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Speaker 1: Hey, guys, welcome to I've never said this before with

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Speaker 1: me Tommy Di Dario, So I am refraining from saying

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Speaker 1: every single viral quote from me and girls right now.

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Speaker 1: It's not easy. I'm not gonna lie, but I'm trying

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Speaker 1: because my guest today has heard them NonStop a week

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Speaker 1: after week since the release of the movie in two

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Speaker 1: thousand and four, and he must be exhausted. But that's

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Speaker 1: just a testament to the iconic work that mister Jonathan

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Speaker 1: Bennett has done in his career. What a joy it

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Speaker 1: is to be in his presence. I truly mean that.

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Speaker 1: It's no wonder that he does it all. He's acting, hosting, producing,

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Speaker 1: I mean, the list goes on and on, and he

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Speaker 1: has so many fun Christmas projects going on right now.

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Speaker 1: So we're about to get a little bit festive up

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Speaker 1: in here and talk to a man who brings so

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Speaker 1: much joy to so many. All right, let's see if

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Speaker 1: today we can get Jonathan Bennett to say something that

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Speaker 1: he has never said before. Jonathan Bennett. Yes, I'm not

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Speaker 1: running into in an equinox.

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Speaker 2: I know, seeing each other the gym. We're not liking

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Speaker 2: each other's post on Instagram. We are in the flesh.

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Speaker 2: Do you know Tommy Dedari a real human being? You

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Speaker 2: can actually touch him. He's actually a real human being.

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Speaker 2: He's not just an AI Instagram person. He's a real human.

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Speaker 2: It's very nice to see you. It's good to see you.

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Speaker 2: How you doing wonderful? Can't can't complain You're feeling good,

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Speaker 2: feeling great.

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Speaker 1: You have a lot going on.

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Speaker 2: There's honey, I'm tired.

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Speaker 1: I bet you are tired. We have a lot to

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Speaker 1: cover today. We're going to celebrate all the things going

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Speaker 1: on in your world. Okay, but my first burning question

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Speaker 1: for you, let's let's start hard. Okay, are you ready

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Speaker 1: for you?

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Speaker 2: Ready for it?

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Speaker 1: Are you really ready?

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Speaker 2: Born? Ready to Okay?

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Speaker 1: How many times a week do people hit you with?

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Speaker 1: It's October first, zero, but they hit me with it.

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Speaker 2: It's October third a lot. That's a correct number, So

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Speaker 2: I would say, for that's not the number one you get. No,

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Speaker 2: October third is what I get hit with the most.

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Speaker 2: And they want to tell me my hair looks sexy. Pushback.

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Speaker 2: Those are like the two.

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Speaker 1: Two weekly things, oh daily, Yeah, there you know, we're

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Speaker 1: just place that's happened.

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Speaker 2: Someone asked me this, I said, the weirdest, uh, the weirdest. Oh,

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Speaker 2: I'll tell you exactly where we were in Mexico and

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Speaker 2: we were uh celebrating the Day of the Dead there

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Speaker 2: and I was in full makeup, like you could not

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Speaker 2: recognize me at all. And this kid turned around to

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Speaker 2: me in the middle of the street while we were dancing.

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Speaker 2: It was like October third, and I'm like, how I

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Speaker 2: am literally covered completely faced the entire phase and makeup,

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Speaker 2: like you know, design and everything. And he spotted me

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Speaker 2: in the middle of like a street fair dance festival

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Speaker 2: in Mexico and it was I said to my husband,

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Speaker 2: I was like, I don't know what it's like to

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Speaker 2: not be Aaron Samuels. Like it's been so many years

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Speaker 2: that like I can't remember back to like what life

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Speaker 2: was like before all the mean girls stuff, because I

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Speaker 2: was like twenty two when that happened. So like my hold,

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Speaker 2: like I can't remember back to like what it's like

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Speaker 2: to go to a Starbucks and not have the girl

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Speaker 2: right like cruel on your on your cup, Like it's

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Speaker 2: just it's just normal, Like it's just like what life

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Speaker 2: is now.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it kicks off everything for you, right, yeah,

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Speaker 1: really big launch do you feel like doing that project

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Speaker 1: because you were the hunk, right, You're the hot guy

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Speaker 1: in school and that's how everyone knew you. You feel

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Speaker 1: like that put you in a box for a while.

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Speaker 2: Good question. Uh, yes, I think it does put you

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Speaker 2: in a box.

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Speaker 1: There.

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Speaker 2: You know, there's two different ways to look at boxes.

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Speaker 2: One you can look at them as a bad thing,

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Speaker 2: which I think it was for me in some ways

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Speaker 2: with mean girls, with being like you're like the hot jock,

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Speaker 2: like that's what you do, so everyone just saw you

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Speaker 2: as that. But then I think there's a way to

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Speaker 2: like reinvent yourself and control the box. Like people are

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Speaker 2: gonna put you in a box regardless, So if you're

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Speaker 2: gonna be in a box, don't be in the box.

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Speaker 2: Be the guy that like stands on top of the

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Speaker 2: box because you own this box. You pee on that box,

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Speaker 2: like that is my box. No one's touching it, can't

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Speaker 2: come close. You know. That's like that's I think when

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Speaker 2: you when you think of like in terms of like

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Speaker 2: being put in a box, I was just put in

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Speaker 2: the wrong box being like the hunk that that was

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Speaker 2: like just like this jock, you know, straight guy that's

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Speaker 2: like I don't want to say boring, but it was

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Speaker 2: you know, I think Jonathan Bennett has way more to

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Speaker 2: offer in like qualities about him that are more fun

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Speaker 2: to put, you know, for people to see than who

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Speaker 2: Aaron Samuels was. Like Aaron Samuels just cares about school,

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Speaker 2: his mom and his friends, right, you know, like he

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Speaker 2: was like kicks the soccer ball and like does that

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Speaker 2: where like I had so much more life to you.

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Speaker 2: So in a sense that's being in that box was

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Speaker 2: not great because I was like, but that's not who

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Speaker 2: I am. I'm all these other things. It just took

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Speaker 2: a while for me to get to that other box.

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Speaker 1: Right, You're like, I want to show the other things

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Speaker 1: that yeah, yeah, and what so interesting? And during that

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Speaker 1: time you weren't out right.

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Speaker 2: Correct, No not. I mean my friends and family knew,

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Speaker 2: and you know, like everyone knew. It was like this

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Speaker 2: like thing in Hollywood where like everyone I call it

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Speaker 2: like Santa Claus. Like it's like it's kind of like

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Speaker 2: Santa Claus, like you, oh, I don't know if you

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Speaker 2: have children listeners.

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Speaker 1: But this is a free space to say what okay.

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Speaker 2: Good, like if you're Hollywood and like the late nineties

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Speaker 2: early two thousands, being gay like your friends and family knew,

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Speaker 2: like people you worked with, no, but like you wouldn't

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Speaker 2: talk about it publicly because it was a different time

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Speaker 2: and you just couldn't like it was just about it

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Speaker 2: or yeah you could, well we didn't have posting, sweetie,

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Speaker 2: it was we are hold on how much time do

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Speaker 2: you have we? I mean when Mean Girls came out Facebook,

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Speaker 2: I think just started that year, so it was a

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Speaker 2: different time. So, you know, I think it's like Santa Claus.

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Speaker 2: And what I mean by that is if there's people,

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Speaker 2: if there's a kid the room and you start talking

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Speaker 2: about Santa Claus, I'm not going to correct you and

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Speaker 2: be like, what are you talking about? There's no such

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Speaker 2: thing as Santa Claus. I'm like, oh, yes, Santa Claus

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Speaker 2: is definitely coming tonight. Like we're all in on the lie, right,

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Speaker 2: the whole world's in on it. It's part of culture,

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Speaker 2: and it's something that's celebrated. That's kind of like what

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Speaker 2: it was like being a gay closeted actor in Hollywood

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Speaker 2: in the late nineties early two thousands, Like I didn't

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Speaker 2: have to tell my co stars and my family to like, hey, like,

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Speaker 2: let's not share this too much, you know, like you

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Speaker 2: want to keep this close to the best. They just

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Speaker 2: knew to do it. Like if we would be out

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Speaker 2: somewhere and like get an interview question about like does

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Speaker 2: Jonathan have a girlfriend? Like my co stars wouldn't be like, no,

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Speaker 2: he's gay. They'd be like, I don't know. I guess

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Speaker 2: you'll have to ask him. Like everyone's in on the

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Speaker 2: everyone's in on the joke, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 2: And that's it's It's what it was.

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Speaker 1: Back then, Like you didn't even have to have that conversation.

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Speaker 1: It was it was.

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Speaker 2: It was if you live in Hollywood and we're in

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Speaker 2: the industry, you just understood it.

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Speaker 1: So when you see yourself in that movie and it

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Speaker 1: comes on TV and you look at that guy and

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Speaker 1: you are not encouraged to publicly be who you are,

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Speaker 1: But at the same time, it's a project that's so

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Speaker 1: beloved by so many people, in a role that's so

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Speaker 1: beloved and means so much so many people. Does a

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Speaker 1: party you ever feel like, God, like that kind of

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Speaker 1: sucked for that dude. Who can it really be who

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Speaker 1: he is at the time?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I it does in a way, But I

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Speaker 2: also don't know life without that, Like I don't, like

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Speaker 2: I can think back of like what, God, it would

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Speaker 2: have been so much better to just like be your

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Speaker 2: authentic self and like be out and I would love that,

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Speaker 2: But I can't then picture what life would be like

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Speaker 2: having done that because I don't know what that is, right,

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Speaker 2: So it's like, yes, that sounds like something I would

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Speaker 2: want to have done and like be like, gosh, I

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Speaker 2: wish you could have been out, But I also like,

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Speaker 2: I just I can't fathom it because being in the

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Speaker 2: closet and being a you know, closet, you know, being

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Speaker 2: an actor and like doing all the films I was doing,

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Speaker 2: it was definitely like you're always waiting for the shoe

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Speaker 2: to drop, the other shoe to fall, right. You're like, well,

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Speaker 2: as long as they don't know that I'm gay, like

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Speaker 2: I'll get this job, you know what I mean. Like

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Speaker 2: that's like always in your back of your mind. You

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Speaker 2: never live a day without the fear that, like, if

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Speaker 2: they find out that I'm gay, I'll never play leading

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Speaker 2: man again. And the only thing you gotta think about

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Speaker 2: it like this the only thing you care about in

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Speaker 2: life For me, for someone who's obsessed with what they do,

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Speaker 2: and it loves it more than anything on earth except

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Speaker 2: for my husband. It's the thing that it's it's the

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Speaker 2: second biggest love of my life, right, Like I love acting,

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Speaker 2: I love performing, I love creating for people. And back then,

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Speaker 2: if you were told, hey, you can have all this,

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Speaker 2: but if they find out that you're gay, you're gonna

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Speaker 2: lose it all. Yeah, it's like giving a night and

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Speaker 2: like it's like it's like the night is walking into

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Speaker 2: the castle and they're throwing from coming home from more

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Speaker 2: and they're throwing roses at them, but they're like, but

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Speaker 2: before you go in, we're gonna take away your sword

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Speaker 2: because you're just you're not gonna be all of you.

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Speaker 2: You're just gonna be part of you. We're gonna celebrate

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Speaker 2: that part. But if they find out the rest of

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Speaker 2: you not, you're not gonna You're not gonna be a

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Speaker 2: night anymore. You're not gonna work. And so that's kind

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Speaker 2: of like the analogy I use when I think back

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Speaker 2: to that time, Like, of course I wish I could

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Speaker 2: have been out, but I just can't fathom what that

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Speaker 2: would be, Like I have no idea.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, sometimes that's better than not now. Yeah, yeah, it

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Speaker 1: is what it was, and here you are and.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and how how would I know? Also, I think

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Speaker 2: if I was out, then I wouldn't be such an

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Speaker 2: advocate for telling gay stories gay love stories. Now had

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Speaker 2: I been out then, yeah, you know, because you know,

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Speaker 2: we grew up before RuPaul's Drag Race was on television.

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Speaker 2: Yeah you know what I mean, We watched TV and

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Speaker 2: movies before that, and now this amazing general that's here.

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Speaker 2: It's like they're just used to seeing it.

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Speaker 1: Can I imagine having a show like over Compensating when

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Speaker 1: we were growing up or or at Stopper or it

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Speaker 1: just wasn't a thing at all.

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Speaker 2: It's it's wild to me, and like they're like, well, yeah,

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Speaker 2: well on drag Race. Well I started watching it I

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Speaker 2: was like five, and you're like, what you were watching

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Speaker 2: drag Race when you were five? Oh my god? Like

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Speaker 2: we didn't have that, and that's why, like my husband

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Speaker 2: and I like, you know, you and your husband do

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Speaker 2: the same thing. And I think it's beautiful. Like we

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Speaker 2: James and I always post pictures of us kissing or

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Speaker 2: of our relationship or like really special moments, not because

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Speaker 2: we need to see another picture of us kissing, Like

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Speaker 2: we have enough kissing photos and I love them, but

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Speaker 2: like we post that stuff so that way young James

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Speaker 2: and Jonathan who are at home wanting to you know,

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Speaker 2: so they have something to be able to look up

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Speaker 2: to and say, oh, wait, there's a love that looks

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Speaker 2: like mine that exists out there, and you can have

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Speaker 2: a happy life and you can be fulfilled and you

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Speaker 2: can you can fall in love, you can get married,

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Speaker 2: you can do all these things because we never had

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Speaker 2: that growing up. You didn't have that. Geo didn't have that, Like,

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Speaker 2: we didn't have those things to look at and see.

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Speaker 2: So like that's why we post all the stuff we do.

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Speaker 2: It's like we want to be the people that you

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Speaker 2: can like turn to and be like, oh that can

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Speaker 2: happen for me too.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's intentional for good reason, right yeah.

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Speaker 2: I mean obviously everyone wants to see my husband in

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Speaker 2: a bathing suit because he has he's beautiful, and so

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Speaker 2: I usually post bathing suit photos of us together because

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Speaker 2: I want to see him, and James is sitting over

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Speaker 2: there like what are you doing. It's true, I want

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Speaker 2: to because he looks hot. We see you, Jane, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: we see you. We see you, j I mean the

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Speaker 2: dead can see you. Yow. Speaking of speaking of trap,

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Speaker 2: let's get into our Tommy Dedario thirst trap of the week.

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Speaker 2: I'd like to go to picture number.

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Speaker 1: Six and fifty two.

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Speaker 2: Wait, what's the one? What you do recently? You do

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Speaker 2: the thing with the vitamins. Oh I'm a yeah spokesperson

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Speaker 2: from guard Yes, yes, you're doing that one. I was like, okay,

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Speaker 2: he knows how to get the algorithm going. Tommy's not

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Speaker 2: going to make things see Okay, smart you know that time,

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Speaker 2: So you got to make things get seen.

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Speaker 1: Me.

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Speaker 2: If it is Tommy in a shirtless in some sort

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Speaker 2: of short short, you know that an ad is coming

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Speaker 2: the next post. Same thing for James. If you see

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Speaker 2: James in a tiny little booty short with his butt

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Speaker 2: out and his legs out, you know that we are

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Speaker 2: about to post a branded content next. That's right, and

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Speaker 2: we need to drive that algorithm. You got to cut

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Speaker 2: through the noise. That's right, cut through the noise.

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Speaker 1: Okay, that's right, Tommy, Okay, back to you, Back to

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Speaker 1: you and a little riled up. Now.

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Speaker 2: I hate Tommy's He literally turned red because he's like,

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Speaker 2: you've really nailed it.

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Speaker 1: Though you're not wrong, okay to put it.

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Speaker 2: No shame in it?

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Speaker 1: Oh hell no, no at all, no shame to put

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Speaker 1: a pin in this chapter of the conversation before we

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Speaker 1: get to some holiday foot.

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Speaker 2: But I just have to get my yettie I never

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Speaker 2: said this before cup and fill it with water, so

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Speaker 2: mom brand go ahead.

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Speaker 1: Can't with you? I literally, but yes, please fill it

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Speaker 1: up and show it to Camra. Thank you have been

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Speaker 1: in this chapter of your life.

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Speaker 2: I can't.

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Speaker 1: Are you done pouring?

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Speaker 2: Now? Tell them on? Get the ball out of the shot?

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Speaker 1: There we go, perfect water? Joy?

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Speaker 2: Never have I ever? Never? Have I ever? Oh wow,

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Speaker 2: I've never said this before.

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Speaker 1: We won't get a closer with that drinking shot? Not

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Speaker 1: your best one, but we'll work on it. We'll work

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Speaker 1: on it, okay, anyway to put a pin on this?

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Speaker 1: How serious have conversations been between you and Lindsay about

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Speaker 1: a sequel to me and girls? Everybody wants one? Have you,

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Speaker 1: honestly seriously had a conversation about it? Like?

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Speaker 2: Have you been like me and the low Hand?

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Speaker 1: Yeah? Have you been like, if we're going to do this,

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Speaker 1: what would it look like? Would we do it?

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Speaker 2: Like?

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Speaker 1: Has that even happened?

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Speaker 2: Has there been a conversation between me and Lindsay Lohan

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Speaker 2: about a sequel? I don't think there's been an actual

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Speaker 2: conversation between us that I can rem They might have,

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Speaker 2: but like in the group chat, do we want to

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Speaker 2: do it? Yes, you know, but we haven't actually sat

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Speaker 2: down and ben like, how do we do this? I

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Speaker 2: know that everyone wants to I know that. I mean

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Speaker 2: ninety nine percent of the cast is like, let's go.

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Speaker 1: Like all the main players.

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Speaker 2: Yes, I think yes, I mean, for to my knowledge,

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Speaker 2: everyone that I talk to whenever we're like texting, you know,

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Speaker 2: sometimes on October third and stuff, like our phone lights up.

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Speaker 2: It's the Me and Girls cast other than me and

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Speaker 2: Lacy because we do Hamewark movies all the time. And

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Speaker 2: Daniel Fransese, who I see all the time. The rest

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Speaker 2: of us all are very very friendly and like like

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Speaker 2: close with each other. It's just we did that movie

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Speaker 2: twenty two years ago. So it's like, how many people

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Speaker 2: do you talk to from college? Like do you actually

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Speaker 2: keep in contact with everyone you went to college with? No,

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Speaker 2: But like if they pop up on a thing or

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Speaker 2: it's their birthday and you remember, it's, oh my god, hey,

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Speaker 2: good to see you. And it's not because we don't

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Speaker 2: want to hang out. It's because we all get everyone

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Speaker 2: grows up. We were children, like we were kids shooting

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Speaker 2: this movie, and then you grow up and get your lives,

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Speaker 2: you get married, you have kids, you you know, move away.

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Speaker 2: So like everyone loves each other, life just gets in

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Speaker 2: the way and everyone gets busy and starts doing their

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Speaker 2: own things. So it's like we would love to like

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Speaker 2: come back and bring the band back together. It's just

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Speaker 2: way above my pay grade. That's a Tina Fe question.

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Speaker 1: Do you think Aaron would be gay or straight consideration?

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Speaker 2: That's a great question. I think Aaron will be straight.

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Speaker 2: I do. I don't think yeah, because I don't think

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Speaker 2: we should like I think day, Like you know, there,

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Speaker 2: first of all, how weird is this? Almost all the

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Speaker 2: guys from Ingirls are gay, and Mingirls is one of

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Speaker 2: the gayest cult class movies of all time. So let's

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Speaker 2: think about that, Like what came first? The gay or

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Speaker 2: the mean girls? Like Daniel frand Szy gay, the guy

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Speaker 2: that plays Kevin Napoor Rejief gay, Jonathan Bennett gay, like

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Speaker 2: the three I know, it's so funny that like the

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Speaker 2: three dudes, I mean other than Shane Omen he's straight,

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Speaker 2: but like you know, the majority, like the three main

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Speaker 2: guys all came out at some point, which I thought

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Speaker 2: was really funny. It's just like ironic in a way.

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Speaker 2: It's like it's like, yeah, it's just funny to me.

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Speaker 2: I think Aaron would be straight because I wouldn't want

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Speaker 2: to just like you would to go and change the

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Speaker 2: narrative of Aaron Samuels because Jonathan benn is gay. You

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Speaker 2: would keep the narrative of Aaron Samuels because that's the story.

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Speaker 1: Okay, Yeah, well we will you really will wait for

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Speaker 1: that to happen.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe I'll be a I think he would teach though,

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Speaker 2: he'd be a teacher.

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Speaker 1: Oh I could see that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, why don't we just do the movie?

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Speaker 2: Everyone wants, right, everyone wants we all come back. We're

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Speaker 2: all teachers. I'm a teacher at the school. The girl

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Speaker 2: the you know, the girls are grown up, have their

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Speaker 2: own kids, and now their daughters are coming to school,

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Speaker 2: and it's managing the parents with the kids in high school.

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Speaker 2: Because like the parents of kids in.

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Speaker 1: High school, you thought about this at all, huh.

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Speaker 2: I mean it's just like it's like in your face,

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Speaker 2: like that's the storyline. It's not rocket science, you know,

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Speaker 2: and you know you just you see that way you

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Speaker 2: have you have multi general. As someone that does Hallmark

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Speaker 2: Channel movies, we think a lot about multi generational viewing,

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Speaker 2: and you could have a storyline for all the parents

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Speaker 2: who are the millennials that are the current fans of

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Speaker 2: the movie that grew up with it, so they're going

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Speaker 2: to be attached to like Lacey, Amanda Meet totally that

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Speaker 2: and then you have the kids who are the new

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Speaker 2: batch for their kids to be watching, so they can

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Speaker 2: identify with those kids, the parents identify with their og cast.

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Speaker 2: I mean you were Tina right at get any younger, sweetie,

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Speaker 2: Come one, Tina Fa, I'm not getting any younger.

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Speaker 1: Well, and you're also booked and busy. I mean you're

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Speaker 1: also the King of Christmas. If you haven't heard, rumor

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Speaker 1: on the street is have is the head? The where's

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Speaker 1: the crown?

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Speaker 2: Tommy? Uh huh? Mariah and Mariah and I are the

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Speaker 2: now apparently the royal family. Yeah, of it, that's what

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Speaker 2: people say.

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Speaker 1: So what makes you the King of Christmas?

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Speaker 2: I don't think there's anyone that's done more Christmas TV

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Speaker 2: shows or holiday TV shows than me. I think like

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Speaker 2: they come like the gay king. There's straight boys that

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Speaker 2: have done it, but the Gay King of Christmas for sure,

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Speaker 2: So I've got to I think it's also just like

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Speaker 2: being involved with Homework Channel, being involved, I'm like a

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Speaker 2: Seasons guy. I have Halloween Wars on Food Network. This

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Speaker 2: was last year. This was happened in twenty twenty four.

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Speaker 2: Halloween Wars on Food Network, Jonathan Bennett host Great. Then

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Speaker 2: I have Finding Mister Christmas on Then I have Then

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Speaker 2: I was in the Thanksgiving Parade, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day

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Speaker 2: Parade for Homework Channel doing Thanksgiving. Then I was in

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Speaker 2: Finding Mister Christmas and My Christmas Movies or Homewark, and

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Speaker 2: then I host the Ball Drop in Times Square New

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Speaker 2: Year's Eve. So literally it's like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas in

400
00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:07,399
Speaker 2: New Year's I was always working on each of those days.

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Speaker 2: So I think, you know, just being the doing so

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Speaker 2: much Christmas content and making so many Christmas movies, but

403
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Speaker 2: also making Christmas movies that matter, like we were the first.

404
00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:18,320
Speaker 2: I was the first person to do the first same

405
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Speaker 2: sex kiss in a Christmas movie in the Christmas House.

406
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Speaker 2: And then I got to create and produce and start

407
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Speaker 2: in the Holiday Sitter, which was the first gay led

408
00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:31,480
Speaker 2: Hallmark Christmas rom com which had never been done before,

409
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Speaker 2: which was a huge deal. It was like just the

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Speaker 2: storyline of the two guys. It wasn't an ensemble cast,

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Speaker 2: it was just us. And then you know, I created

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Speaker 2: Finding Mister Christmas, which is my reality show, and that's

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Speaker 2: like the search for the next Hallmark leading man. And

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Speaker 2: so with all those things combined, I guess they I

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Speaker 2: guess I kind of got Christmas. I got a vibe

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Speaker 2: on Christmas.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you certainly do. And I think what's really cool

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Speaker 1: is you are working at a network where I think

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Speaker 1: a lot of people over the years thought that could

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Speaker 1: never be possible. So how hard did you have to

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Speaker 1: push for these ideas to happen?

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Speaker 2: Then? Great question. Yeah, you know previously, years, years ago,

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Speaker 2: when you think of Hallmark Channel, you wouldn't think like, oh,

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Speaker 2: gay Christmas rom com. Right, It was a different world.

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Speaker 2: And then we had people like Michelle Vickery come into

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Speaker 2: power at the network who has been a huge advocate

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Speaker 2: for it. And she called me one day and said,

428
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Speaker 2: do you want to play gay characters or straight characters?

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Speaker 2: And I said I like to play gay characters. She

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Speaker 2: goes done, I'll make it happen. And ever since we

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Speaker 2: did the Christmas House. It's the door opened. And we've

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Speaker 2: had so many more gay storylines on the network, and

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Speaker 2: I think it's just a people say, do you have

434
00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:58,159
Speaker 2: to fight for it? I don't have to fight for it,

435
00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:03,200
Speaker 2: but I do have to stay vigilant, right, So it's

436
00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:06,480
Speaker 2: not that I have to convince the network to do

437
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:10,040
Speaker 2: gay stories. They are they are dedicated to doing gay

438
00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:13,040
Speaker 2: stories on a Hallmark Channel and it's which is probably

439
00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:15,480
Speaker 2: the most powerful network in the world for the gay community.

440
00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:17,520
Speaker 2: And I'll tell you about that in a second. But

441
00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:24,120
Speaker 2: like the they're dedicated to telling those stories. But I'm

442
00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:27,480
Speaker 2: just always there at the front, like making sure that

443
00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:29,240
Speaker 2: my eyes are on them so that we're telling the

444
00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:32,760
Speaker 2: correct stories. So it's more about like story management than

445
00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:34,840
Speaker 2: it is like will we do it right? It's like

446
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,439
Speaker 2: making sure they fit And what I think is so

447
00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:41,879
Speaker 2: powerful about Hallmark Channel. And we won the glad Award

448
00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,920
Speaker 2: last year for Best Move for Best Feature Film and

449
00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,680
Speaker 2: for The Groomsman, which was the first gay wedding that

450
00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:51,679
Speaker 2: I produced and started in for Homemark Channel. I know,

451
00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:53,920
Speaker 2: I was like, what a gay wedding on Homemark Channel?

452
00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:57,360
Speaker 2: Like yep, And it was beautiful. It was absolutely beautiful.

453
00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:00,520
Speaker 2: But what's so powerful about this network is that we

454
00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:07,479
Speaker 2: are viewed in so many states that the people that

455
00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:10,040
Speaker 2: where the people living in them in the smaller towns,

456
00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:12,679
Speaker 2: might not have a gay community, might not know a

457
00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:15,719
Speaker 2: gay person, or know that they know a gay person,

458
00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:19,280
Speaker 2: might not have any gay friends, might not whatever that

459
00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:23,520
Speaker 2: may be in some of those people might have, you know,

460
00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:29,680
Speaker 2: prejudiced towards the community. And I think by telling home,

461
00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:33,439
Speaker 2: by telling gay love stories on Hallmark channel, the number

462
00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:37,800
Speaker 2: one go to network for love, Like when you think love,

463
00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:42,000
Speaker 2: what do you think? Hallmark Love Stories universally in America

464
00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:47,320
Speaker 2: the number one destination, number one watched entertainment cable network

465
00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:49,720
Speaker 2: in the world. Like it is the place you go

466
00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:53,840
Speaker 2: for love. So when gay stories are told on that network, hey,

467
00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:58,280
Speaker 2: why shouldn't they be because it's, you know, network for

468
00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:03,040
Speaker 2: love stories. But by telling those stories on that network

469
00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:05,720
Speaker 2: with those people that watch that might not ever see

470
00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:10,480
Speaker 2: a gay love story otherwise, is a huge, huge, huge,

471
00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:15,680
Speaker 2: huge important thing. Like they watch the movies. Let's say,

472
00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:19,000
Speaker 2: let's say, you know, I'll use like my aunt for example,

473
00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:24,480
Speaker 2: Like you have an aunt that might not accept the

474
00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,920
Speaker 2: gay community. Maybe maybe that's what's happening but when she

475
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:32,920
Speaker 2: tunes in and she sees Jonathan Bennett and Alexander Lincoln

476
00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:37,240
Speaker 2: in a Hallmark movie who are falling in love, and

477
00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:43,199
Speaker 2: that movie, in her looks, sounds and feels just like

478
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,760
Speaker 2: the other one hundred and thirty seven movies she watches

479
00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,119
Speaker 2: a year that are straight on a Hallmark channel. There's

480
00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:51,800
Speaker 2: something subconscious that happens to her when she's watching it,

481
00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:54,880
Speaker 2: because what does it do, Tommy? It feels familiar? Yeah,

482
00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:58,359
Speaker 2: And she maybe doesn't change the channel right away. Maybe

483
00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:02,719
Speaker 2: she keeps watching and then she goes, oh, okay, and

484
00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:05,720
Speaker 2: then she sees something funny or charming or interesting, and

485
00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:08,640
Speaker 2: maybe she watches a little bit longer, and then maybe

486
00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:13,919
Speaker 2: by the end of that movie, we haven't changed her

487
00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:16,760
Speaker 2: mind completely, but maybe we've poked a hole in it.

488
00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,199
Speaker 2: We've poked a hole in any of the resistance she

489
00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:22,640
Speaker 2: has towards the community, because she goes, well, that kind

490
00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:25,760
Speaker 2: of looks and sounds and feels just like my love,

491
00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:28,320
Speaker 2: And that looks and sounds and feels just like the

492
00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:32,240
Speaker 2: other love movies that I watch on the network. Okay,

493
00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,040
Speaker 2: maybe maybe it's a little more similar than I think.

494
00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:39,560
Speaker 2: That one little hole can open up a whole world. Right,

495
00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,000
Speaker 2: So it's like my job is to go and poke

496
00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:45,520
Speaker 2: holes to change hearts and minds with my movies, and

497
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:46,280
Speaker 2: it's powerful.

498
00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:50,480
Speaker 1: That's how it happens. Nothing, nothing happens overnight, you know,

499
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:53,199
Speaker 1: but when you start making things feel like it's part

500
00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:55,159
Speaker 1: of the routine, it's part of the norm. It's all

501
00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,760
Speaker 1: it's familiar exactly. That's why, right, Like you know where like.

502
00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:01,720
Speaker 2: A movie, you know, you have movies, like you know,

503
00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:03,920
Speaker 2: some of the other gay movies that come out. They're

504
00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:07,399
Speaker 2: great and they're funny, but there sometimes can be a

505
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:08,520
Speaker 2: little more inside baseball.

506
00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:09,000
Speaker 1: Yeah.

507
00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:11,080
Speaker 2: Right, it's like you have to understand the grinder joke

508
00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:13,800
Speaker 2: to understand like where my ann is, Like what's grinder?

509
00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:16,040
Speaker 2: You know what I mean? Like it's not that you

510
00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:19,760
Speaker 2: have to like you have to meet the audience where

511
00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:21,480
Speaker 2: they are, and you have to meet your the people

512
00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:25,160
Speaker 2: that are that might be resisting your community where they are,

513
00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,320
Speaker 2: and where they are is you know, all over the

514
00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:31,200
Speaker 2: country and a lot of people watch this network.

515
00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:33,320
Speaker 1: Yeah, and where you are is everywhere because you're not

516
00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:37,240
Speaker 1: only acting and producing, but you're hosting the reality is yes,

517
00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:41,640
Speaker 1: season two. I mean, this seems like you love doing it.

518
00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:44,120
Speaker 1: You light up when I see you tell me about it.

519
00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:46,720
Speaker 2: Here's the thing, Tommy, think of how hard the industry is.

520
00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:48,400
Speaker 2: You've been in the industry a long time, your hub

521
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,720
Speaker 2: your hubbies, in the industry forever to be able to

522
00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:57,040
Speaker 2: say I have a I have a TV show on

523
00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:02,320
Speaker 2: TV that I created. Do you know how many knows

524
00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:03,600
Speaker 2: it takes to get there?

525
00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:04,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, it does happen.

526
00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:09,960
Speaker 2: A zillion knows, And by a miracle of God or whoever,

527
00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:15,520
Speaker 2: we got to make finding mister Christmas and finding Mister

528
00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:21,399
Speaker 2: Christmas is my life's work. It's everything I've learned in

529
00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:23,719
Speaker 2: the twenty two years in the industry. I took that

530
00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:27,240
Speaker 2: and applied it to this. Because I've been a contestant

531
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:31,320
Speaker 2: on Celebrity Big Brother, I've went home first, I've been

532
00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:36,520
Speaker 2: a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, went home third.

533
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:41,639
Speaker 2: I am. I've been a contestant on these shows. But

534
00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,679
Speaker 2: I've also been an actor for twenty some years, and

535
00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:47,919
Speaker 2: so I've taken all that knowledge and combined it to

536
00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:50,920
Speaker 2: create like what I think is the perfect reality show.

537
00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:55,040
Speaker 2: I think it is absolutely perfect. It is the search

538
00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:59,760
Speaker 2: for Hallmark's next leading Man. So we take ten hot guys,

539
00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:03,160
Speaker 2: we dress them in Christmas sweaters and flannels, and they

540
00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:07,040
Speaker 2: are gorgeous, like ten out of tens, all ten of them.

541
00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,439
Speaker 2: We take them and we put them in a house

542
00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:15,440
Speaker 2: where they compete in different acting challenges. One by one

543
00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:18,720
Speaker 2: they get eliminated, and then the winner gets to have

544
00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:21,240
Speaker 2: gets to be the next Hallmark Christmas movie star. He

545
00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:23,639
Speaker 2: gets a lead into Christmas movie. So we're letting the

546
00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:27,040
Speaker 2: audience in on the journey of like finding the next hunk.

547
00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:30,360
Speaker 2: My husband hates when I compare it to Rupul's drag Race.

548
00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:32,000
Speaker 2: He's like, don't compare it to RuPaul's dragras. It's not

549
00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:34,840
Speaker 2: Rupuel's drag race. I said, kind of, but in the

550
00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:38,720
Speaker 2: similar zone of like we're searching for talent right Like

551
00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:41,639
Speaker 2: it's it's like ten queens trying to be like, you know,

552
00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:44,080
Speaker 2: the next drag Race superstars. This is like ten hot

553
00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:46,760
Speaker 2: guys competing to be the next like Hallmark leading man.

554
00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:53,359
Speaker 2: And it is so much fun and so it's just

555
00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:56,440
Speaker 2: the exact thing you want when you watch reality television

556
00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:59,280
Speaker 2: that you don't get to see. It is ten hot

557
00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:05,080
Speaker 2: guys being vulnerable, opening up and sharing their experiences, crying together,

558
00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:08,320
Speaker 2: laughing together. These ten guys walk into this house as

559
00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:12,840
Speaker 2: competitors and they leave as like brothers. They all, they're all,

560
00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:15,520
Speaker 2: they all become so close by the end of this

561
00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:19,000
Speaker 2: because I don't know any I don't know any other

562
00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:23,000
Speaker 2: reality shows that you can turn on and see ten

563
00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:26,880
Speaker 2: grown men being vulnerable with each other and like supporting

564
00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:29,160
Speaker 2: each other, like they're more worried about, like taking care

565
00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:31,320
Speaker 2: of each other, to help each other out because it's

566
00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:33,760
Speaker 2: Hallmark Channel and that's just what we do and what

567
00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,200
Speaker 2: we instill in them, and by them helping each other,

568
00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:39,440
Speaker 2: they become the best versions of themselves. For the show.

569
00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:44,400
Speaker 2: It's absolutely like a It is like a science experiment

570
00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:46,880
Speaker 2: in like people like it is the it is like

571
00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:49,280
Speaker 2: it's like this, you want, you want to do good,

572
00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:52,200
Speaker 2: help the person next to you be better and you'll

573
00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:54,480
Speaker 2: and that will RaSE that will raise you up. And

574
00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:55,760
Speaker 2: that's exactly what the show does.

575
00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:57,920
Speaker 1: And it's so feel good. Is it one episode a week?

576
00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:00,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, one episode a week, So there's eight episodes. We

577
00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:03,760
Speaker 2: start with ten guys. One by one they get eliminated

578
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:06,720
Speaker 2: and we have them compete in different challenges that are

579
00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:11,239
Speaker 2: all based on like the Hallmark Christmas movie tropes that

580
00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:16,000
Speaker 2: we've come to love of the Christmas movies like It's

581
00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:20,360
Speaker 2: it's like you have the meat cute, then you have

582
00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:22,760
Speaker 2: the like kiss at the end of the movie, you

583
00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,920
Speaker 2: have the first date. You have them meeting the family.

584
00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:27,920
Speaker 2: Like all the tropes that we see in the movies

585
00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:30,800
Speaker 2: that we love, we took each of those tropes and

586
00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:34,360
Speaker 2: gamified an episode around it. So on the meet Cute episode,

587
00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,640
Speaker 2: the first episode, Janelle Parish from Pretty Little Liars is ore.

588
00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:41,080
Speaker 2: We bring a different Hallmark girl in each episode to

589
00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:44,320
Speaker 2: co star against them in their acting challenges. So they're

590
00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:47,400
Speaker 2: like thrown into the fire with like the real Hallmark girls.

591
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:49,200
Speaker 2: You know, we have all the big stars of Hallmark

592
00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:51,680
Speaker 2: that they're acting with. And some of these guys, you know,

593
00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:53,840
Speaker 2: have never acted before a day in their life. Some

594
00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:58,640
Speaker 2: of them have experienced. But episode one, we take them

595
00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:02,239
Speaker 2: to a ski slope, put them in snow skis and

596
00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:03,880
Speaker 2: give them lines to learn, and we say, you have

597
00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:05,880
Speaker 2: fifteen minutes to learn these lines and then you're gonna

598
00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:07,960
Speaker 2: act with Janelle Parish while you ski down the hill.

599
00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:11,240
Speaker 2: You have one take go And so they're having to

600
00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:16,960
Speaker 2: like ski down a hill while acting and like memorizing

601
00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:18,800
Speaker 2: their lines. Do it. They have fifteen minutes to do it,

602
00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:20,560
Speaker 2: because that's how it is when you shoot Homewark movies.

603
00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:23,840
Speaker 2: Sometimes it's like sometimes things change and it's like we're

604
00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:26,080
Speaker 2: losing daylight. You have to get this scene in ten minutes,

605
00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:27,920
Speaker 2: and we got to get out of here, and so

606
00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:30,040
Speaker 2: we need when we're looking for like the next Hallmark

607
00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:31,520
Speaker 2: movie star, we're looking for the guy that can like

608
00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:34,600
Speaker 2: put when his feet are put to the fire, he

609
00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:37,280
Speaker 2: can like rise up and like make it happen no matter,

610
00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:38,960
Speaker 2: you know, no matter how he does it.

611
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,880
Speaker 1: And so it's like that animal mentality. Yes, like you

612
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:43,720
Speaker 1: go in like a warrior. Yes, I'm just saying I

613
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:48,120
Speaker 1: would have crushed that so well. Ski Tommy, I know,

614
00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:52,040
Speaker 1: I see you posting in your skiing Yeah, I got fine,

615
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:56,000
Speaker 1: you know, ask me. It's crushed that season three. We

616
00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:58,680
Speaker 1: have a contentions. I don't want to talk about it

617
00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:01,640
Speaker 1: or anything I read for you today. It's no, no, no,

618
00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:04,120
Speaker 1: it's fine, it's fine, totally fine. I think you would

619
00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:06,400
Speaker 1: be a great home. Thank you.

620
00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:07,840
Speaker 2: But you act too.

621
00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:11,239
Speaker 1: I have a background, you have a background in act.

622
00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:13,240
Speaker 1: I'm here to talk about me right now. But yes,

623
00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:16,239
Speaker 1: I went to n Yu. Oh did you see this

624
00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:19,560
Speaker 1: mic drop by Tommy just now here. I went to

625
00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:21,800
Speaker 1: n y U and then he takes his yetty. I said,

626
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:26,160
Speaker 1: we're not going to talk about it, but I went, yeah,

627
00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:36,720
Speaker 1: I got kicked out of the iHeart Studio and already Jesus, Tommy,

628
00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:39,840
Speaker 1: you also have a movie coming out November ninth, November ninth,

629
00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:43,520
Speaker 1: Color Christmas Vacation, which is based on my own family.

630
00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:46,320
Speaker 2: Because I don't know about you, Tommy, but is your

631
00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:48,920
Speaker 2: family completely functional and has zero dysfunction in it?

632
00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:51,400
Speaker 1: Oh? Yeah, Italians from Jersey.

633
00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:55,680
Speaker 2: Sure. I thought, with the whole Hallmark lens, what if

634
00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:59,400
Speaker 2: we took what if we took siblings and instead of

635
00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:02,080
Speaker 2: making it per, what if we just were like super

636
00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:05,320
Speaker 2: honest and made a dysfunctional group of siblings that just

637
00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:06,120
Speaker 2: don't get along with it?

638
00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:06,880
Speaker 1: I love it.

639
00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:11,240
Speaker 2: And then we put them on a river cruise on

640
00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:15,560
Speaker 2: the Dua River in Vienna looking at all the Christmas markets.

641
00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:19,480
Speaker 2: So it's two brothers and a sister played by me.

642
00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:22,280
Speaker 2: And this is what I love so much about this movie.

643
00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:24,960
Speaker 2: Not only is the movie just hilarious and heartwarming and

644
00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:27,960
Speaker 2: so much fun, you get to see all the Christmas

645
00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:31,160
Speaker 2: markets of Europe and it's just absolutely Brent like we

646
00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:33,680
Speaker 2: shot in Vienna during the Christmas markets last year, so, like,

647
00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:38,920
Speaker 2: the production value is insane, but the cast chemistry. You

648
00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:41,920
Speaker 2: have the gay dude from Mean Girls, Jonathan Bennett gay

649
00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:46,960
Speaker 2: Aaron Samuels. You have Brandon Routh Superman yeah, and then

650
00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:50,160
Speaker 2: you have Eden Cher, who played Sue on the Middle.

651
00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:54,920
Speaker 2: So you have like literally Superman, the dude from Mean Girls,

652
00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:58,000
Speaker 2: and Sue from the Middle coming together to play siblings

653
00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:00,960
Speaker 2: that don't get along. And it is probably one of

654
00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:03,520
Speaker 2: the most beautiful movies I've ever shot, and just the

655
00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:07,280
Speaker 2: chemistry between like Eden Cher and brand because Brandon Routh

656
00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:09,959
Speaker 2: and I have known each other since we did soaps

657
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:12,959
Speaker 2: together back in New York City in like two thousand

658
00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,760
Speaker 2: and one, and so we've known each other our whole

659
00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:18,480
Speaker 2: lives and we look so similar. And when Ing Girls

660
00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:21,080
Speaker 2: came out, everyone thought it was him, and then when

661
00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:23,200
Speaker 2: Superman came out, everyone thought it was me. They're like,

662
00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:25,200
Speaker 2: are you Superman. I'm like, no, that's my friend Bja.

663
00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:27,280
Speaker 2: They're like, are you the guy from Ingirls. He's like, no,

664
00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:29,960
Speaker 2: that's Jonathan because we look so similar when we were younger.

665
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:31,920
Speaker 2: So it's really we've always wanted to play brothers. And

666
00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:34,480
Speaker 2: now we get to come together and like play brothers.

667
00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:36,840
Speaker 2: I played the gay one. He plays like the jock

668
00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:40,240
Speaker 2: football player brother. And Eden's like our sister that's in

669
00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:42,480
Speaker 2: the middle. And it's just it's so much fun.

670
00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:45,120
Speaker 1: Oh my god, what don't you have going on? Man?

671
00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:50,000
Speaker 2: Well, I don't know I have. We have a lot

672
00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:51,840
Speaker 2: going on. And I'll be back here. What are you

673
00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:53,400
Speaker 2: guys doing for New Year's Eve? We'll be in New

674
00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:53,960
Speaker 2: York City.

675
00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:56,360
Speaker 1: I'm not sure yet, but we're here to do it.

676
00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,600
Speaker 2: I'm hosting the ball drop again ten years in a row,

677
00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:03,320
Speaker 2: tenth love it ten years. Yeah, okay, you really are

678
00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:05,560
Speaker 2: the King of Christmas, King of the Holidays, king of

679
00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:06,000
Speaker 2: all that.

680
00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:07,560
Speaker 1: Yes, we're gonna do a little Rapid Fire.

681
00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:08,560
Speaker 2: I love Rapid Fire.

682
00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:13,359
Speaker 1: Number one. What three Christmas albums would be on your

683
00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:14,600
Speaker 1: mount Rushmore?

684
00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:22,160
Speaker 2: My husband wrote probably the best Christmas album I've ever heard.

685
00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:24,880
Speaker 2: And I don't mean that like because he's my husband.

686
00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:30,480
Speaker 2: It's the songs are so good. So James Vaughan, Babe,

687
00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:35,040
Speaker 2: what's the title? Because I always mess it up? Feels

688
00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:37,799
Speaker 2: like it feels like it feels like Christmas? By James Vaughan.

689
00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:41,160
Speaker 2: It's on Spotify and everywhere you get music because we

690
00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:44,080
Speaker 2: got to use his movie or his music in what

691
00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:46,960
Speaker 2: in my Christmas movie last year? During the kiss scene

692
00:34:47,200 --> 00:34:49,640
Speaker 2: my husband's movie played, my husband's song played, and it

693
00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:52,319
Speaker 2: was so special to have like a gay Christmas movie

694
00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:55,000
Speaker 2: with like the leads gay husband singing the song. It

695
00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:58,000
Speaker 2: was a very cool thing. Yeah, in st Merry Christmas,

696
00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:07,080
Speaker 2: Happy Holidays never gets old, never ever. And Whitney Houston

697
00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:11,080
Speaker 2: Joy to the world, because I can hear it in

698
00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:15,200
Speaker 2: my head right now, like when she's so good. I mean,

699
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:17,800
Speaker 2: come on, I mean that would be it instinct solid

700
00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:20,879
Speaker 2: in my husband sold if you're in a really good company.

701
00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:23,400
Speaker 1: Yeah you are. That's that's quite a lineup. Okay. The

702
00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:27,280
Speaker 1: holiday or love actually love.

703
00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:30,640
Speaker 2: Actually nothing better than that mono. Oh you like the

704
00:35:30,680 --> 00:35:34,680
Speaker 2: Holiday Moore really love actually for me all the way

705
00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:38,400
Speaker 2: it is that the monologue about the Heathrow Airport and

706
00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:42,799
Speaker 2: the love gets me every time. And it's also when

707
00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:47,000
Speaker 2: the singer what's his name Billy that sings this, like

708
00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:49,839
Speaker 2: the you know, British singer guy and he's like, we

709
00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:54,279
Speaker 2: took the word love and changed it to Christmas. That's

710
00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:57,799
Speaker 2: how I feel sometimes, like when I'm pitching things I'm like,

711
00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:02,880
Speaker 2: it's Rupe Paul's grace, but we're replacing it with hunks.

712
00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:04,760
Speaker 2: It's not rocket science.

713
00:36:06,719 --> 00:36:12,480
Speaker 1: Okay, solid solid. Two more Christmas lights white are color white.

714
00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:17,880
Speaker 1: I love a clean Christmas light. I love Green Garland

715
00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:22,520
Speaker 1: white Christmas lights, red bow. It is so classy and

716
00:36:22,719 --> 00:36:25,840
Speaker 1: just so like it just it feels so elevated. You

717
00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:29,640
Speaker 1: feel so like, oh, we're rich. We have white lights

718
00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:33,600
Speaker 1: in Green Garland with the bows. Okay, Green gars.

719
00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:37,319
Speaker 2: I think like all the like neighborhoods that were like

720
00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:40,200
Speaker 2: super like big houses, they always did like the white

721
00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:41,640
Speaker 2: lights of the things. So it was like a little

722
00:36:41,680 --> 00:36:43,800
Speaker 2: more classy, elevated. So that's why my head.

723
00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:47,200
Speaker 1: Goes yeah, solid, solid choice. And finally, when is the

724
00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:49,160
Speaker 1: first day you should decorate for Christmas?

725
00:36:49,239 --> 00:36:49,680
Speaker 2: Tommy?

726
00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:50,839
Speaker 1: When is it appropriate?

727
00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:55,440
Speaker 2: Tommy? Oh, this is not part of our something. I've

728
00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:57,960
Speaker 2: never done this. I've never this is not part of

729
00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:02,279
Speaker 2: I've never said this before. But it is never too

730
00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:05,600
Speaker 2: early to decorate for Christmas. However, I don't decorate for Christmas.

731
00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:09,759
Speaker 1: What does that mean? I don't decorate for holidays? For

732
00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:12,759
Speaker 1: holidays ever? Ever, like you don't put one decoration out

733
00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:13,279
Speaker 1: in your house?

734
00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:18,359
Speaker 2: Hm, barely do we babe, like one tree, Oh, the inflatables.

735
00:37:18,440 --> 00:37:21,279
Speaker 2: I put the inflatables in our yard. The inflatables in

736
00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:24,720
Speaker 2: our yard are like I did that to annoy James.

737
00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:29,000
Speaker 2: That was one thing. But like, and the reason is

738
00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:33,120
Speaker 2: you don't put a tree up. No, I know, I know,

739
00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:35,040
Speaker 2: and you would think. And I'm just being honest because like,

740
00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:37,200
Speaker 2: here's the thing. Like I could come on here and

741
00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:40,520
Speaker 2: be like, yo, like, yeah, of course we decorat, but

742
00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:42,680
Speaker 2: that'd be lying, and I don't want to lie. Like,

743
00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:47,360
Speaker 2: here's the thing. January eighth around, we start casting for

744
00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:49,800
Speaker 2: Finding Mister Christmas season two and I start or season

745
00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:53,480
Speaker 2: three and I start designing the challenges. So I'm designing

746
00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:59,120
Speaker 2: Christmas challenges and casting the guys. And then after designing

747
00:37:59,160 --> 00:38:01,360
Speaker 2: the challenges, we still shooting the show. So I'm in

748
00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:05,040
Speaker 2: Christmas mode shooting the show for like three weeks, and

749
00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:08,280
Speaker 2: then I go into a Hallmark Christmas movie. By June,

750
00:38:08,520 --> 00:38:12,800
Speaker 2: shoot another Christmas movie. That's another month of Christmas shooting.

751
00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:15,720
Speaker 2: Then we start doing like the Hallmark Countdown to Christmas

752
00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:18,359
Speaker 2: kickoff where it's all Christmas all the time. Then we

753
00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:22,680
Speaker 2: do Christmas in July. Then I shoot Halloween Wars to

754
00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:27,319
Speaker 2: in August to like start celebrating Halloween and then the

755
00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,560
Speaker 2: countdown to Christmas kickoff and the show starts airing. So

756
00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:32,760
Speaker 2: we're doing Christmas events, the Hallmark Christmas Cruise, Hallmark Christmas

757
00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:35,920
Speaker 2: Kansas City Experience. By the time the actual Christmas Day

758
00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:40,040
Speaker 2: gets here, I'm like, I don't think I can put

759
00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:41,560
Speaker 2: a tree up, Like I think I just need to

760
00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:43,719
Speaker 2: lay on the couch. And it's not the fact of

761
00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,680
Speaker 2: like I don't want a tree, it's that I don't

762
00:38:46,719 --> 00:38:48,960
Speaker 2: want to have to take it down because we have

763
00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:52,239
Speaker 2: been putting up Christmas decreations and doing Christmas decorations all

764
00:38:52,280 --> 00:38:54,719
Speaker 2: over the world for an entire year. So when the

765
00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:58,080
Speaker 2: actual holiday gets there, I'm like, my holiday is to

766
00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:00,360
Speaker 2: like let everyone else enjoy the holidays that we helped

767
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,400
Speaker 2: make Marion Brighte for them. I'm gonna land my couch

768
00:39:03,480 --> 00:39:05,600
Speaker 2: and eat like Tai food and watch movies.

769
00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:06,080
Speaker 1: That's fair.

770
00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:08,080
Speaker 2: Like, That's what I'm gonna do. It's fair, totally fair,

771
00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:10,000
Speaker 2: And it's not because I don't like it. It's because

772
00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:13,280
Speaker 2: we started January eighth. Yeah, I started doing Christmas.

773
00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:13,960
Speaker 1: You got a year of it.

774
00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:14,600
Speaker 2: We've had a year.

775
00:39:14,680 --> 00:39:16,560
Speaker 1: I get it. I get it. I was shook at first.

776
00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:18,799
Speaker 1: I feel like it makes sense and by the time

777
00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:25,160
Speaker 1: it happens, you're just like.

778
00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:25,680
Speaker 2: Okay, no more Christmas for me. I'm just gonna land

779
00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:26,000
Speaker 2: the couch.

780
00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:29,600
Speaker 1: Okay, you deserve it. You you deserve it, don't mean

781
00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:31,600
Speaker 1: that you deserve it fair enough. I feel like that

782
00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:33,719
Speaker 1: was a really good what you've never said before? So

783
00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:35,560
Speaker 1: I guess I'm still gonna ask you the question. I

784
00:39:35,560 --> 00:39:38,360
Speaker 1: wrap up every interview with this question based off the

785
00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:41,879
Speaker 1: title of the show. I've mainly because I was tired

786
00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:43,680
Speaker 1: of going to premieres and jun kits and talking to

787
00:39:43,719 --> 00:39:45,879
Speaker 1: people for two minutes and like not having a real

788
00:39:45,920 --> 00:39:48,960
Speaker 1: conversation and it's all the same bites that you answer

789
00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:51,920
Speaker 1: from the same outlets, and you know, it's just, to me,

790
00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:53,920
Speaker 1: the least interesting part of my job, if I can

791
00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:56,560
Speaker 1: say that. So I created a show where I could

792
00:39:56,680 --> 00:39:58,839
Speaker 1: have people come on and say something they don't get

793
00:39:58,840 --> 00:40:00,759
Speaker 1: a chance to say, or that they want to get

794
00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:03,439
Speaker 1: off their chest, or whatever it means to you. It's

795
00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:05,560
Speaker 1: just like, here's your time to say something you don't

796
00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:07,960
Speaker 1: always get to say. So, what is something you've never

797
00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:08,479
Speaker 1: said before?

798
00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:23,400
Speaker 2: Oh, I've never said no to a gig or to

799
00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:27,200
Speaker 2: a paycheck. Never, I've never said no to a job

800
00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:30,840
Speaker 2: like and you can look at my IMDb and go, yep,

801
00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:35,359
Speaker 2: you definitely have not said no ever, because there are

802
00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:40,799
Speaker 2: some real turns on there. But I've never said no

803
00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:49,160
Speaker 2: to like opportunity or a connection because I love working

804
00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:52,759
Speaker 2: and even if the movie's absolute garbage, I love being

805
00:40:52,800 --> 00:40:54,440
Speaker 2: on set. And when you're on set, you never know

806
00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:56,239
Speaker 2: what you're gonna learn or who you're gonna meet.

807
00:40:56,320 --> 00:40:56,800
Speaker 1: In this.

808
00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:02,120
Speaker 2: Business, in this industry, and really life in general is

809
00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:04,759
Speaker 2: all about relationships. It's not about being the best actor.

810
00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:06,680
Speaker 2: If it's about if it was about being the best actor,

811
00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:09,520
Speaker 2: watch TV, you wouldn't see any bad actors. Do We

812
00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:12,640
Speaker 2: see bad actors a hundred times? So why is that?

813
00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:16,319
Speaker 2: Because it's about the relationships, right, So relationships are the

814
00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:20,759
Speaker 2: most important thing in your life, personally and professionally. And

815
00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:27,799
Speaker 2: I've never said no to a job like. My age

816
00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:29,920
Speaker 2: will be like it's like zero dollars and you're shooting

817
00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:34,440
Speaker 2: and like you know, muskokey for two months and you

818
00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:38,239
Speaker 2: get a hundred bucks and you have no hotel, you

819
00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:40,640
Speaker 2: have to sleep on the street, and you're like, yeah, great,

820
00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:42,640
Speaker 2: I'm like I'm in let's do it. Like I've never

821
00:41:42,719 --> 00:41:43,719
Speaker 2: said no to a job.

822
00:41:44,320 --> 00:41:45,160
Speaker 1: I kind of love that.

823
00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:49,240
Speaker 2: Yeah, because and every time I say yes, work gets work.

824
00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:51,359
Speaker 2: You never know who you're gonna meet. You never know

825
00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:53,680
Speaker 2: like what thing is gonna click on there, Like sure,

826
00:41:53,719 --> 00:41:57,399
Speaker 2: maybe it might be a garbage movie no one's gonna watch,

827
00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:01,000
Speaker 2: but guess what, the writer on this is actually really

828
00:42:01,040 --> 00:42:03,200
Speaker 2: good and he actually met someone who met someone and

829
00:42:03,239 --> 00:42:04,799
Speaker 2: blah blah blah. And the next thing you know, you're

830
00:42:04,800 --> 00:42:07,040
Speaker 2: out to dinn they're like, you should read for this project.

831
00:42:07,040 --> 00:42:09,600
Speaker 2: And then you get another gig. Like it's it's always

832
00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:14,160
Speaker 2: about like we're getting you work. And like so I've

833
00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:17,520
Speaker 2: never said no to a job or a paycheck, and

834
00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:20,319
Speaker 2: you can look at my social media to say that

835
00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:21,320
Speaker 2: I've never said no to it.

836
00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:23,480
Speaker 1: That's a great one. I actually really love that. And

837
00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:25,439
Speaker 1: you wouldn't be where you are today without that, right,

838
00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:27,560
Speaker 1: Like you're here for a reason, you're doing You're in

839
00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:29,799
Speaker 1: a career and in a path that you love and

840
00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:32,600
Speaker 1: you're happy with. And yeah, opportunities seem to keep coming

841
00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:33,319
Speaker 1: to you.

842
00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:36,239
Speaker 2: And also that's another thing. They don't come everything you've

843
00:42:36,239 --> 00:42:39,479
Speaker 2: seen me promote than Halloween Wars, I've created. Yeah, of course.

844
00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:42,160
Speaker 2: And that's the thing which is easy. Yes, that's the

845
00:42:42,239 --> 00:42:44,319
Speaker 2: thing that I tell everyone that wants to break into

846
00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:45,799
Speaker 2: the industry. Right, They're like, how do I do it?

847
00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:48,279
Speaker 2: I'm like, create your own stuff? The only I mean,

848
00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:50,600
Speaker 2: you created a podcast that I'm sitting on and talking

849
00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:52,359
Speaker 2: on right now, Tommy.

850
00:42:52,160 --> 00:42:54,600
Speaker 1: Based it came from an Instagram live show I did

851
00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:55,480
Speaker 1: during the pandemic.

852
00:42:55,719 --> 00:42:58,040
Speaker 2: Yes, and then now we're on your podcast talking about

853
00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:00,279
Speaker 2: it because you created it. I hard to and just

854
00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:04,239
Speaker 2: call Tommy and say, oh, never have I ever. Let's go.

855
00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:06,000
Speaker 2: I know it's not called never havever ever. I just

856
00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:09,440
Speaker 2: like saying that I've never said this before. Let's do

857
00:43:09,520 --> 00:43:11,640
Speaker 2: the show. Tommy's like, no, I'm going to create the

858
00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:14,640
Speaker 2: thing in the IP that makes iHeart go, oh, will

859
00:43:14,640 --> 00:43:16,680
Speaker 2: you come do the show here? Yeah, And that's what

860
00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:18,480
Speaker 2: you have to do in twenty twenty five, twenty six

861
00:43:18,560 --> 00:43:20,360
Speaker 2: to like make it in this industry.

862
00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:23,360
Speaker 1: I am ready for a masterclass with Jonathan Bennett.

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00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:24,359
Speaker 2: Let's think we just got one.

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00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:26,759
Speaker 1: Let's go. Let's go, my friend, thank you.

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00:43:27,080 --> 00:43:28,799
Speaker 2: I am so happy that you're a real human. Oh

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00:43:28,880 --> 00:43:32,920
Speaker 2: my Instagram model people, Oh my god. He doesn't just

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00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:35,960
Speaker 2: like his green Earth, No I, what is it green Earth?

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00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:39,080
Speaker 2: What's it called? Earth?

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00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:42,680
Speaker 1: Go watch all the things going on? Finding Mister Christmas

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00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:47,319
Speaker 1: and a Keller Christmas Vacation out November ninth. Jonathan Bennett's

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00:43:47,680 --> 00:43:49,560
Speaker 1: Thank You, m Me Doter, thank you so much, Thank you.

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00:43:49,719 --> 00:43:55,200
Speaker 1: Until next time, Stay Sexy, San Diego. I've Never Said

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00:43:55,239 --> 00:43:59,560
Speaker 1: This Before is hosted by Me Tommy Didario. This podcast

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00:43:59,640 --> 00:44:03,480
Speaker 1: is exactecutive produced by Andrew Publici at iHeartRadio and by

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00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:07,919
Speaker 1: me Tommy, with editing by Joshua Colaudney. I've Never Said

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00:44:07,920 --> 00:44:10,880
Speaker 1: This Before is part of the Elvis Duran podcast Network

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00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:15,000
Speaker 1: on iHeart Podcasts. For more, rate review and subscribe to

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00:44:15,080 --> 00:44:18,240
Speaker 1: our show and if you liked this episode, tell your friends.

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00:44:18,600 --> 00:44:20,800
Speaker 1: Until next time. I'm Tommy Dederio