Speaker 1: It's with Jenny Garth and Tori Spelling. We're very excited
Speaker 1: a special guest on today. It is Wendy Benson Landis
Speaker 1: and you'll remember her from season four of nine O
Speaker 1: two and oh. She played Darla Hansen, Brenda's best friend
Speaker 1: from Minnesota, and she's here with us. Now. Hi Wendy, Hi, Hi,
Speaker 1: I'm so happy. Did she see you? You'll see you
Speaker 1: in so long. So Wendy and I actually knew each
Speaker 1: other when Wendy came on the show. We knew each
Speaker 1: other through a mutual friend named Tammy Morgan. Yes, okay,
Speaker 1: So I was excited when you came on the show.
Speaker 1: I was very excited to come on. I was like
Speaker 1: a friend. And you played Darla, who we always heard
Speaker 1: from Brenda about Darlin Minnesota. Now we get to see her.
Speaker 1: But I didn't know you're early on two episodes. I
Speaker 1: felt like you were on way more than two episod oats,
Speaker 1: you know what, I know, it don't really seemed like more,
Speaker 1: maybe because I was always auditioning for two and a lot. Yes, yes, yeah,
Speaker 1: wait did you audition for the original main cast? You
Speaker 1: know I was thinking I definitely I think so, I mean,
Speaker 1: I was in New York then, but I think I did.
Speaker 1: Maybe you're a role Jenny, I don't. I mean, I
Speaker 1: definitely auditioned for the The Mail Rose Place. I know
Speaker 1: that the original. Um. I remember that because obviously nine
Speaker 1: o two and I was already established, so everybody knew
Speaker 1: about it. Um. But I could have I could have
Speaker 1: out of New York. You totally were a Kelly Taylor.
Speaker 1: I mean I was watching you in the scene with Brendan.
Speaker 1: I was saying, he looks just like Kelly Taylor, and
Speaker 1: I was like, why didn't she get my role? Like
Speaker 1: she would have been great if you were amazing, But
Speaker 1: we had the same hair and everything. You still rock
Speaker 1: the bangs. I like it, you know what it's like
Speaker 1: sometimes I do. I cut them myself. I'm like, have
Speaker 1: you always had bangs? Always some sort of bang ish
Speaker 1: kind of thing. Yeah, so they're so perfect. Our producer
Speaker 1: and co host Amy Sugarman, who is not just our
Speaker 1: producer and cost but like the most major nine o
Speaker 1: two and Oh fan ever, wanted us to ask you
Speaker 1: and we were like, we can't ask that if you
Speaker 1: shot those scenes in Minnesota or in l A. And
Speaker 1: We're like, no, that didn't happen. That doesn't exist. She's like,
Speaker 1: both viewers think that's what happened. I'm like, oh interesting
Speaker 1: in l a where you know and deep in the
Speaker 1: heart of the valley, n I, Tori. Do you remember
Speaker 1: that there was all these straight kittens. Okay, so I
Speaker 1: was really excited to ask you this story because we
Speaker 1: found straight kittens and you took one home too, right,
Speaker 1: Yes I did. And we got ring worm. Yes we did. Yes,
Speaker 1: you know, all these little cute kittens, we all took
Speaker 1: them home. We were so excited to find them, and
Speaker 1: we all got ringworm. Yeah, we all got ring one.
Speaker 1: I mean I didn't even know what it was. What
Speaker 1: is you got like on your skin or on your
Speaker 1: hair with skin I couldn't, like on my skin, like
Speaker 1: on my arm. Yes, you and it was like rowdy circles.
Speaker 1: And we were all game back to set like what
Speaker 1: Everyone's like, oh my god, it's ringworm. Yeah I don't.
Speaker 1: I don't think I kept the cat after that, did
Speaker 1: you I did? I did, Yes, And I got another
Speaker 1: disease and died very young. It was like it was
Speaker 1: not it was not a healthy strike hat. Well, that
Speaker 1: was sweet that you guys took the kiddies home, which
Speaker 1: we would have not been working that day or you
Speaker 1: would have had Yes, I was she definitely would have
Speaker 1: taken one home. Yeah. So do you remember getting the
Speaker 1: role of Darla? Like what was that process? Like, I mean,
Speaker 1: here's the thing. I really wanted to obviously be on
Speaker 1: nine or two and oh because it was such a popular,
Speaker 1: you know, benchmark for everybody our age and now obviously
Speaker 1: continuing on. So yes, I desperately. I mean I really
Speaker 1: auditioned a few times. I mean I remember walking down
Speaker 1: that huge office of your father's tory and he would
Speaker 1: sit in the middle and he had all of these people.
Speaker 1: I mean, you know there were ten people in the room.
Speaker 1: I I mean I must have auditioned for that show
Speaker 1: ten times. I mean different, I mean a lot, a
Speaker 1: lot um. So obviously I was ecstatic to like, you know,
Speaker 1: finally get a job on nine or two one? Now
Speaker 1: and when when you got the part, did they say
Speaker 1: it's for two episodes or did they say it might
Speaker 1: be longer? Yeah? I think they said, like it could
Speaker 1: you know obviously that you never know where things are going.
Speaker 1: So but clearly Brenda didn't like being in Minnesota. I
Speaker 1: don't know what happens in the next episode, because I
Speaker 1: haven't seen in the show, so I'm assuming she doesn't
Speaker 1: say in Minnesota though, But what was that like to
Speaker 1: be to come on the show and be playing the
Speaker 1: you know, Brenda's best friend and having this like reconnection
Speaker 1: with her. She you know, obviously she like talked a
Speaker 1: lot about Darla always like kind of a character that people,
Speaker 1: even though it was just two episodes, people remember because
Speaker 1: I think they always she always talked about, you know,
Speaker 1: going back home. Um. So it was like it was
Speaker 1: really kind of like a big deal. I mean, I
Speaker 1: you know, it was fun. Like I also think it
Speaker 1: was the beginning of a season, Am I right? It
Speaker 1: was like right in the first episode of season four? Yeah,
Speaker 1: so I remember, like it was I mean, obviously you
Speaker 1: guys were in the press and there was so much
Speaker 1: you know, hoopla, and I was like, oh, this could
Speaker 1: be also like a not a nice working environment walking
Speaker 1: into but it was amazing and nice. And do you
Speaker 1: remember who the first person you met was on set?
Speaker 1: Um or which of the guys it might have been?
Speaker 1: Jason Priestley? It was pretty nice. Hm. I actually think
Speaker 1: like it might have been him, because did you have
Speaker 1: scenes did Darla have scenes with the other cast members
Speaker 1: or was it always just Brenda in Minnesota? Just Minnesota?
Speaker 1: So it was like isolated, which is probably why I
Speaker 1: didn't meet you. Um it would have, you know, Tori.
Speaker 1: Was there something doing something? Obviously a scene switch, Yes,
Speaker 1: collect Darla, it does. It's hard to believe that Darla
Speaker 1: was only in two episodes. I know, because remember my memory,
Speaker 1: I thought this continued. I was like, oh, yeah, Wendy
Speaker 1: was on the show for like a good part of
Speaker 1: the fourth season, and then they were like, no, two episodes.
Speaker 1: That's crazy. And Rachel True was in it. This is
Speaker 1: before she did the craft, I think. So I was
Speaker 1: super excited. I was like, oh my god, I forgot
Speaker 1: she was in this too. It was like every whole
Speaker 1: group of girls, everybody passed you. It's true. It's true.
Speaker 1: They either passed through it or they wanted to for sure, Like, yeah,
Speaker 1: it was it was a good job to get where.
Speaker 1: So you were born in New York City, but where
Speaker 1: are you living now in l a A. Yeah. I
Speaker 1: always say I've only been an adult in l A.
Speaker 1: I never And you've just been working, working, working, working,
Speaker 1: working your whole life. Now, I like work as a
Speaker 1: as a mother, like, which is the most challenging job?
Speaker 1: As I know you guys probably what do you what
Speaker 1: do you have? I have an eighteen year old girl
Speaker 1: and a fifteen year old Stop it, they're not eighteen
Speaker 1: and fifteen. Yes, yes, And you know we have all
Speaker 1: these animal connections. My daughter's name is Mimi, and you
Speaker 1: had a pug named Mimimi LaRue. Yes, yes, I'm sure
Speaker 1: Mimi LaRue is no longer alive. This is true. She'd
Speaker 1: be like yeah, she'd be like in her thirties at
Speaker 1: this point, and now I'm just kidding. Um. Yes. I
Speaker 1: also just to tie it a little bit back to
Speaker 1: um Darla and my daughter just started college a month ago,
Speaker 1: and one weekend, she facetimes my husband and I on
Speaker 1: a Friday night and she's on the East Coast so
Speaker 1: it's earlier here, and she's like, I just walked in
Speaker 1: on my roommate having sex, and and I was like, no,
Speaker 1: my husband and I didn't go to college. But I
Speaker 1: was like, I got this episode of nine O two
Speaker 1: one oh, and I was the college girl having you know,
Speaker 1: sexual relations in my room. And I said, here's the thing,
Speaker 1: you just have to tell your roommate to tie a
Speaker 1: little like put a little you know, tie on the
Speaker 1: door knob or something. And she was like, Mom, this
Speaker 1: is everybody has a cellphone, she can text me. I
Speaker 1: was like, okay, I'm sure that's the most Yeah, I
Speaker 1: never even thought of that. I do know what. I
Speaker 1: like your version, federm Darla was very chic like she
Speaker 1: she didn't feel like a Minnesota girl. Yeah, you were
Speaker 1: dressed like very like collegiate. Yeah that's I'm sure. Yes,
Speaker 1: I remember that. And I of course wanted to dress
Speaker 1: like you guys. I was like, I want to be
Speaker 1: the cool like you know. Um, but yeah, so you
Speaker 1: have to look like the collegiate Minnesota girl exactly. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think I was in some kkies that were pleaded, weren't. Well,
Speaker 1: I'm still in collared shirts, I know, collegiate. You so
Speaker 1: you have two kids and you're living in l A
Speaker 1: and you just, what's the last thing you worked on? Like,
Speaker 1: tell us because you've been on everything, even on Ugly Betty,
Speaker 1: You've been on ghost whisper X files. Um, yeah, what
Speaker 1: was the last thing I worked on? I can't even remember? Um?
Speaker 1: Mr Mayor, did I make that up? No? You didn't
Speaker 1: make that up. Yes, and that was so much fun.
Speaker 1: And I played like a wretched Brentwood woman that was
Speaker 1: called by you know some things that the mayor is doing,
Speaker 1: which you know, I don't know how I can play
Speaker 1: appauled Brentwood women I played. I played the worst version
Speaker 1: of Tammy hard Copy that this is Amy the producer.
Speaker 1: But learned everything and your husband's yes, your husband around
Speaker 1: the time you did nine O two one oh. No,
Speaker 1: I met him definitely after that, No, because nine O
Speaker 1: two I was like early nineties. I would say, you
Speaker 1: guys were and then he and I did a Christmas
Speaker 1: movie other you guys were together when we did that.
Speaker 1: That was probably in the late nineties, yes, early yea, Yeah,
Speaker 1: we met a ninety eight I wrong? Or is your
Speaker 1: husband from Lois and Clark Jimmy, Yes, you were absolutely correct. Okay,
Speaker 1: which makes it so interesting because Dean Caine was on
Speaker 1: nine O two one oh in all six degrees of
Speaker 1: nine O two one because he imagine six degrees of
Speaker 1: nine two Kevin Bacon for nine O two and oh
Speaker 1: jillion times too. I can't remember if he did. I
Speaker 1: mean I didn't know him at the pilot, but I
Speaker 1: mean you said he was on nine or two and
Speaker 1: o two he was, He wasn't, but I'm sure we
Speaker 1: auditioned for it. I don't think he actually ever did
Speaker 1: spelling stuff. I mean, everyone listening needs to google Wendy
Speaker 1: and I go land this because you will immediately go,
Speaker 1: oh my god, oh my god. Yes, he's a he's
Speaker 1: a he's a lifer. He just did that show called
Speaker 1: Cruel Summer that was on. It was so good. Wait
Speaker 1: it's coming back for season two? Right? Oh yes, yes,
Speaker 1: But they didn't tell the cast that until a year later,
Speaker 1: the entire cast, So it was not It was not
Speaker 1: that I love that show and I saw Michael and
Speaker 1: I was like, oh my gosh, good for him. He
Speaker 1: looks you both look you both have an age there.
Speaker 1: You guys were always such a dreamy couple. But like,
Speaker 1: he was great in the show. He was great, he is,
Speaker 1: he's very good. Yes. Do your kids want to be actors? Um? No, not.
Speaker 1: You know, they don't really know what they want to do.
Speaker 1: My daughters like kind of leaning into film right now,
Speaker 1: like she shoots things on like Super eight. You know,
Speaker 1: she hasn't said the acting And I know everybody always
Speaker 1: says I never want my kids to be actors. But
Speaker 1: I also kind of it's the best job in the world.
Speaker 1: Like actors are artists, and we show up and we
Speaker 1: connect and we live and it's it's a wonderful. It's
Speaker 1: a wonderful. I mean it's horrible and it's wonderful. I
Speaker 1: think the actors get a very bad rap sadly, and
Speaker 1: I want to say that if you want to be
Speaker 1: an actor, you know, follow your heart and do it. Actors,
Speaker 1: we play this game called kiss Mary or kill? Will
Speaker 1: you indulge us? Wendy Benson landis please? Um? So, out
Speaker 1: of the boy characters, who would you kiss? Who would
Speaker 1: you marry? And who would you kill? No? Kick to
Speaker 1: the curb? Sorry, we don't kill anybody here, Um kick
Speaker 1: to the curb? Well, hey, I'd kiss all of them.
Speaker 1: I mean, why not, They're all cute? Right? Maybe not?
Speaker 1: Can I say it? Vince Young? Yeah, hasn't come on
Speaker 1: the show yet that We've never had anyone come up
Speaker 1: with that name. What made you say that? Because he
Speaker 1: was my roommate, Tori what. Yes, when he moved to
Speaker 1: l A he lived with. Have you and I ever
Speaker 1: talked about this one? Yes? You're like, yes, yes, yes, okay,
Speaker 1: just kidding. Oh it's coming back now, Okay, okay, sorry, Wait,
Speaker 1: did you guys know each other through Vince? No? We
Speaker 1: knew each other through my friend, through our friend, Tammy Morgan,
Speaker 1: and then he because we had known each other since
Speaker 1: we were teenagers, like late teens. Yes, with Tammy, and
Speaker 1: then No, and then Vince. I don't know, I mean yeah,
Speaker 1: years later. I mean he lived with me for like
Speaker 1: six eight months before before he got you know, so
Speaker 1: he wasn't a good roommate. That's why you'd want to
Speaker 1: kick him to the curb. He was totally he was.
Speaker 1: He was. She's made a joke that I literally didn't
Speaker 1: get at first. I was just like, what, yes, we
Speaker 1: have circled backs? Yes, yes, okay, And who would you marry?
Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know any of them well enough,
Speaker 1: but just the character, so like Brandon or Dylan or
Speaker 1: I think Dylan probably would have probably been the one
Speaker 1: I liked the most. H Yeah, yeah, that's a common answer, yeah,
Speaker 1: sorry usually Okay, Wait did people recognize you from nine
Speaker 1: two one? Oh? Like from any after? How? Like I
Speaker 1: know you from somewhere, but I don't know what it
Speaker 1: is they do that and then so like now, the
Speaker 1: next generation, like my daughter's age kids a few years
Speaker 1: ago started I think after the second the reboot, they
Speaker 1: came back and they started watching the original, so that
Speaker 1: all of a sudden I had like young you know,
Speaker 1: my daughters they're probably fourteen fifteen at the time, would
Speaker 1: be like, oh my god, your mother was on ther Wridge,
Speaker 1: So that would that was that was kind of funny.
Speaker 1: And then I will every once in a while literally
Speaker 1: be like somebody will say you were on nine of
Speaker 1: two or no, and it's I mean, I'm staring right
Speaker 1: at you and you look exactly the same. You. You
Speaker 1: need to stand a little closer, do not in person?
Speaker 1: You'll be like, oh, yeah, she does have bad vision,
Speaker 1: but you do look great. My glasses on, I can
Speaker 1: see everything. What are you working on these days? Like
Speaker 1: do you have a project coming out? And just being
Speaker 1: a mom? I'm really being a mom. I've actually started
Speaker 1: writing a little bit. I have a have a nine
Speaker 1: dea that I don't know if I can write the
Speaker 1: entire thing, but I'd like to get it to a
Speaker 1: point where I could show it to somebody else that
Speaker 1: could write it. We have a lot of writer friends
Speaker 1: and like the people we hang out with mostly are
Speaker 1: funny enough. Are are a lot of very successful writers,
Speaker 1: so we you know, perfect of writing. I'm gonna I'm
Speaker 1: gonna try that well now to give him a little
Speaker 1: treatment or something something like, do you think you would
Speaker 1: go back to acting now that the kids are getting old? Tori?
Speaker 1: If anybody were to call, I would in a heartbeat,
Speaker 1: so you know, like I mean, it's just, you know,
Speaker 1: I feel like I never got famous enough to be
Speaker 1: able to have enough of the name right now where
Speaker 1: people are so every once in a while you say
Speaker 1: what I did. I also worked on a soap opera
Speaker 1: cup maybe last year, and that was kind of fun
Speaker 1: and nerve wracking because you have so many lines and
Speaker 1: you get one take. I was like, my god, my memory. Um,
Speaker 1: but yeah, so I would again like it's I think
Speaker 1: it's it's a wonderful profession, so that's not It is
Speaker 1: a hard business, though, once you have removed yourself to
Speaker 1: be a mom and be a wife and then try
Speaker 1: to go back, it is I would assume quite difficult.
Speaker 1: It is hard, but I also being removed, like I
Speaker 1: understand now why I wouldn't get certain jobs where I
Speaker 1: remember going like, well, why can't I play this? I
Speaker 1: can do this, And now you're like, no, you you
Speaker 1: actually look like a mother of college age kid who's
Speaker 1: making bake sale cookie. I mean like I get I
Speaker 1: get where you know, the typecasting and all of that
Speaker 1: stuff comes in, you know where I think I used
Speaker 1: to take so many things personally, Like I can play golf,
Speaker 1: I can be you know, a cop. I always wanted,
Speaker 1: always always wanted to. Really, yes, I want to play
Speaker 1: a cop too. That sounds fun. I don't think I
Speaker 1: could play a cop. I wouldn't be believing. I feel
Speaker 1: like we might have played cops on Mystery Girls, like
Speaker 1: as a joke, but I guess stripper cops or something. Yeah,
Speaker 1: are you sorry? Oh? Well, your two, your time is
Speaker 1: well spent for sure with your children. That's the I
Speaker 1: can ever have time with you guys too. It's really
Speaker 1: nice to reconnect with you and see you in in
Speaker 1: the flesh kind of Yes, you two give Michael my love.
Speaker 1: I will. I will, thank God, Thank you guys. This
Speaker 1: was really fun. Thank you for beank you, thank you
Speaker 1: for doing this so last minute to thank you. We
Speaker 1: appreciate it. Well, thank you. Not a lot going on,
Speaker 1: that's I can't be true. No, when you're a mom,
Speaker 1: you're always But yes I was. I was. It's either
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go cook dinner right, exactly. Good to see you.
Speaker 1: I'm sliding into your d M s later and get
Speaker 1: a refresher on the Vince Young story because I was
Speaker 1: probably drunk when you told me you you've, you've, you've
Speaker 1: put this away you you I probably yes, I mean,
Speaker 1: I know what you're probably gonna tell me, but yes,
Speaker 1: um and we'll always have um ringworm in common. Yeah,
Speaker 1: what a what a great connection. Yes, I know. I'm
Speaker 1: so happy that you remember that story too. I was
Speaker 1: never forget it. Nope, Wendy, thank you, thank you. Good
Speaker 1: to see you, to see you, by you, to be well.