WEBVTT - Chrissy Metz 0:00:00.220 --> 0:00:15.700 Hi, everyone. It's Sophia. Welcome to Work in Progress. Welcome 0:00:15.740 --> 0:00:18.960 back to Work in Progress, friends. Today we are joined 0:00:19.520 --> 0:00:22.990 by one hell of a whipsmartie, bright and beautiful and 0:00:23.090 --> 0:00:27.370 talented and just the most fun to hang with in 0:00:27.390 --> 0:00:31.590 the corner of a crowded room. Today's guest is Chrissy Metz. 0:00:32.270 --> 0:00:35.070 She has spent the last few years pushing herself into 0:00:35.090 --> 0:00:41.530 brand new territories, making music, writing, taking on darker and 0:00:41.590 --> 0:00:46.400 more complicated characters, and most recently making a her Broadway 0:00:46.440 --> 0:00:50.800 debut in And Juliet. She is coming to us straight 0:00:50.960 --> 0:00:56.050 off that demanding eight-show-a-week run to chat with us about 0:00:56.130 --> 0:00:59.390 her next project that will be born into the world. 0:00:59.870 --> 0:01:03.630 It is Apple TV's Nocturne, and it couldn't be more 0:01:03.690 --> 0:01:07.880 different than a musical. It is a psychological crime thriller 0:01:07.920 --> 0:01:11.000 that puts her in the center of a very twisted world. 0:01:11.550 --> 0:01:13.590 And there seems to be a connection to a bigger 0:01:13.660 --> 0:01:17.360 theme running through this chapter of Chrissy's life. Expanding her 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:21.760 comfort zone, doing things that scare her, taking risks before 0:01:21.819 --> 0:01:24.569 she knows exactly where they will lead and giving herself 0:01:24.630 --> 0:01:28.190 permission to evolve. And that is something I think all 0:01:28.209 --> 0:01:31.090 of us can relate to. With all these new creative 0:01:31.150 --> 0:01:34.580 challenges and new experiences, Chrissy has a whole lot of 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:37.940 possibility in front of her. And she is embracing a 0:01:37.980 --> 0:01:42.160 philosophy I deeply relate to, which is say yes, even 0:01:42.220 --> 0:01:45.020 before you're sure where that yes will take you. Let's 0:01:45.060 --> 0:01:59.330 dive in with Chrissy Metz. Hi, buddy. I'm so excited 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:00.330 that you're here. 0:02:00.630 --> 0:02:02.970 I'm so excited to be here. It's been a minute. 0:02:03.030 --> 0:02:05.630 This is so nice. I love it. 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:09.089 Happy belated birthday. I hope it was great. 0:02:09.270 --> 0:02:10.490 Thank you. Thank you. 0:02:10.530 --> 0:02:10.790 Yes. 0:02:10.830 --> 0:02:11.869 Yes, it was for sure. 0:02:11.889 --> 0:02:16.230 We love it. Okay. I actually, speaking of birthdays, some 0:02:16.270 --> 0:02:19.889 of them are major. I remember double digits being so huge. 0:02:20.510 --> 0:02:24.090 And I wonder if we could go back in time 0:02:24.850 --> 0:02:29.700 and run into each other in Gainesville when you were 10. Oh, like. 0:02:30.260 --> 0:02:32.360 Who would I be getting to know? Who was that 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:36.300 little girl? Do you think she would be shocked at 0:02:36.340 --> 0:02:38.859 what your life is now? Do you think you would 0:02:38.919 --> 0:02:42.639 see yourself in her then? Definitely shocked. 0:02:43.810 --> 0:02:47.290 I mean, literally, we're walking to school, feeding the horses 0:02:47.610 --> 0:02:51.730 in this pasture that doesn't exist anymore, sadly, because they've 0:02:52.230 --> 0:02:56.710 built things. But I went to every elementary school in 0:02:56.750 --> 0:03:00.419 my town. because my mom was a single mom struggling. 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:03.940 And so we moved often and it was great when 0:03:03.980 --> 0:03:05.720 I got to high school because I got to really 0:03:06.060 --> 0:03:08.829 everybody that I knew from all the schools ended up, 0:03:09.040 --> 0:03:10.520 you know, in the three high schools in our town. 0:03:10.580 --> 0:03:15.340 So it's interesting because at 10 years old, I, my 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:19.590 parents had recently divorced and we moved, you know, and 0:03:19.650 --> 0:03:24.530 my mom remarried shortly after. And so I, yeah, it's 0:03:24.550 --> 0:03:26.710 such a blur. I mean, thank goodness for good friends 0:03:26.810 --> 0:03:29.550 who were super sweet and supportive and like took me 0:03:29.570 --> 0:03:33.609 under their wing. But I certainly had a hard time. 0:03:33.630 --> 0:03:35.900 I had a hard time in childhood. Like I didn't, 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:39.160 I don't really think that I knew who I was 0:03:39.420 --> 0:03:43.200 in that like, okay, my personality, like I'm the entertaining 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:46.760 diplomat as I've always been. I'm, you know, the feeler, 0:03:46.800 --> 0:03:50.369 the moderator, the Libra, you know, girl. And I just 0:03:50.410 --> 0:03:55.300 remember going to this like wet seal, like in the 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:57.460 mall when all the cool kids were wearing like cute 0:03:57.500 --> 0:03:59.580 little outfits. And I was like, Oh, I can wear 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:02.040 a necklace. Like, Oh, this is cute. Like I can 0:04:02.060 --> 0:04:07.040 wear the accessories. Um, I just remember those like really 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:11.540 important moments in my childhood that like seemed very fuzzy, 0:04:11.620 --> 0:04:14.760 but I can sort of see it. It's like dirty glasses, 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:18.680 you know? Um, And I certainly at 10 years old 0:04:18.700 --> 0:04:20.880 did not think that my life would look this way 0:04:20.900 --> 0:04:23.549 or I would feel the way I do about myself 0:04:23.620 --> 0:04:27.190 now if I thought about how I felt at 10 0:04:27.190 --> 0:04:31.410 years old, you know. So, yeah, that's such an interesting question. 0:04:31.430 --> 0:04:34.690 Well, I just it's so cool to me to think 0:04:34.750 --> 0:04:39.440 about where we come from before we're in this, you know, 0:04:39.540 --> 0:04:43.279 and and it's interesting to hear you say that, you know, 0:04:43.300 --> 0:04:46.780 because it is such a transitional time. And going through 0:04:46.820 --> 0:04:50.440 such a big family shift, like I just wrote my 0:04:50.520 --> 0:04:53.839 book and, oh, girl, like I had to go back 0:04:53.880 --> 0:04:56.110 to that and go, oh, now I know why I 0:04:56.190 --> 0:04:59.230 ask everyone who comes on my podcast that question. Because 0:04:59.250 --> 0:05:02.390 I think my little 10-year-old is wondering if anybody else 0:05:02.450 --> 0:05:06.970 was kind of doing the double life thing, you know, 0:05:07.050 --> 0:05:09.880 being a kid but also being a grown-up really early. 0:05:10.540 --> 0:05:13.740 And so it's crazy to hear you– not crazy, it's 0:05:13.779 --> 0:05:16.700 impactful to hear you talk about it. In the way 0:05:16.740 --> 0:05:22.560 that you are because, yeah, I think that thing where 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:26.690 you sort of become the host, the entertainer, it's before 0:05:26.730 --> 0:05:28.990 you realize you're going to grow up and be an entertainer. 0:05:29.110 --> 0:05:29.950 Right. 0:05:30.010 --> 0:05:31.890 But I wonder if it makes us good at it 0:05:31.930 --> 0:05:33.090 from like a young age. 0:05:33.589 --> 0:05:35.290 Yeah. I mean, people ask me like, how did I 0:05:35.300 --> 0:05:36.560 get into acting? And I was like, oh, I was 0:05:36.740 --> 0:05:40.090 acting as if everything was fine my entire life. you know, 0:05:40.170 --> 0:05:42.450 or like everything's good and I'm happy and everything's fine. 0:05:43.190 --> 0:05:46.510 And we just try to figure it out. And I 0:05:46.540 --> 0:05:48.210 think that's why actors are good at a lot of 0:05:48.250 --> 0:05:50.460 things because they have to be good at a lot 0:05:50.500 --> 0:05:52.500 of things and they end up, you know, whether it's 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:57.360 the chicken or the egg kind of thing. But yeah, I, wow. 0:05:57.360 --> 0:06:02.640 10 years old, such a crazy time. 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:07.340 When was it that you started getting into performing? 0:06:08.779 --> 0:06:12.000 Oh, Well, I always loved music and music was very, 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:16.920 very prevalent in our household. Like we grew up with, 0:06:17.300 --> 0:06:19.310 I mean, everything from like the Doobie Brothers to Motown 0:06:19.330 --> 0:06:22.590 to country, all of it. And I loved it. And like, 0:06:22.670 --> 0:06:24.550 it made me feel something and it made me feel 0:06:24.570 --> 0:06:28.310 like connected to a song or a person singing that 0:06:28.330 --> 0:06:30.830 I didn't feel connected to in my family or wasn't 0:06:31.150 --> 0:06:35.440 seen or heard, you know, but I wasn't, there was 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:38.140 no way that I was performing anything. Like it took until, 0:06:38.730 --> 0:06:41.909 my senior year of high school to join chamber choir 0:06:42.010 --> 0:06:44.849 or to even audition. And that was because my choir 0:06:44.890 --> 0:06:47.470 teacher was like, why don't you? And in my heart 0:06:47.510 --> 0:06:50.409 of hearts was like, I wanted to perform and sing forever. 0:06:50.890 --> 0:06:53.950 And so envious of all the performers who had such 0:06:54.050 --> 0:06:56.830 confidence or at least led us to believe they had 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:59.919 such confidence. And I was like, Oh, I want to 0:06:59.940 --> 0:07:02.140 tell stories and like be silly and have people laugh 0:07:02.180 --> 0:07:06.300 at me and feel loved and validated. But I, it 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:08.260 wasn't until my senior year of high school that I actually, 0:07:08.950 --> 0:07:12.130 did like a state competition and sang a song and 0:07:12.150 --> 0:07:15.350 then joined chamber choir. So, and I certainly never thought 0:07:15.370 --> 0:07:17.430 I'd be an actor. No, I just thought that I 0:07:17.450 --> 0:07:18.970 would just sing and love to sing. 0:07:19.750 --> 0:07:21.560 I mean, you have an amazing voice. 0:07:21.940 --> 0:07:24.600 So that tracks. 0:07:24.660 --> 0:07:27.320 But the rest of it, I mean, I, I read, 0:07:27.340 --> 0:07:30.040 I love, cause you're like, I didn't think I would 0:07:30.060 --> 0:07:32.900 do it. And then I, I've obviously read about your 0:07:32.980 --> 0:07:34.320 story with your sister. 0:07:34.340 --> 0:07:34.420 Yeah. 0:07:35.440 --> 0:07:38.430 And I just, I love that it, it found you. 0:07:39.090 --> 0:07:41.970 you know, your, your calling found you. Will you tell 0:07:41.990 --> 0:07:44.170 your friends at home how that went? 0:07:44.410 --> 0:07:48.830 Well, I really try to use that story as like, 0:07:49.070 --> 0:07:51.190 if something is meant for you, it would literally trace you, 0:07:51.300 --> 0:07:55.160 like chase you down, hunt you down. And that had 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:57.760 to be the only explanation. I was teaching preschool. I 0:07:57.780 --> 0:08:00.300 thought I was going to be an early childhood educator 0:08:00.400 --> 0:08:02.940 and again, because I didn't feel seen and heard as 0:08:02.980 --> 0:08:04.760 a kid. And so I was like, okay, that's a 0:08:04.820 --> 0:08:06.700 noble thing. And I love it. And I love kids. 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:10.640 And then my sister found out about this random open 0:08:10.660 --> 0:08:14.170 call at a holiday in, in Gainesville, Florida. And I 0:08:14.170 --> 0:08:16.450 was like, this is a crock of crap. We're not going. 0:08:16.470 --> 0:08:18.710 And she's like, please just take me and. 0:08:18.650 --> 0:08:22.450 My friend, Jenny. So I take them. We're sitting, this 0:08:22.550 --> 0:08:24.670 random woman is sitting across from me. She's like, what 0:08:24.690 --> 0:08:26.810 are you doing here? I was like, Nothing. I'm just 0:08:26.830 --> 0:08:29.430 here with my sister. I'm her guardian. She's like, I 0:08:29.470 --> 0:08:32.860 don't know. I taught at your high school. And I'm like, no, 0:08:32.880 --> 0:08:34.620 you didn't. And if you did, I didn't know you. 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:35.600 Oh yeah. 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:37.219 You were in the theater department. I was like, no, 0:08:37.340 --> 0:08:40.319 I wasn't like, what are you saying? Like, I feel 0:08:40.340 --> 0:08:43.140 crazy anyway. She was like, well, I think you should audition. 0:08:43.179 --> 0:08:45.280 I think you're here for a reason. I'm like, whatever. 0:08:45.300 --> 0:08:46.400 Okay. 0:08:46.420 --> 0:08:49.500 Crazy lady. And then my sister comes out of the 0:08:49.540 --> 0:08:52.880 audition room. The manager who was holding the open call 0:08:52.900 --> 0:08:54.680 was like, what do you do? And my sister's like, oh, 0:08:54.700 --> 0:08:57.860 she's a singer. And I'm like, no, I'm not. And 0:08:58.059 --> 0:09:00.359 she's like, Chrissy, just sing. I ended up singing. It 0:09:00.380 --> 0:09:04.000 was not good. Whatever. And then they called us back 0:09:04.250 --> 0:09:06.530 and she was like, well, if you're interested, you know, 0:09:06.570 --> 0:09:08.869 we're doing some classes and workshops and then we are 0:09:08.890 --> 0:09:10.689 going to eventually do like a showcase in L.A. I 0:09:10.809 --> 0:09:14.170 was like, oh, sure. Yeah, whatever. This isn't real. I 0:09:14.230 --> 0:09:18.290 never saw the woman who encouraged me to audition ever again. 0:09:18.320 --> 0:09:21.740 I asked everybody, like the lady with the brown hat. 0:09:21.980 --> 0:09:24.219 And I'm like, did I make this woman up? Was 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:29.599 this like my subconscious guardian angel? It's so bizarre. I 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:34.400 can't make sense of it. And yeah, so I ended 0:09:34.460 --> 0:09:37.800 up doing a workshop, found an agent, moved to LA. 0:09:39.120 --> 0:09:41.559 And then became a talent agent for nine years because- 0:09:42.230 --> 0:09:44.870 I needed to stay in L.A. and pay the bills. Yeah. 0:09:45.190 --> 0:09:47.010 And our business is so hard. 0:09:47.860 --> 0:09:49.500 So difficult. So difficult. 0:09:49.520 --> 0:09:51.059 So many people don't know that. 0:09:51.220 --> 0:09:52.240 Right, right. 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:52.620 Yeah. 0:09:52.900 --> 0:09:53.199 Right. 0:09:53.420 --> 0:09:55.870 Because, like, you're not on the podcast when you're having 0:09:55.910 --> 0:09:56.530 a hard time. 0:09:56.790 --> 0:10:00.240 Right. You know? people are like wow everyone's just. 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:02.580 Working all the time and I'm like they're not it's 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:05.440 not like that no it seems that way yeah and 0:10:05.500 --> 0:10:08.130 even when you have it's not like that. 0:10:08.170 --> 0:10:13.250 Right it's so tricky yeah so random open call Do 0:10:13.260 --> 0:10:13.850 you feel like. 0:10:13.880 --> 0:10:18.329 God, that's so cool. I got that visual, you know, 0:10:18.370 --> 0:10:20.730 of like the ghosts of Christmas past when you're talking 0:10:20.750 --> 0:10:23.110 about the lady in the red hat. I'm like, was 0:10:23.150 --> 0:10:25.950 she just, was she an apparition? Was she a sign? 0:10:26.250 --> 0:10:29.630 No, literally. Like that's the only way I can reconcile 0:10:29.650 --> 0:10:32.920 in my mind. I'm like, cause nobody else saw her. 0:10:32.940 --> 0:10:36.679 And am I crazy? Yes, sure. Whatever it took, I guess. 0:10:37.380 --> 0:10:39.439 I don't know. Okay. 0:10:39.500 --> 0:10:42.500 And the nine years at a talent agency. That has 0:10:42.520 --> 0:10:43.440 to teach you a lot. 0:10:44.059 --> 0:10:46.760 It taught me so much. It really helped me to 0:10:46.830 --> 0:10:50.270 understand why I wanted to do it and that it 0:10:50.350 --> 0:10:53.770 wasn't about fame or fortune because I knew what not 0:10:53.809 --> 0:10:55.650 having money was like. So I was like, whatever, it's 0:10:55.670 --> 0:10:59.349 not going to happen. And I just saw so many 0:10:59.390 --> 0:11:03.720 people come into the office who were really passionate but 0:11:03.780 --> 0:11:06.720 wanted to do it for the weirdest reasons or feeling 0:11:07.179 --> 0:11:09.880 obligated by their parents or something. And I was like, 0:11:09.940 --> 0:11:12.690 oh yeah, no. And then just to understand contracts and 0:11:12.710 --> 0:11:15.850 be able to read them and to have relationships with 0:11:15.890 --> 0:11:19.330 people before they thought I wanted something from them, or 0:11:19.390 --> 0:11:21.470 I was just, you know, calling them to talk about 0:11:21.910 --> 0:11:26.590 a particular client or something, a particular project. And also 0:11:26.710 --> 0:11:30.730 just to see what was exciting. I love to read scripts. 0:11:30.790 --> 0:11:32.880 I love to just see what was going to be 0:11:32.929 --> 0:11:36.050 coming out on TV or features and Yeah, all of 0:11:36.130 --> 0:11:38.330 it was so instrumental. And to be able to be 0:11:38.350 --> 0:11:40.670 on the other side of the desk and learn the 0:11:40.690 --> 0:11:44.900 other side of the business where it's just not personal. 0:11:45.640 --> 0:11:48.319 It's just not personal. And sometimes it's frustrating as hell 0:11:48.700 --> 0:11:51.819 because you're like, oh, that person, oh, she looks a 0:11:51.860 --> 0:11:55.059 little too close to the lead, but she's the better actress, 0:11:55.120 --> 0:11:59.550 but we can't hire her. And I'm like, what, what? 0:11:59.670 --> 0:12:02.510 And like, you sort of get disheartened. Then you're like, okay, 0:12:02.610 --> 0:12:05.430 but what's meant for you will find you. Like we 0:12:05.770 --> 0:12:07.670 initially were talking about, like it will hunt you down. 0:12:07.690 --> 0:12:09.220 So I'm like, okay, it's fine. 0:12:09.290 --> 0:12:09.699 It's fine. 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:13.440 But it was, I always say this, but it was 0:12:13.460 --> 0:12:16.459 sort of watching your boyfriend take another woman out every day. 0:12:17.740 --> 0:12:19.360 You know, you're like, oh, you're sitting at my favorite 0:12:19.380 --> 0:12:22.940 table eating my favorite dessert. Okay, great. You know, so 0:12:22.980 --> 0:12:26.300 it was hard. It was, it was difficult, but you know, 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:29.880 somebody said, actually Devon Franklin, he always said, you got 0:12:29.900 --> 0:12:31.950 to learn to carry a crown before you can wear one. 0:12:32.620 --> 0:12:36.940 And I said, that is... Yes. And let me be 0:12:36.980 --> 0:12:39.260 of service. And that's even what we do now is 0:12:39.300 --> 0:12:42.839 still being of service, but even though it might seem 0:12:42.860 --> 0:12:45.880 a little more self-serving, it certainly is. I think for me, 0:12:46.610 --> 0:12:49.590 what I want to do is be a servant of, 0:12:49.770 --> 0:12:54.730 you know, of any, of any help. So, yeah, but 0:12:54.770 --> 0:12:57.210 it was, it was a very interesting time of my 0:12:57.250 --> 0:13:01.510 life and it taught me so much about the business myself, 0:13:01.870 --> 0:13:06.990 why I wanted to do it. And, do I want 0:13:07.050 --> 0:13:09.489 to like stand in line long enough? And even if 0:13:09.550 --> 0:13:11.370 I stand here, is anybody going to pick me? 0:13:11.390 --> 0:13:14.810 Yeah. Well, and then you get on like the biggest 0:13:14.850 --> 0:13:20.390 TV show ever. I mean, that's a wild ride to 0:13:20.429 --> 0:13:23.600 just be like, and hello world. This is us is 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:26.699 going to take over the planet and be everyone's favorite show. 0:13:26.780 --> 0:13:29.280 And we're all going to cry together every week. And 0:13:29.300 --> 0:13:33.679 I mean, and you just, that's suddenly your life. I mean, 0:13:33.740 --> 0:13:38.210 what was that? Because, of course, there's things before that. 0:13:38.270 --> 0:13:42.250 But the thing that makes you a household name seems 0:13:42.309 --> 0:13:45.970 to the world like your first thing ever. 0:13:46.309 --> 0:13:48.210 Yeah, like overnight success. 0:13:48.350 --> 0:13:51.110 Yeah. And you're like, my overnight was so long. 0:13:51.110 --> 0:13:53.449 12 years in the making. Yes. 0:13:53.870 --> 0:13:59.370 But when it happens like that, what is it like? 0:13:59.929 --> 0:14:05.650 I mean, it was the most wonderful, scariest thing. thrilling 0:14:05.710 --> 0:14:09.500 roller coaster. You know, like, okay, you booked the job. Okay. 0:14:09.510 --> 0:14:10.600 Is it going to get picked up? Is it going 0:14:10.620 --> 0:14:13.260 to do well? Oh my gosh. It's okay. Great. It 0:14:13.300 --> 0:14:16.100 was so wild. And then we, all the press that 0:14:16.140 --> 0:14:20.940 goes around, you know, any new project and the press 0:14:20.980 --> 0:14:24.040 felt like that was work and the work felt like 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:29.239 so joyful and good and cathartic. And also just, you know, 0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:32.650 all those people are the most wonderful people. And yeah, 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:36.260 you know, it took me a while to grieve like, Oh, 0:14:36.260 --> 0:14:38.760 I'm not going to be with my friends and these 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:42.300 people that have changed my life and we've changed other 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:45.350 people's lives. And even to this day, people come up 0:14:45.420 --> 0:14:49.650 and still share their stories. And, or I just started 0:14:49.690 --> 0:14:52.330 watching the show and I'm like, Oh my gosh. And 0:14:52.350 --> 0:14:54.970 that it's been 10 years since it premiered. I can't 0:14:55.010 --> 0:14:57.150 really wrap my head around it. I mean, as we 0:14:57.190 --> 0:15:04.360 get older, time really does fly, but it was, I'm like, how, how, 0:15:04.660 --> 0:15:07.620 where do I go from here? And I'm thinking, I 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:11.060 really was, I was like, if I never book another 0:15:11.100 --> 0:15:17.460 project again, that was enough. That truly, truly, I get, 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:20.720 I get emotional thinking about it was enough. And, um, 0:15:21.200 --> 0:15:23.360 I think in our business and I can only speak 0:15:23.380 --> 0:15:25.820 for myself, but it's always like, Oh, what are you 0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:28.300 doing next? Oh, what's, what's next? What's this? What's, are 0:15:28.340 --> 0:15:32.830 you going to, and so I always think like, Chrissy, 0:15:32.880 --> 0:15:36.020 you had one of the most incredible experiences of life 0:15:36.220 --> 0:15:40.580 of your career of art that really impacted people and 0:15:40.620 --> 0:15:45.560 still continues to. So that was enough. Like if anything, 0:15:45.900 --> 0:15:46.260 it's enough. 0:15:46.280 --> 0:15:51.200 Yeah. Well, and I imagine too, to be on a 0:15:51.300 --> 0:15:56.300 show with, with that sort of scale and to have, 0:15:56.330 --> 0:16:00.910 you know, someone like Dan at the helm, like someone 0:16:00.930 --> 0:16:05.470 who's so good at really letting, um, characters be human. 0:16:05.490 --> 0:16:07.390 I feel like you got to bring a lot of 0:16:07.430 --> 0:16:11.590 your own humanity to that. And frankly, to be you 0:16:11.610 --> 0:16:14.610 and to get to shine and to be a plus 0:16:14.630 --> 0:16:19.170 size actress on television who gets to, yes, be the 0:16:19.190 --> 0:16:21.630 star of a TV show and also speak from the 0:16:21.690 --> 0:16:25.490 perspective of a woman who has had to do a 0:16:25.530 --> 0:16:27.410 woman's work in this world and figure out how to 0:16:27.470 --> 0:16:30.270 like herself in a world that tells her not to. Right. 0:16:30.730 --> 0:16:33.830 And to add your personal experience on top of that, like, 0:16:35.230 --> 0:16:37.690 I mean, God, there were scenes I watched you do 0:16:37.730 --> 0:16:40.470 where I just was like sobbing in the middle of 0:16:40.530 --> 0:16:46.050 my living room, realizing that even for my young self, 0:16:46.090 --> 0:16:48.770 when I first started on TV and I was getting 0:16:48.820 --> 0:16:52.800 all kinds of mixed messages, like you had conversations on 0:16:52.820 --> 0:16:57.120 that show that like healed my younger self. And I just, 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:02.120 I can't imagine how meaningful it's been for so many 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:04.000 women and how meaningful it was for you. 0:17:04.810 --> 0:17:06.150 A hundred percent. Yeah. 0:17:06.170 --> 0:17:06.770 It's magic. 0:17:07.070 --> 0:17:09.729 Yeah, it really is. It's like so much more than 0:17:09.780 --> 0:17:12.820 a television show. And I know that sounds like saccharine 0:17:12.859 --> 0:17:16.000 and like, oh, cutesy, but I don't, I really mean that. Like, 0:17:16.220 --> 0:17:19.260 and as to your point with Dan and the way 0:17:19.280 --> 0:17:25.510 that he understands human condition and people and just knowing 0:17:25.550 --> 0:17:28.150 that there was a person who was trying to become 0:17:28.170 --> 0:17:33.000 a full-fledged woman imperfectly in the shadow of her brother and, 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:36.000 With the shame and guilt of her father's passing and 0:17:37.280 --> 0:17:41.560 everything that she had been literally carrying. And to know 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:44.120 that people felt less alone. And that's the whole point 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:45.570 of me wanting to be an actor. 0:17:46.109 --> 0:17:48.459 I was like, this is. 0:17:48.480 --> 0:17:51.409 I don't even think I realized in the moment how 0:17:51.470 --> 0:17:55.850 important it was. And even now I'm like, holy moly. 0:17:57.770 --> 0:18:00.510 And I was chosen. 0:18:00.210 --> 0:18:00.670 To do that. 0:18:00.730 --> 0:18:00.890 Like. 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:06.030 It makes me emotional. It's really a gift. It was 0:18:06.190 --> 0:18:09.629 really like such a gift. And like, I just, you know, 0:18:09.670 --> 0:18:14.350 Dan always championed me. And even there was talks like 0:18:14.390 --> 0:18:16.149 whispers about like, initially it was going to be a 0:18:16.170 --> 0:18:20.510 feature film and they had approached some studio and they 0:18:20.550 --> 0:18:22.950 were like, okay, so this plus size girl, what is 0:18:22.990 --> 0:18:27.040 she like? Like a Kate Winslet plus size. And Dan 0:18:27.060 --> 0:18:30.900 was like, I'm sorry. I think you're missing the boat, buddy. Like, 0:18:31.460 --> 0:18:36.679 and so, the insanity that goes on with people who 0:18:36.859 --> 0:18:40.580 green light things. So I'm so glad and grateful that, 0:18:42.140 --> 0:18:46.090 you know, Jen Sulky and everybody at NBC and at Fox, 0:18:46.130 --> 0:18:48.609 like got it. And they were like, Oh no, this 0:18:48.630 --> 0:18:51.430 is really a plus size woman. And she's not in some, 0:18:51.630 --> 0:18:54.590 you know, prosthetic suit, but like a real lived experience 0:18:54.650 --> 0:18:57.679 and to be able to bring myself back. who I was, 0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:00.090 who I was becoming, and then who I ended up 0:19:00.410 --> 0:19:03.109 being as a woman at that moment in my life. 0:19:03.230 --> 0:19:05.190 And it's so special. 0:19:05.630 --> 0:19:09.800 It was just so beautiful. So cool. And to watch 0:19:09.859 --> 0:19:13.580 that lead to more music and movies and things, like, 0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:16.380 I don't know, just as a person who, you know, 0:19:16.400 --> 0:19:19.410 I always am... I joke with people that you have 0:19:19.470 --> 0:19:22.190 like event friends where you're never in the same city 0:19:22.230 --> 0:19:23.810 in real life, but then you see them a couple 0:19:23.830 --> 0:19:25.209 of times a year at things. And you're always like, 0:19:25.260 --> 0:19:27.649 thank God you're here. And like, you're one of my 0:19:27.690 --> 0:19:30.540 event friends. Every time I see you, I'm like, yay. 0:19:30.619 --> 0:19:32.740 It is. It's so, it's so nice to see you 0:19:32.820 --> 0:19:35.869 and how happy you are. And you know, like that, I, 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:40.080 I love to see people happy. Like, especially when they 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:45.080 come through something and it's like, Oh yes, yes, yes, yes. Yeah. 0:19:45.100 --> 0:19:47.859 And like, I don't know. It's just exciting to get 0:19:47.900 --> 0:19:50.970 to root for your pals, even. if you see them 0:19:51.170 --> 0:19:54.010 you know x number of times a year and I 0:19:54.050 --> 0:19:56.150 don't know I feel like every time for the last 0:19:56.210 --> 0:19:58.649 few years I've seen you something exciting is happening like 0:19:58.710 --> 0:20:00.470 it's right after a movie comes out or it's right 0:20:00.520 --> 0:20:04.020 after music is launching into the world and and now 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:07.639 I even think about like how exciting it was to 0:20:07.720 --> 0:20:12.740 see the shift you know you coming onto the hunting wives, like, 0:20:14.220 --> 0:20:16.020 cause you know, I did like one of my first 0:20:16.080 --> 0:20:19.649 movies ever with Brittany. So I want to watch everything 0:20:19.710 --> 0:20:22.870 she's ever in. I watched that show sight unseen, had 0:20:22.990 --> 0:20:25.490 no idea what I was in for. And then Malin's 0:20:25.570 --> 0:20:27.670 on screen and then you're on screen and then Katie. 0:20:27.690 --> 0:20:29.050 And I'm like, what's going on? 0:20:29.090 --> 0:20:32.880 Like all my favorite gals are in one place. Did 0:20:32.920 --> 0:20:36.800 you know how wild that show was going to be? Like, 0:20:36.859 --> 0:20:39.590 did you know it was another really special thing? Or 0:20:39.619 --> 0:20:41.810 did you just like the group when you said yes? 0:20:42.390 --> 0:20:45.030 You know, Rebecca Cutter, who is the showrunner and writer, 0:20:46.990 --> 0:20:48.850 she was so cool when I met her. And she 0:20:48.890 --> 0:20:51.770 was like, yeah. And I really enjoyed her. And then 0:20:51.790 --> 0:20:53.770 when she told me who was on board, I'm like, oh, 0:20:53.770 --> 0:20:56.399 I've not worked with any of these gals. And I 0:20:56.440 --> 0:21:00.640 love them all. And to play a single mother from 0:21:00.700 --> 0:21:04.460 the South who was just trying her best to take 0:21:04.500 --> 0:21:06.879 care of her daughter, I'm like, oh, I know that woman. 0:21:06.900 --> 0:21:07.580 Yeah. 0:21:08.720 --> 0:21:13.760 Also, just to see the dynamics between, you know, the 0:21:13.800 --> 0:21:16.040 women of the church and the women in the show. And, 0:21:17.100 --> 0:21:19.240 you know, so many people are like, oh, my gosh, 0:21:19.260 --> 0:21:21.680 Brittany and Mal. And I'm like, they found a love 0:21:21.900 --> 0:21:24.280 in each other that they hadn't found in other people. 0:21:24.960 --> 0:21:31.270 And as dysfunctional as it is, you find yourself in anything, hopefully, 0:21:31.630 --> 0:21:35.870 if you're cognizant enough and aware and introspective enough. Yeah. 0:21:36.320 --> 0:21:38.480 And I just was like, Oh, this is cool. And 0:21:38.510 --> 0:21:42.210 this is different. And I certainly did not think initially 0:21:42.230 --> 0:21:44.810 it was not with Netflix. And so we didn't know 0:21:44.830 --> 0:21:48.130 if anybody was going to see it. And then when 0:21:48.170 --> 0:21:52.080 people started seeing it and just jumped on the bandwagon, 0:21:52.240 --> 0:21:56.320