Speaker 1: It's nine Genee with Jenny Garth and Tori Spelling. Today
Speaker 1: we have the pleasure of talking with a woman, Valerie Wildman,
Speaker 1: who is an actress. She's been in tons of things.
Speaker 1: Uh probably seen her on soaps, She's been on TV
Speaker 1: all over the place. But she was also Christine Pettit
Speaker 1: in Beverly Hills nine o two on OH, who played
Speaker 1: the girlfriend of Jack McKay. Didn't we have a writer
Speaker 1: named Christine Pettitt? We did? We had a writer. Is
Speaker 1: that why they made her character that name? Okay? I thought,
Speaker 1: my goodness, you guys, we also had a writer on
Speaker 1: the writing staff that was named Christine Pettit. And it
Speaker 1: makes perfect sense now that they named this character after her.
Speaker 1: I wonder if if our writer was really an FBI agent.
Speaker 1: Oh to cover the Vanni stages next to the porn
Speaker 1: Hub of America, writing our episodes a good story and
Speaker 1: without further ado, Valerie Wildman, Hi, without further ado, that's
Speaker 1: so formal, Hill. We're very serious. This is yeah, this
Speaker 1: is a hard hitting podcast. I don't know if you know.
Speaker 1: I'm listening and laughing last night, So thank you all
Speaker 1: so much for having me. It's weird. I feel like
Speaker 1: I still know you, and I feel like it's not
Speaker 1: that long ago. And I know I spent more time
Speaker 1: with Jenny on the set, but towards you were always
Speaker 1: so kind and welcoming and thank you for that and
Speaker 1: we're so happy to have you. We just watched we
Speaker 1: watched your first episode. Okay, I was wondering which one
Speaker 1: this is? Is that the Thanksgiving one in the blue dress? Yes? Yes,
Speaker 1: and the and the and the the big dairy air
Speaker 1: that's what I see? What are you talking about? Oh
Speaker 1: my god? We were saying how hot you are? Now
Speaker 1: you guys are my god, thank you so much. Um,
Speaker 1: you guys look as beautiful as ever. It blows my mind.
Speaker 1: So I'm so. I was enjoying how real you are
Speaker 1: and funny you are and and uh, just I can
Speaker 1: see why everybody loves us so much. When I was
Speaker 1: listening to the podcast, it made me feel at home already.
Speaker 1: I was listening last night. Thank you. Sorry to interrupt, Valerie.
Speaker 1: Could you tune on your video please? It's off. We
Speaker 1: want to see you. Sorry, Okay, how's that? Sorry, I'm
Speaker 1: in front of this. Um it probably looks like a
Speaker 1: strange thing in the background, but it's a painting, and um,
Speaker 1: it's a painting that my husband painted, my now deceased husband, who,
Speaker 1: by the way, it feels very much around and I
Speaker 1: like it not only because it's my favorite secret place
Speaker 1: in the jungle somewhere, but the clouds to me look
Speaker 1: like angels, and I, oh, my god, what a beautiful
Speaker 1: I used to be embarrassed to admit this, but I'm
Speaker 1: just gonna admit it. I'm really into angels, both human
Speaker 1: and beyond human. And um, I even have a website
Speaker 1: called Angels among Us dot tv. But I'm hoping to
Speaker 1: turn into a podcast. So so I don't know if
Speaker 1: you guys believe in angels, Uh, we believe what you do.
Speaker 1: Maybe that'll be part of the conversation. I have no idea. Actually,
Speaker 1: that logo kind of looks like an angel with arts.
Speaker 1: I love it the I Heart Radio logo. You are
Speaker 1: kind of an angel to Jack in the show, Oh wow,
Speaker 1: that was a good segue by the bay. Yes, and
Speaker 1: you know, there's some things that you probably know or
Speaker 1: don't know. I don't know. I'm first of all, we
Speaker 1: felt like we knew each other really well and we
Speaker 1: started and uh in that scene and in fact, I
Speaker 1: think maybe it was the DP said, wow, you guys
Speaker 1: have known each other for years, haven't you, And it
Speaker 1: wasn't that way, but um, that was a thing came
Speaker 1: to mind. One is I did not know Christine's story
Speaker 1: until driving to the set one day and Chuck Rosen
Speaker 1: called me, I know you won't mind because we talked
Speaker 1: about this one their podcast, And um. The other thing
Speaker 1: that's interesting in addition to that show is then Josh
Speaker 1: was already Josh who plays Jack played Jack, was already
Speaker 1: on Days of our Lives, which, by the way, I
Speaker 1: noticed some of you watching when we were doing the
Speaker 1: hotel scenes. I remember that. And then next thing, you know,
Speaker 1: I was on Days of our Lives and we were
Speaker 1: they were kind of setting us up as a couple
Speaker 1: in the beginning, and then right you were yes for
Speaker 1: eleven years and then uh, you know, we talked about that.
Speaker 1: I got all nervous now again, I was Jessie. I'm
Speaker 1: nervous around That was my jam liked sitting in the
Speaker 1: green room at the Beverly whatever hotel we were at
Speaker 1: watching Days of our Lives, and I thought that was
Speaker 1: so funny. Later and then he and I were always
Speaker 1: talking and teasing each other that you know, he teach
Speaker 1: me that I was stalking him, you know, going from
Speaker 1: show to show. And then one day, not too much longer,
Speaker 1: he said, um, by the way, they asked me to
Speaker 1: come back on nine O two one oh, and I went,
Speaker 1: I want to go back on nine O two one oh.
Speaker 1: You know, I was teasing. I'm envious. So sure enough
Speaker 1: I was back, but he was already dead. And then
Speaker 1: your character goes on to be this huge, intricate part
Speaker 1: of Dylan's story. I'm not amazing, And you know, I
Speaker 1: thought I just made up this whole other storyline for
Speaker 1: Christine when I started, because as you know, you know,
Speaker 1: as an actor you have to create a character, and
Speaker 1: the more specific you are, the better. And then one day,
Speaker 1: driving to the set, I get this call and it's
Speaker 1: Chuck and he goes, hi, this is Chuck Rosen and
Speaker 1: I went hi, And of course the first thing I
Speaker 1: think is what did I do wrong? Then he says, okay,
Speaker 1: First of all, um, I don't know. I wanted to
Speaker 1: tell you. No one else knows, but Christine is an
Speaker 1: FBI agent. Almost dropped off slide right like nobody saw
Speaker 1: that coming. No, And I was like what And then
Speaker 1: he said, and UM, I know there's an explosion today.
Speaker 1: Jack may or may not be dead. And then I
Speaker 1: really wanted to drive off the slide of the road.
Speaker 1: But this is so I tell I learned all this
Speaker 1: stuff and about who Christine really was. I had a
Speaker 1: whole other storyline going on. So anyway, I thought that
Speaker 1: might be some interesting background for both of you. You
Speaker 1: joke that you were nervous when you when you had
Speaker 1: were you did you know about the show before you
Speaker 1: came onto it or how? I didn't know about the show,
Speaker 1: mainly from my step kids, who were like my kids.
Speaker 1: But it wasn't until I was on and then I
Speaker 1: came home and suddenly I was treated like the queen
Speaker 1: of she But did I know just what a big
Speaker 1: deal it really was. I'm glad I didn't, because that
Speaker 1: would have made me more nervous. And everybody was just
Speaker 1: so down to earth, and as you know that the
Speaker 1: studios were very down to earth, and it actually made
Speaker 1: me feel really welcome, and of course Luke was very
Speaker 1: welcoming too, and I I remember the scenes where we
Speaker 1: were together, Jim and and Luke and Josh, Jack and
Speaker 1: Um and you guys just made it so comfortable. Sometimes
Speaker 1: as a guest star and you don't know whether you're
Speaker 1: recurring yet or not, it's like being feels like you're
Speaker 1: the new kid in the class. You know what I mean,
Speaker 1: and you don't know every buddy, and everybody does know.
Speaker 1: And on top of it all, I had to figure
Speaker 1: out how to balance that spoon on my nose and
Speaker 1: that Oh my gosh, I've forgotten all about that that
Speaker 1: I remember that I remember. But back to the first episode,
Speaker 1: I guess so I'm chattering away you guys take over.
Speaker 1: Did you have to bring in your own wardrobe? Um?
Speaker 1: I did not bring in I did bring in wardrobe,
Speaker 1: but for that show, I didn't wear my own wardrobe.
Speaker 1: I don't believe got it. I think by the third
Speaker 1: season they didn't make people do that anymore. We didn't
Speaker 1: notice when we interviewed people that guests starred from the
Speaker 1: first two seasons that they would bring in their own stuff.
Speaker 1: I probably was asked to, but that I remember thinking,
Speaker 1: I don't remember owning that blue dress. That really dress
Speaker 1: looks so good on you color. Oh my god. Guys,
Speaker 1: I don't know about you, but are you critical of
Speaker 1: yourselves when you were on camera. Were you critical back
Speaker 1: then on and off? Yeah, but now it's like we
Speaker 1: watched this show and we're both I can't like, look
Speaker 1: at that body. Look at how we looked back then.
Speaker 1: You know, we're so appreciate young. I wasn't young, but
Speaker 1: even back then I was. You know, I looked back
Speaker 1: and I go, I had hair and my skin was Louie,
Speaker 1: you know what you were glowing? Yeah, you guys, thank you.
Speaker 1: You look the same, by the way, always our harshest critics,
Speaker 1: so like, you guys look more beautiful than ever, and
Speaker 1: that's really impossible. What's happening now with you? Like are
Speaker 1: you You said you're working a podcast about angels, but
Speaker 1: are you still taking at what? You know? I was
Speaker 1: acting quite a bit and then my husband who I mentioned,
Speaker 1: got very seriously ill, so sorry, thank you, and I
Speaker 1: stopped to take care of him and to spend time
Speaker 1: with him before he died, and to help him transition.
Speaker 1: And it has taken a while till I've been ready
Speaker 1: to come back, and I am ready to come back.
Speaker 1: I um. I did a few things like Lifetime series.
Speaker 1: What I ended up focusing on was a lot of
Speaker 1: humanitarian work. You know, before I was a working actor,
Speaker 1: even though I always when I was younger was acting
Speaker 1: in theater and went to Northwestern and won awards and
Speaker 1: thinks my my love was international medical relief work. So
Speaker 1: I actually was doing disaster relief work around the world.
Speaker 1: I don't know if you read that. And when I
Speaker 1: um ended up on Days of our Lives, there was
Speaker 1: I I was actually going for my doctorate, which I've
Speaker 1: just gone back to, and um, the the work that
Speaker 1: I was doing was actually in domestic violence, and my
Speaker 1: character on Days of Our Lives was a survivor of
Speaker 1: domestic violence and her children was abused. So I ended
Speaker 1: up being asked to be a spokesperson for the National
Speaker 1: Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and I spoke out on children's
Speaker 1: issues at press conferences and then lobbied various congressmen and
Speaker 1: officials as well with these groups. And so when that happened,
Speaker 1: I felt like my life finally congealed. You and I
Speaker 1: know you guys have felt this too. When you're when
Speaker 1: you're somewhat known on television or film, you have more
Speaker 1: of a platform to make a difference. And that made
Speaker 1: really happy. And that's one thing that actually I miss. UM.
Speaker 1: I've been working with young people around the world. Um
Speaker 1: there's a group called Young Emerging Visionaries that I helped
Speaker 1: to facilitate groups with them and help them have an
Speaker 1: environment where they can incubate their dreams and manifest them.
Speaker 1: And what I'm finding that my calling that I love
Speaker 1: so much, in addition to the acting, is helping people,
Speaker 1: especially young people, realize their magnificence and power to make
Speaker 1: a difference, and that there is truly an epidemic that's
Speaker 1: not spoken about right now of depression and anxiety and suicidality.
Speaker 1: And I was thinking about it last night, and I
Speaker 1: was thinking, you know, that is one of the things
Speaker 1: that I really loved about Beverly Hills and Minor two
Speaker 1: one O because it really did address the issues that
Speaker 1: they were going through back then that young people are
Speaker 1: going through now too. We don't we didn't have the
Speaker 1: the ecological crises and the pandemic, but the angst was
Speaker 1: there and all the issues problems and issues of rape
Speaker 1: were even brought up. And I am social anxiety and
Speaker 1: I don't know how many people realize that how seriously
Speaker 1: those issues were taken on the show. And so I
Speaker 1: still honored to have been a part of it. For
Speaker 1: that too. Yeah, it was great to be able to
Speaker 1: be a part of that, like to tackle such serious things,
Speaker 1: especially back then when young people weren't um sort of
Speaker 1: used as as a a voice for that for that,
Speaker 1: you know, So the show was kind of breaking ground
Speaker 1: and that, and it was always it always felt good
Speaker 1: to do stuff like I think that for me just
Speaker 1: really started me to think bigger about how you can
Speaker 1: help more people and spread the message more and use
Speaker 1: your platform for good. Like you're saying it was radical,
Speaker 1: I think it was really a radical thing back then,
Speaker 1: and I think that's why I caught on so much too,
Speaker 1: on top of you all being so wonderful. Um, it
Speaker 1: struck a chord, It struck a nerve and it still
Speaker 1: does obviously it still stands up. No, and you guys
Speaker 1: are funny and that doesn't hurt. And all the love
Speaker 1: stories and the triangles that you were talking about, and
Speaker 1: I loved hearing that the other he diden. But you
Speaker 1: know that I want to know more about there the
Speaker 1: angels among us or like what is your I mean,
Speaker 1: do you see angels like when you have superpowers? Tell
Speaker 1: I need to know more? All right? I can you
Speaker 1: all see angels? There? You go, this is here's my
Speaker 1: question that I wanted to put out, all right, So
Speaker 1: when I first but when the idea first came to me,
Speaker 1: because I don't think I thought it the idea. I
Speaker 1: was working with a lot of young people. I would secretly, um,
Speaker 1: not intentionally secretly, but just low key, no makeup, you know,
Speaker 1: and jeans, you know, hair tucked back, and a hat
Speaker 1: or whatever. And I worked a lot of times in
Speaker 1: watts and I'd sit in talking circles. I was trained
Speaker 1: to do that, where I would listen from the heart
Speaker 1: and teach them to listen from the heart without judgment,
Speaker 1: so we could create a safe place where people could
Speaker 1: talk from the heart. And then I realized that I
Speaker 1: had to go even more more anonymously because people were
Speaker 1: scared of bullying. And so a lot of times we
Speaker 1: would come up with questions together and people would write
Speaker 1: on a card with the same kind of pencil and
Speaker 1: put it in a basket and we passed it around
Speaker 1: and people would have written their answers. And that's when
Speaker 1: I realized more and more how much depression, anxiety, and
Speaker 1: suicidality there was. But I noticed that people were always
Speaker 1: looking at their phones or their laptops even back then,
Speaker 1: and they were looking at all the darkness and the
Speaker 1: bad news. But as I went out in the war
Speaker 1: old even in Watts, right around the corner was the
Speaker 1: nice you know, pizza guy or the homeless person that
Speaker 1: would say the most inspiring things. It would make me
Speaker 1: wonder are you not? Are you more than human? And
Speaker 1: so I thought, well, why don't we shine a light
Speaker 1: on that? And what if I encourage people to use
Speaker 1: their iPhones um to shine a light on those things?
Speaker 1: And pretty soon I got so many stories and stories
Speaker 1: about the angels and the City of Angels, and then
Speaker 1: I realized they were all over the world. But people
Speaker 1: when I told people the name of angels among us,
Speaker 1: almost everyone wanted to whisper to me because they were
Speaker 1: embarrassed and they wanted to keep it anonymous of an
Speaker 1: experience they had with someone or something that they thought
Speaker 1: might have been an angel beyond human angel. And I
Speaker 1: too have had those experiences, and I was embarrassed, and
Speaker 1: I didn't want people to think of me as a
Speaker 1: crazy angel lady. But I have decided, as you can see,
Speaker 1: to come out and base it. Yes, come out of
Speaker 1: the angel closet and allow people to talk about it
Speaker 1: if they want or even if they wonder, even if
Speaker 1: they're not sure. And the Internet, um sorry. I had
Speaker 1: a flashback of remember George Bush used to go but Internet. Sorry.
Speaker 1: On the Internet, At the Internet, you can be more anonymous.
Speaker 1: So I wanted to give it both both that both platforms,
Speaker 1: the Internet or not. So people started turning in stories,
Speaker 1: and then I realized children wanted to draw drawings, and
Speaker 1: some people wanted to dance, and some people wanted to
Speaker 1: do whatever they could to uplift. So I said, okay,
Speaker 1: let's call ourselves a reporters, Angel reporters, and everyone can
Speaker 1: send something in. In the meanwhile, I was wandering around
Speaker 1: the streets with my iPhone and sitting down with homeless people,
Speaker 1: talking to the person and the dry cleaner. That lifted
Speaker 1: people's spirits. Because I didn't want it to be about
Speaker 1: I have this great nonprofit, not that I wanted to
Speaker 1: exclude that, but it's really in the moments between people.
Speaker 1: I realized that we can make a difference. It's that
Speaker 1: moment of kindness that the camera's not capturing between people.
Speaker 1: How we can really uplift the planet and everyone can
Speaker 1: do it. It's even a smile to someone that looks downtrodden.
Speaker 1: And so that's what I wanted to bring up. And
Speaker 1: I wanted people to feel empowered and realized they are
Speaker 1: making ripples when we do those things that seemed so tiny.
Speaker 1: And when all is said and done, I've been by
Speaker 1: so many deathbeds in the last several years. I'm finding
Speaker 1: that those are the things that matter, the moments between
Speaker 1: people or the moment between people and angels. Um. So
Speaker 1: I wanted to, you know, open it up to people.
Speaker 1: Wanted to say, you know, there was this time where
Speaker 1: I was in the hospital and there was a light
Speaker 1: and I felt the blessing or I almost die or
Speaker 1: someone who I heard an encouraging voice, you know, or
Speaker 1: the light blinks, or I want to give people space
Speaker 1: for that too. So UM. In answer, that was a
Speaker 1: very long, long, roundabout way of saying. UM. For me,
Speaker 1: what I hear is, UM, the lights blink a lot,
Speaker 1: and I hear in my meditations I meditate a lot
Speaker 1: is not to be afraid, sorry, I'm getting emotional, and
Speaker 1: not to be afraid to let people know that we
Speaker 1: are here, we be angels, and that it's very important.
Speaker 1: And that the other thing that I'm learning. I'm like
Speaker 1: a beginning student and just listening and meditating. Listening is
Speaker 1: that often, unless it's life or death, the angels want
Speaker 1: you to ask for their help. Otherwise they feel that
Speaker 1: they are intervening. And uh, it's not really up to
Speaker 1: them to tell you what to do with your life.
Speaker 1: But if you ask for help, they'll even help you
Speaker 1: find your keys, so you know, yea, the simple things, yes,
Speaker 1: exactly so. So now, so do you guys believe in
Speaker 1: angels and how do you have experiences? We're to believers,
Speaker 1: that's for sure. I don't know Tori is an angel
Speaker 1: on earth. I've said that about her before. She just
Speaker 1: around you both. Definitely not that I have a special gift,
Speaker 1: but it's obvious and and co I have a quick
Speaker 1: compession and non sequitur. I'm I was on a plane
Speaker 1: with you, and I was feeling so shy that I
Speaker 1: didn't introduce myself. She's not going to know who I
Speaker 1: am or Christine. We didn't even work together, and I
Speaker 1: was so touched by how kind you were with the
Speaker 1: people around you who are said hello, and um, I
Speaker 1: just I wish you had said high. I know, I
Speaker 1: wish likes my chance, but I just thought she really
Speaker 1: is an angel among us. You were so kind and
Speaker 1: to everybody, and I for sure about you. Well, it's
Speaker 1: interesting you bring up a plane because I have a
Speaker 1: huge fear of flying. Um, I'm terrified. And that's one
Speaker 1: thing I always do when I'm on a plane before
Speaker 1: it takes off, is I always pray to my angels
Speaker 1: to be there. I look out both sides my angels
Speaker 1: and say, you know, please protect this plane white lighted. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it works. I do the same thing with my girls,
Speaker 1: like I just I visualize them just being guided and
Speaker 1: protected by angels. And every time, like you know, when
Speaker 1: you send your kids off to do something and you're
Speaker 1: actually pretty nervous about it, and like you don't want
Speaker 1: them to see how nervous you are. I've said many times,
Speaker 1: don't worry. You're there are angels watching over you. You're
Speaker 1: going to be fine. And it makes them feel better
Speaker 1: and makes me feel better exactly. And you know, you
Speaker 1: cut onto something because my doctorate is about travel and
Speaker 1: adolists and trauma. And one of the things I've learned
Speaker 1: is even as parents or stepparents are just adults and
Speaker 1: young people's lives, they're already so nervous that it really
Speaker 1: helps them and we at least present as calm. We
Speaker 1: can tell each other and freak out with each other,
Speaker 1: but for the children's sake, it's really important to UH
Speaker 1: to create that calm for them and that feeling of calm.
Speaker 1: And it seems like you guys both have experienced both
Speaker 1: sides of that too, So definitely like angels on either
Speaker 1: side of me on my screen right now, where your angels.
Speaker 1: I remember having so much fun with you on set.
Speaker 1: You were talking and I just ever you are just
Speaker 1: cookie and fun and like but super deep and interesting
Speaker 1: at the same time. You're just a great mix of
Speaker 1: a lady. You're good human being and it's really really
Speaker 1: nice to catch up at you. Thank you for knowing that.
Speaker 1: And I know I play so many serious people. I
Speaker 1: thought the same thing about you, and there was such
Speaker 1: a light around you in a presence that you know,
Speaker 1: it was just such a delight to be around. And
Speaker 1: even in the brief moments that I've met you, Tori,
Speaker 1: I felt the same way. And thanks for recognizing the
Speaker 1: cookie side, because I really had to play that side
Speaker 1: and I love to being cookie. I think it's really Yeah,
Speaker 1: You're so funny. I want to hang out with you.
Speaker 1: I want to have some do it game anytime, in
Speaker 1: person or not in person, whatever. So I thank you
Speaker 1: so much. I know it inappropriate, but I really do
Speaker 1: love you all. And um, I just feel um that
Speaker 1: you're a blessing to the planet, and the brief times
Speaker 1: that we spend together, including this conversation, has been a
Speaker 1: blessing too. Thank you, Lly, right back at you, ye
Speaker 1: be well, you're too love. Thanks for thinking of me.
Speaker 1: It was like a blessing from the angels out of
Speaker 1: the blue. Okay, I don't know how to click out,
Speaker 1: so I'm gonna leave. Oh my gosh, she's so delightful, right,
Speaker 1: Oh my god, what a beautiful human. Yes, we had
Speaker 1: a lot of fun just because I was younger, you know,
Speaker 1: and and she was she was probably in her thirties, sin,
Speaker 1: I don't know when she was on the show, and
Speaker 1: we did have It was usually scenes with just Dylan
Speaker 1: and Jack and then Kelly and Christine, and so she
Speaker 1: and I would be together a lot, and just the
Speaker 1: two of us because the boys, those two boys were
Speaker 1: off doing their thing. They were very close and so
Speaker 1: we would spend a lot of time together just hanging
Speaker 1: out waiting for you know, set up to be ready
Speaker 1: and everything, and she was just like I remember just
Speaker 1: feeling so um at peace around her, And that was
Speaker 1: unusual for me at that time in my life, you know,
Speaker 1: because it's that young age one you're you don't know
Speaker 1: what's happening, you don't know what you're doing, and she
Speaker 1: always just made me feel like everything's going to be okay.
Speaker 1: I love that, mm hmm