0:03

Tom: I was playing a monster. Tom: I was playing Frankenstein's monster.

0:07

Tom: I was naked and painted green and this agency still took me on.

0:11

Tom: So I owe Evans and Rice a lot.

0:14

Announcer: Welcome to Story and Craft. Announcer: Now here's your host, Marc Preston.

0:18

Marc: Alright, here we go Back. Marc: After it. Marc: Story and Craft.

0:22

Marc: I'm Marc Preston, good to have you here. Marc: Been a little bit.

0:25

Marc: Took a few weeks, a little holiday hiatus, but it got extended because I got COVID Seems like I'm one of the last people who's gotten it done.

0:34

Marc: It took me a second to bounce back, but here we are.

0:38

Marc: Also, i was in Los Angeles, took a little time with my youngest daughter, emma.

0:42

Marc: We went for the World of Voiceover, the That's Voiceover conference, did a little speaking People had to put up with me on stage and the Voice Arts Awards.

0:53

Marc: That was fun to go to and, as always, bounced around Los Angeles with my daughter and ate as much good stuff as we could.

1:01

Marc: So back here after a short break and had an opportunity to chat with Tom Brooke who is in the new Sam Mendes movie, Empire of Light.

1:10

Marc: I really enjoyed the conversation.

1:12

Marc: You know Tom has been in great movies. Marc: One of my favorite movies about radio of all time Pirate Radio.

1:18

Marc: We discussed what it was like to work with Philip Seymour Hoffman.

1:22

Marc: You might have also seen Tom in TV shows like Bodyguard, preacher, the Crown.

1:27

Marc: A very talented guy. Marc: Great chat. Marc: Enjoy the opportunity to sit down with Tom.

1:32

Marc: By the way, don't forget everything Story and Craft.

1:35

Marc: Make sure to go to StoryandCraftPod.com.

1:40

Marc: All the socials, all the info, what's going on?

1:42

Marc: Pretty much the whole world of Story and Craft is right there.

1:46

Marc: Okay, so let's get after it. Marc: It's Tom Brooke Day on Story and Craft, so how are you doing today?

1:55

Tom: Pretty good. Tom: How are you? Marc: Very good, actually Very.

1:59

Marc: You know, it's after Christmas and the things are just kind of like.

2:02

Marc: They feel like they kind of slow down a little bit, you know, but still trying to get work done you know, we had our first Thanksgiving ever this year.

2:11

Marc: So you aren't in the UK, you're over here now.

2:14

Marc: Boston. Marc: How'd you end up in Boston? Tom: Oh, my wife does a TV show here called Julia, about Julia Child.

2:23

Tom: It's on HBO. Tom: We've all come over Our daughter's at school here as well, and held your daughter She's seven now.

2:32

Tom: We were all here last year for season one, And then we all came back for season two.

2:39

Tom: Same apartment, same school for her same friends.

2:43

Marc: I have to ask because I, well, i have a 17 year old who's.

2:48

Marc: That's my youngest, and so I know well she's not 17 yet.

2:53

Marc: She will be in seven days, so you know, but I got three, Is that right?

2:58

Marc: I've got, yes, i've got three. Marc: Three, i call my little people, but my son's almost taller than me and I'm six too, so I've got two at Loyola University in New Orleans, and my youngest is graduating a year early, and I don't know where she's going, but she's, yeah, but it is.

3:16

Marc: I remember, though, the seven year old age range.

3:19

Marc: Is it easy for her to adapt?

3:22

Marc: to me? Marc: moving from school to school is one thing, but going from country to country to a new school is another.

3:28

Tom: I mean she constantly amazes me And that's one of the things that she seems to be okay with.

3:36

Tom: I mean we haven't given her much of an option. Tom: Well, kids are kids are adaptable especially during COVID, i think.

3:42

Marc: I think last few years kids have had to adapt.

3:47

Marc: I mean that we would honestly I think they've done a better job than then.

3:51

Marc: We have to some degree Yeah.

3:53

Tom: I agree. Marc: I kind of want to go to something as a former radio guy.

3:58

Marc: I got to say I am so envious that you're in pirate radio, that that is a young okay, i think I was seven years old wanted to do radio And I and I, you know, listened to kind of the stories of the old guys And I kind of started and came up with I got I was pretty successful pretty early on And I had a syndicated show and I was like only 20 or 21, my first one, and but I was working with guys who worked in the 70s and the 80s and some in the 60s, and boy, the stories they would tell and it's almost like a little snapshot and people would look at pirate rating.

4:33

Marc: Go, that's, that's my luck. Marc: Yeah, that didn't really happen, like that kind of stuff happened.

4:37

Marc: But to be on a set with that cast, you know, make playing, make believe that had to been just a blast.

4:44

Tom: Yeah, It's the. Tom: It's the first time, and only time, I've got a car and a speed boat to work, Because they bought a boat.

4:53

Tom: You know the ship. Tom: They've, they've brought it down from Scotland and they just parked it off the South, the South coast of England.

5:01

Marc: I'm very curious did they shoot the interiors in the boat or did they do that on a soundstage?

5:06

Tom: A bit of both. Marc: But Philip Seymour Hoffman I got to say that is.

5:10

Marc: I always wanted to work with that kind of a character in my career And but as an actor well, i just just you know, just kind of before we get into it.

5:18

Marc: I'm just curious, what was it like working on that, that movie?

5:21

Marc: Because that's for me just like a little gem.

5:23

Marc: If it ever comes on, i just watch it, no matter where I find it is just one of those movies.

5:27

Tom: Oh, i've got them. Tom: Oh, how lovely. Tom: That's so nice to hear.

5:32

Tom: Yeah, i've got those two. Tom: He, i mean the thing the thing I remember about him was was the first day, i remember, coming into the studio and he was just there And his first scene was him at the microphone commiserating about the fact that they were all going to be locked down by the government.

5:57

Tom: And I said, are you nervous?

6:02

Tom: Because I just couldn't help it Like I just thought that he said no.

6:06

Tom: He said, of course I am. Tom: You must be joking. Tom: It doesn't ever get any easier.

6:10

Tom: I thought, god Blimey, even you, even you, but I don't know, i just he was, he was, he's so good in that film And you know, getting the chance to watch it happen right in front of you is it's, it's really special.

6:28

Tom: I mean, you ask about how it was when we were filming it and we had we sort of had carte blanche to do whatever, whatever we wanted really, and and there is a cut somewhere out there that's five and a half hours long- No, kidding really.

6:48

Marc: Yeah, I mean, the first cut was a long Is it a, a, a, actual, a actual cut together footage, Or is it just like?

6:55

Tom: outtakes and things like that. Tom: No, it's footage, it's, it's really Yeah, because he kept saying like, okay, great, yeah, no, let's have that and and do that again.

7:05

Tom: That's brilliant, and and so I think by the end of it he had so much footage because he just everyone was offering stuff up and he seemed really I don't know, he seemed like he was really really up for it.

7:19

Marc: So I mean just just the, just the casting on that.

7:22

Marc: I mean just. Marc: I mean, you know, january Jones and then Kenneth Brenna, january.

7:28

Tom: Jones pops up, doesn't she? Tom: My God?

7:30

Tom: Yeah, that was huge. Marc: The cast was just so perfect.

7:33

Marc: And then I'm thinking, you know, you know, chris O'Dowd still ranks up there in the top five guys I want to sit down, have a beer with, so you know, or a pint, i'm sorry, i say a proper.

7:41

Tom: Yes, yes, you have to. Tom: Or again I remember Bill Nye being being very, very sweet.

7:49

Tom: We had a chat on board the boat one day in between takes about what our different books were that we were reading in our downtime And he sounded really interesting, and when I got back to the trailer that night There was a copy of it waiting for me.

8:10

Marc: But no, i mean, it's so fun when people want to share their their kind of their special thing with you you know like they're people do that with books a lot.

8:18

Marc: For me it's kind of movies and TV shows. Marc: I know I should be a bigger reader.

8:23

Marc: I'm just not right now. Marc: I know I. Marc: you know, raising three kids is like you know.

8:27

Marc: I sit down to finally open up the book at night.

8:30

Marc: Three seconds later I'm asleep. Marc: It's like it's like it's like ambient or something you know, but.

8:36

Marc: but just kind of go a little origin story Now. Marc: you, you know where in the UK did you grow up?

8:41

Tom: London. Tom: I grew up in London and I'm still in London, Took as many opportunities to to get out and see the country as much as possible, But but that's me.

8:55

Tom: Yeah, that's my base. Marc: Now, is that where your people are from?

8:58

Marc: Is your, are your folks from there, or did they? Marc: Yeah?

9:01

Tom: Well they're. Tom: They're from England, but my mom grew up on the South Coast and her family are still around there.

9:12

Tom: They moved around a bit. Tom: They ran pubs and my dad's dad was in the army, so they moved around a bit as well.

9:21

Tom: So, but mom and dad met at university in Kings in London.

9:27

Marc: Well, i did see your father is. Marc: he's also in the business, He's an actor, and I always find that tremendously interesting to find out whether or not I look like a Tom Hanks or, you know, in colonings you know all these other folks that was their encouragement like, yes, go ahead and do this thing.

9:47

Marc: You know, if you got passion for, go for it. Marc: Or was their pushback, because I know the people that I know are like God.

9:52

Marc: I don't know if I want my kid to do this. Marc: You know, this is a, this is definitely a lifestyle that you really need to want to do it.

9:59

Marc: Yeah, was there encouragement?

10:01

Marc: or did he try to discourage you from from following the thespianic arts?

10:07

Tom: He was definitely encouraging. Tom: He was, he was so impressive in that way, especially, like you say, like raising, raising your own you sort of go wow thanks, because he never he never discouraged me, but he always made it clear that it was a job You had to work really hard at it.

10:29

Tom: You could get better at it if you wanted to.

10:34

Tom: But one of the things that I think he was very clear about and I could see firsthand, was that it was to a certain extent in the lap of the gods, so if you were prepared to acknowledge and accept all of that, go for it.

10:48

Tom: That seemed to just transform into sort of, basically, support for me, right?

10:54

Marc: Well, what was the genesis of your interest? Marc: Were you just watching him, or was it that you're watching movies or stage work and that's what grabbed you?

11:04

Tom: He started me off in the theater early.

11:06

Tom: He was always taking me to things They both were, and I guess occasionally I'd go backstage, maybe if we'd gone to see some Friends of There's, but it was.

11:20

Tom: I used to love movies, really I used to love movies, and it was a really magical time.

11:27

Tom: Then, you know, it was when movies came out in America.

11:30

Tom: First You had to wait or you had to quiz everybody that had come back from a holiday in the States.

11:37

Tom: What did you see? Tom: What did you see? Tom: What did you see on the plane?

11:41

Tom: Because these movies you'd have to wait six months before they came out in England, and so all of that stuff I found really, really sort of enticing.

11:53

Tom: But it was a teacher that just said you should audition for this school play And I did And I got the part and my voice broke on stage and I got a laugh out of it And I thought, well, it's memorable.

12:06

Marc: Now it's a story to the tell, Yeah, But at that age it's horrifying, probably.

12:11

Marc: You know, and having that much attention, you know adolescents can be kind of awkward enough, you know.

12:17

Tom: No, I know what you mean, But actually it was.

12:22

Tom: I was surprisingly comfortable on stage And I remember not feeling anxious on stage.

12:30

Tom: Regardless of where else in my life I was feeling anxious.

12:33

Tom: At the time On stage I didn't feel anxious. Tom: I didn't feel anxious because probably because of Dad, you know, I'd done so much work on the part And I'd learned the lines to within an inch in my life, And so by that point I was really interested in just like showing them what I'd done with the words, like the choices I'd made.

12:53

Tom: So that hasn't really changed, to be honest.

13:03

Marc: When you started, was there an end game going I want to be on camera, i want to do the movie thing or were you just just in it and just kind of see where it takes you?

13:11

Marc: you know, because you get stage people, you get the folks who want to be on camera.

13:16

Marc: You know, when they're young, you know kind of the aspiration. Marc: Did you have any specific goals?

13:23

Tom: I had a few I did. Tom: Amazingly I managed to tick almost all of them off within I don't know what the first seven or eight years of doing it.

13:38

Tom: There are a few that are ongoing, but I wanted to make sure that I played a lead in every theatre in London that was on my list.

13:49

Tom: I wanted it to start early and show them that I could do it all.

13:56

Tom: And I remember Dad talking to me about that a lot and saying if you have a fair wind, you can do a play.

14:05

Tom: If the play goes well, you can use that success to jump into maybe a bit of telly or maybe a little bit in a movie And then if that does well, you can use that and you can jump to another one.

14:17

Tom: He said, like you know, with a good agent that's as good a game plan as you can have really.

14:25

Tom: So early on I made sure I did a little bit of everything, just as a kind of calling card.

14:32

Marc: When you were growing up, though, what were you watching? Marc: Because you mentioned the thing about how movies get released and how you know the folks in the UK.

14:38

Marc: You know you just kind of behind the eight ball, and I was wondering why they did that.

14:41

Marc: I'm like, why don't they just release it at the same time everywhere? Marc: But what were you watching when you were a kid?

14:46

Marc: What was kind of grabbing your attention? Marc: stuff shot in the UK or US.

14:51

Tom: What was I growing up with? Tom: I was growing up with. Tom: I was growing up with stuff that dad was in, so I was watching bits and pieces His his, his telly career.

15:05

Tom: He stopped doing theater in sort of in the 80s and carried on just with telly and film, so I'd watched stuff that he was in.

15:17

Tom: Batman was huge for me. Tom: I'd watched Adam West religiously every single Saturday morning.

15:24

Marc: So if you're talking about the OG Batman, yeah.

15:26

Tom: Yeah, yeah. Tom: And Bert Ward, burgess, meredith, all these people, he was doing some price.

15:34

Tom: You look back and go, wow, they were in that, wow, but I don't know really.

15:40

Tom: It was just it was telly and then it was.

15:43

Tom: It was any movies that were a big deal.

15:47

Tom: I remember the first. Tom: Batman was huge. Tom: Dad took me to the barbecue and we watched that.

15:51

Tom: And Michael Keaton, forever, forever, forever Oh yeah, my son's really into the.

15:58

Marc: To the all of the, i'm going to say that stuff, the, the act, the superhero, you know the, the, the the, the kind of comic books, and then Yeah, yeah, yeah.

16:09

Marc: And then Michael, look at Michael Keaton is is really the guy you know.

16:13

Marc: people say who was the? Marc: who was the best Batman? Marc: people?

16:15

Marc: Michael Keaton. Marc: I love Michael Keaton So I'll say he's my guy.

16:19

Tom: Did you see him in dope sick? Marc: I saw that just now.

16:22

Marc: You know that is that's. Marc: Thank you for reminding me I've gone through and make sure I have so many shows and stuff I've bookMarced on the streamers going.

16:30

Marc: This is what I got to watch. Marc: I so want to watch that, But everything he's he's one of those few guys he's in.

16:35

Marc: No matter what he's in, i'm going to see it. Tom: Yeah, and he's really special, isn't he?

16:39

Tom: He's one of those ones. Marc: Indeed, indeed.

16:43

Marc: Now, real quick, about your mother. Marc: was she an actor, or is she an actor as well?

16:46

Tom: No, she, she acted at school and at uni She went into teaching and quite early on she got noticed for being management material and then she went down that direction and she, she was a vice principal of a sixth form college and then she took early retirement and she passed last year.

17:12

Tom: But she, just, she just got her PhD Right, yeah, just before the the illness took her.

17:22

Tom: So she was, yeah, she was very special, very, very special.

17:28

Marc: My condolences on that. Tom: Yeah, thank you, thank you.

17:32

Marc: You know, you know my, my, my, even my father passed from COVID back.

17:37

Tom: Oh. Marc: God. Marc: But we've kind of went.

17:40

Marc: We kind of went into this weird the last few years.

17:43

Marc: It's just it was it's just almost like I feel like coming out of a fog, like okay, now we're kind of back to a little bit more normal, you know, and Was it COVID?

17:52

Tom: Was it COVID Yeah? Marc: Yeah. Tom: And, but yeah, i mean, you know no no matter how oh my, i appreciate it.

17:58

Marc: Yeah, no matter how you lose a parent, it's, it's, it's.

18:01

Marc: it's never easy, it's definitely your. Marc: it's you remind your life as a continual education.

18:05

Tom: Yeah, yeah. Marc: Yeah, with your father doing this, and then you ended up marrying someone who does this as well, you know.

18:15

Marc: So I get a question When you were having family dinners, is there a rule of no talking shop?

18:21

Tom: or is that something that's a frequent topic? Tom: you know?

18:23

Tom: I feel like there should have been. Tom: There wasn't.

18:30

Tom: My mom was very understanding. Tom: My dad he loves to tell stories and he's got some great ones.

18:39

Tom: He did a scene with Brando, you know. Marc: Really No kidding.

18:42

Tom: Yeah, he did a scene with Brando. Marc: What?

18:45

Marc: what film was that in? Tom: A dry white season with Donald Sutherland as well, and he, yeah, we, it's.

18:56

Tom: It's. Tom: It's funny because mom never talked about her work And I and I've always kind of wondered whether how much of that was her not not wanting to or whether it was she didn't have the space to because because he was constantly anecdoting, anecdoting, but she it made for a very happy table either way.

19:23

Tom: But but we certainly, we certainly talk shop, my wife and I, and dad retired himself about eight, 10 years ago, which was I haven't heard of active, an active retiring themselves before, which I thought was interesting, and he was psychologically definitely much better off.

19:48

Tom: I think as a result, the, the business didn't retire him.

19:52

Tom: You know what I mean. Marc: Yeah, yeah, i think, didn't Gene Hackman decide he just retired?

19:59

Tom: I think yes, he retired to Santa Fe, that's right.

20:02

Marc: Yeah, there's some people and I there's somebody else I heard of as thinking what, doing this and being creative and expressing and all that stuff.

20:13

Marc: And I wonder, how do you go stir crazy in retirement?

20:16

Marc: or is it just freeing?

20:18

Marc: you know, after all the years of going and doing the having the kind of routine of what the life an actor has to live, you know the traveling and the, you know the industry itself, but is he enjoying enjoying retirement?

20:31

Tom: Yeah, i think, i think you know, after he said he had a very, very, very good run, and I feel like you know, if you're not getting the parts that you want, or or, or you feel like you you should, then you've got to make a decision And I think his decision was just you know what, let's draw a line.

20:57

Tom: It's been great. Tom: And, you know, let's be a bit careful with money and I hope it, i hope it will be okay and touch wood so far.

21:06

Marc: Did you have any siblings growing up, or did?

21:09

Marc: you meet me really only child here also Yeah.

21:14

Tom: So that's really oh, no way. Marc: Indeed, yeah, and we're kind of a unique tribe.

21:17

Marc: Everybody says, oh, you're spoiled, you're only child, like oh no, no, no, no, no, no.

21:21

Tom: It's a. Tom: I think I think the go on. Tom: Oh, no, no, no, no, go ahead.

21:25

Tom: No, I'm just going to say. Tom: Quite often I hear people slagging off only children to to me.

21:34

Tom: And then you know, you know, only child, only children from fucking up.

21:37

Tom: You know you're like, really I'm one of them.

21:43

Marc: And then, well, you got to be a self-contained unit. Marc: You know a lot of folks, i think the ones that Duke has spoiled a lot of times and now it's.

21:49

Marc: You know, i will say, in my family I make sure I don't do that, but the youngest child a lot of times is because the oldest ones usually catch all the heat early on.

21:57

Marc: By the time you get to the third one, the parents like do whatever the hell you want you know, And so but no, the only child you get.

22:03

Marc: You get everything. Marc: I think you, especially growing up in the 80s, I think, as an only child, you're probably, you know, fiercely independent.

22:11

Marc: You know, or you learn, how to be independent, So maybe that's one advantage, you know.

22:16

Tom: I couldn't see an issue, i have to say, when I remember turn first day of secondary school, when I was 11, and the teacher said hands up, we've got brothers and sisters.

22:26

Tom: And I was at the front of the class and I turned around and almost everybody had their hands up And that was the first time I thought, Oh, oh, i might be in a minority here.

22:35

Tom: But, yeah, freedom, independence, absolutely I.

22:41

Tom: Just one of the things that is one of the parents here in Boston told was we talked to me about we have an only child ourselves, and so do they.

22:53

Tom: And he said he sent me a New York Times article about it.

22:57

Tom: When it's just the three of you, they're more, they're a little bit more like a sort of young adult, in that it helps to maybe like include them in decision-making in that way, because this, this three of you, and I thought that sort of ranks and bells.

23:15

Tom: So we do that very much. Tom: We make sure that we're all sort of on the same pages as a three rather than two parents.

23:24

Marc: You know that's a really wonderful idea and it's something I've actually tried to do myself is you know, of course.

23:31

Marc: You know you're the parent. Marc: You get the tie-breaking vote, you know naturally, but but it's nice because it kind of, you know, i involve my kids and even the things that think are boring, you know, like they can come into my studio they kind of see kind of how business runs and all the stuff I do and and just just it's the idea they have some agency in the whole process, you know.

23:52

Marc: And that way, especially for girls, i think it's even more important because you know I'm I'm at a big girl power fan, like now you know, you've got to know how to handle my daughter.

24:01

Marc: She has. Marc: She's hostessing at a restaurant now and she's just loving it.

24:05

Marc: You know she thinks the neatest thing at this kind of fine dining restaurant and I said we're gonna sit down, i'm gonna show you how to, you know, get the financial software up and or your paychecks.

24:13

Marc: So why do I need to do that? Marc: I was like because you need to know how to do this so you don't have to rely on somebody else to do it for you and control of your own destiny.

24:21

Marc: Though she's looking at me like well, when she looked up from her phone.

24:25

Marc: But she, but no, she's, she's a smart kid.

24:27

Marc: But but yeah, i think it's really important to do that.

24:30

Marc: Yeah, but but she's seven.

24:32

Marc: You say she's seven years old, she's seven how old yours, then yours?

24:38

Tom: 19 gonna be 20 here soon.

24:41

Marc: 18 just turned 18 and almost 17, so girl boy, girl, okay, okay oh, and a 10 year old golden retriever can't forget him.

24:49

Marc: So you know he's in the mixed dogs we got two.

24:54

Tom: We got sisters you have golden's no, we.

24:57

Tom: Their moms are wippet staff and their dad's a lab boxer wow, okay, so you have.

25:03

Tom: You have a nice mix there yeah, there's there's a lot going on, but they yeah, oh my god come on, they makes a journey across across the Atlantic with you they made the journey across the Irish Sea to dog sitters in and on the South Coast of Ireland in Tipper area, and then they're there at the week and then at the weekends they go to my in-laws and they all love them, so it's worked out really well gosh, i don't know how long I can go without seeing my pooch.

25:33

Marc: I'm a I'm a big dog guy. Marc: I got always had dogs around now speaking of traveling and coming over here.

25:41

Marc: I saw you were, you were in preacher and I auditioned for that and I can't remember shoot that in.

25:49

Marc: Yeah, i did. Marc: I can't even count that.

25:52

Marc: The callbacks I got, i mean a number, i mean I did the casting, people were down with me, but you know you know the way it works.

25:58

Marc: So you just, yeah, so many variables, but I was very intrigued by it.

26:02

Marc: But I don't know, did that it shoot in Louisiana or Georgia?

26:05

Tom: I can't remember it was gonna be Georgia, and then it was Albuquerque for oh season, was it?

26:13

Marc: why I know they did different. Marc: Yeah, they didn't.

26:15

Marc: They didn't. Marc: They moved it at some point in time season to season.

26:19

Tom: That's right. Tom: Yeah, season two was New Orleans okay, that's that's okay.

26:23

Tom: That's that's what I auditioned for, because that's okay, so you were going for season two yep, yep.

26:29

Marc: So did you shoot just one season, or did you do more?

26:32

Marc: I, we did. Tom: I did. Tom: What did I do?

26:35

Tom: I did the pilot and season one in Albuquerque.

26:38

Tom: Then I went to New Orleans to be killed off.

26:42

Tom: That was very difficult, very difficult, but then then I got called back.

26:51

Tom: Would you like to come back for season four?

26:54

Tom: and that was in Melbourne, australia no, okay, okay, so preacher.

27:00

Tom: That preacher has taken me across the world and back.

27:04

Tom: It was amazing. Marc: Always want to be an expat for a little while and Australia's always been the destination I think would be so that, or Thailand.

27:13

Marc: I think it'd be kind of fun oh, let's.

27:16

Tom: I mean, melbourne is incredible. Tom: If you, if you, oh, yeah, yeah.

27:21

Marc: I teach voiceover and I've worked with students in Melbourne, sydney, perth and Canberra, and yeah and everybody.

27:30

Marc: The Sydney people are like Melbourne and Melbourne's like Sydney people are stuck up, you know it's just kind of funny to hear them kind of, you know, digging on each other.

27:38

Marc: But now, what did you think of New Orleans when you were, when you were shooting here?

27:43

Tom: loved it. Tom: My god, that place. Tom: That's not like anywhere else on earth, is it I?

27:49

Tom: I have marching bands going past the window of the hotel you must have been around during Mardi Gras, i'm assuming yeah, oh god good, god bless you, that's, that's nuts.

28:02

Tom: What a time to be there. Tom: That was amazing, absolutely amazing.

28:06

Tom: And my daughter has all the beads still from from the, from the floats, you know throwing the beads out for any little kid who comes in it's got to be magical.

28:16

Marc: But when you live here and you're an adult dealing with traffic, that's a whole different thing yeah, it's it's believe it or not, a lot of people in New Orleans actually leave during Mardi Gras.

28:25

Tom: That's a big vacation time, just to get the heck out of the melee yeah, but there's like, the further out you go, there's that huge, there's that park, and suddenly everything's peaceful and and kind of low key it's neighborhood by neighborhood yeah, i loved it go back to when you were growing up in London.

28:43

Marc: You know you went to school for for theater, correct?

28:47

Marc: I mean that this was something that I mean you.

28:49

Marc: You didn't go to just a general, you know, general, a liberal arts studies, you went for theater, correct?

28:56

Tom: yeah, we, i had a.

28:59

Tom: I did a drama degree at university and then after that my dad was very insistent that I ought to know, because acting training in the UK is basically a theater, a theater acting training.

29:18

Tom: He thought I ought to know how to use my voice properly so it didn't pack up on me like his had when he was at the RSC.

29:28

Tom: He had a, he had a vocal issue which which caused him a lot, of, a lot of problems, and so he was saying, like well, in theater, that's, but you're projecting to the back of the house.

29:41

Marc: You know you're. Tom: It's a much different thing, yeah yeah, and you've got to do it every night, eight shows a week.

29:45

Tom: So so that was. Tom: I went to university to do drama, but but they didn't really do that.

29:51

Tom: They didn't really teach you about how to use your voice.

29:55

Tom: There was some physical stuff as well, but I did two years after uni at a drama school in London and lived at home again and yeah managed to get an agent from that last showcase.

30:13

Tom: I was playing a monster. Tom: I would play Frankenstein's monster.

30:18

Tom: I was naked and painted green, and this agency still took me on.

30:22

Tom: So I owe Evans and rice a lot.

30:26

Tom: Thank you, jan Evans. Marc: That's well, again you got a good story of you know they cast him after seeing me naked.

30:31

Marc: They were like all kinds of down for me, no. Marc: So do you have a preference for stage or on camera, as things have gone on the?

30:41

Marc: do you have a preference or do you just kind of like the contrast and kind of go back and forth?

30:45

Marc: doesn't make a difference to you. Tom: I like the variety of it, i like I like the different opportunities, i like the different people, the different groups of people and the way they sometimes interlink.

30:59

Tom: All of that I really love. Tom: Theater is like I was saying before.

31:03

Tom: I feel really comfortable on stage. Tom: I don't quite know why, but I do and and I and I.

31:11

Tom: I'm always happy to be there. Tom: But you can't really make a living on theater money, so you just have to you know, as you know, you just have to try and get acting work on front of a camera for me memorizing an entire script.

31:26

Marc: For me it was just I. Marc: It always was kind of an intimidating thing, you know.

31:31

Marc: You know I like that. Marc: Oh, you only have two pages. Marc: I got that.

31:34

Marc: No not all you want change the line here that you know anything more than that.

31:38

Marc: My brain starts going. Marc: I'm gonna give you a hard time.

31:41

Marc: Now it's like I've tried every.

31:44

Tom: I have all these little. Marc: I've so many different little techniques of trying to memorize.

31:48

Marc: You know, memorize stuff to the one that seems to work is actually writing it down, because I guess your brain and something like that actually write this, you know and I just if people looked at my sides, they'd be like what is wrong with you?

32:03

Marc: all these little highlighting things to memorize?

32:06

Marc: it's a whole thing. Marc: But going forward now the the you new project, the Empire of Light, being a Sam Mendes project, that's like you know.

32:15

Marc: He's one of those guys that actors you know, there's some directors out there, actors really want to work with, you know, and he seems to be the one, one of the guys, one of the names that pops up a lot.

32:25

Marc: How did you, how did you get on this project? Marc: what was, how did this gel together for you?

32:32

Tom: I had worked with Sam at the National.

32:35

Tom: We've done King Lear together on stage, so that was a long job as well.

32:41

Tom: It was about five months. Tom: So we had about eight weeks rehearsal and then previews and then we ran in rep.

32:48

Tom: So we were together for quite a while and we got on really well and I really liked him.

32:57

Tom: And actually it was weird because mum had passed away and I was not really in a headspace where I was thinking about work and then this script came through about his mom and I thought, oh, oh, wow, i wonder why that sort of appeared in my life right now.

33:18

Tom: And, yeah, went to meet him for a cup of tea and he said you know, do you want to do it?

33:28

Marc: Now, is this project in some way you said, based on his mother, or is it circle around a mother as a character within the film?

33:38

Tom: Yeah, there's a mother within the film and there's a young boy within the film and his experiences of childhood have kind of coloured the film.

33:55

Tom: So it's not autobiographical, but it's definitely.

34:03

Tom: We were talking about mums a lot and at that stage I was really up for doing that.

34:10

Tom: I was really up for doing it in the audition actually well, audition, but we did it.

34:13

Tom: I think he let me talk about mum for about an hour because I hadn't seen him since the play and he said how you doing?

34:21

Tom: And I said not great, i'm pretty raw at the minute.

34:25

Tom: And he said oh no, what's going on? Marc: And I told him and yeah, it was like a little therapy session- Well, that begs the question is it kind of a little bit of an escape for you Some people it can be you can kind of depart whatever is going on in life for a moment, and so it's kind of, in its own way, therapeutic.

34:48

Marc: Or when stuff's going on in life does it kind of, do you feel, hinder your ability to do what you need to do on camera?

34:59

Tom: That's a really interesting question. Tom: I have always felt that I've got the jobs that I've got because of where I was at at that point in my life when they came along, And so I feel like you can use if you're lucky, you can use whatever's going on in your life really, or what's gone on before that in your life When you get up.

35:28

Tom: I like that very much. Tom: I like taking things that have happened to me or feelings that I've had and putting them into a script.

35:34

Tom: You know, like putting them into a performance, And usually when I read a script, it will be I'll be noticing things about it that remind me of myself, So I sort of go okay, I know how to do this, because I felt that once.

35:50

Marc: So the projects kind of act like it sounds like they can act like a little bit of a Marc on the timeline for you.

35:56

Marc: Not just I did that job, but what was going on, the experience, the people you met and all that kind of stuff.

36:03

Marc: Yeah, it takes on a new meaning, or more of an enhanced meaning, i guess.

36:07

Tom: Yeah, I think that's true. Tom: For example, I met my wife playing husband and wife on a play Good casting.

36:20

Marc: I think that would be so cool to meet someone like that, but after you're married, can you do that and not get sick of each other?

36:28

Marc: I mean, if you're doing, let's say, a play, and you're coming home and you're 24, seven with this person is that something.

36:34

Tom: You're like I don't know if you can do that. Tom: That is the test, But yeah, I wouldn't be able to do it without her.

36:46

Tom: So and it's really. Tom: I think it's great as well, because you get to, you get it.

36:52

Tom: I get it when she's got a lot on, She gets it when I've got a lot on.

36:56

Tom: We help each other through it because we both get it.

36:59

Marc: That's got to be such cool experience. Marc: It's kind of like its own little fairy tale kind of a thing.

37:07

Marc: It's like I do this thing, they do this thing.

37:10

Marc: We got together and it worked, Yeah. Marc: But I was curious on Empire of Light, you know, with Sam Mendoz directing that First of all, was it shot in the UK, or where did you all shoot that?

37:27

Tom: In Margate, which is a seaside town on the southeast coast of England.

37:32

Marc: And that's roughly. Marc: You said your mother's from the southern coast as well, correct?

37:35

Tom: Yeah, she's a bit further along, but they're in Worthing, the Lawson's in Worthing, and we were just up the coast in Margate.

37:44

Tom: But we yeah, it was.

37:47

Tom: I thought it was interesting because I hadn't done any filming with Sam And his approach was very similar to the play that we did, in that it started with a few weeks around the table just talking about the script and reading it and making changes.

38:07

Tom: There was a great book that he had when we were doing The King Lear which allowed you to swap words out and put words back in.

38:14

Tom: That kept the meter. Tom: But if a word was odd and people didn't quite understand it because it was so old, he just said change it to something that does work, that does sort of scan and that doesn't take you out of the moment whilst you try to figure out what it means.

38:34

Marc: I mean that's certainly going to help you be more authentic, because if a word's just not naturally wanting to come out, that you know it, kind of breaks your flow a little bit, Get rid of it.

38:43

Tom: And also, if the audience are listening that happens to me all the time, especially in Shakespeare like you hear a word and you spend the next three lines trying to figure out what on earth it meant, And by that point you've lost those three lines, you don't know what's going on and you slowly begin to lose interest.

39:00

Tom: So I don't know. Tom: It was a really impressive, simple, impressive tool just to making sure that everybody was remained on board cast and audience And he did the same thing with this.

39:15

Tom: There was lots of back and forth, lots of chat about how people think, about how people saw the different characters, And that was fascinating, Hearing other people talking about your character or other people's characters, how they saw it.

39:34

Tom: And then when we got onto the set, all the work had sort of been done.

39:37

Marc: His films. Marc: I've always found I really the look or the aesthetic of them has always been just like even something like to go to Baby Driver or to like the Bond films And the.

39:50

Marc: You know, it's just they have to have a certain aesthetic to them.

39:53

Marc: Which brings me the question did you kind of pick his brain going like you know, you got a direct line to the broccoli organization there.

40:02

Marc: They're looking for a bond, you know, just throwing it out there.

40:08

Tom: No, i didn't manage to do that.

40:11

Tom: There was always seemed to be just something else to do before I made the lead to ask him about Bond.

40:21

Tom: But we talked about movies a lot.

40:24

Tom: I mean, he's worked with a few greats, he's got great stories, he's got really filthy jokes, which is, i sort of feel like it's so surprising, because you sort of see him accepting awards here, there and everywhere, but the ability to tell a really filthy joke, i think is one of his main strengths.

40:47

Tom: But yeah, i mean, the look at this one is him and Roger Deakins together, and that was a moment I mean that's.

40:55

Marc: Is it the? Marc: is he the same that the DP he uses on all of his projects?

40:59

Tom: Yeah, he's used him before. Tom: But they, but Roger Deakins, did all of the Coen Brothers films.

41:05

Marc: Oh, really Okay. Tom: And so for me he was sort of the person that I was most starstruck by on set, And I found it really Well.

41:13

Marc: All their films have a very specific aesthetic as well.

41:15

Tom: Yeah, Yeah, i mean it's fascinating because they're all so different but they're also unique The look of them, aren't they?

41:26

Tom: Like? Tom: I don't know, hudsucker Proxy is so different to the Big Lebowski.

41:33

Tom: Anyway, i just I found it really. Tom: I was really nervous around him because he's sort of a part of movie history And it was silly.

41:41

Tom: But it was the first time I actually got to say I'm such a fan, was at the screening of the movie And I had to say like look, i'm really sorry I couldn't really talk to you during the film.

41:54

Marc: You're sort of you're such a hero, but I was so Well, i tell you, hill Caesar, for me aesthetically like that was, like everything was just perfect with that one Perfect, But they're all.

42:06

Tom: They're perfect movies, I mean, like Jannin Tatum in Hill Caesar.

42:11

Marc: You see, i was for you. Marc: I was thinking about George Clooney.

42:14

Marc: you know, it's like randomness him showing up and it's just Those films.

42:17

Marc: occasionally, when I speak with folks like yourself, i'm like, yeah, i gotta go watch that movie.

42:21

Marc: Yeah, and I'll end up going watching it, and that's the reason why I fall behind on every show I need to be watching and keeping up on.

42:27

Tom: Because of the movies That's interesting, exactly So.

42:30

Tom: You go to a movie first. Marc: Now a couple of last questions out.

42:33

Marc: You've how long have you been in Boston?

42:36

Marc: Let's go around this day. Tom: This time we did.

42:43

Tom: we will have done just under four months when we leave.

42:47

Tom: Okay, because they started Season 2 of Julia in France, so they started doing.

42:53

Tom: they started in Cannes and then we joined when our daughter had the, when the summer holidays turned up, and then we went to Paris, which was, i thought, pretty magical.

43:06

Tom: I hope she did as well. Tom: It was. Tom: it was quite hot And I sometimes I wonder if us walking around, going look Paris kind of got a bit old.

43:17

Marc: You're still making memories and I'm sure she's taking pictures and that.

43:21

Tom: Yeah. Marc: You know curious what when you're, when you're here, what is it that you do when you're in the US that you can't do in the UK, that you really enjoy?

43:31

Tom: I think big in America. Tom: just in general, I find Americans really just the most welcoming people.

43:39

Tom: Yeah, I love how open everybody is and how you can strike up a conversation with almost anybody.

43:54

Tom: I really enjoy a little holiday away from the more reserved approach to being a human being that perhaps English people have.

44:09

Marc: Real quick before we get going. Marc: I always do my quick seven questions Here.

44:13

Marc: I always ask She has a little extra. Marc: Get to know you, if you will.

44:17

Marc: The first question is always and I'm very curious because you're from the UK and I'm a food guy What is your favorite comfort food?

44:26

Tom: That would have been Mum's Spag Bowl Spaghetti Bolognese.

44:31

Tom: It was just standard, very simple, but absolutely perfect and a trifle.

44:37

Marc: I have heard the Spag Bowl one other person spoken with They had explained what that was like.

44:41

Marc: Oh, spaghetti, i know what that is, but Spag Bowl never heard it called that before.

44:44

Marc: But I've had somebody else say that. Tom: And is trifle a thing over here?

44:48

Tom: The layered kind of dessert, thing, i think even in the South it's a big thing.

44:53

Marc: I don't know if I'll call it a trifle, but it's a yeah, without a doubt.

44:57

Marc: Now, if you were to sit down and you're going to talk story with three folks sitting down having a cup of coffee for a few hours, who would those three people be living or not that you would love to sit down with?

45:13

Tom: Can I say Walter Matta and Jack Lemon. Marc: Getting the two of them together would make it a more interesting you know, for the films they've made.

45:21

Tom: Yeah, that's one of the pluses. Tom: I think of Dad, because he's one of the many, but he would quite often just pass me things that he'd taped from the telly and say watch this.

45:35

Tom: And one of the ones was the front page with Jack Lemon and Walter Matta, a Billy Wilder movie which remains absolutely top three.

45:48

Marc: Going back to when you were a young guy. Marc: Next question who was your first celebrity crush?

45:55

Tom: Oh, the lead singer of Transvision, vamp.

45:58

Marc: Transvision Vamp. Marc: Do you remember them, wendy?

46:02

Tom: Yeah, it's like a UK punk Pump band.

46:05

Tom: Are you doing it? Tom: Are you Googling it? Tom: I?

46:08

Marc: had to Google if I. Marc: Oh okay, lovely lady, Now I'm going to have to go listen.

46:13

Marc: I'm a music guy, so I want to go listen and find out what that's all about.

46:16

Marc: Yeah, because we grew up in that era where that was punked, but that was ground zero in London for a lot of that.

46:22

Tom: Yeah, What was her second name? Tom: Wendy, something?

46:25

Tom: Wendy James, wendy James, yeah, wendy James.

46:29

Marc: Yeah, so that's, I just learned something I love learning things If you're going to be.

46:33

Marc: Next question if you're going to be going to exotic island, somewhere you really want to be, but they don't have streaming you got.

46:39

Marc: If you want to watch a movie, you're going to have to bring a DVD. Marc: If you want to listen to music and have to bring a CD.

46:43

Marc: Full year you're going to be there with the whole family, you're going to enjoy yourself, but what would the CD, what would the album be and what would the movie be that you would bring with you?

46:51

Tom: Oh, wow, the movie would probably be Millers Crossing.

46:56

Tom: Uh, coen Brothers again. Tom: the plot, the plotting of that movie is so intricate.

47:03

Tom: Uh, it's, it's just. Tom: it never gets old for me, that movie, and Albert Finney's in it, and John Tautura's in it, uh, and I think it's one of those movies where, just across the board, everybody is just it's just perfect.

47:15

Tom: So I take Millers Crossing and the, the CD.

47:21

Tom: the CD is tough. Marc: Transvision vamp.

47:23

Marc: No, I'm just kidding. Tom: I was going down that route because I feel like I'm just I'm playing our daughter all of these, uh, all of these 80s songs at the minute, so I'd probably try and take do you remember?

47:36

Tom: did you ever have these over here? Tom: Now, that's what I call music.

47:39

Marc: Oh my God, yeah, yeah, the, the, the, the, the compilation.

47:43

Tom: So there was a great one called. Tom: now that's what I call music 10.

47:47

Tom: I just remember number 10 was was huge.

47:51

Tom: Uh, and that will be a good mix.

47:53

Tom: Four tapes, Uh, she, she.

47:57

Marc: I think she'd get a lot out of that one as well, so that that will be my but isn't that fun when you can take the music that meant something to you, play it for your kid And it's.

48:08

Marc: it's funny, though My uh, my youngest for whatever me, being from Texas originally, she loves country music.

48:13

Marc: Okay, and, and it's it's.

48:16

Marc: it's the funniest thing I was speaking with. Marc: I think it was Billy Bob Thornton talking about his.

48:20

Marc: he has a 17 year old daughter as well. Marc: we were talking about what it was that our kids are listening to.

48:26

Marc: Well, you know, we're just talking about music and my daughter she's like a love country.

48:31

Marc: I was like, well, i'm going to educate you, you know, onto some of the stuff that was popular back in the day.

48:35

Marc: And a kick on a song from a group called Brooks and Dunn is called neon moon And I started playing it And as she starts kind of singing it and I was like, how do you know this song?

48:45

Marc: I mean this is like. Marc: she's like, oh, tick tock.

48:49

Marc: That's how these kids are learning about music, because they're going to, they hear tracks on tick tock.

48:53

Marc: but it's cool because for them some of the stuff is new and it doesn't have a lot of dust on it in their mind if it's on tick tock, you know but that's what I call music.

49:04

Marc: So if I still hear those commercials in my head, that's what I call music.

49:06

Tom: That's right, yeah, me too. Marc: Now next question is what's your definition of a perfect day, from time you get up to the time you put your head down on the pillow, what would, what are the component parts of a perfect day for you?

49:17

Tom: I'd be doing a play. Tom: I think I'd I'd have a play to go to in the evening, and during the day I'd go for lunch with my wife.

49:30

Tom: We drop our daughter at school and we just about have time to pick her up before going in and doing a play.

49:38

Tom: And then maybe somebody had come to see the play a friend and I go out for a cup of tea with them afterwards.

49:45

Tom: That'd be perfect. Marc: I've always wanted to do the high tea, and that's that's.

49:49

Marc: That's still on the bucket. Tom: If that's on the list, you must do that.

49:52

Tom: I've become a huge fan of iced tea over here.

49:55

Tom: Unsweetened iced tea not a thing in England.

49:58

Marc: Okay, unsweetened. Marc: Yeah, down in the South Lake they always assume you want sweet.

50:02

Marc: I was like I don't need that much sugar in my life, you know, but it is.

50:05

Marc: But I'm the same way. Marc: Now. Marc: If you weren't next question if you weren't doing what you're doing now, what would you be doing as a vocation?

50:13

Marc: What would you be doing for a living? Tom: I'm a primary school teacher.

50:18

Tom: No question. Marc: Following in your mother's footsteps as an educator.

50:22

Tom: But that, that, that kids at that age, it's just, there's so much joy and fun.

50:29

Marc: There's sponges at that age. Marc: Yeah, they're just soaking it all up, yeah.

50:33

Tom: And we go to a play. Tom: Like she's so chatty to people that we go.

50:36

Tom: We'll go to a playground and, you know, within like half an hour there's this little gang and they're all chasing me and chucking stuff at me and, you know, spearing me with sticks, and it's just heaven.

50:51

Marc: You know it's crazy is when that you can remember kids doing that and they're just like wacky little weird kids and they're fun and everything.

50:57

Marc: Now, you know all these kids live on Instagram and and you know my friends, so you kind of it's funny because you kind of you know, as a parent, you have to somewhat like, keep an eye on what is the ecosystem on my child.

51:09

Marc: What are they dealing with? Marc: Yeah, and you see these kids like dear God, they're now off almost to college and they're like they're real human beings now, but I remember when they were goofy little kids.

51:18

Marc: It's, it's weird Again, it's like, you know it must mean I'm getting older as well, which I refuse to accept.

51:26

Tom: At what age did you? Tom: did you give them phones?

51:29

Marc: I let's see Lily, my oldest Lily.

51:32

Marc: She had one when she was 12, 12, 13,.

51:38

Marc: I think, is when she she had one a little younger, just for safety thing It was.

51:42

Marc: It was a little flip phone. Marc: It wasn't Reno, so she had it in her bag, but I think the kids had them.

51:48

Marc: I think we all got them around 12, 13.

51:52

Tom: Okay, cool. Tom: Good, i've just got that tallies and I just want to try and keep her phone free for as long as possible.

51:59

Marc: I, i. Marc: If I was to hit rewind, i would say that that would be a really good idea because it gives.

52:08

Marc: I'm no sociologist or psychologist, but I feel like the socialization that happens with phones.

52:15

Marc: The perception of the outside world, the kind of the screen seeing the world through your screen is, is skewed.

52:21

Announcer: The same thing as actors. Marc: You know what you know.

52:23

Marc: You know you can watch a film you've done and you know the edit that went in to create that moment you know, because that's the second telling of the story, is the edit And there's so much.

52:33

Marc: You know, taking 50 pictures to get one spontaneous, you know, a random shot, is like it's, it's, I think, kids, I, I, I don't know.

52:43

Marc: I think we'll find out in a you know, in a number of years, the impact it may or may not have had.

52:48

Marc: My daughter rages against anything taking pictures and she's, we're going to, I'm in a juror for the voice arts awards, like kind of like the Emmys for voiceover, I guess, And we're going out there now like there's a red carpet a couple of weeks, And my daughter's like, do I have to take pictures?

53:05

Marc: Like, baby, it's a red carpet. Marc: She does not post on social media.

53:09

Marc: None of my kids do. Marc: They watch it for fun. Marc: It's not a some of their friends, on the other hand, it's a very it's part of the social ecosystem.

53:17

Marc: I don't know. Marc: I'm just glad that when I was growing up, part of it is there's no video or picture documentation of my mischief.

53:22

Announcer: So I'm kind of happy. Marc: Fair enough.

53:25

Marc: The last question is if you were to jump into a DeLorean, go back in time.

53:30

Marc: You're 16 years old. Marc: What piece of advice are you going to offer yourself, either to make life better in that moment, or or just get yourself on a different rail?

53:38

Marc: You know just some piece of advice Maybe you think you needed to hear at 16.

53:42

Tom: I mean, I don't, I don't know if it would be, if it would be a cheat, but I wonder if I, if I could cryptically tell my younger self not to worry too much, that things would would basically be okay, And certainly from from an acting point of view.

54:04

Marc: I hear that frequently. Marc: That's a frequent thing And I just wonder.

54:07

Marc: it makes me wonder if, if worrying and stressing about the future is just a component part of the life of somebody who's creative.

54:16

Marc: I don't know, because I hear that so often. Announcer: Do you? Announcer: It makes me wonder is that?

54:19

Marc: because I was the same way. Marc: I was like what's it going to be?

54:22

Marc: What's it going to be, what do I need to do? Tom: I need to have the urgency that you had.

54:27

Marc: Maybe the worry is what got you where you Maybe that maybe that fuels the tenacity to keep, to keep after it.

54:35

Marc: Who knows? Marc: But but, tom, i so appreciate you taking time out with me today.

54:40

Marc: It's been more than a pleasure and I'm and I'm really looking forward to seeing Empire of Light.

54:44

Marc: Thank you again. Marc: And you know, have a lobster roll for me.

54:47

Marc: Hey, since you are in Boston, we'll do.

54:49

Marc: I have never had one My whole life not having a lobster roll, and I'm a food guy, so have one for me whenever you're, whenever you have a chance.

54:57

Tom: They're a big deal. Tom: I will, i promise. Marc: You have a wonderful rest of your stay in the US and best of luck and Empire of Light, most certainly looking forward to seeing it.

55:07

Tom: See ya. Marc: Well, there you go, tom Brooke.

55:12

Marc: Enjoy the opportunity to sit down and chat with him.

55:15

Marc: Empire of Light That's where you can see Tom right now.

55:20

Marc: All right, that's it for the show. Marc: Enjoy the opportunity to connect with you.

55:25

Marc: Of course, we'll be back soon. Marc: Another great episode.

55:28

Marc: Don't forget, go to storyancraftpodcom.

55:32

Marc: That's where you can find out everything about the show. Marc: Send me a note, even a voice message, you can do that there as well.

55:38

Marc: Please have a great rest of your week or weekend or whatever you're up to right now, and we'll see you next time right here on Story and Craft.

55:46

Announcer: That's it for this episode of Story and Craft.

55:49

Announcer: Join Marc next week for more conversation right here on Story and Craft.

55:54

Announcer: Story and Craft is a presentation of Marc Preston Productions LLC.

55:58

Announcer: Executive Producer is Marc Preston.

56:01

Announcer: Associate Producer is Zachary Holden.

56:04

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56:08

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56:14

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56:18

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56:22

Announcer: I'm Emma Dillon. Announcer: See you next time And remember, keep telling your story.