January 19, 2023 • 28 mins
Oh Sherry!
Sherry Tinsdale is here. Who can forget the infamous baby shower and Gigi's birth!
Mädchen appeared in only THREE episodes but Sherry is continually mentioned throughout the series.
We need the details. We need to know everything.
(You'll be surprised by the part she almost got...)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I am all in, kiss you more, I am all
in with Scott Patterson and I heart radio podcast. Everybody
(00:21):
Scott Patterson, I am all in podcast. We're here with
Majin Amck. One of the great, one of the great
talents that this town has ever produced. She's obviously know
from Twin Peaks. Um. There was a two thousand and
seventeen revival uh. She had the pivotal role of Wendell
Mead on e R. She's also currently a series regular
(00:45):
on Riverdale as Alice, and that's been since two thousand seventeen.
She directs, she writes, she produces, she does everything. She's
got a wonderful organization um dealing with mental illness that
we're gonna get to a little bit later. Ladies and gentlemen,
I give you the one only makes your naming. Welcome
to the show. How are you? Thank you? I'm good
(01:05):
and I have so applaud to you for saying my
name correctly. I always knew your name. I always knew
how to say it correctly, and before you came on,
our team coached me on it. They kept sending me
like it's a long a it's here. I said, like, guys,
I know, I know her, you know, I know I know.
So even back in back in the day, did it
give you trouble? Ear no German and you knew that
(01:28):
this is the way it's pronounced. Yeah, I'm well, I'm
I'm part German, so I know I know this. Okay,
I know these things. Yeah. And it's just such a
beautiful name. It's it's so fun to say. It makes
your name. I just love that name. I have a
story about my name. Do you do? Yeah, I can't
lay it on us. So my husband and I went
to Zurich, I don't know before pre pandemic. You know,
(01:51):
the life that we had before pre pandemic that one
and the general manager you know, of the hotel out
I would we would come and go and as you passed,
they were always very gracious, Hello, David, have a great day.
And they would say hello, mrs have a good day. Untry, like,
(02:12):
I don't know what's happened. So as we were checking out,
the general manager was like, I am so sorry. I
just want you to know that I can't call you
by your name. And I was like, I get it.
It goes because it's so disrespectful. I would be calling
you girl, like, Hi girl, because it's you know, it's
like Maiden, it's it's girl in German. So he's like,
(02:35):
I'm sorry, I know what's your name, but I just
can't call you that. Okay, Well, hey, at least they
were honest. I want to just jump right in um
and uh and get to it. You played Shelly, Christopher's
girlfriend eventually became his wife and mother. Did g tell
(02:56):
us about how the audition process and all that, how
you get the wall? Um? Actually, I UM tested a
whole bunch of times and got really really close to
getting Laurel and um and just at the end of
the day, like the Studio Network, they're like, oh, it
(03:18):
just doesn't feel right for whatever reason. Right, it's like
who knows why people, But I was just I was like,
I was so excited. I was like, oh, I love
this script and I love Amy UM. So I was heartbroken,
not gonna lie, but then I was really excited that
Amy just invited me back to play. Um. You know,
this kind of cookie character that came in and I
(03:40):
guess tortured everybody. She was she was interesting. How many
how many auditions? How many tests did you go through?
I think at the Laurel eye roll. Oh. Um, well,
I think you know, it's like the normal. Like I
(04:01):
probably went in straight to producer session because I had
you know, done twin at that point and a few
other things. Um, and so I probably went into producer session.
And then I think I might have gone in again
just to like tweak stuff and have Amy give me
(04:23):
notes and things like that, and then I went straight
to getting the test offer. But then you go through
rounds in front of this the studio, and then if
you make it past that, will go through rounds and network.
I mean, it is a tortuous torture situation for for
(04:46):
for for our for our listeners who don't know the
process of getting a role like that. Um, if you
go straight to producers, it's considered out of perspect that
you don't have to go in at the casting director
level because of your resume. So you go right into producers.
You read they love you. Let's let's make a test
deal for them and then bring them in for the studio.
(05:10):
And so you know, so your agent and the studio
are negotiating a six year contract for you, and your
agent keeps calling you saying, well, this is how much
they're offering first year, second year, third year, and are
these are the bumps. So you know, when you go
into that first UH network or studio audition, it's a
(05:30):
callback that if you get this thing, you're gonna be
really rich. There's a lot of pressure that actors put
on themselves because, yeah, this is the moment. Now it's real.
You know, you know that you're in the hot seat. Um,
you know you're working your tail off to get to
(05:52):
prove the audition. Yeah, they and they keep layering on
more elements per tests, like now do it with a
little bit of this, a little bit of that. Let's
see you coming next week and see what you do
with these notes that we give you. So it's it's
it's it's a really long, UH nerve wracking process. Yeah,
and and then yeah, and then then the your agents
(06:16):
usually know because they're talking to somebody right there, talking
to like the casting directors, or maybe they've gotten in
with the producers, or maybe they have an in at
the studio and they're like, oh, you're their first choice
or you're their second choice. If you go in and
nail it, you might get it. Or they kind of
put you in last last minute, so you know, you
(06:39):
just have a good shot. So you have this like
going in and then you show up and you're all
waiting in the hallway, you know, at some studio, some
office building, so you see all of your competition, you know,
and then you see them go into the room and
sometimes you just hear all these laughters and everybody is
(07:00):
getting along so great, and then you yes, you know,
you're just like m M, I don't know if that
one went well. That actor's way to each other too,
is they come out sometimes like, oh, man, nailed it,
nailed it. I think I got it. I think I
(07:20):
got it. Oh my, it's totrous. It's absolutely it really,
it's exhilarating and exciting. But yeah, it's uh, it's a
long way to find out if you won the lottery,
because it's like when in the lottery, it is it's
absolutely something. It's really lightning in a bottle to even
(07:41):
get a job. Uh. And then it's it's another lightning
in a bottle that it's actually a series that gets
picked up past a pilot and then if it goes
more than a half a season or a season, you're golden.
You're just golden, you know. Um, And and I mean,
I was it's hard. It's hard. It's right, You're right, yeah,
(08:06):
it's it's I I luckily I've got David Lynch as
a mentor. And there have been many moments in my
career because I've been doing this for thirty five years now.
I mean, I'm not that much older myself, but um
uh that I go to David and just like I
don't know what I'm doing, Like I don't know if
(08:28):
I'm ever going to work again. I don't do I stop,
what do I do? And he always gives me this
great simple advice every time, Magkin, I told you, actors
are um not working and you're lucky if you get anything,
(08:50):
and you just gotta hang in. If this is what
you want to do, you just gotta hang in. So
I just kept hanging in Since nineteen, I've just been
hanging in. Do what you can do other things, you know,
you can get your mind off it, and you know, yeah,
stay open, stay creative, keep that, keep your vessel open,
(09:11):
right creatively speaking, there are other things you can do.
Doesn't always have to be acting. And I always think,
and I always say, you know, I left home at
sixteen from Reno Nevada and came to l A, which
just a singular focus. Um, and so I don't have
any other skills. I'm just I'm stuck. So this is
(09:33):
what I gotta make it work. So but I always
and I give people advising time is find that other
thing that you can do, that you know you can
do at least to pay the bills, or maybe you
love doing it, maybe it's in a creative outlet. But um,
(09:55):
you know, if you if you put all your eggs
in one basket in this business, it's just really hard
and stressful. And you know I can if you look
at my resume like, oh wow, she's been working for
thirty five years, she's wrote, you know, she's rolling, she's
got no worries And no, it's not true. In between jobs,
you don't know when the other job it's going to come,
and you know you you hopefully put a little bit
(10:20):
of to get It's so but that's why I'm starting
to direct now, right. But it is rather amazing with
so much of the movie film and film talent going
into television with all of these uh, I mean there's
like five shows and it's still hard to get work.
(10:43):
It's like even harder now because a lot of the
film people have pushed the TV, the traditional TV people
out of the business almost and made them somewhat irrelevant.
So if you if there's if you're not a crossover talent,
if you're not doing both film, uh, TV and film,
and you don't have those relationships, it's hard to sort
of get in TV now because it's all film people.
(11:06):
They're gonna kind of go with those people that they
have those relationships with. Yeah, and I'm sure, I sure
you're you know, we're maybe somewhat similar and aged about
thirty eight now, right, is that how how old we are? Um?
But we remember back let's go with that. Um, you know,
(11:27):
back in the day, Um, there was this real taboo
that it was very separate, like you're either a film
actor or a television actor, and it was always said
that those film actors don't go into television or you've
turned in your film card, never to be invited back
into the party again. And I would I would always like, well,
(11:51):
that's a really dumb role. That doesn't seem to make sense.
And I just kind of didn't that I could. But um,
but now, like you said, all all of our films
have now gone to television. All of our good films
are limited series on streaming and you know, all of
those premium cable networks, and we've lost a lot of
(12:12):
our middle ground films. They've either gone to the row together,
you know, as much money as you possibly can to
just barely squeak out of film independent or over the
moon budget with five people that they'll have star in,
you know, for millions, and it's become a Disney ride,
(12:35):
Like those are the big action movies that you know,
they turned into video games and Disneyland rights and that's it,
Like we lost our middle ground of film. Yeah, but
I think independent film has truly gone independent where people
are just financing their own stuff. I mean, studios aren't
putting money into independent film any longer or or less
(12:59):
and less. But I mean the old studio bosses, you know,
they would pluck a television talent out of the series
very early so that audience didn't get used to seeing
them for free on television because that was their fear.
So if it's like if, if, if they're gonna get
I mean, how long was Pierce Broston on Remington Steel?
(13:20):
How long was that run? Was that four or five
six years or um, because they plucked him, they got
him out of that series, and you're gonna do movies.
You know. This is because you're charming and great and
all that stuff. Um. Yeah, that doesn't apply anymore. That
just does not apply anymore. But I always think it's
(13:41):
an advantage, you know. I think the film people actually
have a big advantage. All right, so let's let's do
a little uh gilmore stuff. Your introduction was as surprised
at Rory's Chilton debate, audiences are rooting for Christopher and Laurel,
(14:02):
we get back together. How was it being the character
that was preventing that? Um, it was kind of the
usual for for characters that I've done. Um, I sing
you so during during twin Peaks, Shelley Johnson was absolutely
(14:24):
a victim but had a little naughty side, and um,
I started getting really weird attention from that I had.
It was very and I and I learned really quickly
that when you played victims on film or television, UM,
you can kind of get targeted to, you know, by
not well meaning fans, um that look at you as
(14:47):
a victim. It's a very weird psychological thing. So I
made a very conscious effort to start playing very strong
female roles from that point on. So then the next
thing I did was dream Lover, and I played real
film fatale James Spader. So I kind of like I
kind of got known for that for a bit. So
and and I really avoided those like just just being
(15:09):
the hot girl on the action guy's arm, you know,
because I just I wanted like more interesting roles. So
I seemed to started doing all of these like really
like causing trouble and you know, so it was it
was kind of normal for me. But what I liked
about her is that she was innocent in it all.
She was very um hi hi, you know, so good
(15:33):
to meet you. Having no idea that that the entire
town and and social group, you know, looked at that
character as like getting in the way, you know, how
how dare she? Well that's yeah, that's what it has
to deal with. And Gilmore Nation, you know, they want,
(15:53):
they want what they want, and if they don't get it,
it's like look out. Uh they're very determined bunch. Well,
you definitely had a presence and you were quite the
opposite of Laurela. How did you prepare for this role?
What kind of preparation did you do mm hmm, you know,
I mean Amy's Amy's writing. It is so specific and um,
(16:22):
which is like a really really testament to her because
I'm kind of known for UM. I kind of like
to play with with dialogue and I'd like to play
with what's written and push the envelope and keep trying
to find something and and for the most part, I
think I'm kind of allowed and respected to do that,
(16:45):
you know, but what with her material, it's it's it
has such a rhythm to it um that I didn't
want to I just you don't mess with it like
you just do it. So it's really full and just
really leaning in and um. And there's even that like
that fast timing and there's like such a cadence to it.
(17:07):
It was it was challenging for me. Obviously it's not
the way I talked, but it's this very syncopated you know,
so that I just really focused on trying to get
the right feel and the right rhythm. You know. I
think the character stood for itself, you know, I understood it,
and I didn't have to prepare too much on that.
(17:29):
It was just more like I want to honor um
the style of the show, and I want to do
the character right, and I want to do the writing right,
and I wanted to be able to fold into the
main cast. You guys had done such a beautiful It
was this great orchestration of all of you and how
you came together and how you wove this this rhythm
(17:51):
in and I wanted to come in and honor it
and not come in and disturb anything. So I just
was behaving and trying to trying to hang on and
follow you guys. You know, I speaking of rhythm and cadence,
and you know it was almost Iambic. It was almost
(18:15):
Shakespearean and rhythm there's very few and she does it
really well, right, David, I had I remember exactly exactly, yes, yes,
I mean talk about I am yeah, yeah, oh, very
(18:35):
very specific. Yes, wonderful to watch actors do. Maam at
really well. He has his you know, his Joe Montaigne
is and he's got his people that he goes to,
William H. Macy people like that. But um, you know,
I found coming off of seven years of Gilmore, uh,
(18:56):
and I did another series right away, and I just
had no idea what I was doing because the rhythm
was completely different, and it was it was. It was
a comedy and it took a little while to adjust
to it because I was just every time you get
these great scripts and there were hsterically funny and then
you try to act them and it was like whoa.
(19:18):
It was almost like they were depending too much on
me to fill it right. Yeah, yeah, yeah it was.
I wasn't used to that. I was. I was used
to just sort of memorizing dialegue, getting the rhythm, nailing
it as fast as I could, and it was a
whole different gay anyway, Um, what was do you remember
your first day on set and what that was like
(19:40):
for me? Um? I think it was that that the
scene where I arrived to be introduced to Laura Lay
and then I think we sit down on a couch.
I don't know if there was if I'm by the
way I'm you can already title this podcast makes an
Am the worst podcast guest ever, because what are you
(20:04):
talking about? No? No, no, no no, that's just because yes,
you're great. What are you talking about? Thank? You know?
Because because obviously in my thirty or five years, I've
done a lot of things, and I remember the people
they meet their stories, the crew. I remember those connections
(20:25):
and when you talk to me about like you know
what the character did, I'm like, I don't know. I'm
gonna have to watch that. No, but I think my
first I think very I think my first day on
set was I was sitting down on the couch and
living room and I don't know if I was talking
to Lorelei, Lorelei or UM. Yeah, I don't know. Or look,
(20:53):
let's talk about your foundation. Okay, let's do that. Tell
us tell us a little bit about what you're doing
and what the foundation is all about. Yes. So, uh,
just over ten years ago, UM my son's freshman year
at college at UC Irvine. UM, he witnessed a very
(21:16):
really traumatic event which now we can see and look
back that it was the trigger that UM exposed his
genetic predisposition to a mental illness. He eventually got a
diagnosis of bipolar disorder. UM, but what we went through
in those first couple of years was so heart wrenching
(21:40):
and full of despair and finding him the right diagnosis
and the right treatment and UM, it just hit our
family out of nowhere. I've I met my husband back
in seven we've been together forever. We have two kids,
son and a daughter and just very very tight knit
fly because you know, band of Gypsies. He was a singer, songwriter,
(22:04):
recording artist, and I'm an actress. His name is David Alexis,
and he's worked with great people like Sliding, the Family
Stone and two May Asked for instance, and all these
you know, really great r and b um. So it
just hit our family out of nowhere. And you know,
(22:26):
you think that you are, you know, enlightened and you
know everything and you're open to everything, and ma'am, this
came out of nowhere and we had no no clue
how to navigate it and speaking to how bad our
mental health care system is and the support services and
(22:47):
the guidance and everything that you would need to navigate
through was not there. So we went through through that.
Our son got better, he got a good diagnosis, he
got good medication and um and then he destabilized again
in the summer with the manic episode. And he has
(23:07):
um uh psychosis when he goes into mania, which is
pretty common. And so we were thrown back into you know,
ten years earlier, and the mental health care care system
was worse. Yeah, and we had been talking all on
you know, and we had become big advocates since that happened.
You know, for ten I would I was I am
(23:29):
Glenn Closes, Bring Change to Minds first global ambassador, so
I was helping get the word out and sharing our story.
But um, it got to a point when we saw
how bad things were um during that summer that we're like,
all right, that's it. We kept talking about, you know,
one day we want to start a foundation, we want
(23:50):
to make a change. And it was like, all right,
gloves are off, we're doing it. We're gonna do what
we can. So we found it don't mind me, don't
mind me. That's the don't mind me dot org. Go ahead, sorry,
And uh so we obviously use you know, I'm able
to use my platform, and we have a podcast, don't
mind Me podcast. My daughter and I host that, and um,
(24:13):
so we do everything we can for our advocacy pillar.
But um, what we're really proud of is we're one
of the few that have direct impact. So we use
our funds and the fundraise so that we can scholarship
people into treatment that wouldn't otherwise be able to whether
they can't afford it or they can't find it. UM.
(24:35):
So that's that's really been a big part of my focus.
Obviously finishing up the last year on Riverdale, I've been directing,
I've corrected feature UM. But since I just didn't have
much to do, decided to, uh start a foundation, a
(24:57):
nonprofit foundation. What are you doing with five minutes per week?
You have spare time, you know, yeah, leaped or you know, exercise,
but no, let's let's do something else. Well, good on
you for for starting this organization. And I hope your
son is doing better. Yeah, he's doing really well now
(25:18):
and he's working in patient advocacy UM and wants to
eventually become a case manager. And he really involved in
the foundation because I mean he's his boots on the ground.
He knows, he knows what's smack. So everybody, so everybody listening,
everybody downloading, go to don't mind me dot org and
(25:39):
just check it out, you know, and if if you
want to get involved in somewhere or spread the word
or donate, just go ahead and do it. UM. Anyway, UM,
thank you for sharing that and wish you all the
best with that. Than you really really admirable. We're gonna
do rapid fire. We're going, We're going from the sublime
(26:01):
to the ridiculous. Here we go, ready for rapid fire.
How many cups of coffee you have in a day?
What are you Team Logan, Team Jesser, Team Dean. Who's
your favorite Guilt? Why? I don't know. He's good dude.
He's good dude. Not that the other two aren't, but
(26:21):
he's He's really a dude. Who's your favorite Gilmore Girl's character?
Grory mind too? What would you order at Luke's Diner?
Coffee and terry pie if you have it? Of course
we do, Of course we do. You're welcome anytime. Would
you rather go on a road trip with Taylor or
(26:42):
Michelle Taylor? Why? It's rapid fire. You gotta keep moving. Wait, man,
finish the lyric and where you lead, I will follow
dot dot dote no anywhere that you tell me to.
Jackson's Vegetables are Suki's baked goods? Would you rather listen
(27:06):
to Drella's harp or The Troubadours cover songs songs? Children?
Prepper Stars? Hollow Hi, Hollow, Hi, amazing. It's been really
great catching up with you. You're gonna have to come
back on You're gonna have to come back on. We're
gonna have to do a longer interview. Let's do it.
I mean we didn't even get to, you know, third
(27:27):
of the questions that that we had for you. But
thank you so much for coming on. You were a delight.
You're a massive talent with a big heart. With your
organization don't mind me dot org ladies and gentlemen makes
your name and all the best to you. Thank you, hey, everybody,
(28:16):
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 Gilmore 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, scott
ep dot com Grade one Specialty Coffee. Yeah.
I am all in, kiss you more, I am all
in with Scott Patterson and I heart radio podcast. Everybody
(00:21):
Scott Patterson, I am all in podcast. We're here with
Majin Amck. One of the great, one of the great
talents that this town has ever produced. She's obviously know
from Twin Peaks. Um. There was a two thousand and
seventeen revival uh. She had the pivotal role of Wendell
Mead on e R. She's also currently a series regular
(00:45):
on Riverdale as Alice, and that's been since two thousand seventeen.
She directs, she writes, she produces, she does everything. She's
got a wonderful organization um dealing with mental illness that
we're gonna get to a little bit later. Ladies and gentlemen,
I give you the one only makes your naming. Welcome
to the show. How are you? Thank you? I'm good
(01:05):
and I have so applaud to you for saying my
name correctly. I always knew your name. I always knew
how to say it correctly, and before you came on,
our team coached me on it. They kept sending me
like it's a long a it's here. I said, like, guys,
I know, I know her, you know, I know I know.
So even back in back in the day, did it
give you trouble? Ear no German and you knew that
(01:28):
this is the way it's pronounced. Yeah, I'm well, I'm
I'm part German, so I know I know this. Okay,
I know these things. Yeah. And it's just such a
beautiful name. It's it's so fun to say. It makes
your name. I just love that name. I have a
story about my name. Do you do? Yeah, I can't
lay it on us. So my husband and I went
to Zurich, I don't know before pre pandemic. You know,
(01:51):
the life that we had before pre pandemic that one
and the general manager you know, of the hotel out
I would we would come and go and as you passed,
they were always very gracious, Hello, David, have a great day.
And they would say hello, mrs have a good day. Untry, like,
(02:12):
I don't know what's happened. So as we were checking out,
the general manager was like, I am so sorry. I
just want you to know that I can't call you
by your name. And I was like, I get it.
It goes because it's so disrespectful. I would be calling
you girl, like, Hi girl, because it's you know, it's
like Maiden, it's it's girl in German. So he's like,
(02:35):
I'm sorry, I know what's your name, but I just
can't call you that. Okay, Well, hey, at least they
were honest. I want to just jump right in um
and uh and get to it. You played Shelly, Christopher's
girlfriend eventually became his wife and mother. Did g tell
(02:56):
us about how the audition process and all that, how
you get the wall? Um? Actually, I UM tested a
whole bunch of times and got really really close to
getting Laurel and um and just at the end of
the day, like the Studio Network, they're like, oh, it
(03:18):
just doesn't feel right for whatever reason. Right, it's like
who knows why people, But I was just I was like,
I was so excited. I was like, oh, I love
this script and I love Amy UM. So I was heartbroken,
not gonna lie, but then I was really excited that
Amy just invited me back to play. Um. You know,
this kind of cookie character that came in and I
(03:40):
guess tortured everybody. She was she was interesting. How many
how many auditions? How many tests did you go through?
I think at the Laurel eye roll. Oh. Um, well,
I think you know, it's like the normal. Like I
(04:01):
probably went in straight to producer session because I had
you know, done twin at that point and a few
other things. Um, and so I probably went into producer session.
And then I think I might have gone in again
just to like tweak stuff and have Amy give me
(04:23):
notes and things like that, and then I went straight
to getting the test offer. But then you go through
rounds in front of this the studio, and then if
you make it past that, will go through rounds and network.
I mean, it is a tortuous torture situation for for
(04:46):
for for our for our listeners who don't know the
process of getting a role like that. Um, if you
go straight to producers, it's considered out of perspect that
you don't have to go in at the casting director
level because of your resume. So you go right into producers.
You read they love you. Let's let's make a test
deal for them and then bring them in for the studio.
(05:10):
And so you know, so your agent and the studio
are negotiating a six year contract for you, and your
agent keeps calling you saying, well, this is how much
they're offering first year, second year, third year, and are
these are the bumps. So you know, when you go
into that first UH network or studio audition, it's a
(05:30):
callback that if you get this thing, you're gonna be
really rich. There's a lot of pressure that actors put
on themselves because, yeah, this is the moment. Now it's real.
You know, you know that you're in the hot seat. Um,
you know you're working your tail off to get to
(05:52):
prove the audition. Yeah, they and they keep layering on
more elements per tests, like now do it with a
little bit of this, a little bit of that. Let's
see you coming next week and see what you do
with these notes that we give you. So it's it's
it's it's a really long, UH nerve wracking process. Yeah,
and and then yeah, and then then the your agents
(06:16):
usually know because they're talking to somebody right there, talking
to like the casting directors, or maybe they've gotten in
with the producers, or maybe they have an in at
the studio and they're like, oh, you're their first choice
or you're their second choice. If you go in and
nail it, you might get it. Or they kind of
put you in last last minute, so you know, you
(06:39):
just have a good shot. So you have this like
going in and then you show up and you're all
waiting in the hallway, you know, at some studio, some
office building, so you see all of your competition, you know,
and then you see them go into the room and
sometimes you just hear all these laughters and everybody is
(07:00):
getting along so great, and then you yes, you know,
you're just like m M, I don't know if that
one went well. That actor's way to each other too,
is they come out sometimes like, oh, man, nailed it,
nailed it. I think I got it. I think I
(07:20):
got it. Oh my, it's totrous. It's absolutely it really,
it's exhilarating and exciting. But yeah, it's uh, it's a
long way to find out if you won the lottery,
because it's like when in the lottery, it is it's
absolutely something. It's really lightning in a bottle to even
(07:41):
get a job. Uh. And then it's it's another lightning
in a bottle that it's actually a series that gets
picked up past a pilot and then if it goes
more than a half a season or a season, you're golden.
You're just golden, you know. Um, And and I mean,
I was it's hard. It's hard. It's right, You're right, yeah,
(08:06):
it's it's I I luckily I've got David Lynch as
a mentor. And there have been many moments in my
career because I've been doing this for thirty five years now.
I mean, I'm not that much older myself, but um
uh that I go to David and just like I
don't know what I'm doing, Like I don't know if
(08:28):
I'm ever going to work again. I don't do I stop,
what do I do? And he always gives me this
great simple advice every time, Magkin, I told you, actors
are um not working and you're lucky if you get anything,
(08:50):
and you just gotta hang in. If this is what
you want to do, you just gotta hang in. So
I just kept hanging in Since nineteen, I've just been
hanging in. Do what you can do other things, you know,
you can get your mind off it, and you know, yeah,
stay open, stay creative, keep that, keep your vessel open,
(09:11):
right creatively speaking, there are other things you can do.
Doesn't always have to be acting. And I always think,
and I always say, you know, I left home at
sixteen from Reno Nevada and came to l A, which
just a singular focus. Um, and so I don't have
any other skills. I'm just I'm stuck. So this is
(09:33):
what I gotta make it work. So but I always
and I give people advising time is find that other
thing that you can do, that you know you can
do at least to pay the bills, or maybe you
love doing it, maybe it's in a creative outlet. But um,
(09:55):
you know, if you if you put all your eggs
in one basket in this business, it's just really hard
and stressful. And you know I can if you look
at my resume like, oh wow, she's been working for
thirty five years, she's wrote, you know, she's rolling, she's
got no worries And no, it's not true. In between jobs,
you don't know when the other job it's going to come,
and you know you you hopefully put a little bit
(10:20):
of to get It's so but that's why I'm starting
to direct now, right. But it is rather amazing with
so much of the movie film and film talent going
into television with all of these uh, I mean there's
like five shows and it's still hard to get work.
(10:43):
It's like even harder now because a lot of the
film people have pushed the TV, the traditional TV people
out of the business almost and made them somewhat irrelevant.
So if you if there's if you're not a crossover talent,
if you're not doing both film, uh, TV and film,
and you don't have those relationships, it's hard to sort
of get in TV now because it's all film people.
(11:06):
They're gonna kind of go with those people that they
have those relationships with. Yeah, and I'm sure, I sure
you're you know, we're maybe somewhat similar and aged about
thirty eight now, right, is that how how old we are? Um?
But we remember back let's go with that. Um, you know,
(11:27):
back in the day, Um, there was this real taboo
that it was very separate, like you're either a film
actor or a television actor, and it was always said
that those film actors don't go into television or you've
turned in your film card, never to be invited back
into the party again. And I would I would always like, well,
(11:51):
that's a really dumb role. That doesn't seem to make sense.
And I just kind of didn't that I could. But um,
but now, like you said, all all of our films
have now gone to television. All of our good films
are limited series on streaming and you know, all of
those premium cable networks, and we've lost a lot of
(12:12):
our middle ground films. They've either gone to the row together,
you know, as much money as you possibly can to
just barely squeak out of film independent or over the
moon budget with five people that they'll have star in,
you know, for millions, and it's become a Disney ride,
(12:35):
Like those are the big action movies that you know,
they turned into video games and Disneyland rights and that's it,
Like we lost our middle ground of film. Yeah, but
I think independent film has truly gone independent where people
are just financing their own stuff. I mean, studios aren't
putting money into independent film any longer or or less
(12:59):
and less. But I mean the old studio bosses, you know,
they would pluck a television talent out of the series
very early so that audience didn't get used to seeing
them for free on television because that was their fear.
So if it's like if, if, if they're gonna get
I mean, how long was Pierce Broston on Remington Steel?
(13:20):
How long was that run? Was that four or five
six years or um, because they plucked him, they got
him out of that series, and you're gonna do movies.
You know. This is because you're charming and great and
all that stuff. Um. Yeah, that doesn't apply anymore. That
just does not apply anymore. But I always think it's
(13:41):
an advantage, you know. I think the film people actually
have a big advantage. All right, so let's let's do
a little uh gilmore stuff. Your introduction was as surprised
at Rory's Chilton debate, audiences are rooting for Christopher and Laurel,
(14:02):
we get back together. How was it being the character
that was preventing that? Um, it was kind of the
usual for for characters that I've done. Um, I sing
you so during during twin Peaks, Shelley Johnson was absolutely
(14:24):
a victim but had a little naughty side, and um,
I started getting really weird attention from that I had.
It was very and I and I learned really quickly
that when you played victims on film or television, UM,
you can kind of get targeted to, you know, by
not well meaning fans, um that look at you as
(14:47):
a victim. It's a very weird psychological thing. So I
made a very conscious effort to start playing very strong
female roles from that point on. So then the next
thing I did was dream Lover, and I played real
film fatale James Spader. So I kind of like I
kind of got known for that for a bit. So
and and I really avoided those like just just being
(15:09):
the hot girl on the action guy's arm, you know,
because I just I wanted like more interesting roles. So
I seemed to started doing all of these like really
like causing trouble and you know, so it was it
was kind of normal for me. But what I liked
about her is that she was innocent in it all.
She was very um hi hi, you know, so good
(15:33):
to meet you. Having no idea that that the entire
town and and social group, you know, looked at that
character as like getting in the way, you know, how
how dare she? Well that's yeah, that's what it has
to deal with. And Gilmore Nation, you know, they want,
(15:53):
they want what they want, and if they don't get it,
it's like look out. Uh they're very determined bunch. Well,
you definitely had a presence and you were quite the
opposite of Laurela. How did you prepare for this role?
What kind of preparation did you do mm hmm, you know,
I mean Amy's Amy's writing. It is so specific and um,
(16:22):
which is like a really really testament to her because
I'm kind of known for UM. I kind of like
to play with with dialogue and I'd like to play
with what's written and push the envelope and keep trying
to find something and and for the most part, I
think I'm kind of allowed and respected to do that,
(16:45):
you know, but what with her material, it's it's it
has such a rhythm to it um that I didn't
want to I just you don't mess with it like
you just do it. So it's really full and just
really leaning in and um. And there's even that like
that fast timing and there's like such a cadence to it.
(17:07):
It was it was challenging for me. Obviously it's not
the way I talked, but it's this very syncopated you know,
so that I just really focused on trying to get
the right feel and the right rhythm. You know. I
think the character stood for itself, you know, I understood it,
and I didn't have to prepare too much on that.
(17:29):
It was just more like I want to honor um
the style of the show, and I want to do
the character right, and I want to do the writing right,
and I wanted to be able to fold into the
main cast. You guys had done such a beautiful It
was this great orchestration of all of you and how
you came together and how you wove this this rhythm
(17:51):
in and I wanted to come in and honor it
and not come in and disturb anything. So I just
was behaving and trying to trying to hang on and
follow you guys. You know, I speaking of rhythm and cadence,
and you know it was almost Iambic. It was almost
(18:15):
Shakespearean and rhythm there's very few and she does it
really well, right, David, I had I remember exactly exactly, yes, yes,
I mean talk about I am yeah, yeah, oh, very
(18:35):
very specific. Yes, wonderful to watch actors do. Maam at
really well. He has his you know, his Joe Montaigne
is and he's got his people that he goes to,
William H. Macy people like that. But um, you know,
I found coming off of seven years of Gilmore, uh,
(18:56):
and I did another series right away, and I just
had no idea what I was doing because the rhythm
was completely different, and it was it was. It was
a comedy and it took a little while to adjust
to it because I was just every time you get
these great scripts and there were hsterically funny and then
you try to act them and it was like whoa.
(19:18):
It was almost like they were depending too much on
me to fill it right. Yeah, yeah, yeah it was.
I wasn't used to that. I was. I was used
to just sort of memorizing dialegue, getting the rhythm, nailing
it as fast as I could, and it was a
whole different gay anyway, Um, what was do you remember
your first day on set and what that was like
(19:40):
for me? Um? I think it was that that the
scene where I arrived to be introduced to Laura Lay
and then I think we sit down on a couch.
I don't know if there was if I'm by the
way I'm you can already title this podcast makes an
Am the worst podcast guest ever, because what are you
(20:04):
talking about? No? No, no, no no, that's just because yes,
you're great. What are you talking about? Thank? You know?
Because because obviously in my thirty or five years, I've
done a lot of things, and I remember the people
they meet their stories, the crew. I remember those connections
(20:25):
and when you talk to me about like you know
what the character did, I'm like, I don't know. I'm
gonna have to watch that. No, but I think my
first I think very I think my first day on
set was I was sitting down on the couch and
living room and I don't know if I was talking
to Lorelei, Lorelei or UM. Yeah, I don't know. Or look,
(20:53):
let's talk about your foundation. Okay, let's do that. Tell
us tell us a little bit about what you're doing
and what the foundation is all about. Yes. So, uh,
just over ten years ago, UM my son's freshman year
at college at UC Irvine. UM, he witnessed a very
(21:16):
really traumatic event which now we can see and look
back that it was the trigger that UM exposed his
genetic predisposition to a mental illness. He eventually got a
diagnosis of bipolar disorder. UM, but what we went through
in those first couple of years was so heart wrenching
(21:40):
and full of despair and finding him the right diagnosis
and the right treatment and UM, it just hit our
family out of nowhere. I've I met my husband back
in seven we've been together forever. We have two kids,
son and a daughter and just very very tight knit
fly because you know, band of Gypsies. He was a singer, songwriter,
(22:04):
recording artist, and I'm an actress. His name is David Alexis,
and he's worked with great people like Sliding, the Family
Stone and two May Asked for instance, and all these
you know, really great r and b um. So it
just hit our family out of nowhere. And you know,
(22:26):
you think that you are, you know, enlightened and you
know everything and you're open to everything, and ma'am, this
came out of nowhere and we had no no clue
how to navigate it and speaking to how bad our
mental health care system is and the support services and
(22:47):
the guidance and everything that you would need to navigate
through was not there. So we went through through that.
Our son got better, he got a good diagnosis, he
got good medication and um and then he destabilized again
in the summer with the manic episode. And he has
(23:07):
um uh psychosis when he goes into mania, which is
pretty common. And so we were thrown back into you know,
ten years earlier, and the mental health care care system
was worse. Yeah, and we had been talking all on
you know, and we had become big advocates since that happened.
You know, for ten I would I was I am
(23:29):
Glenn Closes, Bring Change to Minds first global ambassador, so
I was helping get the word out and sharing our story.
But um, it got to a point when we saw
how bad things were um during that summer that we're like,
all right, that's it. We kept talking about, you know,
one day we want to start a foundation, we want
(23:50):
to make a change. And it was like, all right,
gloves are off, we're doing it. We're gonna do what
we can. So we found it don't mind me, don't
mind me. That's the don't mind me dot org. Go ahead, sorry,
And uh so we obviously use you know, I'm able
to use my platform, and we have a podcast, don't
mind Me podcast. My daughter and I host that, and um,
(24:13):
so we do everything we can for our advocacy pillar.
But um, what we're really proud of is we're one
of the few that have direct impact. So we use
our funds and the fundraise so that we can scholarship
people into treatment that wouldn't otherwise be able to whether
they can't afford it or they can't find it. UM.
(24:35):
So that's that's really been a big part of my focus.
Obviously finishing up the last year on Riverdale, I've been directing,
I've corrected feature UM. But since I just didn't have
much to do, decided to, uh start a foundation, a
(24:57):
nonprofit foundation. What are you doing with five minutes per week?
You have spare time, you know, yeah, leaped or you know, exercise,
but no, let's let's do something else. Well, good on
you for for starting this organization. And I hope your
son is doing better. Yeah, he's doing really well now
(25:18):
and he's working in patient advocacy UM and wants to
eventually become a case manager. And he really involved in
the foundation because I mean he's his boots on the ground.
He knows, he knows what's smack. So everybody, so everybody listening,
everybody downloading, go to don't mind me dot org and
(25:39):
just check it out, you know, and if if you
want to get involved in somewhere or spread the word
or donate, just go ahead and do it. UM. Anyway, UM,
thank you for sharing that and wish you all the
best with that. Than you really really admirable. We're gonna
do rapid fire. We're going, We're going from the sublime
(26:01):
to the ridiculous. Here we go, ready for rapid fire.
How many cups of coffee you have in a day?
What are you Team Logan, Team Jesser, Team Dean. Who's
your favorite Guilt? Why? I don't know. He's good dude.
He's good dude. Not that the other two aren't, but
(26:21):
he's He's really a dude. Who's your favorite Gilmore Girl's character?
Grory mind too? What would you order at Luke's Diner?
Coffee and terry pie if you have it? Of course
we do, Of course we do. You're welcome anytime. Would
you rather go on a road trip with Taylor or
(26:42):
Michelle Taylor? Why? It's rapid fire. You gotta keep moving. Wait, man,
finish the lyric and where you lead, I will follow
dot dot dote no anywhere that you tell me to.
Jackson's Vegetables are Suki's baked goods? Would you rather listen
(27:06):
to Drella's harp or The Troubadours cover songs songs? Children?
Prepper Stars? Hollow Hi, Hollow, Hi, amazing. It's been really
great catching up with you. You're gonna have to come
back on You're gonna have to come back on. We're
gonna have to do a longer interview. Let's do it.
I mean we didn't even get to, you know, third
(27:27):
of the questions that that we had for you. But
thank you so much for coming on. You were a delight.
You're a massive talent with a big heart. With your
organization don't mind me dot org ladies and gentlemen makes
your name and all the best to you. Thank you, hey, everybody,
(28:16):
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 Gilmore 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, scott
ep dot com Grade one Specialty Coffee. Yeah.
Hosts And Creators
Amy Sugarman
Danielle Romo
Scott Patterson
Tara Soudbaksh
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