WEBVTT - Bonus: Stephen Saux 0:00:05.480 --> 0:00:07.800 My name is Steven Socks. I was a stand in 0:00:07.920 --> 0:00:11.040 on the Office, also played Justin Spitzer on the Office, 0:00:11.440 --> 0:00:20.600 and currently I'm the commissioner of The Office Fantasy Football League. 0:00:21.920 --> 0:00:29.120 Hello everyone, and welcome to a special Thursday edition of 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:33.760 The Office Deep Dive. I am your host, Brian bon Gardner. Yes, 0:00:34.479 --> 0:00:39.280 I'm here on a Thursday. Why it's not Tuesday. Why 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:43.360 a Thursday? Well, because I'm so excited. It's my favorite 0:00:43.360 --> 0:00:48.720 time of the year. It's the most wonderful time. We 0:00:48.760 --> 0:00:50.720 have to pay for that. Listen, those of you who 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:53.920 follow me on social media know that I am a 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:59.560 huge football fan. That's right. But did you know that 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:03.480 a lot of the Office family actually love football too. 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:07.800 In fact, we have our own fantasy football league that 0:01:07.840 --> 0:01:12.360 has been going on for seven teen years, an official 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:18.280 The Office Fantasy Football League. Now that seventeen years. That's 0:01:18.319 --> 0:01:21.759 longer than some of you have been alive. Okay, Now, 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:25.319 the competition started way back while we were filming the 0:01:25.319 --> 0:01:28.760 show like season two ish, And let me tell you, 0:01:29.120 --> 0:01:34.720 our directors hated it. Our assistant directors really hated it 0:01:34.959 --> 0:01:38.880 because nothing interrupted our ability to do our jobs like 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:45.360 our obsession with beating each other. Yes, defeating like pummeling 0:01:45.959 --> 0:01:49.240 one another. Seriously, we would spend as much time on 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:54.000 fantasy football as we did on writing scripts or finding 0:01:54.040 --> 0:01:57.440 props or memorizing lines, and you know something, those were 0:01:57.480 --> 0:02:01.760 some of my favorite times on set. So in honor 0:02:02.080 --> 0:02:04.760 of our fantasy football crew, I'm gonna be launching a 0:02:04.840 --> 0:02:10.360 special Thursday edition of the podcast called The Office Deep 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:14.000 Dive Fantasy Edition, where I bring on special guests and 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:17.240 members of our league to talk all things the Office 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:21.160 and well maybe a little football too. You'll know some 0:02:21.200 --> 0:02:24.919 of the crew like Rain Wilson, John Krasinski. Others you're 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:28.120 gonna be meeting for the very first time, like my 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:31.679 guest today. So to kick things off, we're gonna bring 0:02:31.720 --> 0:02:35.760 in a very special person. He is the glue that 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:38.680 kept our league together and a man I am so 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:44.080 lucky to call my friend, our commissioner, Stephen Socks. This 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:47.320 is a man who's really an unsung hero of the 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:51.720 show and a huge part of our office family. Stephen 0:02:51.880 --> 0:02:56.240 was a stand in for six years. He appeared in 0:02:56.280 --> 0:03:00.760 several episodes as the character Justin Spitzer, and he was 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:03.400 actually one of the last people to say goodbye to 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:06.880 Steve on camera. He was on set with us day 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:10.880 in and day out, in his words, biting his wallet 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:15.880 during takes so he wouldn't ruin a shot, laughing and 0:03:16.080 --> 0:03:19.920 literally watching his own family grow up with the office. 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:24.600 But most importantly, he has kept our fantasy football league 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:29.880 together all of these years. So please join me in 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:33.840 giving a warm, deep dive welcome to the man who 0:03:33.919 --> 0:03:37.800 well has won the league, but also one all of 0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:47.880 our hearts, the amazing Stephen Socks, Bubble and Squeak. I 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:54.240 love Bubble and squeak on Bubble and Squeaker cook at 0:03:54.400 --> 0:04:09.520 every month lift over from the nuttyle Brian there is 0:04:10.560 --> 0:04:14.520 what's Stephen? So good to see you? I know, it's 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:17.640 it's been so long, it has I mean, we've talked 0:04:17.680 --> 0:04:20.240 and texted, but to see you is is really nice. 0:04:20.520 --> 0:04:24.560 I know what happened to your hair? Well it's not 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:28.000 even more like you Yeah, well there you go. You 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:30.719 know I always I was always bald. I just always 0:04:30.720 --> 0:04:33.640 wore a black cap backwards for lighting on the set, 0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:35.680 just to make sure that I didn't except for you, 0:04:35.720 --> 0:04:39.000 I take it off um and and maybe Creed because 0:04:39.000 --> 0:04:41.599 he had really light hair too, And so you know, 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:42.960 that was the way I kept my job is to 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:44.800 have a little dark on my top of my head. 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:48.880 I know, it just looks shinier. Let's just it just 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:53.279 looks shine. Maybe you polished it this morning. Getting older, Brian, Yeah, 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:56.760 you know, we sure are. Oh my gosh, it's so 0:04:56.800 --> 0:05:00.559 good to see you. What um what So you're good. 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:05.880 You survived, Yes, yeah, we have survived. It was it 0:05:05.920 --> 0:05:09.320 was you know. I think for parents, it's the hardest 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:11.760 part of the whole thing is you're trying to protect 0:05:11.800 --> 0:05:14.240 your kids in so many different ways, not only health wise, 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:18.440 but you know, mental health wise with school and uh 0:05:19.080 --> 0:05:21.440 we did distance learning for the last year and a 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:24.680 half and it's it's been good for them. That's that's 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:27.120 not the case for a lot of kids. I would say, oh, 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:30.680 that's great. Well, and I feel like your family, I mean, 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:32.360 we'll talk about that in a little bit, but your 0:05:32.400 --> 0:05:36.320 family was so much a part of the office experience 0:05:36.360 --> 0:05:41.360 as well. I just saw a video Rain Wilson sent 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:46.080 of his son Walter jamming with Creed and I started 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:49.120 thinking about your family as well. And Walter, I mean, 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:51.520 Walter is like a grown up now and he was 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:55.080 the reason I know his age is because he was 0:05:55.440 --> 0:05:59.040 born when we were shooting the first four episodes of 0:05:59.120 --> 0:06:01.960 The Office. It's in credible. We had that. We had 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:05.000 that on the set. We had, you know, families being made. 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:07.839 And I think probably the reason you're thinking that too 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:10.760 is to have my wife and I on the set 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:12.360 at the same time. I mean, that was that's the 0:06:12.520 --> 0:06:15.919 kind of a unique thing to Okay, So now for 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:18.120 those people who don't know, how would you describe the 0:06:18.240 --> 0:06:25.279 job of a stand in, then that no, go ahead, No. 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:29.520 A stand in is another screen actress guild job on 0:06:29.560 --> 0:06:34.119 the set is also known as second team, and we'll 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:37.360 will watch the rehearsals of a scene by the actors. 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:40.360 The actors are also called first team, and and usually 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:43.159 during the last rehearsal, the camera department will throw down 0:06:43.240 --> 0:06:45.680 some marks on the like tape marks on the ground, 0:06:46.240 --> 0:06:49.039 just spots that the actors will land on. That's called blocking. 0:06:49.279 --> 0:06:52.680 And then after rehearsal, the actors, you know, have some 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:54.960 time because the camera and lighting are preparing for the 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:57.320 shot and stuff. So the actors go off and you know, 0:06:57.360 --> 0:06:59.960 finish up hair and makeup or go over your line 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:02.880 or whatever you guys do, and the standings will stand 0:07:03.000 --> 0:07:05.800 in the places that are that are marked during that 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:09.840 blocking and help the director of Photography the DP light 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:12.320 the scene and coordinate the movements of the camera and stuff. 0:07:12.360 --> 0:07:15.400 So so the standard needs to just basically pay attention 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:17.760 to what's going on the scene and really get the 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:22.080 movements down that the actor was doing. Sometimes, I mean, 0:07:22.120 --> 0:07:24.120 on the office, it could be so easy. I mean, 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:26.040 there's so many talking heads. You could sit there for 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:28.760 forty five minutes. The lighting is pretty much pre set. 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:33.160 But it could be kind of complicated. I remember, like 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:36.520 Jim and Pam the proposal the proposal was and you 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:39.400 weren't there for that, But that's an entire production of 0:07:39.440 --> 0:07:43.120 the with the with the rain and next the freeway, 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:45.480 you know, and at the gas station. You would do 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:48.440 like a run through without the actor just to make 0:07:48.440 --> 0:07:51.280 sure everything was done. So there were one time actually 0:07:51.360 --> 0:07:54.120 drove the car into the rain and the cars are 0:07:54.120 --> 0:07:57.600 going on the freeway and I got out and got 0:07:57.600 --> 0:08:01.320 to propose and knelt down the and did it before 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:06.480 John and Jenna. It was very exciting. Right now, so 0:08:07.480 --> 0:08:10.480 you watch the rehearsal, you see where everybody's moving, and 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:13.640 I know, for example, in the office sometimes adjustments would 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:16.640 be made. Now, then would you communicate with the actors 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:19.880 any sort of adjustments that that happened. That's a great question, 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:24.920 because you're supposed to give some adjustments. But there's a 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:27.840 balance there. You have a balance of two things, what 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:30.200 the actor wants to hear from the stand in and 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:33.959 also what the director wants to tell the actor himself. 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:36.880 So you you learn your your relationship with the actor. 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:40.560 Some actors don't really want any kind of instruction other 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:43.360 than from a director. Others would love to sit down 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:44.839 and get all the details, and they just want to 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:49.000 get it all together. Right, Okay, So let's go back 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:53.440 to circa two thousand seven eight ish. What were you 0:08:53.640 --> 0:08:59.199 doing before the office? I was managing a gym in 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:05.160 Santa Monica, and Laurie was in between jobs and she 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:09.000 was doing some assistant work for people. Oh yes, Laurie, 0:09:09.040 --> 0:09:12.640 my wife, and we're both actors, went through Second City 0:09:12.679 --> 0:09:16.040 here together and and um, we're pursuing acting, looking for 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:18.400 a job that was flexible. So she was kind of 0:09:18.480 --> 0:09:21.040 running errands for people. And one of the people she 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:24.840 was running errands for, uh, Kelly Cantley, an assistant director, 0:09:25.320 --> 0:09:28.080 and kind of ran out of work for for Laurie 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:31.440 to do, and Kelly asked Laurie if she'd liked to 0:09:31.640 --> 0:09:33.800 do some background on a show she was working on, 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:36.440 which happened to be season two of the Office, and 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:39.120 so she knew we were Screen Actors Guild members, and 0:09:39.160 --> 0:09:41.600 so offered that job, and Laurie was like, uh. In fact, 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:44.440 I remember Laurie calling me, going, should I do background? 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:46.080 I get, I get, you know, I guess. I go, 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:49.040 you're not doing anything. Let's let's do it. Let's let's 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:52.400 let's work right. So she did, and that um Booze 0:09:52.400 --> 0:09:57.840 Cruise was her first was her first episode that season two. 0:09:58.000 --> 0:10:00.440 That's like mid season two or something, I think early 0:10:00.480 --> 0:10:03.599 mid season two, but probably our most difficult episode to 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:09.160 film was her first episode. She had had problems just 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:11.400 getting to set. I remember it was a long beach. 0:10:11.600 --> 0:10:14.600 This was kind of before well, I guess I had 0:10:14.640 --> 0:10:15.760 a cell phone, but I don't know if she had 0:10:15.760 --> 0:10:17.520 a cell phone. I don't really remember. But we didn't 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.959 have like ways or you know, Google maps and stuff. 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:23.319 So her getting down a long beach, I remember she 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:25.280 was calling early early in the morning. She was like, 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:27.920 I'm lost, you know, And it was one of these 0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:30.040 things going is this gonna work out? Is this job 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:31.400 gonna work out of were you know, this is the 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:33.880 way we're gonna start, and uh, she had a blast. 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:37.080 It was great. Yeah, so she was there as the 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:40.120 female stand in for Yeah. Then well they only had 0:10:40.160 --> 0:10:42.959 This is very weird too, because Screen Actress Guild, usually 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:46.120 because it's a union, designates that there'll be a stand 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:49.120 in for every actor on a set. And I mean 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:53.080 we could have fifteen actors on the scene one time 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:55.800 and there was one stand in at that time, a man, 0:10:56.480 --> 0:10:59.160 and they were like, oh, well, let's get a second 0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:01.120 stand in, and so they need a female. And I 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:03.080 don't know if it was because of the documentary style 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:05.720 or however they got away with with that through the union, 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:09.679 but that's how it was. And they asked Lori about that, 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:12.400 and again we were we were like, well, I mean, 0:11:12.520 --> 0:11:14.280 is it you can have enough time, you know, to 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:16.240 audition and stuffing that you know that the kind of 0:11:16.320 --> 0:11:19.680 idea of the non working actor going, I need to 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:21.920 make time for my my auditions and when all this 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:26.760 stuff happens and uh, and so she kind of reluctantly, 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:30.680 We're like, okay, let's try this. And again it was 0:11:30.760 --> 0:11:33.400 the best decision she made, you know, but that was 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:35.760 start of season three, and they had two standards at 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:41.199 that time, and then you eventually came on. What was 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:44.640 the story there? Go ahead, Well, I got to meet 0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:47.800 you guys, and so there was some rapport there that 0:11:47.960 --> 0:11:51.480 first her first season as a stand in, and they 0:11:51.559 --> 0:11:54.280 lost the mail standing. They were looking for someone to 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:57.720 fill in, and we got a call from Kelly again 0:11:58.120 --> 0:12:00.400 saying would you be interested? And I was so stressed 0:12:00.400 --> 0:12:02.800 in my job. We were I was managing this gym 0:12:02.800 --> 0:12:05.199 and Santa Monica. Like I said, I live in Studio City, 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:07.480 like near Universal Studios for people that might not know 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:11.600 exactly along commute. It's like twenty miles and the gym 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:13.880 opens at five am, it closes at midnight. There wasn't 0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:17.800 a time I was away from the gym, really stressed out, 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:20.360 and a new lawry was having a great time. It's 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:22.880 a time for us to be together. And that was 0:12:22.960 --> 0:12:25.480 really a no brainer for me. Right, so this was 0:12:25.520 --> 0:12:28.000 your first time standing in. Yeah, I had no idea 0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:31.720 what I was doing. And and but I mean not 0:12:31.800 --> 0:12:35.920 only did it, and and as actors that reluctancy that 0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:38.160 I talked about, you know, doing it because there's this 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:41.480 stigma that you're if you're standing in on a show 0:12:42.600 --> 0:12:45.800 your second team. You may want to be first team, 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:48.599 but now everyone sees you as second team. And and 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:50.760 I haven't found that to be true. Not only do 0:12:50.800 --> 0:12:55.640 you have a chance to show professionalism UM and sometimes 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:59.000 acting chops on a set in front of producers, but 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:02.160 you meet a lot of great people. I would meet 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:05.120 a new director every week. I mean, we had Ken Kopas, 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:10.280 Paul Feig, who is like the best dress director in Hollywood. Uh, 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:13.720 you know, Jeff Blitz. Harold Remus directed the first time 0:13:13.760 --> 0:13:16.760 I ever acted on the Office UM with John Favrou. 0:13:16.800 --> 0:13:19.120 I mean it was and I didn't have LORI had J. 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:21.720 J Abrams. You had J. J Abrams and Josh Weeden. 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:25.280 So it was great experience to learn from those directors, 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:31.640 but to see camera movement, um, lighting, set decoration. So 0:13:31.679 --> 0:13:34.040 when you go to make your own project, you kind 0:13:34.040 --> 0:13:35.880 of know what to do. But also when you're on 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:39.319 the set as an actor, you you know what's going on. 0:13:39.559 --> 0:13:42.480 I mean, especially after the Office, when there was a 0:13:42.520 --> 0:13:45.600 time where I was standing in on what's called a 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:50.920 multi camp show, which would be your typical comedy uh 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:54.640 with a laugh track and shooting at the same time, 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:58.040 like Friends or Willow Greys exactly. That isn't something that 0:13:58.120 --> 0:14:00.920 an actor learns. I mean it is closer to you know, 0:14:00.960 --> 0:14:02.800 I know you have a theater background like I do. 0:14:02.960 --> 0:14:06.800 It's closer to theater, but it still takes some You know, 0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:08.800 you can go on at your first time as an 0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:12.360 actor and you can you can act confident in in 0:14:12.400 --> 0:14:14.079 any job you do. You act confident, you can get 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:16.559 away with a lot of stuff. But Um, to really 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:20.200 learn what multi cam shooting is and have an idea 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:23.120 and know what each camera is doing really helps when 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:25.520 you're on the other side of the camera to to 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:29.200 know what they're asking of you and how to perform. 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:34.360 Now you your main stand in person, at least for 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:37.520 the first four years you were there, was was Steve Carrell. 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:44.960 This is Steve's birthday is this week? Happy birthday to Steve. Um. 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:47.160 How was it like working with him on the set 0:14:47.200 --> 0:14:50.000 and and how you know to give people an idea? 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:52.440 Actually that that I don't even know. How was he 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:56.720 to to talk and work with, you know, between the 0:14:56.800 --> 0:14:59.040 setups and then going back into the scenes. What did 0:14:59.040 --> 0:15:04.480 he want to hear? Steve is very professional. He's a 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:08.880 bit quiet on set for the most part. He wouldn't 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:12.080 like a lot of adjustments. If there were major things 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:15.200 your marks changed, yes, i'll tell you what your market 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:19.480 has changed. But um, he was very focused. But I 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:23.280 have to say he's the one that I and probably 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:26.880 every actor on the show learned the most from. I 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:30.240 mean there was a lot of young actors on that set, 0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:34.280 and not that Steve was old, but he was mature 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:38.560 in his acting and his professionalism. I don't remember him 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:41.720 instructing people how to how to do things, but as 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:46.400 an example, he showed a lot of people the little 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:49.080 things that that you would just take for granted. Actually 0:15:49.080 --> 0:15:52.400 if you weren't in the industry, being there on time, 0:15:53.240 --> 0:15:57.160 know in your lines, having a rapport with the other actor, look, 0:15:57.320 --> 0:15:59.760 communicate with the other actor in a professional way, and 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:02.760 especially when the camera's on that other actor giving a 0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:07.080 full performance even when it's not your coverage, right, And 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:11.680 he was always doing that, and and I've always said 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:15.200 it one of my top five favorite people in the world. 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:18.640 I mean, an amazing human being, just a giving man 0:16:19.280 --> 0:16:22.440 and just a straight up guy. Like you said. As 0:16:22.440 --> 0:16:25.200 his birthday this week, I get a reminder it's his birthday. 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:27.840 I give him a text every year. He never doesn't 0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:30.400 just text me back right away. I mean when he 0:16:30.520 --> 0:16:32.120 left the show, he said, you have my number? What 0:16:32.240 --> 0:16:34.040 we had played golf, you know John You I mean 0:16:34.480 --> 0:16:37.160 Chris Workman played with us, right, I remember that, And 0:16:37.320 --> 0:16:39.640 we had played golf, and so we had exchanged numbers 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:42.120 and stuff, and I remember I'm saying, you have my number, 0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:44.440 you have my email, you need anything, let me know. 0:16:45.040 --> 0:16:47.000 And you know, at the time, I was like, I don't. 0:16:47.000 --> 0:16:49.280 I don't know what I'll need and I'm not and 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:52.440 I'm not gonna blow it on you know what's on 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:54.240 that I've got this spread? What do you think you know? 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:58.440 But uh, actually, actually I've waited a couple of times 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:02.960 to say, Okay, this is the time to call um. Well. 0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:06.320 You know, we've talked a lot about him as an actor, 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:09.000 and one of the things that that was unique about 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:11.520 him in a way, and I sort of have attributed 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:15.040 it to his improv background, was he was, and I 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:17.280 mean this with all love and respect, he didn't want 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:20.640 to rehearse. And I always viewed it like he wanted 0:17:20.680 --> 0:17:24.639 to bring in the performance when it was live because 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:27.560 he wanted everybody to be on their toes in a 0:17:27.600 --> 0:17:31.000 specific way. He did not deliver a ton of performance 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:36.920 during the rehearsal. Versus James Spader, another amazing actor who 0:17:37.000 --> 0:17:41.159 wanted every gesture worked out in advance. So how was 0:17:41.240 --> 0:17:43.760 that different transitioning from one to the other, How was 0:17:43.800 --> 0:17:48.040 that different for you? Uh? James Spader wanted as much 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:53.160 input as possible in every facet of the process. When 0:17:53.240 --> 0:17:55.159 he left to do hair and makeup and there was 0:17:55.200 --> 0:17:57.320 that forty five minutes of set up, I think in 0:17:57.359 --> 0:18:00.560 his mind he was thinking, I might be missing something. Right, 0:18:01.359 --> 0:18:03.000 let me get back and see if there is there 0:18:03.040 --> 0:18:05.120 anything that you can give me. Is basically what he would. 0:18:05.320 --> 0:18:07.480 He would just sit and chat, and before he would 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:09.119 get to a place where someone could pull him and 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:11.040 say we're ready, he would want to pull me to 0:18:11.040 --> 0:18:15.680 the side and just let's talk. Um. Also with James, Uh, 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:18.159 the writers wrote a lot for Robert California. I mean 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:23.119 a lot of big dialogue pieces. Oh man, it was, 0:18:23.240 --> 0:18:26.399 it was, and and he was incredible at it. Um. 0:18:26.400 --> 0:18:29.560 But he wanted someone on book at all times. So 0:18:29.680 --> 0:18:31.879 I had started doing that a couple of seasons in. 0:18:31.960 --> 0:18:34.720 I would be on book for anybody, but it was 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:38.160 really needed. Really, I just got time to sit next 0:18:38.160 --> 0:18:41.200 to the monitors and get close to the director and 0:18:41.200 --> 0:18:43.679 and follow the script. It was fascinating for me. But 0:18:44.640 --> 0:18:49.400 with James Spader, every word needed to be exactly right. 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:52.280 So if he didn't get the line right, he wanted 0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:54.280 to know what it was and reinforce that. And so 0:18:54.359 --> 0:18:57.960 that was that was different. Now Steve, you know, got 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:00.520 all his lines and would sometimes call for a line. 0:19:00.640 --> 0:19:04.919 But um, yes, Steve was Steve during rehearsals. He he 0:19:04.960 --> 0:19:07.359 giggled a little. I remember him giggling a lot because 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:09.600 it was funny and he take that time to laugh 0:19:09.640 --> 0:19:11.040 and get it out. I mean all that. You see 0:19:11.040 --> 0:19:14.879 a bunch of outtakes where Steve will laugh you know what, 0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:18.040 you're hilarious. But uh, he would laugh a lot during 0:19:18.160 --> 0:19:20.400 scenes because we all enjoyed it and laughed and had fun. 0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:23.000 You have to remember, when we're recording, we're right there 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:25.880 and no matter how funny it is, you can't laugh. 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:28.080 It's not like these multi camp shows where you're laughing 0:19:28.160 --> 0:19:31.680 the audience is laughing. We're just biting our wallets and 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:36.400 the monitor that's right right right, or look and we're 0:19:36.440 --> 0:19:38.639 and they usually put the monitor pretty close to the 0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:40.960 scene because the director could run out real quick and 0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:43.320 say hey, I want to do this, and so you're 0:19:43.359 --> 0:19:46.439 just like, you know, biting your knuckle, just trying not 0:19:46.480 --> 0:19:49.480 to laugh sometimes, right, I remember at times people would 0:19:49.480 --> 0:19:52.400 be kicked out of the room. Jence Alata specifically comes 0:19:52.400 --> 0:19:55.440 to mind, like she would just be like, would be like, 0:19:55.720 --> 0:19:57.919 we're doing a time doing a talking head and she 0:19:58.040 --> 0:20:01.560 just couldn't and was like jen Leaf, go find go 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:06.359 find a monitor somewhere in another room. Um, that's that's 0:20:06.440 --> 0:20:11.440 really interesting. So James really worked with you before, kind 0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:14.360 of before, during and after. Yeah, there were times where 0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:16.480 I would go into his trailer and we just run lines, 0:20:16.920 --> 0:20:19.240 you know, because I would have some time off, or 0:20:19.320 --> 0:20:22.440 we do it during lunch or whatever, and it was great. Um, 0:20:22.440 --> 0:20:24.920 there were times where you would hand me the script 0:20:24.960 --> 0:20:26.920 say hey, run this with me, or or Rain would 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:30.240 do that. But you know, these were big, meaty dialogues. 0:20:30.280 --> 0:20:34.320 These were like a little mini um like audition pieces. 0:20:34.440 --> 0:20:36.879 You know, there were long, there was a lot of words, 0:20:37.200 --> 0:20:39.040 and he did so well with them, you know, he 0:20:39.080 --> 0:21:02.480 really did. Yeah, do you have a favorite episode of 0:21:02.520 --> 0:21:06.320 the show that you worked on? Well, I mean, Benni 0:21:06.359 --> 0:21:10.760 Hannah Christmas. For multiple reasons, it's it's even as just 0:21:10.840 --> 0:21:12.440 a fan of the show. I believe it's the best 0:21:12.480 --> 0:21:15.960 Christmas episode. It's during a peak time of the show. 0:21:16.720 --> 0:21:19.560 And uh and and I did get a line on 0:21:19.600 --> 0:21:21.399 the show. So that was that made it close, you know, 0:21:21.600 --> 0:21:24.280 closer to my heart. But it's a really great episode. 0:21:24.560 --> 0:21:27.040 Now did you know that you were going to speak? Was? 0:21:27.119 --> 0:21:30.199 I don't remember? Were you cast in advance of that? No? 0:21:30.520 --> 0:21:33.440 So Kelly can'tly called me to say there was quote 0:21:33.520 --> 0:21:37.600 unquote a featured background uh extra that was going to 0:21:37.680 --> 0:21:41.439 be at the bending on the table and it was 0:21:41.520 --> 0:21:45.199 not scripted to have any lines this character. But she 0:21:45.240 --> 0:21:48.320 didn't see a reason she didn't. I guess she had 0:21:48.320 --> 0:21:50.879 worked with prepped with Harold Ramos the week before and 0:21:50.920 --> 0:21:53.399 said this person is going to have to talk, and 0:21:53.480 --> 0:21:55.960 so she said it's a good chance. So would you 0:21:55.960 --> 0:22:00.879 want to do it? I go yes? So it's so funny, right, 0:22:01.000 --> 0:22:04.240 people go, would you would you do this for me? Like, 0:22:04.240 --> 0:22:07.359 like you would you do this this podcast? For me? Yeah? Brian, 0:22:08.119 --> 0:22:11.719 I'm there. Um And so when when I got on 0:22:11.720 --> 0:22:14.920 the set, um it was just doing background. We walked 0:22:14.920 --> 0:22:20.080 through it and in the very first UH rehearsal, held 0:22:20.280 --> 0:22:21.760 Muskin to me and said, what, wouldn't you want to 0:22:21.800 --> 0:22:25.560 say something? And I said, yeah, I think so, and 0:22:25.680 --> 0:22:30.320 so I'll deliver a four page monologue for you, Harold 0:22:29.400 --> 0:22:33.359 would it didn't matter? I was like, oh if I 0:22:33.400 --> 0:22:37.000 just say one word because it's so great. Um, and 0:22:37.040 --> 0:22:41.000 your character's name Justin Spitzer, Justin Spitzer. Isn't that funny? 0:22:41.280 --> 0:22:44.439 So Justin Spitzer was a writer on the show, and 0:22:44.480 --> 0:22:47.480 they named the character Justin's. Now is this Does this 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:51.120 get confusing for you with your IMDb page that you're 0:22:51.119 --> 0:22:55.920 you're Justin Spitzer on the office but not the writer 0:22:56.119 --> 0:22:58.280 Justin Spitzer. I don't know. I think it's so funny. 0:22:58.960 --> 0:23:03.760 It is funny. In fact, I remember as I worked 0:23:03.760 --> 0:23:06.440 on the show more and there were a couple other 0:23:06.440 --> 0:23:08.359 times where I could be in front of the camera. 0:23:08.760 --> 0:23:11.920