WEBVTT - One on One: Background Actor, Erik Valdez 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:04.240 I Am all in. 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:14.520 You. 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:20.640 I Am all In with Scott Patterson, an iHeartRadio podcast. 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:23.080 I Am Scott Patterson. This is the I Am All 0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:26.079 In Podcast, one on one interview, one of them productions 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:30.960 iHeart Radio. We have a very special guest, Eric Valdez, 0:00:32.159 --> 0:00:35.440 and I am joined by Tara Suit and Tara, I 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:39.880 understand that you are acquainted with Eric. 0:00:40.440 --> 0:00:44.360 Yeah, I'm not Eric for I don't know, like six 0:00:44.479 --> 0:00:45.080 seven years. 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:48.199 It's a long time. Yeah, and I met my wife. 0:00:47.960 --> 0:00:50.920 Who's really good friends with their Yeah, Cannie and I 0:00:50.960 --> 0:00:52.520 have been together for almost eleven years. 0:00:52.840 --> 0:00:53.560 It's been a while. 0:00:54.000 --> 0:00:54.240 Yeah. 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:56.720 I worked with Candace when I was working at Radio 0:00:56.760 --> 0:00:58.160 Disney and then met Eric. 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:02.520 Come there, Well, you're from Lubbock, Texas. You're born there, 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:07.280 your mom and dad, Miguel and Karen. You're Mexican, Spanish 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:10.080 and Native American, which tribe. 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:11.320 Well. 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:14.280 On my mom's side, her grandmother was full blood Cherokee, 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.240 and my dad's side of the family, my grandmother, it 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:18.600 depends on how you want to look at it. 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.160 She grew up in a village called Tecolo. 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:25.679 In New Mexico, but that was Mexico prior to the 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:28.800 Border movie. So she's both Mexican and Native American, depending 0:01:28.800 --> 0:01:29.399 on how you want. 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:30.840 To look at it. So that was I want to 0:01:30.840 --> 0:01:31.840 say Peblo tribe. 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:36.080 I can't remember exactly, but but yeah, so I've I've 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:37.760 got a little bit of a little bit of a 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:38.679 lot of things in me. 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:39.320 There you go. 0:01:39.720 --> 0:01:42.080 So you were in theater for years in high school 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:44.280 and then you pursued acting film in television. You moved 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:47.280 to Los Angeles in two thousand and four. He debuted 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:50.240 as Chad in three episodes of Gilmore Girls. You made 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:53.760 a guest appearance in television shows including CSI, Miami nine 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:55.840 to two and Zero Numbers and Mistresses, best known for 0:01:55.880 --> 0:01:59.000 his role as Trey Mitchell, and soap opera General Hospital, 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:05.240 Carlo Carlito Solano Junior in the drama television series Graceland 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:09.760 twenty fourteen fifteen, Kyle Cushing in the superhero television series 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:14.440 Superman and Lowist twenty twenty one to present, and your 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:20.520 bona fides on Gilmore You appeared in three episodes Chad in. 0:02:20.600 --> 0:02:25.480 C three episodes. Yeah, there's a there's some really good 0:02:25.560 --> 0:02:27.160 story to all of that. 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:28.680 Well, we're here to hear it. 0:02:30.240 --> 0:02:33.720 So, yeah, to your point, it essentially is a glorified 0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:38.640 extra that role. But it all happened thanks to a 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:41.119 guy by the name of Kenny or tagup Sure who 0:02:41.160 --> 0:02:44.799 you probably remember. So long story short, Yeah, I grew 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:47.359 up doing theater in Texas and everything knew I wanted 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:49.079 to come out to LA at some point. It took 0:02:49.120 --> 0:02:51.280 me a while to get out there, and in the 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:54.000 interim kind of a you know, a daytime job, so 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:54.520 to speak. 0:02:54.840 --> 0:02:57.200 For about three and a half years, and from ninety 0:02:57.280 --> 0:03:00.120 nine to like two thousand and four there thereabouts, I 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:01.560 worked for Southwest Airlines. 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:04.960 I was a flight attendant and that helped me get 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:07.200 to and from LA when I wasn't living that was 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:09.799 in Arizona at the time, had a little bit of 0:03:09.840 --> 0:03:12.480 a flexible schedule and allowed me to audition, et cetera. 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:16.000 And all that ties into this because on a plane 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:19.520 one day from Vegas to Burbank was after the Billboard 0:03:19.639 --> 0:03:22.919 Music Awards, you know, hype crowd. 0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:24.520 They just got through with an award show. 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:26.160 Half of them were probably hung over, et cetera, but 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:28.680 they were all in good moods. And you know, thirty 0:03:28.720 --> 0:03:31.640 minute flight, short flight. You give me a captive audience 0:03:31.639 --> 0:03:34.080 and an aluminum tube and I'm going to entertain people. 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:36.280 That's what I've always said. 0:03:37.280 --> 0:03:41.120 Yeah, And so all of that is to say that 0:03:41.320 --> 0:03:44.200 as we're deeplaning and burbank, everybody's getting off, this one 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:47.360 guy's kind of standing there and as everybody leaves, he 0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:49.440 waits at the front of the plane. He's like, I 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:51.560 just have to ask you a question. He goes, are 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:53.760 you an actor? I said I am. He's like, I 0:03:53.760 --> 0:03:56.160 should know you. And I had no idea who this 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:58.920 guy was at the time, and said, yeah, sure, I'm 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:01.800 friendly to everybody. Was really nice guy and wrote down 0:04:01.840 --> 0:04:03.440 his number on a card and said, if you're in 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:05.640 LA for an extended period of time, give me a shout. 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:06.720 Blah blah blah. 0:04:07.040 --> 0:04:11.240 So did wrote his name down, and I went home 0:04:11.240 --> 0:04:13.920 that night. And this is two thousand and two, two 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:17.080 thousand and one, I don't know what it was, probably 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:20.240 two thousand and two, So infancy of Google, all right. 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:22.480 So I went home and I googled the name Kenny Ortega, 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:25.640 and the first thing that popped up was a picture 0:04:25.680 --> 0:04:28.080 of him and I think Oprah Winfrey. It was holding 0:04:28.080 --> 0:04:30.800 some Emmy awards he had won for like choreographing the 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:32.360 opening and closing ceremonies of. 0:04:32.279 --> 0:04:34.040 The Salt Lake City Olympicus. I think it was. 0:04:34.360 --> 0:04:36.960 And I'm like, okay, this is legit because back then, 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:40.520 if you appeared in a Google search like you were somebody, 0:04:40.800 --> 0:04:42.440 because it was, it was very new. 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:45.640 And so I did. I ended up reaching out to him. 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:48.159 It's a long story about toll keep it somewhat short, 0:04:48.279 --> 0:04:51.040 and we had dinner. He asked me what I wanted 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:54.479 to do career wise. I told him and kind of 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:57.680 talked me in the move in to La earlier than expected. 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:00.680 It was always in the books, always a plant, and 0:05:00.760 --> 0:05:03.640 at the time I really had nothing else going on. 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:05.360 I was racing cars as well. 0:05:05.400 --> 0:05:08.119 I was pursuing motorsports and entertainment at the same time, 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:11.239 and living in Arizona working at the bonder On Schools 0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:14.800 and instructor working at Southwest Airlines, trying to make all 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:15.640 this stuff work. 0:05:15.839 --> 0:05:21.719 So so you're telling us you're extremely risk averse at 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:25.120 I mean, you don't like to take chances at all, 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:27.880 do you? Yeah? 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:28.560 Yeah, no. 0:05:29.640 --> 0:05:34.000 It's two really stupid career choices to pursue, but one 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:38.680 of them worked out, so no, I uh, I ended 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:40.479 up moving to La. Fast forward a bit in the 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:45.400 story and Kenny kind of created this little opportunity on 0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:47.880 Gilmore Girls. He was erecting a handful of episodes back 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:51.479 then and he said, look, I'm gonna I'm gonna bring 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:52.040 you in on this. 0:05:53.200 --> 0:05:53.960 I said, cool. 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:56.800 It was my very first time stepping on the Warner 0:05:56.800 --> 0:05:58.839 Brothers a lot doing anything in television. 0:05:58.880 --> 0:06:00.120 It was really cool, And yeah. 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:03.280 I was technically I think I had one line cumulatively 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:04.960 over three episodes or something. 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:08.200 But it got me. They tapped heart lead me, so 0:06:08.240 --> 0:06:08.720 it got me. 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:12.479 In the union and it just got me around, you know, 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:14.800 the whole the whole being on set thing, which was 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:17.240 all new to me, and all that is thanks to 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:19.479 to Kenny and and it all started it. And you 0:06:19.520 --> 0:06:22.320 know they're in Stars Hollow, which is which is pretty cool. 0:06:22.440 --> 0:06:25.400 That is a nice story. That is a nice man 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:29.359 doing a nice thing for a Yeah, for a for 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:32.640 a young actor. I love hearing those stories. Kenny is 0:06:32.680 --> 0:06:34.760 a favorite of ours on this show. 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:36.200 He's a pretty amazing human. 0:06:36.680 --> 0:06:41.039 We love his episodes. They are they really sparkle, you know, 0:06:41.080 --> 0:06:43.599 they really stand out. You can always tell it's a 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:47.360 Kenny Ortega directed episode. There's something always very special and 0:06:47.400 --> 0:06:50.760 everything jumps out at you when it's supposed to. So 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:52.719 what do you remember about your first day on set? 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:54.400 Who did you meet, who'd you interact with. 0:06:56.200 --> 0:06:59.920 I remember vividly walking onto set and seeing the water tow. 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:02.159 That was, you know, growing up. I think all of 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:06.080 us have seen that water tower on TV or promos 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:09.160 or whatever, and it was just kind of a really 0:07:09.279 --> 0:07:12.960 cool moment to see that and be on this, this 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:13.760 real life. 0:07:13.680 --> 0:07:14.680 Movie set, so to speak. 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:17.360 Because again, as a kid from Texas, you know, theater 0:07:17.560 --> 0:07:20.160 is cool. I still love theater. I haven't done much 0:07:20.160 --> 0:07:21.720 of that in years. Kind of want to get back 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:23.880 to that. But you know, I'd never been on a 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:25.800 movie set. I've never been on a back lit. I've 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:27.960 never seen any of this, so it was a lot 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:28.640 to take in. 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:30.559 It was really cool. 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:33.640 And then yeah, I just, you know, with Kenny kind 0:07:33.640 --> 0:07:36.880 of being the you know, the friend, et cetera, I 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:39.240 got to hang with him, and so I wasn't you know, 0:07:39.520 --> 0:07:41.960 in the in the you know, background tint or anything. 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:44.480 I was kind of sitting in a chair behind him 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:47.080 watching some of the scenes, and you know, I was 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:50.520 I was in and out throughout the day the first day, 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:52.920 but I stayed there all day and just kind of 0:07:53.000 --> 0:07:54.800 visited with him and kind of watched them. I'm a 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:56.840 big observer. I think as actors we kind of all 0:07:56.840 --> 0:07:59.760 are inherently We're always kind of looking at surroundings and 0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:02.400 take and things. Man, And for me, it was just 0:08:02.760 --> 0:08:05.920 it was a really cool moment. And I can't remember. 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:09.360 If it was if it was who all was there 0:08:09.400 --> 0:08:09.880 that day. 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:12.800 I definitely worked alongside you because I had some I 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:14.360 didn't do any scenes that you were in, but I 0:08:14.360 --> 0:08:17.680 remember might have been day Warner or soon after you 0:08:17.680 --> 0:08:22.320 guys were shooting something in the cafe there and they 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:24.800 were waiting for some setup, setting up some shots, and 0:08:24.800 --> 0:08:25.960 I remember saying, yeah. 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:28.200 We got to Scott Patterson flying in blah blah blah. 0:08:28.240 --> 0:08:31.560 And literally as naive as I was like is he 0:08:31.640 --> 0:08:32.760 like coming in on a helicopter? 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:34.280 Like what does that mean? Flying in? 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:36.520 As I would come in a helicopter frequently. 0:08:36.720 --> 0:08:39.480 I was like, this dude is a baller. This is awesome. 0:08:39.679 --> 0:08:41.240 And they just sort of tell me to jump out, 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:43.120 you know, go ahead and jump out, They'll catch you. 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:47.000 I stopped trusting them after a couple of surgeries. 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:51.839 Yeah, I remember that, and you know, just kind of 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:53.800 getting to I stayed back. 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:55.559 I didn't want to, you know, interfere with. 0:08:55.520 --> 0:08:58.680 The process obviously, but I just I really watched you 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:02.680 guys and and and you know, everybody who had been 0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:04.199 on the show at this point, Like you said, I 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:06.680 think it was season five, so y'all kind of had 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:11.360 this this family, you know, And now fast forward to 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:13.160 this part of my career, I have experienced that and 0:09:13.200 --> 0:09:15.960 like getting you know, you get to know your crew 0:09:16.000 --> 0:09:18.360 and your cast mates and everybody to a level that's 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.040 in some ways deeper than your own blood family because 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:23.400 you spend so much time with them. And I remember 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:26.840 watching that and watching you guys interact and watching this 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:30.400 this dance that happens in between setups and then you know, 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:33.679 the stuff that you guys bring to life, you know. 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:36.280 George Anthony Bell was another you know, friend of mine. 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:38.400 I think he was a script supervisor at the time, 0:09:39.920 --> 0:09:42.840 really really sweet guy that I got introduced to through 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:45.360 through Kenny, and I would sit there and watch what 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:47.760 he did and you know, just kind of observe everything, 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:50.720 and it was man, it's it's the best, like, you know, 0:09:50.920 --> 0:09:52.800 form of boot camp that that you could ever be 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:53.480 thrown into. 0:09:53.600 --> 0:09:57.400 Just to get the opportunity to watch something not just a. 0:09:57.320 --> 0:09:58.959 TV show, but at the time like one of the 0:09:59.000 --> 0:10:00.800 most successful TV sho shows out there. 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:03.080 Uh So, I don't take that lightly. It was a 0:10:03.120 --> 0:10:03.760 huge blessing. 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:07.559 So what was was there a difficult part to it? 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:11.199 There was what was the hardest part about being an 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:12.679 extra in the background. 0:10:13.640 --> 0:10:16.920 That was the only time I did that, and it 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:21.160 was the hardest part for me. Again, and it wasn't 0:10:21.160 --> 0:10:24.080 even as I wasn't treated. I don't want to say 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:26.600 extras are treated poorly. You know, they can be, which 0:10:26.640 --> 0:10:29.040 is a really sad thing, but they are you know, 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:32.200 kind of putting their own little area in their own tents. 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:34.560 They're told where to go, when to go, et cetera. 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:39.000 And it is more mechanical than anything. I had a 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:42.840 different experience obviously, you know, getting to kind of hang 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:43.679 with Kenny. 0:10:43.320 --> 0:10:43.760 Et cetera. 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:47.040 But during setups and you know, then during the scenes 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:49.880 that we would shoot and everything like that, Kenny made 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:51.679 sure I was on camera and I was, you know, 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:55.680 hanging with I think technically this chat which was like 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:58.840 made up name, I guess, I don't even think it 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:04.200 was really credited, but he was Matt Schuckery at the time, 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:07.480 was Rory's new love interest on the show, and and 0:11:07.559 --> 0:11:09.560 I was one of his like frat boys, right, So 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:13.679 it was like this featured frat fraternity brother type things. 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:15.680 So I would be in some certain scenes with him, 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:17.920 and I think the hardest part of it for me, 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:22.640 you know, was not not that I need to be 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:25.120 the star by any means, but but as an actor, 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:27.040 like you want to act, you want you know, you 0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:28.640 want to be out there and you want to create, 0:11:28.679 --> 0:11:30.440 and you want to be in these scenes and interact 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:34.600 with everybody. And as a background actor, you know, oftentimes 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:37.760 you're you're just you're there for the ambiance and you contribute, 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:41.600 but it's not as fulfilling as as you kind of 0:11:41.600 --> 0:11:42.760 wanted to be, you know. 0:11:43.679 --> 0:11:45.439 What was So what do you remember the scenes he 0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:46.480 did with Matt. 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:49.800 There was one, there was one out in the field 0:11:51.000 --> 0:11:52.720 man all this I haven't talked about this in forever, 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:55.560 and all of it's kind of coming back. I think, Uh, 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:58.440 what's his name? Eric the stunt who was your stunt 0:11:58.480 --> 0:11:59.280 coordinator at the time. 0:11:59.400 --> 0:12:00.840 Eric. His dad's. 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:05.200 Super famous too, Eric, Eric the stunt guy? 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:07.960 He was, he was a stunt coordinator for a while. 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:10.240 Eric. I don't, I don't. 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:13.920 Yeah, either way, he he was doing something and I 0:12:14.000 --> 0:12:16.680 kind of got roped into this stunt thing out in 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:21.360 the field where I think Matt's character jumped from this 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:23.560 with the umbrella. 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:26.599 Yeah, that's an iconic episode. 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:27.559 It was. 0:12:27.840 --> 0:12:29.600 And I don't I don't even know if I if 0:12:29.600 --> 0:12:31.640 you can even see me in that scene, to be honest, 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:32.199 I can't. 0:12:32.320 --> 0:12:33.640 I haven't watched the episode forever. 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:36.160 But that was like the first time I was kind 0:12:36.160 --> 0:12:39.839 of roped into something beyond the background realm and and 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:41.000 can he introduce. 0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:41.120 Me to Eric? 0:12:41.160 --> 0:12:43.360 And I ended up doing some pseudo stunt thing. I 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:45.520 don't even know what it was. It was like carrying 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:46.280 something and jumping. 0:12:46.360 --> 0:12:51.080 It wasn't anything big, but that that was one interaction 0:12:51.240 --> 0:12:51.640 with him. 0:12:51.960 --> 0:12:55.160 Another one was some scene where there was a bunch 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:57.480 of roses and we all kind of get on our say, 0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:00.439 picked me, pick me to to I think it was 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:03.920 a Valentine's Stay thing or something. Almost twenty years ago 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:06.920 at this point. But yeah, there was a couple of 0:13:06.920 --> 0:13:10.280 those types of scenes with with him. And I did 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:12.240 get to talk to Matt, and I talked to Jared 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:15.760 kind of like he you know, a bit, just really 0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:19.040 nice guys, and I really enjoyed I remember watching Matt 0:13:19.080 --> 0:13:21.720 work and I really I really liked what he did 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:24.240 as a as an actor and with the character. 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:25.840 And everybody did that stuck out to you? 0:13:26.960 --> 0:13:29.839 His Again, this was like first time being on set 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:32.440 in a TV show, so it's different than you know, 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:36.080 theater preparation, et cetera. And watching him kind of it 0:13:36.120 --> 0:13:38.280 wasn't It wasn't like he went into some sort of 0:13:38.360 --> 0:13:41.560 method thing by any means, but like watching him prepare 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:45.640 while set up was happening, to go into filming a scene, 0:13:46.000 --> 0:13:48.200 you could tell like he put us all into it. 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:51.200 He wasn't, you know, he had fun and everything, but 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:53.480 but it was it was still when it came time 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:55.839 to work and came time to film, his work ethic 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:58.720 was really what stood out to me. And then you know, 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.400 he would bring this character of life in such a 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:03.360 natural way that. 0:14:04.080 --> 0:14:05.760 I don't know why, but that always kind of stuck 0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:06.080 with me. 0:14:06.160 --> 0:14:09.080 And I haven't talked to him since, so you know, 0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:12.839 you know, I have no interaction beyond those few times 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:15.440 we quote unquote worked together. But it was just really 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:18.199 cool to watch him work and kind of watch his 0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:19.120 process and everything. 0:14:19.120 --> 0:14:22.280 As as a young actor not knowing much about things. 0:14:22.840 --> 0:14:25.440 You know, it's it's it's it's amazing what you can 0:14:25.440 --> 0:14:26.720 pick up just by observing. 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:28.120 Yeah, it really is. 0:14:28.720 --> 0:14:34.080 It's it's value, very very valuable experience. So when was 0:14:34.080 --> 0:14:38.120 the last time you watched the episode that you're actually 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:40.880 the episodes that you're in, She's sad, all the all 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:43.000 the did you did you watch them twenty years ago? 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:45.440 Of course, at the time, it was like, you know, 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:48.240 my parents and every and everybody thought it was the 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:50.640 coolest thing in the world because I appeared for you know, 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:52.520 two seconds at a time here and there on a 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:55.640 TV show and again as a kid from Texas, that's 0:14:55.640 --> 0:14:57.800 more than a lot of people ever get. 0:14:57.600 --> 0:14:59.520 To do in television and film. 0:14:59.560 --> 0:15:01.800 And so we watched it at the time and it 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:04.680 was you know, my parents are very proud still and 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:07.920 always have been supportive and everything, and I remember that, 0:15:08.360 --> 0:15:10.280 you know, but I don't think I've ever really gone 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:14.800 back to watch definitely not to like single my episodes out, 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:17.400 because it wasn't you know, it wasn't anything. 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:19.760 There's no performance there to kind. 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:22.320 Of the ones that you were in were the best 0:15:22.360 --> 0:15:23.280 episodes there. 0:15:23.640 --> 0:15:26.600 I mean, I wasn't going to say, let's just agree. 0:15:26.200 --> 0:15:29.160 On that, like holding the keg is not easy. Come on, 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:32.280 did you come in with the keg? 0:15:32.840 --> 0:15:34.400 I did come in with the Was you. 0:15:34.960 --> 0:15:40.440 Going into the wake into That's right, that's what that was. Yeah, 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:40.960 it was awake. 0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:43.680 Do you get people who like do you get people 0:15:43.680 --> 0:15:46.560 who are binging? And then they're like, oh, I saw 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:47.880 you in an episode? Like do you get that? 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:48.040 Like? 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:51.480 Which is which is really strange to me because again, 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:54.440 the screen time was minimal. But you know, I think 0:15:54.520 --> 0:15:57.400 once you it's like any actor and by no means 0:15:57.440 --> 0:15:59.800 Tom Cruise at this point, but I've been in enough 0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:01.080 thing is where people. 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:06.480 Have not yet yet not yet, but uh, you. 0:16:06.360 --> 0:16:08.240 Know when you get to the point where people have 0:16:08.440 --> 0:16:10.640 kind of seen some of your body of work and everything, 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:12.600 and then they go back and revisit, you know, a 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:15.800 show like this, and I've had people literally hit up 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:17.640 myself for my wife and be like, wait a minute, 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:19.160 was was that was that? 0:16:19.240 --> 0:16:19.480 You? 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:21.680 And the like you know have to rewind and like 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:23.560 send me a little screenshot or whatever. 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:25.160 And I'm like, yeah, that's what I did. 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:29.200 I was like, I was like, I think we made 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:32.640 it to the episode ericson because we watched we watch 0:16:32.720 --> 0:16:35.640 episode by episode and it's been you know, five seasons now, so, 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:38.280 but I think this was your first and I think 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:40.160 the other ones are coming up right after. 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:41.760 So there's somewhere in there. 0:16:41.840 --> 0:16:44.800 Yeah, well that's amazing. Yeah, I thought you stole the scene. 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:48.080 My eye went right to you. That's how I remembered it. 0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:51.320 Keg came in, so I went, yeah, that's the guy. 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:52.440 That's the guy you did. 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:55.520 Remember you did remember I did. I was iconic. 0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:02.840 Did you guys already dig into all sort of the 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:06.680 like nuances of being a background actor on Gilmore? 0:17:06.840 --> 0:17:08.480 I mean we could, we could dig a little more. 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:11.800 You bring up particular type of spade and shovel. 0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:15.760 I gat question for Eric from back then because obviously 0:17:15.800 --> 0:17:18.520 not now now you're doing much more. But did you 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:22.000 do background acting on other shows? And was there a 0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:25.560 difference between when you were on Gilmore Girls and other shows. 0:17:26.200 --> 0:17:28.480 No, And I mentioned this a little bit earlier, this 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:30.600 was the only time I ever did any sort of 0:17:30.640 --> 0:17:35.840 background work. Really, it wasn't something I wanted to do. 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:37.879 Mind you, it's it's a great you know, it's a 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:40.600 great way to experience set and everything like that. But 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:43.960 for me, just uh, I think the kind of what 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:45.439 I mentioned the Scott a while ago, I think the 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:50.720 watching everything happen and as kind of an observer, and 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:56.000 you know, sometimes a glorified prop is not as fulfilling 0:17:56.280 --> 0:18:00.240 as as I wanted it to be. And so for me, 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:03.320 it wasn't really an avenue I wanted to go around. 0:18:03.359 --> 0:18:06.080 I did value the experience being on set, but you know, 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:09.040 I kind of mentioned to him it's a great point. 0:18:09.200 --> 0:18:12.240 So for someone listening, how does someone go from Because 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:14.440 if someone wants to be an actor, right, they don't 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:17.240 even know where to begin, and background acting does seem 0:18:17.280 --> 0:18:19.800