WEBVTT - Didi DeStefano Meets World 0:00:17.880 --> 0:00:21.560 So we're potentially going to be doing a lot of 0:00:21.600 --> 0:00:25.840 live shows this year. Yeah. So I'm planning out, you know, 0:00:26.079 --> 0:00:29.479 my year with my wife and I have a I 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:32.920 have a draft of an email that I started during 0:00:32.960 --> 0:00:36.080 the pandemic that has expanded and I keep adding to 0:00:36.159 --> 0:00:38.280 which is all the places I want to travel to 0:00:38.960 --> 0:00:41.800 and all the things I want to see um. And 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:43.960 so I was referencing or trying figure out what where 0:00:43.960 --> 0:00:45.400 we're going to travel to this year and what we're 0:00:45.440 --> 0:00:47.960 gonna do um, And it made me curious, do you 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:50.839 guys have like places that you can't wait to go 0:00:50.960 --> 0:00:53.199 to or like the number one? Because for me, like 0:00:53.479 --> 0:00:56.480 number one personally, I can I just want to go 0:00:56.520 --> 0:01:01.920 to Japan so bad, and no, I am dying to go, 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:04.440 but it's you know, I just I just I. But 0:01:04.480 --> 0:01:06.000 I have so many other trips that I want to 0:01:06.000 --> 0:01:07.880 do with Indie before he leaves. Because that's the other 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:11.039 thing is I'm realizing kids already eight, I only got 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:14.280 like eight more or ten more summer vacations where we 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:17.120 can travel together. So I have to prioritize based on like, 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:18.959 you know, activities we can do or things I want 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:22.080 to experience with him. And so Japan might have to 0:01:22.080 --> 0:01:24.479 wait till after he's out of the house, but that's 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:27.000 like my number one spot, South Africa. I can't wait 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:29.720 to go to South Africa at some point. Yeah. Do 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:34.000 you guys have places like that? Are what do you got? Well? 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:36.120 I also really want to go to Japan. We were 0:01:36.240 --> 0:01:38.120 going to go to Japan for my fortieth that was 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:40.800 going to be my fortieth birthday gift from husband producer 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:45.400 Jensen carp but I was then pregnant and I was like, 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:47.680 I don't really want to go to Japan when I'm pregnant, 0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:49.840 and you know so, and we ended up not doing that. 0:01:49.840 --> 0:01:52.200 So Japan is on my list. But then also there 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:54.840 are things like I want to play golf in Scotland, 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:57.400 so like that's that's one of my things. I also 0:01:57.520 --> 0:02:01.440 want to drive on the Audubon um, so I have 0:02:01.520 --> 0:02:04.160 like things like that that are like bucketless things for me. 0:02:04.520 --> 0:02:11.080 I once saw the Northern lights from from Banff in Canada. Yeah, 0:02:11.520 --> 0:02:14.600 but it wasn't like it was like what's that out there? 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:16.280 And then it was like, oh my gosh, those are 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:19.280 the Northern lights and it was, um it was like 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:21.600 you know, kind of hazy, like it was definitely the 0:02:21.600 --> 0:02:24.280 Northern Lights, but it wasn't like that experience you think 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:26.000 of when you see the Northern Lights, and so I 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:28.120 want to just even seeing the little bit of it 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:31.200 that I saw. I want to specifically do al go 0:02:31.240 --> 0:02:33.080 on a trip to see the Northern I would recommend 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:36.320 Iceland because I saw them in Iceland, and Iceland's great 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:38.400 to visit anyway, and they do boat trips or they 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:39.959 take you out over the water and you can see 0:02:39.960 --> 0:02:42.760 them Morthern Lights. You go at the right time of year. Yeah. 0:02:42.800 --> 0:02:46.040 So I did Japan. Japan's beautiful place. Um driving on 0:02:46.080 --> 0:02:51.040 the Japan did the whole country ben Japan. I did Japan. Um. 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:53.120 The driving on the Audubonna is insane and a ton 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:56.480 of fun. Oh my god, really you've done that. Of course. 0:02:56.520 --> 0:02:58.440 My whole family lives in Germany, so that's I mean, 0:02:58.520 --> 0:03:01.040 my cousins, everybody. They're still outside of Hamburg, so we 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:04.040 go often. So cool. Haven't played golf in Scotland, but 0:03:04.080 --> 0:03:07.200 spent some time there. We're going back this year, which 0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:10.239 is going to be our big trip. The Northern Lights 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:13.519 is second on my list. I was supposed to see 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:16.000 them last year in February in Fairbanks, Alaska, which they 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:18.440 say is actually the best place to see them. And 0:03:18.480 --> 0:03:20.360 then I had to cancel. I was going for a convention. 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:22.880 I had to cancel it. Um. But the number one 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:25.160 on my list has always been I want to touch 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:30.600 the pyramids in Egypt. I know, I know, are you 0:03:30.639 --> 0:03:33.600 allowed to touch them? I don't know, They're the rub 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:36.680 I've done some cool things. I snuck under the stupid stuff, 0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:39.560 but like, you know, snuck under the fence and hung 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:42.520 my legs over the the Grand Canyon, And I mean 0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:45.800 I've done some stuff where it's it's been pretty neat. Um. 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:51.040 But yeah, Japan amazing, China's really nice. The parts I saw, Um, 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:54.240 But you've always been a big history buff and an archeology. 0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:59.360 The Pyramids, the pyramids and just kind of the whole 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:02.840 value of the kings are are so up there for 0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:05.520 me right now, it's yeah, I would absolutely love to 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:07.400 do that. But Sue and I, it's so funny because 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:10.200 we're the type of people where we love to travel, 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:12.680 but ten twelve days and that's our limit. We are 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:14.280 not like I want to be gone for a month 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:15.720 and a half, Like I'm not that we want to 0:04:15.760 --> 0:04:18.680 get home, back to back to our house, I know, writer, Right, 0:04:18.760 --> 0:04:21.040 I just go to New Zealand for an entire summer, 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:23.800 right right? Yeah, well that's the other thing. I do 0:04:23.880 --> 0:04:27.440 think I could probably do that, like really moved somewhere 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:29.760 and know I'm there for an extended period of time, 0:04:29.800 --> 0:04:32.000 and so I'm going to make a home here. Yeah. 0:04:32.000 --> 0:04:34.159 But I agree with you writer that I mean will 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:38.040 if it's if it's a vacation really like eleven days 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:40.240 is and I start to get to a point where 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:43.120 I'm like, I miss my routine, I miss my stuff 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:45.279 being in my spot where I'm used to it being, 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:48.120 because we are big on that everything has a place yep. 0:04:48.600 --> 0:04:50.280 So yeah, I want to live on the road, just 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:52.240 throw it all. I would not have a house if 0:04:52.279 --> 0:04:53.600 it was up to me. Oh no, yeah, I need 0:04:53.720 --> 0:04:55.480 I need the space. But that's what I mean. Obviously. 0:04:55.480 --> 0:04:57.080 The dream that Sue and I have is we have 0:04:57.160 --> 0:05:00.320 like an apartment in either Amsterdam or London and that's 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:02.760 your home base and then you just blanket the rest 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:08.080 of Europe. You want an apartment in Amsterdam that I 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:12.320 know somebody may be able to help you write apartment writer, 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:15.239 Can you very quickly for me just say the line 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:16.640 in Dutch? That you said on the show. Do you 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:19.800 still remember what it is? Yes? In Fight to Auditing, 0:05:19.880 --> 0:05:23.280 you see this to Coop right, is there no? Yeah? 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:28.840 In Fight to this is everyone remember the Airbnb or 0:05:28.920 --> 0:05:32.520 Airbnb the B and B episode and I spoke two 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:34.760 lines of Dutch, hoy hit did the loop and Z 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:40.640 for yourself? I mean air and see how light it is? Yeah, 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:43.840 we went to Amsterdam together. It was the only Dutch 0:05:43.880 --> 0:05:47.159 we spoke. So we were on the airplane saying it 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:50.080 back and forth, did the loot? And then you would 0:05:50.120 --> 0:05:52.599 say it when we'd go to like museums or wherever 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:54.800 we'd be out. I'd be like, oh, we should do 0:05:54.839 --> 0:06:06.040 this yourself. And Coop means for oh my gosh, wow, 0:06:06.800 --> 0:06:09.840 oh wow, wow wow. Welcome to Pod Meets World. I'm 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:14.039 Danielle Fischel, I'm writer Strong, and I'm Willfordale. So today's 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:18.160 episode is we are thrilled to have this guest. Dedi 0:06:18.240 --> 0:06:20.520 to Stephano is a name that has organically come up 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:23.280 on this podcast numerous times and we've been waiting for 0:06:23.440 --> 0:06:25.720 the perfect time for her to join us, and today is, 0:06:25.800 --> 0:06:28.360 luckily that day. Dedi is one of the rare crew 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:31.400 members who includes actors who worked on Boy Meets World 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:34.799 from the unaired pilot right up until the series finale, 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:36.800 and then she even came back and joined us for 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:39.520 one season of Girl Meets World. She was the stage 0:06:39.520 --> 0:06:42.640 assistant on the Ben Savage pilot and then eventually became 0:06:42.680 --> 0:06:45.680 the third and then second stage manager for Boy Meets World. 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:48.160 And we weren't the only show she worked on. We 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:51.400 were just the best, so that, in addition to her 0:06:51.400 --> 0:06:53.600 tireless work on Boy, she was one of our friends 0:06:53.640 --> 0:06:55.919 and a face we could trust, and we just still 0:06:55.960 --> 0:06:58.640 absolutely love her and trust her to this day. So 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:09.360 please welcome to the show. D D to Stephano Hello, Hello, Wow, 0:07:09.480 --> 0:07:12.960 wonderful to see you. Wonderful. I really I don't know 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:15.800 how it's possible that every time we interview somebody that 0:07:15.840 --> 0:07:18.760 we've known for thirty years, they turn on their camera 0:07:18.800 --> 0:07:20.720 and I'm like, wait a minute, you look exactly the 0:07:20.760 --> 0:07:24.520 way you did. Yes, yes, since i've known you, well, 0:07:26.120 --> 0:07:29.160 you had you know, you were all young, and I 0:07:29.200 --> 0:07:32.360 think you had ideas of what we looked like, and 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:34.920 now we just fell into a vie. We thought you 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:38.280 were old then, is that what you're saying? Okay, yeah, 0:07:38.440 --> 0:07:41.640 I think that's true to like you know, because I, 0:07:41.880 --> 0:07:44.360 like DD, I would have assumed, which is so weird 0:07:44.360 --> 0:07:46.040 to think about. But I probably assumed that you were 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:49.080 the same age as like my parents, which isn't the 0:07:49.120 --> 0:07:51.600 case at all. Like you were much younger than my parents, right, 0:07:51.840 --> 0:07:53.920 I mean, I don't know. I can't. I don't know 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:56.679 how old your parents are, but I tell my classes 0:07:56.720 --> 0:07:59.559 I'm one hundred years old. So did that? My parents 0:07:59.560 --> 0:08:04.000 were born in nineteen thirteen. Wow, So my education and 0:08:04.120 --> 0:08:08.960 film goes even before that. Wow. You guys remember some 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:10.760 of you. I used to get on you all the 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:15.000 time on stage about learn the history of your craft. Yeah, 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:19.160 this is not what acting is. Please find out about 0:08:20.840 --> 0:08:24.480 who is responsible for you now? And I still say 0:08:24.520 --> 0:08:26.920 the same things to my students today and they look 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:31.480 at me blankly, like what are you talking? Black and white? Yes, 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:37.120 thank you to do that. You know, am I remembering correctly? DD? 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:39.640 Did you have a sign or a bumper sticker or 0:08:39.679 --> 0:08:45.800 something that said theater is life? Film? Wait? Was it was? 0:08:45.880 --> 0:08:48.600 It was? Film is art, theater is life, Film is 0:08:48.679 --> 0:08:54.280 artsion furniture. That wasn't. Oh my god, that's so funny 0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:57.240 that you remember that. Yeah, because I was always kind 0:08:57.240 --> 0:08:59.160 of confused by it. I was like, are we making 0:08:59.200 --> 0:09:02.120 fun of television on our show? For work making a 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:06.680 television show? You were you were talking about TV. People 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:09.080 didn't catch it, But that's okay. You know what. I 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:12.800 loved television, Yeah, I absolutely love it. And I've listened 0:09:12.840 --> 0:09:15.440 to you Will talking about how much you love the 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:20.840 sitcom format and all of that, and um, it's the 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:23.240 same way with me. But I go so far back. 0:09:23.240 --> 0:09:26.920 When they talk about the golden Age of television, we're 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:29.520 talking about people that you've never heard of, Ernie Kovac's 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:35.800 Oh yeah, I mean these were when television first started. 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:39.679 And that's when I started to appreciate it. Aside from 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:42.160 the fact that my mother had been an actress and 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:48.360 all of that. They indoctrinated me and my sister about film, 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:51.880 about television, about entertainment. That was what life was all about. 0:09:53.000 --> 0:09:56.280 I took to it more than my sister did. And 0:09:56.440 --> 0:09:59.960 for me, Um, when we would go to the movie 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:02.720 when we were little kids, my mother loved all of 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:09.280 these oh these Roman type of warrior movies and you know, 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:11.840 they'd be in the middle of somewhere and they'd slice 0:10:11.880 --> 0:10:14.480 off an arm and you know, or whatever. They were 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:16.839 gruesome for like a six year old kid to watch, 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:19.680 and I remember, Mommy, I don't want to go to 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:22.000 that movie anymore. And she said to me, let me 0:10:22.000 --> 0:10:25.600 tell you how it's done, and she explained special effects 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:29.080 to me. And from that point on, every film that 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:32.040 I sat in, I sat with my arms crossed, judging 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:36.839 that wasn't very good. Yeah, I believe that, and that's 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:39.760 when I needed to get behind the camera. My mother 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:42.480 warned me and my sister don't ever get into entertainment, 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:45.600 and don't get into television or film. It'll break your heart. 0:10:46.200 --> 0:10:48.200 And so I went into television and my sister went 0:10:48.240 --> 0:11:02.080 into radio. Well, I actually want to talk about your 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:05.760 entry point into TV production because it's pretty unorthodox. So 0:11:05.800 --> 0:11:08.719 what was your first job at ABC? My first job 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:15.040 at ABC, I managed the payroll department. When I wow, 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:22.240 and as I talked to your husband, the producer earlier, 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:25.040 I was brought up where my parents said, you can't 0:11:25.080 --> 0:11:27.640 make change out of a dime. You know, you're an idiot, 0:11:27.679 --> 0:11:32.160 and I really believed it. I couldn't And my parents 0:11:32.280 --> 0:11:34.880 told you that. Well, that was one of the nicer 0:11:34.920 --> 0:11:39.960 things that they've said to me. Okay, but anyway, okay, anyway, 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:41.839 let me tell you how I got the name d D. 0:11:42.000 --> 0:11:47.040 One day, i'll tell you about that. But anyway, his 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:52.000 job opened up at ABC, and there were two jobs, 0:11:52.280 --> 0:11:54.000 and one of them was a lot of fun, and 0:11:54.040 --> 0:11:56.520 one of them was they had a payroll department. And 0:11:56.559 --> 0:11:59.240 I knew that I did not know anything about money, 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:02.400 but I had I had to prove to these people 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:04.920 that I wasn't just a piece of fluff that wanted 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:08.120 to get into television and entertainment. I was not one 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:10.920 of those that I actually had a brain. So that's 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:15.000 what I did, and surprisingly enough, my parents were wrong. 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:19.720 I had an incredible attitude for MAC and within months 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:22.720 they started moving me around into different departments at ABC 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:26.560 and moving up and around, and that was Did you 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:29.480 ever think you'd end up working on sets? Oh? That 0:12:29.600 --> 0:12:32.120 was my goal. That was my goal. Yeah, because I 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:36.760 was in the production office and every time I went 0:12:36.840 --> 0:12:38.760 down on a set, because I was always on sets 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:44.000 at ABC all the time, and I used to watch 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:48.360 every department what did everybody do? Because there's so many 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:52.080 jobs on set that people aren't aware of. Ye, I think, 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:55.600 you know, O, G, I want to become an electrician 0:12:55.960 --> 0:12:58.600 And they go to work at Irving Schmutz's electric shop. 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:03.560 They don't realize they can become an electric electrician in entertainment, right, 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:07.320 you can do whatever. These the crypts, the lights, the everything, 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:14.440 And I think, I'm sorry, crush, you can. I have 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:17.960 told everybody over the years, pick a job, and it 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:23.880 exists within the studio system. Firement. We have fire departments 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:27.360 on his studios. Yea, and no matter what it is, 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:29.800 want to dig a ditch, dig a ditch on a 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:32.480 cold stage instead of out in the middle of a freeway, 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:37.320 right right, you know, find your place. But anyway, um, 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:39.880 so you were put in charge of like full departments, 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:42.200 like hair and makeup departments, and you were just like 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:47.079 overseeing that. Yes, yes, I was scheduling the hair and 0:13:47.400 --> 0:13:51.760 makeup and wardial people for every show that came into ABC. Wow. Wow, well, 0:13:51.880 --> 0:13:53.280 can I do you mind if I asked when when 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:54.719 was this? Like? What were some of the shows that 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:58.760 you were involved in back in the day, Everything from 0:13:59.080 --> 0:14:01.560 oh God, whatever we did on the ABC block from 0:14:01.640 --> 0:14:07.720 Webster to Facts of Life. Who's the Boss? Well that 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:10.440 was later yeah, that was later on with Who's the Boss. 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:13.920 I even worked on the Dolly parton pilot, but it 0:14:14.000 --> 0:14:18.880 wasn't Dolly Parton, it was their sister. Oh wow, incredible 0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:22.480 things Webster. I think I mentioned that, just all kinds 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:24.640 of shows. So I did that for a while. But 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:28.560 at the same time, when they saw that I was 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:32.600 smarter than I looked, they started putting me in charge 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:39.040 of special entertainment. So that was the Academy Awards, the 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:44.200 American Music Award, anything that, yeah, whatever. ABC always did 0:14:44.200 --> 0:14:47.160 the Academy Awards. So I did that show for eight years. 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:50.880 They always did the American Music Awards. It was at 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:53.480 Clark Production. I did that for eight years. One year 0:14:53.520 --> 0:14:55.400 we got the Emmys. I did that. One year we've 0:14:55.440 --> 0:14:58.200 got the Grammys. I got that. So I've always been 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:01.880 like in the middle of everything. That is like one 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.440 area of production that I would never want to be 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:07.320 a part of. Like Awards show scared the crap out 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:09.120 of me, Like because you have to do everything live, 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:12.680 there's so many guests, there's an actual audience. It's just 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:16.440 like the fact that those shows get pulled off without 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:21.240 a hitch. Most of the times there's usually musical accent 0:15:22.720 --> 0:15:26.240 yes or so it's such a high wire act of craziness. Like, yeah, 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:28.440 I can't imagine. I can't imagine. I don't want to 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:32.240 tell of preparation. And what they would do is they 0:15:32.240 --> 0:15:36.400 would build my office right off the stage, so everything 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:38.200 was happening right on the other side of the wall 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:40.880 on my office. And then when it came to the show, 0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:45.960 everybody had a spot for me, and I was stage 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:49.280 right right behind the curtain. So for those years of 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:51.720 all of the eighties, you know, I would say, well, 0:15:51.760 --> 0:15:54.360 look stage right behind the curtain. That's where I'm standing 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:59.240 with stunky little clipboard. You know, in doing that, I 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:03.320 had become very very jaded. I was tired. I'd done 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:05.600 a lot of it. There was so much work involved, 0:16:06.560 --> 0:16:09.560 and I did. I had become very jaded. And this 0:16:09.760 --> 0:16:12.240 one day I'm backstage in the middle of the show 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:16.520 and I'm just looking at my watch, like when is 0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:19.600 this going to be over? And I don't know if 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:22.240 you know who this actor is, but it was Carrie Grand. 0:16:22.720 --> 0:16:24.840 He was standing right across from me, right he was 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:27.440 looking at me, and he strikes up conversation with me 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:31.320 like a lot of them did. And as I'm talking 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:35.480 to him, I'm thinking, this is Carrie Grand. And most 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:37.720 people would sell their mothers just to be in the 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:41.280 same vicinity as Carrie Grant and he's talking to me 0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:44.200 and we're having this one on one wonderful. Oh my god, 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:48.560 I'm at the Academy Awards. My life is more and 0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:56.080 I credit Carrie with saving my peace of mind throughout that. Yeah, yeah, 0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:58.800 it was wonderful. Well, eventually you ended up having kind 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:02.560 of a disappointing experience. Happened over at ABC. Do you 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:07.040 want to talk about that? It was I started one 0:17:07.080 --> 0:17:12.080 of the very first sexual harassment lawsuits against the major network. 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:14.800 This was a very long time ago, and nobody really 0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:16.280 knew what to do with me at the time that 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:19.560 with that lawsuit had scared them and I was just 0:17:19.720 --> 0:17:24.520 me and I was fighting the network and for you. 0:17:24.720 --> 0:17:28.919 Oh my god, that's five years of litigation. She was 0:17:28.960 --> 0:17:32.960 trying to tell me that I was crazy because it's 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:38.040 okay for a man to grab a woman, and especially 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:40.720 the girls that he works with. Anyway, they tried to 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:42.919 say that I was a little nuts about that, and 0:17:42.960 --> 0:17:48.080 I had issues. And eventually when the thing finally settled, 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:53.520 because I stated at ABC during the litigation, it was 0:17:54.280 --> 0:17:57.679 really very difficult and I did not sue for money. 0:17:57.720 --> 0:18:00.840 I sued for purpose. I wanted some, but he removed. 0:18:01.040 --> 0:18:03.960 He was in charge of twelve women and he was 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:06.919 doing disgusting things, and so I wanted him removed from 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:09.639 his position. I didn't hear about money, but they didn't 0:18:09.640 --> 0:18:11.600 remove him, and that was it, and they moved me. 0:18:12.640 --> 0:18:15.600 I was you know, that's the way it was. You know, 0:18:16.720 --> 0:18:20.280 this was decades before me too. Yeah. And then I 0:18:20.280 --> 0:18:24.040 went to work for Shelley Duvolve on her film's Fairytale 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:28.480 Theater and Nightmare Classic stuff like that. I did that, 0:18:28.920 --> 0:18:34.320 and then it was Arlene Grayson. I had known Arlene 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:37.280 for years from the time that I was working at ABC, 0:18:38.200 --> 0:18:41.480 and she said, hey, we got this pilot. You know 0:18:41.560 --> 0:18:44.560 you want to come work on it? And yeah, sure, okay, 0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:47.000 I had no idea. What was you know, was it 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:51.879 the untitled Ben Savage project at that time exactly? And 0:18:51.960 --> 0:18:55.359 everybody was like, who's that? Who is this? So yeah, 0:18:55.400 --> 0:18:58.720 there was That was when I joined the group. And 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:02.160 you came into Boy Meets World. Your first position, because 0:19:02.200 --> 0:19:04.840 you worked your way through many different positions on Boy 0:19:04.880 --> 0:19:07.720 Meet's World, but your first position was stage manager, right 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:12.720 stage assistant. Stage Yeah. I hadn't joined Director's Guild yet, Okay, 0:19:12.760 --> 0:19:16.720 so I was always backstage. Yeah, you know, the liaison 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:19.280 between the director. I was working a lot with David 0:19:19.320 --> 0:19:23.399 Trainer and those day and and the production office and 0:19:23.520 --> 0:19:25.760 you know, just getting all that stuff and you had 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:32.080 your own stand like on wed podium. Yes, it was 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:35.080 such a like nexus point for all of us. I 0:19:35.119 --> 0:19:38.040 feel like that that it was was where we were. 0:19:38.080 --> 0:19:40.320 It was like between craft service and walking around to 0:19:40.359 --> 0:19:43.280 the front of the stage was DD's domain and let 0:19:43.359 --> 0:19:45.199 so we just all sit there and talk and like 0:19:45.320 --> 0:19:48.080 catch up and like it was just on one of 0:19:48.119 --> 0:19:51.040 my you know, most cherished memories of my time on 0:19:51.080 --> 0:19:54.440 Boy Meets World conversations with you, like, yeah, that podium 0:19:54.640 --> 0:19:57.480 so much fun means a lot, thank you. Oh my god, 0:19:57.520 --> 0:19:59.320 I have so many fun memories. It meant a lot 0:19:59.320 --> 0:20:01.680 to me, it really did. It was It was important 0:20:01.680 --> 0:20:05.159 to me. And you guys were so important to me 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:08.639 because I mean, you were young, and I knew what 0:20:08.720 --> 0:20:12.680 the business was. Don't forget that. You may be talking 0:20:12.720 --> 0:20:16.040 about it now and saying, oh, how could they? But 0:20:17.720 --> 0:20:21.160 I came from a time that was so ugly that 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:23.520 by the time you got on stage it was much 0:20:23.600 --> 0:20:26.880 much better, much right, Yeah, and now it's even better 0:20:27.040 --> 0:20:31.000 than it was then, exactly exactly the way they took 0:20:31.080 --> 0:20:34.760 advantage of actors, whether it was adults or kids or anything. 0:20:35.040 --> 0:20:37.800 It was a really dirty business. And I was worried 0:20:38.040 --> 0:20:40.439 for you guys. So that's all. I just tried to 0:20:40.480 --> 0:20:45.840 be that person. You know you were. You were totally 0:20:45.880 --> 0:20:47.760 that person for us. You were you were you You 0:20:47.800 --> 0:20:50.680 made it easier for everything, even just you know, getting 0:20:50.720 --> 0:20:53.239 on set and getting to work and all that kind 0:20:53.280 --> 0:20:54.719 of stuff. You always let us know that you were 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:57.200 there for whatever we needed. And you know, you just 0:20:57.200 --> 0:20:59.879 made it very easy in a way, Ddy because of 0:21:00.040 --> 0:21:03.200 your position, you know, because you know, we talk about 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:05.840 somebody who had a great influence on us, like David Traynor, 0:21:05.920 --> 0:21:08.800 but like David never met our parents for instance. You know, 0:21:08.920 --> 0:21:11.960 like like, but you would talk to our parents. You 0:21:12.000 --> 0:21:15.800 knew our parents are siblings, everything about us, You knew 0:21:15.840 --> 0:21:19.640 everything about our you know, because we would Yeah we 0:21:19.640 --> 0:21:22.520 weren't working, we were talking, or we weren't working, or 0:21:22.560 --> 0:21:25.119 we weren't in school, we were hanging out with you. Yeah. 0:21:25.280 --> 0:21:27.320 That's what I remember more than anything, is like just 0:21:27.400 --> 0:21:29.920 how many you know, all those conversations and like, yeah, 0:21:29.960 --> 0:21:32.480 you were such a source of because you knew everything 0:21:32.480 --> 0:21:33.879 that was going on on set, you know everything that 0:21:33.920 --> 0:21:36.199 was going on production wise, because you were savvy to 0:21:36.240 --> 0:21:38.280 all the actual work, but then you also knew what 0:21:38.320 --> 0:21:40.959 was going on with everybody personally. Yeah, it's such an 0:21:40.960 --> 0:21:46.760 interesting position. Yeah, that's when Dan Yale started calling me Deeds. Yeah. Yeah, 0:21:46.840 --> 0:21:53.119 thirty years What do you remember from taping the original pilot? 0:21:53.160 --> 0:21:55.720 Do you remember feeling like that you had a feeling 0:21:55.720 --> 0:21:57.040 one way or the other about whether or not it 0:21:57.080 --> 0:22:00.159 was going to get picked up? I know this, I 0:22:00.280 --> 0:22:03.880 don't remember. I remember a quote you said, Oh my god, 0:22:03.920 --> 0:22:07.119 I don't know that. I don't know that it is 0:22:07.160 --> 0:22:17.159 on the final What did you guys have last I 0:22:17.200 --> 0:22:20.399 had worked on several shows, several pilots, and all of 0:22:20.400 --> 0:22:23.160 that by this time. So at the end of this 0:22:23.480 --> 0:22:25.960 I said, this sucker is never going to go anywhere. 0:22:27.080 --> 0:22:31.080 Start writing something new, Michael, Oh my god, this is 0:22:31.119 --> 0:22:34.120 going to hit like a lead bomb. And you said 0:22:34.359 --> 0:22:36.119 on the video You're like, nothing's going to happen with 0:22:36.160 --> 0:22:41.800 this bomb. That's what I remember, and um so I 0:22:41.840 --> 0:22:43.960 was so delighted, you know, when it came back and 0:22:44.000 --> 0:22:45.800