One on One: Billy Burke

Lorelai has a boyfriend and shockingly Scott is ok with it.  Alex is a likable cute cool coffee loving guy! We're getting all the details on him from the man who portrayed him, Billy Burke.
And, of course, we can't interview Billy Burke without talking a little Twilight!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I am all in you, I am all in with
Scott Patterson and I Hurt Radio podcast. All right, everybody,

(00:22):
we're here with Billy Burke, uh, who is so far
my favorite uh guy for lorli um. And I don't
know how you can possibly say that, but thanks, because
I think you're You're just You're just a very cool cat.

(00:43):
You know, You're a mellow kind of kind of cool guy,
and you seem very confident and comfortable in your own skin.
And I just it's just a nice balance between the
two of you, and I enjoy watching it. Thank you,
and I think you're a terrific act. During you you
really underplay everything and just but everything is h you know,

(01:04):
it was louder because of it, So it's it's it's
it's a great relief actually because I U, I take
exception with most of her um potential love interests, but
not here. I I like, I like how this feels,
and I like you just dropped her off and gave
her a kiss and she was hungry. You did your

(01:25):
weekend in New York City, and uh, I like probably
because that probably has mostly to do with the fact
that I had zero idea what I was walking into
and I came on the show, I know, right, Yeah,
it was. I mean, I as far as I recollect

(01:46):
I you know, Lauren and I had done um, this
little independent movie together a couple of years prior called
deal Scallion, and it was a fake documentary about a
country singer, and so I played this country singer and
go on the road and I meet her and she
becomes my girlfriend and um, and so within that process,

(02:07):
I mean, we had the greatest time making that movie.
But Laura and I just became really good friends during that.
So I had always assumed that it was a couple
of years later that when we got the call to
come and do Gilmore Girls. I had just assumed that
maybe she had made a request or something like that.
But I don't know if that's the case or not.
It never got discussed between here Kerr and I or

(02:28):
anybody else. So it could have been could have been
just an accident, It could have been could have been
against her will for all I know. Yeah, I think
she was so busy they didn't consult her on much,
but she probably gave them a list, you know, I know,
people she did want to work with and people she
didn't want to work with and you know, absolute nos

(02:50):
and um. Yeah, So so tell us about you know,
how you got the job. Was it just a straight offer?
Did you audition first day on the set, that kind
of thing? Reunited It came in as an offer they
I think it probably was one of those situations where

(03:13):
they asked if you want to come do one episode
with the potential for for more. But uh, I think
it was always supposed to be a one to three
episode arc. I believe I ended up doing three. Um.
But yeah, like I said, it just kind of came in.
So my assumption was, oh, you know, my friend Lauren

(03:35):
probably just trying to see if I want to come
and do some of the show, and I'd be more
than happy to obviously, so I said yes immediately, right right,
Um again, not having any idea have I mean, had
not seen it prior to that, had not experienced the

(03:55):
tone and tempo and um all that up, which is
very specific to that shown, very specific to to a
lot of I think what Amy Paladino does. Yeah. Yeah,
that's why That's why I particularly like what you did
with that character, because you didn't allow yourself to get

(04:19):
caught up in their rhythm and their speed. You had
your own yet it was so smooth and it didn't
throw anybody off. It just kept feeding and feeding it,
feeding it because you know, they're going a mile a minute, um,
but you provided this real i don't know, not an
escape from it, but it relaxed the scenes and they

(04:39):
just seemed more real as a result, so, you know,
as as an actor and that and that was my
challenge too, because Luke was a whole different you know,
he was a whole different vibe. But sometimes you couldn't
help but get caught in, caught up in the speed
what was going on, and it was you. You were
you were the cool, relaxed guy on the show. If

(05:01):
I recall, oh no, no, no, no no. Well sometimes
and then you came along and it was like, okay,
that's what it's supposed to be. No, that's really that's
exactly what I was trying to achieve is what you achieved.
And I was like, that's how I saw Luke. But
they kept whipping me to go faster, so I guess

(05:21):
I go faster. Yeah, I'm always I mean, I'm you know,
I'm I'm confined to what's on the page in terms
of in terms of bourbage and uh sentiment and dynamic
and all that kind of stuff. Um, but I just

(05:41):
I probably just didn't know what else to do but
settle into into how I saw it. You know, if
I were going to reach beyond that and try to
attain there, um, you know, their tempo, it would have
been a disaster. Yeah. And that's and when I and

(06:05):
when it happened to me. And I'm now I'm saying
because I never saw it before, I cringe. God, I
cringe uh at being at being duped into their tempo.
And it's like, okay, yeah, damn it. Um, but that's
I guess all those people were so good at it,
right right. I mean you know I include you on

(06:28):
this too. I mean you you were on the show
for a long time. I mean that's whatever whatever everybody
was doing was was obviously working. Hey man, Hey, I
had to learn to go that fast. I didn't like it.
I struggled with it. I never felt comfortable going that fast.

(06:49):
They were great at it. I mean, Lauren, it's just
like you know, she's that that's just another brain, that's
another level there. She's always had it since I since
right knowing her. I mean, she's just she's a rocket ship.
She just she's yeah, yeah, it's it's why she can
do those uh And where I think she really is

(07:11):
best with with her comedy is in those moments where
she's got a stumble and fumble and and she does
it so she does it so quickly and with while
also delaying things, and I it's amazing how she can
do it. She did it in this episode in the
scene with with the band in her kitchen and she

(07:33):
kind of let the cat out of the bag about
how uh Lane and Dave were dating, and she tried
to take it back, and I really laughed out loud.
I mean, she's very, very fun, she's very gifted, she's
very yeah. And it's and I think it comes from
she's got an old school heart when it comes to

(07:53):
when it comes to television and that kind of comedy.
I mean I liken it to kind the like the
Bob new Hearts of the Right, you know what I mean,
where Bob Newhart was like he wasn't it didn't feel
like he was doing something perfect or precious, because but
he was. It just felt so natural for him, right,

(08:16):
I feel the same way. Yeah, just as as quick
as lightning, that one unbelievable. Um. Um, So look the fans,
they they they email questions and they want to know.
They're very excited about you being on the show. Um aside,

(08:37):
and they want to know. Okay, here's here's uh, Jennifer
from God, I I hope I can answer this, Okay, Um, well, okay,
you can probably answer this. Uh from from Houston, Texas.
Jennifer from Houston, Texas. Uh, Billy Park is so cool.

(08:57):
I agree, Jennifer, h what do you think? What? What
did you think of your character Alex? Are you anything
like him? Huh? Again? I mean I really don't remember
the character that well. I mean I probably should have.

(09:17):
I probably should have done some research and gone back
and taken a look. But then again, and then I'd
be in your shoes, cringing it stuff, and I don't
want to do that. So, um, let let me help
let me. I doubt I doubt it. I doubt there
was anything familiar to me about what he was supposed

(09:38):
to be. I probably was just doing my best to
you know, not offend anybody. Well that's that's it. Why
strategy that was easy to do? Um? Um, all right,
here's here's one hang on, uh This is from Robert
from Seattle. I thank you yours. Yeah, you're close, right, Okay,

(10:06):
I spent all my formative years in downtown Seattle, from
okay to uh. He wants to know any favorite memories
working with Lauren or Melissa McCarthy. Did I have scenes

(10:27):
with Melissa hum just outside when you went to see
the Broadway show that everybody hated and she was there
with Jackson out theater after the theater. I'm sure it was.
I'm sure it was beyond pleasant. Um. Everybody on the
show was obviously, I mean, given my sort of fish

(10:50):
out of water feeling about myself, everybody was was so kind. Um.
I don't have any specific recollections about that. Laura and
I have always I mean, as I was saying before,
we we did a little independent movie beforehand a few
years prior, and we had we had what I would

(11:12):
consider to be one of those sort of automatic oh
I get you, I get what you're doing. Um, And
so we had one of those kind of friendships, and
I think that translated, hopefully translated into into the stuff
on screen. Every every moment working with Lauren is always

(11:35):
a joy, right, Okay, So let's change gears. Talk about
a little bit Twilight. There's so many Twilight, uh questions, emails?
Good god, there were so many. So you're about to
say there's so many Twilight movies, which there are? Good god,

(11:57):
how many of them? Uh? Uh? Um, okay, who this is? Uh?
This is Robert Roberta from Albuquerque. You've worked steady since
the nineties, but many fans no use Charlotte Swan, Bella's
dad and Twilight. Ah, in those five years the franchise,

(12:20):
was it hard to walk outside without being recognized. Um
those five years were probably my most recognizable. Um I
without without just the the Charlie Swan porn stash, without

(12:44):
just that on my face. Um, I kind of disappear
into myself most of the time. So it depends on
what facial hair I have at the time, going on
how recognized, how recognizable I am. But but yeah, during
those five years, um, look, it was it was just
nice to be a part of something that people were

(13:05):
paying attention to, you know, as as she said herself,
I've been working since the early nineties, and you know,
I had a lot of good successes and and some
dips and and as all careers do, and uh and
so Yeah, it was. It was nice to be a
part of that, UM, but I don't necessarily love not

(13:29):
having an unim anonymity. However, you say that word, you know,
um right, uh? And so did it what you were
doing the music? Then you were pretty serious about recording
and releasing songs and was at that time I used

(13:51):
that around that time when the first Twilight came out,
That's when Twitter was still kind of burgeoning. Uh. I
didn't get the concept, still kind of don't um. But
somebody approached me saying, UM, this is gonna be a
necessary tool for you. You're gonna you're gonna want to
have this. I said, I don't know that, I am.

(14:14):
I don't know that I will ever use it. And
then I started thinking, oh, because I was in the
throes of kind of putting together an album for myself
of just stuff that I've been running over the years,
and so I figured, h, I will use that for
what I can and what I can do is use
it as a promotional tool for that. UM. And so yes,

(14:38):
during that time, I put out a record and we did,
and probably only because of Twilight fans, we did. We
released it on a format called CD Baby, and we
had their biggest single day day opening sales record of
all time at the time, which was great. Um So

(15:02):
in those cases, social media pretty useful. But did you
did you get music? Did you get did you get into?
We did? We did one? We did one album released
show in Los Angeles at the House of Blues which
people came from being everywhere to come and see, which
was was really great. Um but no, no tour. I can't.

(15:29):
It's impossible to keep a band together if you're if
your main career is is moving in television. You just
can't do. I mean, I know some guys do, but
we don't. We don't see him very often the way
h m hm. Did A did a label step up? Oh? No, no,

(15:52):
And I didn't expect that to happen. I mean, my
music was very sort of eclectic and kind of specific
to myself els and my thought patterns, And I mean,
I think it's couched in really good melodic music, American
style music, but it's but content wise and lyrically, it's
I don't know that that's gonna identify with the masses.

(16:15):
So if I were the record label, I know I
might enjoy the momentary popularity for a second and say, oh,
we can make something out of this, but long run.
H So, who are who are some of your big
musical influences growing up and currently what informs your writing?

(16:36):
I grew up with mostly my mother's music, which was
a lot of singer songwriters, um, the Jim Croaches and
in James Taylor's uh early early Billy Joel early Elton
John was a huge influence. Um Bowie Um always sort

(16:59):
of all the sort of artisans of that period. Yeah.
What always amazed me about Bowie is his very early
career and his his his right. The songwriting in his
teens was so vulnerable, it was so odd even. It
was just all of these very childlike, delicate little songs

(17:22):
that where he created this very safe world for those
characters to an habit. And then he writes what was
his big breakthrough a song? It was was it space
Oddity or was it um? I think space Ody put
him on the the big map right right right, But

(17:43):
there was one before that It was like wow, um, yeah,
you know I was, I was, really I was. I
mean I was born in sixty six, so uh so
that was that kind of knowledge was was beyond at
that point. I didn't get into Bowie Bowie until I
was you know, early teens, right. Um, So I'm no scholar.

(18:08):
I can't answer your question about when something came out
damn it. Um, but yeah, that early stuff. You're absolutely
right what he was doing. I just don't know that
there's any parallel to it whatsoever. I mean, not only
was it vulnerable, but it was so just weirdly insightful

(18:30):
and and uh and communicated to so many people in
so many different ways, in such specific ways. Um. Yeah,
I mean he's the the ultimate uh, the ultimate outsider,
absolutely who made somehow everybody go like that's probably the

(18:51):
coolest guy in the world. And yeah, yeah, for his
entire life or his entire A pony just he just
kept doing it. He just kept he kept changing until
until the day he died. He was kept doing his thing. Yeah,
Oh my god, I still watch He was on Jules

(19:13):
Holland in two thousand and God, what was it, two
thousand and two. I may have seen this on YouTube.
He does you know he did? Well, maybe it was
maybe it was two thousand and ten, but I'm thinking
two tho. Jules Holland. Oh jeez, what just happened? I
don't know oh good. Sorry, Um, he did Rebel Rebel

(19:38):
uh in the studio and travel live audience, and it
was just I don't know, every time I listened to
it, it it brings a tear. It's just it's such a
huge song. It's such a great range. It's just such
a big moment, you know. It's just the audience was
so happy. Yeah. They were just and quintessential rock and roll.

(20:03):
That's yeah, wherever you are, and he placed time that
riff starts you know where you're back again? Yeah, yeah,
and the and the vocal he laid down on that
with such ease, and it's just like, God, damn, this
guy was magic. Yeah, he made he made everything look easy.
It was part of it, you know, the movement, yes,

(20:26):
you know everything. The phenomenal musicianship that he put into everything.
I mean, he played so many instruments and was so
knowledgeable about notes. I mean, yeah, there will never be another. Yea.
I share your your fascination and respect with it with

(20:50):
with that artist. My god, he's my probably my favorite
artist of all time, at least in the last sixty years,
seventy years. Um, I can't think of anybody Desert Island wise,
if you're gonna bring somebody's music with you, and you
only have one. I can't. I can't think of anybody else. Yeah,

(21:13):
there's one that, there's one of them for me. There's
one that that is sort of competing right now. And
I'm not even gonna say it because I'm I'll be
embarrassed to say it. But somebody, somebody present day Yah, yeah, yeah,
who's extraordinary in every way? I mean just master songwriter, singer, performer,

(21:40):
it's just the whole thing. But anyway, male or female female?
Do I have an idea of who you're talking about?
I don't know. Maybe think about it for me when
you say all those things, Phoebe Bridges comes to mind
for me. Oh, you know what I'm gonna. I'm gonna.

(22:04):
I'm gonna check her stuff out. I'm not really versed
within her, so, but I will because I've heard great
I've heard yl songwriter Okay, right, okay, So I'm gonna
check it out because I love songwriters above and beyond everybody.
I love songwriters. And you can tell me who you're
talking about when we when we get off this thing.

(22:27):
You're not gonna believe it. You're just gonna laugh Okay,
here's here's another question. But you have a daughter. Do
you wanna Do you want to talk about your daughter
at all? Or we don't have to, But if if
you don't want to, that's fine. But I'm okay talking

(22:49):
about her. I don't think that I'll be revealing any secrets,
but she wouldn't want me to. Okay. So here's uh,
Mary Anne from New York, New York. That's where I am.
Five five huge films and five years and your daughter
was born during the first one. How did you manage

(23:12):
that work schedule? Did you ever get a break? Uh?
Those five years were a kind of a blur. Um. Yeah,
it was go go go all the time. Her mother
and I were still married at the time, of course,

(23:34):
and so that made it a lot easier. She Uh,
she had to do a lot of work in terms
of you know, just the day to day while I
was off, you know, playing Make Belief, and uh, it
was it was busy, but yeah, it was. I mean,
those were some of my favorite years with my with

(23:56):
my kid because we traveled a bit in like different places.
She'd come to the set m once in a while,
and and uh it was it was good times. But
it wasn't under onelm right. She now, um though, speaking

(24:16):
of the sunch a good hand. Although she hasn't uh
seen more girls, apparently it's repopularized with a lot of
kids age now as friends and all these things that
had resurgences and so so she did like sometime last
year I think it was, came home and said, do

(24:39):
you want the Gilmore Girls? Oh? Yeah, I was. She's like, yeah,
my friends were watching it, they said they. I said, okay, Well, um, yeah,
I've been around a while. Have you kept in touch
with any of the Twilight cast? And that's uh Eva

(24:59):
from Los Angeles. You must to know that. Yeah, I
wouldn't say Captain Touch. I have run into one or
two or six of them from time to time over
the years, and uh it's always a pleasant sight. Um Again,
not one objectionable person in that castor crew that I

(25:22):
can remember either all really and and you know, at
the time, I could tell I can tell some stuff
that was going on with some of those people, Um,
a few in particular. I'm not going to name any names,
but but I could see that there was gonna be
some great stuff beyond what we were doing at present

(25:45):
as well. For some of those people. Um, okay, I
have a question for this form me. You worked with
Anthony Hopkins, I did the right Anthony Hopkins the the
Is there anything that he does that you that just

(26:09):
set you back on your heels because it's unlike other
actors are doing it? What makes him so great? While
you got a chance because you worked with him a lot.
Actually in that film? What was it? What was the
name of that film you were having in a fan
of his wife? You were a detective, right, it was

(26:29):
it was him and Gosling, Right, I was the foil
um And it was called why are you asking me this? Now? Now?
I mean now, I'm gonna blank on the on the title. Um,
it was one of those you know titles. It was

(26:49):
like a yes, yes, yes, yes, you know look you guys,
Figger than the film that's understandable, the best, the best
time in my life? What was the film called? Uh? So,

(27:12):
that's a great question because what was what turned out
to be shocking was the opposite of what you just said.
There was nothing that he did, um, that I looked
at and watched and experienced and uh there was really
anything different than I do myself. He's one of those

(27:33):
guys that and you know, in between scenes we'll you know,
we'll go back and sit in our chairs, and you know,
she'd a little bit just talk about nothing, this and
that and and then he's the guy who's reading the
l A times da Dad, Mr Hopkins, were ready for you? Okay,
hold up the paper, goes to work, right. There's not

(27:56):
a lot of there's not a lot of extraneous thought
that's put into it. He's he knows what he's he
knows what he's doing before he gets thereright, And and
that's what I saw. What's what's it? What's he like?
In rehearsal um? We didn't really as far as I remember,
we didn't rehearse a lot. We um. We set up

(28:18):
the scenes. We uh, you know, maybe ran the dialogue
for for blocking and placement a little bit um, but
we never did any hardcore rehearsal um. I think we
did a little bit before. I remember doing a little
bit beforehand with with the director and with with Gosling,

(28:40):
but uh not with uh not with Hopkins. And on
set we didn't do much rehearsal either. I mean, I
I think again, I'm assuming he's he's like me when
it comes to that as well, I kind of come, uh,
you know, having thoughts and ideas already kind of built in,
and I don't really want to. I'd rather shake him

(29:03):
out on camera and and fix it from there, because
if we get me happy accidents along the way, that's
what we like, right, that's what we like. Yeah, absolutely, yeah,
absolutely let it you know, just you know, doing a
rehearsal by the numbers for camera and then just let

(29:23):
it fly. Yep, absolutely, Okay, here we go. Uh. This
is from Benizio. Benizio from Boston, Massachusets as steady working
actors since the nineties. What advice would you give someone
just starting out? It is a whole different business today.

(29:46):
Can you agree it is a full different business? Yeah?
Nothing like Yeah, I wouldn't be. I mean, I would
be the last person to ask for advice because somebody,
somebody who's having some successes starting out right now, would
have some way better answers than I would. I'm I
get confused every day. I'm about to go back to

(30:08):
work here, I'm leaving after tomorrow as a matter of factum,
and to start another TV series and I what it
is now and how it works now and with all
the bump reguards and safety rails and uh and uh

(30:30):
politics that has to go on just to get something made.
As an actor, Well, here's one thing I would say,
get some ownership not only of what you do and
what you bring with your personal part of the of

(30:53):
the puzzle when you're put together a story piece of drama, um,
business wise, find a way to navigate the system and
get in there on getting some ownership because you will
not want to be just a hired hand actor forever. Yes,

(31:13):
well said, great, that's great advice because look what happened
with Goodwill Hunting but those two guys, look what happened
with Swingers with Vince Vaughn and Jon Favro. You know, yeah,
if you can write and and produce a small, classy
indie film that doesn't have to do huge numbers, but

(31:35):
you've proved, you've shown the industry that you've got some knowledge,
that's right, some credit, get yourself some Yeah, that'll give
you a lot of credit. So that's that's very very
good advice. What are you so, what are you doing?
What are you getting ready to do? What pilot you're
doing a pilot or is it picked up already. It's
it's uh, it's coming out this fall on CBS. It's

(31:56):
called Fire Country, and it is based around, um, sort
of a family that lives and has always lived in
this northern California area where uh, you know, they worked
for cal Fire and they and and um and you
know they that's what they do every day. Um. But

(32:18):
we couple that with their there's a program with prisons
where um, you can sort of get some benefits and
possibly even shorten your sentence if you go out and
fight fires with Califire. Oh yeah, right, sure, that's the
real thing. That's that's what our story is based on.

(32:38):
The interesting Um yeah, my yeah, it comes out. It
comes out this fall. I can't I mean, I don't
want to say too much about it obviously because I
don't know what I'm supposed to say. And nothing but
CBS this fall, I think, Right, Okay, yeah, well you're
gonna Are you gonna shoot it in northern California? Well

(33:02):
you would think, wouldn't you? But but but no, are
you going to Canada? You're going to Canada? Oh yeah?
Are you going to Vaca, Yes, one of Vancouver, where
I've spent I don't know. I mean probably a good
third of my career. I guess where I am and

(33:23):
right now I'm in I'm in Nova, Scotia. Are you Yeah,
I'm shooting something up here. Yeah. It's beautiful. It's I've
never been here before. It's gorgeous. I've never been there. Yeah,
I've heard it's great up there. I'm doing a show
called Sullivan's Crossing. Uh. It's like Fremantle and Bell Media

(33:43):
up here and SEETV. So it's uh one of these
shows that they're gonna sell all over the world. Um,
are you a Canadian national? No? No, no no, No, I'm
from I'm from New Jersey. Yeah that's not Canadian no.

(34:05):
Um So anyway, so when that when's that come out? Oh? God,
I don't know. I mean we're we're on what don't
We shot two or three episodes so far? We got
we're shooting ten. Uh so we're done like mid September,
third week in September. I don't know when it's coming out.
I guess I guess it would come out early. I

(34:27):
mean they'd want to pump it up, right, so probably
early three. I don't know. I don't know, right, Maybe
I don't Yeah, I don't know. Um anyway, look, um
damn it, you're working because I was gonna try to
get you up here because I want to. I want
to work with you. I will, dude, just you know

(34:49):
all you gotta do, Billy, You're you're available. I like
to work. You're the coolest guy in the business. You're
You're like one of those guys. So it's like, I
got to get this guy's vibe up here, man, because
he's cool as hell, and you're I'm not sure I

(35:11):
have anybody to, you know, make that comparison with for myself.
So but thanks. I appreciate it because you're because you're
the coolest guy and there's nobody else and that's it.
You know, You're you're like the eldest of actors. You know,
you're just like it's like you do your thing and
it's like that's enough, Billy, just laid it down. Let's

(35:31):
walk away. Right, We're done. We're done the scene. Drop listen. Good.
It was good. Uh, finally getting a chance to meet
you officially and talk to you. I didn't get the
chance to meet you when you we're on the set. Um,

(35:52):
it really was And come back anytime, um uh and
tell us how it's going up there in Vancouver, and
and uh we'll keep in touch and and be well. Okay,
have a great shoot and and really nice talking to you. Okay,
you too appreciate all right, but take care of hey everybody,

(36:40):
and don't forget follow us on Instagram at I Am
all In podcast and email us at Gilmore at I
heart radio dot com. Oh you gil More fans. If
you're looking for the best cup of coffee in the world,
go to my website for my company scott ep dot com,
s c O T t y P dot com, scotty
p dot com Grade one especially coffee. Yeah h