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This episode of Awards Chatter is brought

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to you by Universal Television, presenting Girls

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for your Emmy consideration for outstanding comedy

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series and all other eligible categories. Hi

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everyone and thank you for joining us for the 536th

0:59

episode of the Hollywood Reporters

1:15

Awards Chatter podcast. I'm the host Scott

1:17

Feinberg and for those of you tuning

1:20

in, this episode is coming to you

1:22

from Chapman University in Orange, California, where

1:25

I'm a trustee professor at the Dodge College

1:27

of Film and Media Arts, and

1:29

where an audience of film students are with

1:31

me to welcome our special guests. Just

1:34

seven years ago, she was one

1:36

of them, a student here at Dodge.

1:39

In the short time since, she has established

1:41

herself as a stand-up comedian and a comedic

1:43

actress of the first order, most

1:46

notably as one of the two principal stars

1:48

of the Max comedy series Hacks, on

1:50

which she plays comedy writer Eva opposite

1:53

Jean Smart's temperamental stand-up star Deborah, and

1:56

for which she has received two Emmy and

1:58

two Golden Globe Award nominations. The

2:01

show, which is now rolling out its third season,

2:03

is one of the best comedy series

2:05

on TV today, thanks in no small

2:07

part to her performance. Here

2:11

to talk about her journey to Chapman, at

2:13

Chapman, and in the years since she left

2:15

Chapman, would you please join me in welcoming

2:17

to the Hollywood Reporter's awards chatter podcast and

2:20

back to campus a distinguished member of the

2:22

class of 2017, Hannah Einbinder. Let's

2:31

go Panthers! E3

2:35

Sports baby! Thank

2:41

you for coming back here

2:43

and making the exactly timed,

2:46

how long of a drive for you? 53

2:49

minutes. You guys know what I'm talking

2:51

about. LA to Orange. That

2:55

was always my time. When I was on my way here

2:57

I looked at my ETA on my map so I was

2:59

like 53 minutes I've missed

3:01

you my old friend. We

3:04

really appreciate you coming back and to

3:06

begin with I just wonder if

3:08

you can share where you were born and raised

3:11

and what your parents did for a living. I

3:14

was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and

3:16

my dad was a

3:19

commercial director, is a commercial

3:23

director and my mother is an actress. Now

3:26

I think you're underselling a little bit

3:28

how accomplished they are. Can

3:31

I tee up just a little bit of more details?

3:34

Your mother was a founding member of the

3:36

Groundlings and an original cast

3:38

member of Saturday Night Live. Lorraine

3:41

Newman. And your father Chad

3:44

Einbinder, also a very talented writer as

3:46

well. So do you think it, I

3:48

guess just to ask this question,

3:50

it occurs to me like is comedy genetic or

3:53

is it, do you think like you were meant

3:55

for this? Is it always going to happen? Well

3:57

mental illness is genetic. And

4:01

that's what makes a comedian. So

4:03

yes. Yeah Yeah,

4:06

I definitely think I was Groomed

4:11

for this I

4:13

guess that words only used in a bad way technically,

4:15

but you're reclaiming it. I'm gonna do it the other

4:17

version Yeah,

4:20

I think like I mean my mom would

4:23

play like stand-up albums in the car on the

4:25

way to like Fifth grade and stuff and I

4:27

just did I didn't know I was like absorbing

4:30

it But yeah, they have like

4:32

really good taste and they always showed me

4:34

the best stuff So I think my sensibility

4:36

was you know kind of refined for me

4:38

young age and you independently it seems like

4:41

from what I read We're also finding your

4:43

own kind of tastes in comedy. You were

4:45

more the kind of 90s all scene

4:48

Is that right? Can you tell people? Since

4:50

that is now a period reference what that

4:52

what that actually what that meant? What were

4:55

the kind of Comedians

4:57

and humor that you were going towards. Yeah,

4:59

I mean I love I love everything Like

5:02

I I feel like my influences are all across

5:04

the board, but I do love the 90s comedians Comedians

5:08

of comedy is I don't know

5:10

if folks have seen it, but it's on YouTube. It's like

5:12

a Doc series

5:15

and it's Patton Oswald Zach

5:17

Galifianakis Brian

5:19

Posen and Maria Bamford

5:22

and they're just like on the road

5:24

filming their sets and like filming stuff

5:26

and it's like really DIY and cool

5:28

That's a good way to like get into their vibe

5:31

and that's on YouTube But yeah,

5:33

like Maria Bamford Dana Gould Janina Garofalo

5:36

Just like people who were responding to

5:38

like the 80s comedy Bust

5:41

if you will some would say it's a

5:43

boom I kind of thought like everybody besides

5:45

carrot top was like so like kind of

5:48

lame actually Justice

5:50

for carrot top But

5:54

yeah, so so yeah,

5:56

I love the 90s comedians but also like, you

5:58

know, I love some Bob Newell heart

6:00

like Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner,

6:02

like Joan Rivers, you know,

6:04

like all the old stuff too.

6:07

Are you responsible for the Carrot Top

6:09

reference in half? That will be coming

6:12

in, I forget which episode, maybe it

6:14

wasn't one. It is coming up. I

6:16

did suggest they cast him, honestly. So

6:20

yeah. Great. Now, we

6:22

all have kind of turning points in our life,

6:25

some for the better, some

6:27

for the worse. You have talked about being

6:29

a sophomore in high school at,

6:32

I believe Beverly Hills High and

6:35

sort of having something

6:37

that started you on a six-year period that you

6:40

have said was

6:42

a game changer and being in it and then

6:44

coming out of it and to whatever extent you're

6:47

comfortable sharing because I think you're probably

6:49

not alone in what you were

6:53

dealing with. I know you're not alone. And also it relates

6:55

to you having kind of your comedy rebirth

6:59

on the other side of it. So can you

7:01

talk about what I'm referencing?

7:03

Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Probably

7:06

the number one worst group of people to

7:08

be anti this thing to, but I had

7:10

a bad experience with

7:13

Adderall. I'm like college

7:16

students, anyone

7:18

else? But

7:21

yeah, I'm neurodivergent. I

7:23

have ADHD and

7:25

I was medicated in

7:28

high school and I was kind of

7:30

taking a high prescription

7:33

of Adderall and it for

7:35

many years I felt like it

7:37

kind of zombified me and took

7:40

away my spark and stopped

7:42

me from being

7:44

present in my experience.

7:46

And so the thing

7:48

that made me stop taking

7:50

it was actually, I

7:53

was at Chapman and I tried

7:55

out for improv Inc. and I

7:57

felt so insane and so bad

7:59

about it. And a friend of

8:01

mine was like, maybe try like don't take your Adderall.

8:03

And that was the first time

8:05

I stopped taking Adderall. And

8:07

I never took it again. And I started doing

8:10

comedy and it was like I like

8:13

met myself for the first time. Like it really.

8:15

Yeah. And if it works for you, like obviously rock

8:17

on like for sure. But just for

8:19

me, I found that it was

8:22

kind of a mentally oppressive

8:25

experience. And then yeah, I

8:27

just like blossomed and started doing comedy. And

8:30

became myself. So going backwards

8:32

just for a moment into that

8:34

period of the rest of high

8:36

school beginning of college before that

8:39

blossoming. You were

8:41

on a different trajectory. You were going to be

8:43

when you came to Chapman, which I'll ask you

8:45

what made you decide to come to Chapman as

8:48

well. But when you came here, you were going

8:50

to be maybe the next Rachel Maddow, right?

8:53

I was a TV broadcast journalism student

8:55

when I entered Chapman. And then they

8:57

created the television writing and production major

9:00

and I switched to that. Okay.

9:05

Yes. Interior.

9:07

No. Yeah.

9:12

So I switched to that.

9:16

I just was like reading the newspaper like a

9:18

psycho at 6 a.m. Every morning

9:20

like this is my Adderall days where I just

9:22

be like reading the times like cover to cover

9:24

in the calf with one piece of broccoli. Just

9:26

like so meth

9:29

amphetamine. So

9:32

I yeah, I was very into the news and

9:35

I ultimately

9:37

Rachel Maddow who I was obsessed with

9:39

at the time. She is

9:41

in retrospect. I'm realizing like that's

9:43

an actor like she's delivering

9:46

a piece like what I was maybe

9:48

tapping into was yeah, I was interested

9:50

in politics for sure. But

9:53

I also was tapping into like her performance

9:55

style, I think which is

9:57

probably an element of my fascination with her. gay

10:00

fascination with herb cards, but it

10:03

was also, I think, yeah. No, but you're right.

10:05

The mon- very few, if any, other shows today

10:07

start off with like a long

10:09

in-depth monologue and I could see

10:11

how that could relate to comedy.

10:14

But sophomore year

10:16

when that improv opportunity

10:19

came about, just because that's obviously,

10:21

you know, the coming out

10:23

of the other end of that six-year period

10:26

and another huge turning point for you, like

10:28

who suggested to you or how

10:30

did you come upon the idea of

10:32

even trying out for the improv group?

10:35

I was PA-ing on a student film

10:37

and one of the other PAs just

10:40

started talking to me and we just were getting

10:42

along and he was the president of Improving. And

10:45

so he suggested that I try

10:47

out and I did and that was kind of how

10:49

I got in there. And

10:51

once you were in there, I don't

10:53

know how long it had been, but

10:55

you know, we occasionally have exciting people

10:57

come to campus like yourself. For you,

10:59

that was Nicole Byer, the comedian, was

11:02

going to be coming here. You

11:04

heard about this and how? What

11:09

was the seed about her visit that led

11:11

to other things? Yeah, she,

11:14

you know, like where you find, you

11:16

know how you guys find out that someone's coming

11:18

to Chapman? Like I just kind of saw

11:20

that she was coming and she actually hit

11:22

up, I think, or

11:25

someone involved in the improv team

11:27

and asked if any of the

11:30

students wanted to open for her.

11:32

Like she volunteered, like she offered

11:34

and myself and another student volunteered.

11:37

And I had never done stand-up, but I was

11:40

a fan of it. And I just, I was

11:42

having a lot of trouble doing improv because I didn't

11:45

have like the mental free-ness

11:48

at the time. I still was like, as you

11:50

know, I literally immediately was like,

11:52

stop being this like mind altering

11:54

substance. And so like I

11:57

struggled because I was really, really, really, really in my head.

12:00

and really over-sinky and I was like not

12:02

really so good at improv ultimately at the

12:05

time but yeah

12:07

I thought if I can do something that's still

12:10

comedy but I have time to write and I

12:12

have time to craft exactly what I want to

12:14

say as I as I intend to say it

12:17

maybe that would be good and that

12:19

was yeah my first

12:21

time doing stand-up. Eight minutes? Yeah. That's

12:23

a lot right? I mean yeah it

12:26

is a lot. How did you work it

12:28

out? What would you remember the process and

12:30

also any stand-out material? You

12:32

know what I have a joke from that set

12:34

that is in my special. One

12:38

joke from that set that is in my special

12:40

and I don't even know how long

12:42

how much notice I had to write

12:45

eight minutes but I just started

12:47

going to like open mics around Orange County

12:49

of which I'm sure there are still many.

12:51

I guess

12:53

maybe the comedy bureau.com would be a good

12:55

place to find. I don't know if he

12:57

I don't know if it's Los Angeles specific

12:59

but I think it might have OC as

13:02

well but yeah I

13:04

just kind of threw some stuff

13:06

together because again like I had

13:08

just been like indoctrinated with all

13:10

this like all these references

13:12

for my entire life so by the time

13:15

I it came around it's like like

13:17

by the time I rolled my first joint I

13:19

had seen it done so many times that I

13:22

was just like oh perfect it's perfect you know

13:25

and we're talking just to go back to

13:27

that even the the influences that I

13:29

mean what I read like

13:32

you sort of like you said even

13:34

here the whatever these really you know

13:36

classic Mel Brooks Carl Reiner stuff that

13:38

you're listening to with your mom in

13:40

the car then you've got at some point I think you

13:42

talked about when they had the

13:45

40th anniversary of SNL you finally actually got

13:47

to see a bit of

13:49

more than just the surface level

13:51

of what she had been doing was

13:54

that kind of eye-opening yeah

13:56

for sure when when 40 years

13:59

rolled around I was able to, because a

14:01

bunch of people would send like the box

14:03

sets. And so we had like access to

14:05

some sketches that I had never seen. And

14:07

it was crazy. Yeah, it was wild. You

14:09

know, your parents in a whole different way,

14:11

probably. No, but it

14:13

was it was cool. I was like, Hell yeah, Queen rocket,

14:15

rocket. So

14:18

that night with Nicole buyer comes along,

14:20

you've prepped your material, you've worked it

14:22

out. And I mean,

14:24

even talking about it in the past

14:27

has been kind of like a emotional

14:29

thing, because it was such a positive

14:31

experience. Yeah, I

14:33

really was. How would you

14:36

describe what what what the response was,

14:38

or the experience even in the response? You

14:41

know, it was a lot like, it's

14:43

hard to say exactly whether

14:45

the response was like, super

14:47

unbiased, just because like, I

14:49

feel like a lot of the

14:52

friends pulled up. But

14:55

yeah, I think it's, it's

14:58

something that like, I mean, yeah, the

15:00

some of the some of that material is still

15:03

is like in my hour. So I feel like

15:05

there was a certain level of like, I guess,

15:07

competence that I started with, I guess not to

15:09

be like, I don't know, I guess that's just

15:12

I guess that's true, you know, whatever. Now I'm

15:14

working on saying stuff. And you can say stuff,

15:16

you know, what I mean? It's like, okay, to

15:18

be proud of yourself. Yeah. Yeah.

15:24

We are talking five days, six

15:26

days after this film, her first

15:28

television stand up for which is

15:30

coming in June 13. Yeah. So

15:34

that's a big milestone to we're catching you all. All

15:37

right, so you shortly after

15:40

the Nicole buyer stuff, graduate,

15:43

go out in the real world. And like,

15:46

many people, including many incredibly talented

15:48

people, it was not you

15:51

walk out and you walk into a job and

15:53

you're it's all wonderful

15:55

immediately. Can you describe what those first

15:57

few months where I think you move

16:00

back to LA. Yeah. And

16:02

we're trying to figure out what you're gonna do

16:05

with yourself. What was that? Yeah, I

16:07

moved home, very lucky to be from Los

16:10

Angeles. Just like moved into my mom's apartment

16:13

with her and I

16:15

just worked at a

16:17

coffee shop and a lot of

16:19

my friends did the like, I'll work

16:22

at a production company or like I'll do this you

16:24

know type of thing but I found that

16:26

and you know different things

16:28

are right for different people but I found that I needed

16:31

to do something that was physically exhausting so

16:33

that I was mentally ready to go work. Like

16:36

because I chose stand-up and

16:39

I wasn't pursuing anything other than stand-up right

16:41

after school. I needed to be

16:43

like sharp for open mics and

16:46

so yeah I felt

16:48

like if I was working in a job

16:51

and in entertainment I

16:53

would be kind of like mentally creatively spent by

16:55

the end of the day and because I was

16:57

doing stand-up I had to be like I had

17:00

to have energy to like hit as many

17:02

mics as I could per night so yeah

17:04

I just like got a job of flexible

17:06

hours worked in a tea room and

17:10

usually would do opening shifts

17:12

and then just

17:15

like kind of right after that

17:17

and then hit the hit the town at night.

17:20

And were you were you

17:22

immediately were audiences immediately

17:24

clicking with your humor like

17:27

basically how to how what was the response we're

17:29

talking and where are we talking about are we

17:31

talking like the comedy store

17:33

or a lab factory? I was

17:35

going to the comedy store there's

17:37

but I mostly it was like

17:39

indie mics like coffee shop mics

17:41

or like places that don't exist

17:43

anymore or like alleyways

17:46

or backyards or like really just the

17:49

inside of a dumpster like literally anywhere

17:51

that they would say we're doing this

17:53

here we'd be all show up flappers

17:58

Burbank yeah Now

18:00

ah yeah we we just gonna

18:02

go all over the club. makes

18:04

were harder to get into. they

18:07

were like very selective like the

18:09

comedy store was like five pm

18:11

on Mondays and you could sign

18:13

up. With. Like two hundred comedians.

18:15

And then they'd picked sixteen people and it

18:18

was just. Like a random. Or

18:20

on. So yeah that was like

18:22

political and like strange but I'm

18:25

yeah there were there were like

18:27

they're lot of pockets in L.

18:29

a comedy like there's like the

18:31

east side seen as like the

18:33

club mean there's the west side

18:35

see him like so yeah just

18:37

ago as many wherever I can

18:39

many places again. I

18:41

want to measure couples fans you made

18:44

early on and. He. Can maybe

18:46

share about ah were that

18:48

went believe Chelsea Handler was

18:50

a pretty early believers the

18:52

right? Yeah see. An eye

18:55

open for her arm. Know

18:57

I can see me. I guess she

18:59

was just like were looking for openers

19:02

and this may be like my agents

19:04

sent her may take him and the

19:06

way I got agents was actually just

19:09

like and I didn't like it does

19:11

show called got a heroin and Atlantis

19:13

in the back as stories just a

19:16

book bookstore in L A and May

19:18

eight. My current agent was like to

19:20

standing there and as Canada so it.

19:22

Has I like? Kind of recommend

19:25

that are. Buried his family says.

19:27

His leg The way to be

19:29

in a physical location, in the

19:32

flesh and be like seen by

19:34

people. I did not do it

19:36

for that reason. Ah, but ultimately

19:39

I think that is a good

19:41

the. Saying. I also

19:43

think being like a performer only

19:45

makes you a better writer on.

19:47

so our now also do your thing

19:50

it's almost as if you know i

19:52

do i'm sorry but yeah we'll talk

19:54

about you're putting yourself out there you

19:56

know nose in the audience i believe

19:59

that was something also led to you becoming

20:01

in 2019, the filming 2020,

20:03

the airing as the youngest person ever to

20:09

open or to perform on

20:12

the Late Show with Stephen Colbert as a

20:14

comic. So this was your first time really

20:16

on TV. How does that happen? That

20:20

was also just like really like it

20:22

just in person stuff that typically like

20:24

the process as you send in a

20:26

tape. But I like

20:29

last minute hopped on a

20:31

bar show in Venice in

20:33

like this underground club that

20:36

was like a speakeasy thing called, what

20:39

was it called? Venice, Venice

20:41

Underground. Stupid.

20:49

I just like hopped on this show and

20:51

the booker was in the back and she just

20:54

saw me and came up and it was very

20:56

Tonight Show coded. It was very Johnny you guys.

20:58

It was so like, they were just so like,

21:00

she just was like, how would you like to

21:02

be on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert? I

21:04

was like, are you serious?

21:06

And then, yeah, I just did it. Now

21:09

for whatever reason, they waited to

21:12

air that until March

21:14

2020, which

21:17

was just great. Great

21:19

month for everyone. That goes

21:21

on in that same month. You,

21:23

I believe, were

21:26

having the initial cattle

21:28

call, whatever, wide casting for a

21:30

show called Hacks. And I want

21:32

to ask you, first of all,

21:35

literally had never acted before, right? In

21:39

a scripted, not had not

21:41

gotten the part, gotten a

21:43

part. So how do you

21:45

first hear about

21:48

this show and what was it? What was sort

21:50

of the extent of what they shared with you

21:53

about it? I mean, I know when

21:55

I first heard about it, which was obviously after

21:58

you, but I mean, it was like sort of. of

22:00

like the Joan Rivers, like,

22:03

you know, that was the reference that people

22:05

had then before we actually saw the show.

22:08

How was it described to you when you were

22:10

just even one of a zillion people

22:12

being considered? Well, I will say my first experience

22:15

acting was at a class called Actor

22:17

Director Workshop at Chapman.

22:19

Let's go! And

22:21

that was the only time I had ever acted

22:24

before that. Totally awesome. Okay, so take that class.

22:27

And yeah, that was like

22:29

my only kind of experience.

22:32

But yeah, I just

22:34

got an email in my inbox from

22:37

my agents the way like I

22:39

always did, just like

22:41

whatever wide first round general

22:45

call for actresses

22:47

is. And

22:51

I got the audition sides and

22:53

the pilot, which I read

22:55

just over and over because again, as

22:58

you said, it came across my desk

23:01

bed during

23:03

COVID. And

23:08

I could not engage

23:10

with stand up. Like I did the

23:13

whole conceit of stand up was

23:15

like now suddenly poisonous, like people

23:17

gathering in a room and like

23:20

exhaling was just like not something

23:22

we thought would ever happen again.

23:25

So it really was the only piece

23:28

of comedy that I could engage

23:30

with. And so I just became obsessive because it

23:32

was so good. And so often the things that

23:35

I read for, I just was like, I'm

23:37

not going to get this. This is

23:40

just not for me or I'm

23:42

not like super connected to the

23:44

material. Can we

23:46

just also quickly note? I mean, at in

23:49

the pilot, we've got Eva's just been

23:51

canceled, essentially. And

23:54

the one hope she has of continuing

23:57

to do comedy

23:59

was. to get the job

24:02

with Deborah, right? Yeah. We're

24:05

not gonna be doing any standup in

24:07

the near future for gainful employment. This

24:10

was gonna be it, right? It better happen. Yeah,

24:13

it was certainly, yeah,

24:16

it was certainly a life-saving,

24:22

sort of psyche-saving opportunity

24:26

for sure. I

24:28

was doing Zoom shows, which

24:32

were so depressing, and it

24:35

was just so dark. And

24:37

yeah, it just, I

24:40

went in person for the initial audition

24:42

three days before the

24:44

stay-at-home orders. So

24:46

I knew I was getting a call

24:48

back, but

24:50

I just didn't know in what capacity. And

24:53

we ended up doing it three months later on

24:55

Zoom. And

24:59

we should just note that the show is co-created,

25:02

was co-created and is run by Paul

25:04

W. Downs, Lucia Niello, and Jen Statsky,

25:07

who are up to

25:09

that point were known for Broad City. Were

25:11

you familiar with that show and their work

25:13

and anything, yeah? Yeah, yeah. So for you

25:16

going in, was this exciting,

25:18

intimidating? Did you kind of give yourself any

25:20

real shot of this going anywhere? No,

25:23

I had no confidence whatsoever. I

25:26

think that's kind of like low key.

25:28

I literally think that helped. I was

25:30

like, there's no way this

25:32

is gonna happen. I just need to

25:34

engage with good work in

25:37

any capacity that I can. It was not, I

25:40

genuinely was like, it is unprecedented for

25:42

me to get this job.

25:44

Like, I have no experience and

25:46

this is like a huge role. And it

25:48

just, but I just was like

25:51

excited. I was, you know, doing tags and

25:53

writing like punch up and doing like little,

25:55

you know, doing my ads, which I did

25:57

do in every audition, which they did. And

26:00

that is something that I will say,

26:02

you know To

26:05

say that for I'm like try

26:07

I'm like literally ghost of Christmas future. I'm like

26:09

trying to warn you guys And

26:12

you had good good stuff I correct me I

26:14

don't know the order if this was the original

26:17

or the call back But one of the

26:19

ones that I heard is so you're doing

26:21

the scene Well, first of all

26:23

that I think it's got to be the callback because

26:25

the callback is now you're doing the scene What

26:28

you're one of three finalists You

26:31

and these other actors are gonna

26:33

read opposite Gene Smart who's

26:35

already Deborah you go to

26:37

Paramount During the dark

26:39

days of Covid with literally

26:41

a plexiglass thing between you guys

26:44

Yeah, and the the stories

26:46

that I've heard I don't again I don't know if this was

26:48

at that one or an earlier one or whatever, but The

26:51

scene you're doing correct me if

26:53

I'm wrong is where they first meet the

26:56

characters Deborah and Eva at

26:58

her mansion in Vegas

27:00

and You're just like not sure

27:02

you want to be there, right and You

27:06

may improvise something about Spirit Airlines Yeah,

27:09

I did I did add a bit aware

27:11

if us. Yeah where she

27:13

says that yeah, she flew she flew

27:15

there on Spirit Airlines And

27:19

there was yeah there there were just like a

27:21

couple things that I I threw in I think

27:23

like also for you know Any are

27:25

there any actors in here? Alright.

27:28

Yeah, like I think just as much

27:30

as you can Take a

27:32

risk and like write a joke if you're

27:34

doing something in the comedy space like I

27:36

think that's that's what that's what I

27:39

think Helped me because

27:41

I think people I mean if you

27:43

are lucky to work with really like

27:45

egoless collaborative creators who aren't like There's

27:47

a comma there, you know Which

27:52

does happen which is fine No,

27:56

um and we believe that's fine, but

27:58

like if If you are

28:01

working with people who do want you to bring

28:03

yourself to it, I think

28:05

that's a good way to

28:07

set yourself aside. How about a vape?

28:09

Did a vape factor in here somewhere? I did add a

28:12

vape. I did add that Ava,

28:14

yeah, that she vapes after a joke.

28:16

And I did that in the fallback. Went

28:18

out, bought the vape, came in and... I had the vape. I

28:22

had the vape, right? Yeah, don't let

28:24

the sweater fool you. I

28:26

had the vape. Right. So

28:31

that was your first in-person meeting

28:33

with Jean, but you had actually connected

28:36

a little bit before that, right? Yeah,

28:39

Jean called me the night before our

28:43

final audition, or the screen

28:45

test, and she just said,

28:49

I know it's going to be a strange

28:52

experience tomorrow. It's kind of

28:54

weird. They got the

28:56

plexiglass between us, but she just said, I saw

28:58

your stand-up, and I think you're funny, and I

29:00

think it's going to be great. And I just

29:02

look forward to meeting you. She just totally eased

29:04

my fears before I went in. So

29:07

that's very true to her

29:09

character. And

29:13

apparently after you

29:15

and the other two had all given your

29:18

best shot, she supposedly told

29:20

the creators that you were her

29:22

vote. Is that what you've heard as well?

29:25

Yeah. Now, I

29:27

wanted to ask you about that relationship

29:29

with Jean, because on the one hand,

29:31

these characters are bicker

29:33

a lot, but there's obviously something

29:35

really special going on

29:38

between them. Jean is the

29:40

same age as your mom. She's been

29:42

acting since at least the

29:44

80s, maybe even longer, but I mean,

29:46

she's won even before Hacks, two Emmys,

29:48

I think since Hacks, two

29:51

more. So is

29:54

that even if she's being

29:56

lovely and trying to make you

29:58

feel at home, There's got

30:00

to be a little daunting. You're going in your first

30:03

screen roll ever toe

30:05

to toe with a Titan. I know

30:08

it really it was certainly

30:11

daunting. I did take a beta blocker,

30:13

which was helpful for the

30:15

old heart rate. And

30:17

so that was a good tool. And

30:22

yeah, I mean, but the thing is, like it

30:25

ultimately, I was

30:27

nervous. Like when you get in, like, this is

30:29

true for me for stand up and for acting

30:32

like my nerves melt when I start talking.

30:34

Like, I, I really am

30:36

scared leading up because of, you know,

30:38

the anticipation of the unknown. But when

30:40

it becomes known and it's happening, I'm

30:42

fine. I really I do

30:45

feel at ease. Was

30:48

she the dynamic? Let's just say

30:50

before episodes ever went out and people

30:53

responded so overwhelmingly to the show.

30:58

You guys working on something, nobody knows what it's going

31:00

to be. Were there things that

31:02

you kind of

31:04

picked up from watching her

31:06

work in such close proximity? I

31:10

mean, absolutely. I learned everything

31:12

that I know about acting from her

31:14

because literally I just

31:16

would follow her around and also like all my

31:18

scenes are with her. So I would just

31:20

I mean, continuity, things like little

31:23

physicalities that you would do, like

31:26

really keeping an eye on on

31:28

blocking, like just the technical aspects

31:30

of acting that I was

31:32

totally unaware of. That

31:35

type of a thing, as well as just like,

31:37

you know, her approach, you know, she

31:40

is so like she's not one of

31:42

these people who's like method in any

31:44

way. She's gabbing, gabbing, gabbing and they're

31:46

going action. She's like, oh, honey, I got to

31:48

tell you. So anyway, she's like in it. And I'm just

31:50

like, that is cool. Like it's

31:52

cool that she's just like not

31:54

overthinking it too much, like

31:57

really just, you know, when we have emotional

31:59

scenes, she takes. time, you know,

32:01

but just

32:03

watching how natural she is and

32:05

how much of how

32:08

like connected she is to Deborah's

32:12

physicality and Deborah's little

32:15

tiny emotional reactions and like all

32:17

of the layers of her performance

32:19

just like

32:22

they really they

32:26

they sunk in for

32:29

me like I just kind of was a

32:31

sponge like and still to

32:34

this day of course like always always

32:36

always like learning from Jean and

32:38

being incredibly present and conscious. Some

32:42

people just know there's a better way to do things

32:44

like bundling your home and auto insurance with

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policy. All state vehicle and property insurance company and

33:09

affiliates Northbrook Illinois. That I'm there

33:11

to learn from her. Another

33:14

thing that I think is

33:16

notable is that they

33:18

there are things that I'm sure the writers you

33:21

know they tailored to the strengths of the actors

33:23

and whatever but before you were

33:26

chosen I think this this character was always

33:28

going to be a young

33:31

you know

33:33

up and coming comedy writer slash

33:36

stand-up is always gonna be bisexual

33:39

right or lesbian

33:41

I forget what the original but

33:43

like fee for show yeah right

33:45

so I mean these but

33:48

like you said that

33:52

was that was meaningful too right

33:54

that you knew this

33:56

was this was not kind of being

34:00

Taylor. This was just, and

34:02

it's not even really particularly remarked upon. Yeah,

34:06

yeah, for sure. I mean, reading the

34:08

pilot, like, I

34:10

could not believe what

34:12

I was reading. It

34:14

wasn't, frankly, maybe

34:17

less so now. But

34:20

it, you know, I think, like,

34:22

there have been some shows since Hacks has come out

34:24

that have been great, great

34:27

queer representation. But I think at

34:29

the time, I was

34:32

not, I mean, I can tell you, I wasn't

34:34

reading anything that felt so, so true

34:37

to my experience of queerness. And

34:39

also, I wasn't

34:41

really watching anything that felt so

34:44

true to my experience of queerness. And I,

34:46

again, was so confident, I would not get

34:48

this part, but was so glad that it

34:50

existed and looking forward to seeing, you know,

34:53

whoever, you know, insert actress's name that I wouldn't

34:55

say, because I don't want to be like

34:57

shady. But like, just so you guys know, I

34:59

would have made the joke with if we

35:01

were in private, I would have done, I would

35:04

have done like, who's like, kind of like me,

35:06

but I won't say that. Because we're recording this,

35:08

but it's important to just simply

35:10

explain a joke and try to get away with

35:12

getting the laughs from making it even though you didn't make

35:15

it. That's really huge. That's something

35:17

you should do. Yeah, do that. So

35:19

when you can. That's

35:21

if we can zero in on a

35:23

bit on each season. So first season,

35:27

just again, to remind listeners,

35:29

anybody, this is really, you

35:32

know, reluctantly,

35:34

Hannah takes this, actually,

35:36

Ava takes the takes, you know,

35:38

ends up working with Deborah, but

35:40

then, you know,

35:42

essentially, I think the biggest breakthrough

35:45

is getting familiar

35:47

with that, that Deborah is not just

35:49

this wash, washed up hack going through

35:51

the drawers, which are very

35:53

much a Joan Rivers reference, right? She had

35:56

file cabinets of jokes that have now been donated

35:58

to a museum. comedy or

36:00

whatever, but for Ava seeing this

36:03

and then kind of drawing

36:06

Deborah towards doing more personal comedy

36:08

and the more like modern way

36:11

of doing things, I guess for that

36:14

season, what was the

36:16

moment when you, when what you've

36:18

called imposter syndrome, when it

36:20

started to actually evaporate, when you

36:23

could at least when you could start to feel like you

36:25

actually were pulling your weight and

36:27

belong there and all of that? Maybe

36:29

like three months ago.

36:32

Literally, it's so recent.

36:34

Yeah, I think like, I

36:37

think I, yeah, I just

36:40

got so tired of feeling bad all the

36:43

time, especially when all of the people I

36:45

trusted were being like, you're doing a good

36:47

job, girl. What is wrong with you? You

36:49

guys know that scene in the Incredibles where

36:53

Mr. Me trying to be young, where

36:56

Mrs. Incredible is crying

36:58

in Edna's kitchen, and

37:00

she's like, you are elastic, pulling

37:02

yourself together. That

37:06

is me. And my

37:08

director Lucia, she's like this

37:10

Italian woman, and I'm like, you know, a

37:12

redhead. And so it's actually

37:16

like really a great visual comp,

37:18

actually. But it's

37:22

very like, you know, I just would be

37:24

like, so like, it's okay, like all the

37:26

time, you know, because I just,

37:28

you know, I'm I felt new for,

37:30

you know, and I am

37:32

still new. But I felt like

37:35

really just like, you know, it's

37:37

a new experience. I'm so used to

37:40

like doing comedy and hearing the feedback

37:43

immediately and just

37:46

record, you know, we're recording sound and

37:49

we're on a soundstage. And like that

37:51

threw me. And so it was hard for me to

37:53

know. I was like, am I palming, man? Like I

37:55

was so thrown by that. And so, yeah, I

37:58

mean, It it

38:01

even after accolades.

38:03

I just felt bad was so

38:05

I did just overall in my

38:07

life outside of my work as

38:09

well as get so fed up

38:11

with like myself up so that

38:13

that has been. Really

38:16

nice guy is credits

38:18

over own. Season two.

38:21

Deborah. And they've gone the road. Try

38:24

out all the. New. Material goes

38:26

very well and then. I'm.

38:29

At. The end. The shocker. Ah,

38:32

she deborah parts ways with

38:34

able wants to set her

38:36

free for you that season.

38:39

I mean, sophomore seasons are

38:41

notoriously difficult. To. Begin with

38:43

For anyone like, it's ah, I think

38:45

you've talked about the fact that you

38:48

know first season people have spent it

38:50

sometimes their whole life dreaming up and

38:52

thinking about and and on the second

38:54

season. gotta hurry up and capitalize on

38:56

success. And sometimes it suffers for the

38:58

actor. Is the Sec when you guys

39:00

were working on the second season had you already.

39:03

Got in the feedback. I

39:05

think you had that. The first season had been

39:07

so well received. pray. We. Did yeah,

39:09

we. We were We were.

39:12

We were very I'm. Very

39:15

relieved and proud and to to know

39:17

that folks were like king and and

39:19

am. Yeah, I mean it was it.

39:21

The pressure was certainly on for all

39:23

of us and I was just go

39:25

and like okay, that was a total

39:27

fluke or that. oh. Oh

39:32

oh oh, but then yeah, now it's

39:34

like we're in this site since a

39:36

third season and we're like I'll actually.

39:39

Like we're hitting our stride. It's weird,

39:41

like I feel so in line with

39:43

like where we're at and the show

39:46

where I'm like oh we're doing it

39:48

in a new way now. Like we're

39:50

really in the group. It's just kind of. I

39:53

think it's the best. Yeah, it's really

39:55

exciting. will so the way

39:57

the second season the season finale

40:00

I was very lucky to be at a thing

40:02

you guys did where you did a live read of

40:04

that season finale where there

40:06

is that kind of shocking

40:08

parting of the two. And

40:13

that may be as much as anything in the

40:15

show so far demanded kind

40:17

of emotional acting

40:20

from you. And

40:23

I wonder if you can talk about something,

40:25

just expand on something where you have said,

40:27

you know, the whole thing with comedy is

40:30

you build up armor so

40:32

that you're not phased if you don't get a laugh or

40:34

if people heckle you or whatever. And

40:37

so you, you know, you're not sharing

40:39

emotions in that way here with acting and

40:42

especially in a scene like that. You

40:45

better shed all of that armor. How

40:47

for that scene and that episode

40:49

in particular, which I think for

40:52

obviously, you know, people will now be seeing season

40:54

three, but that was a very memorable

40:57

and well done episode. So

40:59

can you just take us into what it was like for

41:01

you to have

41:03

that kind of an assignment? You

41:05

know, yeah, I kind of

41:07

have like my my acting

41:10

education is so MacGyver. It's

41:12

so like piece

41:14

of tape and some string

41:16

and gum. Like I really

41:18

am just like, I guess I'm

41:20

doing this. It's so crazy. But

41:24

yeah, I mean, I will

41:26

say I'm lucky to receive

41:29

such great writing from the creators

41:31

of our show. Like it really is.

41:34

It really is on the page. And when I

41:36

got the scripts initially for that episode,

41:38

I burst into tears. And

41:42

it just like I felt

41:44

so dropped in and connected to Ava and

41:46

Deborah and frankly, Gene,

41:49

you know, that it

41:52

just it's it's it's kind

41:54

of right there. And I'm

41:56

a really, really, really, really,

41:58

really. really, really

42:01

sensitive person. And I am really

42:06

connected to my like

42:09

inner emotional life, just

42:12

frankly by virtue of having

42:14

to do so much work to pick

42:16

up the pieces after this like period

42:19

of my life where I was disconnected

42:22

from all of my emotions

42:24

other than like anger and like

42:26

the crazy like mania

42:29

a little bit. So

42:31

I think that actually did help

42:33

me to because I had to work extra

42:35

hard to reconnect to a lot of stuff

42:37

that I was not feeling. And

42:40

once I did that it was like the flood gates

42:43

open. It was like years and years

42:45

and years of like feelings just like

42:47

came back to me. So um

42:50

yeah it just uh I'm

42:52

you know it's it's kind of

42:54

always simmering right right beneath

42:57

the surface. I feel um

42:59

I feel like I

43:02

feel like I have I am you

43:04

know my my original trade is like

43:07

comedian but I do feel I have like the

43:09

heart of an actress.

43:12

I don't want to get

43:14

political but other aspect that

43:16

may have been a

43:18

bit tear-joking there was that you you've said you

43:20

were not sure if this was actually

43:22

goodbye for Eva too as a just from

43:24

the show right? Yeah like I'm mentally ill

43:27

like I literally was like well I'm fired

43:29

like I literally was like they're firing me

43:31

because I'm bad. So yeah I'm getting fired.

43:33

I like this is so I literally called

43:35

them I was like am I off the

43:37

show? They were like you girl can

43:39

you fucking go to therapy and get

43:42

it together? You're not off the

43:44

show like it's literally called character

43:46

development relax. I

43:48

was like okay. And the

43:50

show is hacks not hacks. Yeah

43:52

exactly plural two hacks. Yes yes

43:55

um season three which is

43:58

uh You know, The

44:00

way of. Has. A

44:03

you take starts a year later you have. Deborah.

44:07

Kind. Of but. Fulfilling.

44:09

I think probably will was Hanna's wish

44:11

along which is say I need you

44:14

I want you back but that comes

44:16

at a cost because. I

44:18

ever has been getting a bit

44:21

of a personal life and getting

44:23

that going. and the question is,

44:25

is she going to sacrifice that

44:27

for Deborah again? When you first

44:29

saw the. The. Script and material

44:31

for Season Three. Just what was your

44:33

I mean they're that persists. It's taken

44:35

a long time because team had been

44:38

ah il than we had the writers'

44:40

strike switch with you guys having writers

44:42

on said and changing things that was

44:44

market A that was not going to

44:46

be possible to work than so two

44:49

years after season three started to come

44:51

together just when you. Here

44:53

we are. So I thought of. Was

44:56

the. Were. You surprised by where they were

44:58

taking things. I was

45:00

certainly curious as to

45:02

how they would get.

45:04

The gang back together and

45:07

arm I thought of as

45:09

done so elegantly and on

45:11

I I was surprised. arm

45:13

and I was. Really?

45:16

Ah. Happy with

45:18

where we met a vase? Well

45:21

I. Think it's a great

45:23

commentary on like redemption and

45:25

how people can like work

45:27

their way back after mistakes

45:30

and arm. Is. Also

45:32

of course raises the stakes. Are

45:35

leaving. Her life. To

45:37

go back to that to

45:39

woman so I'm you know

45:41

it to. I thought it

45:43

was beautifully done. Two

45:46

hundred. Shares. Their

45:48

seen an episode or something and

45:51

season three that you found most.

45:53

Maybe. Challenging but then made

45:56

something that you're you're particularly proud of.

46:00

You know, I think the finale is

46:02

work that I have never

46:04

done before. And

46:11

I was really nervous leading up, but

46:14

it was, it did feel like very

46:17

rewarding to do. And

46:21

I think it was that classic thing of like, anxiety

46:24

is in the anticipation of the thing and the

46:27

unknown and like, will I be able to do

46:29

it? And I

46:31

am really, really, really proud

46:33

of the work. That's right.

46:36

Now, when the trio of

46:38

creators of the show were initially pitching in

46:40

around, they were telling people we

46:42

have in mind and we've mapped it out

46:44

and we'll even share with you specifics of

46:47

five seasons. Is it your understanding that

46:49

that's still the plan? That is,

46:51

as far as I know, the hope. Yeah. Yeah.

46:59

Part B to that. How far ahead are

47:01

you of the head of

47:03

the rest of us as far as

47:05

knowing where this is all going? Do

47:07

you know the ending? I don't know

47:09

the ending. I like talk to the

47:11

creators. We

47:14

just riff on

47:16

season four stuff and

47:19

we're always talking about

47:22

little ideas and I'm always pitching

47:24

and whatever. But they

47:26

have a very clear plan. They've had

47:29

a very clear plan for the series

47:31

since, as you said, since the very

47:33

beginning. So, yeah, they

47:35

they've got it all all all

47:37

like kind of mapped out, but I

47:39

haven't I haven't asked to know. I've

47:42

said, like, kind of keep it because

47:44

I want to like stay present with

47:46

where they're at. I know. And

47:48

in any given season, are you at the

47:50

beginning, given the scripts for the

47:52

whole season or is it just like an episode

47:54

or two ahead of the rest of it? I

47:58

don't know. I don't know. Three

48:00

scripts because we shoot all out of order So

48:03

I'll get like, you know Usually

48:06

it's like one two and three and then

48:08

it'll be like five seven

48:10

four and two, you know, whatever or

48:12

four whatever not a math

48:14

guy, but Yeah,

48:16

it just It's

48:19

like yeah, just kind of rolled

48:21

out and does that Would

48:23

you even want to know? Or

48:25

have it the whole season in front of

48:28

you or is it helpful for a performance

48:30

to Kind

48:33

of have to live in the moment I

48:35

mean it it the

48:37

the thing is like even if

48:40

even if we do wait like for example

48:42

Like as I said, the finale episode was

48:44

something that I got I

48:48

got before the strike so I I had

48:50

that episode and

48:53

I had that for ten months so

48:55

it was something that I Just

48:58

kind of was like, okay I'm not gonna like look

49:00

too hard at it until we start to get back

49:02

up there just to keep it fresh But you

49:05

know in order to memorize I do have to really

49:07

drill it. So So

49:11

yeah, it does I try to keep it as fresh as

49:13

I can but It's it's mostly

49:15

just me like kind of pacing around my apartment

49:17

like talking to myself You

49:19

know it becomes fresh when I'm doing it

49:21

with Jean or when I'm like really doing it in the

49:23

moment Tell me about

49:26

last Saturday because this has got to be

49:28

something that you've been thinking about even

49:30

before there was hacks maybe as far

49:32

back as Chapman days to have a

49:36

stand-up special that is televised it's gonna

49:38

go out through the same streaming platform

49:40

that your Comedy series

49:42

is now on I mean, this is a big deal If

49:46

you can just share the way it works with Logistically,

49:48

you know when you take this last

49:50

Saturday at the it's the El Rey

49:52

Theatre on Wilshire. Yeah in Hollywood you've got

49:54

a billboard that says your name

49:56

and the name of the special and you've got to go

49:58

in there and do it. So just how

50:01

was it? It was

50:03

awesome. It was such

50:06

a dream come true. It's like, you know,

50:09

like I said, like I really set

50:12

out to do comedy and like

50:14

I just love it

50:16

so, so, so much. And

50:19

I care a lot about

50:21

that medium. And

50:23

I think there is

50:25

a lot of integrity in stand up

50:27

comedy, if you can believe that. Sorry.

50:29

I really have, I really

50:34

do have high respect for comedians and for

50:36

the for the art form. And I,

50:39

I, I, I really, really,

50:41

really try to, to pay homage

50:45

to, to the people who

50:48

have influenced me and to, you know,

50:51

the the types of performance

50:53

styles that I enjoy.

50:55

And yeah, I've been

50:57

working on it for many, many, many years, even,

50:59

yeah, like I guess since that first set, like,

51:02

so it is, it is not

51:05

to be dramatic, but it is, it is technically my

51:07

life's work up until this point. So

51:10

yeah, I do, I do hope folks

51:13

see what I see in it. And

51:17

I'm really looking forward to it being out

51:19

on the town. That's great. And that will

51:21

be again, June 13. Max. Last thing for

51:27

me is, you know,

51:29

that was obviously a big bucket list item. What's,

51:32

what's still on the bucket list? What are

51:34

if you could do anything, work with anyone,

51:36

you got to have some some things on

51:38

the wishlist. I really want to work

51:41

with Julianne Moore. I think

51:43

we look alike, kind of. I

51:45

could see it. That

51:47

could be cool. I

51:50

loved your episode with her, by the way. Thank you. And

51:53

I also think Kiki

51:56

Palmer is the funniest person on planet Earth. Like

51:58

literally the funniest person on planet Earth. on planet earth

52:00

i would love to do like some

52:03

crazy action comedy with her um

52:06

and then yeah i'm like really into

52:08

like there's some like indie scripts that

52:10

i'm very into um i just want

52:12

to do good work i don't really

52:14

now now that like i feel tapped

52:16

into like a little

52:19

more more of a dramatic muscle as

52:21

well as a comedic one i feel like

52:23

genre is like totally irrelevant

52:25

to me it's like what is where is the

52:28

good at you

52:30

know i mean that's like my concern

52:32

um so

52:34

i really would do anything

52:36

good you know all right

52:39

well i hope people are listening that's

52:41

good no no limitations yeah all right

52:43

so i think we have some mics

52:46

please say your name and

52:48

then your question uh

52:50

hi my name is mia flood um i'm

52:52

a screenwriting major here i was

52:55

twp and then it changed but

52:57

i'm screenwriting now um

52:59

as someone who has achieved so much

53:01

at a young age what

53:03

advice would you offer to aspiring creatives who

53:05

are just starting their careers especially

53:07

those approaching graduation um

53:10

yeah i would i would say um maintaining

53:14

uh conviction in your

53:16

ideas um like definitely

53:18

being open to others

53:21

in collaboration but like really

53:23

um maintaining like

53:27

uh a sense of security

53:30

in like the fact that you

53:33

have the right taste and you

53:35

can trust your taste and

53:38

i think when you start to work

53:40

in professional environments you may run into

53:43

people who um are

53:45

trying to like maybe

53:48

like tamp tamper

53:50

down your creativity because like there is

53:52

a business world full of like

53:55

business people who like aren't artists

53:58

and they don't

54:01

have the instincts that you have. And so

54:03

you really have to know that you are

54:05

the person who

54:09

should be like confident and secure

54:11

in your creative tastes and what

54:13

you see as your vision

54:15

for your work. And

54:19

just to like be sweet and

54:22

the collaborative and as much as

54:24

you can like make

54:27

all of the friends in all of the

54:29

departments so that you can get your short

54:31

going so that you can just like start to

54:34

produce work as much as you

54:36

can. Like just not

54:38

comparing yourself to anyone, no

54:43

timeline has anything to do

54:45

with yours. Like just really

54:47

doing it for the love of the

54:49

game and not worrying so much about

54:51

the outcome. Just really loving the process.

54:56

And you know, feeling like pride in the work

54:58

itself, I think. Hi,

55:06

my name is Charlotte, I'm a TWP

55:08

major. And

55:10

I just kind of wanted to commend you on

55:12

your like full circle moment, getting to sit in

55:14

the big chair, that's so cool. Like

55:17

a shampoo bottle like speech moment.

55:19

I know! TWP

55:22

is such an amazing major, I love

55:25

it so much. Is there something specifically

55:27

from that program that you've kept with

55:30

you that like helps you? Something from a

55:32

class or? Just so

55:34

people listening know we're talking about TWP

55:36

as television, writing and production. Yeah, the

55:38

best major at Dodge, woo! Yeah,

55:41

that was my major, yeah. Something

55:44

from TWP that I have kept,

55:46

well frankly, my good friends. My

55:48

good, good, good, good, good, good girls

55:51

and boys that I met here, I

55:53

have kept them. That

55:56

is like the best thing that I

55:58

got from college. The friendship

56:00

honestly. ah and you know

56:03

an education fine but like

56:05

I really feel he value

56:07

the can accent. A sissy is

56:10

like, you know, my friends. Are like

56:12

doing cool creative. Serve. And

56:14

like it's just. It's

56:17

so cool to see

56:19

everybody thrive. in their own little

56:21

like lanes and says so yeah that's the

56:23

truth sus a man thing. I learned that

56:25

the selfish person i'm sorry and then let

56:27

someone else my best friend at the standup

56:29

she's They set up our slowness open from

56:31

a fellow nurses on a if you had

56:33

to replace for her specifically that I can

56:36

pass on the hit. And he sees

56:38

doing cent of in Barcelona. Yeah, Who.

56:41

Arm well ah I

56:43

would say like applying.

56:45

For comedy festivals like trying to

56:47

travel and like I know I

56:50

think there's some some good like

56:52

international festivals and just like you

56:54

know, I mean my advice for

56:56

Stand Up today and. Unfortunately

56:58

it so much of my experience is

57:00

like almost, well I hope not. but

57:03

it feels a little almost moot because

57:05

I think things have moved on line

57:07

and a big way. But I would

57:09

say she should sell her sights and

57:12

like if she can do like. I

57:14

don't know if she can if she

57:16

feels like she has enough material to

57:18

like put clips up that does seem

57:21

to be like what I'm saying for

57:23

my friends are still very much like

57:25

coming that that feels like something that

57:27

is productive interest. In terms of like

57:29

growing an audience and getting rapson agents and

57:32

stuff like them. Say.

57:35

Is I thank you so much

57:37

for coming. Nice to meet you.

57:39

Like was my question is about

57:41

writing new stand up material. I

57:43

feel like. Before. Performing jokes

57:46

it can be hard to know they're funny. I

57:48

don't have you, you deal with that. Data.

57:50

Process with.and mine you're

57:52

writing new. Material Like, not

57:55

just like. So just like is

57:57

it on? How? How do I

57:59

know? like what what is funny before

58:01

I go up yeah

58:05

I guess I kind of don't it's

58:07

crazy like stuff that I'm like the

58:09

same brain thought of like this trash

58:11

and this like gold you know I

58:14

mean like I can't really

58:16

tell until I'm up there

58:18

like there are certain lines

58:20

that I'm like how are

58:23

you not laughing at this

58:25

and and they're

58:27

just never getting nothing

58:29

so it's just like there

58:32

ain't no rhyme or reason to it

58:34

I think like of course there's joke

58:36

structure and you know all of those

58:38

things that like contribute to like why

58:41

something works or doesn't but you just

58:44

gotta get up there and see

58:46

let the people tell you hey my

58:49

name is Alyssa Runyon I'm a

58:51

screen acting major hey I was just

58:53

curious when you're dealing with like rejection

58:55

or burnout whether it's with writing or

58:57

acting especially someone who also struggles with

58:59

like very like

59:02

self-deprecating or mental like illness in general like how

59:04

do you deal with that and how do you

59:07

stay creative and like would you have specific things

59:09

you do people you go to or like what's

59:11

your process I would say finding a creative hobby

59:13

that has no nothing to do with

59:15

your work but you plan to capitalize

59:18

on zero like I

59:20

do ballet oh can you imagine

59:23

admitting that I

59:25

do I just take a ballet class and

59:28

I just do it and I'm not gonna

59:30

film it and I'm not gonna shit

59:33

well now I'm telling people shit fuck

59:35

but like whatever it's fine

59:37

you know it's like I'm

59:39

not gonna like you like

59:42

that's just something I'm doing to feel like you

59:46

know I'm like engaging in like a

59:48

craft that I don't plan to you

59:51

know capitalize on in any way

59:53

so I think having other interests

59:56

and other things that do genuinely

59:58

genuinely genuinely fill you up That

1:00:00

Like figuring that out and maintaining

1:00:02

that because that's only gonna make

1:00:04

you. A more interesting performer and who

1:00:06

knows, like you know, I I like.

1:00:08

Is there any freshman here who can

1:00:10

still like minor. And something and you can

1:00:13

take the time to do that. I just

1:00:15

feel like I'm doing something that has nothing

1:00:17

to do with this world. Just

1:00:19

enriches you as an artist's I

1:00:21

think like figuring. Out or random

1:00:24

minor he now like which. Is

1:00:26

be so cool. I wish I did one. Well

1:00:28

I liked my minor I didn't narrative and erotic

1:00:30

literature but. Let's go.

1:00:33

Okay of says it's.

1:00:35

So good it's awesome Com

1:00:38

and ah. Yes so like I

1:00:40

just think finding that of their think we

1:00:42

are you wearing his dirty shirt. The.

1:00:44

As a gamma am I to

1:00:47

be sister of know saw I

1:00:49

saw no side little as a

1:00:51

sub on exact I got kicked.

1:00:54

Out but. I

1:00:57

say get his out. That

1:00:59

is awesome. Go off leash

1:01:02

Bowser. Yeah okay. And.

1:01:04

Deserves. A

1:01:06

hello becky from us for

1:01:09

comments and I appreciate a

1:01:11

say. I think you for being

1:01:13

such great representation. For T W P,

1:01:18

N out of okay I really admire your

1:01:20

drive and your discipline and that both are

1:01:22

some skills or I think I personally me

1:01:24

to develop and I was monitor. You

1:01:28

have any like Lord Queer solo buys

1:01:30

after I graduated and like going to

1:01:32

those stand up like said during all

1:01:34

that. Yeah, so I mentioned earlier there's

1:01:37

a website called the Comedy bureau.com and

1:01:39

that is a database of all the

1:01:41

open makes in Los Angeles and all

1:01:43

the. Stand Up shows that you can

1:01:45

go and watch and if you're like i

1:01:48

don't wanna like right analyze you open mike

1:01:50

to go see shows like to go he

1:01:52

now get your squad. Together.

1:01:55

To people say that I'm

1:01:57

so scared of Olivia. I'm.

1:02:00

Please, I'm not cringe. I'm

1:02:03

28, that's not that crazy. Okay,

1:02:05

I'm young, but I'm clean. But

1:02:09

you should just get the team

1:02:11

together. I'm choosing a

1:02:13

different word. Get the team together and

1:02:15

just hit the town. And

1:02:19

that website, the Comedy Bureau, is a

1:02:21

great source. And that's like totally still

1:02:24

up and running and up to date. And that's

1:02:27

like the best way to just get it going.

1:02:30

Hi, my name is Elliot. I apply

1:02:32

TWP, but then they killed a major and

1:02:35

it's now writing for film and television. So

1:02:37

that's what I am now. Okay, cool. I'm

1:02:40

also a film music minor. My question is,

1:02:42

what was it like going from, so you

1:02:44

were TWP, television writing production, what

1:02:47

was it like going from behind the camera to in front

1:02:49

of it? You

1:02:53

know, I don't know that

1:02:55

I was ever even properly,

1:02:57

like technically behind the camera.

1:03:00

Like I feel like I

1:03:02

did some writing. Oh

1:03:05

my God, this is so embarrassing. I'm going to

1:03:07

tell you though, I literally

1:03:09

wrote a family guys' script when I

1:03:12

was here. Oh, horror.

1:03:14

But I did do that. So like,

1:03:16

I thought it's great. You got to

1:03:18

get it in McFarland. Meg gets a

1:03:20

podcast. It's fine. But

1:03:27

yeah, I feel like I

1:03:30

feel like just as like a standup comedian, like I

1:03:33

feel like that

1:03:35

is the ultimate hybrid of like behind

1:03:37

and in front. And

1:03:39

I think they're both incredible. Like,

1:03:41

and I think they lend themselves to each other. And

1:03:43

I think like, you know, I think that's, that's a

1:03:46

really, really good question. And I think, you know, I

1:03:48

think that's an important thing. I

1:03:50

think that's really good. And I think that's a really

1:03:52

good question. And I think that's something that Paul W.

1:03:54

Downs, who plays Jimmy, my manager in

1:03:56

the show, like he's a creator of the show. If

1:04:00

you're like, I'm just this thing,

1:04:02

it can't hurt. It really cannot hurt to just

1:04:04

go like, I'm going to try. I'm

1:04:06

going to figure it out. I'll write this short and I'll

1:04:09

be in it. Or just to

1:04:11

get that muscle and frankly, just to

1:04:13

be able to communicate more with actors. That

1:04:16

is why that class actor-director workshop was

1:04:18

so helpful, I think,

1:04:20

for me when I was here. It

1:04:22

kind of embodied that experience. So I

1:04:25

would say they're both really wonderful. Our

1:04:28

closer from the improv. Oh,

1:04:30

so much pressure. Hi,

1:04:33

thank you so much for coming. My name's Cole.

1:04:36

And also thank you for spending the two days

1:04:38

after my breakup with me because I binged all

1:04:40

of hack and it was really

1:04:42

wonderful. Are you okay? No. I

1:04:46

was kind of like punishment as well

1:04:48

because the biggest thing I did with

1:04:50

that person was go to Vegas. So I spent

1:04:53

more time with them. No, it's

1:04:55

okay. It's fantastic. I'll put it in the

1:04:57

stand up later. Yeah, yeah,

1:04:59

yeah. But I was wondering how much

1:05:01

you said that you didn't like improv

1:05:03

at first or didn't feel

1:05:06

like you were primed for it. But how much

1:05:08

has that influenced acting because I

1:05:10

know it plays a lot of like

1:05:12

you can make decisions on the fly, that kind of

1:05:14

thing as well as with your stand up special if

1:05:16

it had any impact on that. Definitely.

1:05:20

When I started doing improv,

1:05:22

I definitely felt really

1:05:25

in my head. Like I said, I had

1:05:27

a lot of trouble with just being super

1:05:29

overthinky and really just like not in

1:05:31

that don't think mentality, you know. But

1:05:37

as I started to perform stand up and

1:05:39

as I started to do open mics where

1:05:41

I had to comment on the room in

1:05:44

real time because it was a

1:05:46

room full of comedians frowning. It's like

1:05:48

if I don't say what's happening, I'm

1:05:50

just bombing. Like stand up actually forced

1:05:52

me to improvise more and that made

1:05:54

me more confident as an actor to improvise.

1:05:57

And now I love it.

1:05:59

I'm obsessed. I just kind of like found

1:06:01

my way back. It was just something that I wasn't

1:06:03

really able to tap into because I wasn't, you know,

1:06:06

I guess like in that place yet, I wasn't

1:06:08

like so far along yet. But so,

1:06:11

yeah, I think I mean, I

1:06:13

love it. It's so great. It's so fun. It's

1:06:16

so good. And it'll make you guys like so much

1:06:18

better at everything that

1:06:20

you're doing. So very

1:06:22

briefly, a few final notes. I just

1:06:24

want to thank everyone

1:06:26

who helped to make Hannah's visit

1:06:28

possible, Morgan and everybody else. I

1:06:31

want to thank Joe

1:06:33

Rosenberg for so

1:06:35

supportive always. I want to thank Montana

1:06:37

Golan and everybody from her student team

1:06:39

for their help tonight. And

1:06:42

most of all, of course, I want to thank

1:06:44

Hannah for coming back here and being

1:06:47

so great. Everyone

1:06:49

is super proud to know

1:06:52

that they're at a place that you're

1:06:54

associated with. So thank you for

1:06:57

that. On behalf of everybody, thank you again

1:06:59

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1:07:06

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1:07:28

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