February 20, 2024 • 37 mins
This week, Tommy is joined by actress Adelaide Kane who currently stars as Dr. Jules Millin in ABC’s Greys Anatomy. Adelaide has played so many dynamic characters in mega fan-favorite shows over the course of her career, like Mary Queen of Scots in the hit CW show, Reign, Ivy/Drizella in ABC’s Once Upon a Time, Cora in Teen Wolf, and more. Grey’s Anatomy is going into its 20th season, premiering on March 14th on ABC. Today she opens up about what it was like joining such an iconic show, how it felt that first day on set with the long-time cast members of the series, bonding with the new intern class over the last two years, how Ellen Pompeo is as dreamy as people say, working on finding the joy in life no matter how small a moment may seem, ditching a negative mindset and the freedom that came with that, and how she channeled her bullies to create her mean girl character in Once Upon a Time.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey guys, welcome to I've never said this before with
me Tommy di Dario. Today's guest is the brilliantly talented
Adelaide Kine.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Adelaide has been acting since six years old, and she
has played so many characters in mega fan favorite projects
over the course of her career. You may recognize her
from MTV's teen Wolf or the hit CW show Rain,
or maybe from one of my all time favorite shows,
ABC's Once Upon a Time that admittedly, yeah, I have
(00:34):
watched let's just say a lot. But now she is
in head to toe Scrubs, playing Doctor Jules in one
of the most iconic television shows in the history of television,
and that show is Grey's Anatomy. Gray's Anatomy is going
on to its twentieth season, premiering on March fourteenth on ABC,
(00:54):
and Adelaide joined the series in season nineteen as one
of the first year surgical residents. She was part of
that intern class. Today we talk all things gras Anatomy,
We revisit some of those fan favorite projects that she
has started, and we learn more on a deeper level
about someone who has been behind the lights and behind
the cameras for almost well all of her life. So
(01:17):
let's see if today we can get Adelaide to say
something that she's never said before. Adalide, how are you
doing today, my friend?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I'm so good. How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
I am fantastic. I'm so happy to finally connect with you.
I have to tell you, I, during the pandemic, had
this Instagram live series that I launched just trying to
bring people together and bringing their favorite artists in these
really intimate conversations from their living room and houses, and
that's what turned into this show. And you have been
someone since then, since twenty twenty that people have been
(01:54):
writing in hoping for a fun episode with. So I'm
glad we can make it happen.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Thank you so much. That's so cool, and congratulations, like
you're doing this whole thing and it's so inspiring.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Good you, Oh, thank you, thank you so much. But
it's not about me. It is about you, And oh
where do I begin? I mean, I guess, first of all,
you are I don't need to tell you such an
accomplished actress. You have played so many different roles, from
a werewolf to a historical figure Queen Mary of Scott's
to a doctor currently to a wicked stepsister and once
(02:28):
upon a time. I mean, is there anything you can't play?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
That sounds like a lot of things, but I haven't.
I haven't played someone in the military yet. I haven't
played an acrobat yet. That's definitely something I don't think
I could do because my back is a boy he
used to be. I don't know. It's it's always fun
taking on sort of like different roles in different types
of people. It's part of what I love about my
(02:52):
job is I get to be someone other than myself.
And I played the same character over and over again.
I think I get a bit bored. But I've been
very lucky and how my career is shaped down well.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
And you're currently, as I mentioned, playing a doctor. You
are going into season twenty of Grey's Anatomy. You joined
in nineteen. This is your second season on the show.
Oh my god. I mean it's such an iconic, such
a legacy show. Were you freaking out when you got
this job?
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Oh yeah, yes, absolutely. Like my my cousins grew up
watching Grayce they've been watching since season one. It's like
a part of their life. And I was a little
too young. I wasn't allowed to watch it. It was
like a little too grown up for me. But Grays
is is such it's like it's part of the fabric
of pop culture. Initially, I was just so excited. I
(03:40):
was like, Yes, I have a job and it's on
Gray's and I get to work in Los Angeles and
I get to work with all these incredible people. And
then I was nervous because the fans of Grays are
really passionate about the show. It means so much to them,
and that's, you know, that's like a lot of responsibility
to take on. You really won't do your best for them,
(04:01):
and you know you want them to like you because
you're so excited to be there, and they've been very
kind and very welcoming to all of us that joined
in season nineteen, and it's been a really wonderful experience.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
So you couldn't watch the series growing up. Did you
go back at all and binge any of it or
try to.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Catch up must I certainly did you.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Did, because there's so many seasons, So how do you
even tackle that when you get this job one episode.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
At a time. I was familiar with the first, you know,
sort of five six seasons. I like Medical dramas like
I loved House and Scrubs and you know anything, the
sense of humor when I was growing up. When I
got older, so I was already familiar with Grace, but
I hadn't watched in a few years. So when I
got the audition, I sat down and I started binge
(04:50):
watching the show as almost like a kind of manifestation,
and also to get an idea of like the tone
and the pace, and different shows have characters speaking at
different pacing, and it's important to sort of see what
you have to do in the show, whether you have
to be very physically active in your body, or whether
you speak quickly, or whether there's a lot of space
(05:10):
for pauses. So I did that and I sent my
tape off and then I was in London to do
like my visa appointment because I'm on a visa because
I'm Australian, I have to leave the country. And my
partner at the time had COVID and so they were
up in the hotel room. I was running them food
and I got my callback request and you know, I
(05:33):
had to tape it in the hotel room make sure
I didn't get COVID. And then while I was waiting
to hear I was just sitting in.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
The lobby of this hotel with my sick girlfriend upstairs,
just binge watching Grays as like part of manifestation because
I wanted the job so much.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
And then when we finally got home, I got the
news like a day or two after I landed, and
then I was straight into fittings a couple of days
later and on set a few weeks after that. It
was really a crazy time. It feels like it happened
so quickly and it was so much going on.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yeah. Absolutely, I can only imagine that your first day
on that set, after knowing so much about the show,
after having your best friends watching the show, after you've
been watching the show, and then you're suddenly in this
medical universe yourself. I mean, was that kind of outer
body for you?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
It was very much, especially since I haven't walked on
a project that shoots in Los Angeles since teen Wolf,
so most of the projects I've done have shot in Canada,
North Carolina, not in Los Angeles, so it was it
was very surreal to just getting my car and then
(06:43):
drive to a studio here in Los Angeles. And when
I was younger and I dreamed of being an actor
and being in Los Angeles, you know, I dreamed of
being on a lot in LA and to you know,
to go to a lot every day and have like
a little parking space with my name, and I hadn't
had that before Grace. It was very surreal. And then
(07:05):
stepping on a new set is always so interesting because
half the walls are missing in every room and the
ceiling is full of a lighting rig. It's always very odd.
But I will say I think the coolest and weirdest
thing that I had to adjust to that's going to
sound odd, is the costuming. I'm very used to wearing
like jeans and like tight tops or corsets and ball
(07:28):
gowns or high heels and miniskirts. So to go into
work every day and wear a sports brass, speakers and scrubs,
it was almost more difficult to adjust to being in
comfortable clothing for work than anything else. I'm was so
used to having whatever discomfort is part of my wardrobe
(07:48):
be a part of my character and inform my character.
That being comfortable and playing such a high stress character
was like very discombobulated. And then of course we get
to set and there's Alan Bombayo, and there's Daughter Wilson,
and there's Kevin McKidd who I loved from Rome before
I joined the show. It was just it was insane
(08:14):
and so cool. And I'm very, very grateful for the
other interns that joined the show at the same time
as me, Harry, Niko, Alexis, and Madori, because they are
such wonderful, good hearted people. All five of us like
bonded very quickly, and I'll give credit to Madori, who
you know, organized like an intern dinner for us, like
(08:35):
ride out the Gates so we could get to know
each other. And since we sort of worked together the
most and we all joined together, it was it was
so wonderful to have them. There's like an automatic support
network and then the best I'm staying at Alexis's house
right now, well while my bathrooms are being destroyed. I
could watch lyrical about Grace all day because the more
senior casts have been incredibly welcoming and kind to us
(08:58):
as well and have given us to full advice, and
Chandre in particular has made ourself very available if we
have any stresses or any worries, and I couldn't else
for better I've been working for a very long time.
I knew it would be a comfortable set to be
on because the show has been going for a very
long time, and there's an ease that comes with that.
(09:19):
But it's true, I've truly been blown away by how
welcoming and kind and communicative everyone has been, from production
to cost. They take very good care of us. I'm
incredibly grateful.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
It's so obvious to me that you are incredibly grateful,
and it's such a special job for you. And there's
there's a couple of things I want to dive into
that you talked about. One, your character and wearing the scrubs,
and how that's something you had to get accustomed to.
I find that when a show's been on for a
long time and new characters are introduced, it's not always seamless.
It's not always a win. But this show did it brilliantly.
(09:53):
And your character people really really have gotten attached to
and are super excited to have in the show. Of course,
that's the character of Jew. So for you, what has
been the best part of playing this role and diving
into her? What do you love about this character?
Speaker 2 (10:06):
She's a very complicated young woman, I really like how
messy she is. I think when we when I first
came into the show, I was like, also have some
things in common, but I don't think we have that
much in common. Like, you know, she was raised very
hippie dippy, that her parents were a little bit neglectful,
and you know, she's very into sort of like crystals
and taro and stuff. And I think initially I was like, well,
(10:26):
I'm not like that at all. You know, my mother
was very involved in my life and still is, like
I'm very close with my family, And then I was like,
oh no, I have crystals at home. I like astrology too,
also a lot like Jewel's very pragmatic and very like
I have my calendar and my lists, and very sensible.
(10:49):
And her armor that she has out about like love
and romance, I absolutely recognize that. And then a younger
version of myself, I was very resistant to falling in
love or being soft vulnerability because that felt like weakness.
I only felt comfortable being vulnerable with my friends and romantically.
It was very difficult for me to you know, be
(11:11):
tender and be vulnerable. And I've outgrown that, and I
look forward to Jewels out growing that I think the
most interesting part of the job for me. My mother
is a nurse. She's a nurse educator. She has spent
decades working in hospitals and now she teaches. And I've
always been fascinated by sort of like medical dramas. And
(11:32):
the most fun thing for me to do on set
one is whenever I have scenes with all the rest
of the interns, because it's chaos. It's like, it's like
hurting cats. I think that's why they don't give us
too many of those scenes, because we're just, you know,
chatting and joking and we have such a good time.
But I love all of the medical stuff. I love
(11:54):
the operating and and you know, the surgery and stitching,
teuting and all of it. I love all of that stuff.
Maybe a little bit too much. It's a little creepy.
My first episode, they had me with my hand inside
like a fake human chest and they had rigged up
a real cow heart to beat, and they'd put blood
(12:17):
clots in it so I could like humatolas, so I
could feel the heumotomas. And it's incredible. I got to
cut off a leg and the prosthetic leg that they
had made, and it was partially cut, and you know
they'd painted, and they build these from nothing and they're
so realistic that I walked onto set to have a
look at it and I had a bit of a
cognitive dissonance moment where I had noticed I was trying
(12:38):
to smell for blood because it looked so real, and
I was like, I'm my brain thinks it's real. And
I had to go and touch it and like smell
the plastic and smell the like alcohol based paints, and
like poke at it and feel the texture before my
brain went, oh, no, it's not real. It's real. It's
not real. But I love all of that stuff and
I'm very crafty, a crochet and I knit. I brought
(13:00):
us with the sutureen comes quite naturally, like anything with tools,
anything with like bits and kits, So that's always really
fun for me. We had it and I had an
episode with Madori recently. We were dealing with you know
those doctor Pimple Popper videos.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Oh yes, I do. Don't tell me you.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Like those sometimes I do. We had an incident like
that and it was the most fun I've had on
set this season. Specifically, we had an incident involving pass
and it was hysterical, and Midori was like, who, and
(13:41):
I it's so entertaining. It's so much fun. You can
much fun because it's not real. I mean in real life,
you know, a lot of these things come with smells.
I'm very sense sensitive. I can't handle like I'm OCD
about my house and I have two cats. So the
whole up I have with the litter boxes extreme because
(14:02):
I cannot handle bad smells. Ever. I think if all
of this came with the usually associated smell of reality,
I wouldn't be able to handle it. But because it's
all fight, it's just so entertaining, and I feel like
an evil little gremlin every time I have to like
cut into something all there's blood spurting. It's so cool,
(14:24):
it's so much fun. I really enjoy all of the
medical stuff.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
The fact that you get into it, I mean that
only helps him share your character and the storyline and
the show.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
And it's not for everyone. One of my best friends
is an actor as well, and she's working on a
military show at the moment. She has to train for
like two hours a day and she's like, you know,
practicing shooting guns, just carrying really heavy bags and like,
you know, it's really intense physical training. And she's the
girliest girl to like ever go. But she was like
(15:01):
an athlete when she was younger. We joke about it
all the time where I'm like, that's all you. I'm
not a spotty I would cry every single day if
I had to train and do that much like physical work.
And she is so incredibly squeamish. She's like paper cut
and she starts crying and she's like, you do you,
(15:21):
I'll do me. And it is funny how I think
a lot of people think we pick the projects, but
truly the project pick us, and the universe absolutely participates
in giving us what is most suited to us. And
as I get older, I'm like, no, she would not
have been able to handle being on grades. It would
have been a lot for her, and I would not
(15:43):
be able to handle doing what she does. Like it
really does shake out the way it is intended to.
Oh so much fun.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
And that's so rewarding to see and hear because you
know their jobs. Sometimes I'm sure artists take because we
all need to work work, and then there's jobs that
really fuel your soul, and this one clearly you light
up as you talk about this, and it's so cool
to see that. Even when you mentioned the cast and
how wonderful these ogs have been and these iconic characters
(16:13):
have been, it seems like a beautiful blending.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
It is, it really is, and you know, you never
know what you're going to get. It's like any workplace,
right there are always going to be some people that
you don't gel with, not necessarily in a super negative way,
but just some workspaces can be lonely and it can
be difficult, you know, connecting with people or joining a
(16:37):
very well established workforce where everybody already has their sort
of like friends and their bonds, and it can be
tricky sometimes. But it's been very seamless with this, I
think in terms of you know, sometimes you work just
to work. Absolutely, sometimes you take a job because you
need the paycheck because like rent is do. But I'm
very much of the mindset that you can make something
work for you, like there is space for joy and positivity,
(17:02):
and you know, if you don't find that on set,
then you reach out to your friends and be like, hey,
I'm going to be in the Quebec. I'm going to
be in Montreal shooting this thing for eight weeks. Do
you know anyone in Montreal? Do you, like when you
were shooting this thing, you have any good restaurants? Like
I am a firm believer in like finding joy. I've
been lucky that I haven't experienced too much of, you know,
(17:25):
difficult personalities on set. There are difficult personalities everywhere in
every industry, and I think I've been quite fortunate. And
then I've always been able to, you know, find friendship
and find joy, either through other people or through my
own efforts. I think there is joy to be found
wherever you are, and if you can't find it at work,
then you find it in your life. And if you
(17:47):
have things that bring you joy in your life, every
experience will be at the very least a learning experience. Yeah,
And it took me a long time to learn that
because I was like, I don't want to be beholden
to circum stance as like the arbiter of my happiness.
And it's an active choice. And I'm not saying I'm
not saying it's easy, but you know, switching switching focus
(18:09):
to finding joy and really small things and switching focus
to have been like a moment of joy in every
day and then that day is successful, has been done,
and wonders for me personally waking up and being like, oh,
I'm so warm, that can be my moment of joy
for the day, and even if the rest of the
day sucks, the day was still a success. But I've
gotten really lucky in my work, and particularly lucky on
(18:32):
this set.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
That's such a good mentality to have and a good reminder,
and like you said, it's an active choice and something
we hopefully all work on. But to live your life
like that is so rewarding, and it makes it you know,
it's tough out there, it makes it feel a little easier.
So I think that's such a thing.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Like changing the mindset isn't easy, is the thing I
used to be very very negative. It takes a lot
of work and a lot of like self correction. It's
like changing the way you think about things and always
drives me nuts and people like just be happy, just
decide that you're It's not that easy. It really isn't.
It is hard work to change the way that you
(19:10):
think and to It's like anything like you don't go
to the gym and then immediately start deadlifting one hundred
and fifty pounds like you have. It's a muscle and
you need to work on it. And it took time
to look for the positive first, but it's really worth
it. It's really worth it. And I am in the privileged
(19:31):
position where most of my life is very good, and
trying to find the positive when most of your life
is difficult or challenging or bad is really hard. And
my life was that when I decided I wanted to
be happier, it was very difficult, and I had no
money and I was really struggling with mental health and
a whole host of other issues. And I was like, well,
(19:55):
if I can start working on my mindset and try
to find a bit of joy and every day now
when it is it's most difficult. As things get better,
it will get easier and it does become automatic. But
it does take work. And I think anyone that's like
you can just decide to be happy has never had
clinical depression. It definitely takes work, and life is very
hard as it is, but it is one of those challenges,
(20:18):
one of those sort of journeys that I think is
really worth pursuing.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
That's really cool that you, even now, I know you've
always been passionate about mental health and just now you've
opened up about it too, and a lot of people
don't choose to do that. And I think one of
the things I'm most interested in with people and with
the day and age we live in and with social media,
is kind of destigmatizing the glossy image of life that
we all can be guilty of presenting. And I think
(20:44):
that's something that probably serves you really well for work
and for your happiness and your future, because you seem
to be trying to live the truest form of your
life that you possibly can.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah, I do my best. I mean, I think it's
a very interesting catch. Twenty two. I grew up my
mother's always been very open about mental health, and my
family has always been very open about mental health. So
I didn't even really know there was a stigma behind
any of it. Even with my recent ADHD diagnosis and
learning about ADHD and seeing sort of anecdotal stories from
(21:19):
other people about how they've treated differently for having ADHD
or treated differently because they're on the autism spectrum, or
I didn't grow up knowing that there was that there
was stigma that people would treat you differently. If you
had mental health issues or if you were new divergent.
I didn't really know because that what didn't exist in
my house. So for me, it's never been a big deal.
(21:39):
Like it's not a big deal if you make it
a big deal. And I think familiarity leads to comfortability,
and people don't want to talk about things they're uncomfortable about,
and it's easier to talk about something that everybody else
is talking about, and you know, be like, oh, yeah,
I think I'm suffering from clinical depression when everybody's so
open about talking about it, It's never been something I've
(22:00):
thought about. I'm also just by nature a very open person.
You know, I'll tell you a joke, but I won't
tell you a lie. I'm a terrible lie, which might
seem like a like an odd thing for an actor,
but you know, there's are very different. That's work and
then there's and then there's life, and the two are
(22:20):
very separated in my mind. But yeah, I've always been
very open and I don't see any reason not to be.
Anyone who treats me differently or has an issue with
how open I am about mental health or neurodivisions, that's
a them problem, you know what I mean, Like they
just it's easy for me to forgive that because they
(22:41):
just don't know enough. They clearly haven't done the research.
They just don't know enough, or you know, maybe they
have some past trauma. Overheard someone talk disparagingly about someone
who had anxiety or was ADHD or whatever in the past,
and that prevents them from you knowing clearly. But I
(23:02):
think in terms of sort of like being open in
social media and living complete whatever that means, it's an
interesting thing to be in a position of I don't know, celebrity.
I guess I don't feel like a celebrity ninety nin
percent of the time because I'm you know, taking out
the trash and catch it and those dirty dishes and
(23:22):
seek and I don't want to do them. And you know,
I'm a regular person ninety anercent of the time. It's
very interesting that people have made entire careers off a persona,
and maybe because what I do for work is create personas,
so I don't feel the need to do that in
my real life. I think for some people it's a
protective mechanism and they get to keep a part of
(23:44):
themselves secret and safe for themselves, especially when you're in
the public eye, that can be a struggle, and fans
want to know who you really who you really are,
and in some cases with really big celebrity sids can
be extremely invasive, and I under stand having a persona
as a protective sort of mechanism, especially when that makes
(24:05):
you money. I think for some really big celebrities, fans
want to know who you really are, but they also
they also don't. I think there are a lot of
people who are very enamored with the idea of celebrities
being not entirely people the way that you're you know,
(24:25):
standard person is a person. I think they really like
the idea of celebrities being like special or different in
some way, and if you are too real and too
much of a person, it sort of ruins that image
for them. Like a character in a TV show that
you're really attached to, that suspension of disbelief is so
(24:49):
important for you to become really invested in a show,
and really invested in a character, and really invested in
that world. It isn't real, but it it's real to you,
and I think that that can bleed over parasocially into
sort of celebrity image, where a lot of really big
(25:10):
celebrities aren't people. They're an idea. They're an ideal, there's
something to strive for, there's something untouchable, and that's what
makes them special, and too much of the real nitty
gritty can destroy that dream for some people. So it's
a really interesting sort of thought study on celebrity and
(25:31):
idolatry and kind of what it means to different people.
I'm not very good at creating a persona. I think
I tried it for a little while, and honestly, it's exhausting.
It's really tiring. And I play different people for my job.
(25:52):
You know, I definitely behave differently on a carpet or
with friends or with family, but those are just facets
of the same person, where it's sort of creating an
alter ego. It doesn't come naturally to me at all.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Well, I think that's why so many people connect with you.
It's because you are you know, real, and you are
who you are and there is not this big red
curtain that they have to pull back to get a
glimpse into who you are. And I think that's what, yeah,
is part of the reason why people do gravitate towards you.
So that's that's a really cool thing.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Well, sometimes I wish I could, you know, sometimes I'm like,
that would be nice to have that as sort of
like a like a safety thing. And you know, I've
put my footnote more than once in my career just
being like way too blunt and frank and honest, and
that's definitely bitten me a few times. It would be
nice if I was capable of doing that, but it's
(26:51):
it's too difficult for me personally. And I have a
lot of admiration for people that can juggle the two
because it is it is a lot of work, and
it is it is truly at and it's a it's
a form of acting in my craft in and of
itself to be able to do that, and I think
it's very impressive when people can don't. I don't have
the bandwidth for it, unfortunately, So I'll probably continue to
(27:12):
put my footmight occasionally throughout my career. But you know,
it's a much more comfortable way for me personally to live.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Yeah, and it keeps life, in my opinion, a little
more interesting. So I think that's a good way to live.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
So now I have a few kind of rapid fire
questions before I get to my very big introspective question
which you might have a hint of what's coming based
off the title, But for a few rapid fires, okay.
Number one, is Ellen Pompeo as dreamy as she seems?
Speaker 2 (27:46):
Yes, in the same way that a dream is both
beautiful and a little terrifying. Ellen Pompeo is that because
she's Ellen Pompeo, you know, and like she's she's she's
been such an eye lnchpin in our industry for so long,
and she was so like kind to us and welcoming
and made jokes and all of us look like, you know,
(28:09):
a little nervous, you know, meeting your big sister's like
super cool friend who's like the most popular person. She
gave us these like big, like succulent gardens. It's a
welcome gift when we all arrived, and you know, it's
really cool. She's she's got such a presence on set
as well, like we all know when she's around to
(28:29):
do like audio or whatever, because her trailer has like
trees set up around it, and when the trees aren't
set up, she's not there, and then when the trees
are set up, we're like Ellen's on set today, Ellen's
around today. Yeah, what a remarkable woman, What a remarkable career.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Number two two of three. Let's go with the question
about Rain For all those rain fans listening, I'm sure
there's many many tuns of this. Hey, rain Fans, what
do you miss most about that show?
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Why do I begin? By the time we wrapped up
that show, I was so close with the rest of
the cast, like we were really such a family. And
I still see quite a few of those cast members
were still really close, like Rachel's Carston and Jonathan Celton.
(29:17):
You know, I get to see Megan and Craig every
now and again, and when I'm in London, I get
to see Rose, And it's just we had such a
family on that set. I really miss them, like right
down to our crew who came back for us, Like
every season they turned down other jobs so they could
come back to us. Like it was just such a close, close, close,
(29:38):
loving supportive set. You know, I never thought I'd find
anything close to that kind of synchronicity again in my career,
like sort of a once in a lifetime job. I'm
really grateful for Grace because it's it shows promise of
being that again. Of course with Brandon took four years
to get there. But I really really miss those people,
and I missed Toronto. To be completely honest, I don't
(30:00):
miss the winters in Toronto, but I kind of grew
up there. I was on that show from like twenty
three to twenty seven, which are really formative years in
any young person's life, and I did that in Toronto,
and I really loved that city. The winter's sock.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
But go outside it's thirty degrees. Yes, I know, winters suck.
I deal with the year round.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Oh no, it wor in New York. It's worse than
New York, but you'd get a get frostbite warnings as like,
you know, the service and announcement pop up on our phone.
It was like, if you go outside for more than
five minutes with any exposed skin, you're going to get
frostbited because of the wind's coming off the lake.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Oh no, thank you.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
I have no damage in my left foot from trekking
through snow and thin leather boots in the dead of
winter in those dresses. Yeah, it only comes back when
I'm in icy conditions. And two of my toes on
my left foot go none.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
So oh my ysh, well you missed the cast, you
don't miss the numbness. I think that's that's uh fair
to say, but that's amazing. I know that show means
a lot to many people, so I had to get
in a question about that. And also another show that
means a lot too many people. Once upon a time,
you played the Evil Stepsister, which I mean and Italy.
My husband and I watched that show like all during
(31:14):
the pandemic a million times. It's just so fun. So
for all the wancers out there, was that just a
magical experience?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Like truly, truly, it really was. I once was so
much fun. It was so much fun during one of
my short hair eras, like, I had such a good
time on that show. I mean, like getting to play
like a bitch was so much fun. I'd never gotten
(31:44):
to do that before, and I just like channeled every
meeting go I'd ever seen in high school.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
You played a bitch very convincingly. I have to say, Oh, I.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Was bullied all through school, so I had a lot
of firsthand experience what that looks like. And it was
fun to play a mean girl and have it not
be real, because like, when people are mean in real life,
I'm like, doesn't that hurt you on the inside, Like
don't you see the look on someone's face when you
(32:13):
say something cutting? And doesn't that just like eat it you.
The times that I've hurt people's feelings have been purely
by accident because I'm too blunt, and I've had to
learn to be more tactful in the way I speak,
because I can hurt people's feelings with my bluntness, But
to set out to do that on purpose, to deliberately
unsettle or hurt someone, doesn't that just give you a
(32:35):
sick feeling in your stomach. So to be able to
say sassy, mean things and have it not be real,
it's funny. It's a joke because it's not real. And
I would never ever say any of those things to
anybody in real life because that's horrible. But it was
so much fun. And then I got close with the
costume department there as well, because my character is sort
(32:56):
of popped in and out and I only really had
one or two like outfits an episode. And because she would, like,
you know, thought she was like a fashion girl, they
told me what the budget was because I had a
set like a small set budget for every episode, but
since I only had one or two outfits, we got
to really stretch it and like go to Nord Stream
Rack and there was one beautiful like green and gold
shirt that was me and me that they got from
(33:18):
like first Steel, from some vintage place, and we got
to really really dress up and wear some really cool,
like high end pieces. It was so much fun. And
then to just be like I think most people grew
up with like Disney movies, so to be able to
be like a Disney character an evil step system was
(33:40):
so much fun and mean characters are always the most
fun to play.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Yeah, that was an iconic role to step into. So
that was, as a viewer, really fun to watch. So
you survived the rapid fire around. The final question of
this interview is based off the title of the show,
and I'm wondering, is there anything that you've known ever
said before, whether it's silly or deep or whatever you
can think of at the top of your mind. Is
(34:05):
there something that you would want to share today?
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Hmm. I've given this a lot of thought, and I
think with how open I am as a person, there
are very few things I haven't said before, and I've
been in therapy for a very long time. But I
think if I had a chance, looking back to live
my life over again, with you know, the moves that
(34:33):
I've made and the mistakes that I've made. I've been
asked by friends, you know, if you could start again
at like twelve, or at the beginning of your career
and do things differently, would you? And sometimes I think
I would. But I think ultimately, looking back at my
life and all the good things and all of the
bad things, I don't think I would change anything, even
(34:55):
with the mistakes, even with the really difficult things I've
been through in my life. I really like who I
am now and where I am and how I move
through the world and the people in my life, and
I don't think i'd change a thing. I don think
i'd change a single thing if I had the chance
to do it all over breaking.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
I love that response. Thank you for sharing that, and
thank you for everything you've opened up with in this
conversation today. You know, sometimes when you're on zoom and
you can't feel somebody in a room that could be
I guess a disadvantage when you're interviewing somebody, but when
you feel somebody as strongly as I felt to you today,
it just shows me how truly you know, grounded and
(35:38):
centered and grateful and present you are as a person,
and I just I really enjoy this conversation.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
So thank you, Thank you. Likewise, I mean, I saw
the breakdown of what you do here and what you
do on your show, and I really wanted to show
up and deliver up for you in the spirit which
you came to the table. So I appreciate you, and
I appreciate your time. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
Thank you, and for everybody listening. Grazes back in March
in just a couple of weeks, so check it out.
I'm sure there's a lot of fun we can expect.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
Right oh you bet is drama, drama, drama every episode.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Okay, you heard it there first. Well, thank you again
and until we meet again, Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
To a great day.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
I've Never Said This Before is hosted by Me Tommy Dedario.
This podcast is executive produced by Andrew Puglisi at iHeartRadio
and by Me Tommy, with editing by Joshua Colaudney. I've
Never Said This Before is part of the Elvis Duran
Podcast Network on iHeart Podcasts for more rate, review and
subscribe to our show. And if you liked this episode,
(36:46):
tell your friends. Until next time, I'm Tommy Dederio.
Hey guys, welcome to I've never said this before with
me Tommy di Dario. Today's guest is the brilliantly talented
Adelaide Kine.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Adelaide has been acting since six years old, and she
has played so many characters in mega fan favorite projects
over the course of her career. You may recognize her
from MTV's teen Wolf or the hit CW show Rain,
or maybe from one of my all time favorite shows,
ABC's Once Upon a Time that admittedly, yeah, I have
(00:34):
watched let's just say a lot. But now she is
in head to toe Scrubs, playing Doctor Jules in one
of the most iconic television shows in the history of television,
and that show is Grey's Anatomy. Gray's Anatomy is going
on to its twentieth season, premiering on March fourteenth on ABC,
(00:54):
and Adelaide joined the series in season nineteen as one
of the first year surgical residents. She was part of
that intern class. Today we talk all things gras Anatomy,
We revisit some of those fan favorite projects that she
has started, and we learn more on a deeper level
about someone who has been behind the lights and behind
the cameras for almost well all of her life. So
(01:17):
let's see if today we can get Adelaide to say
something that she's never said before. Adalide, how are you
doing today, my friend?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I'm so good. How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
I am fantastic. I'm so happy to finally connect with you.
I have to tell you, I, during the pandemic, had
this Instagram live series that I launched just trying to
bring people together and bringing their favorite artists in these
really intimate conversations from their living room and houses, and
that's what turned into this show. And you have been
someone since then, since twenty twenty that people have been
(01:54):
writing in hoping for a fun episode with. So I'm
glad we can make it happen.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Thank you so much. That's so cool, and congratulations, like
you're doing this whole thing and it's so inspiring.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Good you, Oh, thank you, thank you so much. But
it's not about me. It is about you, And oh
where do I begin? I mean, I guess, first of all,
you are I don't need to tell you such an
accomplished actress. You have played so many different roles, from
a werewolf to a historical figure Queen Mary of Scott's
to a doctor currently to a wicked stepsister and once
(02:28):
upon a time. I mean, is there anything you can't play?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
That sounds like a lot of things, but I haven't.
I haven't played someone in the military yet. I haven't
played an acrobat yet. That's definitely something I don't think
I could do because my back is a boy he
used to be. I don't know. It's it's always fun
taking on sort of like different roles in different types
of people. It's part of what I love about my
(02:52):
job is I get to be someone other than myself.
And I played the same character over and over again.
I think I get a bit bored. But I've been
very lucky and how my career is shaped down well.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
And you're currently, as I mentioned, playing a doctor. You
are going into season twenty of Grey's Anatomy. You joined
in nineteen. This is your second season on the show.
Oh my god. I mean it's such an iconic, such
a legacy show. Were you freaking out when you got
this job?
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Oh yeah, yes, absolutely. Like my my cousins grew up
watching Grayce they've been watching since season one. It's like
a part of their life. And I was a little
too young. I wasn't allowed to watch it. It was
like a little too grown up for me. But Grays
is is such it's like it's part of the fabric
of pop culture. Initially, I was just so excited. I
(03:40):
was like, Yes, I have a job and it's on
Gray's and I get to work in Los Angeles and
I get to work with all these incredible people. And
then I was nervous because the fans of Grays are
really passionate about the show. It means so much to them,
and that's, you know, that's like a lot of responsibility
to take on. You really won't do your best for them,
(04:01):
and you know you want them to like you because
you're so excited to be there, and they've been very
kind and very welcoming to all of us that joined
in season nineteen, and it's been a really wonderful experience.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
So you couldn't watch the series growing up. Did you
go back at all and binge any of it or
try to.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Catch up must I certainly did you.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Did, because there's so many seasons, So how do you
even tackle that when you get this job one episode.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
At a time. I was familiar with the first, you know,
sort of five six seasons. I like Medical dramas like
I loved House and Scrubs and you know anything, the
sense of humor when I was growing up. When I
got older, so I was already familiar with Grace, but
I hadn't watched in a few years. So when I
got the audition, I sat down and I started binge
(04:50):
watching the show as almost like a kind of manifestation,
and also to get an idea of like the tone
and the pace, and different shows have characters speaking at
different pacing, and it's important to sort of see what
you have to do in the show, whether you have
to be very physically active in your body, or whether
you speak quickly, or whether there's a lot of space
(05:10):
for pauses. So I did that and I sent my
tape off and then I was in London to do
like my visa appointment because I'm on a visa because
I'm Australian, I have to leave the country. And my
partner at the time had COVID and so they were
up in the hotel room. I was running them food
and I got my callback request and you know, I
(05:33):
had to tape it in the hotel room make sure
I didn't get COVID. And then while I was waiting
to hear I was just sitting in.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
The lobby of this hotel with my sick girlfriend upstairs,
just binge watching Grays as like part of manifestation because
I wanted the job so much.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
And then when we finally got home, I got the
news like a day or two after I landed, and
then I was straight into fittings a couple of days
later and on set a few weeks after that. It
was really a crazy time. It feels like it happened
so quickly and it was so much going on.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yeah. Absolutely, I can only imagine that your first day
on that set, after knowing so much about the show,
after having your best friends watching the show, after you've
been watching the show, and then you're suddenly in this
medical universe yourself. I mean, was that kind of outer
body for you?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
It was very much, especially since I haven't walked on
a project that shoots in Los Angeles since teen Wolf,
so most of the projects I've done have shot in Canada,
North Carolina, not in Los Angeles, so it was it
was very surreal to just getting my car and then
(06:43):
drive to a studio here in Los Angeles. And when
I was younger and I dreamed of being an actor
and being in Los Angeles, you know, I dreamed of
being on a lot in LA and to you know,
to go to a lot every day and have like
a little parking space with my name, and I hadn't
had that before Grace. It was very surreal. And then
(07:05):
stepping on a new set is always so interesting because
half the walls are missing in every room and the
ceiling is full of a lighting rig. It's always very odd.
But I will say I think the coolest and weirdest
thing that I had to adjust to that's going to
sound odd, is the costuming. I'm very used to wearing
like jeans and like tight tops or corsets and ball
(07:28):
gowns or high heels and miniskirts. So to go into
work every day and wear a sports brass, speakers and scrubs,
it was almost more difficult to adjust to being in
comfortable clothing for work than anything else. I'm was so
used to having whatever discomfort is part of my wardrobe
(07:48):
be a part of my character and inform my character.
That being comfortable and playing such a high stress character
was like very discombobulated. And then of course we get
to set and there's Alan Bombayo, and there's Daughter Wilson,
and there's Kevin McKidd who I loved from Rome before
I joined the show. It was just it was insane
(08:14):
and so cool. And I'm very, very grateful for the
other interns that joined the show at the same time
as me, Harry, Niko, Alexis, and Madori, because they are
such wonderful, good hearted people. All five of us like
bonded very quickly, and I'll give credit to Madori, who
you know, organized like an intern dinner for us, like
(08:35):
ride out the Gates so we could get to know
each other. And since we sort of worked together the
most and we all joined together, it was it was
so wonderful to have them. There's like an automatic support
network and then the best I'm staying at Alexis's house
right now, well while my bathrooms are being destroyed. I
could watch lyrical about Grace all day because the more
senior casts have been incredibly welcoming and kind to us
(08:58):
as well and have given us to full advice, and
Chandre in particular has made ourself very available if we
have any stresses or any worries, and I couldn't else
for better I've been working for a very long time.
I knew it would be a comfortable set to be
on because the show has been going for a very
long time, and there's an ease that comes with that.
(09:19):
But it's true, I've truly been blown away by how
welcoming and kind and communicative everyone has been, from production
to cost. They take very good care of us. I'm
incredibly grateful.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
It's so obvious to me that you are incredibly grateful,
and it's such a special job for you. And there's
there's a couple of things I want to dive into
that you talked about. One, your character and wearing the scrubs,
and how that's something you had to get accustomed to.
I find that when a show's been on for a
long time and new characters are introduced, it's not always seamless.
It's not always a win. But this show did it brilliantly.
(09:53):
And your character people really really have gotten attached to
and are super excited to have in the show. Of course,
that's the character of Jew. So for you, what has
been the best part of playing this role and diving
into her? What do you love about this character?
Speaker 2 (10:06):
She's a very complicated young woman, I really like how
messy she is. I think when we when I first
came into the show, I was like, also have some
things in common, but I don't think we have that
much in common. Like, you know, she was raised very
hippie dippy, that her parents were a little bit neglectful,
and you know, she's very into sort of like crystals
and taro and stuff. And I think initially I was like, well,
(10:26):
I'm not like that at all. You know, my mother
was very involved in my life and still is, like
I'm very close with my family, And then I was like,
oh no, I have crystals at home. I like astrology too,
also a lot like Jewel's very pragmatic and very like
I have my calendar and my lists, and very sensible.
(10:49):
And her armor that she has out about like love
and romance, I absolutely recognize that. And then a younger
version of myself, I was very resistant to falling in
love or being soft vulnerability because that felt like weakness.
I only felt comfortable being vulnerable with my friends and romantically.
It was very difficult for me to you know, be
(11:11):
tender and be vulnerable. And I've outgrown that, and I
look forward to Jewels out growing that I think the
most interesting part of the job for me. My mother
is a nurse. She's a nurse educator. She has spent
decades working in hospitals and now she teaches. And I've
always been fascinated by sort of like medical dramas. And
(11:32):
the most fun thing for me to do on set
one is whenever I have scenes with all the rest
of the interns, because it's chaos. It's like, it's like
hurting cats. I think that's why they don't give us
too many of those scenes, because we're just, you know,
chatting and joking and we have such a good time.
But I love all of the medical stuff. I love
(11:54):
the operating and and you know, the surgery and stitching,
teuting and all of it. I love all of that stuff.
Maybe a little bit too much. It's a little creepy.
My first episode, they had me with my hand inside
like a fake human chest and they had rigged up
a real cow heart to beat, and they'd put blood
(12:17):
clots in it so I could like humatolas, so I
could feel the heumotomas. And it's incredible. I got to
cut off a leg and the prosthetic leg that they
had made, and it was partially cut, and you know
they'd painted, and they build these from nothing and they're
so realistic that I walked onto set to have a
look at it and I had a bit of a
cognitive dissonance moment where I had noticed I was trying
(12:38):
to smell for blood because it looked so real, and
I was like, I'm my brain thinks it's real. And
I had to go and touch it and like smell
the plastic and smell the like alcohol based paints, and
like poke at it and feel the texture before my
brain went, oh, no, it's not real. It's real. It's
not real. But I love all of that stuff and
I'm very crafty, a crochet and I knit. I brought
(13:00):
us with the sutureen comes quite naturally, like anything with tools,
anything with like bits and kits, So that's always really
fun for me. We had it and I had an
episode with Madori recently. We were dealing with you know
those doctor Pimple Popper videos.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Oh yes, I do. Don't tell me you.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Like those sometimes I do. We had an incident like
that and it was the most fun I've had on
set this season. Specifically, we had an incident involving pass
and it was hysterical, and Midori was like, who, and
(13:41):
I it's so entertaining. It's so much fun. You can
much fun because it's not real. I mean in real life,
you know, a lot of these things come with smells.
I'm very sense sensitive. I can't handle like I'm OCD
about my house and I have two cats. So the
whole up I have with the litter boxes extreme because
(14:02):
I cannot handle bad smells. Ever. I think if all
of this came with the usually associated smell of reality,
I wouldn't be able to handle it. But because it's
all fight, it's just so entertaining, and I feel like
an evil little gremlin every time I have to like
cut into something all there's blood spurting. It's so cool,
(14:24):
it's so much fun. I really enjoy all of the
medical stuff.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
The fact that you get into it, I mean that
only helps him share your character and the storyline and
the show.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
And it's not for everyone. One of my best friends
is an actor as well, and she's working on a
military show at the moment. She has to train for
like two hours a day and she's like, you know,
practicing shooting guns, just carrying really heavy bags and like,
you know, it's really intense physical training. And she's the
girliest girl to like ever go. But she was like
(15:01):
an athlete when she was younger. We joke about it
all the time where I'm like, that's all you. I'm
not a spotty I would cry every single day if
I had to train and do that much like physical work.
And she is so incredibly squeamish. She's like paper cut
and she starts crying and she's like, you do you,
(15:21):
I'll do me. And it is funny how I think
a lot of people think we pick the projects, but
truly the project pick us, and the universe absolutely participates
in giving us what is most suited to us. And
as I get older, I'm like, no, she would not
have been able to handle being on grades. It would
have been a lot for her, and I would not
(15:43):
be able to handle doing what she does. Like it
really does shake out the way it is intended to.
Oh so much fun.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
And that's so rewarding to see and hear because you
know their jobs. Sometimes I'm sure artists take because we
all need to work work, and then there's jobs that
really fuel your soul, and this one clearly you light
up as you talk about this, and it's so cool
to see that. Even when you mentioned the cast and
how wonderful these ogs have been and these iconic characters
(16:13):
have been, it seems like a beautiful blending.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
It is, it really is, and you know, you never
know what you're going to get. It's like any workplace,
right there are always going to be some people that
you don't gel with, not necessarily in a super negative way,
but just some workspaces can be lonely and it can
be difficult, you know, connecting with people or joining a
(16:37):
very well established workforce where everybody already has their sort
of like friends and their bonds, and it can be
tricky sometimes. But it's been very seamless with this, I
think in terms of you know, sometimes you work just
to work. Absolutely, sometimes you take a job because you
need the paycheck because like rent is do. But I'm
very much of the mindset that you can make something
work for you, like there is space for joy and positivity,
(17:02):
and you know, if you don't find that on set,
then you reach out to your friends and be like, hey,
I'm going to be in the Quebec. I'm going to
be in Montreal shooting this thing for eight weeks. Do
you know anyone in Montreal? Do you, like when you
were shooting this thing, you have any good restaurants? Like
I am a firm believer in like finding joy. I've
been lucky that I haven't experienced too much of, you know,
(17:25):
difficult personalities on set. There are difficult personalities everywhere in
every industry, and I think I've been quite fortunate. And
then I've always been able to, you know, find friendship
and find joy, either through other people or through my
own efforts. I think there is joy to be found
wherever you are, and if you can't find it at work,
then you find it in your life. And if you
(17:47):
have things that bring you joy in your life, every
experience will be at the very least a learning experience. Yeah,
And it took me a long time to learn that
because I was like, I don't want to be beholden
to circum stance as like the arbiter of my happiness.
And it's an active choice. And I'm not saying I'm
not saying it's easy, but you know, switching switching focus
(18:09):
to finding joy and really small things and switching focus
to have been like a moment of joy in every
day and then that day is successful, has been done,
and wonders for me personally waking up and being like, oh,
I'm so warm, that can be my moment of joy
for the day, and even if the rest of the
day sucks, the day was still a success. But I've
gotten really lucky in my work, and particularly lucky on
(18:32):
this set.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
That's such a good mentality to have and a good reminder,
and like you said, it's an active choice and something
we hopefully all work on. But to live your life
like that is so rewarding, and it makes it you know,
it's tough out there, it makes it feel a little easier.
So I think that's such a thing.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Like changing the mindset isn't easy, is the thing I
used to be very very negative. It takes a lot
of work and a lot of like self correction. It's
like changing the way you think about things and always
drives me nuts and people like just be happy, just
decide that you're It's not that easy. It really isn't.
It is hard work to change the way that you
(19:10):
think and to It's like anything like you don't go
to the gym and then immediately start deadlifting one hundred
and fifty pounds like you have. It's a muscle and
you need to work on it. And it took time
to look for the positive first, but it's really worth
it. It's really worth it. And I am in the privileged
(19:31):
position where most of my life is very good, and
trying to find the positive when most of your life
is difficult or challenging or bad is really hard. And
my life was that when I decided I wanted to
be happier, it was very difficult, and I had no
money and I was really struggling with mental health and
a whole host of other issues. And I was like, well,
(19:55):
if I can start working on my mindset and try
to find a bit of joy and every day now
when it is it's most difficult. As things get better,
it will get easier and it does become automatic. But
it does take work. And I think anyone that's like
you can just decide to be happy has never had
clinical depression. It definitely takes work, and life is very
hard as it is, but it is one of those challenges,
(20:18):
one of those sort of journeys that I think is
really worth pursuing.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
That's really cool that you, even now, I know you've
always been passionate about mental health and just now you've
opened up about it too, and a lot of people
don't choose to do that. And I think one of
the things I'm most interested in with people and with
the day and age we live in and with social media,
is kind of destigmatizing the glossy image of life that
we all can be guilty of presenting. And I think
(20:44):
that's something that probably serves you really well for work
and for your happiness and your future, because you seem
to be trying to live the truest form of your
life that you possibly can.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah, I do my best. I mean, I think it's
a very interesting catch. Twenty two. I grew up my
mother's always been very open about mental health, and my
family has always been very open about mental health. So
I didn't even really know there was a stigma behind
any of it. Even with my recent ADHD diagnosis and
learning about ADHD and seeing sort of anecdotal stories from
(21:19):
other people about how they've treated differently for having ADHD
or treated differently because they're on the autism spectrum, or
I didn't grow up knowing that there was that there
was stigma that people would treat you differently. If you
had mental health issues or if you were new divergent.
I didn't really know because that what didn't exist in
my house. So for me, it's never been a big deal.
(21:39):
Like it's not a big deal if you make it
a big deal. And I think familiarity leads to comfortability,
and people don't want to talk about things they're uncomfortable about,
and it's easier to talk about something that everybody else
is talking about, and you know, be like, oh, yeah,
I think I'm suffering from clinical depression when everybody's so
open about talking about it, It's never been something I've
(22:00):
thought about. I'm also just by nature a very open person.
You know, I'll tell you a joke, but I won't
tell you a lie. I'm a terrible lie, which might
seem like a like an odd thing for an actor,
but you know, there's are very different. That's work and
then there's and then there's life, and the two are
(22:20):
very separated in my mind. But yeah, I've always been
very open and I don't see any reason not to be.
Anyone who treats me differently or has an issue with
how open I am about mental health or neurodivisions, that's
a them problem, you know what I mean, Like they
just it's easy for me to forgive that because they
(22:41):
just don't know enough. They clearly haven't done the research.
They just don't know enough, or you know, maybe they
have some past trauma. Overheard someone talk disparagingly about someone
who had anxiety or was ADHD or whatever in the past,
and that prevents them from you knowing clearly. But I
(23:02):
think in terms of sort of like being open in
social media and living complete whatever that means, it's an
interesting thing to be in a position of I don't know, celebrity.
I guess I don't feel like a celebrity ninety nin
percent of the time because I'm you know, taking out
the trash and catch it and those dirty dishes and
(23:22):
seek and I don't want to do them. And you know,
I'm a regular person ninety anercent of the time. It's
very interesting that people have made entire careers off a persona,
and maybe because what I do for work is create personas,
so I don't feel the need to do that in
my real life. I think for some people it's a
protective mechanism and they get to keep a part of
(23:44):
themselves secret and safe for themselves, especially when you're in
the public eye, that can be a struggle, and fans
want to know who you really who you really are,
and in some cases with really big celebrity sids can
be extremely invasive, and I under stand having a persona
as a protective sort of mechanism, especially when that makes
(24:05):
you money. I think for some really big celebrities, fans
want to know who you really are, but they also
they also don't. I think there are a lot of
people who are very enamored with the idea of celebrities
being not entirely people the way that you're you know,
(24:25):
standard person is a person. I think they really like
the idea of celebrities being like special or different in
some way, and if you are too real and too
much of a person, it sort of ruins that image
for them. Like a character in a TV show that
you're really attached to, that suspension of disbelief is so
(24:49):
important for you to become really invested in a show,
and really invested in a character, and really invested in
that world. It isn't real, but it it's real to you,
and I think that that can bleed over parasocially into
sort of celebrity image, where a lot of really big
(25:10):
celebrities aren't people. They're an idea. They're an ideal, there's
something to strive for, there's something untouchable, and that's what
makes them special, and too much of the real nitty
gritty can destroy that dream for some people. So it's
a really interesting sort of thought study on celebrity and
(25:31):
idolatry and kind of what it means to different people.
I'm not very good at creating a persona. I think
I tried it for a little while, and honestly, it's exhausting.
It's really tiring. And I play different people for my job.
(25:52):
You know, I definitely behave differently on a carpet or
with friends or with family, but those are just facets
of the same person, where it's sort of creating an
alter ego. It doesn't come naturally to me at all.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Well, I think that's why so many people connect with you.
It's because you are you know, real, and you are
who you are and there is not this big red
curtain that they have to pull back to get a
glimpse into who you are. And I think that's what, yeah,
is part of the reason why people do gravitate towards you.
So that's that's a really cool thing.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Well, sometimes I wish I could, you know, sometimes I'm like,
that would be nice to have that as sort of
like a like a safety thing. And you know, I've
put my footnote more than once in my career just
being like way too blunt and frank and honest, and
that's definitely bitten me a few times. It would be
nice if I was capable of doing that, but it's
(26:51):
it's too difficult for me personally. And I have a
lot of admiration for people that can juggle the two
because it is it is a lot of work, and
it is it is truly at and it's a it's
a form of acting in my craft in and of
itself to be able to do that, and I think
it's very impressive when people can don't. I don't have
the bandwidth for it, unfortunately, So I'll probably continue to
(27:12):
put my footmight occasionally throughout my career. But you know,
it's a much more comfortable way for me personally to live.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Yeah, and it keeps life, in my opinion, a little
more interesting. So I think that's a good way to live.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
So now I have a few kind of rapid fire
questions before I get to my very big introspective question
which you might have a hint of what's coming based
off the title, But for a few rapid fires, okay.
Number one, is Ellen Pompeo as dreamy as she seems?
Speaker 2 (27:46):
Yes, in the same way that a dream is both
beautiful and a little terrifying. Ellen Pompeo is that because
she's Ellen Pompeo, you know, and like she's she's she's
been such an eye lnchpin in our industry for so long,
and she was so like kind to us and welcoming
and made jokes and all of us look like, you know,
(28:09):
a little nervous, you know, meeting your big sister's like
super cool friend who's like the most popular person. She
gave us these like big, like succulent gardens. It's a
welcome gift when we all arrived, and you know, it's
really cool. She's she's got such a presence on set
as well, like we all know when she's around to
(28:29):
do like audio or whatever, because her trailer has like
trees set up around it, and when the trees aren't
set up, she's not there, and then when the trees
are set up, we're like Ellen's on set today, Ellen's
around today. Yeah, what a remarkable woman, What a remarkable career.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Number two two of three. Let's go with the question
about Rain For all those rain fans listening, I'm sure
there's many many tuns of this. Hey, rain Fans, what
do you miss most about that show?
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Why do I begin? By the time we wrapped up
that show, I was so close with the rest of
the cast, like we were really such a family. And
I still see quite a few of those cast members
were still really close, like Rachel's Carston and Jonathan Celton.
(29:17):
You know, I get to see Megan and Craig every
now and again, and when I'm in London, I get
to see Rose, And it's just we had such a
family on that set. I really miss them, like right
down to our crew who came back for us, Like
every season they turned down other jobs so they could
come back to us. Like it was just such a close, close, close,
(29:38):
loving supportive set. You know, I never thought I'd find
anything close to that kind of synchronicity again in my career,
like sort of a once in a lifetime job. I'm
really grateful for Grace because it's it shows promise of
being that again. Of course with Brandon took four years
to get there. But I really really miss those people,
and I missed Toronto. To be completely honest, I don't
(30:00):
miss the winters in Toronto, but I kind of grew
up there. I was on that show from like twenty
three to twenty seven, which are really formative years in
any young person's life, and I did that in Toronto,
and I really loved that city. The winter's sock.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
But go outside it's thirty degrees. Yes, I know, winters suck.
I deal with the year round.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Oh no, it wor in New York. It's worse than
New York, but you'd get a get frostbite warnings as like,
you know, the service and announcement pop up on our phone.
It was like, if you go outside for more than
five minutes with any exposed skin, you're going to get
frostbited because of the wind's coming off the lake.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Oh no, thank you.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
I have no damage in my left foot from trekking
through snow and thin leather boots in the dead of
winter in those dresses. Yeah, it only comes back when
I'm in icy conditions. And two of my toes on
my left foot go none.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
So oh my ysh, well you missed the cast, you
don't miss the numbness. I think that's that's uh fair
to say, but that's amazing. I know that show means
a lot to many people, so I had to get
in a question about that. And also another show that
means a lot too many people. Once upon a time,
you played the Evil Stepsister, which I mean and Italy.
My husband and I watched that show like all during
(31:14):
the pandemic a million times. It's just so fun. So
for all the wancers out there, was that just a
magical experience?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Like truly, truly, it really was. I once was so
much fun. It was so much fun during one of
my short hair eras, like, I had such a good
time on that show. I mean, like getting to play
like a bitch was so much fun. I'd never gotten
(31:44):
to do that before, and I just like channeled every
meeting go I'd ever seen in high school.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
You played a bitch very convincingly. I have to say, Oh, I.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Was bullied all through school, so I had a lot
of firsthand experience what that looks like. And it was
fun to play a mean girl and have it not
be real, because like, when people are mean in real life,
I'm like, doesn't that hurt you on the inside, Like
don't you see the look on someone's face when you
(32:13):
say something cutting? And doesn't that just like eat it you.
The times that I've hurt people's feelings have been purely
by accident because I'm too blunt, and I've had to
learn to be more tactful in the way I speak,
because I can hurt people's feelings with my bluntness, But
to set out to do that on purpose, to deliberately
unsettle or hurt someone, doesn't that just give you a
(32:35):
sick feeling in your stomach. So to be able to
say sassy, mean things and have it not be real,
it's funny. It's a joke because it's not real. And
I would never ever say any of those things to
anybody in real life because that's horrible. But it was
so much fun. And then I got close with the
costume department there as well, because my character is sort
(32:56):
of popped in and out and I only really had
one or two like outfits an episode. And because she would, like,
you know, thought she was like a fashion girl, they
told me what the budget was because I had a
set like a small set budget for every episode, but
since I only had one or two outfits, we got
to really stretch it and like go to Nord Stream
Rack and there was one beautiful like green and gold
shirt that was me and me that they got from
(33:18):
like first Steel, from some vintage place, and we got
to really really dress up and wear some really cool,
like high end pieces. It was so much fun. And
then to just be like I think most people grew
up with like Disney movies, so to be able to
be like a Disney character an evil step system was
(33:40):
so much fun and mean characters are always the most
fun to play.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Yeah, that was an iconic role to step into. So
that was, as a viewer, really fun to watch. So
you survived the rapid fire around. The final question of
this interview is based off the title of the show,
and I'm wondering, is there anything that you've known ever
said before, whether it's silly or deep or whatever you
can think of at the top of your mind. Is
(34:05):
there something that you would want to share today?
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Hmm. I've given this a lot of thought, and I
think with how open I am as a person, there
are very few things I haven't said before, and I've
been in therapy for a very long time. But I
think if I had a chance, looking back to live
my life over again, with you know, the moves that
(34:33):
I've made and the mistakes that I've made. I've been
asked by friends, you know, if you could start again
at like twelve, or at the beginning of your career
and do things differently, would you? And sometimes I think
I would. But I think ultimately, looking back at my
life and all the good things and all of the
bad things, I don't think I would change anything, even
(34:55):
with the mistakes, even with the really difficult things I've
been through in my life. I really like who I
am now and where I am and how I move
through the world and the people in my life, and
I don't think i'd change a thing. I don think
i'd change a single thing if I had the chance
to do it all over breaking.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
I love that response. Thank you for sharing that, and
thank you for everything you've opened up with in this
conversation today. You know, sometimes when you're on zoom and
you can't feel somebody in a room that could be
I guess a disadvantage when you're interviewing somebody, but when
you feel somebody as strongly as I felt to you today,
it just shows me how truly you know, grounded and
(35:38):
centered and grateful and present you are as a person,
and I just I really enjoy this conversation.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
So thank you, Thank you. Likewise, I mean, I saw
the breakdown of what you do here and what you
do on your show, and I really wanted to show
up and deliver up for you in the spirit which
you came to the table. So I appreciate you, and
I appreciate your time. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
Thank you, and for everybody listening. Grazes back in March
in just a couple of weeks, so check it out.
I'm sure there's a lot of fun we can expect.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
Right oh you bet is drama, drama, drama every episode.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Okay, you heard it there first. Well, thank you again
and until we meet again, Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
To a great day.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
I've Never Said This Before is hosted by Me Tommy Dedario.
This podcast is executive produced by Andrew Puglisi at iHeartRadio
and by Me Tommy, with editing by Joshua Colaudney. I've
Never Said This Before is part of the Elvis Duran
Podcast Network on iHeart Podcasts for more rate, review and
subscribe to our show. And if you liked this episode,
(36:46):
tell your friends. Until next time, I'm Tommy Dederio.
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