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R-A-K-U-T-E-N. Huh.

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Results may vary based on visuals. Hello

1:35

there, everyone. Kristen here at

1:37

the top of an interview

1:39

that I got to do

1:41

with Lea DeLeon-Hayes, who

1:43

plays Indira in the new

1:45

Slayers, a Buffyverse story. This

1:49

is our final episode of coverage on

1:51

the first season of Slayers, and I

1:53

cannot think of

1:55

a better way to

1:57

close this conversation. to

2:00

Leia was wonderful. I also had the chance to

2:02

meet her when I was at New York Comic

2:04

Con. She is a delight and we are so

2:07

lucky to have her in the Buffyverse. Before

2:09

we get into today's episode, a couple of things

2:11

for you to know. This is the last time

2:13

we will be in your ears until the

2:16

fateful day, Valentine's Day,

2:18

February 14th. In

2:20

case you didn't see it elsewhere, February

2:23

14th will mark the premiere of season

2:25

two of the X-Files. So

2:27

please get ready, watch the first episode

2:30

of season two, it's called Little Green Men. I

2:32

wonder what it is about. Who knows? I think

2:34

that Scully and Mulder will both be there. You

2:37

should watch it and you should tune in

2:39

on February 14th. February 14th is also the

2:41

day that we will draw up a very

2:43

special podcast for our patrons where

2:46

Jenny and I talk all about one

2:48

character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer who

2:50

goes by the name of Faith LeHane.

2:53

We are rounding the bend

2:55

to the end of Want Take Winter

2:57

where we are watching episodes of Buffy

2:59

that's centered on Faith. We've got two

3:01

watches left on the 17th of February

3:04

with Who Are You and This Year's

3:06

Girl, the body swap

3:08

heard around the world and then

3:10

also Save the Date, February 22nd

3:12

where Jenny will be doing a

3:14

concert of buffering music for all

3:16

of our $5 and higher patrons

3:18

playing all of our favorite Faith-centered

3:21

buffering songs. So Valentine's

3:23

Day, shaping up to be a big day

3:25

for you especially if you are a patron

3:27

because you'll get two podcasts all on the

3:29

very same day. This is also

3:32

your reminder that all of

3:34

our VIP Buffy prom tickets

3:36

sold out very quickly. We

3:38

have single tickets to prom

3:40

that still remain. Prom, Buffy

3:42

Prom if you will, is

3:44

happening on Saturday, April 20th.

3:47

It will be in Brooklyn. At

3:49

the Bell House there will be

3:51

90s music and sing-alongs. Jenny will

3:53

be doing covers of 90s

3:56

songs as well as playing our buffering

3:58

favorites. We will be drinking. dressed up,

4:00

we will certainly do the Macarena, and

4:02

if you'd like to join us, you

4:04

still can, so head

4:06

on over to bufferingcast.com/prom, come

4:09

and join us in Brooklyn. Without any

4:11

further ado, please let's go chat

4:13

with Leia, all about the character

4:16

Indira. Hell yeah.

4:39

Leia, I cannot tell you how excited

4:41

we are to have you inside of

4:43

buffering the vampire slayer to talk to

4:45

you about, you know, a little character

4:47

named Indira who has like just blown

4:49

us all away. Thank you for being

4:51

here. Oh my gosh, thank you for

4:53

having me. Oh, little character named Indira

4:55

blew us all away. I like that.

4:59

I will take that. Truly, truly, truly. I

5:02

mean, you know, I will get

5:04

into it, but Indira's entry into the

5:06

canon of this story is I know

5:09

one of my favorite things that has ever happened

5:11

to the story, and I know that I am

5:13

not alone in that opinion. So thank you for

5:15

bringing her to us first and foremost. Oh

5:17

goodness, that is very sweet. That means a

5:20

lot to me, especially knowing of course, like

5:22

you're a big Buffy fan and you know

5:24

much about this Buffyverse. So that

5:26

was my only hope is that I could come

5:28

into this universe and bring something

5:31

fresh but also give justice to

5:33

what's already been created. So thank you. Yeah.

5:37

Well, tell us how this started. I'm going

5:39

to pick your brain about your knowledge

5:41

of Buffy before you came, but let's

5:44

not start there. Let's

5:46

start about, let's start with the call that

5:48

you got, the conversation that you had.

5:50

How did this project get placed in

5:53

front of you? You know, it was

5:55

so interesting. Like I think the call

5:57

came maybe a year ago. almost

6:00

like almost February of

6:02

2023 is when

6:04

I found out about about

6:07

Slayers. And it really

6:09

just came as an email in my inbox

6:11

via my agent. And it wasn't an audition.

6:13

It was from a man named

6:15

Casey Wayland. And

6:17

I had of course like

6:20

really wanted to work with Audible. That was something

6:22

that I always wanted to do. But

6:24

I did not know much about Buffy. I

6:27

of course had a lot of friends and

6:29

family who are big fans of the show.

6:31

But I hadn't seen any episodes. I

6:33

just knew that this was a big deal. And so

6:37

there was really no doubt in my mind about it. I

6:39

was really excited about the fact

6:41

that someone had seen my work in a

6:43

past project and was able to be like,

6:45

oh, I like that girl. I could

6:48

see her doing this. And ultimately it

6:50

ended up leading to Indira and being able

6:53

to play this character. You know with actors,

6:55

you just never know who's watching your projects

6:57

and who actually is keeping an eye on

7:00

you. So yeah, it came

7:02

as like email in my inbox. And I

7:04

was like, oh shoot, this is exciting. And

7:08

then I think the

7:11

recording dates were literally three weeks

7:13

later. It moved very quickly. So

7:15

there wasn't a lot of time

7:18

to prep. And I knew

7:20

of course I'm on the East Coast. So they

7:22

were going to be recording in Los Angeles just

7:24

trying to figure out how that was going to

7:26

work and also figure out

7:29

how I could be

7:31

in addition to something that

7:33

was already very much established,

7:36

was nerve wracking for sure. But

7:39

they were so open and

7:41

welcoming from the beginning. I mean, I talked

7:43

about it at New York Comic Con and

7:45

I've said it multiple times and I will

7:47

say it again, like the

7:49

cast and crew was so open from

7:52

the very beginning, even with such a

7:54

small window of time to record, even

7:56

with such a small amount of time

7:58

to prep. And I

8:01

will get more into it, but I really

8:04

do cherish and respect them for that because

8:06

it really meant a lot to me. Yeah.

8:10

Yeah. Well, tell me a

8:12

little bit about the prep then because it's funny. I

8:15

know we talked to Chris and Amber

8:17

about their creation process and Casey as

8:19

well. And so, of course, they've been

8:21

working and working and working. I think

8:23

Amber said the pandemic was when the

8:25

work on the project started. And

8:28

so, the math in my head, of course, right.

8:30

It makes sense that you were coming in when they're

8:33

ready to record. So, for you, it's a

8:35

much shorter prep time. What

8:37

did that look like for you? Oh, my gosh.

8:40

It was exciting, one, but it was very

8:42

nerve wracking. I

8:52

was nervous. I think for any new project,

8:54

any time you're, of course, working with new

8:56

people is going to be nerve wracking. But

9:01

specifically with this, I

9:04

knew that there was a fan base and

9:07

I knew that obviously the

9:09

shows were ginormous hit. And

9:13

I just wanted to make sure that I,

9:15

once again, was like an addition and

9:18

I had something refreshing

9:20

or fresh that I could add to it.

9:24

And I had one Zoom with

9:26

Amber and Christopher.

9:29

I hadn't even met Casey yet. It was just

9:31

with Amber and Christopher. And

9:34

every question that I had, they were like,

9:36

we're going to answer everything. And

9:39

I sat with them for maybe like an hour before

9:41

we ever met in person. They answered

9:44

every single question. And on

9:46

top of that, they gave me all the information that

9:48

I needed to know because I hadn't watched any episodes

9:50

of the show. They were like, this is the format. This

9:52

is what you need to know up until

9:55

this point. There were parts

9:57

of it that were not tying in for me, which was

9:59

just a little bit of Specifically, the

10:01

Angels hate yourself. I

10:05

need is an alcoholic bandwidth. Ah,

10:08

and again, they were just like. It

10:11

They were prepared and detail

10:13

oriented. They gave me specific

10:15

episodes to watch i'm before

10:17

I started recording and they

10:19

gave me lovers like and

10:21

ah a do the yoga

10:23

and the third. Movie

10:26

would say they a recovery has it been there

10:28

like he the has he was that when i

10:30

think it's called the body is to one oh

10:32

no I when you that the response that you

10:34

were getting i was like oh no everybody. It

10:37

was definitely the body Only are now is the first

10:39

one that I was in. I was like. A

10:44

know what? I

10:46

had no idea what I was. In

10:49

I was sobbing like I was in. My room

10:51

sobbing my eyes out and i had not

10:53

been introduced to be character that all the

10:55

guy did not know what the relationship between

10:58

but the and her mother was an. Eye.

11:01

On it and in that when it opened my

11:04

eyes to just like. I

11:06

guess what my ideas the show was

11:08

vs wouldn't actually was and how ah.

11:11

How they were able to touch on something

11:14

like that even in like this mystical world

11:16

that they've been able to create there is

11:18

like as the center of it is just

11:20

you and minutes in length is very human

11:22

aspect of the show so. Maybe

11:25

like a controversial. And to start with

11:28

five, it was. Especially.

11:32

For me where I was like oh wait

11:34

this is different. So again that that first

11:36

call that I had the Amber and Christopher

11:38

really if it meant so much and it's

11:40

there was a lot of stuff going on

11:42

in. My. Personal let's

11:45

you and like professional life and

11:47

still making like. A bus

11:49

see a. High. Priority wasn't difficult

11:51

the just making sure that like again I wanted

11:53

I had things that I wanted to do with

11:55

Then I went in with intention was. Important

11:58

for me. And

12:00

once again, just like if

12:02

there was any pressure for the podcast,

12:05

if there was any pressure for this

12:07

type of show, I

12:10

think it was a big job for

12:14

Amber and Christopher to make sure that that

12:16

was not felt. Because

12:18

when I went into that booth for

12:21

the first day, it was like, we just want

12:23

you to have fun and we want you to

12:25

bring everything that you

12:27

wanna bring to this without the pressure of

12:30

its disc out or the other, just like

12:32

bring yourself and it's gonna be

12:34

a good time at the end of the day. And it

12:37

was, it was a great time. It

12:40

translates impeccably. I mean, we

12:42

in our conversations with some of the other

12:44

folks who made this have heard how, I

12:47

think your first day was with both of the

12:49

James' and that the minute that you hit

12:51

the mic, everyone was like, oh shit, oh okay.

12:56

Oh, oh, she's actually like really, really

12:58

good. We have to like bring our

13:00

A game, but yeah, tell me

13:02

about that. You know, this

13:04

is like the worst thing an interviewer can do, which is

13:06

like asking you two questions at the same time. But I would

13:09

love to hear about your time in the room. And

13:11

either before that or after that, I would really love to

13:13

hear just sort of how you

13:15

even got here because your career to date

13:18

is incredible. I mean, you've

13:20

been working in audio format for a

13:22

really long time. I have, it's kind

13:24

of, it's really crazy to even think

13:26

about it. And

13:29

I'll come back to this. I'll answer the

13:31

first question, which was

13:34

what it was like in the booth with

13:36

everybody and like specifically on that first

13:39

day. Again, it was

13:41

like being the new kid on your

13:43

first day of school. I

13:46

mean, James C. Leary, like

13:48

you can't help, but he's just

13:50

like, he's so lovable. He can't

13:52

help but just like adore

13:54

him. And he was so fun and

13:56

kind from the very beginning. And

13:59

Same with other. They might. Feel

14:05

a family. Of course he's

14:07

playing like this is stay

14:09

very serious and like cool

14:11

guy but. Also. Just

14:13

sleep. He's so talented. I

14:15

remember that first a very visibly because and

14:18

I got into the booth and I heard

14:20

him to the accent for the first time

14:22

and I just see lovers walk and then

14:24

I saw him do it. I was like

14:26

oh that. That's. Beautiful

14:29

and he's able to like. Completely switched

14:31

on and off like it's nothing

14:33

you know, Like Spike

14:35

is a part of them at this

14:37

point. Ah, now. It's a once

14:40

again like the when you. Go into

14:42

a booth or when you're working with these people

14:44

like. They're

14:46

taking the. Character in

14:48

the role so seriously that also adding

14:50

this level of play that makes you

14:52

wanna do the same like it makes

14:55

you want to step up to the

14:57

plate and deliver. Ah but staffers beat

14:59

his be even when I think of

15:01

the entire podcast and would it's turned

15:03

out to be like one of my

15:05

favorite scenes before that first is in

15:07

beers introduction. Ah it's like Bear Energy

15:09

is right here and see come in.

15:11

Like ah, God.

15:17

And in a way like it broke

15:19

the ice for me and for everyone

15:21

else the specifically for me. Because

15:24

I had no choice but to be

15:26

comfortable like it forced me to get

15:28

out of any league, burst features or

15:30

any sign of that I might have

15:32

been feeling in it was like now

15:34

this is what the job as is

15:37

what the theme is an. I

15:39

was grateful that we all just showed up

15:41

the where we're here for it. You can

15:43

a dream for that thing when you're an

15:45

actor like. To be offered something

15:47

and something with. Great.

15:49

Material and then you. You're super lucky

15:51

to end up with a cast to

15:53

love each other and is also so

15:55

open from the very beginning. I.

15:58

imagine that the way that you

16:00

hit for both of the James's and then everyone

16:02

else that you worked with after that was incredible

16:05

because you are incredibly talented, but

16:07

you're also really experienced in this

16:09

format. And we opened up some

16:11

listener questions, some of our listeners

16:13

asked questions specifically because they know

16:15

that we're talking today. And

16:17

one of them that was recurring from a lot of people was just like,

16:20

tell us about what came before.

16:23

Yeah. Well,

16:26

I started acting

16:28

probably 10 years ago now.

16:31

Now it was longer.

16:34

It was like 11 years ago. I

16:37

am from the South. I lived in North

16:39

Carolina. That's where I was born. And then

16:42

I was raised in Texas. That's where I copy

16:44

acting book. So, and

16:46

the performance, but I mean, I was

16:49

doing recitals and the morning announcements at

16:51

my school. That is incredible. That's what

16:53

started all

16:57

of this was the fact that like, as

16:59

soon as the morning announcements meant the

17:01

world to me, like third

17:03

grade, my teacher was like, it's my birthday.

17:05

Can you go say it on the morning

17:07

announcements? I said, yeah, sure. I went

17:10

to the principal's office. They were like, why don't we make

17:12

this a consistent thing? I was going in every morning like,

17:14

hi, I'm Lea Saliad. Oh

17:17

my God. I love it. So

17:21

we need that. We need that original story. You

17:26

know, I haven't been back to Texas, but

17:28

sometimes I'll go visit when I

17:30

went last time and the time before

17:32

that I visited my elementary school teachers.

17:35

So maybe I'll ask them when I

17:37

go back. You should. I mean,

17:39

even just to have for yourself,

17:41

because that is truly like the

17:44

origin. It

17:46

really is. I remember I would do the

17:48

morning announcements at school. I would come back home.

17:50

I'd watch Disney channel. And then I told my

17:52

dad, I was like, I want to be an

17:55

actor. Like I really want

17:57

to take lessons. I was an ambitious

17:59

child too. I really loved

18:01

the, I just, I was

18:03

very competitive. When I was

18:05

younger, it was very much about like, I

18:08

want to be the best singer, I want to be the best dancer,

18:10

I want to be the best actress. And

18:14

I started with lessons when I was

18:16

maybe eight years old and that was

18:18

after doing recitals and talent shows all

18:21

via my school. And when

18:24

I started acting lessons, I met this wonderful

18:26

woman named Catherine Hart

18:29

of Hart and Soul Studio, shout out in

18:32

your words. And she

18:35

was like, went

18:37

to Juilliard and had a theater background.

18:40

And that was the first time that I can

18:42

remember. Like I remember it clear as day, like

18:45

I was completely mesmerized by

18:47

one of this woman, she's

18:49

a, she's astonishing. Like I still

18:51

think about her all the time. She's

18:54

like just a character. But

18:57

I was completely mesmerized by her and

19:00

about this craft, like, and

19:04

I can't really explain it. It just felt

19:06

like it was right for me. And

19:10

I had done other things. I had

19:12

done cheerleading. I was a little tap

19:14

dancer for a little bit. I

19:17

did gymnastics. And

19:20

when I like took out my first

19:23

script and it was like Philadelphia cream

19:25

cheese commercial, I was like, oh, this

19:28

is it, this is it. Was

19:31

that one of your first jobs? Like, was

19:33

it an actual Philly cream cheese commercial? It

19:35

was just for the class. It was just

19:37

for the class. It was just for the class. And

19:40

I mean, it was one of those settings where there were eight

19:42

to 12 year old kids in the class.

19:47

So you would sit down and you'd do improv

19:50

with them or you'd just play around and then

19:52

you would do a scene and then you would

19:54

watch the scene with each other. And

19:56

then she would critique you. She would tell you how you could

19:59

have done it better. was like a very

20:01

serious thing and I took it

20:03

very seriously. And

20:06

I was doing a lot of print work in

20:08

Texas. And I didn't want

20:10

print like I really I wanted to be on

20:12

TV. And my

20:15

dad and my acting coach, like I guess they

20:17

had a conversation and she was like, I think

20:19

she's ready to go to LA. I was like,

20:22

Okay, we'll try it and see how we feel.

20:24

And ultimately, it worked out because his job was

20:26

also bringing him to California. So we

20:30

moved out to LA in 2013. I was nine years

20:32

old. And within six

20:35

months, I found out what voiceover was

20:38

I did not know what that was. But

20:41

within those six months, it was like December of 2013.

20:44

I had booked Donk

20:47

McStuffins, which was the

20:49

first time I'd ever been in a booth

20:51

before. A role

20:53

that I had

20:56

known about because I had seen the show.

20:58

Of course, I was the second, the

21:01

second girl to play Doc, but like

21:03

my, I had no idea what

21:05

this world entailed

21:08

at all. And

21:10

up until that point, I had only been

21:12

trained for on camera work. And

21:15

even when I first got out to LA,

21:17

I was doing commercials, I did an NFL

21:19

play 60 commercial. That was

21:21

my first that was the first one. I did

21:27

like a Wii Sports commercial, you

21:29

know, and then I ended up

21:31

booking it all moved very quickly.

21:34

I booked my first movie,

21:36

which is on Nickelodeon. And I

21:38

played a character named Elizabeth on

21:41

a movie called Santa Hunters. And

21:44

that was like, sounds so violent.

21:46

Yeah. Wow, Nickelodeon. We were

21:49

hunting down Santa. Yeah. Very

21:58

dark. Incredible. Yeah,

22:03

and my character, she had like a

22:05

tiara with a camera in it. She

22:07

was wild. She was crazy. Wow.

22:10

No, but that was like a dream for me. The whole

22:13

idea was like, I wanted to move out to California and

22:15

I wanted to be on Disney Channel

22:17

and Nickelodeon. I wanted to do the D-Com,

22:20

all of it. And so

22:22

in those six months, I had my first role

22:24

on Nickelodeon and then I booked off McStuffins

22:27

like a month later for Disney

22:29

Junior. And that experience

22:31

alone taught me so much.

22:34

It was my, it was a

22:36

perfect introduction because I was

22:39

close enough to see what

22:42

the worlds of like a Disney Channel

22:44

or even like an ABC, any

22:46

of those networks, like what it produces

22:49

and how other kids were handling working

22:51

on those sets and environments. But I

22:53

also wasn't so deep in it. I

22:56

was working once a week. I

23:00

had a lot of time to do like homeschool

23:02

and also other projects at the same time. I

23:05

wasn't working with a bunch

23:07

of cast members. It was just me isolated in

23:09

a studio. But

23:12

because of that, it allowed me to

23:15

create like this wonderful relationship with the

23:17

director and with the writers of Doc

23:21

and this familiarity and comfort

23:23

that again,

23:25

like you just, you

23:27

get very lucky on certain

23:29

projects where you are able to build

23:31

that. And to have that at such

23:34

a young age, I am so grateful

23:36

for. I would go into

23:38

the studio and I would watch Loretta

23:40

Devine and Laura

23:43

Jill and all these actors

23:45

who were playing on Doc and I would

23:47

just watch them because so much of my

23:50

knowledge up to that point was not

23:52

centered around the audio world. And

23:55

not only did it help me with voiceover

23:58

work, but it helped me with audio. on

24:00

camera as well. Like there are

24:02

certain sectors of this industry that

24:04

they don't tell you about or

24:06

completely different from the other. And

24:10

to be able to come out to

24:13

LA thinking like, all right,

24:15

I know what I wanna do and it's gonna be

24:17

fun because I know exactly how it's supposed to be.

24:21

And in those six months, like the

24:24

past was like, oh, well actually, this

24:26

could be something fun. This could be

24:28

something interesting. For it

24:30

to happen so quickly and for it to

24:32

be something that I didn't expect, even

24:35

now it translates to the way that I

24:37

view my career, view my path is like,

24:40

there is no reason anybody should, but also

24:42

it's just even more of a testament that

24:45

I can never and should never

24:47

put myself into a box or

24:49

try to categorize myself

24:51

or fit into something I'm not supposed

24:53

to fit into. And Doc

24:55

taught me all of

24:57

that. So it's kind of like a long winded

24:59

way of getting to where we are now. No,

25:02

no, it's incredible.

25:04

And I think it's, I mean, it's very

25:07

interesting to learn sort of your roots

25:09

in the industry and how you wound up

25:11

here and doing all of the incredible work

25:13

that you're doing at this point. But I

25:15

also think the way you

25:18

speak about it is resonant past just

25:20

what you're doing with your career. It's

25:22

like when you're open to some of the

25:24

things that are put on your plate,

25:26

then things you could maybe have never imagined

25:28

to open up before you. So, yeah, yeah.

25:32

And so, I mean, I did

25:35

wonder if there was a format,

25:38

I mean, you've done a lot of like audio, I

25:40

don't even know if that's the right way to say

25:42

it, but like audio only format, but

25:44

you also were on screen and you've

25:46

at least mentioned in the very beginning

25:48

doing some theater, are you

25:51

someone who sort of enjoys everything equally or

25:53

do you like lean towards certain formats more

25:55

than others? I know, it's

25:57

so interesting. I think what I love. most

26:01

about, I mean,

26:03

any sector of the

26:05

industry that you go into, whether it's voiceover,

26:07

theater, film, or TV, they're all going to

26:09

be different. And it's all going to be

26:12

different depending on the show that you're on

26:14

to, or the project that you're on. But

26:18

it just, it means everything

26:20

when you love the people. Like, if

26:22

you have people there who you're able

26:24

to collaborate with, you're able to come

26:26

up with ideas with, who are open

26:28

to the idea of playing, who

26:32

make the environment feel not just

26:36

like safe because they wanted to remain safe,

26:38

but like make it safe

26:40

for you to create and

26:42

just like play, like

26:44

that means the world

26:46

to me. There's

26:49

things that I'm certainly interested in. I

26:51

mean, I love voiceover because of that.

26:53

I mean, it's almost more intimate than

26:55

on camera because you're in a studio,

26:58

especially if you're doing it with this

27:00

cast, like, which we got to do

27:02

for Buffy. It's a very

27:04

intimate thing. You are going through it

27:07

together. You're spending eight hours in one

27:09

room with people for two

27:11

weeks, you know, and

27:13

you build a

27:16

bond with people, you know,

27:18

they become your family. I only worked on

27:20

Buffy for five days. I

27:24

worked on that show for

27:26

five days. And

27:30

by the end of it, I

27:32

hugged those people who are part

27:34

of Audible and I hugged the cast and I

27:36

hugged the writers like I had

27:39

known them for years. It's

27:44

like that form of or

27:46

just any form of art, like the fact that

27:48

it can bring people together like that, whether

27:51

it's, you know, music

27:54

or acting or painting,

27:57

who knows. But just the fact that like.

28:00

You can create something with people who are all showing

28:02

up every single day and they want to make it

28:04

great They want it to be the best that it

28:06

can be That that

28:09

means the world Yeah,

28:11

yeah, so You're reaching

28:13

down into the most vulnerable parts of yourself.

28:15

I mean at least that's how I

28:17

understand it Right if you're creating that's

28:19

really it so it's I I imagine

28:21

that whatever the format it's an incredibly

28:24

intimate experience to create together Exactly

28:26

exactly and it's very different. That's the

28:28

thing. It's like the one consistent thing

28:30

is like, okay. Well The

28:33

people that you're making it with like That's

28:36

what I would like to stay the through

28:38

line between all of these different

28:40

sectors but They're

28:42

also different like I love I love

28:45

on camera and I truly love

28:47

film and I love TV

28:49

as well and

28:54

Animation at school. It's like but when I

28:56

was younger I had a huge theater phase

29:12

I want to touch I want to go back

29:14

to a moment that was very intriguing to me

29:16

And I know to anyone who's listening to this

29:18

what you said that you watched the body and lovers

29:20

watch Because in in

29:22

my mind right like, okay, you got Cassis

29:25

and DRS who you had to like somehow

29:28

ingest seven seasons of Buffy

29:30

the vampire Slayer before you hit the mark

29:32

and now I'm realizing probably that wasn't possible

29:34

and Maybe not even beneficial But

29:37

were there other episodes like did you did they

29:39

give you sort of a little starter set

29:41

of episodes or like what was the fullness?

29:43

Of that. Oh my god, it was There

29:46

were so many stragglers so many They

29:50

did it they really only gave me those two

29:52

episodes and then they were like you should watch

29:54

the finale I was Sending

29:57

my days and my nights on those

29:59

fandom websites I was like, all right,

30:01

I need them. I was on Reddit. Truly

30:04

in DERA, truly like digging

30:06

into the Reddit of it all. Exactly.

30:08

I was like, OK, break it down. And

30:12

once again, that was my first introduction to

30:14

seeing, OK, the fan base knows, because they're

30:16

able to not only explain this

30:19

to me, but also they're able to

30:21

come up with their own theories and

30:23

their own hopes or predictions for where

30:25

the show is or was going. So

30:29

yeah, it was a lot of research on

30:31

my end, just trying to

30:33

figure out once again how the pieces of the

30:35

puzzle make one puzzle.

30:39

And then I watched

30:42

the first season completely.

30:46

And what a season it is. What a season it is. It's

30:50

a real first season. It's very, very much

30:52

the epitome of what a first season of

30:54

a lot of TV is. It's like Monsters

30:56

of the Week, emotional fit all over the

30:59

place. I mean, there were different relationships that

31:01

I didn't realize were a thing in the

31:03

very beginning. I was like, oh, OK. Also,

31:07

Buffy Summers and her outfits, let's

31:10

not play. She

31:12

was. I

31:15

mean, we'll get to the Cordelia of it

31:17

all. I mean. Buffy and her outfits, but

31:19

also really Cordelia and her outfits as well.

31:23

Charisma is just everything. She is

31:25

everything, girl. But

31:28

yeah, so I had ended up watching the first

31:30

season. And then I had watched some episodes with

31:33

the character named, I think it's Faith. Is that

31:35

the name of the character? Oh, yes, indeed it

31:37

is. And I was like, oh, this is all

31:39

so different. But she

31:42

had like, it was an iconic outfit for Buffy.

31:44

I think she had the red pants on. And

31:46

it was like a really fun fight scene with

31:48

her and Faith. And then

31:50

I think it's that's the one where they fly

31:52

out the window together. Perhaps

31:55

Buffy stabs Faith in the stomach, and Faith

31:57

falls onto a moving clock. I think that's

31:59

it. It was something like that. That

32:02

was kind of fun and innocent,

32:04

you know? They were just two girls hunting a

32:07

good time, you know? Super chill, just like hunting

32:09

Santa, actually. Super

32:11

very innocent, very, very chill. I love

32:13

how we can bring it back to

32:16

Santa, yes. One

32:20

of the listeners submitted questions,

32:23

you might not even have the intel

32:27

to answer, but I'm going to ask you anyway

32:29

because now you've mentioned Faith. Someone

32:31

asked if you think that Indira

32:34

has any parts of the original

32:36

three slayers, which is Buffy,

32:38

Faith, and Kendra. Assuming

32:40

that you know the lore of how this

32:42

worked, but maybe I shouldn't. Should I tell

32:44

you the sort of biblical who begat who

32:46

and all? Yes, I want to know lore.

32:48

Tell me the lore. Buffy dies at the

32:50

end of season one, which you see. She

32:53

does. That calls a

32:55

second slayer. That second slayer is

32:57

Kendra, and Kendra shows up in season

32:59

two, and then Kendra is

33:01

killed – I'm spoiling stuff. Oh my God. Oh no. Should

33:05

I not spoil it? No, I need to know. Kendra

33:09

is killed by Drusilla.

33:14

Drusilla kills Kendra, and then that brings

33:16

Faith. That calls Faith. Those

33:19

are the original three slayers. If

33:21

you haven't met Kendra, then you

33:23

can't actually answer this question, but

33:25

you should for sure meet Kendra.

33:27

I haven't met Kendra. Kendra

33:30

was gone way too

33:32

soon. Oh my God. Was she

33:34

only in the second season? She's

33:37

only in the second season. She shows up and

33:40

she fights side by side. I don't know if

33:42

you've heard Mr. Pointy or seen anyone

33:44

maybe at the cons bring a very special

33:46

steak that's sort of squiggly at the end,

33:48

but Kendra has her favorite steak and she

33:50

gives it to Buffy. You should watch it.

33:55

The last few episodes of season two

33:57

are gutting and very beautiful. Yeah,

34:00

Kendra was gone much too fast.

34:02

Oh my God. And yeah, and I

34:04

feel very important. I actually thought

34:06

that they had brought some of Kendra

34:09

into Indira specifically because in

34:11

my listening, you have a

34:13

stake. That you get and

34:16

you give it to Cordelia and I was

34:18

like, oh, this is a full riff on

34:20

Kendra. But perhaps I was just, you know,

34:22

really nerding out with my family. Oh my

34:24

God. What? I'm so okay.

34:26

I'm so upsetting that I have not

34:28

been introduced to Kendra. Yeah. Yeah.

34:32

Listen, listen, all of us are banking on season

34:34

two. So you have plenty of time. Yes.

34:37

But watch season two. For sure. Watch

34:39

season two. Meet Kendra because Kendra came

34:42

before Faith and really

34:44

a lot of the fandom is, has always

34:46

been very upset about

34:48

how quickly we lost. Oh

34:50

my goodness. Especially as the only, I mean, Kendra

34:52

was the only Slayer of Color who was like

34:55

actively on the show. And

34:57

the other slayers of color that were on the show were like, you

34:59

know, we learned about like a Slayer from the 70s and the Slayer

35:01

from like the 1800s. But

35:03

other than that. Yeah. Yeah.

35:06

Okay. That's so exciting. There

35:08

you go. I'm gonna, okay. Well, I'll start picking

35:10

it up again. There you go.

35:13

I'm learning. Well, I'm

35:15

learning. Well, I

35:17

have, I have, I mean, before we get back

35:20

into the booth and the slayers and all of

35:22

that, I have one more Buffy proper question for

35:24

you because, you know, you've only watched a couple

35:26

of episodes and obviously you're probably partial to Spike,

35:28

but there's a huge debate in the fandom of,

35:30

you know, is it Buffy and Angel or is

35:32

it Buffy and Spike? Or if you're us

35:35

making a very queer podcast about the show, is it

35:37

Faith and Buffy? But that's a whole other

35:39

conversation. I really, I don't know that Faith

35:41

and Buffy episode that I watched was, look,

35:44

I kind of shit. I shit. Yeah.

35:48

Sorry. Good. Listen,

35:50

correct answer. Honestly, Buffy for the win. Buffy for the

35:52

win, low key. I've

35:56

seen some episodes with Angel and

35:58

of course. And there was one episode

36:01

I watched. It was, I don't

36:03

remember if it was one

36:05

from season two or season

36:07

one, but Angel did

36:11

something very bad and said something

36:13

very mean to me. Yeah,

36:19

listen, I'm fine with throwing Angel

36:22

out the door. I didn't like the way

36:24

that that was treated, Angel. And he

36:26

hasn't sat right with me since then.

36:29

And then with Spike, I

36:32

know they have a lovely romance,

36:34

but I have also seen

36:37

some things that I

36:39

did not think were cool. I don't

36:41

think anybody would think is cool. So

36:44

I honestly, I'm legitimately saying

36:46

like, I am here for Faith and Buffy

36:48

just because like, I haven't seen Faith do

36:50

any crazy. Like the way those two men

36:52

did some crazy on Buffy. Yeah.

36:55

Great. Listen, you are, you

36:58

have found your community here at buffering

37:00

the vampires. There we are. Also

37:02

mostly team Buffy over

37:04

here. Hey,

37:08

Jenny, you might've not been on time to

37:10

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get started on some other New Year's resolutions,

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right? What the heck?

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This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.

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One of the relationships I'm proudest of

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in my life is my relationship to

38:55

Jenny, who you might know as my

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who's also, as you may know, my

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41:53

so let's get back into

41:55

Slayers proper, because I

41:57

do want to talk about your work with

41:59

Charisma. And also just like

42:01

the Indira Cordelia relationship.

42:05

I'd love to hear about some of the work that you and Charisma did

42:07

to bring that to life in

42:09

such a beautiful way. Oh my gosh, those

42:11

are like my favorite scenes that we got

42:13

to record together. A lot of the ones

42:16

that I have with Cordelia meant a lot

42:18

to me. And

42:21

again, it was such a quick

42:23

turnaround, I think for both of us, where

42:27

we didn't have like any

42:29

lunches or dinners or time to

42:32

hang out before we had actually

42:34

recorded the scenes together. But

42:37

in the same way it was for,

42:39

I'm so serious, I'm like not kind

42:44

of hamming this up or anything. I

42:46

was like, you can curse here, you can think of

42:48

it. Oh, okay, yeah, I was about to say. That's the word you wanted to say. Yeah,

42:50

yeah, I'm not. That's basically the term, I'm

42:52

not trying to bullshit. It

42:56

was such an interesting project

42:58

to work on because I had never

43:00

felt so emotionally connected to

43:04

people so quickly that once

43:06

again, by the end of it, it was hard

43:08

to leave them. But specifically

43:11

with Charisma when she came

43:13

in, it was probably my second or third

43:16

day. So we had done everything with Spike

43:20

and with James Leary. James

43:22

Leary, yeah. So

43:25

I already had kind of formed some type of

43:27

connection with them. And then when Charisma

43:30

came in, again, it

43:32

was her first time doing voiceover. It

43:35

was kind of that same feeling of like, we were all

43:37

very nervous and didn't know how this was gonna be. They

43:39

had heard about the project like a year

43:42

before they had gotten started. So

43:45

it was a lot of just like, ooh, we didn't know.

43:48

And of course I came in, I didn't

43:50

really know too much about the project and

43:52

how their relationship as a cast was going

43:54

to be. I was trying to like

43:57

give it all space and give it all time.

44:00

And it became this wonderful thing because

44:03

charisma, once

44:05

again, like this was her first time doing voiceover.

44:08

And so she would ask me questions or

44:11

kind of just like give some space to me

44:13

to kind of like help her out in some

44:15

type of way. And then help her out is

44:17

such a weird way of putting it. But that

44:19

makes sense. I mean,

44:21

it's a different format and you had

44:24

such experience with it. Exactly. Yeah. It's

44:26

a very different format. I think she felt

44:29

support in that way. And then I was

44:32

doing the exact same thing because I needed

44:34

support in the way that the show was

44:36

and how her character was represented. It was

44:38

also, of course, like the big lore

44:40

of behind the scenes that

44:42

I was not aware about either. And

44:46

so in a way, we sort of leaned on each

44:48

other because of that. And

44:51

it's a very specific thing, too,

44:53

with any project when you're working

44:56

with women. And when

44:58

you have scenes with

45:00

women like I'm an only child, I

45:03

always wanted a big sister. I always

45:05

wanted a little sister even. And

45:10

I could relate to the feeling

45:12

Indira has of wanting guidance or

45:15

mentorship. And when

45:17

she meets somebody who not

45:19

only is badass and like doing everything

45:21

that she wants to be able to

45:23

do, like someone she finds incredibly inspiring,

45:26

but also someone who believes in

45:28

her and someone who is

45:32

filling her with hope and faith

45:35

and like and

45:37

was able to create like this sisterhood

45:40

and bond throughout

45:42

the scene. And so every time

45:45

that we recorded one of those scenes,

45:47

it felt like we were speaking to

45:49

each other. Like it didn't

45:51

feel like there were mics. It

45:53

didn't feel like it was

45:55

coming from an inauthentic place because.

46:00

of just the way charisma

46:02

is as a person one, but

46:05

also the way that it was written, I

46:07

think was just, it

46:10

wasn't a difficult thing to get into

46:12

because it felt so, it felt

46:16

very real to a lot of the feelings

46:18

that I had already had like growing up

46:20

or even that I have now, just wanting

46:22

that feeling of sisterhood and guidance. So,

46:25

yeah, it was very special.

46:28

And I still, I give a lot of props

46:30

to the cast once again

46:32

because a lot of them hadn't done voiceover before

46:34

and it's a very weird thing when you're like

46:36

running around and you are realizing like this is

46:39

a full body exercise

46:42

every single day, like it is an

46:44

exertion of energy. You go home and

46:46

you are exhausted, but as

46:49

difficult as it is to do the fighting

46:52

scenes or combat or whatever scenes,

46:55

it is equally, it's

46:57

not even more difficult to really like be

46:59

vulnerable behind a microphone because it feels like

47:01

it just is weird and it doesn't work

47:03

because you kind of want to touch each

47:06

other. You want to like be close to

47:08

another person. You can't really do that, obviously,

47:10

behind a microphone. And

47:13

charisma brought that, like she

47:15

brought her heart every single day to the

47:18

studio and I felt that

47:20

everybody else was able to feel that, so. That's

47:23

very powerful. Very, very powerful.

47:26

And it's like, you know, obviously on

47:28

a technical level, you know that clearly

47:30

you all have to be on your

47:32

own mics to create an audio

47:34

drama that is especially at this

47:37

level. But there were moments

47:39

when I swore that you all were sharing

47:41

the mic, like there's a moment when I

47:44

think Cordelia hugs Indira and Indira says

47:46

something like, are you hugging me right

47:48

now? And you know, Cordelia says

47:50

like, no, or like, mm-mm. And I'm like,

47:52

they're hugging though, right? Like they're really, the

47:54

actors are hugging me. They have to be.

47:57

It sounds like I can see the hug,

47:59

you know? Right, in our mics. for my

48:01

gay. Such a

48:03

testament to make that translatable over

48:05

audio. I mean, it really, it's, I

48:08

mean, for me, and I'm sure a

48:10

lot of Buffy fans, it's

48:12

also really the first time I've ever listened to

48:14

an audio drama.

48:16

Like I'm not great at that.

48:18

Like I'm a visual person. And

48:21

so the moments in the series

48:23

where like I was like, I can see this happening. I

48:25

was just astounded every time at the work that

48:28

you all did to make that happen. Thank you. That

48:30

means a lot. I mean, you can tell.

48:32

I'm sure, I mean, you know you've seen

48:34

it, but there's so

48:36

much love that that past has

48:39

for each other. It's like, it's

48:42

deep. And it's

48:44

not, it goes beyond just like the show.

48:46

It goes beyond just the history that they

48:48

have. Like they truly adore

48:50

each other as people. And

48:54

when that love is already felt and

48:56

established, you don't have to try and

48:58

create it. There's no fabricating. None of

49:01

that. It makes the

49:03

transition for somebody like me much

49:05

easier to just get on board. That

49:09

love is stemming from like a place of once

49:11

again, they want the show to be great and

49:13

they want it to be the best that it

49:16

can be. Also, they just, they love what they

49:18

do. They love their characters so much. And

49:20

they love the people like they really

49:23

do. That's what was astonishing to me

49:25

is I was like, wow, in

49:27

these five days, I've

49:29

been able to meet people who truly

49:33

love a project. Like they

49:35

love it. And so once

49:37

again, it just makes the transition way

49:40

easier because one, I

49:42

not only want to be a part of

49:44

it, but like I want to be an

49:46

addition. And two, it

49:49

just, it makes you want, it

49:51

motivates you to want to do a good

49:53

job because you care about the people. It

49:55

goes beyond just like the work aspect and

49:57

it is coming from places like. care

50:00

about these people, I want to not only

50:02

make myself proud, but I want to

50:04

make them proud too. Yeah. Yeah.

50:08

We've, we've had a similar experience from the

50:10

outside of just one by one talking to

50:12

folks from the cast and the crew

50:14

and just being like, man, they are all

50:16

just so wonderful. Like it's, it's not a,

50:19

it's not a show. It's, it's

50:21

real. Like their love for each other

50:23

is so real and extending

50:25

off of that, you know,

50:27

their respect for

50:29

an interaction with the fandom

50:32

is something that I

50:34

also find to be incredibly rare and

50:36

genuine. And so I wonder

50:38

what your experience, you know, obviously you were at

50:40

New York Comic Con. I'm not

50:42

sure if you've done any other cons surrounding

50:44

slayers, but I would love to hear

50:47

about your experience, you know, with the

50:49

fandom of the show as well since,

50:51

since Indira was born, you know. Yeah. I

50:54

mean, again, that's like the most beautiful part about

50:56

this industry. It's the most

50:58

beautiful part about art is like it is

51:00

able to translate and reach people. And

51:04

with this project specifically, like it's

51:07

not just the love from the cast. It really is the

51:09

love from the fandom and the people who love it, who

51:12

in a way also in many ways, not

51:14

just in one way, but they motivate the

51:16

people who are a part of it to

51:18

do such a or do a good job

51:20

at least. New York Comic

51:23

Con was incredible. That

51:25

was my first introduction to the fandom.

51:29

And I haven't done many cons

51:31

since. I

51:33

want to I'm hoping to do some

51:35

into this year, like a couple more.

51:38

But even the

51:40

response online, like it's one

51:42

thing to see it on

51:44

Instagram or on Twitter, which

51:48

was definitely a big deal. I mean,

51:50

when I first fit out or

51:53

told anybody that I was going to be a

51:55

part of this project, even the people who are

51:57

part of my team, like my stylist was like,

51:59

you're going to do What with who? Are

52:03

you kidding me? I

52:05

mean, I'm finding out things about

52:07

my family and my friends that I

52:09

did not know about them like at

52:12

all. Like family members who

52:14

have Buffy tattoos and like have kept it.

52:22

You just have to know where to look. You just have

52:24

to know where to look. I got to know what to ask. I'm

52:27

going to have to look for it. I

52:29

mean, my dad's best friend

52:31

like is a huge Buffy

52:33

the vampire Slayer fan. Like,

52:36

oh, how fun. Coaster in the room,

52:39

like watching the reruns. And

52:42

I had an idea like I kind of

52:44

understood, but I didn't. But then I

52:47

did it at all. So

52:50

I mean, I was learning so much about the

52:52

people I'm closest with who are

52:54

big fans of Buffy. And

52:58

once again, it's just it goes beyond I

53:00

love this world. I love the

53:02

universe that they've created. Like they are. They

53:06

love the characters so much. And

53:08

the characters have helped them get through

53:10

hard times or tough times. And

53:14

that's been such a beautiful thing to see. Even

53:17

when I went to Comic Con and

53:19

that was my first introduction to actually seeing

53:22

people and like meeting people who love the

53:24

show, getting interviewed

53:26

by people like you love the

53:28

show so much. Even the

53:30

few women of color who came up to me

53:32

and they were like, you don't understand.

53:35

Like I wanted to see a character

53:37

like yours be a Slayer when I

53:39

was a young girl. Like when I

53:41

was 18, 19 years old, I was

53:43

watching the show. So

53:45

of course, it's just it's

53:47

even more impactful when you get to see it

53:49

and when you get to feel it. And

53:52

there's also I mean, there's other fandoms

53:54

that I've seen who are not very

53:56

welcoming to new characters or aren't

54:00

very open to Black

54:03

characters as well. And

54:06

this was like the complete opposite.

54:08

It was like welcoming

54:11

with open arms from everybody that I

54:13

got the chance to meet. And

54:15

I do think, I mean, you feel that love from the cast and

54:18

you feel it from the fandom. Like it

54:20

all goes hand in hand. So

54:23

again, I consider myself very lucky because

54:25

of that. I have even

54:28

been able to see like the art people create

54:30

or the types of edits they've been able to

54:32

create. It's just overwhelming. I mean,

54:34

how many times have I said love in

54:36

this interview? But I mean, it's an overwhelming

54:38

amount of love that I have

54:41

been able to feel. We

54:44

are so, so lucky to have you in this

54:47

universe really

54:49

genuinely. And that comes from the realest

54:52

of all real places. And

54:54

I know I speak on behalf of all of, probably

54:56

all of the people you didn't meet at New York

54:58

Comic Con. I know that that

55:01

is a deep resonant feeling for all

55:03

of us. I

55:05

know that we are getting close to

55:07

time here. So I just have a

55:09

couple of other questions for you. Though

55:12

I'm hoping we get a season two so that

55:15

we can chat all over again. Cause there's a

55:17

million other things I know we could talk about.

55:19

But if we get

55:21

a season two, do you have anything in your mind

55:23

of like where you'd like to

55:25

see Indira go? I mean, when you

55:27

leave Indira, right? She's staying

55:30

with Cordelia in the alternate reality.

55:32

So we've got like a tag

55:34

team situation here. We

55:36

have a tag team situation. I

55:44

mean, that's what I really want is I really

55:46

want to see her and Cordelia become like a

55:49

team. And like, I

55:51

want to see them, I do want

55:53

to see them go at it. Like I want to

55:55

see them like kick ass together. Yeah,

55:58

play together. That's

56:00

what I really want. But also, I think

56:03

it'll be interesting to see how

56:06

Indira hones in on

56:08

her passion, as opposed

56:10

to being, and I think we got to see

56:12

it a little bit towards the end of the

56:14

podcast, too. And just really

56:17

an extension of that, using this fanatic

56:22

way of looking at it, or this

56:24

very passionate, fiery spirit

56:27

that she has, and

56:32

honing in on it and using it in

56:35

ways that are maybe more impactful than we got

56:37

to see in the first season. And

56:40

I would also like to

56:42

see some other characters come in

56:44

as well. I think it would

56:47

be cool to have Willow. Who

56:49

knows? Who knows? But like, yeah.

56:51

It would be like, oh, no.

56:53

It would be so cool. It

56:56

would be really cool. Even though,

56:58

yeah. Yeah. So you know,

57:01

I really am looking forward

57:03

to seeing Cordelia

57:06

and Indira's relationship

57:08

in sisterhood really flourish

57:11

in hopefully the upcoming

57:13

season or seasons. Yeah.

57:16

That's going to mean a lot to me. Just

57:19

to have two baddie slayers doing

57:21

it together is

57:23

so frickin' cool. And

57:26

it feels like something that was really cool

57:28

to see that I didn't even

57:30

realize until when you podcast

57:32

about a thing, you kind of get deeper into

57:34

it than you might normally if you're just listening

57:36

to it. And so when we were in

57:38

discussion, the episodic discussions, I realized, as

57:41

Buffy fans, we've never really seen

57:43

a slayer at the beginning of

57:45

her journey. And so there were

57:48

just a couple of scattered moments

57:50

throughout the story where

57:52

Indira would see Spike's guts on

57:56

the floor or something else that

57:58

is real and disgusting. Gory

58:00

and be like, oh shit like I read

58:02

about this on reddit but like that's actual

58:04

intestines And

58:07

so and and also this vibe of like

58:09

Cordelia has been slaying for I

58:12

don't even know way too many years and

58:14

is beaten down By like the pressures of

58:16

that right and so I think like seeing

58:18

that you're brand new fresh

58:20

ready to go in

58:22

tandem with this person who has like a lot of

58:24

the like world weary experience of

58:28

Having been a slayer for a long time as a dynamic that

58:30

I know I would love to

58:32

see. Yeah, it is It's like it's

58:34

the juxtaposition of those things is like

58:37

interesting, you know, you have somebody who?

58:40

veteran Slayer and you do

58:42

a baby Slayer and

58:45

in many ways can teacher the reins

58:47

and also Cordelia can learn

58:49

a lot from in beer which once again is

58:51

already kind of being set up for it to

58:53

go and into that way, but Just

58:58

expanding on that would be really

59:00

interesting to see and also in beer

59:02

doesn't have At

59:05

least we haven't been introduced and we know

59:07

this like her family she doesn't have much

59:09

family Yeah, and so

59:12

to not only build like this

59:14

layer badassness with Cordelia, but also

59:16

this feeling of like It's

59:19

a true familial bond It'll

59:22

be interesting to see where we go with that Yeah,

59:26

and I mean probably nothing is

59:28

more a cornerstone of the universe

59:30

than chosen family Yeah, I

59:32

think that for for a lot of

59:34

folks that is like the heartbeat of

59:36

what makes the the universe

59:38

so special So seeing that you two

59:40

found each other as this form of

59:42

chosen family Towards the middle

59:44

or end of the season was very

59:47

very exactly. Yeah. Oh, that's very special.

59:49

I love that Um,

59:53

I'm gonna end with a question from Meg who you know because

59:55

Meg was in the booth with you Meg

59:58

and so I you know, I I asked some

1:00:00

other listener questions, but Meg,

1:00:02

I'm calling out that Meg specifically

1:00:05

sent in this question and I thought it would be a great way to

1:00:07

end because ever since learning about you

1:00:09

and you becoming a Deere, now I

1:00:11

follow you on Instagram and you're always

1:00:13

simply wearing the most fantastic outfits that

1:00:15

anyone has ever worn. You know, you're

1:00:17

talking about Bucky slaying in her outfits

1:00:19

and we know Cordelia is definitely wearing

1:00:21

some good outfits. It was a sledge!

1:00:24

Oh my God. But I think you

1:00:26

could take them all to task. So

1:00:28

Meg has sort of a two part question,

1:00:30

but I think they go together. What

1:00:33

outfit would you patrol in? What's

1:00:35

your go to patrol outfit and what's

1:00:38

in your slayer bag? What's in the

1:00:40

slayer bag? Oh my God. My

1:00:44

go to patrol? Okay, wait, is this

1:00:46

for Indira, her patrol outfit? Yeah,

1:00:49

I mean if you want to answer for yourself,

1:00:51

you can. If you

1:00:53

want to tell us what Leo would patrol

1:00:55

in, that's also fine. That's

1:00:58

crazy. No, no. I'll

1:01:01

leave that up to my Instagram

1:01:04

and whoever's in my donation. Indira

1:01:09

though. Oh, okay.

1:01:13

When I think of Indira, I think

1:01:15

of really dark purple and I think

1:01:18

of sleek black. Like I always see

1:01:20

this girl in black and

1:01:25

rainbow pins. This

1:01:27

is the idea in my head. Okay, so if I

1:01:29

were to put this together in like an outfit

1:01:32

format for her to patrol in, I

1:01:34

think I'm going to go with like a

1:01:38

sleek black bodysuit.

1:01:41

Okay, this is what I have. Sleek

1:01:45

black bodysuit. We're

1:01:47

taking the backpack away, but what we are

1:01:49

going to add is a fanny pack. Okay,

1:01:52

we are going to add. Very in right

1:01:54

now. Very stylish. We're going to put

1:01:56

a... a

1:02:00

lot of those little rainbow pins that

1:02:02

I was talking about onto the fanny

1:02:04

pack. And with that, there's also

1:02:06

a little extension because she has to have a

1:02:08

place to like put her steak. So

1:02:11

we're gonna have the extension where she can put her steak

1:02:13

in there as well. But fanny

1:02:16

pack and then her hair would

1:02:18

be up in a ponytail and

1:02:22

she would have earrings

1:02:24

with knives on them with

1:02:26

knives on them is what I'm getting,

1:02:28

okay? Oh, I love that. That's awesome.

1:02:31

I love that. And then functional and

1:02:33

stylish. Functional and stylish. Okay, now this

1:02:35

is where it gets a little crazy,

1:02:37

okay? So

1:02:39

it gets a little wild. Her

1:02:42

shoes are gonna be,

1:02:45

I hope, you definitely

1:02:47

remember these, but they're the

1:02:49

converse that go all the way up

1:02:51

to your knee. Okay?

1:02:53

Laced all the way up. Laced all the

1:02:55

way up. Now they might not be the

1:02:58

most comfortable, but she can

1:03:01

handle it. She's young. She can do it, okay? She

1:03:03

can do it. You know what? It's better than the

1:03:05

heels that a lot of the slayers wore in the

1:03:07

series. You know what I mean? Let's get rid of

1:03:09

those. Let's get into some flats. Let's get into some

1:03:11

flats. Something like that. But the thing is there will

1:03:13

be a little heel because Endira is short since I

1:03:15

am short. So she

1:03:18

will have a platform converse heel

1:03:20

all the way up to the

1:03:23

knee, okay? Wow, wow, incredible. That's

1:03:25

the outfit. And then what she

1:03:27

will keep in

1:03:30

this fanny pack is

1:03:34

a stuffed animal that she's had since she was

1:03:37

three years old. And it's gonna be-

1:03:39

Okay, I wasn't ready for that emotional

1:03:42

destruction. Right. I

1:03:46

was like, yeah, what do we have? Oh God,

1:03:48

my heart. Okay. Yes,

1:03:51

and now the people aren't gonna be able to

1:03:53

see this, but it'll be about the size of

1:03:55

this little chicken. It's gonna be a very

1:03:57

smooth- So

1:04:01

beautiful in her

1:04:03

fanny pack and so whenever she needs to

1:04:05

think of home because who knows she might

1:04:07

get homesick even when she wants to think

1:04:09

of her grandfather should pull out this little

1:04:11

teddy in a reminder of home. But it'll

1:04:13

also show her that she

1:04:15

has a destiny to fulfill. She has this

1:04:17

thing called fate and she has to fall

1:04:20

asleep. Oh my god. And that would be

1:04:22

her motivation. There you go. Okay

1:04:24

well tune in to that drama series.

1:04:27

It's just called Indira's Bag and you

1:04:29

somehow are motivated and you weep every

1:04:32

episode. That sounds actually.

1:04:36

Yeah maybe that's not the time. With

1:04:41

the working title. We'll workshop it. We'll

1:04:43

workshop it. Yeah but the animals

1:04:45

often have to be sad every time

1:04:48

you know. Right right right. I

1:04:51

had a feeling that that question would be a really

1:04:54

very fun and good place to

1:04:56

wrap up so thank you Meg and thank you

1:04:59

Meg for all the things that you have done

1:05:01

because I've heard so many people sing

1:05:04

Meg and Lydia's praises I think

1:05:06

from being in the room. True

1:05:08

gem. True gem. Yes. Lea

1:05:11

is there are there things that you want our

1:05:14

listeners to know about you? Do you have any

1:05:16

I mean of course you have projects that are happening

1:05:18

and that you're working on because you seem to not

1:05:21

sleep I think. Get

1:05:24

it now. Get it now before your body demands rest.

1:05:26

Oh gosh yes yes. But

1:05:29

yeah tell us maybe where to find you

1:05:31

or any projects we should look for outside

1:05:34

of the Slayer's universe. Sure okay well you

1:05:36

can find me on Instagram which is at

1:05:38

Lea Delion Hayes and then you can find

1:05:40

me on TikTok

1:05:44

which is at Lea Hayes

1:05:46

22 and then

1:05:48

for projects I'm in

1:05:50

New York filming the Equalizer season

1:05:52

four which is on CBS I

1:05:55

play Queen Latifah's daughter named Delilah.

1:05:57

It's been so much fun. And

1:06:00

we're like in the middle of filming right now. And

1:06:02

it's one, been great to come back to work after

1:06:04

the strike. Um, but two

1:06:07

again, another cast and crew that was very

1:06:09

lovely. So tune in for that. We're premiering

1:06:11

February 18th on CBS. And then

1:06:14

angry black girl and a monster is a movie

1:06:16

I did about two summers ago now, and it's

1:06:18

on Amazon prime. So hell

1:06:20

yeah. I saw on

1:06:23

your Instagram, I saw a picture of you in Queen

1:06:25

Latifah and I was like, Oh shit. She is my,

1:06:27

been a Queen Latifah fan for as long

1:06:30

as I can possibly remember. I

1:06:32

got to ask her if she's a Buffy fan

1:06:35

because like, I don't know these things. Like I

1:06:37

have to start, I have to start to find

1:06:39

a way on the set. Please find, we

1:06:41

all, we all need to know if Queen

1:06:43

Latifah is a Buffy fan. Please find that

1:06:45

out for us so that when we have

1:06:47

you back for season two, I'm going to ask you.

1:06:51

You will be the first to know.

1:06:53

Thank you so much. I'm honored. Well,

1:06:58

Leah, thank you again, both

1:07:00

for spending the time with us today and also

1:07:03

for bringing us Indira. I am

1:07:05

really, really hoping that we get to journey

1:07:07

forward and find out what she does next

1:07:09

in the alternate reality. Thank you.

1:07:11

Me too. Me too. And thank you so much for

1:07:14

having me. This was truly a

1:07:16

blast. Have

1:07:40

you ever been stuck on a call you really wish you could

1:07:42

get off of? I guess it's official.

1:07:45

I guess we're partners. Thank you. Here we go. I don't

1:07:47

know. I feel like after that incredible dinner that we had

1:07:49

with you the other night, and I'm not going to tell

1:07:52

you how much it was. You've got to put two dozen

1:07:54

oysters in a spreadsheet. You know, your accountant's not so happy.

1:07:56

So you can't even write those off. Yeah, that is when

1:07:58

they come from seafood gets tricky. A

1:08:00

conference call follows a down-on-her-luck tech

1:08:02

industry wonderkin by the name of Julie

1:08:04

Burke, who has no other choice but

1:08:06

to partner with two brothers from the

1:08:08

reject piles of Shark Tank as they

1:08:10

desperately try to develop their next invention.

1:08:14

When recordings of Julie's calls with The

1:08:16

Toad Bros. end up in the

1:08:18

hands of an investigative journalist, she

1:08:20

presents her audience with the wild

1:08:22

twists of Julie's story, showcasing the

1:08:24

best of their worst, most cringe-worthy

1:08:26

phone calls. A conference

1:08:29

call, a Paradiso Media production presented

1:08:31

by Realm, stars Elizabeth Henstrich, Jeff

1:08:33

Ward, Gregory Sees, and Emma Roberts,

1:08:36

and featuring Karen Gillan, Beck Bennett,

1:08:38

Jimmy Digiweave, Clark Gregg, and many

1:08:41

more. Be sure to listen

1:08:43

and subscribe to Conference Call wherever you get

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