0:01

it's been nearly hundred days since

0:03

elizabeth holmes was convicted on four

0:05

counts of criminal fraud and

0:08

a weeks since her former boyfriend and

0:10

cool, sunny balwani was also found

0:12

in his case on 12

0:14

counts as they await sentencing

0:17

later this fall we are back

0:19

with a little different, a

0:22

conversation with two brilliant talent

0:24

who are crucial to creating the hulu

0:26

limited series, the dropout, based

0:29

on this now, nominated

0:31

for six emmys, amanda

0:33

seyfried who's nominated for outstanding lead

0:36

actress in a limited or or

0:38

or for her portrayal of elizabeth

0:40

holmes, is it doesn't scare me really

0:43

no point i think i

0:45

choose the things that will be complicated i

0:48

get very, very that i'm not going

0:51

to be able to do it at all and

0:53

the show's creator and showrunner liz,

0:55

meriwether nominated for outstanding

0:57

writing for a limited, or anthology

1:00

series or movie is this like mix

1:02

of fear and

1:04

excitement and just like a thing

1:07

that's nine that's you or your like your like

1:09

get the feather my head what drew

1:11

these women to elizabeth halt

1:14

scared them the most when they set out to tell

1:16

this story what was the

1:18

toughest part of getting it right

1:35

phone it

1:37

amanda and the other lives

1:39

amanda congratulations

1:42

on your nomination for outstanding lead

1:44

actress and welcome they

1:47

couldn't have done it without you guys are

1:50

, the it's truly incredible

1:52

your remarkable performer and liz

1:55

for your outstanding writing for the episode

1:57

i'm in a hurry your nominees

1:59

and hungry situations you are pivotal

2:01

to all of this welcome

2:04

thank you i'm so happy to beer i

2:06

love this

2:06

yeah so much i

2:08

feel like i've entered into my own

2:11

research

2:14

where's where are you right now i'm

2:17

in vermont and

2:19

amanda i am

2:22

in cobble hill brooklyn i'm

2:25

coming you for my

2:27

from from my closet in new york

2:29

city so it's very much like every

2:31

other episode

2:32

about i'm so happy we're having this

2:34

conversation i've been wanting to have

2:36

this conversation with those of you for a while

2:40

and , think we should start at the beginning amanda

2:42

i think for you what has

2:45

just blown me away is

2:47

that you really embodied the essence of

2:49

this character who is

2:51

still live with it's scary

2:53

to take on to roll of somebody

2:55

who's still around the i mean

2:57

i think of firsts i

3:00

worry too much about what other people feel in

3:02

general this is a really good exercise

3:05

in trying to work

3:07

through that because my

3:10

job at this point ways

3:12

to embodied is person

3:14

that exists this hybrid

3:17

between a person who exists and the

3:19

person that lives rope and

3:23

and it every time i reminded

3:25

myself that it was i'm it was it

3:27

was our version it was her version our

3:29

version something we're building together i

3:32

could separate from

3:35

the

3:35

carrying too much about what the real lives

3:38

this hum start because because

3:40

we're making we're making show ends an

3:43

appeal to the day it's an

3:46

it's for the audience and her stories

3:48

very it's very public

3:50

and has , well researched

3:53

researched to you guys and and

3:56

you know a lot of people

3:58

are very well aware of hershey iconic

4:00

and a lot of ways for lot of people

4:02

and

4:04

you had to stay on that track

4:07

so i wouldn't get sidetracked into worrying

4:09

too much about the cost

4:11

is it for her because her knows she made

4:13

her own bed in that way i'm in

4:16

i'm don't want to damage

4:18

anything for her any

4:20

further than she already has herself

4:22

and i also thought because because

4:26

we're telling us the story from them more

4:28

it inside point of view like

4:30

we're trying to understand her more i

4:32

thought it could really kind of only help let's

4:36

talk about lives what drew you to this story

4:38

of what intimidated you about it what

4:40

did you love about it

4:43

i was very

4:46

intimidated by it i

4:48

felt

4:50

i mean first of all i've only

4:52

written comedy i'd

4:57

i'd be no worked on a network the com

4:59

which is very different then you

5:01

know what

5:03

hulu dramatic limited series

5:06

is so , i

5:08

was very intimidated for for that reason

5:10

and then also just there'd been

5:12

so much reporting on the

5:14

story you know i felt like and

5:18

she was

5:19

he had been kind of this

5:22

acted by acted lot of different

5:24

people and i felt like

5:27

i wasn't sure if the story

5:29

came need it to be told again which was

5:31

like a big question that i hadn't my mind and

5:35

then i

5:36

listen to the podcast and

5:38

i the felt like you guys

5:41

had gotten her

5:43

mind in a way that other

5:45

reporting sort of hadn't yet and

5:48

i

5:49

dot a dot just kind of juri

5:51

me in

5:52

they felt like that was a part

5:54

of the story that hadn't been told the at am

5:56

and that was a that wasn't part

5:59

of the story that the hit ugly

6:01

a fictional telling they could could

6:04

explore he now because they could the

6:06

a wave wouldn't have the you

6:08

know be reliant on rigorous

6:10

journalism it could be kind of explored

6:14

from an emotional place which

6:16

is why it hey felt

6:19

like , could you spell

6:21

is the thing i knew i could discuss suffolk

6:25

i am yeah and and beyond

6:27

that it's like the business side

6:29

of things the chemistry the

6:31

engineering the sunny elizabeth relationship

6:34

which planet which has almost

6:36

no information about

6:38

it all of

6:40

the things you know felt very

6:42

intimidating to because they assert

6:45

didn't know where to start with them but i was so

6:47

intrigued with there any

6:49

real life people who you've actually come

6:51

to now amanda that you based

6:53

the character on there

6:56

are some people i thought about

6:59

when i was preparing

7:02

you know me i i was able to

7:04

really lot to certain ways

7:06

i behave when i was younger

7:08

certain

7:09

the things that i find embarrassing

7:15

i was able to tap into in

7:17

order to play like the younger version of her but

7:19

i think you know there are some people my life

7:21

from my past that remind me of

7:23

her in

7:26

terms his how they relate to the world

7:29

and how uncomfortable they are in their skin

7:33

and there

7:37

oh you thing that i did i

7:39

do know you , any sense

7:42

sense that's simply not a hum teasing

7:45

like conflict is some of the in your life

7:48

no i mean i think i think that you'd you'd

7:50

definitely hit on it with

7:54

that sort is tapping into

7:57

the younger version of

8:00

yourself that was uncomfortable

8:02

in your skin i mean i think i did the same thing

8:04

and

8:06

a lot is what i kind

8:08

of brought to discuss where my experiences

8:11

as a younger person running

8:13

new girl and girl and of power in my

8:15

twenties like not having a ton of experience

8:18

and so i did really draw from those

8:20

experiences in my own the life

8:23

because , i've related

8:25

in certain ways to the story

8:27

and it's a strange

8:29

answer to say that you like juju from

8:31

your own life but life think the

8:34

work that that we do him and i feel

8:36

like that you always kind of half do

8:38

and i think if you're not if you if you

8:40

don't connect in that way to

8:43

something you're working on than it's probably not what

8:45

you said be working on whom i don't know i

8:47

think i don't i definitely don't do my best work until

8:49

i've sort of

8:49

found my own

8:52

emotional connection in to something

8:54

totally totally is there process

8:56

that you guys go through

8:57

every time you approach new work that

9:00

gets you there

9:01

my process is always to like

9:04

hate myself as much as possible until

9:06

i'm just like a fiscally

9:09

open nerves and ,

9:11

and then start from scratch and and like build

9:13

upon that because the truth is i

9:16

don't go anywhere without my insecurity

9:19

is that's my reset button

9:21

like i they've been terrified

9:24

playing this new role because i haven't worked

9:26

since the drop out i felt so

9:29

kremlin and like safe in

9:32

that

9:33

the not world we created by the end though

9:35

she's not ready to let it go

9:38

maybe i'm still not and to to be

9:40

so long to feel comfortable in this

9:42

other character that implying that so

9:44

much more me then then

9:48

elizabeth

9:49

so

9:51

that was read hate yourself

9:53

for all your way

9:56

out the i want to i understand what

9:58

that looks like

10:00

you're right in and irene

10:03

or you just think about on things you don't

10:05

like the dryer i

10:10

the day i hate myself

10:12

the most again know i

10:15

i seen

10:16

it looks like

10:18

questioning what i'm doing with

10:20

every single person i know every actor

10:22

i know every , in my immediate

10:25

family family know telling

10:27

telling everybody my therapist

10:29

my husband my best friend

10:31

jennifer foods like the best actor i actor

10:34

you don't i don't feel comfortable with this

10:36

what am i doing wrong what can i do

10:39

would have the tools where do tools go

10:42

can you read the script for me it's

10:44

basically about getting all the help outside

10:46

from people i trust not invalidate

10:49

me or tell me that i'll do a good job with a

10:51

me ideas make

10:53

me a great question much the get a

10:55

job like an get coach would do i

10:58

ask myself the questions and then i get different

11:00

ideas from different people and then and of

11:02

course the writer and and the director

11:05

always help when we're on

11:07

sadder preproduction but it's just like i

11:09

think i just need to bounce ideas off

11:11

just need single person before

11:13

enter into the

11:15

the filming zone i wonder

11:17

amanda are you with you

11:19

look for

11:21

the that sort of hate yourself

11:23

thing the he said jokingly i mean how i

11:25

wonder if it's it's it's fear

11:27

and i also wonder if it's like the

11:30

look for things that

11:31

that scare you you know i

11:33

mean i i feel like i hadn't killed were

11:36

like in hearing what you are saying the

11:38

i think there's no point if it doesn't scare me there's

11:40

really no point unless i'm doing a favor for somebody

11:42

or and get , work four days

11:45

with a best friend or you know if

11:47

i mean a dive into a project it's gonna

11:49

take me away from my family has

11:52

to be important has to be something that's gonna

11:54

challenge me and asked her asked asked her

11:56

my world

11:58

that wrong and so

11:59

it doesn't there's no point in their i

12:02

think because i choose the

12:04

things that will be complicated right

12:06

i get very very afraid i'm not

12:09

going to be able to do it

12:12

oh

12:15

well what's your preference would you rather

12:17

right the stuff

12:19

that is very limited in it's

12:21

scope in terms of what's already reportable

12:24

or would you their target the things

12:26

that have huge amounts of reporting behind

12:28

now

12:29

a pretty good question i the i mean

12:32

writing seen

12:33

from

12:35

you know when using actual words that

12:37

people hadn't been quoted

12:39

saying was a totally new experience for

12:41

me obviously because you ,

12:43

there's no new girl ah

12:47

ah story his have his

12:50

that i was ever quoting or eat i've never i've

12:52

only sort of ever worked on think that i was really

12:55

coming up with a my own i

12:57

was scared by the

13:00

funny is that relationship so much

13:02

and but i'll i will also say

13:05

and it's the seems like it's like easy

13:08

to

13:09

they in retrospect but like i had

13:11

of

13:12

i had a lot of fun

13:15

i mean funded , wrong word i

13:17

heard a i would i found the

13:20

will i found the writing of the show like like

13:23

exciting because a a

13:25

really did sort of challenge like every part

13:28

of me like i really had to had

13:30

go deep emotionally with myself you

13:33

know process a lot of stuff

13:36

that had happened to me in the past

13:38

and also become like an armchair

13:40

a an and surfaces

13:43

many things that i would like it was really i was really

13:45

challenge by i think there's any

13:47

elizabeth relationship like it

13:50

felt so unknowable and

13:53

i it

13:56

it

13:57

it also was it felt dangerous

13:59

to me be

13:59

the

14:01

when we

14:02

you don't know something as a writer

14:04

and when you're up against it i think there's

14:07

a tendency to fall into cliches or

14:09

to like fall into stereotypes

14:12

and and so i was thinking really

14:14

aware of that and and

14:17

wanted to just make sure that it

14:20

was ember simple it now and

14:23

those are just really hard scenes for me i

14:25

was really scared of them becoming melodramatic

14:28

, sinn to

14:31

suddenly maybe some good

14:46

the harder it is that

14:48

relationship is really one of those things where

14:52

you show up the rehearsal with

14:54

the actors and you're kind of like yeah

14:57

like like what the scene is about and you talk

14:59

to them about what to seen as a new like hope

15:01

that you actually do know what the scene is about for

15:04

those the scenes with sen elizabeth

15:06

i was

15:07

the way like i

15:09

think this think this it's about and that

15:11

was a place where amanda and have been just

15:14

really

15:15

hook bolland ran with it and i

15:17

felt understood this

15:20

relationship

15:22

in a very

15:24

crime or emotional way that i think

15:26

i had gotten in my head overthinking

15:28

things and they just sort of like went with it

15:31

in this beautiful way that amazing actors

15:33

do those scenes were really hard for me

15:35

to write any i think their

15:37

performances save

15:40

the scenes and the characters like so

15:42

much more adapt that

15:44

i did

15:47

you like to do the self deprecating

15:49

part after the fact yeah yeah fi

15:51

the way i mean look you guys both

15:54

know what a fan i am of all of it so

15:56

i think that goes without saying but i

15:58

just every as that of the

16:00

work that both of you put into this

16:03

has van for myself

16:05

and the team taylor done and victoria

16:07

thompson the podcast team we

16:09

have just been blown away by

16:11

the care and the talent that you put

16:13

an and it just means so much to

16:16

us the degree that

16:19

you both as well as everyone in the cast

16:21

and that extends so would seep and layers

16:23

and layers out of people working in carrying

16:25

so i feel like a broken record

16:27

sometimes saying it but it is it's is it's

16:29

true i also a i think

16:31

that came from your ,

16:34

and i felt like and you and and and

16:36

how much care you guys put into the

16:38

story and just thinking and and

16:41

always say i came to the table with questions

16:43

and i think like that's exactly what you did

16:46

and ultimately i think that's what i

16:48

hope the audience leaves with like

16:50

i never want it to provide answers

16:52

i think i , see that as my job

16:54

enough so i think hopefully all

16:56

the questions that we had

16:58

were translated into a good

17:00

story that just create it more questions

17:03

oh

17:04

i i think that that author really

17:06

came from you

17:08

yeah

17:09

i think you know it's it's funny

17:12

a everybody comes to the table

17:14

from different places and with

17:16

different questions and the questions

17:19

that you guys asked on the podcast

17:22

the journalistic integrity that you

17:24

know the real curiosity human

17:26

curiosity the you had sparked lizards

17:29

curiosity and she came as as

17:31

a writer and a creator like finding

17:34

you of finding out about elizabeth from a

17:36

different angle and it's just like you guys built

17:38

this thing together which is like a

17:40

domino effect and then by

17:43

the time i get to the table which is like

17:45

the end

17:47

the have all this information

17:50

no over the course of all your research

17:53

and all whizzes research and everything

17:56

i have available to slake how can it

17:58

not be it just basically

18:00

said into a warm bath here you know

18:03

that's the thing that wasn't hired by i'm just saying

18:05

like it , it's rare

18:07

and it's never going to happening so so

18:09

like really sure

18:11

that i'm not going to get the

18:14

sit in on something and

18:16

have something so though

18:18

the and you know and so thoughtful

18:20

and so ready to

18:22

be film in i mean it's just as

18:25

rare he dies or the reason

18:27

the show it exists in them you know

18:29

it just snowballed from there

18:32

i wear it was a warm bath that i drained

18:34

a couple of yeah you

18:36

know backed out of , crop

18:39

yeah put a bath bomb in it it

18:41

it is for sponsored

18:43

nine hush multicolored

18:47

about the know i mean i think i think about

18:49

the anecdote i mean would like when like

18:51

listen

18:52

the pie it's so funny like doing the five

18:54

cats are you at the park has a trying to keep

18:56

saying that this

18:57

but like i remember

18:59

listening to the anecdote

19:01

about her running on the track

19:04

you know as an eleven year old and and that was

19:06

in your last episode a thing

19:08

everyone would finish the race and then all

19:10

the sudden you hear the announcer say

19:13

don't cry the track there's still

19:15

a runner on the track

19:17

that runner with elizabeth but sure

19:19

enough she was not deterred by people

19:21

lasting or you know

19:23

and people cry

19:24

the nutjobs she would get a brand

19:27

that race and finish and she was determined to

19:29

do it no matter what anybody said i

19:31

had been riveted the whole time that it

19:33

was like those anecdotes you

19:35

know her sitting alone in her car

19:38

damn thing and to

19:41

to hip hop music like what on arriola

19:44

you know told you and ,

19:46

a little glimpses into into

19:48

who she was as a person and

19:52

that's what fired me up to write a

19:54

you know i mean i i think lake the

19:57

story is from an intellectual level like so

20:00

interesting unlike in there so many forces

20:02

at work in big like

20:05

big , conversations and into the had about a lot

20:07

of other things the just like that the way

20:09

that you've acted like drawn out her

20:12

character in her character story that it'll

20:14

in the podcast for me was like a huge

20:16

and not the anecdote about the track a i

20:18

remember listening to it

20:20

interesting like

20:21

that's the first scene i have

20:24

no process of alaska is done

20:26

or

20:33

running on a good

20:35

as you're doing great i

20:37

mean i think that's think that's a good question of like

20:39

why do you pick certain projects in it and i'd

20:41

honestly don't

20:42

but i know that there's this like mix

20:45

of fear and

20:47

right man and just like a saying

20:49

that nine at you or your like i can

20:51

get the side of my head and

20:53

that particular anecdote was just so

20:55

vivid and so why

20:59

is it my head and i just remember that feeling

21:01

of like okay with this is a character

21:03

i need to write you know like in

21:06

listening to that so

21:09

yeah warm warm bath

21:11

i like the warm bath analogy but i also think

21:14

looking , it from the

21:16

perspective of there were so

21:18

many pieces of this puzzle that

21:21

all had to come together

21:23

they all had to

21:24

work from every person on the project

21:27

being committed to a coven came

21:29

up a pandemic came up everything that

21:31

pushed dates got moved around

21:34

even that anecdote elizabeth's

21:36

running on the track that with

21:38

something he was in our last episode because

21:41

this was someone who reached out after listening

21:43

to the podcast you think about these these

21:45

realities and lies that the

21:49

difference between yes and no sometimes

21:52

things either work out or they don't i'm

21:55

the deposition tapes we knew

21:57

they existed and we did everything in our

21:59

power to

21:59

mm we finally dead and were the first

22:02

ones to air them in the podcast a

22:04

put a gun the other way just as easily

22:07

but i , about

22:09

the creation of this

22:11

project as there was as there

22:13

case as the trial was going on the trail

22:15

that push many times because of the pandemic

22:18

and with you had written you're

22:20

in the process of shooting and then we got all of that

22:23

text messages between sunny and elizabeth

22:26

amanda what was that like to read

22:28

these text messages that and

22:31

in many ways we're kind of validating this relationship

22:33

bet you we're recreating

22:37

i

22:38

saar

22:41

bizarre , to be

22:43

in because because know this

22:45

is really happening bore onset making

22:48

the imagined

22:51

version the hollywood

22:53

and hollywood and a trial going on between

22:56

the you know with

22:58

this person with these people with

23:01

, you know of the witnesses and and

23:03

and in the players in our show and

23:07

i mean it's very easy actually to separate

23:09

is rupe this is there's no consequences

23:12

for what we're doing and we're we're doing

23:14

it because we love

23:16

our jobs and we want to create an

23:18

it's an incredible story and

23:21

these people's lives are totally like

23:25

in , jeopardy

23:27

so that feels very weird there was a

23:29

lotta guilt there for me at

23:31

times and then i tell myself too late tell

23:34

chill out because the truth is like she

23:36

created as for herself so you

23:39

know she sees no one victim of course

23:41

but you know if she's still made me feel uncomfortable

23:44

knowing that she's going to court every day will her

23:46

babies at home or with her

23:49

and she's being judged

23:51

by the media every single day and every

23:54

move she makes and now hirsch intimate

23:56

text messages are being released it's just like

23:58

it's really hard not to feel

23:59

for her

24:01

an aggregate health it a lot of ways

24:03

you know connected to that

24:06

that it brings but i also feel like it was so

24:09

is just

24:09

the dark knight you are so in it

24:11

at that point a man that you know because we'd rd

24:13

side two thirds of the show and

24:16

you'd created this amazing

24:18

character

24:19

that as he said was a mix of

24:21

you and me in the writing

24:24

and her in her name is a you'd you'd kind of

24:26

it at your own version of her

24:46

the moment of

24:48

just oh i

24:51

, you see how are you talking

24:53

about no please don't

24:55

be this can't be true like three use

24:57

the i'm trying i'm trying to do a good

24:59

thing for for getting such

25:01

as it's hero

25:05

is equal you can't play is farewell

25:07

and unless you're a farewell

25:09

you know

25:10

rooting for that character and seeing

25:13

things from that characters point of view

25:15

exactly but by by the end

25:17

on a ceiling commanding for falling apart

25:20

and it was really hard i don't know about

25:22

like how you felt when you know the

25:24

we were of wrapping up in october but

25:26

when we're shooting all those choices

25:29

the wrong choices that she was hanging

25:32

slowly pulling back i was really

25:34

pulling apart and it made

25:36

it even easier for me to play the darker

25:38

side of her because i don't

25:40

have to agree with her but i at least have

25:42

to understand why she's doing and have and

25:44

have compassion for for may be

25:47

why she would behave that way but out on

25:49

to agree with it so it's like there was

25:51

it's was ewing back layers that

25:53

i was also kind of separating a little bit from

25:55

her and those such messages helps

25:57

me separate because really

26:00

nailed her in a lot of ways i'm totally

26:02

with you in that like i've said said

26:04

like in i had never written

26:07

drama before it and i think that's

26:09

not just about kills i think i'd

26:11

never written

26:12

the character

26:13

it you know took

26:15

such a turn he know that he like like

26:18

exactly what you're saying sort of like a

26:20

character who starts to make

26:23

the wrong choices am

26:26

a character who starts to the

26:30

certain that big of a way like

26:32

i

26:33

i think we're obviously with

26:35

how many are just never

26:37

in a you fall in love with your character and comedy

26:39

and and like he still love them at the and things

26:42

like was withdrawn was withdrawn very different from you

26:44

is that others final episodes were very hard

26:46

for me to re

26:47

probably in the same way that they

26:49

were hard for you to perform because it's not

26:52

that point

26:53

you spent much time with the character and

26:55

years

26:56

you know

26:57

me you are

26:58

not greeting i mean for me and i wasn't

27:00

like it was is more just like a connection

27:04

and then you have to write them

27:07

doing these things that are very question

27:09

on it was it was knew it

27:11

was a really new experience for me too i think i

27:13

i especially had trouble with the fifth

27:15

episode you know where she where she decides

27:18

to to go forward with

27:20

the walgreens launch and the

27:22

at record where record where gibbons commit suicide

27:25

as well you know like i was like the that

27:27

that episode the because difficult

27:29

for me to no money from somewhere else

27:31

you done it before i don't need your advice on

27:33

this in

27:35

you don't understand the business

27:36

you don't understand the science

27:39

you know the drama aspect of the things

27:41

that she's been through where

27:44

the things that i held onto his his bullies

27:46

till eight be able to continue

27:51

justifying in my own head why she's

27:53

doing certain things of

27:56

, i don't have to you know i can sleep

27:58

at night but i was

28:00

shooting them you know you just you eat you want

28:02

it to be the fact is

28:05

on the performance be effective and you didn't come

28:07

you know commit and connect in certain

28:09

ways of those are yeah it was it was

28:11

definitely the

28:13

end just i was just tugging at anything

28:16

i could they get through the

28:18

know on october fifteenth or one of our last

28:20

day was and he for an actor

28:22

i mean this role it was such a marathon

28:24

and watching amanda do it we were shooting

28:26

for months and like if you know it's not

28:29

it's not a movie it's not two hours it's

28:31

you know it's like ours

28:33

though many episodes

28:35

in amanda was living in this role for so

28:37

long the and and

28:40

it's it it's mean i honestly

28:43

could not believe

28:45

i can i believe that you are like still standing

28:47

in october let alone given a reform

28:50

giving the performance that you are giving and

28:52

i feel like that like those last couple

28:54

that think you are like any

28:58

yeah i

29:00

know rebecca you visited sad

29:02

and i mean what you said it was surreal

29:05

for you to just like walk into

29:08

this set that was pretty much like a replica

29:10

of the thera know building i mean you

29:12

know it's just like life imitates art a little

29:14

bit of art imitates life

29:16

imitates don't even know but like you know we're all

29:19

just sort of locked into this

29:21

there are no that he

29:23

know and and i was definitely trying to not

29:25

like

29:26

constantly compare the process of making

29:28

the show to fairness

29:30

and liked the making

29:33

of , the box you know so i

29:35

dunno it was all like by the end i think we

29:37

were all just like and

29:40

we're all just really all just

29:42

it

29:42

them

29:45

added a bit actually think i mean it's it's

29:47

interesting earlier he said rebecca about

29:49

commitment i mean i think that

29:52

in some ways that also what the story

29:54

is about and

29:55

what it takes to make

29:57

something right i'm in the

29:59

choices that

30:00

you need to make in some ways

30:02

the way that you have to kind of give your

30:05

whole life over to something

30:08

in order to make it work and then you

30:10

know what happened every choice filter

30:12

the our yeah and then

30:14

you know i did find a lot of

30:17

connections to what

30:19

what happened at their nose and

30:21

sort of the process of making

30:23

something the making

30:26

an you know a series

30:28

yeah it's air and that

30:30

are series levels in sarah series the

30:33

ended up working

30:34

you're going on in any giant

30:37

giant success it's a giant

30:39

when because we we shot at we finished

30:42

it we added a that we put it out

30:44

people watched it

30:46

then we took it to talk about it

30:48

the

30:49

and and it it's tests

30:52

had know

30:56

i'm is a moot point of comic

30:58

really if i wanted to see that what it was like

31:00

onset because lives the

31:02

fed that it's very different to

31:05

create a film that it is to create

31:07

a show how different

31:09

what's that like what was it like on sat

31:12

i know we met your dog fan when we

31:14

are onset which was so find it was

31:16

so much fun and so we would have

31:18

these little bubbles a cast members

31:20

coming in for like a couple weeks

31:22

and then leaving and we

31:24

had we shot this whole so and

31:26

three blocks the first four episodes in the first

31:29

lot the second getting

31:31

sick from the second in the seventh

31:33

and eighth in the third and

31:36

we have the best cause i've ever seen and

31:38

anything ever i think i'm

31:40

we had eight hours of tv and so

31:42

many people coming like incredible

31:44

actors coming into like play

31:46

in three days and so we

31:49

would cluster up and the we have a little

31:51

bubbles of flight time with each other

31:53

between set up send between shots

31:56

in between scenes and like everybody kind of got to

31:58

know each other in a way and and they wouldn't and

32:00

i'd be sad and a new crop

32:02

of characters would come in at actors would come into

32:04

play these characters like i got

32:06

really tight with a cars on the first

32:09

and lot and

32:11

or a

32:13

, or when it like james

32:15

allow like we and the most

32:17

incredible kate comer played my assistant

32:20

like hilarious like we were just texting with each other

32:22

like ten minutes or before this podcast like

32:24

i've stayed in touch with all these people

32:27

and then you know the second crop like death

32:29

marvel i'm michael

32:31

gill will plead my parents came

32:33

in and just like like stole

32:36

my heart and now i'm just a

32:38

you know i and i'm also i'm a and all

32:40

of them as actors actors josh

32:42

pies all the walgreens guys like

32:44

insane the like i'm telling

32:46

you the most the experience

32:49

because you know i'm i'm i'm

32:51

very social onset i really don't go back

32:53

to my back much i'm

32:56

i'm very curious about people

32:58

and a pretty energetic and

33:01

i love my job because they need to

33:03

survive because i'm away from my kids so i might

33:05

as well have them as much fun as i can be

33:07

created this little land called table and

33:09

we would bring the huge huge

33:11

collection of copper [unk] markers which very

33:14

very good art

33:15

watercolor markers and paper

33:17

and then at one point where the walgreens place

33:19

alan ruck taught me how to draw i'm

33:22

everybody would start drawing like you know just

33:25

m

33:26

whoever was around

33:29

the cable or which was usually everyone

33:31

who they're whoever is working and at at the time

33:35

we would just draw and it's just like everybody

33:37

just go so well do

33:40

you still have any of the pictures you drew

33:42

with alan rock yeah

33:45

so ah i i

33:47

do he didn't like yeah yeah

33:49

i'm basically was

33:52

like you gotta get this book basically

33:54

we do you take you take and and he put upside

33:56

down now see that and you show me the lines so

33:58

i have some pictures that really like drawing houses

34:01

i send pictures of houses that i have a my phone

34:03

still that i can't believe that i

34:05

actually drew

34:07

because he's i get just short of stuff here's

34:09

the book you get and i got the book and like you know i brought

34:12

it back to set that next week

34:14

and notice

34:17

to , people tell stephen fry

34:20

is the nicest man to ever

34:22

walk the planet the also knows the most

34:24

about everything you everything know and

34:26

he nodded deck about it

34:29

the

34:30

idea i get i mean i could go for days

34:32

about these people are you kidding as

34:34

the sole mchale a couple months ago she came

34:36

up to the farm exists

34:41

i don't know i don't know

34:42

i think if you're working and something so

34:45

intense like you have to find

34:48

a way to just leave

34:50

mentally in i mean i the

34:52

and i

34:54

i play i you that you had your dog

34:56

there you have either side of i

34:58

totally got it i i i

35:01

i , at first i like wow there's a huge dog

35:03

unset his has some for a

35:06

new and i would would upwards

35:08

like of course you know like you'd need

35:11

to play this part league you need that

35:15

yeah like bags

35:18

referred around yeah you know

35:20

the data we we created a home and

35:22

and it was

35:23

really cause the home and then when people come in and

35:26

they feel like

35:27

they feel part of it they feel accepted

35:29

and and like the it just feels

35:31

like a team effort in that way and she's missing

35:36

i think it's one of the reasons the show works to

35:38

is it like everybody knew was very

35:40

professional and very happy of be there

35:43

like , you know we and then

35:45

make up trail of everything they take so

35:47

much to make something right filming is hard

35:50

it's a lot more hours if not a nine to

35:52

five we are definitely

35:55

you know we're doing something very specific

35:58

for a lot of hours korea in

36:00

small places sometimes and it can be uncomfortable

36:03

but you gotta like survivor or make it

36:05

fun and and we we

36:07

and we did on the show and that doesn't always

36:09

happen are there any more stories

36:11

any any more anecdotes that you've never shared anywhere

36:13

else that you wanna do here i

36:17

we have them so the entire crew

36:20

shared a photo album and

36:23

we were just add photos whoever

36:25

took a photo that was added to the photo albums

36:27

to the whole crew would get it and

36:30

, someone took a picture of me

36:32

think it was kendra standing

36:34

under this really weird thought light

36:37

the outside of chatsworth the studio

36:40

and the picture turned out so

36:43

terrifying that legacy

36:46

will do this isn't mika of course itself

36:48

as as you need like

36:52

photo shop to me as

36:54

many people but one of them as beetlejuice

36:57

and it was just it i'd never

36:59

i hadn't as i haven't laughed that hard

37:01

in years for whatever reason the

37:03

picture of me went viral around

37:05

the crew as , as

37:07

i put it on and everybody like i

37:10

couldn't i cry laughing so hard i was

37:12

like this is i don't know why maybe

37:14

not require with the ugliest

37:16

creepiest photo and it's

37:18

just me me employees

37:20

into my safe it's the lighting that i look i

37:23

and look like beetlejuice it's so

37:25

weird it's i i

37:27

don't know what i think it goes to go for goes or something

37:31

that with you he says i just said

37:33

here i'm looking

37:35

at it right now

37:37

it's it's really really unsettling

37:43

the remember even hearing outside in here

37:45

with her we were

37:46

the pick the com

37:47

like i got get get a picture me under

37:49

there and

37:51

that would have i wanna see your phone

37:53

camera

37:54

given that glimpse of that we

37:58

the get put in a picture that you look at

37:59

when you get closer it gets scared

38:03

around it far away as citizens

38:07

the

38:08

there

38:10

pretty find live in i had

38:13

i don't have a revolution again so i moses

38:16

them i'm capitalizing on this moment

38:18

like we got all these emmy nominations

38:20

which is like more than you could ever expected

38:23

from anything you know a cult like

38:25

to get recognition and acknowledgement for some of

38:27

her job well done that kinda stuff like you

38:31

don't expect that and stuff it's happening i

38:33

get to keep talking about it i get

38:35

to keep hanging out with his eyes and

38:38

the say not gonna happen

38:40

again

38:41

yeah

38:43

i like do you think amanda think it's

38:45

laughing

38:47

i'd wear it might go to thanks at

38:49

it's like is so negative

38:51

in a in a good cinematic you're

38:53

always shocks and something good happens yoga

38:55

class

38:58

now we are will yell at me like if it

39:00

is that because we're in chatsworth all the time

39:02

really knows listen the

39:05

ground within the interesting thing with am

39:07

it what what didn't we do in the shower just

39:09

like the things people do on their border they've

39:12

been around each other for too long without sleep

39:14

that's a lot of funny stuff happens

39:16

i mean i used to with michael

39:18

showalter just

39:20

hunt we're made a whole very i would like

39:23

just with them because

39:25

of course

39:27

the dwight i am

39:30

the like made him a hairpiece out of my dogs

39:33

there when i just was grooming him the

39:35

says

39:36

rep i did and then he

39:38

likes through to legacy that discuss

39:40

the and i said wow i've put a lot of work

39:42

into that

39:44

the other there was

39:46

a i mean a did get i

39:48

did get a thera knows tote bag that said

39:51

they get the you may get an a rumor

39:53

or not

39:55

i use it and then i would

39:57

like

39:58

we don't i mean like i'm like

39:59

can't carry this a rat like people that

40:04

militant gives me gives don't i don't have one

40:07

i don't know why i don't have one

40:08

the

40:09

oh my god i'm a three minute

40:12

video of michael showalter just dancing

40:14

around the camera because he was

40:17

directing us to to do dancing

40:19

as we did a lot of dancing to

40:21

, in bottles and

40:24

listen to that song and

40:26

how they sent her at eckerd had i'm so sorry

40:29

was that michael showalter is just first

40:32

minute

40:35

dancing behind the camera as the city

40:37

map at the people like he was just making

40:39

sure that we were getting it right

40:40

the certain directors

40:43

monitor this is a he was

40:45

doing with

40:47

any other seeds the got cut that you would have loved

40:50

to keep

40:51

well that one was like of i really

40:55

like everybody the whole way

40:57

the like the scene of gonna get caught and i was

40:59

like no know hop music

41:01

but it would use of it was another

41:03

dancing singing

41:05

the

41:06

in theory that had a lot of dancing

41:08

thing but it was and after

41:11

for she gets invited to like you know me

41:14

mary alice and she goes

41:16

home the sunny and they dan

41:18

around kind of celebrating and

41:22

whether it to pop in battle

41:25

it was written in the yeah

41:28

oh i'd i don't open ended up being happy

41:30

about it but i have a new he as nice as

41:32

top and bottom yeah was like

41:35

nothing

41:35

the money taken up happened bottles and then they

41:38

were like dancing around

41:40

yeah it was it was incredible but

41:42

ultimately not

41:46

did that need to be and maybe for the story

41:49

there was actually a cup there's a few like comedy

41:52

scene that

41:52

like i grow

41:55

and net

41:56

in that i'd never knew

41:58

like tonally if it was going

41:59

the hannah to silly like

42:02

there the scene where when they're about

42:04

to show the prototype i went

42:06

to this assistant kind of

42:08

they caught they coffee

42:09

maker isn't working

42:10

he runs in the lab and she says that

42:12

is at the coffee me

42:13

is not working is anybody here an engineer

42:16

and like everybody raises their yeah

42:18

no fuck are , was another

42:20

scene after it were like all these engineers

42:23

including edmund a were trying

42:25

to fix the coffee maker

42:27

but like talking and really technically

42:29

about coffee makers and

42:31

it was too silly and we cut it but the it the

42:34

on the plus side a like had to do letter research

42:36

and like how coffee makers work the right the lines

42:39

them a like now

42:42

on sale and now you're making

42:44

amazing coffee for yourself

42:46

yeah ah before

42:48

we go i want to hear from both of you

42:51

if you have a favorite moment either

42:53

from the actual series

42:55

or from creating the series

42:58

either one of you can go

42:59

if one if it's sending just pops in your head

43:01

tell me

43:02

the masked dance like the dance

43:04

were yes

43:05

take they're both wearing masks

43:09

the best faith and after that

43:12

after the birthday

43:15

party i just it's yeah

43:17

it's yeah it's gonna hit

43:18

every every baton they have

43:21

my parents into

43:23

is it is it but they didn't

43:25

no i am a big of it

43:27

felt so good the best

43:31

periods i had was actually

43:35

we doing this at scenes

43:37

and shooting the scenes where we were

43:40

actually using

43:43

footage when i was

43:45

in like during the deposition inches the

43:47

there was nothing more vigor ratings

43:49

and like repeating

43:51

things that i'd i'd learned

43:53

at heard over and over again and a seminal says

43:55

now in their name with

43:58

there's with this existence terrorism and everything

44:01

i just um i also just

44:02

loved walking and her

44:06

there's too many things i don't even know

44:09

a scattering the no i don't know i mean that

44:11

obviously the dragon but the thing is a keep the

44:13

dragon put the in the box as martyrs

44:16

and

44:18

i don't know it just it was all the reviews

44:21

for have the drag about that that's good to know

44:23

her , shirt do guess

44:26

i should do is just is mean all it is

44:28

there's just there's too much there's too

44:31

it was so much fun had then

44:34

i really enjoyed every single

44:37

almost every single second except when i got hit the

44:40

head with a camera which was so bizarre

44:42

fanatic it like the the funny

44:44

thing like the funny thing doesn't work is near

44:49

god

44:49

dream come true

45:00

he voted you thank you

45:02

congratulations you have found

45:04

such eight

45:05

mendez job with this project

45:07

i'm in ah

45:08

how many people are in awe of what

45:10

you have created year

45:12

i'm and this is also

45:14

just a really fun conversation so thank

45:16

you for taking the time and

45:18

good luck the i mean we're all

45:21

cheering you on

45:23

bank so we'll see we'll all be together

45:25

again a yes yes as a to

45:27

says and skies they

45:30

were going

45:31

this bonus episode of the dropout was

45:33

written and produced by victoria thompson

45:36

killer zone and me it's edited

45:38

by brenda silliness baker special

45:40

thanks to siri rosenblum catherine

45:43

lil kim

45:44

the for don't think sanders

45:46

and josh come here