Speaker 1: And that's the coolest thing about actors. We can keep
Speaker 1: learning and going and getting better. And an acting coach
Speaker 1: told me that as athletes, they can't their bodies give out.
Speaker 1: With us, they don't. We can keep going. You just
Speaker 1: keep getting better, and like, yeah, I kind of like that.
Speaker 1: We can just be like seventy and keep doing it.
Speaker 1: We're superior specimens to athletes. Basically, that's where my brain
Speaker 1: just took that that I'm going to carry with me
Speaker 1: from here on. Please do hi. I'm jessica's Or and
Speaker 1: I played Vanessa Abrams on Gossip Girl and I am
Speaker 1: now hosting my own podcast x O x O. Hello everybody,
Speaker 1: and welcome again to your favorite podcast. Well at least
Speaker 1: it's my favorite podcast, Off the Beat. I am your host,
Speaker 1: Brian baum Gartner. Today is an exciting day. Now why
Speaker 1: is an exciting day? It is International Women's Day, and
Speaker 1: I am told the traditional gift on International Women's Day
Speaker 1: is to record a special episode with a talented and
Speaker 1: funny woman like my guest, Jessica Zor. This interview may
Speaker 1: surprise you a bit, I mean not her. She herself
Speaker 1: is precisely the type of person, an actor, that you
Speaker 1: would expect on this show. You know her from shows
Speaker 1: like Gossip Girl, Complications, Shameless, or The Orville. But the
Speaker 1: thing that might surprise you a little bit is that, well,
Speaker 1: jess and I are very good friends, like came to
Speaker 1: my wedding. Good friends, like gave her mom a foot rub.
Speaker 1: Good friends. Wait was you don't have a friend like that?
Speaker 1: Well you'll see what I mean. She is also the
Speaker 1: host of her very own podcast, XO x O, which
Speaker 1: in fact is brought to you by the same incredible
Speaker 1: team behind this podcast. Oh well, you know it's good.
Speaker 1: Please welcome fellow podcaster and one of my favorite people
Speaker 1: on the planet. Jessica Zor Bubble and Squeak. I love it,
Speaker 1: Bubble and squeaker Bubble and squeaker cookie, every moment left
Speaker 1: over from the nut before. Am I coming at Hi?
Speaker 1: Just what I'm like surrounded by you? I have your
Speaker 1: book here, your Christmas card with your beautiful girls. Oh,
Speaker 1: I mean, I am everywhere. It's so good to see you.
Speaker 1: I didn't want to call you before we were doing
Speaker 1: this because I wanted I said the same thing, like
Speaker 1: I'm gonna call it, and I'm like, you know what,
Speaker 1: we won't. And we've always for as long as we've
Speaker 1: known each other and been friends. I feel like when
Speaker 1: I talked to her see you, it's like we were
Speaker 1: just hanging out last week. I know. So what are
Speaker 1: we the most unlikely duo in all of Hollywood? I
Speaker 1: feel like we are. Oh my god, I love it. No,
Speaker 1: I mean seriously, I want to talk about it a
Speaker 1: little bit. How we got to know each other. But
Speaker 1: you and I, I mean again, now this is pre pandemic. Yeah,
Speaker 1: we we were like going to any parties together. What
Speaker 1: were people thinking about this? I don't know, but I honestly,
Speaker 1: those were the most fun times I've had. Papa was
Speaker 1: always with us and Celeste, and even now when they
Speaker 1: come up, I'm like, if I'm not gonna be with
Speaker 1: you three, it's not the same. No offense to anyone
Speaker 1: that's come with me the other years. But I always
Speaker 1: have the most fun with you because you guys, don't
Speaker 1: you have fun if you don't take anything too seriously.
Speaker 1: But that's also why I think we always connected and
Speaker 1: like became friends right away. Like we're serious about what
Speaker 1: we do and our families and things like that and
Speaker 1: our work, but we also like we like see what
Speaker 1: it all is too We're not like too serious about it,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean? Yes, I mean you have
Speaker 1: to be slightly more serious on the red carpet than
Speaker 1: I do. Let's be on. But it's crazy. I was
Speaker 1: thinking about those early days and looking over your career
Speaker 1: and stuff, and I don't think that I was fully
Speaker 1: aware we started hanging out very quickly after Gossip Girl started. Yes,
Speaker 1: like it had to have been like two thousand seven,
Speaker 1: two thousand right in there, right for sure, which I
Speaker 1: was trying to go down because we also, like obviously
Speaker 1: with Will being a mutual friend of ours, someone I
Speaker 1: grew up with who's also a dear friend of Brian's,
Speaker 1: our friend Will Monady, who's a legend and an amazing person.
Speaker 1: But I couldn't like pinpoint exactly the time we met,
Speaker 1: because I truly feel Brian like we've been friends for
Speaker 1: a lifetime, and although going back to two thousand seven,
Speaker 1: it's a very long time, but even I remember, like
Speaker 1: I don't remember specifically, but I know the feeling. I
Speaker 1: was like, Wow, this guy is super dope, super cool,
Speaker 1: down to earth. We were both Packer fans, which is
Speaker 1: nice from Atlanta, which is everybody she called. She called
Speaker 1: me dope. She called me dope. She called me dope.
Speaker 1: Here's one of my earliest memories. All right, I was
Speaker 1: on this television show called The Office, which is the
Speaker 1: opposite of the Gossip Girl experience. So we're in New
Speaker 1: York and I don't remember if this is the first
Speaker 1: time I met you or very early on, but we
Speaker 1: are at an establishment and there is a general consensus
Speaker 1: and this is you, this is some of your other castmates.
Speaker 1: This is our friend Will Malnati of the Malnati Pizza
Speaker 1: Empire and now he's taking over the world of media. Yes,
Speaker 1: and we decided we're going to go to another establishment,
Speaker 1: which is literally one block away. Okay, it is around
Speaker 1: a corner, but it is like directly behind where we are.
Speaker 1: And everyone is like, yeah, We're gonna go get in
Speaker 1: a limo. And I'm like, what, why are we get
Speaker 1: to get it? Why are we getting in a limo?
Speaker 1: And because I wasn't into the whole paparazzi scene at
Speaker 1: this point, I didn't know what was going on, so
Speaker 1: we we pile it a limo. Your mom is there, Okay,
Speaker 1: this is crucial to the story. Your mom is there
Speaker 1: and is sitting next to me, and her feet are hurting.
Speaker 1: This is early on and suddenly I'm giving your mom
Speaker 1: a foot missile in a limo for exactly one block
Speaker 1: ride around the corner. I'm like, okay, all right, I
Speaker 1: guess this is what we're doing here. I am like laughing.
Speaker 1: First of all, my mom loves a foot rub, obviously,
Speaker 1: but that I remember that, Oh my god. And you're
Speaker 1: not you guys, he is not joking. We literally probably
Speaker 1: getting that many people into the limo took more time
Speaker 1: than if we just walked there. But is it because
Speaker 1: of paparazzi? Oh well, hunter? And I was like, why
Speaker 1: are we not why are we not walking? Yes, but
Speaker 1: the paparazzi was a thing for you guys. Um, all right,
Speaker 1: we're gonna get into that. So my mom is gonna
Speaker 1: die laughing right now. Hey, listen, all I do is
Speaker 1: speak truth. You're off the beat. I speak off the
Speaker 1: beat truth, all right. So you're from Manominee Falls, which,
Speaker 1: by the way, if you know that song Manomonie Beep,
Speaker 1: that's all I can think of whenever I hear Monomonie Falls.
Speaker 1: What is that the Muppet show Beep? It's not about
Speaker 1: the city, it's just the same sounds. I'm an idiot. Um,
Speaker 1: so you're from there and a big fan of the
Speaker 1: Green Bay Packers. Yes, now you bet you're a Packers
Speaker 1: fan from birth. Yeah. Basically, if you're from Wisconsin, you
Speaker 1: you are just you're a Packers fan, You're a Bucks fan,
Speaker 1: you're a Brewers fan. There's no you don't have another option. Really.
Speaker 1: I also think it's funny. It's like the Packers like
Speaker 1: packing cheese, Brewers like beer, Bucks like Hunting. I'm like,
Speaker 1: we got some real, real cool names for our sports team,
Speaker 1: but you know, people like to drink Hunting, eat cheese,
Speaker 1: eat cheese. Wisconsin period, Cheddar. So you're from Wisconsin, you're
Speaker 1: a Packers fan, and obviously we have bonded over that.
Speaker 1: But how did that happen? One that was like points
Speaker 1: in my book right away, like from Jump but like
Speaker 1: from Atlanta, but also a Packer fan. That doesn't happen often. No,
Speaker 1: I mean, look, it really was about the relationship with
Speaker 1: UM twelve Mr Rogers. I. Early on, he and I
Speaker 1: started becoming better and better friends, and I was following
Speaker 1: them and I was going to Green Bay and you know,
Speaker 1: I was a fan of the Falcons, the at but
Speaker 1: I was like, what am I doing? Am I going
Speaker 1: to sort of just stay fans of this team that
Speaker 1: I grew up with that I don't get to see anymore?
Speaker 1: Or am I going to root for my friend and
Speaker 1: then through him? I've met so many awesome guys and gals,
Speaker 1: not just on the team, but people from Green Bay. So,
Speaker 1: you know, a j Hawk is a great friend of
Speaker 1: mine now, and Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb and you know,
Speaker 1: a bunch of the guys. And then going to the Games,
Speaker 1: I spent a bunch of time with the people of
Speaker 1: Green Bay and I just fell in love with it.
Speaker 1: I fell in love with the city. I fell in
Speaker 1: love with the people. I fell in love with the
Speaker 1: organization and how they do their business. And so I'm
Speaker 1: I'm all in yeah, And once you are like a fan,
Speaker 1: you don't have a choice. Now, Brian, it's done. So
Speaker 1: it's done. I'm shooting promotional videos for them, and I
Speaker 1: know I don't know um. In fact, now we're going
Speaker 1: story time again. I'm gonna remind you Jess and I
Speaker 1: were together for this excluding rubbing her mom's feet, one
Speaker 1: of the weirdest nights ever and also one of the
Speaker 1: greatest sports memories of my life. So we were in
Speaker 1: Dallas when Green Bay won the Super Bowl and had
Speaker 1: a crazy snowstorm in the city shutdown. I was like,
Speaker 1: that's right. It was like Green Bay Packers like brought
Speaker 1: the weather with them. I'm like, when's the last time
Speaker 1: is it snowed in Dallas and they're shutting down this city?
Speaker 1: Like what there's yes, So that's so that's part of
Speaker 1: my story. So we are we we we go to
Speaker 1: the game. That's amazing, But I believe the night before
Speaker 1: is one of the weirdest, most uncomfortable nights of my
Speaker 1: entire life. And you were there. So we are at
Speaker 1: a super Bowl party. This is this is what happens.
Speaker 1: You go to the Super Bow all and there are parties,
Speaker 1: and you know, our little pod you know, was essentially
Speaker 1: me and you and Will and basically there starts to
Speaker 1: be this like grumbling. It's like, oh like whisper after
Speaker 1: party of JTS after party of j T s. And
Speaker 1: I'm like, I don't know if I turned to you, however,
Speaker 1: but I remember going like, Who's who's j T. Who's
Speaker 1: It was like, oh no, justin timber Lake, justin timber
Speaker 1: Lakes having an after party, and I'm like, Okay, this
Speaker 1: all seems weird, but I'm in Dallas for the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1: Let's go for it. So there's a bunch of people
Speaker 1: and as just says, it's snowing, it's icing, the roads
Speaker 1: are closed. It's really a serious situation in terms of
Speaker 1: the weather, and it's a city that isn't used to it.
Speaker 1: It's not like if you're in Wisconsin or in the
Speaker 1: cities where they're like, okay, we got snowpads doing. They
Speaker 1: didn't know what to do because they don't get snow
Speaker 1: like that, right. And also because it's like you know,
Speaker 1: it gets warm during the day or whatever, it turns
Speaker 1: into ice. And I'm not going to do a web
Speaker 1: report for everybody. Basically, it was dangerous and there's not
Speaker 1: a lot of people on the roads. And somehow we
Speaker 1: procure a big suv and we're all going to the
Speaker 1: after party at J T. S. And so we get
Speaker 1: out of the car and it's a little dark, like
Speaker 1: it's like, huh, it's kind of weird. Maybe we're earlier whatever,
Speaker 1: and we go inside and there's nobody there. I mean,
Speaker 1: there's like his managers there. He's gone to bed. There's
Speaker 1: literally nothing happening at this house, and we're now from
Speaker 1: where our hotel was, were like halfway across the world.
Speaker 1: The driver's gone, the driver's gone to bed, and I
Speaker 1: mean this was within five minutes. He's not answering calls.
Speaker 1: Whatever was We sat there for like two hours, just
Speaker 1: this thing with nothing happening. I mean, not a beer
Speaker 1: to be seen. We're just sitting now in JT's house
Speaker 1: while he slept in the other room, having just the
Speaker 1: most awkward, weird experience of my Hollywood life. It was
Speaker 1: a wild situations. Yes, so I always remember because that's
Speaker 1: obviously one of my favorite sports memories of all time,
Speaker 1: but it's coupled with the most awkward night. Awkward for sure, awkward.
Speaker 1: I do feel like Justin ended up coming out at
Speaker 1: one point, because I remember my uncle came to meet
Speaker 1: us and met him and was like, wow, he's such
Speaker 1: a nice guy. But I'm like, I don't know what
Speaker 1: time that was. We were still waiting for our car. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and then your mom showed up. I gave her another
Speaker 1: foot rob. It was so bizarre. It's a trip. Okay,
Speaker 1: so you're in Wisconsin and you decide you want to
Speaker 1: do modeling, So how does this happen? Talk to me
Speaker 1: about how you get your career stars. So I guess
Speaker 1: I was like four or five. I don't really remember this.
Speaker 1: Someone had stopped my mom and said, you should really
Speaker 1: consider getting her into modeling. My mom was a young
Speaker 1: mom and thought maybe there is something here and we
Speaker 1: could save the money and put it away for her
Speaker 1: for college. And in Nominee Falls, ironically now is the
Speaker 1: headquarters of Cole's department store, so they shot right there.
Speaker 1: So I started modeling there. Then I was ten, I
Speaker 1: started working down in Chicago. That's where I met Will
Speaker 1: because we modeled together there. And then at like twelve
Speaker 1: and thirteen, started going to New York for more jobs.
Speaker 1: And then there wasn't agent that would go to Chicago
Speaker 1: and try to meet new kids to bring them out
Speaker 1: for pilot season. And we met with him and it
Speaker 1: went well, and he wanted me to come, but my
Speaker 1: parents were like, we can't afford to just like up
Speaker 1: and take you to l A. We have other kids.
Speaker 1: We couldn't do it. That just wasn't an option. So
Speaker 1: I went through high school. And how old are you
Speaker 1: at the old I was probably twelve or thirteen. Okay,
Speaker 1: so this is like child act. Yeah, but I wasn't
Speaker 1: in I wasn't in theater. I wasn't in drama. I
Speaker 1: had done commercials and I liked, you know, the vibe
Speaker 1: in front of the camera and being funny or smiling
Speaker 1: and goofy and things like that. But um, years later,
Speaker 1: I UM, let me tell you this story first, because
Speaker 1: this is what also gave me a taste. I auditioned.
Speaker 1: There was a big movie called Star Wars, and my
Speaker 1: dad was obsessed with all of that, and I auditioned
Speaker 1: for Princess Leah. And then I got a call back
Speaker 1: and they did fly us out to l A. And
Speaker 1: I get to this callback if they've narrowed it down
Speaker 1: to I don't like a handful of girls. And I
Speaker 1: went in to do the read and there's all these
Speaker 1: people at this big table, huge names that you know of,
Speaker 1: And then they had crans and papers and all these
Speaker 1: things for the kids to do. And it was around
Speaker 1: the holiday, so I made cards for everyone in the
Speaker 1: room that said Jesus is the reason for the season.
Speaker 1: And as you know, probably more than half of the
Speaker 1: people in the room were Jewish. So they go in,
Speaker 1: you know, an hour later when it's my turn again
Speaker 1: and I hand the things out and the casting director
Speaker 1: comes out and it's like, where's Jessica's parents? And my
Speaker 1: mom's like sitting in there and her like she's like
Speaker 1: right here. Thought I was like in trouble. They're like, oh,
Speaker 1: we just think it's so nice that, like, you guys
Speaker 1: aren't stage parents. He wrote Jesus is the reason for
Speaker 1: this season and handed it to a bunch of Jewish people.
Speaker 1: M I clearly didn't get the job. I like didn't
Speaker 1: remember that. My agent years later told me that, I'm like, Mom,
Speaker 1: why would you let me do that? She's like, I
Speaker 1: was letting you do you. So there was a little
Speaker 1: bit of that where I go went to l A
Speaker 1: and you know, kind of auditioning and being in front
Speaker 1: of people that make really cool movies and really good art.
Speaker 1: And then so get to my senior year, I go
Speaker 1: to my home room, um, and the teacher says something like,
Speaker 1: you know, congratulations to the first day of the rest
Speaker 1: of your life. And I had planned on marrying Ryan Zoohockey,
Speaker 1: going to an art school in Chicago, being an interior designer.
Speaker 1: My life was planned. And when she said that, it
Speaker 1: kind of kept going over and over in my head.
Speaker 1: I'm like, is this what I'm doing? I don't know.
Speaker 1: And then it clicked and like I kind of want
Speaker 1: to go see what that agent was talking about a
Speaker 1: couple of years ago. So I went to the guidance counselor,
Speaker 1: took all my credits, graduated at semester, and I went
Speaker 1: home that day told my parents I'm gonna graduate in
Speaker 1: January and go out for the pilot season. I just
Speaker 1: want to go see what this guy has to offer
Speaker 1: and has to say. And they were like, if that's
Speaker 1: what's gonna make you happy, go ahead. That's how I
Speaker 1: got to l A. Now, how was Ryan Zumickey about this? Well,
Speaker 1: we had dated through high school and he's, you know,
Speaker 1: my high school sweetheart, and he's such a lovely, wonderful human.
Speaker 1: I mean it was. It was a weird thing because
Speaker 1: we're from a small town. Everyone kind of stayed there,
Speaker 1: which is awesome and beautiful. But for me, I was like,
Speaker 1: I wanted to like explore and travel and see things.
Speaker 1: So so I did. Right. So at first I'm going
Speaker 1: to teach weather and now geography. So my nominee falls
Speaker 1: is not that far from Chicago. I mean, that's a
Speaker 1: drive just for those of you who don't know. So
Speaker 1: you you did the cold stuff, and you were in Chicago,
Speaker 1: and then you did some stuff in New York. But really,
Speaker 1: other than these couple of experiences, you hadn't had that
Speaker 1: much experience in l A. Is that right? No? And
Speaker 1: even when I booked my first acting thing and they
Speaker 1: told me the mark and the directors like you gotta
Speaker 1: keep hitting the mark on the same line, I was.
Speaker 1: I was freaking out, Brian. I didn't know. I'm like,
Speaker 1: why why would I have to say the line every
Speaker 1: time on the same spot? And I remember it was
Speaker 1: a Damon Wayne show and one of the Wayne's brothers
Speaker 1: were helping me in the back. They're like, oh, because
Speaker 1: it's you know, they got a match stuff. So I
Speaker 1: didn't even know what I was doing. And I was
Speaker 1: like it was scary and nerve reckoned. I'm like, I
Speaker 1: need to take like a technical class so I know
Speaker 1: what marks mean and all the moving. And I mean,
Speaker 1: because I didn't, how did you know? I mean, I
Speaker 1: have a little bit of a similar experience too, right,
Speaker 1: I mean I had done so much theater at that point,
Speaker 1: so you know, in theater, depending on how intricate the
Speaker 1: lighting and the set moving and all that stuff. You know,
Speaker 1: they're definitely marks, but it's not the same. No, And
Speaker 1: it's literally like to the word it is. And I
Speaker 1: think that's another thing people don't realize that, you know,
Speaker 1: acting on film or television, when you're acting in front
Speaker 1: of a camera, it's there is a huge technical element.
Speaker 1: You have to kind of get your bearings. So you
Speaker 1: go right after high school to l A, so you
Speaker 1: start to book jobs. I did. Yeah, what were some
Speaker 1: of the shows you were doing? What I Like about You?
Speaker 1: Which was Amanda Bayan's which was awesome because Kelly from
Speaker 1: nine O too, and No, Jennifer Garth was on it.
Speaker 1: I was tripping out. I was like, so excited when
Speaker 1: you get to do that. And then the Wayne's brothers,
Speaker 1: my wife and kids, Drake and Josh and Nickelodeon and
Speaker 1: I mean these were some of these were five and under,
Speaker 1: you know, a couple lines here, Um, what was really cool?
Speaker 1: And I say, maybe it was God looking out for
Speaker 1: me or the universe. The first audition they put me
Speaker 1: on was a national IBM commercial which ran for two years.
Speaker 1: Thank god I got it. Just paid so well, I
Speaker 1: mean I made more money on that than almost all
Speaker 1: those shows I just said put together. So that was nice.
Speaker 1: I could take acting classes, I didn't have to go
Speaker 1: and wait tables. I could really focus on my craft.
Speaker 1: So that was a really big and I don't overlooked
Speaker 1: that at all. I was very blessed that that worked
Speaker 1: out for me. So you don't ever go back to
Speaker 1: go to school. I don't. Right before I was gonna
Speaker 1: head back, I was actually talking. It was Marlon Wayne's.
Speaker 1: He said, what do you mean you're going back. You
Speaker 1: can't just come out here and give it a couple
Speaker 1: of months. You know, it takes years, and and I said,
Speaker 1: I know, but he said, no, you need to like
Speaker 1: stay and grind. And I let it like settle in.
Speaker 1: And I'm like, maybe he's right. So like a month
Speaker 1: before I had stuff picked out to go to school
Speaker 1: in Chicago, the whole thing, I called, and I'm like,
Speaker 1: I think I'm gonna stay. And then I stayed. And
Speaker 1: then you know, like our industry, so like you can
Speaker 1: be on this thing where you're booking stuff, and then
Speaker 1: you don't book some things that you're getting offered, things
Speaker 1: that you might not love but could be cool, you're
Speaker 1: auditioning for things you love but you're not getting. I mean,
Speaker 1: there's so many different factors and emotions. And I was
Speaker 1: in a real funk. Maybe there have been like probably
Speaker 1: ten auditions I didn't get, So then I was feeling
Speaker 1: that too, So I wanted to move home. And then
Speaker 1: my mom came out and her and Jamie Fox sat
Speaker 1: me down at Patch to tell me that they don't
Speaker 1: think I should move home, that when things get tough,
Speaker 1: the easiest thing is to do is to give up.
Speaker 1: And I listened to them even though I had like
Speaker 1: I'm like, Mom, why would you guys sit and do
Speaker 1: this to men? And Jamie is just like talking to me.
Speaker 1: I'm like, you've been in this and you've done and
Speaker 1: he's like yeah, but you don't think things got hard?
Speaker 1: And a week later is my whole story with Gossip Girl.
Speaker 1: So thank god for my mom coming, thank God for
Speaker 1: them kind of telling me the truth. And it wasn't fun.
Speaker 1: I mean I was I was lonely. I was crying
Speaker 1: myself to sleep some of the nights I missed my family. Um.
Speaker 1: When people are like, oh, it's so glamorous, I'm like,
Speaker 1: you guys didn't know when I was like by myself,
Speaker 1: crying myself to sleep. But yes, there's beautiful things that
Speaker 1: come along with it, but there's definitely it's a it's
Speaker 1: a roller coaster as an actor for sure. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: love hearing. I mean, first off, you're so cool that
Speaker 1: you name dropped one of the coolest, hippest places that
Speaker 1: no one knows in l A, Pa, just like you
Speaker 1: just threw it in there, just like that's my favorite.
Speaker 1: Oh god. Um. But know that those moments like that,
Speaker 1: even all this these many years later, that that stuck
Speaker 1: with you, that you were really about to leave. And
Speaker 1: you know, you might think that your mom would say,
Speaker 1: come home, little girl, but she had the gumption too
Speaker 1: to convince you to pursue what she knew you wanted to. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and she always did tell me come home, you stay
Speaker 1: here if you if we need to find you a
Speaker 1: place that you want to move out, And that was
Speaker 1: always that, but she really was. She said, I think
Speaker 1: you find a happiness here and you're just going through
Speaker 1: a bit of a thing, so I'll come out. And
Speaker 1: even just my mom's presence being there took a lot
Speaker 1: of that feeling away, of the loneliness, even you know,
Speaker 1: and then when she left again, I like broke down
Speaker 1: and free, and I'm like, oh my god, I'm like
Speaker 1: on the four or five crying of music. And then
Speaker 1: I like look around him, like these mountains are beautiful.
Speaker 1: I live in l A. Like, come on, just get
Speaker 1: it together. This is nice. It's not that bad. No,
Speaker 1: it's not that bad. Yeah, all right, So you have
Speaker 1: this talk at cool one and then you meet the
Speaker 1: folks on Gossip Girl talk to me a little bit
Speaker 1: about how that happens. And that's not in l A. Right, Well,
Speaker 1: it shot an New York. But right around this time,
Speaker 1: I was in that funk of wanting to move home
Speaker 1: and a friend of mine and his roommate they were
Speaker 1: going to this barbecue and asked if I wanted to go,
Speaker 1: and I wasn't really in the mood. I was like,
Speaker 1: because it was at that thing. I'm like, the last
Speaker 1: thing I want to do is like be around people
Speaker 1: in l A at a barbecue because all they do
Speaker 1: is talk about themselves and the industry. How funny and
Speaker 1: contradicting as I'm doing that. So I wasn't in the mood.
Speaker 1: And my friend, um Nathaniel was like, no, you know,
Speaker 1: it'll be fun. So him and his friend come and
Speaker 1: pick me up. I literally go in the car, no makeup,
Speaker 1: and we get there and I meet, you know, the
Speaker 1: guy who owns the house. He was very lovely and
Speaker 1: his friend Stephanie, and we're like drinking Margarita's and sitting
Speaker 1: by the pool and people are talking about life and things.
Speaker 1: But there it was like kind of refreshing because it
Speaker 1: wasn't what I had in my mind of all the
Speaker 1: other things I'd been to. It was really kind of nice.
Speaker 1: We'll cut too. It happened to be Josh Swartz and
Speaker 1: Stephanie Savage Josh Schwartz's house. Stephanie and Josh were obviously
Speaker 1: both there. They're the creators of Gossip Girl. They don't
Speaker 1: mention a word to me there about anything, but in
Speaker 1: their mind, apparently the way they tell the story is
Speaker 1: right when they shook my hand, they're like, this is Vanessa.
Speaker 1: So a couple of days later, I get a call
Speaker 1: from my manager. I go to Warner Brothers. I audition.
Speaker 1: I felt like it went well. You know auditions, Sometimes
Speaker 1: you feel like, well, it doesn't go your way. Sometimes
Speaker 1: you feel like they don't you get the job. It's
Speaker 1: so weird. I thought it went well, but I always
Speaker 1: after an audition if I don't get it, I like
Speaker 1: to get notes so that I can work, so I
Speaker 1: can bring it into the next thing, just iron out
Speaker 1: or get better at I do want to learn and
Speaker 1: keep going. And that's the coolest thing about actors. We
Speaker 1: can keep learning and going and getting better. An an an
Speaker 1: acting coach told me that as athletes, they can't their
Speaker 1: bodies give out. With us, they don't. We can keep going.
Speaker 1: You just keep getting better, and like, yeah, I kind
Speaker 1: of like that because we can just be like seventy
Speaker 1: and keep doing it. We're superior specimens to athletes. Basically,
Speaker 1: that's where my brain just took that that I'm going
Speaker 1: to carry with me from here on. Please do uh Yeah.
Speaker 1: So they call back and they said they love to read.
Speaker 1: They just kind of feel you kind of look a
Speaker 1: little similar to the Three Girls, which is Blake Lively,
Speaker 1: late Mester and Taylor Momson. Um, if you know what
Speaker 1: they look like, I look nothing like them. So I'm like,
Speaker 1: what I'm like, send pictures of my hair curly. I'm
Speaker 1: like a little bit mixed here. So they send pictures
Speaker 1: of my hair curly and then they're like, yeah, so
Speaker 1: I go to New York and I do my three
Speaker 1: to four episodes and then on that fourth or fifth episode,
Speaker 1: they asked me to be a series regular and that
Speaker 1: changed my life. Yeah. So did you know Gossip Girl?
Speaker 1: I mean this was a hot show at the time, Like,
Speaker 1: were you aware of it? Were you had it started
Speaker 1: airing at this point when you joined or no, nope,
Speaker 1: it had not aired. But when I got there, every
Speaker 1: billboard in Times Square, every bus had the cast up,
Speaker 1: and there was a lot of buzz around it because
Speaker 1: it was, you know, the creators of The o C.
Speaker 1: That was such a huge hit. So I had a feeling,
Speaker 1: I'm like, whoa, people are going to really dig this um.
Speaker 1: But yeah, when I landed and I'm like, well, there's
Speaker 1: literally posters everywhere of this show. And then when it aired, Yeah,
Speaker 1: it hit pretty quickly. Can I ask you this about
Speaker 1: the Office? The fourth Wall thing to me is like
Speaker 1: so wild? Did you guys have to do like did
Speaker 1: they do like lessons with you on it? Yeah? No,
Speaker 1: I mean the camera is definitely a character in the show,
Speaker 1: and so us having to use that other character was
Speaker 1: was something new. I don't I don't remember us talking
Speaker 1: about it too much. There were definitely some scripted moments,
Speaker 1: I mean Shocker Jim Michael where it was scripted specifically
Speaker 1: looks to the camera. Um, there was definitely that. Kevin
Speaker 1: was actually one. I was one that used it a
Speaker 1: little more than most, and it's different. It's difficult now.
Speaker 1: I mean some of my old co workers and I
Speaker 1: were talking about it through the podcast that now when
Speaker 1: I have a bad joke or something, I want to
Speaker 1: give a look to the camera, and it's really not
Speaker 1: to at this point to pretend it's not there. Yeah, well,
Speaker 1: you all did such a great job with it, but
Speaker 1: I just didn't know if you had to because what
Speaker 1: I mean like getting I don't want to say trained
Speaker 1: by it, but like on the Orville was seth um McFarland,
Speaker 1: there's some languages and some of the planets. So if
Speaker 1: someone comes and guest stars, they have to go and
Speaker 1: take lessons on how to move and do it, which
Speaker 1: I guess it's not the same thing, but in my mind,
Speaker 1: I'm like, I wonder if there's like a thing of
Speaker 1: timing or that I don't know, because it's so great
Speaker 1: that you guys do it and it's so flipping funny Bryan, Right,
Speaker 1: And that's that's actually what I said. I think the
Speaker 1: hardest job in the world for an actor is actually
Speaker 1: the like one week guest star job, because it's not
Speaker 1: just the technical elements, but even if you're experienced every show,
Speaker 1: every movie, you do things a little bit differently. You know,
Speaker 1: as I joke with people, it's like you literally don't
Speaker 1: know where the bathroom is. So you're there, you are like,
Speaker 1: where's the bathroom? And how are we shooting this and where? Yeah,
Speaker 1: so that's a huge part of the work. Actually, I
Speaker 1: think you bring up a really good point. Yeah, a
Speaker 1: guest start. Yeah, I don't think people realize that either.
Speaker 1: And then I also think, even no matter how professional,
Speaker 1: how many times you've worked on things, it's also nerve
Speaker 1: wracking because you're stepping into someone else's playground. There's just
Speaker 1: so many things to it, like the dynamic with everyone,
Speaker 1: how how much do the producers care if you're married
Speaker 1: to the words are not? Can you be loose with it?
Speaker 1: There's just a lot of stuff. And when you watch
Speaker 1: an episode, the guest star brings such another layer to
Speaker 1: it because it's the new arc of the storyline or
Speaker 1: whatever that episode is. About so it's so important, but
Speaker 1: there's like so much that goes in like what you
Speaker 1: just said to it. Yeah, No, that never actually really
Speaker 1: occurred to me. But we've had guest stars Amy Ryan
Speaker 1: talking about coming on the set for the first time
Speaker 1: and like it was really difficult, and I wonder if
Speaker 1: you actually bring up an interesting point that, yeah, it
Speaker 1: shot a little differently. There is a different vocabulary. You
Speaker 1: brought up marks, right, We didn't have marks. And in fact,
Speaker 1: there were times, you know where you would say like, so,
Speaker 1: where do you need me, and the camera guys would
Speaker 1: be like, oh, we'll find you. Like literally, don't do that.
Speaker 1: And you know, as we've talked about, sometimes the shots
Speaker 1: that they had to search for us a little bit
Speaker 1: were ultimately better. Wait, I want to finish off about
Speaker 1: about Gossip Girlfriend. When did you realize that it was
Speaker 1: going to be huge? Um? There was all of a
Speaker 1: sudden a time where we got to work and we
Speaker 1: all had to have security guards, which was really eye
Speaker 1: opening and wild. There was a time a fan handed
Speaker 1: me a little puffy key chain and the my security
Speaker 1: I grabbed it from my hand and I'm like, what
Speaker 1: are you doing? It's a hello kitty thing? I love
Speaker 1: Hello Kitty. That's cute that she knew that, And I
Speaker 1: was I would have honestly like used it or had
Speaker 1: it in my trailer. And he ripped off the head
Speaker 1: and there was like a microphone in it. I said,
Speaker 1: how did you know that? And he said, that's like
Speaker 1: someone trying to get some dirt and information. You never
Speaker 1: take something like that from a fan. And you know, me,
Speaker 1: my like Midwestern, I'm like, oh my god, giving her
Speaker 1: a hug and like thinking she's great, and I remember that.
Speaker 1: I'm like, people care that much that they're gonna like
Speaker 1: give me a fake Teddy Bear Hello Kitty situation to
Speaker 1: hear some stuff that is crazy. It's how creepy, Oh
Speaker 1: my gosh. But yeah, it was stuff like that like that,
Speaker 1: or you know, if we go somewhere and having to
Speaker 1: go in the back door. As an actor, you don't
Speaker 1: really ever think what if something hits like that. You're
Speaker 1: just happy you got a job. I'm living in New
Speaker 1: York and making money. The character was cool, My cast
Speaker 1: was cool. You don't think about all that kind of
Speaker 1: stuff coming having to sneak in or you know, use
Speaker 1: a different name and all that stuff, and all of
Speaker 1: that was like, Okay, I'm like, this show's hitting in
Speaker 1: a way that I didn't expect, right, or like taking
Speaker 1: a limo to go one block, right. I mean that
Speaker 1: for me was I mean, my show had been on
Speaker 1: for a few years, it had not caught on in
Speaker 1: the same way or it just I mean, obviously it's
Speaker 1: just a very very different kind of show with different
Speaker 1: kinds of people. But yeah, I remember experiences with you
Speaker 1: around that that yeah, I mean, that's just that's crazy.
Speaker 1: But I feel like you can't walk anywhere in any
Speaker 1: room at any part of the world now, Brian, where
Speaker 1: people aren't coming up to you left and right. Well, yeah,
Speaker 1: that is true because I remember my cousin when we
Speaker 1: remember we went to watch the Packer game down in
Speaker 1: San Diego. My cousin Sam and Cody came and she's like,
Speaker 1: why did you not say you know you were with Brian.
Speaker 1: I so because I don't. He's just a friend of
Speaker 1: mine and he's the loveliest person. They had so much
Speaker 1: fun and thought you were awesome, and but I just
Speaker 1: remember she's like, oh my gosh, people are coming up
Speaker 1: to him left and right. That's got to be like
Speaker 1: a lot. Yeah, I would say probably more so than
Speaker 1: anyone got some girl. Now, well, it's I think it's
Speaker 1: more specific fans. I think that people aren't generally looking
Speaker 1: for that photo to post, you know, that sort of Yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna call it that sort of insidious side. Thankfully,
Speaker 1: there's not been as much. I mean, clearly some I mean, look,
Speaker 1: it is what it is. But for me, most of
Speaker 1: the time it's fan interaction. I mean, you know, by
Speaker 1: the way, I still I will post things about where
Speaker 1: I have been, but very rarely where I am right now, right, yeah,
Speaker 1: that we have a friend was overseas and they were
Speaker 1: all out to dinner. It was a big group of
Speaker 1: you know, ten people. I think somehow someone figured out
Speaker 1: where they were staying. They got back and the house
Speaker 1: was broken into. Their passports were taking all the things,
Speaker 1: and I remember thinking, I'm like, that's probably because people
Speaker 1: can kind of people can figure stuff out, you know
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. But that's scary, No, that is. And
Speaker 1: you know, actually, I'll tell you this is just a
Speaker 1: very funny story. I was shooting in Columbus, Georgia, and
Speaker 1: I had an overnight shoot and right as it's getting
Speaker 1: dark and you can see it on my and so
Speaker 1: you can go back now and look at it. We
Speaker 1: were shooting at a very rough hotel in Columbus, Georgia
Speaker 1: called the Thunderbird In and on the on the sign
Speaker 1: out front it advertised having a pool. Yet at that
Speaker 1: moment people were having dinner when we had just arrived.
Speaker 1: They were literally eating dinner on the grass that had
Speaker 1: filled in the pool. But yet the sign was still
Speaker 1: up advertising that you could stay at the Thunderbird End
Speaker 1: and have a pool. I thought this was the funniest
Speaker 1: thing ever, so I posted this video that made me laugh. Basically,
Speaker 1: that was all my point was. And I showed the pool,
Speaker 1: show the sign, show the thing, and at like three
Speaker 1: thirty in the morning, people start showing up, like and
Speaker 1: I'm like, what what I mean Columbus Georgia, Like how
Speaker 1: the security guys like yeah, there's some guys here who
Speaker 1: you know. And I'm like, oh my goodness. Anyway, but
Speaker 1: that's not getting broken. I mean, all that is just
Speaker 1: crazy crazy. But wait, how about when you were at
Speaker 1: the wedding you didn't know the bride? Yes, yeah, that's
Speaker 1: in the introduction to the book where I stopped in
Speaker 1: to see this is the first time Angela and I
Speaker 1: were in Scranton. That's very cool. You guys did that.
Speaker 1: By the way, I love I love going um and
Speaker 1: they I'm told that the bride is a big fan
Speaker 1: of the show, and so I I go ahead and
Speaker 1: say hi, and she tells me it's the best moment
Speaker 1: of her life. She's in her wedding dress at her
Speaker 1: wedding and I was like, no, no, no, no no, you
Speaker 1: just got married forty five minutes ago. She was like, nope,
Speaker 1: this is it. And I was the lass don't. And
Speaker 1: then I was just in Scranton a little while ago,
Speaker 1: and the woman came up to me. She's got a daughter,
Speaker 1: she's ten. She came up, she was she had the book.
Speaker 1: She wanted me to sign the book, and she was there.
Speaker 1: I mean, it was so crazy to see her. It's
Speaker 1: so awesome. I love stuff like that though. That's awesome. Um,
Speaker 1: all right, so tell me tell me about tell me
Speaker 1: about the podcast. So Brad is playing hockey in Calgary
Speaker 1: for the Calgary Flames and I had just wrapped the
Speaker 1: ore violle and I'm like, okay, I'm gonna take a beat.
Speaker 1: I'm a new mom because I was literally went back
Speaker 1: to work with a three month old working fifteen hour days,
Speaker 1: so it was it was a wild situation. So that
Speaker 1: that show wraps season three and I'm like, I'm gonna
Speaker 1: take a beat. I'm gonna come with you, Brad. For
Speaker 1: the first time in our relationship, I can actually come
Speaker 1: with you somewhere. And a couple months before we were leaving,
Speaker 1: I get a call from my manager and they said,
Speaker 1: this amazing production company has this idea for a podcast,
Speaker 1: and they pitch it and kind of say, like a
Speaker 1: rewatch situation. I kind of sat with it. I was like,
Speaker 1: I'm not sure if a rewatch is for me, but
Speaker 1: maybe like a walk down memory lane and talk about
Speaker 1: why the show was a hit and how the fashion
Speaker 1: was a character and how it was filming in New
Speaker 1: York and bring on some of the cast and the producers.
Speaker 1: And so I pitched kind of my creative thoughts on
Speaker 1: it and what I thought could be cool and fun
Speaker 1: to do, and they liked it. And I got to
Speaker 1: come to Calgary and be in my home and still
Speaker 1: be with my daughter who's just you know, downstairs taking
Speaker 1: a nap right now, and get to go to Brad's game.
Speaker 1: So I kind it's like the best of both worlds.
Speaker 1: That's why I wanted to do it, is one so
Speaker 1: that I could be with my family but also create
Speaker 1: something that's super fun and take the fans behind the
Speaker 1: scenes a little bit of stuff they didn't really know.
Speaker 1: And it's really fun to go back and reminisce with
Speaker 1: everybody because we haven't watched the show in so many
Speaker 1: years and we haven't talked about all the things that
Speaker 1: were nuts and crazy and fun and and it's really great.
Speaker 1: I will say, there's a lot more work that goes
Speaker 1: into a podcast that than people know, don't you think.
Speaker 1: I think people are like you just throw the headphones
Speaker 1: on and you talk to your friend, like this is
Speaker 1: fun because I really feel like you and I have
Speaker 1: just been on the phone for but there is a
Speaker 1: lot more. Now is it fun work? Am I having
Speaker 1: the time? For sure? I just on the other day
Speaker 1: it's like, oh, that must be nice. You just go
Speaker 1: in and said, I said, no, it's not. Just by
Speaker 1: the way, there's a lot more, but all worth it, obviously,
Speaker 1: but yeah, I just you know, it's like one of
Speaker 1: those things until reality shows started, like showing like restaurants
Speaker 1: and stuff, you never really think about all that stuff.
Speaker 1: If you're not in it. So when someone's like rude
Speaker 1: and sends back a dish, I'm like, oh my god,
Speaker 1: the chef's been here since like five am. But you didn't.
Speaker 1: You don't think that, do you know what I'm saying? Like,
Speaker 1: until I did this, I would have never known what
Speaker 1: you all had to do to like be where you're
Speaker 1: at now. No, absolutely well, Jess, thank you so much.
Speaker 1: You know how much I love you. I like just
Speaker 1: seeing you here, hearing your voice all the way up
Speaker 1: there in Canada. And in fact, I will will I'll
Speaker 1: close by by how we began. I thought that again.
Speaker 1: I'm doing weather in geography today. I drove through Northern
Speaker 1: Michigan University. I spoke at Northern Michigan University, which is
Speaker 1: straight head north, as you may know, on the other
Speaker 1: Great Lake from Green Bay. And we drove through Manominee, Michigan.
Speaker 1: Right is that that's not where I'm from, the right Okay.
Speaker 1: And we tried to call you to get a recommendation,
Speaker 1: but I was like, this is she's from Nominee Falls.
Speaker 1: Nomie Falls is down by Milwaukee. But everyone confuses both
Speaker 1: and I get it. I mean, the name is like
Speaker 1: wild Um it was lovely to see your face. I
Speaker 1: miss you so much. I want to come give you
Speaker 1: in the family a big hug. But this was so
Speaker 1: so fun. I may have to, like also just call
Speaker 1: you and ask like certain questions. Make sure I'm doing
Speaker 1: all this podcast stuff right, because you're like a gangster
Speaker 1: the o g of it now. So you're doing awesome
Speaker 1: all right. Here we are Beauty and the Beast. Um. Sorry,
Speaker 1: no offense, no offense beast. Thanks jess That's right, folks,
Speaker 1: you heard it here first. I am beauty, but you
Speaker 1: already knew that. Jessica. So good to see you, my friend.
Speaker 1: I hope we meet up again very soon. Let me
Speaker 1: know when you're back in the US. Thank you all
Speaker 1: for listening once again to this humble podcast we call
Speaker 1: Off the Beat. Follow us on Instagram at off the Beat,
Speaker 1: and like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcast
Speaker 1: and come back next Tuesday to hear from a guest
Speaker 1: who may or may not have been on what is
Speaker 1: often regarded as the greatest television show ever made other
Speaker 1: than The Office. Have an excellent week. Off the Beat
Speaker 1: is hosted an executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside
Speaker 1: our executive producer Lang Lee. Our producers are Diego Tapia,
Speaker 1: Liz Hayes, Emily Carr, and Hannah Harris. Our talent producer
Speaker 1: is Ryan Papa Zachary. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak
Speaker 1: performed by my great friend Creed Bratton, and the episode
Speaker 1: was mixed by seth Olandski