WEBVTT - 221: Any Questions? w/ Betsy Beers 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:02.920 This episode was recorded prior to the SAG After Strike. 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:05.880 Unpacking the Toolbox is a production of Shondaland Audio in 0:00:05.920 --> 0:00:45.120 partnership with Iheartradiots. 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:30.240 And Katie Tho. 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:38.320 I'm watching the episode that we're talking about today, and 0:00:38.360 --> 0:00:41.839 I'm like, do you remember conversation Shonda would have where 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:46.600 it's like they would give such shit about sexual stuff 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:49.600 on the show, but like violence or death was like 0:00:49.880 --> 0:00:50.520 fair game? 0:00:50.720 --> 0:00:51.840 Did it matter? Yeah? 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:54.920 And I'm just like refreshing myself on the end of 0:00:54.960 --> 0:00:57.280 season two, which is where we're currently at. There's just 0:00:57.400 --> 0:00:59.280 guns held at people's heads. 0:00:59.000 --> 0:01:00.960 All the time, ye constantly. 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:04.319 Yeah, motherfuckers are eating donuts right before they were about 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:05.080 to get shot. 0:01:05.560 --> 0:01:06.760 Abby's holding a gun. 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:09.280 I'm holding a gun, and Charlie's holding a gun at 0:01:09.360 --> 0:01:13.720 David Rosen, and then Jake Ballard has a gun because 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:16.520 he's about to take down Charlie. It's just like Rice, 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:19.800 why don't we And Adam Adam just did like the 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:22.559 top gun thing. He just did John Wick prequel series, 0:01:22.600 --> 0:01:26.200 which is literally gun porn. It's like, how many fucking 0:01:26.959 --> 0:01:28.880 things can we fucking light up? 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:29.520 Yeah? 0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:30.480 What is that? 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:32.720 I haven't seen any of the John Wicks, but I 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:34.880 hear there's somebody just went to see it a friend 0:01:34.920 --> 0:01:37.440 of mine and said it was super violent. And it's 0:01:37.480 --> 0:01:40.760 like one of the most popular franchises. Right, there's like 0:01:40.800 --> 0:01:42.640 what five part five now or four? 0:01:42.680 --> 0:01:43.480 I don't even know. 0:01:44.160 --> 0:01:46.280 Fast and the Furious. I have no idea what's going on. 0:01:46.319 --> 0:01:48.760 I've never seen You're right, it's like porn yea. And 0:01:48.800 --> 0:01:52.320 my son is like obsessed. He is, but yeah, he 0:01:52.400 --> 0:01:55.120 just is like, you know, I want swords, I. 0:01:55.120 --> 0:01:57.320 Want I want shields. 0:01:57.600 --> 0:02:00.680 Everything is good guy, bad guy. Did you play like 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:01.920 that when you were a little kid or no? 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:05.400 No, I played with like a Donald Duck doll that 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:07.400 you would press his hands and he would walk, his 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:09.400 legs would move. You would press his right hand and 0:02:09.400 --> 0:02:13.000 his left leg would move. Typical fucking gay shit. Like 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:16.720 I loved all the dolls. I loved all the superhero 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:19.600 dolls and Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck all that stuff. 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:22.320 Have you been in real fights in your life? 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:26.000 Just like two? But I don't like it, and I'm 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:27.040 not good at it at all. 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:31.239 I'm not I get very scared, like I'll defend myself, 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:33.000 but I'm still super I don't like it. 0:02:33.000 --> 0:02:35.280 I don't like it like did you get ever get 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:37.880 hit or hit someone in the face, like when you 0:02:37.919 --> 0:02:38.680 were a kid growing up. 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:39.560 I've never done that. 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:42.239 I did once I did. I hit someone in the face, 0:02:42.280 --> 0:02:43.400 and I've been hitting the face. 0:02:43.480 --> 0:02:43.760 Yeah. 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:45.119 Was it terrible. 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:48.519 Yeah, it was almost like I blacked out. Like afterwards, 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:50.520 I was like, I don't even remember doing that. It 0:02:50.600 --> 0:02:52.640 was just like a reflex to Yeah, you know, I 0:02:52.760 --> 0:02:53.360 was just being. 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:55.239 Protect yourself with fight or flight, like you went into 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:56.480 like animalistic mode. 0:02:56.800 --> 0:02:59.120 But then it stopped. It didn't. It was like a 0:02:59.200 --> 0:02:59.919 continued fight. 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:01.840 I would have friends that would be fighting on the 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:05.160 street for like fifteen minutes, like taking their shirts off, 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:07.960 like let's go, like taking you know, their shoes off. 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:09.800 I was like, what are you people doing? 0:03:09.960 --> 0:03:10.839 Like, oh my god. 0:03:10.880 --> 0:03:13.680 I remember in high school the girls fighting like way 0:03:13.720 --> 0:03:18.600 worse than the guys. The girls like fucking ripping their 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:21.320 out and fucking dreads and shit out of their hair. 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:25.480 Bad bad like black girls. I mean, I said, I 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:27.320 blacked out, but girls black the fuck out. 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:29.320 They don't care. You can't pull them apart O. 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:31.600 Can this like not happen to my kids? 0:03:31.639 --> 0:03:31.720 No? 0:03:31.800 --> 0:03:33.480 Fighting, fighting is bad, Yeah. 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:36.000 But they're still fucking doing it. I think they are. 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:39.080 Well, and then you know, we're brought up, especially boys, 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:42.000 being like, fuck, you gotta fight, defend yourself, you gotta 0:03:42.080 --> 0:03:43.880 learn how to fight, learn a fight, fight. You know, 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:46.760 it becomes like this thing that you feel you need 0:03:46.800 --> 0:03:48.880 to be good at, or that it's a good thing 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:50.600 that you could beat somebody up. 0:03:50.680 --> 0:03:52.880 Like that's not good. It's fucking you, it's not good. 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:55.840 But also like why even let it get to that? 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:57.920 And I was kind of lucky to I was sort 0:03:57.960 --> 0:03:59.800 of friends with everyone. I don't know how, but I 0:03:59.880 --> 0:04:02.680 was like a theater girl and I was on the 0:04:02.760 --> 0:04:06.080 dance team and a few things. But I think being an adult 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:08.320 is so much harder because my anxiety. I didn't have 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:10.800 that as a kid, and now it's worse than it's 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:15.800 ever been, Like my real life worries everyone, kitty. 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:17.960 Do you ever think I think back on the times 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:22.200 when I first started acting and doing plays and everything 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:27.680 and having no anxiety whatsoever. I was fearless, And I 0:04:27.680 --> 0:04:30.120 think back on those times and I'm like, wow, like 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:33.080 I wish I could feel that again, you know what 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:35.520 I mean. And of course there's fleeting moments when you 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:37.799 feel that way, but you're right, there's so much crap 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:38.680 that we're dealing with. 0:04:38.760 --> 0:04:41.440 There's just real life worries, like I didn't worry, like 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:44.960 and look, that is such a fucking privilege, Like obviously 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:49.960 I wasn't worried about food or like rent or like 0:04:50.000 --> 0:04:52.080 you know, because there are kids that have those fucking 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:53.080 worries of course. 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:54.040 Which is awful. 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:57.400 And did you say food? You know? 0:04:57.480 --> 0:05:00.040 We have to talk to Betsy about that. She we 0:05:00.279 --> 0:05:01.960 used to host the Scandal podcast. 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:04.040 Yes, I was thinking about that earlier. 0:05:04.160 --> 0:05:06.120 Yeah, And I want to ask her all about like 0:05:06.400 --> 0:05:09.279 how did she first hear that that the meeting went 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:10.760 great and like come on board? 0:05:10.760 --> 0:05:12.000 And was she into it from the start? 0:05:12.040 --> 0:05:13.240 And then we had to talk to her all about 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:14.720 reading stage directions scared. 0:05:14.880 --> 0:05:17.840 Yes, I thought about that too, yes, yes, yes, and 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:18.159 she was. 0:05:18.160 --> 0:05:20.240 A comedian and an actress yes in New York. 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:30.360 Yeah, yeah, start Betsy Beers. Yeah, I feel like always 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:32.080 say that I love it so much. 0:05:32.400 --> 0:05:34.360 I do not as much as I love your last 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:37.000 name Beers, because I would love four right now? 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:41.120 Who wouldn't And it's totally what eleven o'clock here, Where 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:44.839 are you? Garma? Are you? I'm in La so morning drinking, 0:05:44.880 --> 0:05:45.360 which is the. 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:48.000 Best, right right, because we're coming out at the time 0:05:48.040 --> 0:05:49.880 of this recording of a three day weekend. 0:05:49.960 --> 0:05:53.680 He we just are feeling very like, whoa, we really. 0:05:53.600 --> 0:05:58.120 Had a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday situation and our brain's 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:01.560 not firing, probably a level that Betsy Beers. 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:04.280 Is no minus minus a big sleepy pile of poo. 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:08.320 What's fun about this episode two is it's the episode 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:11.640 before the last episode, which, like I remembered really well 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:13.000 because we did that table. 0:06:12.720 --> 0:06:15.360 Read yes in front of a live audience, Yeah, in. 0:06:15.240 --> 0:06:17.480 Front of a live audience, and when we gave the 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:19.080 last line, which I'm not going to give away for 0:06:19.120 --> 0:06:21.320 anybody who hasn't seen the show, which probably makes no 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:23.840 sense because everybody listens to this like, gosh, I hope 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:26.880 you've you've seen the show, but that there's that last line. 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:29.280 And I remember, because I was doing stage directions. 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:32.200 We were in were we at the Doldie. 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:36.080 It was some scary, weird situation, big theater. It was 0:06:36.120 --> 0:06:40.520 a big theater, right, and I remember we all had 0:06:40.560 --> 0:06:45.960 to stop because the screaming. Just for anybody who doesn't 0:06:45.960 --> 0:06:47.800 know what the hell I'm talking about, I don't blame you. 0:06:48.279 --> 0:06:51.240 So we did a season finale table read. I think 0:06:51.240 --> 0:06:52.120 it was for charity. 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:53.640 I think it was for charity too. 0:06:53.920 --> 0:06:56.680 Yeah, we did this table read and they were about, oh, 0:06:56.680 --> 0:06:59.240 I don't know, four or five hundred people there, and 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.680 obviously the actors had already shot it, so we all 0:07:02.760 --> 0:07:05.560 knew it was yeah, yeah, yeah, which often, by the way, 0:07:05.680 --> 0:07:06.760 we didn't we don't. 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:07.039 Yeah. 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:09.520 But it was one of the most amazing experiences I've 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:12.400 ever had because I got to the last line, which, 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:15.720 as we all know, is Dad. None of these people 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:18.440 had seen the episode. We literally did it right as 0:07:18.520 --> 0:07:21.160 the episode was airing. I remember we just we all 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:23.400 just sat there and look at each other. Yeah, while 0:07:23.440 --> 0:07:26.120 people were sweating and screaming and running up and down 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:27.520 the aisles, and it was pretty great. 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:28.560 It was insane. 0:07:28.880 --> 0:07:32.640 I remember Debbie Allen jumping out of her seat like 0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:36.200 a mad woman and cheering, and I'm like, and she's 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:39.560 in Shondaland, and even she was like, oh my. 0:07:39.560 --> 0:07:43.040 God, yeah, she must not have known. It was so crazy. 0:07:43.080 --> 0:07:47.120 But Betsy, tell our listeners two things. One, you used 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:49.120 to host the Scandal podcast. 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:53.239 It was called Scandaled Revealed, and I forced every single 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:55.760 one of these poor actors to be on it, like 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:58.000 eight hundred times over the course of the period of 0:07:58.000 --> 0:07:58.360 the show. 0:07:58.680 --> 0:08:02.720 You knew before like podcasts are obviously such a thing now, 0:08:02.760 --> 0:08:06.960 But my god, Betsy, you were hosting correct if I'm wrong, 0:08:07.120 --> 0:08:07.640 was a grace. 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:11.680 Then we did Scandal, then we did Shondaland Revealed, and 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:14.680 then people became tired and had to lie down, so 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:17.600 I got out of it, and then of course it 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:20.840 got really popular so I can do my FM. 0:08:21.680 --> 0:08:24.520 It just means that Betsy is always at the beginning 0:08:24.600 --> 0:08:27.760 of the bell curve. She knows what's hot before everyone 0:08:27.800 --> 0:08:28.920 else knows what's hot. 0:08:29.040 --> 0:08:32.000 For timing's so good that she gets out just when 0:08:32.040 --> 0:08:32.600 it gets hot. 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:34.760 Oh that is not. 0:08:34.880 --> 0:08:38.480 The case now wait listen, but I remember everyone talking 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:42.800 about going on the Scandal Revealed podcast, And look, Betsy 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:47.000 is you're so famous in life and in in Shondaland for. 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:48.760 Just well you were an actor. 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:51.640 Tell us, like, yes, you're the greatest, one of the 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:54.960 most prolific producers in all of television history. 0:08:55.720 --> 0:08:56.960 And you were an. 0:08:56.840 --> 0:08:59.680 Actor in a comedian, which makes you amazing at hosting 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:03.760 pot and the best stage direction reader at a table 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:07.560 reader that's ever existed. So tell us what you did 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:10.640 on the podcast. Originally start there. 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:13.800 Okay, so on the podcast. Originally, the first podcast we 0:09:13.840 --> 0:09:16.560 did was Gray's Anatomy. I think I don't remember if 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:19.320 it had a catchy name, except it was Shonda and 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:21.920 me and it was like, I don't know if it 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:25.040 was season two or season three. But we started doing 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:28.240 this because in those days, not that many people were 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:31.000 doing podcasts, and everybody was really excited with hers anatomy, 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:33.600 and Shanda, believe it or not, at that period of time, 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:36.400 didn't talk as much. She was not that vocal. All 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:38.480 she was doing was kind of working, and everybody sort 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:40.480 of wanted to know was in her brain. And so 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:43.080 we started doing this thing where we would start every 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:45.800 podcast night she'd go, I'm Shanda, and I go I'm Betsy, 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:50.520 and we'd go, and this is Gray's Anatomy. And then 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:52.800 we would I would just ask a bunch of questions 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:55.360 or I'd say, oh, man, this week was really hard. 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:57.679 You know, can you believe this week? This week just 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:00.360 was so hard, and you go, I know, we were 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:02.000 in so late doing X, Y and Z. And then 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:04.719 we'd ask questions about the story. And that's sort of 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:07.360 where I learned how to ask questions because it's not 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:10.440 like we had a script or anything like, Yeah, I 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:13.360 just asked her shit and then we talk about stuff, 0:10:13.360 --> 0:10:15.400 and then I give my opinions as to what I 0:10:15.440 --> 0:10:17.840 felt about things. And the only thing I remember about 0:10:17.840 --> 0:10:20.920 that podcast was, for some reason, for some reason, it 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:23.600 was around the holidays, and we got obsessed talking about 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:24.280 wrapping paper. 0:10:25.720 --> 0:10:28.040 Oh my god, she's obsessed with wrapping paper. 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:31.840 It was, you know, the holiday cliffhanger. And all we did, 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:33.680 I think was talked about wrapping paper, which is. 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:36.320 Just probably why it's podcast banter. 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:40.000 And then moved from the Gray's Anatomy one to the 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:42.440 Scandal one. That was just like a big excuse to 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:45.480 hang out with the actors and the crew and stuff 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:48.920 or anybody who's listening, because this is like in the call 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:54.760 of television fame, the most incredibly great cast in the world. 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:57.440 Like just we've been really lucky with her cast. So 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:00.160 it's not to disparage any for other phenomenal casts, but 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:03.280 you all were really close and also just you were 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:05.080 game for anything, you poor things. 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:07.240 So yeah, oh my gosh, we were so gay. 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:09.839 I'd go like, Hi, here's the opening of envelope, and 0:11:09.840 --> 0:11:10.760 you'd be like, it's cool. 0:11:10.840 --> 0:11:12.280 We'll go it's do it. It's good. 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:14.600 It's just it's an envelope. Envelopes are good. 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:17.800 I remember going into your office to do the podcast 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:20.160 to be a guest. It was always so exciting to 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:24.280 go into the Shondaland offices and your office and Hozo 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:27.520 is just like, oh, this is so fun and exciting, and. 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:28.960 You had a cool office. 0:11:29.040 --> 0:11:31.560 I tell the listeners, what was the history behind that 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:32.800 Sunset Gower office? 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:36.160 Deal was? We were at Sunset Gower and I got 0:11:36.520 --> 0:11:38.720 Harry Cohne's all office. And none of you will know 0:11:38.760 --> 0:11:42.840 who Harry Cone was, but Harry Cone pretty much started 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:45.520 Columbia Pictures. I think it was Columbia Oh wow. And 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:47.560 this was during the period of time in which there 0:11:47.559 --> 0:11:52.720 were like big moguls, like the gold Winds were sort 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:54.320 of a mogal family. That was a whole funny thing 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:58.080 when Tony came in that office. But this office was 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:02.680 so intense. It was like all wood paneled. It looked 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:06.080 like a really scary, gigantic study. It had a bathroom 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:09.199 off of it that used to have like a barber 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:11.720 shop or like a beauty shop or whatever. And then 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:14.120 it had a secret door. So Harry Cohne who was 0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:17.360 a dirty dude could get the girls in and out 0:12:17.360 --> 0:12:18.240 without anybody knowing. 0:12:18.440 --> 0:12:18.720 No. 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:24.120 Oh, I remember said that. I mean you told me that. 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:25.559 When I was in there, I was like, oh, I 0:12:25.600 --> 0:12:28.960 mean it's classic Hollywood, classic old Hollywood. 0:12:29.000 --> 0:12:31.120 And then later I started realizing it was used in 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:33.120 all these movies. So like my husband and I were 0:12:33.120 --> 0:12:35.760 watching the way, we were randomly oh yeah, I love it, 0:12:35.840 --> 0:12:38.400 and the studio had is like sitting in my office 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:39.520 and I'm like what. 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:40.720 Yeah. 0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:43.120 The other thing that was really cool was like every 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:45.760 time we'd get really short on budget money for any 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:47.720 show like How to Get with Murder, we used it 0:12:47.800 --> 0:12:50.320 like three times as different things because they'd be like 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:53.440 a bud just really stress this episode, I go, what 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:56.840 can you use the office for? And we go Gentlemen's Club, 0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:01.560 perfect college President. So it was also good. 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:05.080 I want to hear about when you first found out 0:13:05.120 --> 0:13:08.880 like that Judy and Shonda had met, and were you like, okay. 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:10.720 I arranged I arranged that, you arranged. 0:13:11.080 --> 0:13:13.680 Oh okay, so take us through that. 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:15.120 Yeah, how did you meet Judy? 0:13:15.480 --> 0:13:15.560 So? 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:18.880 I met Judy through my agent, whose name is Larry Salz, 0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:23.480 who's great at UTA, and he had called me and said, 0:13:24.040 --> 0:13:26.560 we're wrapping this woman that I think you, I just 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:29.120 think you would really respond to and sent me all 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:32.760 this information and material and I took one look at 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:36.480 it and I was like, this is such an interesting 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:38.240 idea of what this woman does for a living in 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:40.559 that and we were both Shonda and I've always been 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:44.080 obsessed with politics, We've always been obsessed with journalism. I 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:46.600 was like, I think she's really going to respond to 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:48.600 this guy. I think she would be a really good 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:52.920 basis for a show. And at that point we were 0:13:53.080 --> 0:13:56.640 like buried under Gray's anatomy in private practice, and we 0:13:56.640 --> 0:14:00.480 were starting to produce for other people, and she was 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:02.600 sort of like, I don't want to don't give me anything. 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:06.360 So we arranged this meeting and Judy Smith walked in 0:14:06.760 --> 0:14:11.400 and she was wearing this white suit. Come on, and 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:14.640 she was I mean, Judy, as you all have probably 0:14:14.679 --> 0:14:16.920 seen her, she's like beautiful, she's glamorous, she had this 0:14:17.120 --> 0:14:18.559 long brown hair. 0:14:18.480 --> 0:14:22.120 She's tall, she's thin, she's very statuesque and graceful. 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:25.400 She still like gets to the point right away. Stuff. Yes, 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:28.760 five minutes in she's talking and Shonda looks at me 0:14:28.800 --> 0:14:32.160 and she MAVs, fuck you, oh, because she knew she 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:32.520 wanted to. 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:34.880 She was like, I'm doing this. 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:36.240 Wow, I'm doing this. 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:38.320 Yeah, like I don't want anybody else to do it. 0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:39.800 I want, I don't want, I want to do it. 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:41.280 And then it kind of got put on the back 0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:43.760 burner for a while because she was so busy. And 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:47.640 then little by little by little, we have these conversations 0:14:47.680 --> 0:14:49.680 and she was sort of playing with these different pieces 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:53.080 and eventually came up with a totally fictionalized and only 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:55.320 inspired by version of Judy Smith, which of course was 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:56.720 Olivia Pope. 0:14:57.160 --> 0:14:57.640 Wow. 0:14:58.280 --> 0:15:00.520 I know, I wonder what was going through Judy's Smith's 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:02.160 brain while she was meeting with Seawanda. 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:04.320 Was she like was she in on it? Like? Did 0:15:04.360 --> 0:15:06.320 you she think, okay, they might do a show about 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:06.840 my life? 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:09.440 Oh? I think she was pitching herself as a show 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:11.280 about a life, Like she was sort of like life 0:15:11.360 --> 0:15:14.800 rights type situation. Yeah, but she really liked us too. 0:15:14.880 --> 0:15:17.800 I then became closer to Judy for a while, so 0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:20.880 as the process was sort of going on. But yeah, 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:23.840 she I think was she was into it? And then 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:26.600 there were some other people who were interested, but we 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:28.320 strong armed our way in. 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:32.720 Nice crazy beers. I know, do you remember like the 0:15:32.840 --> 0:15:34.600 casting process. 0:15:34.800 --> 0:15:37.400 Oh yeah, you were. You were in my auditions. 0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:39.640 Thank yeah, you were there for me too. You were in. 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:41.880 Everyone I love me those rooms. 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:45.160 Is it your produce storial brain that loves it or 0:15:45.200 --> 0:15:48.360 is it like your I mean, you have to tell 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:51.960 us about your acting stand up comedy situation and you 0:15:52.080 --> 0:15:53.040 even came out here. 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:57.080 It's a brief story. Basically, I studied acting from when 0:15:57.120 --> 0:15:58.840 I was a kid. My dad was an agent and 0:15:58.880 --> 0:16:00.960 he died when I was little. They were always like, 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:02.560 she should be an actress, she should be an actress. 0:16:02.560 --> 0:16:04.120 And it was one of those things where everybody tells 0:16:04.120 --> 0:16:07.080 you and you're like okay. And I could memorize lines 0:16:07.080 --> 0:16:10.119 really easily, which I guess was all I thought was necessary, 0:16:11.080 --> 0:16:13.480 which is really depressing. But I acted all the way 0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:17.040 through elementary school, high school, college, I did summer theater, 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:20.960 and I remember in college they were sort of like 0:16:20.960 --> 0:16:23.320 you shouldn't act, you should direct, and I was like, 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:25.720 I know, I know, it was really corol. 0:16:25.920 --> 0:16:28.400 My mouth is on the ground. I'm like, how dam 0:16:28.520 --> 0:16:30.600 they and all they did in those days? Because this 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:32.240 was like in eighteen forty two when I was in 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:36.360 college and all they did was like wrecked, but they 0:16:36.480 --> 0:16:38.200 do it like as a Western. 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:40.040 Oh, nobody wants that. 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:42.360 It was like this period of time where nobody was 0:16:42.400 --> 0:16:45.000 having any fun. Everybody was just doing like really really 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:48.800 serious plays. And I found out that I was like 0:16:48.920 --> 0:16:53.080 funny because we did one or two things that weren't 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:55.240 and they were sort of like, yeah, if you did anything, 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:56.960 the only you could kind of do is like musical 0:16:57.000 --> 0:16:59.280 comedy and stuff. I was okay, fine, So I ended 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:01.600 up doing some summer theater and then I went to 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:03.720 New York and I joined this improv group and. 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:06.240 That was really, to me really easy, right, well, because 0:17:06.240 --> 0:17:08.560 you're so smart and so instinctual. 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:11.199 God. It was also I liked. I liked sort of 0:17:11.240 --> 0:17:15.120 the producing aspect of it, I discovered. And I also 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:17.960 was taking acting classes, and like the acting teachers would 0:17:17.960 --> 0:17:20.760 pull me aside and go, you're not making a very 0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:24.280 good argument for your character. You're letting the other person 0:17:24.280 --> 0:17:26.000 in this conversation just and I'd be like, well, I 0:17:26.040 --> 0:17:29.640 get their point, Like I understand what point of view, 0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:30.440 Like I think they're right. 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:31.720 I think I'm too smart. 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:32.920 I think I'm being a dick. 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:34.359 That's why. 0:17:34.480 --> 0:17:36.919 No, it was because I can see all the points 0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:38.360 of view, which make me a better. 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:40.600 Producer producer, Yes, and an actor. 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:43.600 Yes, Betsy, did you ever do a guest spot on 0:17:43.760 --> 0:17:44.640 any of the shows? 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:46.520 Did you ever, like, were you ever in front of 0:17:46.560 --> 0:17:47.880 the camera? Would you ever want to be? 0:17:48.320 --> 0:17:51.399