July 13, 2023 • 38 mins
Laura Kingman! This is one we've been waiting for. Tracy Middendorf portrayed Laura Kingman and she is here to reveal all.
She only appeared in 6 episodes but Tracy's performance of this complicated woman left it's mark on all of us.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's nine oh gene one with Jenny Garth and Tory Spelling.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Amy.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Guess what today? What we have a very special guest.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
In the house.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
I know, I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
We're doing nine oh two one on one with Tracy Mittendorf.
You guys, you know she played Laura Kingman in season four.
She was good, the bad, the good, the bad, so confusing.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
I'm really excited to talk to her.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Her character wigs me out, but her performance is incredible.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
I know. Okay, so let's do this. Let's talk to her. Hi,
you guys, this is this is like a reunion because
I haven't seen you in thirty years. Is that right? Yeah,
my god, it's so good to see you. A you
look exactly the same. No, it's crazy, it's mild, very sweet.
(01:03):
Really excited to talk to you because we've been in
the thick of all things Laura Kingman on the Pod
in season four and we loved you and we hated
you and all the things in between, and so you're
just such a good actress. Let's just say that right
out of the gate. Oh no, you're sweet. Thank you.
I you know, I hesitated about doing this simply because
(01:31):
it's been thirty years and going back and looking at
my work from thirty years ago, it's just horrifying. I mean,
I don't know how you're doing it right on the show.
But we grow and we and we don't always like
to look back and see we do grow. You and
I think we're the same age. Yeah, yeah, And I
(01:52):
at this point have developed that developed that like I
don't give an f you know, like I'm just so
when I watched show back, I'm so tickled and like
stoked that that's me. And I appreciate it in such
a different way now than I ever could before because
I do share that like hate to watch myself think. Yeah. Also,
(02:13):
and honestly, I'm doing this because I just have so
much respect for you and for Tori. You were both
like badass women moms. You know, I'm working moms. I
just think that's incredible. And you were just so sweet
to me on the show and you didn't need to be.
It was my first show I did. I was right
(02:36):
out of college. I did the soap for one year
and then you did a lot of the soap just
a year one year, But how many episodes is that? Is? That?
Speaker 4 (02:45):
All?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
I was full on in that. I mean, they because
I replaced a character, so they had me working. Was
that days of our lives?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Was that days of our lives?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yeah? Okay, yeah, And so it was they moved me
out from New York. I was all of a sudden,
three cameras, you know what am I doing? And so,
I mean that was really good training ground though it was,
it was, and I was glad to get off it.
I mean, one year's enough. And then I was on
(03:15):
this show that was I think it was the height
of its popularity too.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
It was.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah, and you.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Came in right after the summer, right when we went
to college.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Yeah yeah, yeah, but yeah, you guys were just so
sweet to me, and I really appreciated that. I never
forgot it, so fondest I thank you. First of all,
I had the fondest memories of working eat with you too,
and just I remember just then just watching your work
and just being inspired by it and learning from just Honestly,
(03:49):
I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it. I
think you're a really good actress. Thank you. Thank Okay,
enough with that, But anyways, Amy, I was telling you
I saw Tracy on my TV two nights ago and
what was that? It was you. I've just started to
watch for the first time the Dead People's show with
(04:10):
the dead guy. He makes the dead people look good?
What's it called with the funerals? Yeah? That too? Thank you? Yeah,
I was. That was one of my favorite gigs I have.
I have a track record of opening really successful series.
(04:31):
I'm not on them all the time. I'm just on
the first episode and I remember that. Yeah. I sat
it next to Alan Ball, who was the creator of
that show, who also did American Beauty. He's this incredible
writer director, And I went to like an orphan's Easter
dinner at a friend's house in la and he's from
Georgia and I'm from Georgia and we sat next to
(04:52):
each other and he was on the Sybil Shepherd's show
at the time, and then he started writing sixteen a
hundred me in for that and I so wanted the part.
And it took a week to hear back and then
you know, it was It was a It was a
dream job. The writing was so good and it's a
great show. I wish I had done more of the
(05:13):
funny me too.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Can you remember how you got the part? On nine
O two one? Zero.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
So I was trying to think about that because I
didn't know what I was going to talk about because
it's been so long. Oh don't you worry. I've got
a questions, You've got stuff. So something I do vividly remember,
and I'm pretty sure it was nine o two one
oh's audition was a room full of people and Aaron
(05:40):
Spelling was there, and just a ton of producers and directors.
And that's when back then, that's when you used to
used to go in for everybody. You didn't go on tape.
You you went into a room with a bunch of
people staring at you, staring at you. So I think
that it was for a NATO. It might have been
Meloe's place, but I think it was nine or two.
(06:03):
And I tell actors that all the time, young actors.
When I was I did a series for MTV, Scream,
and I was the oldest one on the show everyone
else for you know, the twenty something kids, And I
would tell them that that's the one I would bring
up is that as actors, we used to go in
and we used to read with casting directors with their assistants.
(06:25):
We used to meet the director. We used to meet
the producers, the showrunners, and audition for them, and we
don't do that anymore. We go on tape or it's
maybe a casting director, and then we never hear anything.
Just here.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Oh you don't hear if you don't happened.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Like it never happened, just out there.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
And so your feeling right.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Your job is just the audition basically until you get
the job.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
See why they had a room full of people there,
including Aaron, because this part is so important. If the
person didn't do it right, it would literally have ruined
what is such a major arc in this season. It
was so crucial that they get it right, and I
(07:14):
think they did. I mean, i'll tell you stories as
we talk, but you nailed it.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
I have to tell you.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
I didn't know it was going to be because because
I was only booked for those first three episodes, and
I felt, Okay, I've experienced college, I know what that
environment's like. I can do this. What was terrifying was
when they brought me back and handed me.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
The script most unhinged gal around.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Not only that, I so I do a lot of
a theater and I'm I love Tennessee Williams and being
given this monologue from one of the most beautiful plays
(08:06):
ever written for the American theater was terrifying. And I
had like four or five days to do it. And
so when I look when I look at those scenes,
which I just did for the first time in thirty years,
and I all I saw was this young, scared actress
(08:31):
trying to do justice to this beautiful play. And I
think I tried a little too. I love you. No
you didn't. First of all, I should have pulled back. No,
you should never ever pull back. That's my theory, right,
because that's a little bit.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
It was a little big, But you weren't doing You
were Tracy doing Tennessee Williams. You were Tracy being Laura,
Laura doing Tennessee Williams. And that was the same thing
we talked about with Jenny, because Jenny was Kelly and
then Kelly doing it.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
It's like, that's but.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, I mean, I'm gonna ask you this, Uh, Jenny,
do you feel like, oh, I'm going to make the
choice that my character is a bad actress. It's very
hard to make that choice. You'd make the choice that
you're did you ask yourself that before you did the scene? Oh?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Hell yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:27):
I was did you prepare as a bad actress or
a good actress? No, because then they were just saying
Tracy's a bad actress. You may announce everybody. I just
want you all to know that I've made a choice,
a choice that she's going to be bad you that
I'm going to use that now you should. I think
I'll use it too, really, dots all the actually thought
(09:50):
I actually thought you were quite lovely when I was
watching it, and I watched your audition with him. Although
he was creepy, I mean, it was painful. I can
I can feel your pain because you just reminded me
I did it too. Did that have audition for her?
If they tried to do that episode today, First of all,
(10:14):
he would be rested for having a young actress come
and you know, even letting her into his house to
a he was. But I thought you were quite lovely,
and I thought honestly that if I was to cast it,
I didn't necessarily think that Shannon would have been the actress.
(10:34):
But she was the type that makes sense. She's you know,
sexy and kind of grounded, and that's kind of that's
Maggie the cat to me.
Speaker 5 (10:44):
Totally, these were all y'all's best episodes, because Shannon is
amazing in these episodes too, because you know, I'm I know,
(11:06):
Tory's so disappointed to not be here, so you got
stuck with me. But I watched it as a fan,
so we weren't like judging your work.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
In Tennessee Williams kat on a honton roof, We're like,
oh my god, Laura has lost it.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
When you're up on this scaffolding anybody, everybody, you guys,
I don't know if you watched it. I'm sure they did.
They're listening now, but you got to watch it. It's
so good. It's so good, and then it's so confusing too.
And you must have felt this way when you read
the script. It in the beginning for the first three episode,
you were accusing Steve Sanders, and then you came back
(11:44):
and you then you're hooking up with them and he's
your biggest supporter. Yeah, and why he trust me, I'm
not that's such a lot. Yeah, that was That's not
on me. That's not I'm sure not on him either,
because I yeah, it just didn't it wasn't very consistent. Yeah,
they made it there. Yeah, they made a leap.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
They really needed you, They needed you for all this.
It was like a big arc in the season and
that's often too wanted to become an actress and then
going off.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
To London, right, Oh, is that what happened? You didn't
watch after your episode?
Speaker 2 (12:23):
What I can say.
Speaker 5 (12:24):
And that's why I was so excited to talk to
you today because I was probably nineteen at the time
when I was watching this, because we're all about the
same age, so we were in college watching this, like
you said at the height, And what I found so
interesting is I saw you obviously go on to do
other things, and every time I would see you on screen,
(12:44):
I would get like ooh, because it was so ingrained
in me that character. And I think it was the
first time we sort of saw someone We saw it
a little bit with Christina Elise, but somebody that was
like a bit unhinged, and it was sort of like
my first experience with that. And that's why I thought,
I mean, now, maybe look back with different eyes. But
(13:07):
then I was just like sucked in, like this is
what happens if a girl kind of goes off the
edge or gets too obsessed with something.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
And I just it took me a while. I'm scary. Yes, like,
I'm so happy to see you today because you really
are nothing like Laura you look. But it was like,
that's stuck with.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Me, and that means I also most of the things,
I've died a lot in a lot of different things too,
so that's traumatic. It really kind of does leave an imprint.
I'm not just the viewer, but I'll see the actor. Yeah, yeah,
you know, I had totally I'd forgotten a lot of
that last scene, so it was interesting to watch it again.
(13:49):
I mean, I don't know how you're doing it. Are
you Are you not watching the next episode? Are you
trying to refresh yourself as you go along? Is that
what's happening.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Yeah, we're just watching an episode by episodes, so we're
at the end of season.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
For any of them. That must ain't telling me about it.
She was taking a while when she took this show
on that there were ten seasons.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Well, and there's like thirty episodes or thirty two or something.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
They don't do that anymore. I mean, it's running podcasts
ever in the world. Yeah. It's wonderful though, but I
can imagine you do forget a lot of them because
I forgot all of them.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Yes, well that's what's so funny too, because.
Speaker 5 (14:32):
I watched it, you know, I was the fan. We
were all in soo already watching it, and then I've
kind of dabbled it watching it again. But your character
is unforgettable. And I wonder how long did people recognize
you from nine oh two one oh after you did it?
Speaker 2 (14:49):
I mean that must have been crazy.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I just got it last like three weeks ago. Someone
in the airport, Well what happened? I said, are you serious?
Speaker 2 (14:59):
He said, what you say?
Speaker 1 (15:00):
What they say? You said, you're from nine to two?
And oh, I said, are you kidding me? I said,
when did you watch that? Because he was younger than us,
and he said, oh, no that I think he's there
rewatching it. He and his girlfriend are rewatching all of it.
And he recognized me from that. I couldn't believe it.
(15:20):
I mean I did, but I got it a lot
right after the show aired, and I got it a
lot from I don't know if you had this, but
from like basketball players who were in the locker room,
or you know, like weird like crazy. You know, I
thought you were going to say prisoners. No, I had that.
That was more than So that was a lot.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
I got a lot of Yeah, Days of Our Lives
would be a major one too.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Oh my god, that's hilarious basketball players.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Okay, So did you play her the same in each arc?
Speaker 5 (15:50):
Because the first version of Laura, you know, it's almost
like she just got worse by the second. So did
you have to come in and play her a bit
more over the top for the second.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Set of episodes? She almost sort of redeemed herself in
the first set, and I was like, oh, I'm cool
with her.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
Yeah this round, I was like, yeah, we don't know
what Steve did. Like we kind of talked about this
when your first set of episodes aired because it was
so fascinating. They showed your perspective and his, and we
assume the truth was somewhere sort of in the middle.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 5 (16:27):
But that then she comes back and she's very you know,
really frightened.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Yeah. Uh, I had to be honest with you. I
struggled with it was a hard It was hard. Those
first three episodes were hard because you're having to kind
of I had to believe that it was true and
my version was true, but I also struggled as a
(16:56):
woman that so many women in the nineties in college,
probably ninety percent of them don't report being raped, you
know at that time, and that the show is choosing
to focus on the male being the victim. I really
struggled with that a bit, just as a woman, So
(17:19):
as an actress, I went in with you know, I
didn't fully say yes, I'm confused and vulnerable. And then
so when that progressed, I chose that her being lost
and alone in college, that just made it worse. And
so when she shows up again and later in the season,
(17:44):
she has been alone a lot. She doesn't have a
lot of friends, and I think I think Iron's character
was somebody that she could convince.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Interesting she came back for your fourth episode, let's say,
Lara part two, that were you up to something when
you came back, like straight.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Out of the gate? No not, I think I mean
because he finds me in the episode he comes into
my room in the beginning of the second time I
came back. So I think I think there was legitimately
trying to do this play to somehow find some footing,
to find some places.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Yeah, but so weird. You're right that she would even allow,
you know, allow him to get close to her again
if that had.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Been and vice versa. But I think they had some guilt.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
Like I might be going way to like the psychology
of these characters, but like Laura has some guilt over
what she maybe she misinterpreted what was happening or had
her perspective and then it became this hold to do.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
And he has guilt because he does it.
Speaker 5 (19:00):
Admit he shouldn't have done what he did, even though
it wasn't necessarily quote rape or criminal, it was he
knew he had celested, and there was the whole thing.
So he's got guilt, which is why I think it
was a perfect storm. You two connected because of this past,
and then it just spirals and he almost causes the spiral,
(19:23):
not exactly, but he doesn't, you know, bring you down
and say wait a minute, or did you call Brenda
and do this about the rehearsal. It's like he's so
in with you, probably from the guilt, that it exasperates
this messiness.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Right, Yeah, it got really messy. I think I think
obviously the characters unhinged otherwise to go there so quickly
over not getting the part, or you know, I think
already confused and lost and struggling in college and alone,
and then Okay, this is going to solve everything. I'm
(20:02):
going to do this play. I'm going to get this
part and work my ass off on it, and I'm gonna,
you know, nail it and should have gotten it. And
then and legitimately feeling like, wait, what happened? How did
she all of a sudden get the part when she
bombed the audition? And right, so that's legitimate confusion. And
(20:22):
then he was, you know, guilty of seducing his leading ladies.
And then to find out that she went to his house.
So it all those pieces to defend her, that character,
all those you and she wasn't the only one saying
it so right, you know, so you know, yes, she
(20:45):
made it worse and then totally went off the deep end. Right,
who directed? Do you remember? Who was that James? That
house that directed? Do you have any section one of them?
Maybe that maybe that last one? I don't remember. I
don't know. I just was wondering because, especially with the
(21:06):
last couple episodes, you had so much like work to
You had to really prepare stuff and bring it in
and sometimes on an episodic show like this, it gets
a little like you know, the director doesn't really step
up and help or support the way they could with
an actress, especially when they have stuff this heavy. I
(21:28):
was just wondering if if you remember any like people
that supported you or helped you, or like, you know,
made it up. I don't. I don't for those episodes.
I do remember a director and I can't remember his
name on the earlier episodes being very kind and thoughtful
(21:49):
and trying to help me through a moment this one,
this one, I think I was just, you know, I
was so focused on trying to as an actor, trying
to nail that arc and try to make sense of it.
And you must know this so well. When you're on
(22:11):
a series, you almost have to be director proof because
can you take from the good and hopefully you get
really good ones, but there's bad ones out there that
tell you to do things that just aren't write for
your character, especially if in an episodic. They're coming in
for each show. You're on the show every episode, so
(22:31):
you want your character you understand, and sometimes it's a
good thing and you do know your character. I've definitely
worked on series where the ego is really big and
they just won't do anything the director says, well, they
just focus on the guest star because that that regular
(22:52):
will not do anything, and that's got to be frustrating
for a director.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Well, and this character is so complicated.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
This isn't like Sorority Girl one, you know number two,
Like if this didn't go, if you didn't do it
right and have that support you needed, it could have
derailed multiple episodes. That's why I think there was so
much pressure on this character because you became the forefront
of this episode.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
And again, it could have been clowny if you didn't
do it right, or like too soapy or I.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Mean, we got you to play this role because you're right,
Amy been could have been disaster. You're you're you're very sweet.
I know because I've seen your work after the show,
Like I know your work and you're always consistently like
just good, you know, and and like I don't want
(23:57):
to say dependable, but you know that you're going to
give the characters do what's the saying, it's it's to oats, No,
what's the we were having this argument? Sorry you are,
you're doing the character right.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
But what's blowing my mind? And I hope this makes
sense because looking at you right now. First of all,
you do look the same, so beautiful.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
You did something with your face, like your eyes and
the like playing that character because I thought you were
going to look like that today and you don't look
anything like that.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
So you were doing that and it was like.
Speaker 5 (24:41):
Crazy in the eyes and that's your eyes, you guys,
Like that's what's going on?
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Because I thought you.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Had fake how have you? It was not just in
the things that you were saying. It was in the
body language.
Speaker 5 (24:56):
It was in the face and the movement and even
like the creepy masks on the door of the room.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
And like the laundry.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
Every single part of that character I think was so
good in these episodes, and that's why, like it was
burned into me.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
I was like, I will never forget that character.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Yeah, well, I think I was trying to remember at
the time, I was really into Cassavettis, and I think
I was trying to channel gentlemen from a woman under
the influencer. I think, wow, I think there's probably the
young actress in me was trying to figure out how
do you tap into something where you go so you know,
(25:39):
that's to get to that point, it's got to be
you know, is hard. I've had you know, and I've
had people in my life who have gone there, and
so it's it's you know a lot of people are
like such a selfish act you know to do something
like that, but that's how lost you are when you yeah,
(26:01):
going to that extreme, You're so lost. So it was,
you know, I think I was probably trying to channel
anything I could find as such a young actress. I'm
going to look back on that, and we were, I mean,
we're so young and we're trying to do these really hard.
Speaker 5 (26:22):
Well, yeah, you had to make that nutty nutty gal
likable too, or we all would have been like, get
rid of this cuckoo chick. We had to feel compassion,
which I did the entire both.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Laura Part one and Laura Part two.
Speaker 5 (26:36):
Like even though what you sort of did, although I
still we debated this back and forth a lot because
it's never clear what really happened in Laura Part one,
but you you were still likable, and we had this
almost like oh no, like oh, bless her heart kind
of like, oh no.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
That's hard. That's a hard thing because we're you're watching
these characters on this show and you fall in love
with these characters, and so any character that comes on
that that disparages them or it, you're not going to
be liked. And so that's a it's a hard balance
to play what they've written for you and play that
(27:16):
character but also not be completely hated by anybody watching
the show because then nobody cares and so what so.
Speaker 5 (27:25):
Well, and you your character is so important to bring
Steve to the forefront because look, Steve can be sort
of a secondary character.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
But in both Laura Part one and Laura Part two.
Speaker 5 (27:35):
And it really brought Jenny to the forefront because she
comes to defend Steve and that was so important for
our core characters. And then in this one, it really
caused the friction between Steve and Brenda for the most
we've ever seen.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
I mean we were almost like a laughing right, Wow,
they're going.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
And say, I'm your brother's friend, not yours.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
My god, he's kind of a you know, a D
word in this.
Speaker 5 (28:06):
But you still we had to not hate you. We
never hated you.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
We were just like, oh god, this is going the wrong.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Right, Yeah, you did job, thank you. I ended up
It's funny. I ended up doing I think probably five
or six years later, I ended up doing Alma in
Tennessee Williams Summer and Smoke ask you about this? Yeah,
where did you do that? At the Fountain Theater and
(28:38):
we had almost a year run and the Ovation Awards
are the Theater Awards in LA and I was up
against Linda Lavin and Ruby d and now wow look
at you.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
And then after that, two years after that, I played
a character called Maggie in After the Fall and Arthur
Miller play No, it's all like predetermined, Yeah, right, is right?
So foreshadowing love it. Yeah, You've just Yeah, like you said,
you've had such a well rounded career, and your resume
(29:17):
is so full of all kinds of different genres. You've
done sci fi, horror, and yeah, you've done it all.
You've done live theater. I have one of the most
iconic horror deaths in the film, which Toy, We're here, Tory,
We're here.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
She would be so excited right now because she loves
horror films. I'm not really away which one.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
I'm not either, which is so funny because I've done
the series, I've done you know, my very first so
my very first film after and I know two one
to oh was Wes Craven's New Nightmare, which did Nightmare
and Elm Street and then he you know, there were
other directors who did the other ones, and then he
came back and did the one I did and it
was my first movie. Wow. I have this credible death
(30:00):
scene where Freddy Krueger is dragging me up the wall
and he disappears and then he appears. He disappears and
dragging me up the wall and I'm screaming and I'm
reaching my hand out to the little boy and then
he just cuts me. Oh my god. And it was
all done in a in a studio that completely turns
(30:21):
so you could go up the walls, so that I
could go up the wall. It's crazy town. It's crazy town. Yeah.
That was my first movie. So fun though. That's what
a lot of people know, a lot of you know,
there's certain if you've been on that, then you end
up going on to some other things like Angel and
(30:42):
then you know. Obviously the last one was MTV's Scream
This series.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Yeah, that was a good show. Actually, that was a
really good show.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Yeah, it was a fund what you're living in New Orleans?
I live, I live in New Orleans, and that's kind
of why I live here. The first season was shot
in Baton, Huge, and the second season they were going
to film in New Orleans and we were gonna, you know,
my husband and I were like, well, let's buy an
investment property, because that's what you do when you're on
(31:09):
a series. Right, So Mark, now, right, So we were
looking in California and we were living in Central California
at the time, and I couldn't find anything. And then
we looked in New Orleans and we just found this.
The house I'm in now, this really great, you know,
one hundred year old house, and it was amazing. It's
(31:33):
just ugly, just painted, you know, yell and purple. And
so while I was filming the series, you know, again,
I was the mom of the main character. My character
had all this history, and so I was I was
integral in it. But I didn't have to work that much.
That's kind of role. It was great. So I was
getting paid, worked maybe one or two days a week,
(31:55):
and then the rest of the time I spent renovating
the house.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Is that the house I saw on your Instagram?
Speaker 1 (32:03):
The white is it white? Like, yeah, it's beautiful. Yeah,
And so we're now I'm actually doing Uh, we have
a commercial property that's from the eighteen forties. Then we're
that we're renovating. Oh that's so fun. Yeah, it's an
old pharmacy and an old brick carriage house and we're
(32:23):
turning it in a restaurant, bar and a deli. Amazing.
Look at you. You're just our Laura king You do
what you gotta do, don't you really sprouted her wings?
Speaker 5 (32:37):
I will say I am so grateful for you doing
this because of all the ten seasons, there's only a
handful of guest stars that really are just unforgettable, and
you are one of them, and like Laura Kingman will
never be forgotten. It's just such a Yeah, it must
have just been so juicy to like play that character.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
She's so so complicated.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Yeah, it was. It was in fact. I mean as
you get older, I mean you probably feel this way, Jenny,
But as you get older, you go, oh, I think
I understand that a little bit better now, and you
look back on some of these parts and go, oh.
The hard thing being an actor is that it's out
there for everyone to see, and so your growth is
(33:21):
out there for everyone to see. Oh yeah, yeah, which
can you know, it can be tough. You just have to,
you know, accept that's part of the gig and try
to grow with each job. So yeah, well I can't
wait to see what's next for you. And I mean
you're going to keep yourself busy with these renovations, which
is so fun. Yeah, yeah, I have these renovations. I
(33:44):
also have a project that I worked on which you
maybe would want to contribute to. It's called Shutter to Think.
And I saw that also on your Instagram and I
saw someone's feet and I was very confused, are they
your feet or are they any lynnux Beat? I created
(34:04):
so girls education. If you can educate women around the world,
girls around the world, we can pretty much change the world.
Because girls get educated, they work, the money comes home.
They don't leave their villages, they stay. And the majority
of girls are not educated. The boys are educated. And
so I was involved with a friend who started Girl
(34:27):
Rising and I started this project called Shudder to Think
and it's any but any celebrity who has taken a photo,
they can donate the photo. Amazing, let's do that. I
was I was just at I was just at the
gorge to see Brandon Carlisle and John H. Fan was
(34:49):
so lucky to meet Johnnie Mitchell and talk to her,
and then I ran into any Lenox and I was
I was able to thank any Lennox for her Oh good.
I definitely wanted it easy because it's you just send
a boot up and I used to have genius.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
First of all, that's a genius because that's an easy
ask of people. And also I love that title, shudder
to think if you like, break it down, get it shutter,
help the girls think. And I've had some good responses.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
Meryl Street donated, and Helen Chemmy and Moby and just
the list is amazing and good for you, growing, good
for you have so much admiration. Yeah, thank you, thank you. Well,
it's just so great to see your face again and
(35:42):
talk to you and learn all about this and I
don't know, you're just great. You're great, that's all.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Yeah, you are phenomenal on this show.
Speaker 5 (35:52):
Because even now, just this little time we've had, is
like you don't even look like her in that same way.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
You're personalities difference, So it's just like that must have
been so out of left field to play her, and
you just nailed it. Like I said, I will never
forget Laurie.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yeah, I don't think I've played anybody that unhinged since
that was That was it. That's right, I feel I
feel somehow good about that. Yeah, well, we were happy
to be a part of it, of your unhinged performance
of a lifetime. Thank you, thank you, and you have
(36:29):
any other questions, just let me know. In ne Orleans.
I love it. That sounds like good life. Well be well,
love to your family and thank you too. Okay, Bay
so awesome.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
Oh my god, she's she's so cool because she really,
like I said, like for you all to be that
young and play character like.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
That, I know she she had to have a serious
like death so hard because she was so like over
the top, but couldn't be over the top, like we
had to believe that she.
Speaker 5 (37:03):
Would climb that scaffolding and was gonna in the you know,
the whole thing.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Like I said, he could have gone clowney so easily.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
Oh my gosh, that was fun. I was talking to
our old coast stars. That's that's those are always fun episodes. Yeah,
our one on ones. I loved it.
Speaker 5 (37:20):
Okay, So the finale, she's going to Washington, so we're
getting ready for.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
That next week. Y'all who loves Christmas? I do.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
Hey everybody, it's me Jenny Garth, my BFF Tory spelling,
and I are so excited to bring our new holiday
home decor pieces to QVC in honor of QVC's Christmas
in July. We want to bring our holiday spirit into
your home this summer by sharing our festive and stylish
(37:59):
pieces for the holidays, So be sure to tune in
to QBC this Saturday, July fifteenth at eight am Eastern
Standard Time and Sunday, July sixteenth at one am Eastern
Standard Time. In the meantime, explore more on our Instagram
at the BFF Collection or go to the BFF collection
(38:21):
dot com. Merry Christmas in July
It's nine oh gene one with Jenny Garth and Tory Spelling.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Amy.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Guess what today? What we have a very special guest.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
In the house.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
I know, I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
We're doing nine oh two one on one with Tracy Mittendorf.
You guys, you know she played Laura Kingman in season four.
She was good, the bad, the good, the bad, so confusing.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
I'm really excited to talk to her.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Her character wigs me out, but her performance is incredible.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
I know. Okay, so let's do this. Let's talk to her. Hi,
you guys, this is this is like a reunion because
I haven't seen you in thirty years. Is that right? Yeah,
my god, it's so good to see you. A you
look exactly the same. No, it's crazy, it's mild, very sweet.
(01:03):
Really excited to talk to you because we've been in
the thick of all things Laura Kingman on the Pod
in season four and we loved you and we hated
you and all the things in between, and so you're
just such a good actress. Let's just say that right
out of the gate. Oh no, you're sweet. Thank you.
I you know, I hesitated about doing this simply because
(01:31):
it's been thirty years and going back and looking at
my work from thirty years ago, it's just horrifying. I mean,
I don't know how you're doing it right on the show.
But we grow and we and we don't always like
to look back and see we do grow. You and
I think we're the same age. Yeah, yeah, And I
(01:52):
at this point have developed that developed that like I
don't give an f you know, like I'm just so
when I watched show back, I'm so tickled and like
stoked that that's me. And I appreciate it in such
a different way now than I ever could before because
I do share that like hate to watch myself think. Yeah. Also,
(02:13):
and honestly, I'm doing this because I just have so
much respect for you and for Tori. You were both
like badass women moms. You know, I'm working moms. I
just think that's incredible. And you were just so sweet
to me on the show and you didn't need to be.
It was my first show I did. I was right
(02:36):
out of college. I did the soap for one year
and then you did a lot of the soap just
a year one year, But how many episodes is that? Is? That?
Speaker 4 (02:45):
All?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
I was full on in that. I mean, they because
I replaced a character, so they had me working. Was
that days of our lives?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Was that days of our lives?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yeah? Okay, yeah, And so it was they moved me
out from New York. I was all of a sudden,
three cameras, you know what am I doing? And so,
I mean that was really good training ground though it was,
it was, and I was glad to get off it.
I mean, one year's enough. And then I was on
(03:15):
this show that was I think it was the height
of its popularity too.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
It was.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah, and you.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Came in right after the summer, right when we went
to college.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Yeah yeah, yeah, but yeah, you guys were just so
sweet to me, and I really appreciated that. I never
forgot it, so fondest I thank you. First of all,
I had the fondest memories of working eat with you too,
and just I remember just then just watching your work
and just being inspired by it and learning from just Honestly,
(03:49):
I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it. I
think you're a really good actress. Thank you. Thank Okay,
enough with that, But anyways, Amy, I was telling you
I saw Tracy on my TV two nights ago and
what was that? It was you. I've just started to
watch for the first time the Dead People's show with
(04:10):
the dead guy. He makes the dead people look good?
What's it called with the funerals? Yeah? That too? Thank you? Yeah,
I was. That was one of my favorite gigs I have.
I have a track record of opening really successful series.
(04:31):
I'm not on them all the time. I'm just on
the first episode and I remember that. Yeah. I sat
it next to Alan Ball, who was the creator of
that show, who also did American Beauty. He's this incredible
writer director, And I went to like an orphan's Easter
dinner at a friend's house in la and he's from
Georgia and I'm from Georgia and we sat next to
(04:52):
each other and he was on the Sybil Shepherd's show
at the time, and then he started writing sixteen a
hundred me in for that and I so wanted the part.
And it took a week to hear back and then
you know, it was It was a It was a
dream job. The writing was so good and it's a
great show. I wish I had done more of the
(05:13):
funny me too.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Can you remember how you got the part? On nine
O two one? Zero.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
So I was trying to think about that because I
didn't know what I was going to talk about because
it's been so long. Oh don't you worry. I've got
a questions, You've got stuff. So something I do vividly remember,
and I'm pretty sure it was nine o two one
oh's audition was a room full of people and Aaron
(05:40):
Spelling was there, and just a ton of producers and directors.
And that's when back then, that's when you used to
used to go in for everybody. You didn't go on tape.
You you went into a room with a bunch of
people staring at you, staring at you. So I think
that it was for a NATO. It might have been
Meloe's place, but I think it was nine or two.
(06:03):
And I tell actors that all the time, young actors.
When I was I did a series for MTV, Scream,
and I was the oldest one on the show everyone
else for you know, the twenty something kids, And I
would tell them that that's the one I would bring
up is that as actors, we used to go in
and we used to read with casting directors with their assistants.
(06:25):
We used to meet the director. We used to meet
the producers, the showrunners, and audition for them, and we
don't do that anymore. We go on tape or it's
maybe a casting director, and then we never hear anything.
Just here.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Oh you don't hear if you don't happened.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Like it never happened, just out there.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
And so your feeling right.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Your job is just the audition basically until you get
the job.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
See why they had a room full of people there,
including Aaron, because this part is so important. If the
person didn't do it right, it would literally have ruined
what is such a major arc in this season. It
was so crucial that they get it right, and I
(07:14):
think they did. I mean, i'll tell you stories as
we talk, but you nailed it.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
I have to tell you.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
I didn't know it was going to be because because
I was only booked for those first three episodes, and
I felt, Okay, I've experienced college, I know what that
environment's like. I can do this. What was terrifying was
when they brought me back and handed me.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
The script most unhinged gal around.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Not only that, I so I do a lot of
a theater and I'm I love Tennessee Williams and being
given this monologue from one of the most beautiful plays
(08:06):
ever written for the American theater was terrifying. And I
had like four or five days to do it. And
so when I look when I look at those scenes,
which I just did for the first time in thirty years,
and I all I saw was this young, scared actress
(08:31):
trying to do justice to this beautiful play. And I
think I tried a little too. I love you. No
you didn't. First of all, I should have pulled back. No,
you should never ever pull back. That's my theory, right,
because that's a little bit.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
It was a little big, But you weren't doing You
were Tracy doing Tennessee Williams. You were Tracy being Laura,
Laura doing Tennessee Williams. And that was the same thing
we talked about with Jenny, because Jenny was Kelly and
then Kelly doing it.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
It's like, that's but.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, I mean, I'm gonna ask you this, Uh, Jenny,
do you feel like, oh, I'm going to make the
choice that my character is a bad actress. It's very
hard to make that choice. You'd make the choice that
you're did you ask yourself that before you did the scene? Oh?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Hell yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:27):
I was did you prepare as a bad actress or
a good actress? No, because then they were just saying
Tracy's a bad actress. You may announce everybody. I just
want you all to know that I've made a choice,
a choice that she's going to be bad you that
I'm going to use that now you should. I think
I'll use it too, really, dots all the actually thought
(09:50):
I actually thought you were quite lovely when I was
watching it, and I watched your audition with him. Although
he was creepy, I mean, it was painful. I can
I can feel your pain because you just reminded me
I did it too. Did that have audition for her?
If they tried to do that episode today, First of all,
(10:14):
he would be rested for having a young actress come
and you know, even letting her into his house to
a he was. But I thought you were quite lovely,
and I thought honestly that if I was to cast it,
I didn't necessarily think that Shannon would have been the actress.
(10:34):
But she was the type that makes sense. She's you know,
sexy and kind of grounded, and that's kind of that's
Maggie the cat to me.
Speaker 5 (10:44):
Totally, these were all y'all's best episodes, because Shannon is
amazing in these episodes too, because you know, I'm I know,
(11:06):
Tory's so disappointed to not be here, so you got
stuck with me. But I watched it as a fan,
so we weren't like judging your work.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
In Tennessee Williams kat on a honton roof, We're like,
oh my god, Laura has lost it.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
When you're up on this scaffolding anybody, everybody, you guys,
I don't know if you watched it. I'm sure they did.
They're listening now, but you got to watch it. It's
so good. It's so good, and then it's so confusing too.
And you must have felt this way when you read
the script. It in the beginning for the first three episode,
you were accusing Steve Sanders, and then you came back
(11:44):
and you then you're hooking up with them and he's
your biggest supporter. Yeah, and why he trust me, I'm
not that's such a lot. Yeah, that was That's not
on me. That's not I'm sure not on him either,
because I yeah, it just didn't it wasn't very consistent. Yeah,
they made it there. Yeah, they made a leap.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
They really needed you, They needed you for all this.
It was like a big arc in the season and
that's often too wanted to become an actress and then
going off.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
To London, right, Oh, is that what happened? You didn't
watch after your episode?
Speaker 2 (12:23):
What I can say.
Speaker 5 (12:24):
And that's why I was so excited to talk to
you today because I was probably nineteen at the time
when I was watching this, because we're all about the
same age, so we were in college watching this, like
you said at the height, And what I found so
interesting is I saw you obviously go on to do
other things, and every time I would see you on screen,
(12:44):
I would get like ooh, because it was so ingrained
in me that character. And I think it was the
first time we sort of saw someone We saw it
a little bit with Christina Elise, but somebody that was
like a bit unhinged, and it was sort of like
my first experience with that. And that's why I thought,
I mean, now, maybe look back with different eyes. But
(13:07):
then I was just like sucked in, like this is
what happens if a girl kind of goes off the
edge or gets too obsessed with something.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
And I just it took me a while. I'm scary. Yes, like,
I'm so happy to see you today because you really
are nothing like Laura you look. But it was like,
that's stuck with.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Me, and that means I also most of the things,
I've died a lot in a lot of different things too,
so that's traumatic. It really kind of does leave an imprint.
I'm not just the viewer, but I'll see the actor. Yeah, yeah,
you know, I had totally I'd forgotten a lot of
that last scene, so it was interesting to watch it again.
(13:49):
I mean, I don't know how you're doing it. Are
you Are you not watching the next episode? Are you
trying to refresh yourself as you go along? Is that
what's happening.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Yeah, we're just watching an episode by episodes, so we're
at the end of season.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
For any of them. That must ain't telling me about it.
She was taking a while when she took this show
on that there were ten seasons.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Well, and there's like thirty episodes or thirty two or something.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
They don't do that anymore. I mean, it's running podcasts
ever in the world. Yeah. It's wonderful though, but I
can imagine you do forget a lot of them because
I forgot all of them.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Yes, well that's what's so funny too, because.
Speaker 5 (14:32):
I watched it, you know, I was the fan. We
were all in soo already watching it, and then I've
kind of dabbled it watching it again. But your character
is unforgettable. And I wonder how long did people recognize
you from nine oh two one oh after you did it?
Speaker 2 (14:49):
I mean that must have been crazy.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I just got it last like three weeks ago. Someone
in the airport, Well what happened? I said, are you serious?
Speaker 2 (14:59):
He said, what you say?
Speaker 1 (15:00):
What they say? You said, you're from nine to two?
And oh, I said, are you kidding me? I said,
when did you watch that? Because he was younger than us,
and he said, oh, no that I think he's there
rewatching it. He and his girlfriend are rewatching all of it.
And he recognized me from that. I couldn't believe it.
(15:20):
I mean I did, but I got it a lot
right after the show aired, and I got it a
lot from I don't know if you had this, but
from like basketball players who were in the locker room,
or you know, like weird like crazy. You know, I
thought you were going to say prisoners. No, I had that.
That was more than So that was a lot.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
I got a lot of Yeah, Days of Our Lives
would be a major one too.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Oh my god, that's hilarious basketball players.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Okay, So did you play her the same in each arc?
Speaker 5 (15:50):
Because the first version of Laura, you know, it's almost
like she just got worse by the second. So did
you have to come in and play her a bit
more over the top for the second.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Set of episodes? She almost sort of redeemed herself in
the first set, and I was like, oh, I'm cool
with her.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
Yeah this round, I was like, yeah, we don't know
what Steve did. Like we kind of talked about this
when your first set of episodes aired because it was
so fascinating. They showed your perspective and his, and we
assume the truth was somewhere sort of in the middle.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 5 (16:27):
But that then she comes back and she's very you know,
really frightened.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Yeah. Uh, I had to be honest with you. I
struggled with it was a hard It was hard. Those
first three episodes were hard because you're having to kind
of I had to believe that it was true and
my version was true, but I also struggled as a
(16:56):
woman that so many women in the nineties in college,
probably ninety percent of them don't report being raped, you
know at that time, and that the show is choosing
to focus on the male being the victim. I really
struggled with that a bit, just as a woman, So
(17:19):
as an actress, I went in with you know, I
didn't fully say yes, I'm confused and vulnerable. And then
so when that progressed, I chose that her being lost
and alone in college, that just made it worse. And
so when she shows up again and later in the season,
(17:44):
she has been alone a lot. She doesn't have a
lot of friends, and I think I think Iron's character
was somebody that she could convince.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Interesting she came back for your fourth episode, let's say,
Lara part two, that were you up to something when
you came back, like straight.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Out of the gate? No not, I think I mean
because he finds me in the episode he comes into
my room in the beginning of the second time I
came back. So I think I think there was legitimately
trying to do this play to somehow find some footing,
to find some places.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Yeah, but so weird. You're right that she would even allow,
you know, allow him to get close to her again
if that had.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Been and vice versa. But I think they had some guilt.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
Like I might be going way to like the psychology
of these characters, but like Laura has some guilt over
what she maybe she misinterpreted what was happening or had
her perspective and then it became this hold to do.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
And he has guilt because he does it.
Speaker 5 (19:00):
Admit he shouldn't have done what he did, even though
it wasn't necessarily quote rape or criminal, it was he
knew he had celested, and there was the whole thing.
So he's got guilt, which is why I think it
was a perfect storm. You two connected because of this past,
and then it just spirals and he almost causes the spiral,
(19:23):
not exactly, but he doesn't, you know, bring you down
and say wait a minute, or did you call Brenda
and do this about the rehearsal. It's like he's so
in with you, probably from the guilt, that it exasperates
this messiness.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Right, Yeah, it got really messy. I think I think
obviously the characters unhinged otherwise to go there so quickly
over not getting the part, or you know, I think
already confused and lost and struggling in college and alone,
and then Okay, this is going to solve everything. I'm
(20:02):
going to do this play. I'm going to get this
part and work my ass off on it, and I'm gonna,
you know, nail it and should have gotten it. And
then and legitimately feeling like, wait, what happened? How did
she all of a sudden get the part when she
bombed the audition? And right, so that's legitimate confusion. And
(20:22):
then he was, you know, guilty of seducing his leading ladies.
And then to find out that she went to his house.
So it all those pieces to defend her, that character,
all those you and she wasn't the only one saying
it so right, you know, so you know, yes, she
(20:45):
made it worse and then totally went off the deep end. Right,
who directed? Do you remember? Who was that James? That
house that directed? Do you have any section one of them?
Maybe that maybe that last one? I don't remember. I
don't know. I just was wondering because, especially with the
(21:06):
last couple episodes, you had so much like work to
You had to really prepare stuff and bring it in
and sometimes on an episodic show like this, it gets
a little like you know, the director doesn't really step
up and help or support the way they could with
an actress, especially when they have stuff this heavy. I
(21:28):
was just wondering if if you remember any like people
that supported you or helped you, or like, you know,
made it up. I don't. I don't for those episodes.
I do remember a director and I can't remember his
name on the earlier episodes being very kind and thoughtful
(21:49):
and trying to help me through a moment this one,
this one, I think I was just, you know, I
was so focused on trying to as an actor, trying
to nail that arc and try to make sense of it.
And you must know this so well. When you're on
(22:11):
a series, you almost have to be director proof because
can you take from the good and hopefully you get
really good ones, but there's bad ones out there that
tell you to do things that just aren't write for
your character, especially if in an episodic. They're coming in
for each show. You're on the show every episode, so
(22:31):
you want your character you understand, and sometimes it's a
good thing and you do know your character. I've definitely
worked on series where the ego is really big and
they just won't do anything the director says, well, they
just focus on the guest star because that that regular
(22:52):
will not do anything, and that's got to be frustrating
for a director.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Well, and this character is so complicated.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
This isn't like Sorority Girl one, you know number two,
Like if this didn't go, if you didn't do it
right and have that support you needed, it could have
derailed multiple episodes. That's why I think there was so
much pressure on this character because you became the forefront
of this episode.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
And again, it could have been clowny if you didn't
do it right, or like too soapy or I.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Mean, we got you to play this role because you're right,
Amy been could have been disaster. You're you're you're very sweet.
I know because I've seen your work after the show,
Like I know your work and you're always consistently like
just good, you know, and and like I don't want
(23:57):
to say dependable, but you know that you're going to
give the characters do what's the saying, it's it's to oats, No,
what's the we were having this argument? Sorry you are,
you're doing the character right.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
But what's blowing my mind? And I hope this makes
sense because looking at you right now. First of all,
you do look the same, so beautiful.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
You did something with your face, like your eyes and
the like playing that character because I thought you were
going to look like that today and you don't look
anything like that.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
So you were doing that and it was like.
Speaker 5 (24:41):
Crazy in the eyes and that's your eyes, you guys,
Like that's what's going on?
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Because I thought you.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Had fake how have you? It was not just in
the things that you were saying. It was in the
body language.
Speaker 5 (24:56):
It was in the face and the movement and even
like the creepy masks on the door of the room.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
And like the laundry.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
Every single part of that character I think was so
good in these episodes, and that's why, like it was
burned into me.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
I was like, I will never forget that character.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Yeah, well, I think I was trying to remember at
the time, I was really into Cassavettis, and I think
I was trying to channel gentlemen from a woman under
the influencer. I think, wow, I think there's probably the
young actress in me was trying to figure out how
do you tap into something where you go so you know,
(25:39):
that's to get to that point, it's got to be
you know, is hard. I've had you know, and I've
had people in my life who have gone there, and
so it's it's you know a lot of people are
like such a selfish act you know to do something
like that, but that's how lost you are when you yeah,
(26:01):
going to that extreme, You're so lost. So it was,
you know, I think I was probably trying to channel
anything I could find as such a young actress. I'm
going to look back on that, and we were, I mean,
we're so young and we're trying to do these really hard.
Speaker 5 (26:22):
Well, yeah, you had to make that nutty nutty gal
likable too, or we all would have been like, get
rid of this cuckoo chick. We had to feel compassion,
which I did the entire both.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Laura Part one and Laura Part two.
Speaker 5 (26:36):
Like even though what you sort of did, although I
still we debated this back and forth a lot because
it's never clear what really happened in Laura Part one,
but you you were still likable, and we had this
almost like oh no, like oh, bless her heart kind
of like, oh no.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
That's hard. That's a hard thing because we're you're watching
these characters on this show and you fall in love
with these characters, and so any character that comes on
that that disparages them or it, you're not going to
be liked. And so that's a it's a hard balance
to play what they've written for you and play that
(27:16):
character but also not be completely hated by anybody watching
the show because then nobody cares and so what so.
Speaker 5 (27:25):
Well, and you your character is so important to bring
Steve to the forefront because look, Steve can be sort
of a secondary character.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
But in both Laura Part one and Laura Part two.
Speaker 5 (27:35):
And it really brought Jenny to the forefront because she
comes to defend Steve and that was so important for
our core characters. And then in this one, it really
caused the friction between Steve and Brenda for the most
we've ever seen.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
I mean we were almost like a laughing right, Wow,
they're going.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
And say, I'm your brother's friend, not yours.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
My god, he's kind of a you know, a D
word in this.
Speaker 5 (28:06):
But you still we had to not hate you. We
never hated you.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
We were just like, oh god, this is going the wrong.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Right, Yeah, you did job, thank you. I ended up
It's funny. I ended up doing I think probably five
or six years later, I ended up doing Alma in
Tennessee Williams Summer and Smoke ask you about this? Yeah,
where did you do that? At the Fountain Theater and
(28:38):
we had almost a year run and the Ovation Awards
are the Theater Awards in LA and I was up
against Linda Lavin and Ruby d and now wow look
at you.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
And then after that, two years after that, I played
a character called Maggie in After the Fall and Arthur
Miller play No, it's all like predetermined, Yeah, right, is right?
So foreshadowing love it. Yeah, You've just Yeah, like you said,
you've had such a well rounded career, and your resume
(29:17):
is so full of all kinds of different genres. You've
done sci fi, horror, and yeah, you've done it all.
You've done live theater. I have one of the most
iconic horror deaths in the film, which Toy, We're here, Tory,
We're here.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
She would be so excited right now because she loves
horror films. I'm not really away which one.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
I'm not either, which is so funny because I've done
the series, I've done you know, my very first so
my very first film after and I know two one
to oh was Wes Craven's New Nightmare, which did Nightmare
and Elm Street and then he you know, there were
other directors who did the other ones, and then he
came back and did the one I did and it
was my first movie. Wow. I have this credible death
(30:00):
scene where Freddy Krueger is dragging me up the wall
and he disappears and then he appears. He disappears and
dragging me up the wall and I'm screaming and I'm
reaching my hand out to the little boy and then
he just cuts me. Oh my god. And it was
all done in a in a studio that completely turns
(30:21):
so you could go up the walls, so that I
could go up the wall. It's crazy town. It's crazy town. Yeah.
That was my first movie. So fun though. That's what
a lot of people know, a lot of you know,
there's certain if you've been on that, then you end
up going on to some other things like Angel and
(30:42):
then you know. Obviously the last one was MTV's Scream
This series.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Yeah, that was a good show. Actually, that was a
really good show.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Yeah, it was a fund what you're living in New Orleans?
I live, I live in New Orleans, and that's kind
of why I live here. The first season was shot
in Baton, Huge, and the second season they were going
to film in New Orleans and we were gonna, you know,
my husband and I were like, well, let's buy an
investment property, because that's what you do when you're on
(31:09):
a series. Right, So Mark, now, right, So we were
looking in California and we were living in Central California
at the time, and I couldn't find anything. And then
we looked in New Orleans and we just found this.
The house I'm in now, this really great, you know,
one hundred year old house, and it was amazing. It's
(31:33):
just ugly, just painted, you know, yell and purple. And
so while I was filming the series, you know, again,
I was the mom of the main character. My character
had all this history, and so I was I was
integral in it. But I didn't have to work that much.
That's kind of role. It was great. So I was
getting paid, worked maybe one or two days a week,
(31:55):
and then the rest of the time I spent renovating
the house.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Is that the house I saw on your Instagram?
Speaker 1 (32:03):
The white is it white? Like, yeah, it's beautiful. Yeah,
And so we're now I'm actually doing Uh, we have
a commercial property that's from the eighteen forties. Then we're
that we're renovating. Oh that's so fun. Yeah, it's an
old pharmacy and an old brick carriage house and we're
(32:23):
turning it in a restaurant, bar and a deli. Amazing.
Look at you. You're just our Laura king You do
what you gotta do, don't you really sprouted her wings?
Speaker 5 (32:37):
I will say I am so grateful for you doing
this because of all the ten seasons, there's only a
handful of guest stars that really are just unforgettable, and
you are one of them, and like Laura Kingman will
never be forgotten. It's just such a Yeah, it must
have just been so juicy to like play that character.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
She's so so complicated.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Yeah, it was. It was in fact. I mean as
you get older, I mean you probably feel this way, Jenny,
But as you get older, you go, oh, I think
I understand that a little bit better now, and you
look back on some of these parts and go, oh.
The hard thing being an actor is that it's out
there for everyone to see, and so your growth is
(33:21):
out there for everyone to see. Oh yeah, yeah, which
can you know, it can be tough. You just have to,
you know, accept that's part of the gig and try
to grow with each job. So yeah, well I can't
wait to see what's next for you. And I mean
you're going to keep yourself busy with these renovations, which
is so fun. Yeah, yeah, I have these renovations. I
(33:44):
also have a project that I worked on which you
maybe would want to contribute to. It's called Shutter to Think.
And I saw that also on your Instagram and I
saw someone's feet and I was very confused, are they
your feet or are they any lynnux Beat? I created
(34:04):
so girls education. If you can educate women around the world,
girls around the world, we can pretty much change the world.
Because girls get educated, they work, the money comes home.
They don't leave their villages, they stay. And the majority
of girls are not educated. The boys are educated. And
so I was involved with a friend who started Girl
(34:27):
Rising and I started this project called Shudder to Think
and it's any but any celebrity who has taken a photo,
they can donate the photo. Amazing, let's do that. I
was I was just at I was just at the
gorge to see Brandon Carlisle and John H. Fan was
(34:49):
so lucky to meet Johnnie Mitchell and talk to her,
and then I ran into any Lenox and I was
I was able to thank any Lennox for her Oh good.
I definitely wanted it easy because it's you just send
a boot up and I used to have genius.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
First of all, that's a genius because that's an easy
ask of people. And also I love that title, shudder
to think if you like, break it down, get it shutter,
help the girls think. And I've had some good responses.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
Meryl Street donated, and Helen Chemmy and Moby and just
the list is amazing and good for you, growing, good
for you have so much admiration. Yeah, thank you, thank you. Well,
it's just so great to see your face again and
(35:42):
talk to you and learn all about this and I
don't know, you're just great. You're great, that's all.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Yeah, you are phenomenal on this show.
Speaker 5 (35:52):
Because even now, just this little time we've had, is
like you don't even look like her in that same way.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
You're personalities difference, So it's just like that must have
been so out of left field to play her, and
you just nailed it. Like I said, I will never
forget Laurie.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yeah, I don't think I've played anybody that unhinged since
that was That was it. That's right, I feel I
feel somehow good about that. Yeah, well, we were happy
to be a part of it, of your unhinged performance
of a lifetime. Thank you, thank you, and you have
(36:29):
any other questions, just let me know. In ne Orleans.
I love it. That sounds like good life. Well be well,
love to your family and thank you too. Okay, Bay
so awesome.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
Oh my god, she's she's so cool because she really,
like I said, like for you all to be that
young and play character like.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
That, I know she she had to have a serious
like death so hard because she was so like over
the top, but couldn't be over the top, like we
had to believe that she.
Speaker 5 (37:03):
Would climb that scaffolding and was gonna in the you know,
the whole thing.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Like I said, he could have gone clowney so easily.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
Oh my gosh, that was fun. I was talking to
our old coast stars. That's that's those are always fun episodes. Yeah,
our one on ones. I loved it.
Speaker 5 (37:20):
Okay, So the finale, she's going to Washington, so we're
getting ready for.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
That next week. Y'all who loves Christmas? I do.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
Hey everybody, it's me Jenny Garth, my BFF Tory spelling,
and I are so excited to bring our new holiday
home decor pieces to QVC in honor of QVC's Christmas
in July. We want to bring our holiday spirit into
your home this summer by sharing our festive and stylish
(37:59):
pieces for the holidays, So be sure to tune in
to QBC this Saturday, July fifteenth at eight am Eastern
Standard Time and Sunday, July sixteenth at one am Eastern
Standard Time. In the meantime, explore more on our Instagram
at the BFF Collection or go to the BFF collection
(38:21):
dot com. Merry Christmas in July
Hosts And Creators
Tori Spelling
Jennie Garth
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.