Speaker 1: We've got a little couple's date night coming up, right
Speaker 1: or not, we asked you to be a part of it.
Speaker 1: We wanted it to be a triple date. You had plans,
Speaker 1: So anyway, Will and I are taking our spouses to
Speaker 1: my favorite place ever, a casino for a comedy show.
Speaker 2: Which is my favorite place ever, so we get to
Speaker 2: double up. We're comboing, we're comboing up. And he's also
Speaker 2: arguably my favorite comedian right now, so I cannot wait
Speaker 2: to go see. Hell tell me, we're going to see
Speaker 2: Nate Bargatzi at the at the Yamava Casino. Oh my god, great,
Speaker 2: so good to watch his Netflix specials. He's so funny.
Speaker 2: He does a bit, one of my favorite bit. First
Speaker 2: of all, he's a rarity in the world because he's
Speaker 2: a completely clean comedian. He doesn't swear at all. And
Speaker 2: one of the bits he does, oh god, we quoted
Speaker 2: all the time is how your life changes when people
Speaker 2: invite you out as your age gets older. So he's like,
Speaker 2: in your twenties, your friends call you and they're like, hey, man,
Speaker 2: do you want to And before they finish the sentence,
Speaker 2: you're like, I'll go come in, I'll go wherever you
Speaker 2: want me to go. I'll light my apartment on fire.
Speaker 2: What are we going to do? He's like, then your
Speaker 2: thirties come and it's where are we going? Will it
Speaker 2: be loud? I will drive separate and he's like, in
Speaker 2: my forties, I'm not going. And I'm actually angry that
Speaker 2: you would even ask. It's just, oh god, he's hysterical.
Speaker 2: I saw that he was coming, and I was like,
Speaker 2: we have to go, so very excited to you know,
Speaker 2: have Danielle win a whole bunch of money, laugh the
Speaker 2: whole time, and I make all my money back on
Speaker 2: the buffet, so I'm really excited.
Speaker 1: Are you gonna gamble?
Speaker 2: Will I always? Do?
Speaker 3: You know?
Speaker 2: I like slot machines. I'll do twenty dollars or twenty
Speaker 2: five dollars something like that.
Speaker 4: Slot machines are the worst there when it goes weel.
Speaker 1: I like the hoopla yes plus bel yes those are good.
Speaker 2: But no, if you want to see Danielle turn into
Speaker 2: a different version of Danielle, fun daniel see sit her
Speaker 2: at a table. Oh I don't know if I'd say
Speaker 2: fun Danielle, sit her at a table, then go away
Speaker 2: for about forty five minutes then come back and you
Speaker 2: just see forty five minutes later, Danielle. It's very funny.
Speaker 2: It's she is just straight in gambling mode. Where what
Speaker 2: casino did we find ourselves in in the middle of
Speaker 2: a city somewhere? Where was Where was that?
Speaker 5: Uh?
Speaker 2: Was it like Cleveland?
Speaker 1: I don't yet it was Cleveland?
Speaker 3: Was it?
Speaker 2: Cleveland's just handel the middle of not the best casino
Speaker 2: I've ever been in. It wasn't the win And it
Speaker 2: was just her like, yeah, I'll see in four hours,
Speaker 2: like we have a show, Like, yeah, the show's in
Speaker 2: four and a half hours, I'll see you in four That.
Speaker 1: Is what happened.
Speaker 4: Yes, it's like, okay, have fun, bye you casino.
Speaker 1: Yeah, anytime I can smell them so much you can.
Speaker 2: But this is gonna be fun. You're missing on a great,
Speaker 2: great comedy night.
Speaker 1: We're gonna miss you, but we are turning it into
Speaker 1: a nice little night. We have dinner, we're gonna gamble,
Speaker 1: we're gonna see the show. We're spending the night you.
Speaker 2: Probably wake up. Yeah, I've never been to the ama
Speaker 2: have you.
Speaker 1: I have not ever been to the Amaba, And I'm
Speaker 1: very excited.
Speaker 2: Me too, because they have some like Killer concerts there
Speaker 2: as well.
Speaker 3: They do.
Speaker 2: People go, so, yeah, I'm pretty excited for this one.
Speaker 4: Have fun.
Speaker 1: Thank you, we will miss you. What are you doing?
Speaker 2: I don't remember what I think he's think it was
Speaker 2: a fake it he's got so October eighteenth, when we're going, Yeah, no,
Speaker 2: I'm just getting back from Ireland.
Speaker 4: I didn't want to leave town again, gotcha?
Speaker 1: That okay?
Speaker 2: Mission a fine show, sir, right.
Speaker 1: Welcome to Pond Meets World.
Speaker 2: I'm Daniel Fischel, I'm Writer Strong, and I'm Wilfordell.
Speaker 1: In recapping season five, we have seen a lot of
Speaker 1: new names enter the fold at Boy Meets World, and
Speaker 1: some theories have molded themselves about who was directing week
Speaker 1: to week and the quality of that product. So do
Speaker 1: we have a lot of confidence about an episode that
Speaker 1: wasn't directed by Jeff mccrackett, David Trainer or David Kendall.
Speaker 1: It's a crapshoot. So when we looked to the future
Speaker 1: and saw the name of a beloved co worker had
Speaker 1: joined the mix for Heartbreak Corey, one of the most
Speaker 1: memorable scripts in the show's history, we got nervous. But
Speaker 1: we should have seen it coming. William Rusty Russ is
Speaker 1: good at everything that's right. The beloved dad of the
Speaker 1: Matthews clan, Allen got to direct episodes of Boy Meets World,
Speaker 1: and this week we recapped his first the initial spark
Speaker 1: between Corey and the other woman, Lauren played by Linda
Speaker 1: Cardelini in a ski lodge, and though he wasn't actually
Speaker 1: in the episode, Rusty was instrumental to its success, something
Speaker 1: we all agree was overwhelmingly the result. And so just
Speaker 1: how did Rusty get behind the camera. A man who
Speaker 1: was directed in classic movies like Cruising The Right Stuff
Speaker 1: and American History X and TV shows like Saint Elsewhere,
Speaker 1: Miami Wece and The Sopranos not only helmed Heartbreak Corey.
Speaker 1: He'd go on to direct eight more episodes of Boy
Speaker 1: Meets World, an episode of Root Awakening Lizzie McGuire, and
Speaker 1: return for an episode of Girl Meets World for old
Speaker 1: times sake. So for today's episode, we welcome back our
Speaker 1: co star for a record third time appearance. It's actor,
Speaker 1: but more importantly, director, William Rusty Russ.
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, great, I'm here too.
Speaker 3: About Bill. I know, thank you Bill, Oh my gosh, yeah,
Speaker 3: you know it's interesting. I watched the episode and will
Speaker 3: you weren't in it.
Speaker 2: No, that's probably why your first directing gig went so smoothly, pro.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 1: We just watched the episode. We all agree it's so good,
Speaker 1: just so much fun. And do you what, let's talk
Speaker 1: about what is your What is the thing you remember
Speaker 1: most about directing this episode for us?
Speaker 3: Well, you know, I have a lot of thoughts on it,
Speaker 3: and it was that it was so easy in a
Speaker 3: certain way because you guys were great, the crew was great,
Speaker 3: the you know, I just kind of came in and went,
Speaker 3: all right, let's start here. I was kind of thrown
Speaker 3: on me, if I remember correct. It was the first
Speaker 3: one I directed. Yes, and uh, it was just one
Speaker 3: of these things where Michael we were in the elevator
Speaker 3: or something said you see, he said you're ready. I
Speaker 3: said yeah, I said you're doing next week. I went, oh, okay.
Speaker 3: And I'm a person and I've realized this as I've
Speaker 3: got older, is that my greatest asset becoming an actor
Speaker 3: and whatever I've done is that I'm a person that
Speaker 3: doesn't know how much he doesn't know. So you just
Speaker 3: jump in, let's go, Oh you have to put gas
Speaker 3: in the car. Oh, I say, okay, but it's interesting
Speaker 3: as you get older because I'm learning new things that
Speaker 3: I'm watching, Well how do I do this? But yeah,
Speaker 3: that was like one of the most but actually it
Speaker 3: was you guys except for you, Yeah, we're also great.
Speaker 3: I mean I just watched it, and I enjoy watching
Speaker 3: everything that you all were doing. And thank god we
Speaker 3: had camera guys who knew where to put the camera
Speaker 3: and right, you know, and it just was a joy.
Speaker 3: And I was a really happy the way it came
Speaker 3: out with a couple of things that I had said, well,
Speaker 3: let's do this, and let's try this, and and then
Speaker 3: it was up to the actors.
Speaker 1: I have to know was we have talked about on
Speaker 1: season five especially, but we have talked about how many
Speaker 1: times we have missed insert shots. We didn't do a
Speaker 1: ton of insert shots on Boy Meets World, and then
Speaker 1: in your episode we got an insert shot, and we
Speaker 1: literally for weeks have been saying, why wouldn't they have
Speaker 1: just done an insert shot? So truly, thank you forgiving
Speaker 1: us are.
Speaker 2: Showing us the thing we're talking about, which is there's
Speaker 2: two times.
Speaker 4: There's the there's the blueprints right where you get the
Speaker 4: concerner of the blueprints, but also that wall where we
Speaker 4: finally see you know, the fourth frosted the frosted.
Speaker 2: Window, right, if you've bought for that, you made that happen.
Speaker 3: For that I asked for that.
Speaker 2: Was they would have just been looking at a light.
Speaker 4: They're just talking about the moon, but you know, you
Speaker 4: have you can't turn around and see the moon, but
Speaker 4: you figured out a way to show what they were
Speaker 4: looking at, which is the window. It's perfect.
Speaker 3: Well, thank you, I mean because what I asked for
Speaker 3: that as soon as I had read it or whatever,
Speaker 3: because just the whole atmosphere of being in this cozy
Speaker 3: lodge outside it's cold, and I wish I don't know,
Speaker 3: I can't remember there was snow in that scene exactly,
Speaker 3: but I wanted to get that feeling of this little
Speaker 3: intimate moment of two people in this little womb, you know,
Speaker 3: and things happen you don't have to see, but you
Speaker 3: can just see the intimacy even from outside. And yeah,
Speaker 3: I was luckily kind of and you know, I asked them,
Speaker 3: and again I give kudos to Michael and everyone. They said, oh,
Speaker 3: that's a great idea. Let's try that. And they built
Speaker 3: that whole thing and we just said, let's just do
Speaker 3: this shot from outside.
Speaker 1: That's cool.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it did add because I was watching
Speaker 3: it and I went, yeah, you don't see that much.
Speaker 3: And I remember saying, oh, that was my you know,
Speaker 3: that's I thought out of the I think a certain
Speaker 3: intimacy to the scene that you could just feel.
Speaker 2: It. Did it make any difference to you it's your
Speaker 2: first episode ever. Did it matter to you in any way,
Speaker 2: shape or form that you were shooting on a set
Speaker 2: that you were completely unfamiliar with. It wasn't like you
Speaker 2: were shooting it's the the you know, it's the living
Speaker 2: or kitchen, boys bedroom, it's a kitchen scene and stuff
Speaker 2: that you, as an actor had been in the set.
Speaker 2: You knew the sets intimately. Did it make a difference
Speaker 2: to you either way that you were now shooting on
Speaker 2: a set you'd never seen before.
Speaker 3: No, because I didn't know what you're doing. No, it
Speaker 3: really didn't. I mean, I have to say it was again,
Speaker 3: kudos to you guys and the and the production team
Speaker 3: and Michael and all the producers. It just it went
Speaker 3: very well and I really was a pleasure.
Speaker 4: I know that Michael told you in the elevator, like
Speaker 4: you're doing it next week. But how did you become
Speaker 4: how did you it was part of a negotiation contract
Speaker 4: thing that you got an episode to directly. How did
Speaker 4: you get decided that you would direct? Did you say
Speaker 4: I want to direct an episode next season or how
Speaker 4: did that hang?
Speaker 3: I think that's basically it. I said. At a certain point,
Speaker 3: I said, well, if you know, I I just said,
Speaker 3: let me I'd like to do this. I think I
Speaker 3: can do it. Like I said, it's the audacity of idiosity.
Speaker 3: You know, it's whatever you want to call it, the
Speaker 3: cow you know, the bravery of the ignorant. And I
Speaker 3: just said, yeah, let me do that. I think I
Speaker 3: can do this. And and again you know, I mean, gosh, no,
Speaker 3: you all know that you're taken care of too. If
Speaker 3: I don't know something, someone will. You know, if you're
Speaker 3: open to listening, and that's the key, if you're opening
Speaker 3: the scene, you know, then I knew it would be
Speaker 3: in good hands. I knew it'd be hard to up
Speaker 3: because no one would let me go.
Speaker 1: They're going to support Ethan.
Speaker 3: Use the language. But yeah, yeah, I knew that. And
Speaker 3: fortunately that that that piece was there with all the
Speaker 3: people around.
Speaker 1: Well, we have told you this before. But I'm going
Speaker 1: to say it again. We have focused so much on
Speaker 1: the adult acting during our rewatch because a couple of reasons.
Speaker 1: For one thing, we relate more to the Amy's and
Speaker 1: Alan's and mister Feenees of the show now that we
Speaker 1: are middle aged, but also because the acting is just remarkable.
Speaker 1: You guys are all so good, and we have kicked
Speaker 1: ourselves a million times that we were not one paying
Speaker 1: more attention to asking more questions, three appreciating more it was.
Speaker 1: It's really some top notch stuff. Do you remember feeling
Speaker 1: pride and proud of the work that you were doing
Speaker 1: on Boy Meets World when it was happening, or did
Speaker 1: you think of it as just doing a sitcom?
Speaker 3: No, of course I felt pride in the work. And
Speaker 3: and and again I told this story many times. I've
Speaker 3: never had never done a sitcom before, and I haven't
Speaker 3: done one since. I don't know what that means, said,
Speaker 3: but it was a fascinating journey, and thank God, especially
Speaker 3: when I came in on the first shows, you guys
Speaker 3: were so welcoming and and you know, because you had
Speaker 3: another father before, Matt, who I saw not too long ago.
Speaker 3: And and again I was so ignorant of the genre
Speaker 3: of the style, you know, and I just you know,
Speaker 3: at that point, I said, well, it's banging me on
Speaker 3: the head, so I'm going to go do it and
Speaker 3: I'll figure it out. Unfortunately, I had people like David Traynor,
Speaker 3: and he was there, and he would point something to me,
Speaker 3: I mean and say, you know, I shouldn't do that,
Speaker 3: and I go, oh, really, And I've been doing it
Speaker 3: for twenty thirty years on film sets and other plays.
Speaker 3: You know, here we do this, and I went, oh, okay,
Speaker 3: all right. And I tried not to take it personally
Speaker 3: and I went, okay, all right, I'll figure it out,
Speaker 3: you know. And yeah, no, I was. I was really
Speaker 3: happy that I could get through a scene without cracking
Speaker 3: up with you guys that didn't.
Speaker 2: That wasn't always the case towards the end with you
Speaker 2: and I, Rusty.
Speaker 3: You know, it wasn't always the case.
Speaker 4: And that's fine.
Speaker 3: You know, if I'm going to get fired, I better
Speaker 3: get fired laughing. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we just watched a couple episodes ago. Was the
Speaker 2: episode where we're skydiving.
Speaker 4: Oh my god, that's my favorite episode.
Speaker 2: And it's just just remembering the shoot of just screaming
Speaker 2: at each other as we're then jumping out of the
Speaker 2: plane and shooting that, and and we we were I
Speaker 2: couldn't remember, Rider asked, I think, and and I was
Speaker 2: vaguely recalled, but couldn't really remember. Do you remember the
Speaker 2: set for that? I remember the interior. But then did
Speaker 2: they just flip that scene set around and shoot the
Speaker 2: exterior or did they have a separate exterior that we
Speaker 2: jumped out of.
Speaker 3: No, I think I think they just went inside and outside.
Speaker 3: That's okay, I think so. I don't really remember the specifics,
Speaker 3: but I didn't exactly anywhere I go. But yeah, and
Speaker 3: you know again, I'm going to go back to you
Speaker 3: guys on this episode the intimacy, Danielle, you and Ben
Speaker 3: and Ryder. I mean the scene on the couch where
Speaker 3: he sits in and then totten here.
Speaker 2: Yes, and I remember that.
Speaker 3: I remember just saying you got you guys, just let
Speaker 3: it go just and and the life and the and
Speaker 3: and and it's so true that you can't help but
Speaker 3: laugh as an audience, you know. And I watched that
Speaker 3: and I just went, that's so wonderful and you all
Speaker 3: got it there, and then of course kicked it off
Speaker 3: with that moment, But there are you know, there's so
Speaker 3: many moments that I looked at, how that was great
Speaker 3: and you're you outside and the whole thing with you
Speaker 3: and Corey, you know, did you do anything else? I
Speaker 3: mean those It was a very intimate show. And part
Speaker 3: of me is, you guys are also at an age.
Speaker 3: How old were you then when we were doing this.
Speaker 1: We were on the show. We were supposed to be seventeen.
Speaker 3: Right, and how were you?
Speaker 1: I will see if this was in I was about
Speaker 1: to be seventeen, I was about to be I was
Speaker 1: sixteen seventeen.
Speaker 3: And that's what struck me actually about watching the show,
Speaker 3: and it was, you know, at the end of that
Speaker 3: year and you guys, just as young adults were having
Speaker 3: these things, you know, certainly on a different kind of level. Yeah,
Speaker 3: but it was part of that world, that discovery that
Speaker 3: oh I could do this or this would happen. I
Speaker 3: never saw that coming and and it just seemed like
Speaker 3: it was very fascinating to watch because I could see
Speaker 3: you as people being that age at this point in
Speaker 3: your life too, and you brought all that to it. Right.
Speaker 4: Well, we were talking about how in that ski lodge
Speaker 4: set around the fire, you know, when we're sitting around
Speaker 4: the on the couches. It's like our characters were allowed
Speaker 4: to be adults for probably the first time. Like we're
Speaker 4: not in the school setting. We're not you know, we
Speaker 4: didn't get dropped off. We like kind of are comfortable
Speaker 4: as grown ups and we're allowed to just talk to
Speaker 4: each other, play grown up games, asking questions and I
Speaker 4: don't know, it was cool. It's it's very relaxing.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, it was. It was. It really struck me
Speaker 3: as it was also that journey that you were a
Speaker 3: certain places. Obviously you're you know, you weren't as you know,
Speaker 3: uh innocent, I think, as you know, your characters were
Speaker 3: in a certain way. But it was still a fascinating
Speaker 3: moment to kind of watch because there were these really subtle,
Speaker 3: intimate moments that could have been in a you know,
Speaker 3: and and anywhere on the stage and another movie and
Speaker 3: a different thing. It was, you know, the life and
Speaker 3: the and the beauty that you guys brought to it
Speaker 3: wasn't you know, confined to those three cameras.
Speaker 4: Yes, you know.
Speaker 3: And that's why again I go back to liking the
Speaker 3: window because I think it gave it another intimacy from
Speaker 3: being outside and getting the audience consciously or unconsciously to
Speaker 3: feel there. They're in this safe wound for a moment.
Speaker 4: What do you remember about Linda Cardelini. Did you actually
Speaker 4: audition her or was she.
Speaker 3: I don't remember if, because I don't know if I
Speaker 3: was as a director before they did the audition, they
Speaker 3: usually they cast it. I just remember she was very
Speaker 3: sweet and came on and it was very good, and
Speaker 3: you know, and she wasn't intimidating. You know, everyone would
Speaker 3: come on that show and be in a certain way
Speaker 3: imitated because you guys been working there for five years
Speaker 3: and you got the whole thing. You know. I've done
Speaker 3: this in many shows myself, and I feel like, you know,
Speaker 3: but she was great, very sweet, and and she brought
Speaker 3: it and you brought it.
Speaker 6: Rid mm hmmy, I forgotten that line, and I've al
Speaker 6: so fun in my head and I still see it.
Speaker 3: I laugh out loud.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And Danielle, do you guys remember feeling different on
Speaker 2: the set, not just with Rusty as a director, but
Speaker 2: knowing that your director was also an actor. Did that
Speaker 2: change kind of how you acted on the set, blocking
Speaker 2: on the set?
Speaker 4: I mean, I have such fond memories of this week.
Speaker 4: Like I just remember thinking, this was so much fun.
Speaker 4: And I think it's because the characters are more mature,
Speaker 4: you know, it's it's funny stuff. And I remember just
Speaker 4: Linda was so incredible and just was immediately was part
Speaker 4: of our gang. Like it just felt like it didn't
Speaker 4: feel like a lot of times you'd have guest stars,
Speaker 4: and you know, they have their own personalities, their own securities,
Speaker 4: throwing whatever. But I remember with her it was like, oh,
Speaker 4: you're just one of us, and we all just were
Speaker 4: hanging out and laughing and having such a good week. Yeah.
Speaker 4: So yeah, I mean I think it created a wonderful atmosphere,
Speaker 4: like having Rusty direct. I just remember being wholly positive.
Speaker 4: It was so fun.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was. It was very special, like I said,
Speaker 3: and as I said, I owe it all to the
Speaker 3: people around me, you know, I mean really I just
Speaker 3: kind of walked in, you know. You know, obviously I
Speaker 3: had an idea what to do, but I mean it's
Speaker 3: really just watching what you guys do, and then just
Speaker 3: as you know very well, as you all know now,
Speaker 3: you know, it's really a matter of letting actors be
Speaker 3: in the reality and the truth they're in and then
Speaker 3: just getting it on camera the way it should be.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, yeah, I remember that being a feeling
Speaker 1: the whole week is like knowing how natural and relaxed
Speaker 1: Rusty is. As an actor, imagine your director bringing that
Speaker 1: to the table for you. It makes you natural and
Speaker 1: relaxed and you do get to live really in the reality.
Speaker 1: That intimacy you were talking about Rusty is obviously an
Speaker 1: intimacy that the four of us writer, myself, Trina, and
Speaker 1: Ben had developed on set. There was that was that
Speaker 1: real friendship and being able to see us as adults
Speaker 1: for the first time really lended itself to Wow, I
Speaker 1: feel elevated. It felt like the elevation of our relationships
Speaker 1: for sure.
Speaker 3: Wow. Yeah it was. It was a special episode and
Speaker 3: I enjoy I watched it a couple of times, and yeah,
Speaker 3: it was. It was kind of special to see what
Speaker 3: you guys brought to it and the said you just
Speaker 3: kind of lived in it. Yeah, lived in the set
Speaker 3: and lived in the moment, lived in the story.
Speaker 1: Now, for season five, we have talked a lot about
Speaker 1: the fact that we had a new director to us,
Speaker 1: Alan Myerson. What do you remember about Alan Myerson as
Speaker 1: a director. I think at this point he had had
Speaker 1: started he did like the first six.
Speaker 3: I just remember Alan as being very He was an
Speaker 3: experienced director, so I kind of I think he you
Speaker 3: know again, I you know, I think he came in
Speaker 3: with a lot of ideas that the way he did things.
Speaker 3: I mean, I really don't remember much, yeah, except that
Speaker 3: he was very kind of you know, this is the way
Speaker 3: we're going to do it this way, right, you know,
Speaker 3: very I said, I don't even know how many episodes
Speaker 3: I did that year with him, So what did you
Speaker 3: guys think.
Speaker 4: We've been reflecting on it because I had wholly positive
Speaker 4: memories of Alan as a person, because because he gave
Speaker 4: me he made all these mixtapes for me. He gave
Speaker 4: me two shopping bags of jazz and folk music that
Speaker 4: he wanted me to listen to because we were talk music.
Speaker 4: He introduced me to Billy Collins, a great poet who
Speaker 4: was I think the poet laureate at the time. He
Speaker 4: gave me that fir so like I just had like, oh,
Speaker 4: Alan was such a great guy. But then watching these episodes,
Speaker 4: I'm realizing, like, oh, he at the time the kind
Speaker 4: of director I liked with somebody who just didn't talk
Speaker 4: to me about like character or motivation or story. They
Speaker 4: would just say stand over here, go over there, and
Speaker 4: then you exit here. And I'd be like, I can
Speaker 4: figure out the rest. But now I would I wouldn't
Speaker 4: want to work with a director like that, Like I
Speaker 4: don't want a director who's going to get into the
Speaker 4: process with me or empower me to like make new choices,
Speaker 4: you know. And it seems like Alan was much more
Speaker 4: of a like tell you where to go, when to
Speaker 4: do it.
Speaker 2: Grab you by the arm, bring you to your mark,
Speaker 2: this is where you stand, say this, walk out this way.
Speaker 2: So at the time I had I wouldn't want that. Now,
Speaker 2: you know, I had the same experience. He and I
Speaker 2: got along really well, but it was I can see
Speaker 2: how some actors would not have appreciated his style.
Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, and as you've all learned over the years,
Speaker 3: I mean, directors are different and and actors are different, right, Yeah,
Speaker 3: I mean, I it depends. I mean a lot of times,
Speaker 3: I mean, and I mean a certain way. That's a
Speaker 3: lot of respect for you guys, because he says, you
Speaker 3: know the characters you know, and I'm going to trust
Speaker 3: you to be spontaneous in your job right, live and
Speaker 3: do your job, but you have to do it over here.
Speaker 2: Right, but do it facing this way.
Speaker 3: It came.
Speaker 4: Well, I think, you know, I think so much of
Speaker 4: what like David Traynor was doing first season was teaching us,
Speaker 4: like he was teaching all of us because all of
Speaker 4: us were new, right, Like I mean, so we all
Speaker 4: needed to learn the sort of rules of the form,
Speaker 4: like this is how you stand, this is how you open,
Speaker 4: this is how you know you hold your body or
Speaker 4: sit in a in a formation, how you turn it?
Speaker 4: And we needed that. But then it seems like Jeff
Speaker 4: McCracken coming in was like, what about your character? How
Speaker 4: do you feel about these things? And you know he
Speaker 4: talked about it when we had him on the podcast.
Speaker 4: He really opened us all up to take these things
Speaker 4: a little more seriously, ask questions, and you could see
Speaker 4: Sean become a character. You could see everybody like elevate
Speaker 4: their game by emotionally informing and really thinking like real actors.
Speaker 4: So it's interesting now that it seems like Alan was
Speaker 4: kind of going back to a more old school sitcom
Speaker 4: let's just do our job thing. But I kind of
Speaker 4: I like the idea of you know, sitting around and
Speaker 4: letting actors.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, and that's what you should do. And I
Speaker 3: don't know about you, but even when I be rehearsing,
Speaker 3: or well, let's put this color on and see what
Speaker 3: happens exactly. Yeah, you know, as opposed to just stand
Speaker 3: here and do it. Well, why don't you try this?
Speaker 3: You know that as an actor you try to do
Speaker 3: because if you're worth your assault as an actor, you
Speaker 3: have ideas, yes, yes, wow, what yeah. As a painter,
Speaker 3: if you're painting, I need this paint. Let me try
Speaker 3: what this looks like. You know, it's not by numbers.
Speaker 3: It's the worst thing you can do what Alan was
Speaker 3: doing basically saying, your job as the actor is to
Speaker 3: explore this and figure out what you want to do
Speaker 3: or not do. My job as a director is to
Speaker 3: put you in the right spot where I can get
Speaker 3: the camera and I can get the shot that tells
Speaker 3: my part of the story right, And as actors, yours
Speaker 3: to come in and say, wow, what, what's the behavior?
Speaker 3: What's going on? How would you know? In different colors?
Speaker 3: You know?
Speaker 5: Yeah, but that was.
Speaker 3: That's kind of what Jeff. You know, Jeff and I
Speaker 3: went to the same acting school, you know, and that
Speaker 3: was all about exploring, and nothing was the same in
Speaker 3: any scene because you're hopefully he used the old cliche
Speaker 3: moment the moment and everything's changing because it's luck.
Speaker 1: I want to ask you one question that doesn't really
Speaker 1: have to do with directing, but do you remember anything
Speaker 1: about Tony Quinn leaving the show? So earlier in the season,
Speaker 1: he's in like a couple of episodes and then he's
Speaker 1: just off the show. Do you remember anything in particular?
Speaker 1: Did they tell you he was not going to be
Speaker 1: coming back. Were you aware that was going on or
Speaker 1: was it just a surprise to you.
Speaker 3: I'm sure was a surprise to me. I know, I
Speaker 3: don't really remember. You know, I wasn't privy to any
Speaker 3: of those decisions obviously, and I'm not sure. But did
Speaker 3: Tony ever talk about it?
Speaker 2: He did, Yeah, he was a surprise to him too.
Speaker 2: It was a surprise to him too. He he thought
Speaker 2: he was coming back, and then he was kind of
Speaker 2: called in and told that you're not. And then and
Speaker 2: then hey, go, you know, go pursue other options. And
Speaker 2: so when he came back, he has haircut, he did
Speaker 2: all the stuff, and he went to go pursue other
Speaker 2: options and then they kind of stepped in like, well, wait,
Speaker 2: you're with us, and he's like, wait, he told me
Speaker 2: that I wasn't and I was going to pursue other options.
Speaker 2: So it was very muddled for him, I think would
Speaker 2: be the polite way to say it.
Speaker 3: At the end, Yeah, I mean, who knows what happens
Speaker 3: back there. We decided, well, this storyline isn't going to
Speaker 3: go where. Yeah you know, then you know, why are
Speaker 3: we keeping Tony around?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 3: All right, but as an actor you're barely expendable.
Speaker 2: Exactly very time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I want to mention a few season five episodes
Speaker 1: and see if you have any memories from them. There's no,
Speaker 1: there's no guts, no, Corey. This is the episode where
Speaker 1: you go back in time to World War two and
Speaker 1: they have you doing your best patent. It is much
Speaker 1: better than the Russian accent from the last time travel episode.
Speaker 3: It wouldn't take much.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you were like the grizzled sergeant with the with
Speaker 2: the cigar in your mouth.
Speaker 3: And play all those World War two movies that you
Speaker 3: remember that. I remember Alan Myers, I remember us directing that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you were in a bunker.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Oh my god.
Speaker 2: Do you have a favorite episode of the show that
Speaker 2: you remember.
Speaker 3: Uh No, I think if you watching this one was
Speaker 3: really one of my favorites and again watching it again again,
Speaker 3: I give kudos to all you guys because it was
Speaker 3: the intimacy and the life and the bravery to not
Speaker 3: do stick to be there, you know, which was what
Speaker 3: you guys had learned over those years. So when you
Speaker 3: left that show, you you had a lot of skills.
Speaker 1: Thank you. There was a very tapanga Christmas. This is
Speaker 1: where I become extremely annoying and try to alter the
Speaker 1: Matthews Christmas. We wouldn't wouldn't really be shocked if this
Speaker 1: episode rings no bells to you.
Speaker 4: But yeah, did you know that Matthew you were a
Speaker 4: proponent of aluminum trees. Aluminum Christmas tree, like that's what
Speaker 4: Alan wants in the house.
Speaker 1: Do you remember this, Well, there's a really important one
Speaker 1: for Alan called Raging Corey. This is a true Rusty
Speaker 1: standout where you and Corey get into a physical fight
Speaker 1: playing basketball and then you have skydive. Will mentioned we
Speaker 1: talked about the plane with you guys having to scream
Speaker 1: at each other. Do you remember that those run throughs
Speaker 1: where you were having to yell over the noise. Do
Speaker 1: you remember taping that?
Speaker 3: Oh, I totally remember taping it. It was so much
Speaker 3: fun because it was like you're on a World War
Speaker 3: two movie set, and when you watch all those movies
Speaker 3: and you see those guys in the plane, you imagine
Speaker 3: the noise. I watch a lot of things now going wow,
Speaker 3: and I'm looking off the frame and wondering, Okay, all
Speaker 3: these guys are over there smoking a cigarettes and getting
Speaker 3: these things ready, and all the actors are over here
Speaker 3: going I got to get lunch and get into this scene.
Speaker 3: And you know, I'm looking at the at the the work.
Speaker 3: I'm actually reading Kubrick's biography and all the work that
Speaker 3: goes in to even the sitcom, you know. And what
Speaker 3: I remember again about what was so fun to me
Speaker 3: was it was like, it's like all those World War
Speaker 3: two movies I grew up on watching, and here I
Speaker 3: get to be in a plane with the sound and
Speaker 3: the wind. Then the actors jump out.
Speaker 6: You know.
Speaker 4: It was great, so much fun.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 1: So talking about when you decided you thought you could
Speaker 1: start directing, when you were working in film with people
Speaker 1: like William Friedkin and on TV with James Burrows, was
Speaker 1: it a job you thought Hey, I think I could
Speaker 1: do that. I think I could handle it or was
Speaker 1: it really once you were on Boy Meets World and
Speaker 1: then realized you thought you could do multi caam.
Speaker 3: Well, I think you know, I always admired the directors
Speaker 3: and I had no desire really at the moment. But
Speaker 3: what I what I did know I could do is
Speaker 3: work under pressure. And but again, the you know, my
Speaker 3: ignorance of being ignorant is the only thing that kept
Speaker 3: me going. So in a certain way, I would have
Speaker 3: if I'd been on a show, say, you know, one camera,
Speaker 3: single camera show and it was shows long enough, I
Speaker 3: would have I would have said, yeah, let me let
Speaker 3: me go in. I actually started to on a show
Speaker 3: we did called Mister Sterling, which was with James Berlin
Speaker 3: and it was a political show by Lawrence O'Donnell.
Speaker 2: Huh.
Speaker 3: I was hoping that that would go for a year
Speaker 3: or two or whatever, and I started kind of following
Speaker 3: the directors around.
Speaker 1: As we do yeah shadow, yeah, and it was.
Speaker 3: It didn't happen, But yeah, I think I would have
Speaker 3: eventually if I'd had the opportunity. And but again it's
Speaker 3: like there's so much I don't know that I don't
Speaker 3: know that I would have had to go really understand.
Speaker 1: Was there a director that we had in the first
Speaker 1: couple of seasons that you would have said you modeled
Speaker 1: your style after or took inspiration from.
Speaker 3: Well, I think mainly what I looked for in directors
Speaker 3: that came in that show were how they treated the
Speaker 3: actor and how they worked and moved the cameras. Whether
Speaker 3: there's any style that I noticed or not, again, I don't.
Speaker 3: I don't really know. I mean I certainly learned from
Speaker 3: certain directors, but they have so much knowledge in their
Speaker 3: heads about how this frame works, and how this doesn't work,
Speaker 3: and why this doesn't work and why we should try this.
Speaker 3: I was just really going on a lot of instinct
Speaker 3: and a lot of good people around me. Really, I
Speaker 3: was very lucky.
Speaker 2: Were we ever tough to work with? Like as as
Speaker 2: the more episodes that you did, were we ever too
Speaker 2: big for our breches or you know, getting to the
Speaker 2: point where it's been seven years, we know what we're doing, Rusty,
Speaker 2: Just point the camera at us and let her do
Speaker 2: our thing. I mean, were we ever tough? Were we
Speaker 2: ever tough?
Speaker 3: That's good? Yeah, just do it.
Speaker 2: Just put the camera on us, Rusty, We'll take it out.
Speaker 3: We'll make the magic.
Speaker 4: I could do. I could see we'll saying that.
Speaker 2: Do you remember I remember this? Do you guys are will?
Speaker 4: You started giving Rusty so much you called him the directator.
Speaker 4: You were like, oh, Rusty's a directator? Which is doing
Speaker 4: it for non or was not? Like has just been
Speaker 4: a joke? The most open like he would like, what
Speaker 4: do you want to do? Like, he would marry everything
Speaker 4: about the actors. So you started calling him a directator.
Speaker 4: That's what I remember.
Speaker 2: Well, that's the favorite part about working with Rusty's, especially
Speaker 2: later in the episodes he was doing, was he would
Speaker 2: direct us while also acting and were and we're being filmed.
Speaker 2: So he'd be like, because that's the way it's supposed
Speaker 2: to be, Eric and now turn in the middle of.
Speaker 3: You know that's from you know, that's old theater training, baby,
Speaker 3: Because you would get on that stage and all of
Speaker 3: a sudden, that knife isn't there, That wasn't you gotta
Speaker 3: beat him to death, you gotta figure out I can't
Speaker 3: find a knife, directator.
Speaker 2: I love that it was you.
Speaker 3: I want to say also, Danielle, the moments when you
Speaker 3: dealt with that letter and all that stuff, it was
Speaker 3: just beautiful. And I was watching, you know when it
Speaker 3: kind of went to the next episode and it was
Speaker 3: you know, but it was again. I think, you guys
Speaker 3: just again. I loved the episode because it's about maturing, Yeah,
Speaker 3: and it's also about relationships and even even the you know,
Speaker 3: you have to be truthful in a relationship. You know.
Speaker 3: The whole story was so poignant, and I think at
Speaker 3: a certain time in your lives, it was very interesting
Speaker 3: to be there with it, and you guys just brought it.
Speaker 1: Well, you're very kind. You're constantly deflecting it back onto us,
Speaker 1: but you know, it has a show. Is it a
Speaker 1: lot to do with you? We were all so blown
Speaker 1: away by Linda Cardelini in this episode, and you also
Speaker 1: got some nice Bill Daniels scenes. Uh directing Bill? What's
Speaker 1: it like to direct Bill Daniels?
Speaker 4: Bill?
Speaker 3: Bill was so much fun, and I think, and I've
Speaker 3: been told that he was really glad I had been there,
Speaker 3: and you know, we had worked like two we had
Speaker 3: done two TV movies or I'd done Saying Elsewhere Right
Speaker 3: episodes with him, and we had done a TV movie
Speaker 3: not two years before ward Jeff Goldbloom and Robert Preston
Speaker 3: and Lynn Red Gray, Oh my god, you know, and
Speaker 3: so he was a known quantity and for whatever reason,
Speaker 3: I didn't annoy him as most people you.
Speaker 2: Know, yes, yes, not all of us here can say that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, you know, whatever is We got along Gray,
Speaker 3: and I remember standing there on that set and just
Speaker 3: talking to him and saying, yeah, you come down the
Speaker 3: stairs and blah blah blah, you'll be fine, don't worry
Speaker 3: about it. And then you know, you didn't have to
Speaker 3: direct him or do anything, just just don't confuse him,
Speaker 3: which really wasn't an issue. But you know, he didn't
Speaker 3: like the hooplas you know. Yeah, and once he got
Speaker 3: over that, he knew what was going on and he
Speaker 3: knew you know, he loved directors that would take care
Speaker 3: of him and knew what was going on and what
Speaker 3: was important to him. Did he get back to his
Speaker 3: dressing room and get to his book.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And he's like a.
Speaker 3: Joy, a joy to work with.
Speaker 4: But do you remember, did we have an audience this
Speaker 4: week or did we do this without an audience?
Speaker 3: That's a good question. I don't think we had an
Speaker 3: audience because yeah, and you know, when and I watched
Speaker 3: and was kind of jarring when when Ben and Linda
Speaker 3: kiss that I went, where's the audience going? Yeah, oh,
Speaker 3: that's right. We probably didn't have it on. But then
Speaker 3: of course we had laugh track, But no, I don't
Speaker 3: think we I'm trying to remember, but.
Speaker 4: My instinct is that we didn't shooting off to the
Speaker 4: side with on the on a weird news set for
Speaker 4: most of the episode, and and then the fact that
Speaker 4: we had that insert at the ski launch, it just
Speaker 4: makes me think that we decided to not have an
Speaker 4: audience this week, and and I think it it actually
Speaker 4: lends itself to a more intimate performance from everybody, it doesn't,
Speaker 4: you know, it does. And then it's interesting to point
Speaker 4: out that kiss moment because if we had had an audience,
Speaker 4: they might have wooed.
Speaker 3: Oh, would have been a minute, no.
Speaker 4: Reaction, but it would have been a great way to
Speaker 4: gauge like, how do people feel about Corey and Tapanga
Speaker 4: at this point? Like it would have been. But we
Speaker 4: didn't have an audience, so there's nothing there because they
Speaker 4: didn't add it in, you know, But but the editors
Speaker 4: could have decided, like how to want to make the
Speaker 4: audience feel about this, but they leave it vague. It's interesting,
Speaker 4: which is great.
Speaker 2: Are you absolutely gray in the area. It's so strange
Speaker 2: because there's a part of me that, having watched it,
Speaker 2: not been in it and just watch it as a
Speaker 2: as a fan, I could feel that maybe there wasn't
Speaker 2: an audience there. But at the same time, I would
Speaker 2: think as an audience member, I mean, what a perfect
Speaker 2: show to watch because you're on one set essentially the
Speaker 2: entire times, like the entire shows would take place right
Speaker 2: in front of you, So something like that would have
Speaker 2: been interesting. But I think you probably benefited from not
Speaker 2: having the audience there that week exactly. Yeah, it was wonder.
Speaker 3: And again I'll say that I think in the bigger
Speaker 3: overall picture, it was an interesting show because you guys started,
Speaker 3: not that you started, because you always have been, but
Speaker 3: you're growing into a different maturity as characters but also
Speaker 3: in your life as people, and I think you know,
Speaker 3: and that's and and honestly, I'm so glad there wasn't
Speaker 3: an audience because I know there would have been a
Speaker 3: who I just know it. You know it. You watched
Speaker 3: a million of these shows and there's something like that
Speaker 3: unless there isn't an audience, right, And as you say,
Speaker 3: it was an interesting choice. And I'm sure they had
Speaker 3: to make this choice, and somebody said, do you want
Speaker 3: to woo exactly because I wasn't in the you know,
Speaker 3: I'm not in the final mix, if I remember.
Speaker 4: Correctly, directors, you turn it one cut.
Speaker 3: But again, like I said, it was really interesting to
Speaker 3: watch this, and again the whole idea of in this
Speaker 3: other little world, you guys are born yep, you know,
Speaker 3: to a different level of maturity as the characters. And
Speaker 3: I think also, as I say, at this point in
Speaker 3: your life, you were really coming into your own as people.
Speaker 1: I wonder how intentional it was too. For that same reason,
Speaker 1: the intimacy this episode required that you were the person
Speaker 1: who directed it. Do you remember there being any sort
Speaker 1: of like, hey, Rusty, the episode you're directing, like some
Speaker 1: pre warning this is gonna be.
Speaker 4: Because of Aspen extreme right, they knew.
Speaker 2: You were movie, don't even start. Great movie, great episode, scenes,
Speaker 2: great movie.
Speaker 3: I think Michael, again, if I remember correctly, I wasn't.
Speaker 3: You know, it was a surprise to me. But I
Speaker 3: remember when you asked me that that. I think he said,
Speaker 3: it's a really good episode, yeah, and I went, okay, good.
Speaker 3: And again, what how I ended up with that? Episode.
Speaker 3: I'm not sure. Maybe you had me in mind the
Speaker 3: whole time but just didn't tell me until we But
Speaker 3: that's again memory, you know, is that.
Speaker 4: You, I mean you and I ended up in Aspen
Speaker 4: with Michael, skiing together at one point. So when you
Speaker 4: going to Aspen and skime on a regular bass with Michael.
Speaker 3: No, no, I had skied and ass and Aspen extreme,
Speaker 3: and I had been an Aspen during the Don Johnson days.
Speaker 2: That's when Aspen was as when you got Don Johnson
Speaker 2: and William rust.
Speaker 3: Hill.
Speaker 2: Since yeah, really that's awesome.
Speaker 3: I actually broke my leg and Aspen.
Speaker 4: But that's another story.
Speaker 2: Speaking of speaking of things like that we talked about.
Speaker 2: We told the story not too long ago about me
Speaker 2: driving for you when you were hang gliding. Yeah, are
Speaker 2: you still doing any hang gliding stuff? And okay, I
Speaker 2: was wondering about you.
Speaker 3: After I had my big bicycle accident, I went back
Speaker 3: flying for a couple of years. But it's the kind
Speaker 3: of thing that's just it's a pay attention sport, right,
Speaker 3: and it's also a highly skilled sport where if you
Speaker 3: don't keep your skills up, you know, if you don't die,
Speaker 3: at least to me, if I didn't fly at least two, three,
Speaker 3: four times a month or even more. Then you know,
Speaker 3: your skills get a little rusty, and it's it's not
Speaker 3: just where, it's not golf. Right enough, stop flying, you
Speaker 3: can really cop. Yeah, I loved it. It was a
Speaker 3: great sport. And thank you for driving.
Speaker 2: No, it's fine. I ended up buying your truck after that.
Speaker 2: So it worked, worked like a charm. Yeah, I work
Speaker 2: like a charm.
Speaker 3: No, I don't do that anymore. I'm still on my
Speaker 3: bike though. Okay, you know I wish I could.
Speaker 1: But was this the first time you had seen Heartbreak
Speaker 1: Cory since you directed it, or have you watched it
Speaker 1: in the year since.
Speaker 3: I think it's the first time I've seen it.
Speaker 1: And so what did you think of your directorial debut.
Speaker 3: Well, I wasn't even thinking of that, but I think
Speaker 3: it's pretty darn good. Yes, I'll go back to it.
Speaker 3: You know, I'm just a traffic cop. I mean the
Speaker 3: stuff that's there. You're the thing that people see. The
Speaker 3: writing is the thing that people hear, and hopefully the
Speaker 3: directing is the thing people aren't aware about.
Speaker 1: Do you think you critique you're directing the same way
Speaker 1: you critique your acting.
Speaker 3: No, I don't think so, because the acting is so spontaneous. Well,
Speaker 3: in a certain way. I mean, all of them are
Speaker 3: about telling stories, and you know, I think I told
Speaker 3: the story. Yes, episode, and that's what it's about. And
Speaker 3: as an actor, that's what you're doing. Although in a
Speaker 3: certain way. The interesting thing about being an actor is
Speaker 3: every time you do a scene, it's like writing a story,
Speaker 3: except you can use different words. Yeah, literally words. I'm
Speaker 3: talking about different colors, you know. So every time I
Speaker 3: do this scene with you, hopefully there's something alive in
Speaker 3: it that changes because life, just even this exchange we're
Speaker 3: having here will be different in thirty seconds. Yes, but
Speaker 3: it's interesting. Good question.
Speaker 1: So after this episode to Boy Meets World, a few
Speaker 1: years later, you got to direct an episode of Lizzie Maguire.
Speaker 1: How did that happen?
Speaker 3: Well, gosh, wonderful producer i'd worked for. I did a
Speaker 3: series for it, was producing it and I just kind
Speaker 3: of bugged them. I said, I come over and do
Speaker 3: one of these shows. Maybe can I observe and go
Speaker 3: do the show? And I was trying to man, I'm
Speaker 3: looking for work. Yeah, and he was great, and he said, sure,
Speaker 3: come on over and we'll throw you an episode, and
Speaker 3: I was lucky to do it, and it was really
Speaker 3: a silly episode and I had a lot of fun.
Speaker 3: The crew was a little burnt out. I mean, yeah,
Speaker 3: I have to say, you guys, we're all lucky that
Speaker 3: we always had good crews that were always to be
Speaker 3: there and they're happy to be there a lot because
Speaker 3: of you guys and who they were working with. And
Speaker 3: you know, you've been on sets where it's not quite
Speaker 3: that all the time. Yeah, And I think these guys
Speaker 3: had you know, I remember, never forget. They had what
Speaker 3: they called the flail meter, you know, like we're flailing
Speaker 3: and they would have the flail meter on the set
Speaker 3: and they would be like, Okay, we're really flailing.
Speaker 2: Oh god, it's like a death con meter for a
Speaker 2: nuclear war.
Speaker 4: That's what I said.
Speaker 3: But you don't And again, you guys are you know
Speaker 3: and I know you know this. It was a very
Speaker 3: special thing. And other shows have this too, I'm not. Yeah,
Speaker 3: but it's not always the rule that everyone gets along
Speaker 3: together and everyone goes to work, and god knows, personalities
Speaker 3: get in the way and he goes and and everything.
Speaker 3: But it was still a great shoot. Stan Rogo producer,
Speaker 3: and I had done a I had done a series
Speaker 3: with him called Middle Ages with Gosh, Michael O'Neill, know,
Speaker 3: with a Michael O'Neill and Peter Riegert were three characters
Speaker 3: and Amy who went on to be a big star anyway.
Speaker 3: But you know, we had done a series called Middle
Speaker 3: Ages and that's how I knew Stan Rogo.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 3: So that's how I ended up on Lizzie McGuire.
Speaker 1: Well, then you would come back and be behind the
Speaker 1: camera for Girl Meets World. You directed season two called
Speaker 1: Girl Meets Hurricane. Did Michael reach out to you for that? One?
Speaker 1: Was that a similar situation? Elevator pitch?
Speaker 3: Which one was that Girl Meets Hurricane Comes Back?
Speaker 4: It was Trina? Was Trina's only episode of Girl Meets World?
Speaker 2: Right, Oh, you were already on set.
Speaker 3: You were around and trying to make a buck.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, you would come back.
Speaker 4: For the same episode. I came back for the holiday
Speaker 4: episode to act it.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 4: We all went back for that, and then you ended
Speaker 4: up just sticking around and becoming Michael Michael.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, Michael was very sweet. He called me
Speaker 3: and because I was out in Tahatchebe as Claire was
Speaker 3: working in the emergency psychiatric and he you know, i'd
Speaker 3: come out and we've done that, and I said, you know,
Speaker 3: I'd be interested in directing if you could find a
Speaker 3: slot for me or something. And I don't know if
Speaker 3: I started coming to set just hanging out, but I
Speaker 3: think he called me and said, would you like to
Speaker 3: be the dialogue coach?
Speaker 1: Right?
Speaker 3: Thought about it?
Speaker 4: Sure?
Speaker 3: Why not? You know, if I got a job, I
Speaker 3: got a job, and you know, I love you know,
Speaker 3: I'm very fortunate again that I was able to find
Speaker 3: this world that made sense to me. And I understood
Speaker 3: as soon as I was backstage somewhere in the theater
Speaker 3: or somewhere or on a lot or showing up at
Speaker 3: four am for breakfast to shoot something, I said, this
Speaker 3: is the world I understand.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I almost get a little bit clemped thinking about it.
Speaker 3: And I love just being on the set. Yeah, I
Speaker 3: would have been you know, I'm the guy, you know,
Speaker 3: I'm the guy in the circus shivel in the elevent
Speaker 3: doing this like a what which show biz? Yeah, I
Speaker 3: love it. I'm very fortunate to find it and I
Speaker 3: still feel fortunate about it. So yeah, that and that's
Speaker 3: how I ended up over and girl, and it was
Speaker 3: a great exercise and watching yeah girls and obviously watching
Speaker 3: Sabrina lately. Yes, I'll take off. It's fun And it
Speaker 3: was great being around you and Ben and and again
Speaker 3: I go back to Michael. He always had good people
Speaker 3: around and it was always a joy. And I think
Speaker 3: I think I contributed just being able to be there
Speaker 3: and breathe when things got stressful weird, and things get
Speaker 3: stressful at times, like remember when Will came on and.
Speaker 1: He was such a problem child.
Speaker 7: Will I like it the way I like it because
Speaker 7: I'm right, but not again, I you know, as I say, I,
Speaker 7: you know, I won a lottery.
Speaker 3: It was really quite special time. And all you guys, by.
Speaker 2: The way, it was Amy Brenneman with you in Middle Ages.
Speaker 3: Amy Brenneman, right, That was an.
Speaker 2: Incredible cast, by the way.
Speaker 3: Oh and she was great. Oh, it was a great cast.
Speaker 3: And I remember that very specifically because I literally picked
Speaker 3: her up at the studio and took her to a
Speaker 3: rented apart because she had just flown in and it
Speaker 3: was during the La riots. Oh jeez, and because we
Speaker 3: had we kind of had to postpone things. All this
Speaker 3: stuff was going on, and.
Speaker 2: Welcome the Los Angeles.
Speaker 3: Yeah, what it was, it was, you know, and thought
Speaker 3: about that.
Speaker 2: She's from Connecticut. Her her mom was a was a judge.
Speaker 2: My parents know her mother because she was a judge
Speaker 2: in the court system. So she went on to do
Speaker 2: a show about her mom called Judging Amy.
Speaker 3: That's yeah, there you go.
Speaker 1: Well, Rusty, thank you as always for coming and spending
Speaker 1: your time with us. It was so great to talk
Speaker 1: to you about your directorial debut. We will have to
Speaker 1: have you back when you have another episode that you direct.
Speaker 1: We always loved talking to you and love seeing you.
Speaker 1: Thank you for being generous with your time with us.
Speaker 3: Wow, thank you for being you and you and you
Speaker 3: and you all right out.
Speaker 1: So much fun. I really did wonder like if Michael
Speaker 1: thought ahead to the fact that this is going to
Speaker 1: be a softer, quieter, more vulnerable boy meets World episode
Speaker 1: and thought, let's let one of our own direct it.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Well I also picked one that he clearly wasn't in, yes,
Speaker 2: which which I mean is also helpful where it's you know,
Speaker 2: he's not doing double duty for especially his first episode.
Speaker 4: You did that a lot, I guess because he was
Speaker 4: in the other Oh yeah, Like I never had to do.
Speaker 4: Like when I was on Girl Meets World, I didn't.
Speaker 4: I never directed an episode that I was in. It's
Speaker 4: a different thing.
Speaker 1: It's always so nice to talk to Rusty, and there's
Speaker 1: just I don't know, you know, it comes across, but
Speaker 1: there are just those people that no matter how much
Speaker 1: time passes, it's always so comforting when you see him
Speaker 1: again and you're just like, it's just like, exactly like
Speaker 1: the last time I saw you and hung out with
Speaker 1: you and talk to you, and it's as if no
Speaker 1: time is passed.
Speaker 2: So he's also such an inspiration when it comes to
Speaker 2: the type of actor I'd like to be, the type
Speaker 2: of the entertainer I'd like to be where nothing is
Speaker 2: beneath Rusty. I know, it's like, no, this is another
Speaker 2: aspect of the industry that I want to learn or
Speaker 2: that I could be good at. And I, like you said,
Speaker 2: I want to be on the set. I want to
Speaker 2: be part of it.
Speaker 5: I want it.
Speaker 2: And it's just it's so inspirational because there are times
Speaker 2: where you're like you meet actors where it's like I
Speaker 2: wouldn't do a commercial, or I wouldn't write this, or
Speaker 2: I wouldn't do this part. And he's like, no, this
Speaker 2: is this is my job, this is my business. I
Speaker 2: want to learn every aspect of it and I could
Speaker 2: be good at every aspect of it. And it's just
Speaker 2: it's great.
Speaker 1: It really is such an inspiration. Well, thank you all
Speaker 1: for joining us for this episode of Podmeets World. As always,
Speaker 1: you can follow us on Instagram pod Meets World Show.
Speaker 1: You can send us your emails pod meets World Show
Speaker 1: at gmail dot com, and we have merch.
Speaker 2: Now turn.
Speaker 1: Merch pod Meets Worldshow dot com. Well send us out.
Speaker 2: We love you all. Pod dismissed. Podmets World is Niheart
Speaker 2: podcast producer and hosted by Danielle Fischel, Wilfredell and Ryder
Speaker 2: Strong Executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in
Speaker 2: charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor, Tara Sudbasch, producer,
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Speaker 2: Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon and
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