My Life Before the Walter Boys: With Jaylan Evans

This week, we’re catching up with our friend Jaylan Evans, who you may recognize as Skylar Summerhill on Netflix's My Life with the Walter Boys. It’s been a minute since we’ve seen him! He's been busy off filming, and this conversation feels like both a reunion and a deep dive into everything that’s changed.

Jaylan takes us behind the scenes of working on a Netflix series: what life on set is really like, how TV and film differ from our shared roots in theatre, and the adjustments that come with stepping into a whole new world as a performer.

We also rewind to the not-so-glamorous chapter—his life in NYC before booking. From working retail and living paycheck to paycheck to navigating constant audition rejection, Jaylan opens up about the persistence it took to keep going… all the way to landing a series regular role.

It’s an honest, inspiring, and full-circle conversation about friendship, growth, and what happens when everything you’ve been working toward finally meets you where you are.

Sip of the Week: Dark & Stormy

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Website: https://www.jaylanevans.com

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Marisa:

 https://www.instagram.com/marisanahas/

https://www.tiktok.com/@marisanahas

Noelle:

https://www.instagram.com/noellecornelius/

https://www.tiktok.com/@noellecornelius

Transcript

Intro

SPEAKER_10 0:00

It's Mariah Gary.

SPEAKER_06 0:03

I know.

SPEAKER_10 0:04

It's that was a whistle. No, that was actually crazy. Mom, what do you think? Whistletones? Okay.

SPEAKER_04 0:13

That was whistle. We're close.

SPEAKER_10 0:15

Wait, that was whistle.

SPEAKER_04 0:17

That wasn't whistle. The highest notes that aren't whistle yet.

SPEAKER_10 0:21

Wait, that was crazy. Okay. Okay. Let's go. Are you ready? All right. Okay.

SPEAKER_09 0:27

Hi, I'm Noelle, and I'm Marissa, but Noelle calls me Pete.

SPEAKER_04 0:31

And I'm Jalen.

SPEAKER_10 0:33

And I'm Polly, Noelle's mother.

SPEAKER_09 0:36

And welcome back to Take It Home.

SPEAKER_08 0:40

Yay! We have a full house.

SPEAKER_10 0:42

Yes. Bye. She was not on the podcast for very long, but she's popping in to say hey. My mom's visiting, um, so she wanted to say hello. But our real guest today is Jalen.

SPEAKER_06 0:55

Jalen Evan. We loved Dr. Polly's. We love Dr.

SPEAKER_10 0:59

Polly. Um, aka my mom. Um, but yeah, Jalen's our guest on the episode today. We both went to Elon with Jalen. I went to high school with Jalen. We've been very, very close friends since like I would say ninth grade, but more like 10th. Yeah. I feel like we became close sophomore year of high school.

SPEAKER_04 1:17

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_10 1:18

That's when we became like besties. Yeah. And then we went to college together.

SPEAKER_04 1:22

I know.

SPEAKER_10 1:23

And now here we are.

SPEAKER_04 1:25

It's been way. Oh my god, our 10 10-year reunion is this year. We graduated from Weaver, yeah. And then four years before that, through so it's been 14 years this fall. Wow. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_09 1:39

That is crazy. I was thinking about how we started college 10 years ago. I mean, graduated high school, started college. Like a decade? What do you mean?

SPEAKER_06 1:46

Oh my gosh. That's weird.

SPEAKER_04 1:48

But also, the feeling is so split because it's so like nostalgic, which kind of is somber, at least in my perspective. Yeah. But also that year, I mean 2016, it's like viral right now. It was like bliss. I don't know about you guys, but when I think about graduating high school, we were 18, the summer going into fall year, the music chain smokers, close. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_06 2:13

Freshman year. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_09 2:18

How was that 10 years ago?

SPEAKER_10 2:19

I don't know. That's weird.

SPEAKER_09 2:21

Like it's one of those things where it feels like a lifetime ago, but it also is like, how was that 10 years ago?

SPEAKER_10 2:25

I know. But do you guys feel like so different now than you were a freshman year of college? I mean, like, yeah, obviously. I was a cute little baby.

SPEAKER_04 2:35

I know. I look back at pictures and I'm like, I thought I was so much older, like 18.

SPEAKER_05 2:42

But like I had such a baby face, and I'm like, you were a little baby.

SPEAKER_09 2:46

It was actually crazy, like looking back at photos. Like that's a huge indicator. Even like of myself, but then also like you guys, and like seeing our friends and being like, oh my god, we looked like that.

SPEAKER_04 2:57

I know. We looked so fast photos at Elon, like freshman year, just little like fetuses.

SPEAKER_09 3:03

It's so crazy.

SPEAKER_04 3:04

But it never feels like that doing it. No, and I know I remember feeling so old. Which makes me believe we're gonna feel the same way about it.

SPEAKER_10 3:13

We definitely are going to. We're gonna be like, wow, we really thought we were old when we were 28.

SPEAKER_09 3:18

And we're gonna be looking back on this right now.

SPEAKER_04 3:21

All three of us are 28. We also cheers. Wait, okay. They made me this dark rum punch, ginger beer.

SPEAKER_06 3:28

I'm like, I want my sip.

SPEAKER_10 3:30

We want a sip. Let's just introduce the sip. This is our sip of the week. It's a dark sip.

SPEAKER_06 3:34

Sorry, can I jump ahead? I'm jumping ahead of their segments.

SPEAKER_10 3:37

But honestly, I love it. It's like I mean, we were about to get there anyways. We needed a segue. But sorry. Um, every week we have a sip of the week. Um, this week we're doing Dark and Stormies. Jalen said that he likes um dark liquor, but you meant more like whiskey and bourbon, I feel like.

SPEAKER_04 3:54

Yes, I'm in my dark era, guys. Um the only white that I like right now is tequila. Yeah. Um, I feel like I'm scarred from vodka. I was feeling like Noelle, we smuggled so much of that shit in high school. We did. And I'm like, all I drink was vodka. And so I'm like, I'm not really in my vodka era. I hate gin.

SPEAKER_02 4:18

I love gin. I love gin too.

SPEAKER_04 4:20

You guys do. A lot of people do. But the spices, it's like earthy. I get it.

SPEAKER_10 4:25

It's pinnacle. It's pinnacle, but I love it. But you like rum. Yes. Even though you haven't tried, I don't know if I've ever had dark rum either, honestly.

SPEAKER_06 4:35

Do you like dark rum? I was like, girl, I thought rum was white. Dark rum means it tells me rum is black or rum.

SPEAKER_10 4:44

Well, we're gonna try it today. Um it is dark and stormy outside today, so I thought dark and stormy would be perfect. I actually was gonna make uh painkiller, which is another dark rum drink, but it has coconut in it, and Jalen is allergic. So I thought this would be perfect. I mean, but it's fine. Like, this was gonna be I hope it's good, actually. I'm sure. I don't want to speak here soon.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Okay, can you?

SPEAKER_06 5:06

Cheers. Cheers! They're so cute. I have a little bit.

SPEAKER_09 5:11

Oh. Ooh. Taste the rum.

SPEAKER_10 5:15

It might need to be stirred a little too.

SPEAKER_04 5:17

It's good. I like rum. Anytime I get drink ginger beer, it takes me like to the Caribbean. I swear. Yeah, and rum too. Mm-hmm. Exactly. Rum punch. Which I had jerked chicken tonight for dinner. Wait, really?

SPEAKER_10 5:31

Um my god, we're on theme. Yes, we are. Yay, I'm glad sip of the week is good. Yay! Do you like the little fishies in there too? I do. I love the little fish.

SPEAKER_09 5:42

Our little fishy, if you're not watching, cocktail stirrs that Noelle got from Mexico. Mexico. I didn't I couldn't remember if you got them from Mexico or Brazil.

SPEAKER_04 5:50

Oh, they're cocktail stirres?

SPEAKER_09 5:51

Yeah, they're little stickers.

SPEAKER_04 5:52

They're stirring stirring.

SPEAKER_10 5:53

Stir it with it. Some I went to this like market in Mexico City, and there was this glass station of this woman who makes all of this homemade glass stuff, and she had all these cocktail stirrers. And when you look at them, there were so many, and each one was a little different. They were all like handmade. It was crazy. Wow. So I got these fish. It was like $150 each. Oh, like a dollar fifty.

SPEAKER_04 6:14

Affordable. Which is shocking. I feel like I never say that. Yeah. As it was coming out of my mouth, I'm just like, whoa, this is a new sensation.

SPEAKER_10 6:24

It was, yeah. Mexico City was very affordable, honestly.

SPEAKER_04 6:29

So we were just talking. I don't know if we got it on record, but Noelle is everywhere. She's here, she's there. Marissa too, low-key.

SPEAKER_07 6:35

Not as much as Noelle. Noelle's a trap.

SPEAKER_04 6:37

You were just in Mexico City. I was because I thought you were in Brazil, but I'm like, no, wait, that was that one.

SPEAKER_10 6:43

Okay, so this past summer I went to Brazil and then Costa Rica. And then I started dating Rodney. That's his name on the podcast. I don't know if you knew that. Oh, so yeah, I can't. Yeah, he has a fake name on here.

SPEAKER_04 6:55

I haven't met Rodney yet, but I cannot wait.

SPEAKER_10 6:57

My mom met him today.

SPEAKER_04 6:58

Oh, thoughts. Oh, thumbs up. Thumbs up. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 7:03

Rodney.

SPEAKER_10 7:03

Rodney. We like Rodney. But it was his idea because he had a couple of weeks like in between work things, and he was like, so I was thinking of going on a trip to Mexico City. This was when we were like first kind of dating too. So I was I didn't give him an answer for a couple of weeks because I was like, I don't know this man. Like you want me to go to Mexico with you? He was like, you don't have to, but like I was thinking of just going because I've always wanted to go and it's affordable. And if you want to come with me, and then I ended up just being like, you know what? Why not go to Mexico City with this boy?

SPEAKER_04 7:35

Sounds like your man. Yeah, he is.

SPEAKER_10 7:38

He loves to travel. He's been to 43 countries.

SPEAKER_04 7:40

What? Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 7:41

Oh my gosh, goals. Yeah. I'm like jealous.

SPEAKER_10 7:44

I was gonna say you guys became official on that trip. We did. We came, we became official in Mexico City. That's so cute.

SPEAKER_04 7:52

I'm such a hopeless romantic, so I'm over here gushing on the inside.

SPEAKER_10 7:55

Yeah, it was sweet. It was really sweet. And yeah, Mexico City was amazing. Ciudad de México Ciudad de México.

SPEAKER_04 8:05

Wait, were we in Spanish class together at Weaver? No. Senorita Moore? But you had her?

SPEAKER_10 8:10

See.

SPEAKER_06 8:11

Cuaderno.

SPEAKER_08 8:12

Cuaderno. Is that notebook? Yes. Journal. Yes.

SPEAKER_10 8:16

I think respectful people that how people did I tell you about that? I don't know. At Weaver, it was an inside joke where everyone would just be like, Cuaderno. Like everyone chose, like, you guys chose it. It's like a random Spanish word.

SPEAKER_04 8:30

But we loved it. We ate it up. Honestly, if the teacher's good, the children will love the class. Like she was so fun.

SPEAKER_10 8:37

Miss Moore was the best. Pete and I will randomly sing songs like half in Spanish. It's so stupid. Should we sing our Annie song? Yeah. So we'll sing.

SPEAKER_06 8:45

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_07 8:46

The sun will come out. Mañana. Daly that manana. They'll be so.

SPEAKER_09 8:57

It's like every fifth word is in Spanish. Wow.

SPEAKER_10 9:00

My mom is just sitting over here watching some. I know we do this with like a lot of songs, so that's our main one.

SPEAKER_09 9:06

We were doing it with um Billie Eilish. Open up La Puerta.

SPEAKER_10 9:10

Open up La Puerta. Won't you open up La Puerta?

SPEAKER_04 9:15

I'm like, wait, is this Marissa? I do a double kick. Like, wait, is this Marissa's new joint?

SPEAKER_08 9:20

Don't even say it.

SPEAKER_04 9:21

Oh my god, it is uncanny.

SPEAKER_08 9:23

But you're talking about Billy Eilish.

SPEAKER_04 9:24

Billy, her boys.

SPEAKER_08 9:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:26

Like, I don't know. I hear it. Like it sounds so similar. Oceanize is the one that always comes to mind.

SPEAKER_09 9:33

You texted me recently and you were like, Ocean Eyes came on and I thought it was you.

SPEAKER_04 9:36

Yeah, because I'm so serious. It was the first 14-bit off Billy. I was like, oh my god, this song is beautiful. And I was like, wait, is this Marissa?

SPEAKER_10 9:44

Like just something that I hadn't heard. Wait, that's like the biggest compliment I feel like it could give Pete.

SPEAKER_09 9:48

That's a great compliment. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 9:50

Are you guys watching? Oh, wait, go ahead.

SPEAKER_10 9:51

I was gonna say Pete. Oh, I was gonna say Pete has some new songs. Well, I don't know if you want to say this on the podcast. Well, we've already talked about it a bunch. Oh, that's true. She has a couple of new songs that'll be released at some point, but they're really good.

SPEAKER_09 10:02

I'm aiming for summer. So my god. Summer. They're like almost done.

SPEAKER_04 10:08

I can't wait to listen.

SPEAKER_09 10:09

They're really good. It's different. I feel like it's a new era for me.

SPEAKER_04 10:12

I was just about to say, do you think it's the same style? Like sound?

SPEAKER_09 10:16

You know, it's it will always have the essence of me in some way, shape, or form, but I really think it's like different. But I didn't even like try to make it different. It's just like you know, it evolves. You've changed, you've found changed, yeah. These songs are really from the heart. They really are. I mean, it was about something very personal. It's like two songs that are like a part of the same story.

SPEAKER_04 10:38

And describe, is it an album, EP, or just a couple of singles?

SPEAKER_09 10:42

So I'm still kind of deciding, but I think that I'm I'm gonna try to do like a two-song EP.

SPEAKER_04 10:48

Okay, sweet.

SPEAKER_09 10:48

But the other option would be like release them as singles. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:51

Describe the two-song EP in three words.

SPEAKER_09 10:56

Ooh! That's hard. Um Raw Playful.

SPEAKER_04 11:03

Wow.

SPEAKER_09 11:04

And what's the third word to encapsulate it all?

SPEAKER_04 11:08

Even raw and playful. The juxtaposition is already some like I'm so enjoying it.

SPEAKER_09 11:12

Raw, playful, because it's like very real to me, but I feel like it's in a playful way. It's like kind of sarcastic.

SPEAKER_10 11:20

One of the songs, at least, of course. Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 11:23

And maybe like magical.

SPEAKER_10 11:27

Well, okay, well, one of the songs is. Am I allowed to say the name of it? No. Okay. I mean, you can tell Jalen. You can tell Jalen, but I caught it. You can bleep this part. Um, one of the songs is called Ooh, I love that.

SPEAKER_04 11:41

That sounds right up my alley. I mean, you know I'm so I can't wait.

SPEAKER_10 11:47

Wait, what were you gonna ask us if we've watched a TV show?

SPEAKER_04 11:49

Oh, I was just continuing on with the conversation of uh Billie Eilish. Are you guys watching the new season of Survivor? Survivor50? 50th anniversary season.

SPEAKER_10 11:59

Is she on Survivor?

SPEAKER_04 12:00

No, but they're doing this cool thing where do you know what the hidden immunity idols are?

SPEAKER_08 12:04

Yes, Dr.

SPEAKER_04 12:05

Folly's like, she's yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_08 12:08

She's not she knows. I don't really watch Survivor. What? I don't either. Bye. But I forgot. Okay, bye.

SPEAKER_04 12:17

Okay, everybody always asks me, and there's so many responses because like in my gut, yes, like I would love to go on Survivor. Uh-huh. But logistically, like, I can't swim. Like, I actually was just looking up swimming lessons the other day. Well, I can swim, but I can't tread water. That's the thing. Um, and like the minute I stop the act of swimming, like you can't stay in one place. No, absolutely not. Going under within seconds.

SPEAKER_08 12:45

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_04 12:46

And so, yes, I know. I was just looking into swimming lessons. I really want to start. I've always wanted to start uh that's sweet. Yeah, I want to just be really comfortable, you know, be able to jump in lakes and off yachts in the future one day, okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_09 13:02

But anyway, prepare for that.

SPEAKER_04 13:04

I don't know, because it's like, as an actor, it's like, can I? It feels like taboo. Like if you're gonna do like you have to be like a reality star if you do that. And what are you talking about? Like to go on. Go on survivor. Or like traitors love the traitors. Yeah. Um like I love reality TV, Big Brother. I feel like I would I'm a big brother fan. It's so good the scheming and like.

SPEAKER_08 13:29

I love that you watch Big Brother. Yes. Oh my god!

SPEAKER_04 13:31

And I low key feel like as an actor, I always say this, but watching reality TV is just as helpful and useful as scripted TV because you're looking at humans in their raw, like it's not scripted, they're being humans.

SPEAKER_09 13:45

It's like understanding humans, yeah. Like psychology of that.

SPEAKER_04 13:48

Yes, exactly. When we lie, when we we can like psychoanalyze what they're doing. Um, and I think that's like what I geek out about. But anyway, there's this thing called hidden immunity idols on Survivor, and if you find it in the jungle, then you have immunity if you play it, like you can't get voted out. And um, they're pulling out all these tips and tricks and stuff for the 50th season, and so this season it's called the Billy Eilish Boomerang Idol. And so it like boomerangs to another player, you have to like give it to someone, and if they go, if they get voted out with the idol like still on them without having been played, then it boomerangs back to the person that sent it, which is just like a new twist this season. It's a really good um reality show. You guys should watch it. I love it.

SPEAKER_09 14:34

That's crazy. I'm surprised that I don't. It feels very up my alley because I'm a huge reality TV person.

SPEAKER_04 14:39

If you love Big Brother, you'd love Survivor.

SPEAKER_09 14:41

Yeah, maybe I should start.

SPEAKER_04 14:42

It's so cut through. It's like I love watching people lie blatantly to someone. I don't know why. I'm not crazy, I swear. But it's something about them having a conversation of like, okay, let's comfort da-da-da. And then they go to that person and they're like, We're we're gonna do this.

SPEAKER_08 15:00

Like watching people lie.

SPEAKER_04 15:02

And like they go to tribal council every night, and there's no better feeling than watching a tribe pull off a blind side, and that's what they call it, where they vote someone out and they had no idea, and then they're just like livid and their reaction.

SPEAKER_10 15:16

It's so good. Wait, that's crazy. Maybe we should watch Survivor. Yeah. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_09 15:24

Is it time for our next segment? Before we do the next segment, I feel like if you want to like introduce yourself, Jalen, I feel like we did it like truly. I know we're talked about how we know you, but not like you. Like, who are you, Jalen?

SPEAKER_04 15:36

Conversation just goes.

SPEAKER_10 15:38

You know, we could just talk forever and ever. Like, literally.

SPEAKER_04 15:42

And I haven't seen them in forever, so there's so much to catch up on. Seriously. Uh, but yeah, my name's Jalen Evans.

SPEAKER_08 15:49

Who am I? Who are you? Who are you? That's who I he'd be.

SPEAKER_04 15:56

Oh no, we're gonna have to cut that.

SPEAKER_07 15:57

We're gonna have to cut the cough. Oh, trust me.

SPEAKER_06 16:01

People like what was that wet cough?

SPEAKER_04 16:03

Okay, anyway. Now watch us leave it because it was funny.

SPEAKER_06 16:06

Okay, but anyway.

SPEAKER_04 16:07

Um, Jalen. I am a country boy from North Carolina. Mama's boy. Big family, big hearted. True.

SPEAKER_10 16:47

And the most beautiful family. Oh, like all of you guys are just so like they're like all models. Especially when you guys all stand together for family pictures. It's like crazy.

SPEAKER_04 16:58

Everyone always says my mom and dad were like copy paste and that we all look alike. Yeah, yeah, you guys do. You do, we do. Uh, so let's see what else I love. Anything blue, um, including the Carolina Tar Heels, favorite sports team like ever. I am an ex-athlete turned artist, I guess. Yeah. Um grew up playing. I think soccer was my first sport I played, and then basketball, tracking field, and football. And then I did my first musical when I was in seventh grade. I was 13. It was called 13 the musical. I played Malcolm. My mom actually forced me to audition.

SPEAKER_10 17:37

Oh, I didn't think I knew that. You didn't know that? No. Were you like, no, mom?

SPEAKER_04 17:42

Yes, I was like Braddy. Like, we were leaving the movie theater, and I was taking piano lessons at the time, and my piano teacher was like, you know, he's so artistic, and I know he sings, and da-da-da. You should get your son to audition for this community theater play they're doing. They need boys.

SPEAKER_09 17:57

You know, yeah, yes, they need boys. And you know how it goes.

SPEAKER_04 18:01

We were leaving the movie theater, and I had planned on going to audition, but you know how it is, siblings, yeah, four siblings, somebody say something, and now I'm we finna scrap, like I want that when I get home. Like, you know, just bad and upset, like just so young and kids. And I think I just wasn't in a good mood after the movie. Yeah, and bitterly, yeah. And so in the car, my mom was like, You ready to go, you know, do your audition? I was I'm not going to that audition. Like, no, like I'm mad now.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

Like, I don't even care.

SPEAKER_04 18:36

Right. I don't care about this audition, musical, theater. No, like, no, I'm not doing that. I don't want to. Even though I wanted to, I prepped the song, everything. Yeah. Uh, just being so impulsive. And she kind of forced me to go. And so I have to be forever indebted to my mom because you know, it started out like, I don't know, these kids are weird theater kids. I mean, it was so weird.

SPEAKER_08 18:59

I mean, fair, fair.

SPEAKER_05 19:01

They are.

SPEAKER_04 19:01

And I was coming from like sports, like, I was like, these kids are weird. This is weird, bro. Like, these are the theater geeks. Like, weird.

SPEAKER_08 19:13

These kids are weird.

SPEAKER_04 19:14

I mean, it's true, but like now I'm weird, you know? But it grew on me, and I'll never forget tech week. When I step on that stage, boy, and it was the first time. Yeah. Uh, we did it at Weaver, actually, and that's how I found out about Weaver and all of that. But the lights were on me. I was in cost the seats, I was like, I found my own.

SPEAKER_06 19:35

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_04 19:36

It's honestly so strange. Trauma, but I loved it. Um, and then I got hooked and I did more and more, and then weaver and all of that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_10 19:45

Um, and then UNCSA for senior year of college or high school.

SPEAKER_04 19:50

Yes. Which has me thinking for our tenure, I'm like, am I going to y'all's or am I going to I? I went to high school with Noelle for my first three years, freshman through junior.

SPEAKER_10 20:02

I always forget that. You weren't there senior year.

SPEAKER_04 20:04

I know, crazy, right? That's weird. It is so weird. Well, and years are so fast. Like, yeah, you know, it was basically only like And that's how you knew Liv, right?

SPEAKER_09 20:12

Olivia Timoleo. Yeah, yeah. Because she was she was in your class at the NCSA. That's where I met her. Why did you transfer there?

SPEAKER_04 20:19

Honestly, you know, you don't know that much about the program. I heard about it through like a lot of the upperclassmen that came before us went, and it's just like word on the street, like, you know, they have a good program, good to like prep college auditions, and a lot of people that I looked up to went, like Isaac, Isaac Powell. Shout out, Isaac. He's from our hometown.

SPEAKER_10 20:39

And Pete's actually met him a couple of times too with him. A few times. Oh no, it was times. We've run in run into the city.

SPEAKER_04 20:45

I was about to say, was it from like running in or yes, multiple times?

SPEAKER_09 20:48

Isn't that weird? Once on the street in Greensboro. Yes. Once in Greensboro and like maybe a couple times in New York. And that was actually. But I don't think he knows who I am. But like probably would.

SPEAKER_04 20:58

Maybe no, yeah.

SPEAKER_10 20:59

Maybe. I remember we ran into him before he had filmed for American Horror Story, but he had just booked it. And I was like, what's going on with you? And he was like, Well, like, low-key, like, I just booked American Horror Story, and I was like, that's my favorite shop. Yes, it is. It was crazy. But, anyways, back to you.

SPEAKER_04 21:17

You looked up to people who win. Yeah, so I looked up to people that win, and I was like, you know, I'm serious about my craft. Um, and I also think I was escaping when I think about it on a personal level. I wanted to move out of home. I think I was ready. Like, I didn't want another year, you know.

SPEAKER_09 21:38

Because it's boarding school. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:40

It is. It's one year.

SPEAKER_09 21:41

It's basically like college almost.

SPEAKER_04 21:42

Exactly. One year early. I think I just wanted this stability of like, I don't know, like becoming a man and kind of like fully like kick starting that journey and living on my own and failing and just having space to I don't know. I started to feel suffocated at home. Yeah. Um I've always felt so old for my age and just like mature and kind of like just not in the same place and boat as people my age. I always gravitate towards older people. Yeah. 35 to 45. Like to kick it and talk everything like I would with m peers my age. But for some reason it feels so much easier with more mature people. And I think it's because they're wiser. Yeah. They're more stable. I mean, we've talked about this. I feel like I'm so misunderstood. I would like Vinto Noel in high school and college, just about what I'm going through. And I'll never forget you were like, I think you're just misunderstood. And I had never thought about it that way or heard that. Wait. And you were the first one that made me like think like, you know what? I think I am misunderstood.

SPEAKER_10 22:47

I did think that.

SPEAKER_04 22:48

And I think it's because I'm just mature and I've always like known who I am.

SPEAKER_09 22:52

And people are intimidated by that if they don't feel that way. You know, and when you're like growing up and still figuring all that out, that people would maybe feel threatened.

SPEAKER_10 23:02

I mean, of course, I know you like you have your insecurities as well, but you you lead with confidence, you like know that you're talented. I think that's how you've become so successful, too. Like, seriously, even just I think about, for example, when you booked the teen Muni thing. Oh my gosh, throwback. That was such a big deal at the time. Like just things like that, where you at that age, I was so not ready for big things like that. Like, I would have not submitted to that, maybe even. Or if I would have, I would have been like, but I'm not gonna get it. You know what I mean? Yeah, totally. Which, like, you know, now I feel ready. But I think that that's always been such an admirable thing about you is you know your worth. And a lot of people don't in this industry, especially. And people were probably intimidated by you, thought you were cocky.

SPEAKER_04 23:50

Yes. But like I used to get that all the time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 23:54

But I never thought I was. I was like, how am I cocky? Yeah, I'm like the gushiest nin-the crazy skin.

SPEAKER_04 24:02

Like, if you actually take a chance to like get to know me, right, you would know that that is so far from who I am.

SPEAKER_10 24:07

But I'm also very grateful. I feel like you are like aware of the things you're grateful for. I don't know how to work.

SPEAKER_04 24:15

Mama raised me right. Shout out, mommy. I love you.

SPEAKER_07 24:18

Shout out. Shout out, mommy.

SPEAKER_04 24:20

Yes, you're right though. Um, I have been confident. I feel like for the most part of my life, I am head strong. I do know what I want. I do kind of know who I am. Now, granted, you know, of course, I have insecurities. Of course, I have, you know, moments of doubt and all of that and stuff, but I am very spiritual. And I feel like your mindset and groundedness, all of that, your authenticity is a choice. You know what I mean? Like, even if you are insecure or have doubts or don't believe in yourself, not as confident, fake it. Maybe like, yeah, like take the power back, like in your mind to be like, you know what? No, I'm gonna shut those voices off in my head. Like, I'm not gonna listen to my inner sabatoir. I am that bitch. Like I mean, that's half the battle right there.

SPEAKER_09 25:07

That is like, yes. I mean, you have to, otherwise, it's never gonna those voices are never gonna stop, you know? Oh my god. It's like uh it's a habit and it's a pattern, and you like you have to actively work to rewire your the way you speak to yourself. And we've talked about this a little bit on the podcast before, like just aligning yourself with the the frequencies of the things that you want.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

Yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_09 25:29

So real.

SPEAKER_10 25:30

You know what? I watched an interview of Renee Rapp talking about when she played Regina in Mean Girls on Broadway. Oh, yeah. And someone asked her, like, how do you like get Regina's confidence? Like, whatever, and she was like, I fake it. Like, she was like, because there were days when she would feel like not great about how she looked. She mentioned because one of Regina's lines is like, I never weigh more than 115 or something like that. So like that. And Renee Rap was like, I weigh more than that. So like things like that where she would feel insecure, but she was just like, gotta fake it. And then like, so yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:04

And at a certain point, it'll be real. It will be. No, yeah. Like you know what I mean? I that woo-y spiritual manifestation frequency stuff, like it's real. It is so real. Call it what you want. You don't gotta believe it. Like when people are like, I don't believe in astrology. Girl, what? It's not for you to believe it. Like, it is real. Like, I don't whether you believe in it or not, you know, people are using it.

SPEAKER_09 26:27

Yeah, even if you want to call it science, call it science.

SPEAKER_04 26:30

Exactly.

SPEAKER_09 26:31

I think it's the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 26:32

Same.

SPEAKER_09 26:32

And that's a whole other conversation. But you know, whatever you want to, it's like literally the laws of the universe, the laws, yeah, the law of attraction.

SPEAKER_04 26:40

Like, just it's and if everything's purposeful and nothing happens for a reason, if you believe quotes like that, then where's your argument for not believing in the alignment of the stars? You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_09 26:51

That's what I always say. I'm like, people are so quick to be like, magic isn't real or this isn't real, or whatever. But I'm like, do you realize that we're what what where we are? Yeah, we are starless.

SPEAKER_10 27:00

We are like this entire existence is a miracle and crazy and magical. The fact that we have feelings too, it's not just like we exist, but we exist and we can enjoy our existence. Like we do things for fun. We travel, we laugh, we drink our little drinks. Like we could have just been born as like robots without feelings, you know. Yeah, we have other life to enjoy.

SPEAKER_09 27:24

It's really it's beautiful and complex, and the way our bodies and brains work, it's crazy.

SPEAKER_04 27:31

Healing ourselves, get a cut, and it's just stitched up naturally in like two days.

SPEAKER_05 27:36

And I'm like, bro, our bodies are crazy. Wait, that's so true.

SPEAKER_09 27:39

Yeah, it's weird. It's actually this is funny because I've been a little like struggling with some sort of illness. I think it's allergies, is what my doctor thinks. But I got like a blood test, and I was thinking about this like when I was scrolling through my results and like looking at all my levels of things and like what each one means. I'm like, these things are happening within my body, like without me having to like control them. Like my body is like almost its own separate being from myself. Like it's just like working to keep me alive.

SPEAKER_10 28:08

When you lose blood, also I don't like I don't get what do you what is it made out of? Like, what is the ingredients? What are the ingredients of blood? What are the ingredients of blood come from? Like, how do they just appear?

SPEAKER_04 28:19

Even our involuntary things like blinking or breathing, you don't have to think to do it.

SPEAKER_10 28:23

That like me out sometimes when I think about it. Like, I'm like, what if I just like forget how to breathe or something?

SPEAKER_04 28:30

Like we're alive is crazy. It is crazy. Our listeners are probably like, they are on something. I'll have what she is at the point.

SPEAKER_10 28:39

We still haven't even gotten to our smile of the week yet.

SPEAKER_07 28:42

Oh my gosh. Okay.

Smile of the Week

SPEAKER_07 28:43

Smile of the week, smile, smile of the week. Smile of the week, smile, smile of the week. It's literally just that.

SPEAKER_10 28:49

We just started doing that one time.

SPEAKER_05 28:52

Oh my gosh. Silly. Smile of the week. Smiley.

SPEAKER_10 28:57

Literally. It's like we don't ever really know what a jingle is.

SPEAKER_09 29:01

I need to go back and figure out when we started it. Yeah, what was the first episode we did that? Because it came about naturally. We did not, we did not sit down and say, let's create a jingle.

SPEAKER_10 29:10

It just like it just happened one episode.

SPEAKER_09 29:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10 29:12

I know we need to figure that out.

SPEAKER_09 29:14

But but anyway, this is the part of the podcast where we each kind of talk about something that made us smile this week.

SPEAKER_10 29:20

Because there's so much negativity and a lot of crazy bad shit happening in the world. So we're trying to bring as much positivity as we can. Sometimes that's all you can do. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:30

So uh what did Bad Bunny's sign say? Love is the most powerful drug, or there's no love will always be stronger than hate. Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 29:40

Something like that.

SPEAKER_04 29:41

Something like that.

SPEAKER_10 29:41

But it's true. I love him.

SPEAKER_04 29:43

Yeah, he's good.

SPEAKER_10 29:45

Um, do you have a smile, Jay? Do you know yet?

SPEAKER_04 29:47

Um my type A logical intellectual brain is like, go to your to-do list and just recap on what you've done.

SPEAKER_10 29:56

Normally me and people look back at our photos too to see like what happened this week.

SPEAKER_04 30:01

Had a great day yesterday. Yeah, yeah. Um that was my smile of the week, the entirety of yesterday. I don't know if y'all saw my Instagram story, but I was like acting all crazy after the gym.

SPEAKER_10 30:13

Wait, I don't know if I did.

SPEAKER_04 30:15

Like, I feel good. Um, but I literally just felt so good. And I think it's because I've just been so consistent in the gym. And I haven't been this consistent since college.

SPEAKER_09 30:30

Do you have a trainer right now?

SPEAKER_04 30:31

Yes, I'm working with the personal trainer uh through this like influencer collab thingy. He's like giving it to me for free in exchange for just like post and that's awesome. Uh to help grow his clientele. Yeah. So it's nice. Uh his name is Michael, he's in Dubai, he's been great.

SPEAKER_10 30:47

Okay, Michael in Dubai. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_04 30:50

He's so sweet, but also like, you know, keeps me on it. Uh the accountability is really nice. Like I said, like I haven't been this consistent since college, at least not for, you know, eight weeks at a time. I'll go for like a week or two, and then I like dies off, and I'm not doing that. I get it. But um, it's reminding me of freshman year of college when I was like, I don't know if y'all remember, but I like hit the ground running and I'm gonna do it. J Drinks Way.

SPEAKER_09 31:21

I don't know what that is. What is J. Drinks Way?

SPEAKER_04 31:23

It was like a fenced that I have. Oh my god. I don't think I knew about that. It was like Broadway bot. I'm a freshman at musical theater school, so I have to bulk Jay Drink's way. But I did it, and I bulked from like 118 to 154, 155 in one year.

SPEAKER_07 31:41

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 31:42

Um, all by myself. That was with no PT. And so yeah, my smile of the week, I feel like I'm realizing how good working out makes me feel. Like I feel so good afterwards. And I, you know, I think I should feel tired, but like actually, like I want to go run errands and like go run another mile and I'm just juiced up.

SPEAKER_10 32:03

It really is so good for you and your brain. It gives you energy. There are times when I really don't feel like working out, but I'm like, ugh, like I should. And then after I do it, I suddenly just like feel better. You know, like it really helps your mental health.

SPEAKER_04 32:18

It does because it releases what is it, endorphins or serotonin? Probably both.

SPEAKER_09 32:22

Like endorphins are a big one. Yeah, endorphins.

SPEAKER_04 32:26

It's endorphins or yes, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_10 32:28

Oh yeah. Yeah. That's another one of the good ones. The the good hormones. Yeah. I think they're hormones, right? I don't know. I I don't know. I think so. Okay, I'm glad you had a good day, Jay.

SPEAKER_04 32:39

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_10 32:40

And that gym stuff is going well for you.

SPEAKER_04 32:43

And I think just like I'm unpacking in my apartment. I just moved back.

SPEAKER_10 32:47

Yeah, Jalen House is the new place. Like, are you loving it?

SPEAKER_04 32:50

It's good. I do.

SPEAKER_10 32:51

I toured the place for Jalen.

SPEAKER_04 32:53

Yes. Oh my gosh. I literally just forgot that. You're like reminding me in this moment. I was back home in North Carolina, just coming back from Canada from work, and I knew that I wanted to move back because I can't stay in North Carolina again for eight months. Like, I love home, but you know, I'm grown. Like I cannot live at home, bro. I don't know how people do it. And so I was like, I gotta go back. Um, but I knew that moving here without being here would be hard. So I was like, you know, maybe I could sublet and then, you know, be able to tour spots on my own. But I was like, it's just so much. Like, I just wish I could just find a spot and like come here and be in that spot. Yeah. So Noelle toured it for me. I ended up, she toured three units in the building. I ended up loving all of them, but one of them really stood out, and I applied, I think, that night, and I honestly was like, things were moving the next week. Yeah, yeah. I love it. It's my first time living on my own in the city. I feel so safe. You know, there's concierge and it's nice.

SPEAKER_10 33:55

It's a nice building.

SPEAKER_04 33:56

My old buildings in New York, it would be like people hotboxing the lobby, and then like you'd look and it'd be like, Fuck you looking at.

SPEAKER_05 34:04

Like, you're in my building. You don't even live here. Oh my god. You're like hotboxing my lobby, and I'm supposed to be like the one that like bows down to you. Like, oh I can't respect it. Like the lobby is crazy.

SPEAKER_04 34:18

Crazy, diabolical. I always felt so unsafe. Um, and so that makes me feel safe. You know, I don't have to worry about my packages getting stolen. We have like valet down in the lobby, and they handle that.

SPEAKER_10 34:29

How is having a gym in your building too? Do you think that's really helped you as you're tier, yes?

SPEAKER_04 34:34

Yeah, yes. Like I don't have to go outside.

SPEAKER_10 34:38

That's really nice.

SPEAKER_04 34:39

Yeah, and it's so nice. I mean, you saw it right in the tour.

SPEAKER_10 34:41

It's so nice. It was like huge.

SPEAKER_04 34:44

Yes, and they have like a wellness center with like a sauna and spa-like stuff, which I haven't used as much as I'd like. I've been so busy, but I do plan on incorporating like going to the sauna and seeing room a couple times a week. Um, I really just want a more healthy and holistic lifestyle switch right now. I'm really craving that.

SPEAKER_10 35:04

Yeah, well, this is your time to have it.

SPEAKER_04 35:06

It is, and I'm I'm starting baby steps, but yeah, it's good. Still unpacking. Only been here like a month and a half, so there's lots to do. I don't have a couch, but I just ordered my entertainment center, you know, to like put your TV on.

SPEAKER_10 35:20

Cool. I want to see your place when it's done.

SPEAKER_04 35:23

Yes, I'll have to have you guys over.

SPEAKER_10 35:25

Yeah, have a little house for me.

SPEAKER_04 35:27

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_09 35:28

It's exciting. Yay, Pete, what's your smile? My smile is literally, I think I mentioned this when we were recording yesterday, so that would have been last week's episode. But we had like four days of really nice weather in the city.

SPEAKER_10 35:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_09 35:44

It was so nice, and that that is literally my smile. But I think it just really like now more than ever, I just realize how much the weather affects me and my mood and my well-being. And I grew up in Michigan, so like I'm used to a really tough long winter. Yeah. But like, I I guess it just never I didn't think about it too much growing up because that was just all I knew. That was the norm. And we had all four seasons, but just winter was very cold and very long.

SPEAKER_00 36:14

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_09 36:15

But then it wasn't until I don't know, I got older that I realized, yeah. Oh, I actually feel so much better when it's warm out. I know that it's not like a I mean, that's a universal feeling.

SPEAKER_06 36:27

But it's so true. It's worth repeating every time it was real.

SPEAKER_09 36:30

Because like the way I felt today when it was like weirdly snowy rain, cold. It snowed today.

SPEAKER_08 36:37

It literally 70 degrees like yesterday.

SPEAKER_09 36:40

I wore a tank top yesterday and it snowed today. So like so weird. It's like a 180 of how I feel. Like and I don't get it either. It's kind of crazy. But anyway, I I was just very happy to have four days of nice weather. Yes, it was so nice. Really made me appreciate the times when it is nice because it actually improves my quality of life so much.

SPEAKER_04 37:04

And I was just about to say, the highs are only high because of the lows. That's so true. So, you know, summer and train wouldn't feel like that if we didn't endure.

SPEAKER_09 37:12

That's so true. Like, if you think about people who like live in Florida or like somewhere where it's always sunny, they don't it's just that that's just how it is.

SPEAKER_04 37:20

They're not as grateful for the sun and one another like we are.

SPEAKER_09 37:24

It's like the movie. Have you guys seen the movie Inside Out? Oh my gosh, I love Inside Out! It's so good. But like the whole point is like you can't have joy without sadness, and like they come together to create the core the core memories. Oh, it's true. Anyway, yeah, that my smile is literally just the weather, and now I'm really looking forward to real spring.

SPEAKER_06 37:46

Yay, I'm so excited for fake spring.

SPEAKER_10 37:50

I know they're like it was like just fake spring. Um, what's yours? I guess um mine. Um, I went to um an Elon event last night with my mom. Um which like I don't think many students knew about it. It was me and then Matthew Moore was randomly there too. Oh my gosh, we were like, I know it was really good to see him. I had no idea he was gonna be there. I think we were like the only two, like we seemed like the youngest people there. It was a lot of like older like people who are like faculty at Elon now, whatever. I was like, no offense, but not super I mean, I was excited to go, but I was just kind of expecting to like walk around with my mom, be like, hello, and like shake hands. But ended up being so fun, and I got really drunk, which like I haven't been, I have not been partying as much at all recently. Like, I feel like I've been in my like not drinking era. I was fully expecting to go, wasn't gonna drink, was just gonna be there, but then Matthew Moore showed up, and then I was like, oh my gosh, hey, and then we got free drink tickets, and it was at this fancy cocktail bar, so it was like of course a free cocktail that would originally be like $23. So I was like, okay, well, I have to get one, and then we just kept getting more drink tickets. So I ended up having like four drinks, which like yeah, and like in a short amount of time too. So I came home last night and I was like, I'm kinda drunk. And people like, wait, what? I know we were just like talking.

SPEAKER_09 39:13

I was like rolling my my body out on my foam roller, and like we were talking. You were like, I'm like pretty drunk, by the way. And I was like, What do you mean?

SPEAKER_10 39:21

I couldn't even tell. So I like don't really drink that much anymore. So it was but it was really fun. I mean, it wasn't just fun because I was drunk, but like it was just a I love a fancy cocktail, so it was fun. I got all these fancy cock frees. Right. It was just a fun perspective, yeah, for free. It was like an unexpected night of fun. So I love that. That's that's my smile.

SPEAKER_04 39:42

What was the event for? Just an alumni event.

SPEAKER_10 39:45

So it wasn't even really an alumni event. Elon, the marching band for Elon was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall. So they did that last night, and I guess they had like a some kind of banquet, like celebration thing beforehand. So there's a bunch of like Elon Musical music faculty in town and stuff, and like Connie Book was there. Okay, um, so it was yeah, it wasn't really alumni. I actually don't know how Matthew Moore was invited or knew about it. Like, wait, yeah, that's so rare. Like he was the o we were the only two like students. So was he there with anyone? No, he was like I other people were invited too, like Reagan, Ogle, and Cassie had nick name tags there too, but that was it, but they didn't show up. But I don't know, it was so random. Like there were maybe like two other people who seemed like they were our age there. Okay and the rest were like much older. And yeah, it was so random. But he was like, Yeah, I I heard that there was free drinks and food, so that's why I'm here. By himself. Yeah, that's I mean, hey. Yeah, so it was randomly. Oh, sorry.

SPEAKER_06 40:48

Is that Sorry from here?

SPEAKER_10 40:49

Yeah, like somewhere.

SPEAKER_06 40:50

Yeah, I mean, I guess it would have to be.

SPEAKER_09 40:52

Um sorry if this is like tugging at your hands. Oh, it's okay.

SPEAKER_04 40:55

No, it's good.

SPEAKER_09 40:56

We can always move the table closer to smart.

SPEAKER_01 40:59

Let's do that. Engineering brains. I'm sorry. Okay, there we go.

SPEAKER_07 41:03

Oh, we could have just done that the whole time. Yeah, problem solving.

SPEAKER_04 41:07

Oh my gosh. Clearly, we're artists.

SPEAKER_10 41:10

Yeah, artists, brain. I'm just kidding, artists are smart. They are. I think artists are like some of the smartest people. That was creative to move in. No, it was. Yeah, it takes like critical thinking and teamwork and exactly.

SPEAKER_04 41:22

We are literally batshit, but I love us.

SPEAKER_10 41:24

I know. Jay, what have you

This Week's Topic

SPEAKER_10 41:26

been up to? You said you have we like don't have a topic for this episode, which I kind of love. Our topic is catching up. Yeah. We haven't seen well, I saw you over Christmas. Wait, did I? Yes, I helped you with a self tape.

SPEAKER_03 41:40

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_10 41:42

Because we were supposed to hang out, but then you were like, I have a self tape, and I was like, I can just read for you. The self tape becomes the hangout room. Yeah, it did. But no, but it was I needed you, thank you.

SPEAKER_06 41:52

Of course. I don't even remember what it was for. I do, you know how it goes.

SPEAKER_10 41:56

Wait, I don't remember what it was called, but you were playing like there was like the grim reaper, and you were like some nerdy boy, like facing death.

SPEAKER_04 42:04

Like, oh my god, I remember it was a comedy. Yeah, and that was so crazy. Like off the rails. Yeah, yes, I remember.

SPEAKER_10 42:12

But you guys haven't seen each other since like I was trying to think.

SPEAKER_09 42:16

Uh the last time, and it's weird because time just flies so quickly that I didn't even realize that it had been so long. But time is definitely like maybe a few years or a couple years. Two or three years.

SPEAKER_04 42:26

That is and even just looking at you now, I'm like, I thought in my head I was I was like looking at you guys talking, I was like, Marissa looks so like mature and like she's growing up, you know, Marissa. She's growing up, acting like I'm older than you and like looking down like at you saying that. But no, it's just because I haven't seen you. You seem grounded.

SPEAKER_09 42:46

Oh, thank you. That means a lot.

SPEAKER_04 42:48

In a way that is like new and exciting. Like you're giving like woman.

SPEAKER_08 42:53

Oh my god! Okay, woman.

SPEAKER_04 42:55

I love that. And I'm I mean, and you are too, but I've just seen you so much, so the it's more drastic.

SPEAKER_09 43:05

Right, yeah, the the gradual change.

SPEAKER_04 43:08

Exactly. Like looking at ourselves in the mirror every day, right? But anyway, I've been unpacking.

SPEAKER_10 43:13

Um Have you been auditioning for anything? I mean, I don't know if you want to talk about that on Yeah, we can.

SPEAKER_04 43:20

I have a little bit, nowhere near as much ever since getting the show. So Yeah, we haven't even talked about this.

SPEAKER_09 43:27

What have you been doing for the last two years, Taylor? Why not have I seen you?

SPEAKER_04 43:31

I know. Oh my gosh. Okay, so I am on a romantic drama. A YA Romantic drama on Netflix called My Life with the Walter Boys.

SPEAKER_09 43:46

You may have heard of it.

SPEAKER_04 43:47

Maybe, and I play Skylar Summerhill. I got that show in March of 2022, and here we are. March of 2026. Wow, so this month is Four years.

SPEAKER_10 44:01

Damn, it's been that long. That doesn't make any sense to me.

SPEAKER_04 44:03

I remember when I FaceTimed you, like, oh my God, I'm gonna be on Netflix.

SPEAKER_10 44:08

That was like crazy. I started sobbing.

SPEAKER_04 44:11

Yeah, well, that was nuts. That was really crazy. But yeah, anyway, I'm on that show, and I've I was gonna I was saying that just to say, ever since being on the show, I haven't been auditioning nearly as much as I did prior to. Um, and I think it's just because of availability. We shot season one in 2022 and then left for hiatus and probably would have gone back in 2023, but we had the writer strike. Uh, I think that was May to August or something like that with the WGA. And then SAG went on strike. We were like, we might as well too. And I think that was from like July to October, and so you know nothing was being written, then actors weren't working. It was crazy. Um, and then season one came out December of that year, 2023, uh, did really well, and we went back for season two the following year in 2024, and then season three last year, 2025, and now this year, 2026, we have season three coming out, and we will see about future seasons. I don't know.

SPEAKER_08 45:21

Fingers crossed.

SPEAKER_04 45:22

Yes, it would be nice. But the auditions have been, you know, they come in chunks, they come in waves. You know, I'll be like shooting a season in Canada, and then it's like, you have four auditions this week.

SPEAKER_10 45:33

What are they mainly for? Because now I'm assuming you're not auditioning for TV shows, like series regular. I am really yeah. I mean But just for ones that have different availability, I guess.

SPEAKER_04 45:44

No, even if we don't know, because it's so like we don't know our shooting schedule, and my rep, like my agents and manager are like, we're gonna get you know, we'll figure that out later. If they want you, then you know we have some collateral and leverage we can work with, and that's awesome. I mean, you guys know, odds are you're not gonna get it.

SPEAKER_10 46:06

So the least you can do is submit and just get in front of casting. Yeah, I mean, that's so true.

SPEAKER_04 46:12

Yeah, even if I'm gonna, you know, maybe not be available or it's like just just send it in.

SPEAKER_09 46:18

You cross that bridge when you get there.

SPEAKER_04 46:19

Exactly. Uh so yeah, I mainly submit for TV and film. Um, I do a little bit of Broadway, but Broadway is tricky right now with my contract because I mean it's like, you know, just think about it like from casting's point of view, you know, they have a breakdown and they have an opening for this track, and then, you know, you're gonna audition as a series regular on a TV show and have them cast you just to be told you're going back for another season and then put them in the same boat to refill the position. I don't I I mean I don't know, I'm not trying to talk myself out of a blessing.

SPEAKER_10 46:56

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:57

But it feels intricate.

SPEAKER_10 46:59

Um it would have to be like a a short contract or something.

SPEAKER_04 47:04

I could do like something off Broadway or even just a limited engagement of a Broadway run. Uh we're open to it. And uh, as you know, like we got our BFAs together. I do love theater. Uh that's kind of my bread and butter. I would love to do something on Broadway. And that time will come. New York and Broadway is not going anywhere. But right now, my availability is limited.

SPEAKER_10 47:25

Yeah. Do you ever audition for like regional shows ever anymore? He's like, no. And you know what? That's okay. No, I mean But isn't the thing I read for you with was that no, that was uh too. Like a pre-Broadway. Oh. But you say so.

SPEAKER_04 47:45

Wait, no, yeah. That was a musical. That was um wait, yeah. That had to be regional. Yeah. Because it wasn't Broadway.

SPEAKER_10 47:52

But maybe it was like a pre-Broadway.

SPEAKER_04 47:55

Probably. I can't remember. I don't know. But that was a musical.

unknown 48:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 48:00

It was like a pre-Broadway tryout thingy new musical, yeah. Which yeah, I will audition for those regionally. I just don't want to go and do like at this point in my career, I only want to do stuff that I want to do. That's I don't want to do like newsies again.

SPEAKER_10 48:19

You're not I'm done with it. No, I do. What if it's like a dream role?

SPEAKER_04 48:23

Absolutely. What are some of your theater dream roles? Anything in come from away. I love that musical. I have more so dream shows and not really dream roles. Uh Come From Away. I would love to be in company. Any role. That's one of my favorite musicals. I'm just like good musicals, you know. Um Days of Wines and Roses. So good. I love what it's about. It's a two-person show. So clearly, I would play um, I forget his name.

SPEAKER_10 48:51

Did you see it when Kelly O'Hara?

SPEAKER_04 48:55

That's what made me like I want to play that role. Just because of, I was like, this is next level.

SPEAKER_07 49:01

I've never seen that show. I haven't either.

SPEAKER_04 49:03

It's about alcoholism.

SPEAKER_07 49:05

Oh, whoa.

SPEAKER_04 49:06

Yes, and it's dark. Wait, and I was not expecting that. I left like crushed in the best of ways. That's what we want, you know?

SPEAKER_10 49:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 49:15

And so, yeah, we got Come From Away, Company, Days of Wine and Roses. And then honestly, like outside of those three, I don't have many, you know, maybe Thomas Jefferson, Lafayette, and Hamilton. Um but I want to do something new. I wouldn't mind, you know, being the blueprint for a character.

SPEAKER_10 49:36

That sounds like originating a role. Yeah, that's a good thing. That's a dream. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 49:40

Um and then yeah, I think that's it. I think for me, I want to do passion projects and things that are creatively fulfilling and things that speak to me and my soul. And you know, I don't the fluff stuff with no substance. Yeah. It's just like, why am I doing this? Is so you I don't really uh I mean you gotta pay the bills, you gotta pay the bills, the job is a job. It's already hard enough as an actor. But what if I had a choice, of course, I want to do stuff that challenges me. Yeah. And I feel like I'm learning and growing and pushing myself and really going there.

SPEAKER_10 50:20

I feel the same way, and I know you do too, Pete.

SPEAKER_09 50:23

Yeah, I feel like I had like a mindset shift recently too of just like I'm gonna be a little more selective and like narrow in on what I actually want. Yeah, and that's okay. Yeah, and it it is okay, and we had a discussion like this recently, but it makes me feel guilty.

SPEAKER_01 50:40

Exactly.

SPEAKER_09 50:40

Because I think that we're taught like and I do believe that to an extent, but I think it just depends. It all depends. It all depends. Every situation's different, and there is something to be said about doing something that will be an experience to put on your resume, but pressure.

SPEAKER_04 51:00

Totally. I um saw this TikTok or something. Uh, jobs will fulfill two of three things, and it's resume career booster, money is good, yeah, or creatively fulfilled. Yeah, we've talked about this on the podcast.

SPEAKER_09 51:14

So it has to it has to check two of those boxes. Exactly. Yeah. So I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 51:20

Rarely do you get all three. Right. It's possible. It's definitely possible. So rare.

SPEAKER_09 51:24

But early in your career, especially, it's like really hard to find that for sure.

SPEAKER_10 51:27

I just did a um cringy little. Oh my god, should we call it cringy on the podcast? I mean, it's like sweet.

SPEAKER_04 51:37

First time seeing you since.

SPEAKER_10 51:38

It's like, uh, you know those like vertical shorts. Do you know?

SPEAKER_04 51:43

Have you like like I have heard of them within the industry, but I don't think I've seen one yet.

SPEAKER_10 51:49

They're literally like soap operas. Like the writing is so the one that I was in, I'll say bleep it out though, because I'm not allowed to say it, but it's called Yeah. But luckily I think I would have said no to it if I were a cringy role, but I was literally, I had three lines, I was the post, and they're really legit too. Like the director has done a lot of it. I think the one I did.

SPEAKER_04 52:19

Or can they be indie too? But I know SAG is doing them too.

SPEAKER_10 52:23

I think I actually am like, I don't know. I worked non-mute, I don't know. I had a non-union contract.

SPEAKER_04 52:31

Yeah. But then once you do enough, it's called like top party.

SPEAKER_10 52:34

I think it was a SAG project.

SPEAKER_04 52:35

Probably was. I know SAG is doing them.

SPEAKER_10 52:37

Yeah. And the Instagram for it, Drama Box Productions, has like seven million followers. Like people like the industry.

SPEAKER_04 52:45

They do love them. I mean, but social media and on our phones and the new things.

SPEAKER_10 52:51

Exactly. But I my role was not cringy. I literally was like the host of an event. So, like, catch me, you guys, when it comes out. I'm gonna be on stage with a single spotlight on me. Like, hello, everybody, welcome. Like, oh my gosh, I can't wait. But I just did a project that was not artistically fulfilling, but it paid me. It felt really nice to get paid to act. Like, just you know, that feels good to and especially to have to call out of your other jobs, like, sorry, I can't come in tomorrow. I got an acting job. Like, sorry. You know, and then also being on set, because I have not spent a lot of time on set. I feel like I've been in, you know, film acting classes and I have learned how to like maybe audition on film, but like I was I felt very green when I was there. Like other people really knew what they were doing, and I felt a little like kind of shaky, but I felt like it was a good environment for me to be on set for the first time because it wasn't like I'm playing a lead and it's a big thing. It was something that I was like, this is a little cheesy, and I'm a small role, so it was like it was just such a good opportunity that I'm grateful for. And now, like I can put that on my resume. I got paid. Was it fulfilling? No, but like it felt really nice.

SPEAKER_04 54:07

But fulfilling maybe in other ways, you know.

SPEAKER_09 54:09

Like in some sense, because it's like you were still being paid to act. Yeah, that's fulfilling in some way.

SPEAKER_10 54:15

It is, and are that other people like some cool people too? Tori, what were you saying?

SPEAKER_04 54:20

Oh no, I was just gonna say there's nothing like being green. I don't know. I think back to my first day on set, and I was green too.

SPEAKER_09 54:27

And I really want to hear about this. And I don't know how much like you can talk about it or are willing to talk about it, but I want to know, like specifically, like when you first stepped onto set, like your first day shooting, going from I don't know if you had any film experience before, uh TV experience in front of the camera. Well, you did PowerBook Raising Canaan.

SPEAKER_10 54:49

Well, that's true, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 54:51

I sang. So it was kind of like I was using my musical theater degree, you know. I'm not saying it's like an RB like amateur artist at this talent show. Um, I didn't speak, I literally sang for like 30 seconds, and that was my you know, gig.

SPEAKER_09 55:05

So you had a kind of intro to like being on a set, yes, but not nearly in the same way. No, you suddenly booked a series regular role on for Netflix. Crazy jump. How like I'm trying to wrap my brain around how you go into that room. Like, yeah, do they tell you what to do?

SPEAKER_04 55:24

Like, no.

SPEAKER_09 55:25

So, yeah, like what can you can you talk about that process and like your experience?

SPEAKER_10 55:30

Were you scared? Just just talk, just talk.

SPEAKER_04 55:33

I I wasn't scared because that is kind of just like me, like you said, I'm confident, like I'm gonna like step up and I mean, and you earned you got the role, true.

SPEAKER_09 55:46

So, like true, to some extent, you you know you belong there.

SPEAKER_04 55:50

Exactly, exactly, and that's what you have to trust and lean into. Yeah, um, you know, everything happens for a reason. You can't get what's not yours. If it's yours, what pass you by? All of those things were like mantras in my head, and I was just like, you know what? Like, even if I don't have all of this experience and stuff, you know, I've trained. I went to high school for this, boarding school, college, all of the summer stuff.

SPEAKER_09 56:12

You've probably trained a lot more than a lot of actors. Have an acting, you know.

SPEAKER_04 56:17

Yeah, exactly. Um, so and so anyway, my first day on set, I'll never forget, it was all so new. It is so different than theater, y'all. It is like literally night and day. Um, everything. And so I remember like getting picked up, and I was like, oh my god, like I'm getting picked up in a blacked out suburban.

SPEAKER_05 56:37

That's so like cool. And then I'm like writing the set, open the door for me. Hi, welcome the set.

SPEAKER_06 56:45

Like your trailer is there.

SPEAKER_09 56:47

So we have your own trailer?

SPEAKER_04 56:48

Yeah, well, the yes, yes. Um yes, everybody has their own trailer. Uh, but it's so contractual.

SPEAKER_08 56:55

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_04 56:56

The specs of your trailer and stuff. But anyway, um, our AD season one, Cody, he was so great. He was like, breakfast is waiting for you in your trailer. I'm like, breakfast is waiting for you.

SPEAKER_08 57:07

That's so funny. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_04 57:09

And so then I go to my trailer and like eating breakfast, you know.

SPEAKER_10 57:12

What was it? What they give you.

SPEAKER_04 57:15

I always get a breakfast burrito.

SPEAKER_10 57:16

So like you can tell them what you want? Yes.

SPEAKER_04 57:19

So bacon, eggs, um, peppers and cheese with like home fries.

SPEAKER_06 57:25

Oh my god, yum.

SPEAKER_04 57:26

Um, it was delicious with an OJ. I get that every single day. Like, you know, you have your closet, wardrobes there, so I'm like, I'm gonna get in the wardrobe.

SPEAKER_09 57:34

Do they tell you is anyone in there with you? You're just like chilling in there by yourself?

SPEAKER_04 57:38

Uh they he probably said, you know, go ahead and get in a wardrobe, breakfast there, and I'll come back to grab you for, you know, processing.

SPEAKER_10 57:44

So is your costume costume? Like, I guess is it just their wardrobe? I'm like theater. Right. Like, do you reverses how do you know which one to put on? Wait, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_04 57:56

Yeah. Uh wardrobe. Um, what do you mean? How do you know which one you put on?

SPEAKER_10 58:00

Like, I don't know. If there's like a whole thing of your wardrobe.

SPEAKER_04 58:03

They only put your wardrobe for the day in the trailer.

SPEAKER_08 58:06

Okay, cool.

SPEAKER_04 58:07

And if you're doing like more than one scene, and like some days you might do a scene from this up and then a scene from that up. They'll only have typically the first one in there, and then as you're like on set shooting and stuff, they'll have the other one there. So when you get back, you take that one off. Yeah. Or sometimes they're both in there, but then you know, head of wardrobe will come in. This is your look for this episode, and then we're gonna do it anyway. So I'll get in wardrobe. Um, and this is really quick, by the way, because time is money on set, and it's so much going on. So I'm like, bye to the burrito, put on my shirt, chewing, get some of the home guys, put on my pants, and then you know, like five minutes later, uh, he's knocking, like, okay, hair is ready for you. Then I go to hair, get my hair done, and then there's always uh someone, the trailer AD is what they call it, like processing you around. You never really have to go and do things on your own. That's nice. So he walks me to my trailer, I'll be back in a few, take you to hair, and then he knocks to the door. All right, hair is ready for you. He walks me to the hair. Um, and that helps. That's really comfortable. Exactly. Uh so I did hair, then I go to the makeup trailer. Um, and now I'm in wardrobe, I got my hair done, I got my makeup done. I go back to my trailer and he's like, okay, we'll be ready to travel you to set in you know five to ten minutes. So, you know, maybe look over the sides or call your mom. And I don't remember what I did. I probably did call my mom, but uh next thing I know, he's knocking on the trailer and he's like, All right, we're ready for you on set. So I grab my, you know, my book bag with my water and maybe my airpods, just whatever I want with me on set, grab my sides. Um, because if you aren't familiar with the way set works in TV and film, you have like a packet of sides, and it's all of the scenes that are being shot that day with the call sheet on the front, with who's called, you know, locations and traveling and all of the business stuff on the front, lunch, and then as you flip through, there's the scenes, like the literal sides for the scenes for the day. And you get that every day. Um, and it's always good to bring it to set.

SPEAKER_10 1:00:13

But do you also get like the episodes beforehand? So, like, it's not like this this is not the first time you're seeing the scenes.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:20

No, no, no, no. But I mean, you can get the episode like five days before you're shooting the that episode scary. Yeah, you know, we're on the ride with the audience. Um and so yeah, I got to set, and it is so crazy, y'all. It's just so many people and so much going on. There's anywhere from like a hundred to two hundred people, just grips, lighting, sound, wardrobe, hair, makeup, our ADs, the director, cinematographer, the showrunner, producers. It's literally like mayhem.

SPEAKER_09 1:00:56

Meanwhile, you're like, I need to get into character. And like, what am I like? What is the scene? Like, yes, how do you like center yourself before?

SPEAKER_04 1:01:03

I know. I mean, I learned as like I've done three seasons now, so I have a really good handle over what I need. But starting out was like, I'm just gonna drop in and do it. And honestly, what I learned season one is like because it's all about authenticity and being real, you kind of just have to ride however you feel in that day. I mean, sure, there's the givens of the parameter of the scene and like what the scene calls for. You gotta play the scene. But you know, some days, let's say I'm feeling giddy and just kind of like grateful and happy, and I just feel good. It's not that I would play a scene that's calling for a bit more, you know, low of an emotion or you know, being upset. It's not that I would play the scene happily, but the innate way that I feel on the day is gonna inspire the perspective, you know, of the scene. So I'm gonna lock things that I didn't even know about the character or the scene or wherever go, just because this is how I truthfully feel in this moment. I can only do, you know, how I feel in this moment. The scene never goes as you think it's gonna go. Ever. Literally ever. I think all of my castmates, we all talk about that. You go and think it was gonna go one way, and then you're traveling back home in the car riding, you're like, oh my god.

SPEAKER_09 1:02:27

Yeah, it's literally nothing like I expected.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_09 1:02:30

Is there any sort of version of any like rehearsal that you do?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:35

Depends on the director. Okay. Uh so we have a different director per block, and some directors do more than one block, but we do this thing called block shooting. If you don't know what that is, block shooting is where you shoot at least for us, uh, in a standard 10 episode season, you shoot two season uh two episodes at a time. And within the episode, all of the scenes from the two episodes are kind of inner cut. It doesn't mean you're shooting, you know, uh the first episode, like if block one is episode one and two, it doesn't mean you're gonna shoot episode one, then two. Your first scene of the block might be from episode two, and then episode one, and then the last scene that you're in in episode one, and then the last scene from episode two, and then the first scene you ran in episode two. So it literally is all over the place, and typically it's based off location. Like if we have to shoot the scenes at the Lark, we're gonna shoot everything we have at the Lark this week because we have it booked up for this week, you know. Yeah, and within the block schedule, the episodes can be out of order as well. Like season one, we did block one was five and six. So we started at the climax at the middle, and then we did six, seven, three, four, nine, ten, one, two.

SPEAKER_10 1:03:57

That's so weird.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:58

That was the order. Yeah, it was insane, literally insanity. And then on the day, just to answer your question about what's it like and your first day on set. I didn't know that this was going on then. I was just like, I'm gonna do, you know, my lines and act and do it. Um, but I learned, obviously, now I know. Typically, you'll start start out with a wide, a master. Um, they might do an establishing shot, but then for the scene, typically, not always, but you'll get a wide of the shot, whether it's full body or three-quarters, however wide the director wants, and then you go tighter from there. Uh so you do a couple takes of that, and then you'll get what they call it as coverage. And sometimes it's a two-shot where you're getting both characters' coverage at the same time. Like if I were having a scene with Marissa, there'd be a camera over her shoulder and then a camera over my shoulder, and we're getting our coverage at the same time, which I love.

SPEAKER_10 1:04:54

I mean, yeah, because that's like real time.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:58

Exactly. But then most of the time it's coverage one at a time. Yeah. So all the cameras will be behind me and it's her coverage, and then you go back to holding because they have to move the cameras and set up for your coverage, then the cameras are behind her, and now it's my coverage, which I don't prefer, but most of the time that's the way it's gonna be. Yeah. Because they need time to set up the cameras, and it's hard to, I feel like, get a two-shot, at least I found on our show it's not as likely.

SPEAKER_09 1:05:29

Damn. So I have a question. Um, coming from like a predominantly theater background and training, how did you kind of navigate the arc of your character within like the season? Or because you were saying that you film, I mean, I know it's very typical to film out of order, whereas when you're doing like a play or a musical, you experience the arc.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:53

I know. Um, and we don't know how good we have it when we're doing that. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_09 1:05:58

For uh film, you don't. Have that that luxury, I suppose. Did you find that you had to do like a lot of prep kind of with the script to understand like where you were emotionally? Yes. Like in a different way than theater. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:12

And even like that goes for on the day as well. Like, even if I prep it before I get there on the day, whether it's on my notes or I wrote it on the sides, I need to remember where exactly the audience saw me last, where I'm coming from, what just happened. If I'm having a scene with a certain character, what terms are we on? When is the last time I saw you? Because sometimes, you know, it's like, did we shoot the argument?

SPEAKER_09 1:06:40

Or like, what does your character know? What has happened to your character? Exactly. What's yet to happen? Like, yeah, it's just a lot to keep track of in a different way than that is.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:50

And I like to keep mint like written note of it so that I can always just see it on the day. Because sure, you might, you know, look at it at home and stuff, but then you get there and there's so much going on. I like to have it written to just be like, okay, like I am mad at this person.

SPEAKER_10 1:07:09

Yeah. Right. Whatever it is.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:12

We just cussed each other out the last time I saw each other. So you need to get here. Um, and sometimes, you know, you're filming that scene after the argument first. Yeah. And so I don't know how the argument went. How bad was it? Oh. I've read it, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:28

That's weird.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:29

Yeah, but we're doing the reconciliation now, today, but I don't know how the argument went yet.

SPEAKER_09 1:07:34

Oh, that's weird. Something that I thought of, because I recently I haven't talked about this in the podcast, but I was on a set in November. She was like, a very small featured background role for a Hulu show.

SPEAKER_10 1:07:49

Oh my gosh. So I got to experience She's called Beautiful Woman. Wait, what?

SPEAKER_09 1:07:54

So I had two days on set, and it I had never obviously I had a very small part. I didn't even have a line, I had more of like a moment, but I did have like a scene, which hopefully doesn't get cut. But I got to work with the director.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:09

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_09 1:08:10

And I got to work with the main actors, and I love this. I still like I got to experience somewhat of like shooting, shooting a scene. And the director I worked with came from a theater background. Okay. So I almost felt like comparing it to theater, the film thing kind of felt like the rehearsal for theater. Like when you're in the rehearsal space for theater and you're stop and going, stop and going.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:37

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_09 1:08:38

That's what like film felt like to me. It's like the rehearsal for theater, which can also kind of make sense of like going out of order. You don't always rehearse a show in order either. So it's like it's almost the same.

SPEAKER_06 1:08:51

And that way I never thought about that.

SPEAKER_09 1:08:53

Yeah, that's how I felt. But maybe it could have been also because like I really resonated with the director because she comes from a theater background. She was really working, she was working with the actors as it felt like a theater rehearsal. But instead of just rehearsing, like they were they were filming us too, and they were like, and she'd be like, okay, stop, give an adjustment or whatever, and then like do it again. So that was my comparison. Obviously, I have not had as much experience on set. I mean, that works, but that's how I like kind of that was the link for me, like the comparison.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:26

And even my perspective is kind of biased because I've only done our show. You know what I mean? Like, I haven't done these movies and this show, and this well, on this show and that set was I don't have all of that, you know what I mean? Like Walter Boys is my experience. Um and I love our set, I love our crew, yeah. Um, so it kind of is biased, you know. My opinion on how it goes and uh the way it is. I'm sure for the most part, it's kind of the same structure, but every set is run different, it does depend on the crew.

SPEAKER_09 1:09:58

And I'm sure the director too makes a difference. And you got to work with multiple directors, which is cool.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:04

Yeah, we've had like seven or eight, maybe at this point.

SPEAKER_10 1:10:08

That's kind of crazy that like different directors, like you know, because also obviously with theater, there's one director for the whole thing, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:16

But it's crazy that there are different directors for different episodes, yes, and sometimes they'll come back um and kind of be like a resident director, and they might do, you know, one and two and five and six, or you know, seven and eight and nine and ten. Like you know, sometimes they do more than one block. Yeah, and it's so uh interesting because it does change set. I mean, the director runs, you know, the set kind of they are in charge of the shot list and what we're gonna do. And you know, they are I mean, well, the first AD kind of runs set, but you know, they're answering to the director uh who has you know a way of getting what they need, and every director's different. Yeah, you know, every director has their own like way of going about a day of work, yeah. Um yeah, and it's to just taste all the different flavors of directors, and at least from you know, the ones we've had and yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:11:24

That's cool. That is cool.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:27

Yeah, it's cool. Uh I'm just really grateful and I still pinch myself and just I'm so grateful and yeah.

SPEAKER_09 1:11:37

That's crazy. Did you ever think that you would like be here in your career, like kind of kicking off in the TV film world? Or did you really think, were you open to all things?

SPEAKER_04 1:11:48

Um, it's funny because when we were in college, I remember everyone always saying, you know, what do you want to do? Well, what do you want to do? And if you could have what's your dream job? And I remember everyone being like, you know, I want to be on Broadway, I want the gypsy robe, you know, I want to originate a role, I want an ensemble and then like cover and then become a lead. Like I remember everyone having their answer. And I remember when I was asked, I was like, and this it's gonna sound crazy, but I swear I'm not kidding. I said, verbatim, I want to be a series regular on a Netflix show. I didn't say I want to be on TV. I didn't say I want to be a lead.

SPEAKER_10 1:12:32

I know why Netflix?

SPEAKER_04 1:12:34

I don't because it was a big network or something. I don't know. But I remember verbatim saying that.

SPEAKER_10 1:12:40

Now you are.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:42

Now that I am, it's kind of like back to our conversation of frequency and manifestation. I feel like I was so far off the rails, like so delirious to even fix my mouth to say that. As a musical theater student, yeah, that like subconsciously, every move I made was kind of leading me to that dream that I knew I wanted deep down. Did I know it would happen this soon? I don't know. Probably not. No. I mean, no, like it's such a hard industry. But did I know it would happen eventually? I think I can stand firm and say yes in that because I I wouldn't have stopped until I got there.

SPEAKER_10 1:13:18

What do you think? Okay, when you're putting your dreams out into the universe and manif manifesting, I feel like some people say that you should talk about your dreams a lot and say them out loud, like how you did where you're like, I want to be a series regular on Netflix. But some people say that you should keep your goals to yourself. Which one do you relate with more?

SPEAKER_04 1:13:36

Or do you think it depends on who you're around? That's personal about energy.

SPEAKER_09 1:13:41

That's so true.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:42

Some people can block your blessing and aren't you know, after for you and your higher self and what you know they have ill intentions. Um, and that's when I think you need to be careful. But if you're around safe people, like someone who's gonna help you and you know support you and pray with you and keep you in good thoughts and uplift you and you know, then yeah, it's I think it's totally okay to share it with them.

SPEAKER_10 1:14:07

I've been one of my I not mantras, but I guess go not a goal either. Just one of my things I'm trying to do in 2026 is not talk about my goals. Like I'm not telling people besides like besties or like I told you know, Pete things, or like it's different when it's a safe space. Yeah, but I'm not like not that I was everyone to like go around and tell everyone about things, but just like maybe more open, where now I'm just when people are like, What are you up to? I'm not being like, Well, I auditioned for this and this. I'm just like, you know, I'm auditioning and I have to like leave it at that, you know, like rather than like I'm trying to be more vague.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:47

I think that's good. Yeah, I support that.

SPEAKER_10 1:14:49

I do too. Thanks. I think that in the past I've had a habit of feeling like I need to tell everyone everything, and I'm so over that.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:56

You know what I hate? Like, yes, literally. But like patching up with actors, and it's like, oh my god, hey, how are hey, how are you?

SPEAKER_05 1:15:03

So what are you doing? What's what are you working on?

SPEAKER_04 1:15:06

Like everything's always about work, you know what everything's like.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:09

What about just like what's acts?

SPEAKER_09 1:15:12

What happened to how are you?

SPEAKER_04 1:15:14

No, literally meeting with other actors is like, what do you have going on? What are you working on? What gig are you coming from? Are you on tour? Are you on Broadway? What TV who have you worked with? It's so like it's weird that, y'all. It's one of my biggest pet peeves, especially with strangers. Like when you're like at a function with mutuals and you're meeting someone for the first time and that's what they want to talk about.

SPEAKER_10 1:15:37

Yes, be careful who you share things with. And even if you get weird vibes from like, I feel like there are some people in my life who I felt like are maybe supportive and like want the best for me, but don't really get the whole acting thing. Like, I've had a couple of like non-tater friends or people in the past be like, What do you what happens if like it doesn't work out? Or like, and you know, I I mean I get it, I get the question, or just like be like, Well, what after you're on Broadway? Like, or Noah, after you're an actor, do you think like you'd want to go teach? Like, I've had a lot of people. Yeah, like things like that. And I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with those things. Like, plenty of people stop acting, pivot careers, but for somebody who's actively doing it and like really pursuing it, it is it feels a slap in the face. Yeah, it's not a helpful question. Exactly. It's like I don't have a plan B, babes. Like I'm I just think I'm gonna be successful.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:37

And sometimes it comes, sometimes, again, depending on the person, it comes from a place of love. Yeah. Because they care for you and they're just I don't know, I guess want to see you successful and happy and thriving, and they know how hard it is. But other times it's a bit condescending and shady.

SPEAKER_10 1:16:52

And it makes me not want to share my auditions and my like callbacks or things that are going on with those people because it's like they don't really get it. Even if they want the best for me and feel supportive, it's like I want to share these things with people that get it until I book something and I get to call these people and be like, hey, guess what? I'm making my Broadway debut. And then they can be excited about that. But for the grind and the journey, I think people that don't get it, like no shade. I probably have like people listening to this being like, Are you talking about me?

SPEAKER_04 1:17:24

Um no, but it's just also like you will never get it. I was thinking about this on the subway ride over here. Unless you're an actor, you will never fully get it. Sure, everyone knows how hard this industry is. Oh, that's a hard industry. And but unless you're in this day in, day out, sitting in tapes into a void, not hearing anything. It's really hard.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:43

Yeah, it's so hard.

SPEAKER_09 1:17:45

You know it's hard, you have no idea why it's hard. Yeah, and I don't even think I knew that until graduating college. Like I knew it was gonna be hard, but I didn't know in the ways it was going to be. The ways that it's hard are different than what I thought.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:02

The mental toll. Like some days, like I would just be like, bro, am I even good? Yeah, like I'll just look in the mirror and have an existential moment of like, you're a clown, bro. Like you thought you're gonna be an actor. Like you're not even good. Like the voices will just spiral.

SPEAKER_09 1:18:20

Like what you were saying in the beginning is you have to shut those down. Yes. But they are very natural and hard. It's hard. I think even just like the logistics of being an artist, like grinding, like, how do I have the time and energy for my art when I have to like work these jobs to make me money so that I can pay my rent, to live in New York, and be here so I can go to the auditions, but then I can't go to the audition because I have to go to work and like like the logistics of it. Literally. I think that's something I didn't necessarily realize. And I'm very grateful for the flow I have of my life and like how I've figured out how to do that, but it's not always easy, and it was definitely not easy to figure out.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:00

There's a learning curve for sure.

SPEAKER_09 1:19:02

It's a it's a lot, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_10 1:19:05

But I mean, like, that's we love it, I guess. But we love it enough to be, you know what? We are all actively choosing this life. And like we are. That's so true. We me and Pete say this a lot too, because we're like, you know, we could make more money. Like when we get stressed about money, it's like, you know, we could go and get another job that pays more, but it would be a job probably that doesn't have flexible. It's like certain jobs you could take and get a lot of money. I keep getting emails and I keep like not actually getting tempted, but I'm like, damn, this would be nice for full-time nannying jobs that are like that pay like six figures, which like would get me out of credit card debt, it would be really good for me. But it's like 7 30 a.m. to like 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. I wouldn't and even if I'm like, okay, well, I can film a self-tape when I get home. No, I'm going to be dead. Yeah. And then my weekends, like, I can't do that. Yeah. Even like 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Like you need time in the day sometimes, even if it's just a couple mornings a week, like to work on things when you have the energy.

SPEAKER_09 1:20:13

Like, I don't want to do a self-tape when I'm tired. And then just also just time to rest and be a human and then connect with your friends. Exactly. Like uh a life outside of your art that can then fuel your art. It's like there's so many things to balance. Yeah. And it's just kind of wild what we do.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:35

It is. It is. It is a choice. I like how you do it. It's a choice.

SPEAKER_10 1:20:39

Like, and I think some people like I know I mentioned this on the pod before, but I think Jessica Vosk like worked a finance job before she booked Wicked or something crazy. But that's like very uncommon. And I would never work a finance job because I don't know how to do that.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:54

But just like some of our friends went corporate, right? Remember? I don't know if they still are, but we had a handful from our class go corporate. Like we did, which full on so understandable because there's a lot of there's still actors and acting, but you know, they chose that route for the side job for the survival job.

SPEAKER_09 1:21:11

I was just talking to someone today when I was at work, like a customer, because I work a retail job, asking me like what how long I've lived here, why am I in New York? So I got on the topic of like I'm auditioning for Broadway and stuff. And she was like, she was like, Do you feel like you've been able to like like are you getting what you wanted out of like being here? And I was like, Yeah, I am. Like, you know, I haven't booked anything yet, really, but like I'm able to, I've been in all the rooms I want to be in, and like I'm working towards that. And I was like, I also hate the like starving artist narrative.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:46

Yes.

SPEAKER_09 1:21:47

And I think I've really built a life for myself that like I'm here at this job that I'm also passionate about in like a different way in a different world, and like I'm also able to do this, that, and like support myself and not be miserable in my day-to-day just because I'm like working towards something I don't have yet. Like, I think it's important to like also if you do have to have jobs that aren't your career yet, like I mean, you know, everyone's different, but for me, I've found like I have to kind of not be miserable. I mean, yeah, you same.

SPEAKER_10 1:22:20

Were you ever miserable?

SPEAKER_09 1:22:21

Like, were you miserable at like book masons?

SPEAKER_10 1:22:25

Do we need to cut the name out or anything? No, no, it's fine. So you worked a retail job before.

SPEAKER_09 1:22:30

You were making minimum wage.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:31

Yes. Like saying yes to everything.

SPEAKER_10 1:22:34

Honestly, Jalen, you should talk about your journey making it to Netflix. I feel like that could be inspirational because you were someone I know, not to like shit on you, but you've had financial struggles. Like we've just talked about it a lot, like, you know, and had to work really, really hard. This isn't something that just like fell into your lap. You're not a Nepo baby. Like, you know, like you really worked hard. So, like, what was your life in New York City like before booking this job?

SPEAKER_04 1:23:03

Yeah, so I moved here in May of 2021 because we were all class of 2020 and the pandemic happened, and it was crazy, and we went home for spring break and then never came back, and our senior year was robbed.

SPEAKER_09 1:23:18

I was so sad. I know crazy. So depressing.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:21

Oh my gosh, tell me about it. So I went home, as did I'm sure you too and everyone and the entire world. Um literally. And then I stayed with my home, um, with my mom at home for a year uh until spring of 2021, the following year, and the vaccine rollout was happening and it felt like a bit safer. Broadway was still shut down, but you know, people from our class were starting to move there. It just felt like things were picking up a bit. It had been a year, and I was like, I can't stay at home anymore. Oh my god, like I'm gonna go crazy. When you move out of home and then have to go back to living like under the room and like answering the people, it's like, I don't do this anymore. Like, yeah, I'm grown. Uh so I think I was just going crazy at home anyway and had to get out. So I moved to New York in May of 2021, and a friend of mine was actually the manager at Buck Mason, uh, who I met at UNCSA. And uh he was like, you know, I I think someone told me to like text him because he was the manager there or something. Or like he reached out to me, like, if you need a job, I know you just got here. Uh, but anyway, uh he put me on. I got the job, partly because I feel like I'm good and like actually, you know, I like clothes and I'm organized. Like I was qualified for retail, but you know, that was a moment in which connection to see, you know, like he really put me on for a survival job. Um, and that's exactly what it was a survival job.

SPEAKER_10 1:24:53

That's what acting for those of you who don't know who aren't artists listening to this. That is what pretty much all artists who are working a job just to support them so they can go and audition for other things. We call it a survival job. And we have a whole episode on this.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:09

Survival jobs.

SPEAKER_10 1:25:11

Yeah, survival jobs.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:12

It's funny. So yeah, mine was Buck Mason, retail in uh Nolita, technically, uh just to the right of Soho. I've always loved clothes, and you know, I thought, I thought, you know, it's retail, you'll love it.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:27

It's clothes, uh, you work with people, styling kind of like fashion.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:32

You're it's not gonna feel like a side job. Oh my gosh. Yeah, that was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. Um, ever. Um average day for me was probably I would open a lot, and I think we opened at 10 or 11, depending on the day. But I lived all the way in Harlem then, and our shop was in Olita, so it was a 45-minute commute one way, and then you have to get there early for opening duties.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:07

I'm just having flashbacks so crazy.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:10

Yeah, so like let's say we're opening at 10. It's a 45-minute commute down, so that takes me to 9 15. Um, but then we'd I'd have to be there like before then to do like opening duties or something. I don't know. Okay, so anyway, let's say I left at like 8:30. Um, most of the time I would work until close. I don't know if that's considered a double, but my shifts typically weren't from like, you know, eight uh or eleven to like one. Some people would, or like an afternoon shift, uh, you know, two to close at seven. I typically did all day. I needed that money. I was about that money. Rent, food, like drinks. You know, we were also, I was 23. We were going out so much. Oh, yeah. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_09 1:26:55

Spent so much more money on alcohol back then.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:58

Yes, yeah, and like the drinks here are so expensive, but we were going out Thursday to Sunday, like I was always at the club. And so, anyway, um, it was hard. I thought it would be easy, but it was like the mental toll of like, first of all, I was like literally broke. I just couldn't afford, I feel like anything. Um, I literally, I don't think I could afford to eat.

SPEAKER_10 1:27:22

Like, I I remember there was a time you told me that you like hadn't eaten because you couldn't afford it.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:28

I know you said you hate the starving artists, but that was me.

SPEAKER_09 1:27:31

That's more that can be a reality, but my my thing is when people think they have to do that. The only option. Yeah, like I have to be miserable in order to achieve my dreams one day.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:41

But like that wasn't obsession with that workaholic, like yeah.

SPEAKER_10 1:27:44

You weren't intending for that.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:45

It's just kind of what was happening.

SPEAKER_10 1:27:47

Minimum wage in New York City. Like it's hard, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:52

I don't know what it is now, but back then I think it was like what is 15 years?

SPEAKER_09 1:27:56

Oh yeah. It went up to seventeen more recently, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:27:58

It was fifteen than then. That time.

SPEAKER_09 1:28:00

Yeah, I remember.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:01

But yeah, I'd have like nothing for breakfast because I literally don't have breakfast food. So I just wake up, throw on the clothes, which we had to wear Buck Mason uh apparel. And then I'd commute down. I'd work, you know, open around 10, whatever, open the shop at 11. People are coming in. Hi, welcome Buck Mason. Looking for anything in particular. No, I obviously I wasn't saying it like that. I was on a Buck Mason uh sales rep. I bet you always had a smile on my face, and like I'm not even just trying to toot my own horn. I was never that like evil asshole that doesn't want to help. Customer service, I feel like is so important, and you're the face of the company. And I took that very seriously. But I also had worked in like fast food in high school and stuff, so I had experience doing it.

SPEAKER_10 1:28:48

You did? Yeah. Where did you work in high school?

SPEAKER_04 1:28:49

I worked at McDonald's. I was my first job ever, McDonald's. Oh my god, I do not remember that. That was oh my god, yeah. Well, I knew you. Remember, Kat put me on to um I remember Green Valley Girl.

SPEAKER_10 1:29:01

You worked at Green Valley Girl.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:02

Yeah, that was crazy. I was a host there. Okay, but anyway, uh, so I would go and now like I'm already hungry within the first like hour of like lunch. Lunch isn't until three more hours, bro. Like at one or something. And our lunch was 30 minutes. But mind you, I don't know why I cared anyway, because I couldn't afford anything for lunch.

SPEAKER_08 1:29:23

Like you're just gonna we're not gonna eat anyway, baby.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:27

No, but I would go to like Prince Prend Street Pizza and like have a slice of pizza, and that was all I could afford, and it was like $5.50 or whatever. And then I'd go home and like maybe have a dinner. Now, sometimes I would, you know. Sometimes I could, you know, afford a Door Dash, or you know, I got paid and I can do DoorDash for like four days. I wasn't really cooking like that. Um, but you know, some days it was just a sandwich and some chips, or some days it was like, you know what? I, you know, will just splurge on a bagel in the morning because I'm not gonna have to at night when having a bagel is a splurge. So yeah, I mean, yeah, I really was the starving artist trope, and it honestly was so bad. You know, they always say your breakthrough and like turning point comes at your lowest. And I don't even know if I've told y'all this. Like, I was about to quit.

SPEAKER_10 1:30:25

I know, I remember that.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:26

Would I have actually quit? No. Like, you know, I would have thought it through, but my back was against the wall, and I was like, I can't do this anymore.

SPEAKER_09 1:30:36

I was so depressed.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:37

It was the most depressed I had ever been in my life.

SPEAKER_09 1:30:40

Were you getting a lot of auditions? Like, were you getting close to things and then kind of being disappointed?

SPEAKER_04 1:30:45

And you're like, Yes. I was getting callbacks, like it was crazy. It was crazy.

SPEAKER_09 1:30:50

What was the story of how did you did your did you find this casting call like from your agents? Did you find it on your own?

SPEAKER_04 1:30:58

I found it on my own. I was scrolling on Twitter, which is now X, and I saw this breakdown. And so mind you, yeah, so that I moved to New York May 2021. I did Buck Mason all the way up until you know, here we are now March 2022, just for context. So it's March 2022, and I'm scrolling on X or Twitter back then.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:20

I'm like, whoa, this breakdown Skyler. Okay.

SPEAKER_08 1:31:26

How crazy.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:27

And I had done this with a few, actually. Um, if I ever see anything that I feel like I'm right for, I'm gonna send it to my manager. And you know, I know y'all are working for me too, but I gotta work for me as well. You know, I don't know if y'all saw this.

SPEAKER_10 1:31:38

I feel like that's the best kind of client. Or I maybe client isn't the right word, like someone for a manager to have.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:44

Mm-hmm. Client is right, um, just someone who's hungry. And I was like, skylish, stylish, uh, fashion. I was like, bro, I think I'm right for this. And so I screenshotted it and I sent it to my manager. He was like, already pitched you, or I don't know if he said, Great, I'll pitch you, or like already pitched you. I can't remember if he had or not, but he did say, I'll tell you guys, but we'll have to bleep it. Uh he was like casting, we can share this. Um, casting, you know, decided to pass, and we'll take this out. But they were like, You look too like you're casting decided to pass, and I was like, you know what? Okay, that's okay, you know, like chin up, like just wasn't meant to be, like, it's fine. And then two weeks go by, and my manager shout out Dustin. Hi, Dustin. Dustin's amazing. I love Dustin. Um, I've been with him since my senior year of college, so this year makes six years crazy. Love you, Dustin. He was like, casting actually would like to see you now. This is like two weeks later, and I'm just like, whoa, huh?

SPEAKER_00 1:32:51

Like I thought, you know, but now yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:55

Yeah, I don't know. Like, you know what I mean? There's so much that goes on behind the scenes, and so I put it on tape, and this is where it gets really crazy. So I never re film tapes. I don't even think I had ever refilmed anything at that point, and I haven't since then. I think this was like a one-off. I filmed it, and then my brother was having his 21st birthday downtown in New York because he was going to college a little bit upstate. And so he was having his 21st birthday. He had all his like track friends and like friends at the dinner, and you know, they're anywhere from 18 to 21. And I go to the dinner, and mind you, I'm only 20, I had just turned 24 at this point. So I'm only a few years older, but 24 ain't 19. Yeah. Um, and I'm just looking around at the table, like, oh my gosh. Like these, these are kids. They are so juvenile, they're like youthful, and they just so much energy and like kidlike. And I was like, light bulb. I was like, this is what I need to capture in the scene. I was like, if you know, Skylar is his teenager in high school, even younger than this group. Did you capture that essence, that naivete, that youthfulness, that eagerness, the bright eyed, just like youth?

SPEAKER_01 1:34:21

And I was like, I don't think I got it.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:23

And I had never thought that at all. So I had to work at Buck Meeson the next morning.

SPEAKER_10 1:34:30

Did you call out?

SPEAKER_04 1:34:32

Um, no, because I needed that. I had to work, I need the money, gotta pay the bills. And so I was like, you know what? We gotta shoot it before my day, before my 11 to 7 shift. So I woke up at like 6:30, started shooting at 7.

SPEAKER_10 1:34:48

Who was your reader for that?

SPEAKER_04 1:34:49

Uh it was actually the guy that was subletting my roommate's room. So we didn't know each other like that. But I was like, please, please, please, please, please.

SPEAKER_08 1:34:56

Oh my god, it's 7 a.m.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:58

Yes, but he was like a Pilates instructor. So he got up early, early, yeah, morning person, and he was so sweet. He was down. So I got I got it. I was shooting at 7, like high energy, like 7 a.m.

SPEAKER_09 1:35:11

It's like when high school starts. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. It was high school started at 7 11.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:16

There's so random. I know. I don't know why. That's like magical.

SPEAKER_09 1:35:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:35:22

So I refilmed it, and as soon as I was done, I was like, that's it. And I was like, I can't even believe I was gonna send in the first ones. What if I had only sent in the first? Like, this is what it needs to be. So I sent it in, and then two days later, so that was on a Monday, I'm pretty sure. Monday morning, because yeah, his birthday was on, it had to be the weekend with it being him and all of his friends from upstate. That was on Sunday. I got up early Monday morning, did it, sent it in, and then went to work. I think on Wednesday, I'm folding clothes at Buck, and my phone vibrates, I pull it out, and it's like an email from my manager, like producer session, call back. And I'm like, oh my gosh, whoa! Like wasn't right at first.

SPEAKER_06 1:36:06

I had to re film. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:09

Um, and so I'm like, okay, you know, I'm not gonna get ahead of myself, but like that's cool. And I think it was the next day, and they wanted me to do one more scene. So I did two scenes for the tape. They added a third scene for the producer section, and it was the next day, and they wanted me to do all three scenes. So I close.

SPEAKER_10 1:36:28

You stopped by my apartment to get lights.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:31

I did that day.

SPEAKER_10 1:36:32

Either that it was either before you filmed the self-tape or had the producer session. I don't remember.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:38

It was probably the producer's well, it was these lights.

SPEAKER_10 1:36:41

Oh my god!

SPEAKER_04 1:36:42

Wow, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_10 1:36:43

Wait, these are the lights? I think so. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:36:46

I don't remember that.

SPEAKER_10 1:36:47

That's really I do but you used to use these exact same lights. Yeah, I do. I have some recommended them to me, but then for some reason you didn't have them. Like at the time.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:57

Oh, because they probably broke.

SPEAKER_10 1:36:58

Maybe.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:59

But you because mine did break at one point.

SPEAKER_10 1:37:01

But I remember you were like, No, can I please come by and get your lights? Like, I have this really important thing, and I was like, okay, and I was like, I hope, I hope you get it.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:10

You're so sweet for that.

SPEAKER_10 1:37:11

Well, of course.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:13

Well, um, yeah, I can't remember if I was working the next day. I don't think I was because uh producer session was like maybe early afternoon, I want to say. I think it might have been a day off, like coincidentally, and it just worked out. So then I did that. It was fine, it was good. We just had like a work session. Um, was it anything crazy? I couldn't really read into it. Did you nail it? Did they like you? It was just like we just did the scenes.

SPEAKER_00 1:37:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:40

I I don't I don't know how I felt. And then yeah, that next day, I think, I can't remember the order of everything. It's kind of fuzzy, but it was either a day or two later, on that Friday or Saturday, that I got the call. Like my manager and agents had called me like on a merged call. And I just remember the first thing they said was, I think we should start calling you Skylar. Yeah. And I literally, my heart dropped. I was walking on the street, I dropped down to my knees, and I was just like, No, no, no, no, no, no. And they were like, Yeah, you're gonna be on Netflix. Like, yeah, and just like they started like talking about the contract and all the specs.

SPEAKER_10 1:38:23

Did you even like like get anything they were saying? It's like a quick process.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:28

Yes, it all happened within less than a week.

SPEAKER_10 1:38:31

Your life changed so fast.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:34

That doesn't happen for everyone, though.

SPEAKER_09 1:38:35

No, usually I feel like it's long.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:38

Yes, I would agree. And even having talked to my co-stars, they were auditioning back like in early February. Damn it. And I was auditioning in late March.

SPEAKER_09 1:38:46

Um so they just hadn't found the right person. No, and then when they saw you, they were just like, Yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:52

Maybe that had to be. They were like, you know, you need to be in Canada by Sunday. Do you want to get incorporated? This is your salary, shooting for five months, you gotta pack up. It was so like I didn't believe.

SPEAKER_10 1:39:09

Were you so happy when you quit Buck Mason? Yes. Are you like, sorry guys, I have to go be on Netflix?

SPEAKER_04 1:39:15

I mean, it was bittersweet because I loved the people. That's one thing about Buck Mason. Like, we had the best team. All of the other sales reps, we would like hang out outside of work. We knew we it was so like family, and that was gonna be really hard. I hated the job and the demands of it, but boy, did I love my team. That's special. And so, yeah, I even look back at it now, and it's like nostalgic in a sweet, wholesome way because I was so young and sure I might have been hungry and struggling, but that was a part of my journey, and I am grateful for it. I learned a lot, I grew a lot, it made me stronger. But yeah, I was in Canada like literally five days after the phone call, and that was crazy because it was like you have your fitting. You have this is our show. Meeting everyone, and it was just so like it feels like a dream. Yes, I was just about to say it felt like a fever dream because less than two weeks ago I was in my apartment like depressed.

SPEAKER_05 1:40:14

You didn't have time to process it.

SPEAKER_04 1:40:16

No, it was so so quick. And then, you know, because I was like cast not late, it was still on time, but later in the process, I was shooting like maybe five or six days after I got there. So within a month, I had like gone through the audition, got cast, flew out, work visa or worker's permit, and was like on set and already in the swing of things, like all within like two and a half weeks.

SPEAKER_08 1:40:46

That's so crazy, that's like really crazy.

SPEAKER_10 1:40:50

I can't imagine, like that's insane.

SPEAKER_09 1:40:53

And life is weird, like you never know what can happen within a week.

SPEAKER_04 1:40:57

Like it just takes one yes to really upend your life. And that's why when you know the industry's hard, and the like we've talked about um on tonight's podcast, you never know, like Marissa just said, Yeah. It's just that one, and it's like, you know, the other 98 no's before, or 99 of them before, literally don't even matter.

SPEAKER_09 1:41:21

And I think that can be sometimes the hardest thing is like just getting that one yes to get your foot in the door, you know? That's what we've been working toward. We've been talking about it a lot. Like, I mean, if you have your eye set on what you want and you keep persevering, like it's going why would it be bound to why wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_00 1:41:46

It has to.

SPEAKER_09 1:41:46

It maybe it won't look like what you thought.

SPEAKER_00 1:41:48

Right.

SPEAKER_09 1:41:49

But like something will come along.

SPEAKER_10 1:41:52

It will.

SPEAKER_03 1:41:53

I think so too.

SPEAKER_10 1:41:54

I was looking up, oh, who was I looking up? An actress the other day that I look up, oh, Jenna Fisher, who plays Pam on the Office. I'm like, I've been reading her book. She booked the office when she was 31 years old. Wow. And that made me feel I mean, because to I feel like when you're young and in your 20s, you're like, oh, like that's so cold. But it's not. Like she is still so young. And I think about that too, because I think, like, for a long time, like, for example, after we graduated college, I look back and I remember being so upset that no agents wanted me. And I look back and I'm like, I know why. It's because like I didn't know who I was. Like, I sang songs that didn't fit me. I remember I had one agent meeting and it they ended up not wanting me. And it's because like I had no idea what the fuck I was even talking about. They'd asked me questions about like roles I wanted, and I just was like, uh, like I had answers, but I just wasn't, you know. And I think some people like blossom later. And I'm just like, yeah, sometimes I feel like I mean, we go through periods of it. Like there will be a day when I'm like, what am I doing? Like, am I ever gonna be successful? But then I have days like today, I am actually I'm feeling good about my career. I'm like, I'm still young, like in the grand scheme of life, like anything can happen any day. Like, I something big is gonna happen. My life will have a change. Don't know when, don't know what exactly, but like it's it's coming. Just because it hasn't happened yet, yes, doesn't mean it's not going to be.

SPEAKER_04 1:43:23

And staying in that headspace is so important. Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 1:43:26

That's the thing that keeps you going. Yeah. Like at the core of it, because there's all of these, all of this other noise. And I think if you just can remember, like that story is so inspiring because like thank you. I love hearing those. Your life beforehand, how hard hard you were working, how close you were getting, but also then just how fast it happened. Like that is wild. And your your life changed, and it's never been the same since.

SPEAKER_04 1:43:50

It hasn't. And I just also want to take a second and say, I am so immensely grateful for the show and our cast and our crew, and I feel just blessed for the job stability, which is rare as an actor. And you know, we've been talking about the side jobs and survival jobs, and to do the main thing, hopefully, one day. So I don't take it for granted and I count my blessings all the time. And yeah, I just want to make that known. Like, this wasn't like a handout or something that I was expecting or thought was owed to me. Now, you know, I am hopefully a manifester and like believed that it would come true one day, but I humbly like thank God for the past four years and just the opportunity to share my voice and my story, honestly, through the lens of Skylar. Um yeah, I'm really we love you.

SPEAKER_09 1:44:54

I know it's really special. Deserving of it. And like you're just an amazing human, and I'm glad to know you. And yeah, you're also the same Jalen.

SPEAKER_10 1:45:06

You're the same Jalen I knew in high school. Well, I didn't know you in high school, but in college. You don't have some like ego now. Not that like I ever thought you would, but some people probably do.

SPEAKER_06 1:45:21

Some people change, girls.

SPEAKER_10 1:45:23

You you have seriously not changed at all.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:26

Thank you. That means a lot just hearing that. I that's important to me.

SPEAKER_10 1:45:30

I I know it is too. Like it always has been.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:33

It's just not within me to switch up and act all brand new, like, girl, what? Like, you know what I mean? It's one job, girl. Um I love making y'all laugh.

SPEAKER_10 1:45:47

I know that you always make me laugh a lot. You're like crazy. How long have we been talking?

SPEAKER_09 1:45:53

Oh, I feel like this is always been. It's almost two hours. This episode is. It's 11 and 9 show.

unknown 1:46:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_09 1:46:06

That was beautiful. Okay. Um, so we do wrap up

The Take Home

SPEAKER_09 1:46:10

our episodes by having a take home from the entire episode. So I feel like we can segue into that because it's been a while, but you know, we kind of did wrap things up just now, but like if we can summarize our conversation, I know it was kind of all over the place. What are we taking home today? Or Jalen, what do you want people to take home from this conversation with you? Or not to put you on the spot.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:34

No, no, no. I like this. Um, just trying to think of what I want to say.

SPEAKER_04 1:46:39

I think we are in a time where authenticity is at the forefront. And I think for whoever needs to hear it, it's cliche, and people say it all the time. But you really should be yourself. And trust me, I'm taking my own advice here. It's so hard, it's the easiest thing to do because be yourself, and it's being you, but but it's so hard, especially with social media and like all the noise and comparison and what you should be doing, and you're getting older, and you know, this is outside of career too. I'm just saying personally and in general, non-artist, you know, I feel like this applies to humans. Yeah, be yourself because somebody needs you, and whether that's your voice, your story, your perspective, I feel like authenticity. We are in a time where we just need authenticity. I think people are craving it. I think we've been deprived of it. Um, I think and by being authentic and being yourself, that is how you align not only with your higher self, but like your soul tribe and the people who are meant to find you and connect with you in this walk of life. You can only get that through being yourself. And I think when you fully believe in yourself and be yourself, it's like a magic power, superpower. Like, I really don't know how to describe it, but it reminds me of when we were talking at the beginning of this conversation about um just how I've always been confident and maybe headstrong, knew myself, um, secure, um, authentic. I feel like that has allowed me to almost like become in alignment with my higher self. I mean, it depends on what you believe, but if you believe that everything's happening all at once, everything everywhere all at once, it's all connected, it's all, you know, time is an illusion. If you're that wooy, then there had to be a me on the Netflix show, doing it like at the same time that I was in college, in high school, and whatever. And I feel like I was able to align with that person and that version of me by being me, being authentic. I know that sounds crazy, but it's definitely not easy. But I just want to leave that with people. I think be yourself. I'll always say that and I'll always be an advocate of that. Yeah, and it sounds cliche, and I'm sure it will go over many people's heads, but for some of you, maybe it won't. Um, I challenge you to be yourself this year in every way, shape, and form and facet through life, even if it's scary, even if it's hard, even if you think people will be weird, or you're being cringy, or I mean, you saw how silly I was this whole podcast. I think you have to be yourself. It's the only way you will being cringe gets you far sometimes.

SPEAKER_10 1:49:44

It's only cringe until you're successful. You know what I mean by exactly.

SPEAKER_04 1:49:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10 1:49:49

So, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:49:50

But that's what I'll say. Yeah.

SPEAKER_10 1:49:51

Oh, I love that, Jay. And things can just change overnight, too. Like it can keep keep working at it. This is a take home for. Not only our listeners, but even I feel like I'm speaking to myself, being hopeful. Yes, things good things happen, even if it's taking longer than you want. I mean, you felt the exact same way. You were like, is this ever gonna work out? And then all of a sudden it really did.

SPEAKER_04 1:50:15

Yes. So I just also want to say, be cautious because I said it earlier, but I want to reiterate it because this is one of my models, like mantras, and something that I've struggled with my whole life. Authenticity threatens insecurity. And I will say that again with my chest. Authenticity threatens insecurity. When you are authentic, it is threatening to someone who isn't authentic, who is insecure because they can't, it's almost like envy. They can't be as secure as you. They can't be themselves and not care what people think and not care that it's cringy or you know what I mean? It that's threatening because you're so happy with you and doing you and being yourself. So that's why I say it's difficult to be authentic, but the reward and the payoff is so worth it. So don't let anyone try to project their own insecurities onto you because they're threatened by your authenticity. Just continue doing you and you will find the people that are meant to be in your life and love you for you. Because also think about it if you aren't being yourself and you're putting on this front and being performative and not being you, the people who need you will never be able to find you because you're not you. You know what I mean? Yeah, they'll never be able to find you because you're not there.

SPEAKER_10 1:51:50

Yeah, you're trying to be someone else.

SPEAKER_09 1:51:53

And the people who are around you when you're not being authentic don't really are they really for you? Exactly. Do they even know you because you're not being you?

SPEAKER_08 1:52:03

I love that.

SPEAKER_09 1:52:04

I love what you said of be you because someone needs you. Like that's such a simple, beautiful phrase. Like, whether you're an artist or not, I think about that with my writing. Like, oh, I'm like someone out there, like even it feels small, like you know, me writing a song. Like some days I'm super confident, other days I'm like, no one's gonna hear this. But like someone out there will, and someone out there needs it and is like waiting for it.

SPEAKER_04 1:52:32

And it can only be given through you.

SPEAKER_09 1:52:34

Yeah, and that goes for anyone, any person creating anything or sharing anything, or just being who you are. You don't have to be making art, it can just be like being who you are. Yeah, we are such artists.

SPEAKER_08 1:52:50

I know, but I love it. The conversation always goes for in that direction.

SPEAKER_04 1:52:54

Everything is that deep, bro. Like, I don't know. When people are like, it's not that deep.

SPEAKER_10 1:52:58

Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_04 1:52:59

I don't know. I mean, I'm chill, you know what I mean? Yeah, everything's not that deep, but I'm just so I love to go there because everything is kind of purposeful.

SPEAKER_09 1:53:09

Yeah, it is. I agree. This was an amazing conversation. This really was. This just um filled my soul and made me really happy. I had like a poopy day. I did too.

SPEAKER_04 1:53:21

So this was the weather, same. It was the weather.

SPEAKER_09 1:53:23

I was just like, today was just blah. Yeah but this was a perfect way to end my day. It really was. And we love you too. Thank you so much for coming on Take It Home.

SPEAKER_10 1:53:31

Thanks for being our pod.

SPEAKER_04 1:53:33

We loved Jenny. Thank you for having me. I love you too. I'm so happy to be back. I know. You guys have been here for like what, four years?

SPEAKER_09 1:53:41

It'll be four years in August. Wow, four in this apartment. Yeah. We've been nuts. Yeah, crazy. Yeah, crazy. I know. Time time is fine. But uh,

Outro

SPEAKER_09 1:53:53

Jalen, where can people find you? Oh, yeah. Our pod listeners.

SPEAKER_04 1:53:57

Yeah, you can find me on Instagram and TikTok at Jalen Evans, and that's J-A-Y-L-A-N. Okay. No E-N K N J A Y L A N E B A N S, Jalen Evans. That's on Instagram and TikTok. Um, I think that's it for my socials.

SPEAKER_09 1:54:18

Awesome. And you can follow Take It Home at Take It Home Pod on Instagram, TikTok. If you're not watching this, you can watch it on YouTube. We come out with a new episode every Thursday.

SPEAKER_10 1:54:30

Yes. We do.

SPEAKER_09 1:54:31

All right. This is how we love you. We sign off with our little heart.

SPEAKER_10 1:54:35

We can do it like oh, that's oh yes. Okay. Okay. All right. Three, two, one. Goodbye.

SPEAKER_01 1:54:46

Bye, guys.