.640 all of the shows that that that you were on 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:53.920 during that time and obviously recurred on a lot of them. Yeah, 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:56.360 I was very happy about that, very blessed. But the 0:08:56.400 --> 0:09:00.720 Office is definitely special. Well, yes it is for me 0:09:00.800 --> 0:09:07.640 to yes the great Lake wall Empow Pack or Lake 0:09:07.720 --> 0:09:11.920 wallym p pack, And that is what we call in 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:15.600 the business. A transition to my next guest, who was 0:09:15.640 --> 0:09:20.360 actually my very first guest on this podcast. She had 0:09:20.400 --> 0:09:25.280 her own special audition story that was not haunted, but 0:09:25.720 --> 0:09:30.640 perhaps helped by a certain kind of energy. Here she 0:09:30.800 --> 0:09:34.800 is with the story, Alison Hannighan. Everyone. I remember my 0:09:34.880 --> 0:09:37.920 manager calling me before I read the script and he's like, Okay, 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:40.040 we're sending you the script. You're either going to love 0:09:40.080 --> 0:09:43.079 it or hate it. Nobody like that's just how it's going. 0:09:43.400 --> 0:09:46.160 People can't stand it or they love it. So I 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:48.920 loved it. And he was saying, take a look at 0:09:49.240 --> 0:09:53.120 you know, whatever role because all the rules were open, 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:55.360 and see which one you like. Oh. I think it 0:09:55.440 --> 0:10:00.360 was actually between my yeah, exactly, Heather and Michelle. And 0:10:00.400 --> 0:10:05.680 I was like, no, I love Michelle and just immediately 0:10:05.920 --> 0:10:09.839 like wanted to do that part. And so I went. 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:14.480 I went to the audition. It was casting. It was 0:10:14.559 --> 0:10:18.440 just me and the casting director, and he told me, um, no, 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:22.360 she can't be that quirky, like take out all the 0:10:22.640 --> 0:10:25.800 you know, all the quirk just take that away and 0:10:25.880 --> 0:10:27.800 because we want, you know, we want these two to 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:31.400 be together or whatever. And I was like, oh, okay, 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:34.559 I mean it's written in question form. Every line has 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:37.400 a question mark at the end of the sentence and 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:40.400 so I was like, oh, all right, well that's weird 0:10:40.440 --> 0:10:43.720 because that's definitely not how I pictured it. So I 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:48.320 did it again, just super boring, and he was like, Okay, great, 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:50.120 I'm going to bring you back for the directors and 0:10:50.160 --> 0:10:53.240 that's that's great. And I got on the phone to 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:55.520 my manager. I was like, they said that they're gonna 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:58.000 bring me back for the directors, but honestly, I don't 0:10:58.040 --> 0:11:00.600 want to go because if he wants me to do 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:03.480 it like that, I just that's that's not going to 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:06.839 be funny. And so so they were like, yeah, yeah, okay, 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:08.840 well let's just see if you get the call back 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:13.319 and talk to us then. And so I did, and 0:11:13.400 --> 0:11:16.320 the call that they took me, my managers took me 0:11:16.360 --> 0:11:18.960 to lunch right before maybe to butter me up to 0:11:18.960 --> 0:11:20.959 go to the Cabby. I don't know why, but we 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:23.960 were at lunch and I had like seven iced teas 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:28.080 or something ridiculous, and then I sat in traffic all 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:30.320 my way to the callback, and I had to pee, 0:11:31.120 --> 0:11:34.880 like I've never had to pee before, and I just 0:11:35.360 --> 0:11:37.520 remember kind of then you have to go through it's 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:40.680 on the backload of universal and drying to find the bungle, 0:11:41.040 --> 0:11:43.200 I was going to wet my pants, and so I 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:44.640 was like, well, I don't want to be late. I'll 0:11:44.640 --> 0:11:47.200 sign in and then run to the bathroom. So I 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:50.280 did that, and I'm like, I went to the bathroom 0:11:50.440 --> 0:11:53.640 washing my hands, and the assistant comes in to the 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:55.840 bathroom and says, okay, we're ready for you, Like, oh, 0:11:56.160 --> 0:12:00.680 all right, So I never come the bathroom. Yeah, well yeah, 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:04.080 I mean yes, well thank god I wasn't in the 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:07.760 stall still, so I dry my hands, but I never 0:12:07.800 --> 0:12:10.319 had time to settle down. I still had that I'm 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:12.760 going to wet my pants energy, and so I just 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:15.559 went in and I never even decided if I was 0:12:15.600 --> 0:12:17.480 going to do it boring or the way I wanted 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:19.840 to do it, And because I had that like hyper 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:22.319 p energy, I just did it the way I wanted 0:12:22.360 --> 0:12:24.880 to do it, and I got the job. There you go. 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:28.959 I'm sure the casting director appreciates me telling that story, 0:12:31.960 --> 0:12:35.800 but I think that that shows a boldness from you, 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:39.360 whether it was intentional or not. Right, so like it 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:43.240 was just about the P or whatever, But if you 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:45.920 read the script this morning, that you would say if 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:48.360 it was just about the PA, it was just about 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:51.160 the PA, just about Alison to Hannigan's peak. No, but 0:12:51.200 --> 0:12:55.559 I mean like there are times you read something and 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:58.400 you see it clearly and it sounds like you did. 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:01.960 There were multiple role was available for your choosing at 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:04.480 least audition, and you saw a character and you saw 0:13:04.480 --> 0:13:06.640 the role and they said, well, no, they want it 0:13:06.720 --> 0:13:11.080 like this. Well that's not you know, well that's not 0:13:11.160 --> 0:13:14.040 what I wanted to do. I really like, I had 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:18.679 so much fun just being weird and like talking in 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:23.559 question form. It was so much fun. And then like no, no, no, 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:27.520 be just lose the quirk and and just like you know, 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:29.920 we want them to root for them to be together. 0:13:30.000 --> 0:13:34.160 I'm like, what, but that didn't I didn't see it 0:13:34.200 --> 0:13:38.400 that way, and I'm so not normally like that either. 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:41.199 I'm very much like, okay, what do you want? I'm 0:13:41.240 --> 0:13:45.000 your puppet, you know. So I guess that was just no, 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:48.040 this is how I would want to play it. It 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:50.800 also helped that I was on Buffy and it wasn't 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:53.920 like I have to get this part, you know. It 0:13:54.040 --> 0:13:57.760 was like, hey, that'd be great. It's a small part 0:13:58.200 --> 0:14:01.160 in this movie I thought was really funny. But it 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:04.120 wasn't like, oh, this is going to change your life. 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:07.600 You know, you didn't know that at the time, so 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:10.520 the stakes weren't that high, and I had a job 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:13.040 to go back to, so that gave me a confidence 0:14:13.080 --> 0:14:19.120 that I didn't normally have. And I know, and you 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:21.160 know that because people always say act like you don't 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:25.160 care about the job, but it's you can't. Well, you 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:27.480 have to truly not care. You have to truly not 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:30.760 care exactly well. And I'm so grateful that I had 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:34.200 a crappy agent for Buffy because they weren't able to 0:14:34.240 --> 0:14:37.280 give me the script, so I only had the sides, 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:41.600 and had I read the script, I would have completely 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:44.840 lost my mind and I wouldn't have There's no way 0:14:44.880 --> 0:14:47.000 I could have gotten it because I would would have 0:14:47.080 --> 0:14:51.600 wanted it so desperately. So I'm I'm really glad that 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:53.960 when I got the script, I was like, I want 0:14:53.960 --> 0:15:00.320 the lottery that you did, Allison, that you did. But 0:15:00.400 --> 0:15:02.800 you're not the only one who had a less than 0:15:02.920 --> 0:15:07.160 ideal audition end up changing your life. Here's my next guest, 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:11.040 my old friend Eric stone Street, with what could only 0:15:11.080 --> 0:15:16.240 be described as an aggressive casting experience, the producer in 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:18.200 Chicago that had helped me get my SAG card by 0:15:18.200 --> 0:15:21.200 doing three backgrounds. She's like, when I was moving, she said, Oh, 0:15:21.240 --> 0:15:24.240 I have a friend that is a casting associate for 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:26.200 somebody in l A. And I'll give you her name. 0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:28.960 That was the only professional name I came to town with. 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:32.800 And she was nice enough to accept my head shot 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:34.480 and she's like, yeah, we'll call you in, you know, 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:37.640 if something comes up, we'll give you a call. And 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:39.760 she called me in. And it took me, you know, 0:15:39.840 --> 0:15:42.520 maybe four or five times of going in for I 0:15:42.520 --> 0:15:45.680 can't think of his name, biggest producer in town, TV wise, 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:50.760 Big Bang Theory Lori, Chuck Lori, Yeah, Chuck Lori. It 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:52.760 took me like four or five times going in and 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:54.560 getting called back. And finally I got a little part 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:57.840 on Darman Gregg and that was really the beginning. But 0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:01.200 I didn't, you know, know anybody. But again, it all 0:16:01.200 --> 0:16:03.800 comes down to people just being nice and like giving 0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:07.480 you a shot. Right. I think for me, a big 0:16:07.560 --> 0:16:12.880 lesson you learn is how important just like the number 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:15.160 of jobs you get, regardless of what they are. Right. 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:18.720 So there's like commercials and there's this show and that show, 0:16:18.720 --> 0:16:21.000 and you start to build a career. I know you 0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:24.400 did a lot of commercials. I hear over a hundred 0:16:24.480 --> 0:16:28.560 commercials you did after arriving at Los Angeles. Well, I 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:31.800 did a national campaign in Chicago for the n c 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:34.240 A where I played this character named Joe Football, where 0:16:34.240 --> 0:16:37.640 I was painted red and blue. And then that helped 0:16:37.640 --> 0:16:42.080 me get a commercial agent in l A. And then 0:16:42.200 --> 0:16:45.560 I was lucky enough one day to meet a guy 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:49.960 named Joe Picka, and Joe Picka is a legendary commercial 0:16:49.960 --> 0:16:52.440 director in Los Angeles. And I went in and I 0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:56.320 auditioned for an American Express Tiger Woods commercial where the 0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:58.720 balls traveling all over the world and I was just 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:01.200 a guy on a T box somewhere in the ball 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:04.400 lands and I smashed the ball. So I go into 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:07.280 this audition and when before I went in, my agent 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:10.200 called me and was like, you're auditioning for Joe Pita. 0:17:10.880 --> 0:17:13.960 Like okay, what what what does that mean? She's like, 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:17.439 you don't know who Joe Pitka is. I'm like, no, 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:19.560 what do I need to do right now? Do I 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:23.200 need to pull over? What's happening? He's like no, he's 0:17:23.359 --> 0:17:27.800 very intimidating, he's very scary, you know, he's very loyal. 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:30.800 Just be cool, becom, don't poke the bear I'm like, 0:17:30.840 --> 0:17:35.360 what the hell. So I go in and I auditioned 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:37.720 for this Tiger Woods commercial where it's like, I don't 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:39.639 even think I have lines. He just was like looking 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:41.440 me up and down at my body and maybe you 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:43.359 have to go swing the golf like a golf club 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:46.360 or something. And I'm standing there and he's just staring 0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:49.240 at me, like literally like a lion about to pounce 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:53.200 on a pound of meat. He goes, where you from? 0:17:53.240 --> 0:17:56.120 And I said, I'm from Kansas City. It was Kansas City. 0:17:57.000 --> 0:18:01.600 I said, yeah, where are you from? He goes Pittsburgh. 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:04.960 I said Pittsburgh. He goes, yeah, you got a problem 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:06.920 with Pittsburgh And I said, well, no, but it seems 0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:09.320 like you have a problem with Kansas City. He's kind 0:18:09.320 --> 0:18:10.760 of have a problem with Kansas City. Why do you 0:18:10.760 --> 0:18:12.520 think I have a problem with Kansas City? And I said, well, 0:18:12.760 --> 0:18:14.560 because I said where I was from, and you were 0:18:14.600 --> 0:18:18.479 like judgemental about it. Because I wasn't judgmental about He goes, 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:20.480 what's your problem? And I go, well, I don't have 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:22.480 a problem. And I'm like, oh my god, it's happening. 0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:25.080 Like she warned me that this could happen. And I'm 0:18:25.119 --> 0:18:27.919 just I'm engaged. Now I'm in an argument with the 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:31.720 guy who like is maybe hiring me. So he's like, 0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:34.200 get the funk out of here, and like literally said 0:18:34.200 --> 0:18:36.160 it like that, and I'm like I leave, and I'm 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:38.920 like I call her and I said, well, I guess 0:18:38.960 --> 0:18:41.280 I screwed that moment up. I guess I didn't heed 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:44.080 your warning. She's like, what happened? I said, well, we 0:18:44.119 --> 0:18:46.960 got into an argument about where I was from. Like 0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:49.360 she's like, what did you do? What did you do? 0:18:49.920 --> 0:18:53.840 He said, I didn't do anything. I just answered his question. Well, 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:57.520 long story short, like a day later, she calls me 0:18:57.560 --> 0:18:59.119 and she's like, you are not going to believe this. 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:02.159 And I said what she said, you are not getting 0:19:02.200 --> 0:19:05.640 that American Express commercial and I said, well, yeah, clearly. 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:08.840 She goes, but Joe Pitka had his casting director callback 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:11.720 and say he can't wait to work with you on something. 0:19:12.359 --> 0:19:15.560 And I was like so confused. And then a month 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:17.679 later I get a phone call. It says, show up 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:19.840 in the Long Beach Harbor. You're in an IBM commercial 0:19:19.840 --> 0:19:22.000 with Joe Picca And that was the beginning of our 0:19:22.560 --> 0:19:29.080 our run. Wow, incredible, unbelievable. How many did you end 0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:32.200 up doing with him. This is gonna sound so ridiculous 0:19:32.280 --> 0:19:34.000 what I'm about to say, but it's like a couple 0:19:34.000 --> 0:19:36.639 of campaigns, but it was like almost sixty and he 0:19:36.680 --> 0:19:39.359 would just call and listen. I have talked about him 0:19:39.560 --> 0:19:42.680 when I've been asked, you know, for comments about acting 0:19:42.680 --> 0:19:44.239 and things like that. I just had dinner with him 0:19:44.280 --> 0:19:46.919 a month ago here in Los Angeles. And he doesn't 0:19:46.960 --> 0:19:49.239 like to hear this because he's this guy. You know, 0:19:49.359 --> 0:19:53.159 he's Polish from Pittsburgh. He's stubborn, and he's bullheaded, and 0:19:53.200 --> 0:19:56.640 he's you know, he is he him. But I'm like, Joe, 0:19:56.720 --> 0:20:02.560 you have to acknowledge my appreciation and my thankfulness to you, 0:20:03.280 --> 0:20:06.960 because you taught me so much about like working under pressure. 0:20:07.720 --> 0:20:11.560 You taught me so much about like being prepared you 0:20:11.640 --> 0:20:14.280 saw me, taught me so much about being patient and 0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:17.600 like confident in your abilities and like you. But more 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:20.160 than anything, you gave me the ability to go into 0:20:20.160 --> 0:20:24.280 these theatrical auditions with the confidence that I had somebody 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:28.040 outside of this room it's going to hire me for something, 0:20:28.320 --> 0:20:30.879 and like you don't know what that means to an 0:20:30.880 --> 0:20:34.480 actor to know that, like I'm not walking in with 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:38.520 desperation on my brow. It's like fuck you, Like, no, 0:20:38.800 --> 0:20:41.919 I'm serious. You need to know that you mean a 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:44.600 tremendous amount of my career and that I wouldn't be 0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:47.280 where I ended up being without you. And that's all 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:50.920 I'm going to say about it. That's amazing. Yeah. Good, 0:20:51.000 --> 0:20:52.920 he's a good guy. I just figured out a stick man. 0:20:52.960 --> 0:20:56.480 I mean, he he is tough, but he just appreciated 0:20:56.520 --> 0:20:59.439 that I in that room, that first moment that I 0:21:00.040 --> 0:21:03.359 gaged him, and that I wasn't like whimpering, And that 0:21:03.480 --> 0:21:05.359 was his test. His test was like, well, can you 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:08.320 work with me on set when there's ten hours of 0:21:08.359 --> 0:21:10.200 time we've wasted and we've got to get the shot 0:21:10.320 --> 0:21:13.920 in one minute? Can you be that person? And that's 0:21:14.080 --> 0:21:35.200 what he kind of puts people through. My next guest 0:21:35.240 --> 0:21:39.520 found herself with an incredible opportunity to take a leading 0:21:39.640 --> 0:21:43.560 role on what would eventually become a true cult classic, 0:21:44.040 --> 0:21:47.680 Freaks and Geeks. But if the stars had aligned differently, 0:21:47.920 --> 0:21:50.520 she would have listened to all of the people telling 0:21:50.560 --> 0:21:54.320 her to pass. I'm happy to say that she had 0:21:54.320 --> 0:21:58.200 her own motivations, because otherwise she may not have been 0:21:58.520 --> 0:22:02.680 so busy these last few decades. Okay, that was bad. 0:22:03.760 --> 0:22:06.199 That was That was bad. I'm blaming that on the writers. 0:22:06.320 --> 0:22:10.320 Here she is busy phillips everyone. I went to pick 0:22:10.440 --> 0:22:13.239 up I think Colin at the airport and Linda was 0:22:13.280 --> 0:22:17.680 also there picking up her roommate actually, and she had 0:22:17.720 --> 0:22:20.919 just gotten the part and she knew that they had 0:22:21.040 --> 0:22:24.000 they wanted me for Kim Kelly. And she was like, dude, 0:22:24.119 --> 0:22:26.960 can you believe it. I'm I got freaks and geeks. 0:22:27.000 --> 0:22:29.159 I'm gonna do it. You gotta be Kim Kelly. And 0:22:29.160 --> 0:22:31.280 I was like, I know, I was just talking. I 0:22:31.440 --> 0:22:35.000 just it's so exciting, Like I just my agents were 0:22:35.000 --> 0:22:37.359 feeling like I don't know. And she's like, no, no, no, 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:39.720 do this show. You gotta do this with me. It'll 0:22:39.720 --> 0:22:42.399 be so much fun. We'll have so much fun. And 0:22:42.440 --> 0:22:45.240 I honestly, in that moment, I was like, yeah, of 0:22:45.240 --> 0:22:47.679 course I'm sucking doing it. Like why would I not 0:22:47.880 --> 0:22:52.840 do I already know this girl who's rad and like 0:22:52.960 --> 0:22:55.600 I want to be best friends with anyway, why would 0:22:55.640 --> 0:22:59.040 I not do this? And so I called my manager, Lorraine, 0:22:59.080 --> 0:23:01.199 and I was like, I really want to do this, 0:23:01.240 --> 0:23:03.440 and she's like, I'm gonna call Judge. I'm gonna find 0:23:03.440 --> 0:23:05.199 out what the deal is. And then she called me 0:23:05.200 --> 0:23:07.440 back and she was like, you know, Judd is really 0:23:07.480 --> 0:23:10.240 insistent that they want to make this character a series 0:23:10.320 --> 0:23:12.520