January 16, 2024 • 34 mins
This week, Tommy is joined by actor Christopher Briney who stars in the highly anticipated new Mean Girls movie. Christopher plays the beloved role of Aaron Samuels, the heartthrob of North Shore High School, in this reimagined musical version of the fan-favorite 2004 film. Aside from navigating the trials and tribulations of the high school social pyramid in a world created by the iconic Tina Fey, you may also know him from his starring role as Conrad Fisher in the Amazon hit series, The Summer I Turned Pretty. Christopher opens up about how he hopes a new generation of people fall in love with the world of Mean Girls, almost saying no to playing Aaron Samuels, taking on characters throughout his career that fans already know and love, the pressure that comes along with that, how The Summer I Turned Pretty changed his life, handling the good and bad of people’s opinions on social media, and why he is saying the word “yes” more in 2024.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, guys, welcome to I've never said this before with
me Tommy di Dario. Today's guest is the wonderfully talented
Christopher Briney, who is in one of the most anticipated
movies of the new year, and that movie is, of course,
Mean Girls. Now Me and Girls was a smash hit
when it came out in two thousand and four, becoming
(00:21):
instantly iconic in the landscape of pop culture. If I
were a betting man, I would bet that you can
recite at least one line from the movie to me
right now, come on, I know you can. I have
about seven in my back pocket. But this iteration of
the movie is not a remake, but rather a blending
of the two thousand and four movie with the Tony
(00:42):
Award nominated Broadway musical version, and man, oh, it is
such a blast to watch. Chris plays Aaron Samuels. He
is one of the most popular and coolest guys in
north Shore High School. But aside from navigating the trials
and tribulations of the high school social ramid, which we
all know is no easy feat, you may know him
(01:04):
from his starring role as Conrad Fisher in the Amazon
hit series The Summer I turned Pretty. It is a
show that took the world by storm and catapulted Chris
into international stardom. Season three of the series is going
to begin production this year, and I know the fandom
is eagerly awaiting for that to happen. Chris is rising
(01:26):
quickly in the ranks of Hollywood's leading men, and what
I love about his artistry is that he gives such
a variety of nuanced and memorable performances. He is definitely
somebody to keep a close eye on. Chris is a
shooting star. So let's see if today we can get
Chris to say something that he's never said before. Chris Mo, Man,
(01:54):
how you doing today?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
I'm doing okay, I'm good. How are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I am fantastic. Are you ready for the whirlwind that's
about to come your way with the release of Mean Girls?
Speaker 2 (02:05):
I don't know. I'm excited for people to see it.
I think it's one of those things you can only
just hope people enjoy it, you know, So I haven't
quite been prepping for responses yet. I'm just hoping that
people appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
I gotta tell you, I saw it last night and
I'm a millennial, so I grew up with the two
thousand and four version, and I was really exsyited to
see this. I also saw the show on Broadway and
I loved it.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Man.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
I thought it was fresh and fun and so exciting.
And you, of course play Aaron Samuel. So talk to
me a bit about this film. What can people expect?
How is it different from that original version.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
As with most creatives in the industry, people don't really
want to just redo something, you know. We don't really
want as a massive people who consume entertainment like a
shot for shot remake of a movie that we love,
you know. I mean, it's been done and you have Mengirls,
you have the two thousand and four Mean Girls, and
it exists and it's fantastic and it lives in that bubble,
(03:01):
you know. And I grew up with it too, And
I think what Tina was trying to do with this
is just sort of bring it to a new audience
and update it for the world we live in and
make it a more diverse world than the original, because
that's the world we live in, you know, And we
live in a diverse world. And I think to do that,
(03:22):
you can't just change the script a little bit and
have new characters. I think it has to like feel
different and look different, and I'd like to think that's
what everybody set out to do. And the same with
the musical, Like the musical exists, there's no point in
doing a direct just film version of it. I think
it has to be something new and fresh. And I
like that you said it sort of felt that way,
because I think that's what it has to be. Like,
there's no point in doing it if it's not going
(03:44):
to be new and it's not going to be fresh.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Yeah. I think it pulled the best of the film
and the best of the stage production and blended it
all together. Like it's not a remake. It's not a
remake at all. It's something entirely new.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah. I'd like to think it exists in its own
sort of world. And yes there's amage, you know, not
trying to pretend it's never been done before in some ways,
but it does exist on its own.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Yeah. Well, that tongue in cheek fun is exciting as
a viewer to watch, you know. You look for those
little those little winking moments that do pay you know,
homage to the two thousand and four version.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
And I think you need that because it is so iconic.
If there was no like quote or not to the original,
then I don't know, then you'd be waiting for it
the whole time.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
And at what point did you watch the original film?
Because it's a bit like I really grew up with it.
But you're younger than me, I think, So when did
you see it?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
It came out in two thousand and four, I would
have been like six, so I probably didn't watch it
when I was six. I honestly don't know the first
time I watched it. I think it was just one
of those things that maybe a friend put it on
or I saw it on TBS. But it's one of
those things that I've unknowingly been quoting my whole life,
and I've known my whole life, and I don't really
know when it started.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Isn't it a wild We all know multiple quotes from
that movie?
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Yeah, well, there are like a few things, and I
forget exactly what, But like my friends and I would
it would just be like something we'd say, and you know,
we know it's a quote from something. But then you're like, oh,
that's mean, girls, Like that's not just like a random
quote we picked up like, that's just that's Tina. Did
you have a go to I referenced that I'm sick
(05:17):
like a lot, Like whenever I have like a cough
for a cold, I just sort of say it. That's
definitely one of them. I mean Wednesdays in pink like,
that's another one that like I feel like my dad
probably knows that, but he hasn't watched that. I don't
know if he's ever watched me, you know what I mean.
It's one of those things that just sort of exists
in the culture.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
It's so good. It's so good. So aside from being
an actor and wanting to work, what made you want
to do this project? Like I would imagine it could
come with a level of trepidation and worrying, Oh, what
are people going to think? Who do love that original
and we're making something new? Like what was it that
really appealed stepping into the role of Aaron for you?
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Well, there's definitely a lot of fear. You're right about that.
I mean, you're breaching on something that people love a lot,
and people love it as it exists, you know, and
often people aren't really looking for something about it to
change or something to be new, like rebooting an old show.
Everybody's usually sort of like, well, do we need to
(06:18):
do that? But I think there was just something about
the way that you could tell they wanted to make
this movie and about how they're really coming at it
from a different angle. And Sam and Art who directed
it together, like visually, their approach was something like out
of like a music video, so it wasn't going to
(06:38):
feel the same. And these characters sort of live in
their own world. And Aaron doesn't have to sing in this,
which was big for me. I never would have done
if he had to sing, But how could you not
want to be part of something so iconic and to
get the opportunity to work with Tina Fey and the
young talent in this movie is ridiculous. I mean, there
are so many talented piece people attached doing their own thing,
(07:03):
you know, and they all have their you know, like
Renee did the musical and then now she's a pop star,
but she's also in this movie. And Ali he's Mawana,
you know, and and Gowerie's done all these really cool movies.
It just everybody's sort of like background. And Jacquel has like,
you know, the whole like Tony Track, and so it's
being a part of that crowd was really appealing to
(07:23):
me because especially as Aaron, he's such like he's a
cognitive machine. He's not the most important character in this
story by any means, and he gets to sort of
be around and get pushed around and watch things, and
that was sort of what drew me to it, is like,
I just want to sort of be a little cognitive
machine and watch it happen and hopefully do my part
and hopefully people will enjoy that, but just to be
(07:46):
there for it all, you know, you get to be
in the room and watch people do their thing, which
was really.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Cool and correct me if I'm wrong, because you probably
know better than me. But I believe I read Tina
Fey put out some sort of a poll originally asking
fans who they would want to see in this role,
and you were like the number one choice.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
I saw that clip somewhere. I'm flattered. It probably was
like really good timing with the show I'm on, Like
the poll came out like right as we had our
season air or something. I'll take it. You got me
a job, you know, So thank you teens for getting
me a job.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Well well deserved, man, well deserved. Now you mentioned that
if there were singing in this role, you wouldn't have
taken it, So did you originally think that was a
part of it when you got the audition? What was
your audition experience.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Like, well, timeline was, I first got the audition in
my inbox, I think in I mean, this all happened
so fast too. I think it was like November of
last year, and there were like some sides and then
they were asking for like sixteen bars or something of
a song, and so I just passed on the audition,
like I didn't give it more than like ten minutes
(08:53):
of thought. I was like, oh, this would be really cool.
You know, teen is attached, but not that I don't
ever want to sing in my life. But I was like,
I'm not going to book Mean Girls musical, Like I
don't sing like that. I don't sing like the people
that are attached to this. So I just let it
go and then I'm a month and a half later,
I was in Paris for like fashion week stuff, and
(09:14):
I got a call from my agent and she was like, hey,
I know you passed originally, but like the casting on
Mean Girls, he doesn't sing anymore? Would you consider taping now?
And I was like fuck yeah, dude, like absolutely, Like
this is what a project to try and go for.
And then it happened really quickly from there. I had
a call back the next day, and then I had
a chemistry read as soon as I got back here
from this room, and we made the movie.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
And here we are, so doing the movie now. And
then going through all of that and being around so
many singers, did that make you want to sing even more?
You're kind of like, Eh, I'm good.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
I'm going to leave it to the professional. It's like
they're so good because there's always like a part of me.
I think this is probably true for a lot of actors,
where like there's a part of me that really believes
I could do anything, and I'm like, yeah, but I
can make it work. Like give me two weeks in
a vocal coach and I'll sing like the best of it.
But then you hear like the level that other people
sing at and the vocal quality that they have, and
(10:07):
it's like, I they were born to do this and
I wasn't. I was born to do other things, you know,
So I'm okay, I'm going to leave it to them.
They sound great. I haven't heard all of it, though,
so I'm really excited to I get to watch it
soon and then hear it all and hopefully it'll put
it out on Spotify like where or whatever.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
But yeah, you were saying before we began rocking and
rolling that you haven't even watched the whole movie yet.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
No, I've seen maybe like two scenes and then little
clips from ADR and then I've seen the trailers, which
is sort of my decision. Like I had a chance
to see it a few weeks ago, but I really
wanted to. I have trouble watching myself, so I sort
of wanted to see it in a room where I
think premiere environments are exciting and everybody's just sort of
excited to be there and ready to laugh, and you
(10:51):
know it's going to be a packed house and you
don't have to worry about because comedy is hard in
like an empty room if you're not sitting like next
to a lot of people, like people less encouraged to laugh.
And I think I just wanted to see it in
a room where people are really ready and excited to
see it.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
That's interesting. You touch on the comedy aspect of it,
because this is a very different project than what you're
used to, right, So how was it stepping into the
comedy of it all? Was that a daunting thing for you?
Did you kind of find your groove? Do you enjoy it?
It was such a different thing for you.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
It's really different. I mean, I will say again, like
Aaron is a very specific character in this story, Like
he's not the class clown. He's not making a lot
of jokes, and there are some moments that are light
and that are funny, and I know, like everybody says,
like to be funny, you have to be not funny
and you have to be serious, which is true, but
specifically with him, he's sort of like the straight man
(11:47):
within it. He's very like taking the blows. But it's
weird to approach like a genre like this because in
filming it, you film it in little pieces, you know,
and it's sort of a lot of it's very montagy.
So you'll do like coverage of like two lines six
times twelve different ways, and then they're like we'll figure
(12:07):
it out in post, you know, and Tina would yell
out a line reading like try it like this, try
it like this, So That's another reason why I'm excited
to see it, because I'm like, I don't really we
did it so many different ways that I don't know
how they put it together.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
So it's so much less like you have a scene
and you sort of build up to this climactic moment
and then and there are some of those moments in there,
for sure, but like as a whole, it's so bitsy
and piecy that it's hard to know like if it
lands or how it lands. It was harder to keep
track of what I was doing, to be honest, I
was like, I don't really know what ton I should
(12:40):
be approaching this scene with.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Always that seems like a very probably Tina Fey project
where she just kind of throws a lot out at
you and you just play and explore, which I imagine
as an actor is pretty gratifying.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
It's super fun. I think, like I come in as
an actor and I have like my take on it,
you know, and I'm pretentious about it, and I'm like,
these are the choices I've made. And then you do
a take, and you do another take and you're like
trying it a little bit different, and then like six
takes in you're like, that's all I got, Like, I
didn't really prepare for ninety different ways to do this
(13:13):
scene and so to have that be thrown at you
is really fun. I mean you have to be ready
to like roll with anything, to try it a completely
different way from how you saw it, which is awesome,
which is really cool.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
And doing that with Tina Faye in the room and
kind of guiding you and mentoring you, I imagine must
have been awesome. Did you work a lot with Tina
fe Was she pretty involved in your work in the film.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
She's super involved with this movie. I mean she was
on set practically every day. Sometimes she was in the room,
sometimes she was watching from video village, and you know,
every now and then they'd be like, Tina wants to
try like this, or she would come in and she'd
be like, hey, what about like something like this? And
the thing about whenever she gave a note, and maybe
it's just because I think she's cool, but she would
(13:55):
give it note and I'd be like, yeah, like that
makes a lot of sense, Like I get it, that's funny,
or that's right for the story, or that's what we
should be doing. She just knows, I mean it's her project. Obviously,
it's her story, but she knows it so well and
she knows like what works so well that what a blessing,
you know, what a blessing.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Did she ever give you a piece of advice throughout
the filming that has stuck with you that you'll kind
of carry with you forward.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
She never like came to me and she was like
the son, you know. She never gave me like a
fortune cookie, but she did. I remember we were working
one scene and I was having some trouble with it
and it was one of those little like quick moments
and I was like, oh, man, like I like all
I have to do is like react and I was
just having some trouble with it, and she came out
and she gave a note she was like, maybe try
(14:40):
like this, and then she just sort of did a
thing where she was like I don't know, like and
I was like, yeah, I don't know either, Like we're
just gonna make this work one way or another, and
nobody really knows what's gonna work, but we're just gonna
try it until it does. And so sort of just
that approach or what felt like that was her approach.
I was like, yeah, like I don't, I don't know,
(15:00):
nobody really knows. Like we're just really trying to make
it work. Like that's the goal of making a movie,
is trying to make stars align. And it was cool
to know that that's a teena's approached.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
To listening to you and seeing you and watching you
right now. I could see so much joy when you
talk about this project and when you talk about acting
and the art form in general, like you genuinely seem
like you had the time of your life and that
you just love being on a set.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
I do. It's true. I mean I feel very, very,
very very lucky to be working as an actor, because
that's hard, and not only to be working, but to
be working on something where the general atmosphere is like,
let's try this out, let's make this work. Nobody was like,
this is how you're going to be acting, or this
(15:46):
is what it looks like. Don't do your own thing.
Like it was really, I guess, collaborative and fun. You know,
it was a long process. We worked hard, but it
was fun.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
So much fun. And what's so interesting, I'm thinking about
your other work that you've done. It. Of course, you
shot to international superstardom, with the Summer I Turned Pretty
and two seasons have been put out and people can't
get enough of that and love it so much, very
different than what you did with Me and Girls For
that project, did you have any idea that it was
going to explode in the way that it did?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
No, for sure not. I think part of the reason
why it was so weird to me is like the
first movie I ever did, it was an independent movie.
When we were shooting that, I had this thought when
we finished, where I was like, oh, like people are
going to see this one day. Like it almost felt
like we were working in a vacuum and like nobody
(16:39):
really knew what we were doing. Nobody really cared what
we were doing. We were just sort of making the
movie that the director and we all wanted to make,
and there was a certain amount of joy in that.
It didn't really matter how it was perceived, as long
as we were making something we were proud of. And
(17:00):
similarly with the show, I mean it felt a little
more like people were watching because obviously it became clear
when I was cast. I don't know, I got a
couple thousand Instagram followers. I was like, oh, like people
have read these books and people care about these characters
and these stories, but it's still almost I was like, well,
as long as I'm happy, Like, I don't really care.
As long as I feel good about my work, I
(17:20):
don't really care. But then people saw it, you know,
and people had opinions and people.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
I was like, people had great opinions.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
They do they do. It's been it's been a dream,
it's been wonderful. It's just weird because I was like
pretty confident. I was like, well, as long as I'm happy, like,
it doesn't really matter if six people see this and
if four of them like it, I'll be happy. And
here we are two seasons later, and I've been very lucky.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
That's such a healthy mentality to have. And I didn't
even connect the dots until you just said it. But yes,
you are playing a role in that show that's based
off a character in a selling novel, right and a series.
And you also did that with Me and Girls, So
you keep stepping into these roles that already have this
I now, a preconceived notion and the fan base, and
(18:02):
you have to make it your own, which is a
testament to the work that you do.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Man.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
I mean, that's no easy feat.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Well, thank you. I think part of it is like,
not everyone's going to like it, you know, and people
are going to have opinions, and that has to be
I Chris, I have to be okay with that, because
if you're trying to play to every person who has
an opinion about this, I mean, you're not acting. You're
just sort of pandering to your idea of what their
idea is. And it's tough in both ways because like
(18:29):
someone reads a book. I mean, I read a book
and I see the characters in my head. Then they
make an adaptation of it, and I'm like, that's not
at all who I saw. I mean, if a thousand
people read a book, that's a thousand different versions of
this character that are being seen. And similarly with Mean Girls,
I mean, people grow up with this character, you know,
(18:51):
they know who Aaron Samuels is, and then all of
a sudden, this Chris kid is out here and he's like,
I'm also, so it's a weird thing. I mean, it's
cool and honored, it's just it's intense. It's intense. I
guess I'm grateful that I've I have some experience with
doing that with the show, so I'm not like, well,
how are people going to take this? How are people
going to perceive it?
Speaker 1 (19:11):
And on the show are you gearing up for season three?
Is that happening soon?
Speaker 2 (19:15):
I would tell you if I knew, Yes, at some point.
I'm assuming some point this year we'll go back. Obviously
the idea was do it last year, but the strike
and all that jazz. But I'm just waiting for the
email where they're like, this is when you're going.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
To do it well, between the show, between the movie
and what's about to happen with this movie for you,
For people who maybe haven't seen you in the summer,
I turn pretty and this is a whole new, different
fan base that could potentially start following you. I'm sure
the attention you've received already from the show you're on
has been amazing, but in some ways a bit dizzying, right, Like,
(19:51):
it's just this kind of constant, constant thing for you.
How are you able to navigate that? How are you
able to kind of take a step back and not
let it consume you appreciate it, of course, but also
take the time for you, Like, is that a weird
dichotomy for you?
Speaker 2 (20:06):
It's really weird yeah, And whenever I think about this,
even I always preface it with the fact that I'm
like really grateful that people care and people watch anything
that I've done. I mean, like what a blessing. Like
think of how many talented people and how many good
movies have been made that people haven't seen. So I'm grateful.
And every time anyone's ever said something to me, they've
(20:29):
been kind, you know, and warm, and they've been like
I appreciate or I like the show or whatever. But
it's totally weird because I think with the age of
social media that we're in, like it's really easy to
feel like you know someone, and it's really easy to
feel like you have some sort of notion of who
they are as a person or a notion of like
(20:51):
how they walk through the world. And being on the
receiving end of that, I think I'm just like, well,
I am the only person who knows who I am truly,
you know, And I played this character on TV and
I played this character in a movie. But like, I'm
also like super introverted and shy, and so you know,
(21:12):
I don't always know how to act in settings when
people come up to you. You know what I mean, so
it's you sort of take it as it goes. I mean,
I walk through New York like like I hide. I hide.
I just walked through New York like this, like.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
I try to be like me on your sunnglasses, I
don't even recognize you right now, I.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Look like a piece of shit, but like, I don't know.
It just sort of helps me be like I'm in
my own world, you know, I'm not. I'm not looking
for attention. I'm just happy people have seen the things
that I have done.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Some people, you know, relish in the tension and fame
of it all. It seems like you obviously do it, yeah,
and that's that's one approach, but you do it for
the work and that comes with it, and you've you're learning,
I'll say, it seems like how to how to manage
that all? Is it almost like you have to put
on an an alter ego when you're on like these
red carpets and doing these jun kets, you know, press rooms,
and like, is it like a different kind of switch
(22:07):
that goes off on your brain.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
I think in some ways it's inevitable. I really try
to be authentic, and it's hard, you know, because you're
standing in a red carpet and you know, there's a ring
light and a camera and a microphone in your face,
and I don't know, maybe there's some adrenaline or maybe
there's some you feel some pressure to like be something,
but I don't know. I don't want to be like
(22:31):
two people. I'd like to be as authentic as I
can when I don't know, Like I don't really love
social media, but I'm not trying to be like phony
about it. I don't really feel like a need to
put on a superficial face. And those might be negative
words to look at that, because there's also some validity
in being like, look like, this is my work and
(22:54):
this is my life, and I keep them separate, and
I do, but I think like, personality wise, I don't know,
I'm just trying to I don't know. I'd rather be
myself on a red carpet, you know, because I don't
know how to wear a suit, you know, I'm not going.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
To try to.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Well.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
I think that's awesome, and I think that's why so
many people do gravitate towards you. Many. I always say,
you can smell a fake, and sure, you know it's
evident you're not, and even your relationship with social media
that you just brought up. You know, I was checking
out your stuff earlier today, and you're active, but you're
not overly active, so you clearly have some sort of
boundary with it, right.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
I just have found social media really like consuming, and
so I sort of do everything I can to take
a step away from it. Like I'm on YouTube shorts
right now because I lead a TikTok and it's great.
I feel like I'm off the grid. I'm like, if
something happened in the world, I wouldn't know, but you know,
I can watch my gaming videos.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
But how are thrashing? Oh my god, I'm sitting here.
I have such jealousy because I would love to kind
of be more of a low profile person on social media.
But for what I do in the unscripted world, will say,
you know, for interviewing and hosting and all of that,
it's really important to bring people in and you know,
make them feel like they watch me on TV and
I'm one of your friends. So it's this weird balance
(24:12):
for me where I have to I do have to
be particularly active, but I also do keep things for
just me and no one to turn it off and
I'm not on TikTok. Even though my agent's been like,
get on, get on, get on. I'm like, no, I
don't want to. No disrespect to anybody on it, but
for me, I just don't want to do it.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
It's so consuming, you know, it's so consuming. And yes,
that's where like the trends are and that's where how
you stay relevant, and that's engagement and all those things.
But I don't know, I feel you, it's tough.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
So how do you take criticism? Like have you seen
things written about you before that just crushed you, or
especially in the social media world that is so relevant
in Mean Girls, because that's a new spin on it
in this version of the movie and in everyday life
and where we are in twenty twenty four, Like how
were you with all of that? Are you able to
truly just tune out what I imagine is any small
(25:10):
amount of negativity you may see about yourself.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
It's hard to tune that stuff out, it really is.
I'd like to think I'm getting better at it, and
being off social media as much as I am really
does help, Like it really helps a lot to be
a little removed from it because you just see less
like for a while, you know, you post something and
then I'd like scroll through the comments and they're like
so many positive ones, and I think part of me
is just like looking for the bad ones for some
(25:35):
like validation of some feeling I have about myself. And
so for sure there's been stuff. I mean, I remember
the first time I saw some negative stuff, Like it
was when the casting announcement for the show came out
and someone tweeted and I'm not even on Twitter, but
I was like, again, I was looking for something like
I wanted. I don't know what I wanted, but I
wanted something, and someone was like, yo, why are they
(25:55):
casting ugly people in the summer? I turn pretty? And
you know, I don't know, It's just weird because that
was the first time I saw someone else have an
opinion about me or didn't know me. And also I
was like, but we haven't even filmed it yet, Like
how do you know? Like you don't like it? And
so when I finally was able to rationalize that, I
was like, oh, well, you know, this year, maybe they've
(26:17):
seen a few unflattering pictures of me, or maybe they
think I am ugly and that's fine, but like I
just got to remind myself, like why I do it
like I do it for the work and opinions like that.
I don't know, if someone like truly was like, wow,
it looks like he didn't do good work, like he
didn't have a good idea of what tone the show with,
I'd be like, oh, okay, well that's of my work,
(26:37):
and I'd be like it would probably hurt a little bit,
but i'd be like more receptive to something like that.
Then I feel like off and online it just becomes
like Yo, this dude looks bad or you know, I
hate it out or stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Yeah. Yeah, well it's almost.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Easy to do with maybe because I'm like, well, that's
not really what I'm here for.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
But I mean it's inevitable today in age we live in,
there's always going to be some bullshit out there that
people just feel like they can write. And it's so
crazy because how I grew up. I'm thirty seven, and
I think I grew up with the Internet, so I
got to really see all the different iterations of it,
and it used to be like such a fun, happy
place and now it is like kind of cut throat
(27:18):
and vicious again. Many beautiful things about it. But that
side exists, so it's very interesting that we have to
deal with that who kind of have more public personas.
But I think your mentality is super right on and
super important to bring attention to because if more people
can kind of let things roll off their back, I
think their overall mental health will be much better.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Yeah, and it's not easy. It's a work in progress,
Like it's like that, But I think that's the goal.
You know, the goal is just to be enough removed
from it where you're like, well, you know, I have
my friends. I live with three friends, my girlfriend lives
down the street. Like that's my community is not online
and there are valid online communities. Don't give me wrong,
(28:00):
but like, for me, what I get true joy from
are the people around me and trust their opinions, and
I trust the way they think about my work. And
if they had criticism, I'd love to hear it and
keep it close.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Yeah, I always say, keep that circle tight.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
How do you then, like what brings you joy? I
guess how do you unwind what brings you happiness? What
are the things that the non actor side of you
does and enjoys To stay grounded and to just enjoy life.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
I mean, there's a lot of things. I love spending
time with my friends. Like I was sort of just saying,
I have this group of like six or seven of us.
We all went to college together, we did the same
acting program. We're all actors. I live with two of them,
my girlfriends down the street with another and another friend.
(28:50):
And I just like the people I'm surrounded by, Like
I trust them and I enjoy their company, and that
brings me a lot of joy to just spend time
with them. I've been a lot recently. I enjoy golfing
a lot. It's really on the nose, like it's it's
super on the nose, but but I enjoy it. I've
been having a good time. It's sort of nice to
be working on something that isn't acting sometimes because it,
(29:15):
as a lot of actors know, it sometimes feels like
you're just like working in to avoid you're just working
for no one. So it's nice to just be like, wow,
I'm working on this for me. That's also more like tangible,
like you're like, oh, I did good at this sport
or I did bad at this sport. Whereas acting is
so subjective that it's harder to grasp. I like getting
(29:36):
coffee in the morning and that brings me joy, taking
a little walk.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yeah, the simple moments, right.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Yeah, Yeah, it's funny how that works.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
I know, it's one of my favorite things to do.
I'm an early riser and I love Macha green tea,
so it's so good and I make it in the
morning and that's like my favorite little ritual. I just
make my green tea and sit down and take a
few minutes for me. It's it's I always say, it's
not always the big moment in life. It's the small
moments that are just as important.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
For sure. And I think as like, as a kid,
you know, you're like the big moments or what you know,
and in Christmas you want the big presence and whatever.
But as I get older, I'm like, I just sort
of want like some cozy socks and a coffee.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Like and maybe a big fuzzy blanket too.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Yeah. Yeah, I just want to be I want to
be comfortable.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
I want to Yeah, man, I feel you on that.
That's awesome. So the name of the show is I've
never said this before, so I'm wondering, is there something
that you haven't really talked about before, whether it's silly
or deep, whatever it may be, is there something that
you wanted to share today?
Speaker 2 (30:38):
I was thinking about this and I kept my mind
resorts to jokes always, and so I was just like, Oh,
that'll be funny or that. I don't know. I think
I've never said this is more like life lessons. I've
never said that I regret saying yes to something.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Hmm.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
I don't think. And maybe if I racked my brain
I could find something. But I think often like even
if I'm like a friend's like, hey, do you want
to do this? And I'm like about to go to bed,
and I'm like, you know what, maybe it'll be fun.
Or if someone's like, hey do you want to go somewhere?
Do you want to do something? Or do you want
to I don't know. I think saying yes to things
(31:20):
and trying new things is always fun, like golf, for example.
Like I had a friend who was like, you guys
want to go golfing? And I'd never done it before
at all, and I was like, I don't like that
sounds terrible, like why would I? And then I don't know,
I've sort of discovered something that I'm passionate about, like
a hobby I care about, and even if you go
somewhere and you don't like it, then you know you
(31:43):
don't like it. I think life's too short to just
avoid everything. Oh I love that because it's easy to
avoid things, right, you know, it's really easy to like
the trains are slow today, it's kind of cold. I
don't want to go and being a hypocrite because my
friends have veted me somewhere today and I don't think
I want to go. So it's not like there are
(32:04):
words I live by.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
But you're saying when you actually say yes, you don't
regret it.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Yeah, that's awesome. It's a talk of progress. I might
rescind to that in thirty seconds, but I think it's true.
Like I don't know, I don't I don't regret that stuff.
I don't regret going to a party I wasn't sure
if I wanted to go to, or seeing a movie
that I didn't like the trailer for.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Because you got to have an experience you wouldn't have
had otherwise, even if it wasn't the experience that you
wanted or didn't turn out exactly how you thought it
would be. You Yeah, you got to try something new exactly.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Yeah, that's like the most perfect January twenty twenty four response.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
To this resolution. I have a list. Actually no, I'm yeah,
that's a resolution response. So yes, some more things.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
That's awesome. I couldn't loved that more. And you know what,
You're right, that's something I remind myself of sometimes it's
like just say yes, you have nothing to lose, and
if it doesn't work out, who cares?
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Because I think it's also easy to get habitual sometimes
and be like, all right, this is what I'm gonna
do this week, and in my downtime, I'm gonna do
a B and C. And then you know, g pops
up and you're like, well, that's not part of my
routine that I don't know. But it's good to try things.
It's good.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
I'm gonna remember that. That is a good reminder for
everybody listening. Try something new, don't be afraid to say yes. Right.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
I think so that was well.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Said my friend. I've so loved this conversation. I think
that you have such a bright future ahead of you.
You've accomplished so much already, and something tells me this
is just the beginning. And honestly, man, it was such
an honor getting to hang out in chat today.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it, truly, this
was so much fun.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
Anytime, and everyone, go see the movie right.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Oh, check it out. Man. I think it's gonna be good.
I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's good.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
It's gonna be good. You haven't seen it. I've seen it,
and I'm saying it's good. So go see the movie.
Means out now, go see it. Thank you again, man,
we'll talk soon.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
J I've Never Said This Before is hosted by me
Tommy Dederio. 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
(34:24):
and subscribe to our show and if you liked this episode,
tell your friends. Until next time. I'm Tommy Dedario
Hey, guys, welcome to I've never said this before with
me Tommy di Dario. Today's guest is the wonderfully talented
Christopher Briney, who is in one of the most anticipated
movies of the new year, and that movie is, of course,
Mean Girls. Now Me and Girls was a smash hit
when it came out in two thousand and four, becoming
(00:21):
instantly iconic in the landscape of pop culture. If I
were a betting man, I would bet that you can
recite at least one line from the movie to me
right now, come on, I know you can. I have
about seven in my back pocket. But this iteration of
the movie is not a remake, but rather a blending
of the two thousand and four movie with the Tony
(00:42):
Award nominated Broadway musical version, and man, oh, it is
such a blast to watch. Chris plays Aaron Samuels. He
is one of the most popular and coolest guys in
north Shore High School. But aside from navigating the trials
and tribulations of the high school social ramid, which we
all know is no easy feat, you may know him
(01:04):
from his starring role as Conrad Fisher in the Amazon
hit series The Summer I turned Pretty. It is a
show that took the world by storm and catapulted Chris
into international stardom. Season three of the series is going
to begin production this year, and I know the fandom
is eagerly awaiting for that to happen. Chris is rising
(01:26):
quickly in the ranks of Hollywood's leading men, and what
I love about his artistry is that he gives such
a variety of nuanced and memorable performances. He is definitely
somebody to keep a close eye on. Chris is a
shooting star. So let's see if today we can get
Chris to say something that he's never said before. Chris Mo, Man,
(01:54):
how you doing today?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
I'm doing okay, I'm good. How are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I am fantastic. Are you ready for the whirlwind that's
about to come your way with the release of Mean Girls?
Speaker 2 (02:05):
I don't know. I'm excited for people to see it.
I think it's one of those things you can only
just hope people enjoy it, you know, So I haven't
quite been prepping for responses yet. I'm just hoping that
people appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
I gotta tell you, I saw it last night and
I'm a millennial, so I grew up with the two
thousand and four version, and I was really exsyited to
see this. I also saw the show on Broadway and
I loved it.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Man.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
I thought it was fresh and fun and so exciting.
And you, of course play Aaron Samuel. So talk to
me a bit about this film. What can people expect?
How is it different from that original version.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
As with most creatives in the industry, people don't really
want to just redo something, you know. We don't really
want as a massive people who consume entertainment like a
shot for shot remake of a movie that we love,
you know. I mean, it's been done and you have Mengirls,
you have the two thousand and four Mean Girls, and
it exists and it's fantastic and it lives in that bubble,
(03:01):
you know. And I grew up with it too, And
I think what Tina was trying to do with this
is just sort of bring it to a new audience
and update it for the world we live in and
make it a more diverse world than the original, because
that's the world we live in, you know, And we
live in a diverse world. And I think to do that,
(03:22):
you can't just change the script a little bit and
have new characters. I think it has to like feel
different and look different, and I'd like to think that's
what everybody set out to do. And the same with
the musical, Like the musical exists, there's no point in
doing a direct just film version of it. I think
it has to be something new and fresh. And I
like that you said it sort of felt that way,
because I think that's what it has to be. Like,
there's no point in doing it if it's not going
(03:44):
to be new and it's not going to be fresh.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Yeah. I think it pulled the best of the film
and the best of the stage production and blended it
all together. Like it's not a remake. It's not a
remake at all. It's something entirely new.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah. I'd like to think it exists in its own
sort of world. And yes there's amage, you know, not
trying to pretend it's never been done before in some ways,
but it does exist on its own.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Yeah. Well, that tongue in cheek fun is exciting as
a viewer to watch, you know. You look for those
little those little winking moments that do pay you know,
homage to the two thousand and four version.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
And I think you need that because it is so iconic.
If there was no like quote or not to the original,
then I don't know, then you'd be waiting for it
the whole time.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
And at what point did you watch the original film?
Because it's a bit like I really grew up with it.
But you're younger than me, I think, So when did
you see it?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
It came out in two thousand and four, I would
have been like six, so I probably didn't watch it
when I was six. I honestly don't know the first
time I watched it. I think it was just one
of those things that maybe a friend put it on
or I saw it on TBS. But it's one of
those things that I've unknowingly been quoting my whole life,
and I've known my whole life, and I don't really
know when it started.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Isn't it a wild We all know multiple quotes from
that movie?
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Yeah, well, there are like a few things, and I
forget exactly what, But like my friends and I would
it would just be like something we'd say, and you know,
we know it's a quote from something. But then you're like, oh,
that's mean, girls, Like that's not just like a random
quote we picked up like, that's just that's Tina. Did
you have a go to I referenced that I'm sick
(05:17):
like a lot, Like whenever I have like a cough
for a cold, I just sort of say it. That's
definitely one of them. I mean Wednesdays in pink like,
that's another one that like I feel like my dad
probably knows that, but he hasn't watched that. I don't
know if he's ever watched me, you know what I mean.
It's one of those things that just sort of exists
in the culture.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
It's so good. It's so good. So aside from being
an actor and wanting to work, what made you want
to do this project? Like I would imagine it could
come with a level of trepidation and worrying, Oh, what
are people going to think? Who do love that original
and we're making something new? Like what was it that
really appealed stepping into the role of Aaron for you?
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Well, there's definitely a lot of fear. You're right about that.
I mean, you're breaching on something that people love a lot,
and people love it as it exists, you know, and
often people aren't really looking for something about it to
change or something to be new, like rebooting an old show.
Everybody's usually sort of like, well, do we need to
(06:18):
do that? But I think there was just something about
the way that you could tell they wanted to make
this movie and about how they're really coming at it
from a different angle. And Sam and Art who directed
it together, like visually, their approach was something like out
of like a music video, so it wasn't going to
(06:38):
feel the same. And these characters sort of live in
their own world. And Aaron doesn't have to sing in this,
which was big for me. I never would have done
if he had to sing, But how could you not
want to be part of something so iconic and to
get the opportunity to work with Tina Fey and the
young talent in this movie is ridiculous. I mean, there
are so many talented piece people attached doing their own thing,
(07:03):
you know, and they all have their you know, like
Renee did the musical and then now she's a pop star,
but she's also in this movie. And Ali he's Mawana,
you know, and and Gowerie's done all these really cool movies.
It just everybody's sort of like background. And Jacquel has like,
you know, the whole like Tony Track, and so it's
being a part of that crowd was really appealing to
(07:23):
me because especially as Aaron, he's such like he's a
cognitive machine. He's not the most important character in this
story by any means, and he gets to sort of
be around and get pushed around and watch things, and
that was sort of what drew me to it, is like,
I just want to sort of be a little cognitive
machine and watch it happen and hopefully do my part
and hopefully people will enjoy that, but just to be
(07:46):
there for it all, you know, you get to be
in the room and watch people do their thing, which
was really.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Cool and correct me if I'm wrong, because you probably
know better than me. But I believe I read Tina
Fey put out some sort of a poll originally asking
fans who they would want to see in this role,
and you were like the number one choice.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
I saw that clip somewhere. I'm flattered. It probably was
like really good timing with the show I'm on, Like
the poll came out like right as we had our
season air or something. I'll take it. You got me
a job, you know, So thank you teens for getting
me a job.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Well well deserved, man, well deserved. Now you mentioned that
if there were singing in this role, you wouldn't have
taken it, So did you originally think that was a
part of it when you got the audition? What was
your audition experience.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Like, well, timeline was, I first got the audition in
my inbox, I think in I mean, this all happened
so fast too. I think it was like November of
last year, and there were like some sides and then
they were asking for like sixteen bars or something of
a song, and so I just passed on the audition,
like I didn't give it more than like ten minutes
(08:53):
of thought. I was like, oh, this would be really cool.
You know, teen is attached, but not that I don't
ever want to sing in my life. But I was like,
I'm not going to book Mean Girls musical, Like I
don't sing like that. I don't sing like the people
that are attached to this. So I just let it
go and then I'm a month and a half later,
I was in Paris for like fashion week stuff, and
(09:14):
I got a call from my agent and she was like, hey,
I know you passed originally, but like the casting on
Mean Girls, he doesn't sing anymore? Would you consider taping now?
And I was like fuck yeah, dude, like absolutely, Like
this is what a project to try and go for.
And then it happened really quickly from there. I had
a call back the next day, and then I had
a chemistry read as soon as I got back here
from this room, and we made the movie.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
And here we are, so doing the movie now. And
then going through all of that and being around so
many singers, did that make you want to sing even more?
You're kind of like, Eh, I'm good.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
I'm going to leave it to the professional. It's like
they're so good because there's always like a part of me.
I think this is probably true for a lot of actors,
where like there's a part of me that really believes
I could do anything, and I'm like, yeah, but I
can make it work. Like give me two weeks in
a vocal coach and I'll sing like the best of it.
But then you hear like the level that other people
sing at and the vocal quality that they have, and
(10:07):
it's like, I they were born to do this and
I wasn't. I was born to do other things, you know,
So I'm okay, I'm going to leave it to them.
They sound great. I haven't heard all of it, though,
so I'm really excited to I get to watch it
soon and then hear it all and hopefully it'll put
it out on Spotify like where or whatever.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
But yeah, you were saying before we began rocking and
rolling that you haven't even watched the whole movie yet.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
No, I've seen maybe like two scenes and then little
clips from ADR and then I've seen the trailers, which
is sort of my decision. Like I had a chance
to see it a few weeks ago, but I really
wanted to. I have trouble watching myself, so I sort
of wanted to see it in a room where I
think premiere environments are exciting and everybody's just sort of
excited to be there and ready to laugh, and you
(10:51):
know it's going to be a packed house and you
don't have to worry about because comedy is hard in
like an empty room if you're not sitting like next
to a lot of people, like people less encouraged to laugh.
And I think I just wanted to see it in
a room where people are really ready and excited to
see it.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
That's interesting. You touch on the comedy aspect of it,
because this is a very different project than what you're
used to, right, So how was it stepping into the
comedy of it all? Was that a daunting thing for you?
Did you kind of find your groove? Do you enjoy it?
It was such a different thing for you.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
It's really different. I mean, I will say again, like
Aaron is a very specific character in this story, Like
he's not the class clown. He's not making a lot
of jokes, and there are some moments that are light
and that are funny, and I know, like everybody says,
like to be funny, you have to be not funny
and you have to be serious, which is true, but
specifically with him, he's sort of like the straight man
(11:47):
within it. He's very like taking the blows. But it's
weird to approach like a genre like this because in
filming it, you film it in little pieces, you know,
and it's sort of a lot of it's very montagy.
So you'll do like coverage of like two lines six
times twelve different ways, and then they're like we'll figure
(12:07):
it out in post, you know, and Tina would yell
out a line reading like try it like this, try
it like this, So That's another reason why I'm excited
to see it, because I'm like, I don't really we
did it so many different ways that I don't know
how they put it together.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
So it's so much less like you have a scene
and you sort of build up to this climactic moment
and then and there are some of those moments in there,
for sure, but like as a whole, it's so bitsy
and piecy that it's hard to know like if it
lands or how it lands. It was harder to keep
track of what I was doing, to be honest, I
was like, I don't really know what ton I should
(12:40):
be approaching this scene with.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Always that seems like a very probably Tina Fey project
where she just kind of throws a lot out at
you and you just play and explore, which I imagine
as an actor is pretty gratifying.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
It's super fun. I think, like I come in as
an actor and I have like my take on it,
you know, and I'm pretentious about it, and I'm like,
these are the choices I've made. And then you do
a take, and you do another take and you're like
trying it a little bit different, and then like six
takes in you're like, that's all I got, Like, I
didn't really prepare for ninety different ways to do this
(13:13):
scene and so to have that be thrown at you
is really fun. I mean you have to be ready
to like roll with anything, to try it a completely
different way from how you saw it, which is awesome,
which is really cool.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
And doing that with Tina Faye in the room and
kind of guiding you and mentoring you, I imagine must
have been awesome. Did you work a lot with Tina
fe Was she pretty involved in your work in the film.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
She's super involved with this movie. I mean she was
on set practically every day. Sometimes she was in the room,
sometimes she was watching from video village, and you know,
every now and then they'd be like, Tina wants to
try like this, or she would come in and she'd
be like, hey, what about like something like this? And
the thing about whenever she gave a note, and maybe
it's just because I think she's cool, but she would
(13:55):
give it note and I'd be like, yeah, like that
makes a lot of sense, Like I get it, that's funny,
or that's right for the story, or that's what we
should be doing. She just knows, I mean it's her project. Obviously,
it's her story, but she knows it so well and
she knows like what works so well that what a blessing,
you know, what a blessing.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Did she ever give you a piece of advice throughout
the filming that has stuck with you that you'll kind
of carry with you forward.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
She never like came to me and she was like
the son, you know. She never gave me like a
fortune cookie, but she did. I remember we were working
one scene and I was having some trouble with it
and it was one of those little like quick moments
and I was like, oh, man, like I like all
I have to do is like react and I was
just having some trouble with it, and she came out
and she gave a note she was like, maybe try
(14:40):
like this, and then she just sort of did a
thing where she was like I don't know, like and
I was like, yeah, I don't know either, Like we're
just gonna make this work one way or another, and
nobody really knows what's gonna work, but we're just gonna
try it until it does. And so sort of just
that approach or what felt like that was her approach.
I was like, yeah, like I don't, I don't know,
(15:00):
nobody really knows. Like we're just really trying to make
it work. Like that's the goal of making a movie,
is trying to make stars align. And it was cool
to know that that's a teena's approached.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
To listening to you and seeing you and watching you
right now. I could see so much joy when you
talk about this project and when you talk about acting
and the art form in general, like you genuinely seem
like you had the time of your life and that
you just love being on a set.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
I do. It's true. I mean I feel very, very,
very very lucky to be working as an actor, because
that's hard, and not only to be working, but to
be working on something where the general atmosphere is like,
let's try this out, let's make this work. Nobody was like,
this is how you're going to be acting, or this
(15:46):
is what it looks like. Don't do your own thing.
Like it was really, I guess, collaborative and fun. You know,
it was a long process. We worked hard, but it
was fun.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
So much fun. And what's so interesting, I'm thinking about
your other work that you've done. It. Of course, you
shot to international superstardom, with the Summer I Turned Pretty
and two seasons have been put out and people can't
get enough of that and love it so much, very
different than what you did with Me and Girls For
that project, did you have any idea that it was
going to explode in the way that it did?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
No, for sure not. I think part of the reason
why it was so weird to me is like the
first movie I ever did, it was an independent movie.
When we were shooting that, I had this thought when
we finished, where I was like, oh, like people are
going to see this one day. Like it almost felt
like we were working in a vacuum and like nobody
(16:39):
really knew what we were doing. Nobody really cared what
we were doing. We were just sort of making the
movie that the director and we all wanted to make,
and there was a certain amount of joy in that.
It didn't really matter how it was perceived, as long
as we were making something we were proud of. And
(17:00):
similarly with the show, I mean it felt a little
more like people were watching because obviously it became clear
when I was cast. I don't know, I got a
couple thousand Instagram followers. I was like, oh, like people
have read these books and people care about these characters
and these stories, but it's still almost I was like, well,
as long as I'm happy, Like, I don't really care.
As long as I feel good about my work, I
(17:20):
don't really care. But then people saw it, you know,
and people had opinions and people.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
I was like, people had great opinions.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
They do they do. It's been it's been a dream,
it's been wonderful. It's just weird because I was like
pretty confident. I was like, well, as long as I'm happy, like,
it doesn't really matter if six people see this and
if four of them like it, I'll be happy. And
here we are two seasons later, and I've been very lucky.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
That's such a healthy mentality to have. And I didn't
even connect the dots until you just said it. But yes,
you are playing a role in that show that's based
off a character in a selling novel, right and a series.
And you also did that with Me and Girls, So
you keep stepping into these roles that already have this
I now, a preconceived notion and the fan base, and
(18:02):
you have to make it your own, which is a
testament to the work that you do.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Man.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
I mean, that's no easy feat.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Well, thank you. I think part of it is like,
not everyone's going to like it, you know, and people
are going to have opinions, and that has to be
I Chris, I have to be okay with that, because
if you're trying to play to every person who has
an opinion about this, I mean, you're not acting. You're
just sort of pandering to your idea of what their
idea is. And it's tough in both ways because like
(18:29):
someone reads a book. I mean, I read a book
and I see the characters in my head. Then they
make an adaptation of it, and I'm like, that's not
at all who I saw. I mean, if a thousand
people read a book, that's a thousand different versions of
this character that are being seen. And similarly with Mean Girls,
I mean, people grow up with this character, you know,
(18:51):
they know who Aaron Samuels is, and then all of
a sudden, this Chris kid is out here and he's like,
I'm also, so it's a weird thing. I mean, it's
cool and honored, it's just it's intense. It's intense. I
guess I'm grateful that I've I have some experience with
doing that with the show, so I'm not like, well,
how are people going to take this? How are people
going to perceive it?
Speaker 1 (19:11):
And on the show are you gearing up for season three?
Is that happening soon?
Speaker 2 (19:15):
I would tell you if I knew, Yes, at some point.
I'm assuming some point this year we'll go back. Obviously
the idea was do it last year, but the strike
and all that jazz. But I'm just waiting for the
email where they're like, this is when you're going.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
To do it well, between the show, between the movie
and what's about to happen with this movie for you,
For people who maybe haven't seen you in the summer,
I turn pretty and this is a whole new, different
fan base that could potentially start following you. I'm sure
the attention you've received already from the show you're on
has been amazing, but in some ways a bit dizzying, right, Like,
(19:51):
it's just this kind of constant, constant thing for you.
How are you able to navigate that? How are you
able to kind of take a step back and not
let it consume you appreciate it, of course, but also
take the time for you, Like, is that a weird
dichotomy for you?
Speaker 2 (20:06):
It's really weird yeah, And whenever I think about this,
even I always preface it with the fact that I'm
like really grateful that people care and people watch anything
that I've done. I mean, like what a blessing. Like
think of how many talented people and how many good
movies have been made that people haven't seen. So I'm grateful.
And every time anyone's ever said something to me, they've
(20:29):
been kind, you know, and warm, and they've been like
I appreciate or I like the show or whatever. But
it's totally weird because I think with the age of
social media that we're in, like it's really easy to
feel like you know someone, and it's really easy to
feel like you have some sort of notion of who
they are as a person or a notion of like
(20:51):
how they walk through the world. And being on the
receiving end of that, I think I'm just like, well,
I am the only person who knows who I am truly,
you know, And I played this character on TV and
I played this character in a movie. But like, I'm
also like super introverted and shy, and so you know,
(21:12):
I don't always know how to act in settings when
people come up to you. You know what I mean, so
it's you sort of take it as it goes. I mean,
I walk through New York like like I hide. I hide.
I just walked through New York like this, like.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
I try to be like me on your sunnglasses, I
don't even recognize you right now, I.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Look like a piece of shit, but like, I don't know.
It just sort of helps me be like I'm in
my own world, you know, I'm not. I'm not looking
for attention. I'm just happy people have seen the things
that I have done.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Some people, you know, relish in the tension and fame
of it all. It seems like you obviously do it, yeah,
and that's that's one approach, but you do it for
the work and that comes with it, and you've you're learning,
I'll say, it seems like how to how to manage
that all? Is it almost like you have to put
on an an alter ego when you're on like these
red carpets and doing these jun kets, you know, press rooms,
and like, is it like a different kind of switch
(22:07):
that goes off on your brain.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
I think in some ways it's inevitable. I really try
to be authentic, and it's hard, you know, because you're
standing in a red carpet and you know, there's a ring
light and a camera and a microphone in your face,
and I don't know, maybe there's some adrenaline or maybe
there's some you feel some pressure to like be something,
but I don't know. I don't want to be like
(22:31):
two people. I'd like to be as authentic as I
can when I don't know, Like I don't really love
social media, but I'm not trying to be like phony
about it. I don't really feel like a need to
put on a superficial face. And those might be negative
words to look at that, because there's also some validity
in being like, look like, this is my work and
(22:54):
this is my life, and I keep them separate, and
I do, but I think like, personality wise, I don't know,
I'm just trying to I don't know. I'd rather be
myself on a red carpet, you know, because I don't
know how to wear a suit, you know, I'm not going.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
To try to.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Well.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
I think that's awesome, and I think that's why so
many people do gravitate towards you. Many. I always say,
you can smell a fake, and sure, you know it's
evident you're not, and even your relationship with social media
that you just brought up. You know, I was checking
out your stuff earlier today, and you're active, but you're
not overly active, so you clearly have some sort of
boundary with it, right.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
I just have found social media really like consuming, and
so I sort of do everything I can to take
a step away from it. Like I'm on YouTube shorts
right now because I lead a TikTok and it's great.
I feel like I'm off the grid. I'm like, if
something happened in the world, I wouldn't know, but you know,
I can watch my gaming videos.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
But how are thrashing? Oh my god, I'm sitting here.
I have such jealousy because I would love to kind
of be more of a low profile person on social media.
But for what I do in the unscripted world, will say,
you know, for interviewing and hosting and all of that,
it's really important to bring people in and you know,
make them feel like they watch me on TV and
I'm one of your friends. So it's this weird balance
(24:12):
for me where I have to I do have to
be particularly active, but I also do keep things for
just me and no one to turn it off and
I'm not on TikTok. Even though my agent's been like,
get on, get on, get on. I'm like, no, I
don't want to. No disrespect to anybody on it, but
for me, I just don't want to do it.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
It's so consuming, you know, it's so consuming. And yes,
that's where like the trends are and that's where how
you stay relevant, and that's engagement and all those things.
But I don't know, I feel you, it's tough.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
So how do you take criticism? Like have you seen
things written about you before that just crushed you, or
especially in the social media world that is so relevant
in Mean Girls, because that's a new spin on it
in this version of the movie and in everyday life
and where we are in twenty twenty four, Like how
were you with all of that? Are you able to
truly just tune out what I imagine is any small
(25:10):
amount of negativity you may see about yourself.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
It's hard to tune that stuff out, it really is.
I'd like to think I'm getting better at it, and
being off social media as much as I am really
does help, Like it really helps a lot to be
a little removed from it because you just see less
like for a while, you know, you post something and
then I'd like scroll through the comments and they're like
so many positive ones, and I think part of me
is just like looking for the bad ones for some
(25:35):
like validation of some feeling I have about myself. And
so for sure there's been stuff. I mean, I remember
the first time I saw some negative stuff, Like it
was when the casting announcement for the show came out
and someone tweeted and I'm not even on Twitter, but
I was like, again, I was looking for something like
I wanted. I don't know what I wanted, but I
wanted something, and someone was like, yo, why are they
(25:55):
casting ugly people in the summer? I turn pretty? And
you know, I don't know, It's just weird because that
was the first time I saw someone else have an
opinion about me or didn't know me. And also I
was like, but we haven't even filmed it yet, Like
how do you know? Like you don't like it? And
so when I finally was able to rationalize that, I
was like, oh, well, you know, this year, maybe they've
(26:17):
seen a few unflattering pictures of me, or maybe they
think I am ugly and that's fine, but like I
just got to remind myself, like why I do it
like I do it for the work and opinions like that.
I don't know, if someone like truly was like, wow,
it looks like he didn't do good work, like he
didn't have a good idea of what tone the show with,
I'd be like, oh, okay, well that's of my work,
(26:37):
and I'd be like it would probably hurt a little bit,
but i'd be like more receptive to something like that.
Then I feel like off and online it just becomes
like Yo, this dude looks bad or you know, I
hate it out or stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Yeah. Yeah, well it's almost.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Easy to do with maybe because I'm like, well, that's
not really what I'm here for.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
But I mean it's inevitable today in age we live in,
there's always going to be some bullshit out there that
people just feel like they can write. And it's so
crazy because how I grew up. I'm thirty seven, and
I think I grew up with the Internet, so I
got to really see all the different iterations of it,
and it used to be like such a fun, happy
place and now it is like kind of cut throat
(27:18):
and vicious again. Many beautiful things about it. But that
side exists, so it's very interesting that we have to
deal with that who kind of have more public personas.
But I think your mentality is super right on and
super important to bring attention to because if more people
can kind of let things roll off their back, I
think their overall mental health will be much better.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Yeah, and it's not easy. It's a work in progress,
Like it's like that, But I think that's the goal.
You know, the goal is just to be enough removed
from it where you're like, well, you know, I have
my friends. I live with three friends, my girlfriend lives
down the street. Like that's my community is not online
and there are valid online communities. Don't give me wrong,
(28:00):
but like, for me, what I get true joy from
are the people around me and trust their opinions, and
I trust the way they think about my work. And
if they had criticism, I'd love to hear it and
keep it close.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Yeah, I always say, keep that circle tight.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
How do you then, like what brings you joy? I
guess how do you unwind what brings you happiness? What
are the things that the non actor side of you
does and enjoys To stay grounded and to just enjoy life.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
I mean, there's a lot of things. I love spending
time with my friends. Like I was sort of just saying,
I have this group of like six or seven of us.
We all went to college together, we did the same
acting program. We're all actors. I live with two of them,
my girlfriends down the street with another and another friend.
(28:50):
And I just like the people I'm surrounded by, Like
I trust them and I enjoy their company, and that
brings me a lot of joy to just spend time
with them. I've been a lot recently. I enjoy golfing
a lot. It's really on the nose, like it's it's
super on the nose, but but I enjoy it. I've
been having a good time. It's sort of nice to
be working on something that isn't acting sometimes because it,
(29:15):
as a lot of actors know, it sometimes feels like
you're just like working in to avoid you're just working
for no one. So it's nice to just be like, wow,
I'm working on this for me. That's also more like tangible,
like you're like, oh, I did good at this sport
or I did bad at this sport. Whereas acting is
so subjective that it's harder to grasp. I like getting
(29:36):
coffee in the morning and that brings me joy, taking
a little walk.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yeah, the simple moments, right.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Yeah, Yeah, it's funny how that works.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
I know, it's one of my favorite things to do.
I'm an early riser and I love Macha green tea,
so it's so good and I make it in the
morning and that's like my favorite little ritual. I just
make my green tea and sit down and take a
few minutes for me. It's it's I always say, it's
not always the big moment in life. It's the small
moments that are just as important.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
For sure. And I think as like, as a kid,
you know, you're like the big moments or what you know,
and in Christmas you want the big presence and whatever.
But as I get older, I'm like, I just sort
of want like some cozy socks and a coffee.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Like and maybe a big fuzzy blanket too.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Yeah. Yeah, I just want to be I want to
be comfortable.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
I want to Yeah, man, I feel you on that.
That's awesome. So the name of the show is I've
never said this before, so I'm wondering, is there something
that you haven't really talked about before, whether it's silly
or deep, whatever it may be, is there something that
you wanted to share today?
Speaker 2 (30:38):
I was thinking about this and I kept my mind
resorts to jokes always, and so I was just like, Oh,
that'll be funny or that. I don't know. I think
I've never said this is more like life lessons. I've
never said that I regret saying yes to something.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Hmm.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
I don't think. And maybe if I racked my brain
I could find something. But I think often like even
if I'm like a friend's like, hey, do you want
to do this? And I'm like about to go to bed,
and I'm like, you know what, maybe it'll be fun.
Or if someone's like, hey do you want to go somewhere?
Do you want to do something? Or do you want
to I don't know. I think saying yes to things
(31:20):
and trying new things is always fun, like golf, for example.
Like I had a friend who was like, you guys
want to go golfing? And I'd never done it before
at all, and I was like, I don't like that
sounds terrible, like why would I? And then I don't know,
I've sort of discovered something that I'm passionate about, like
a hobby I care about, and even if you go
somewhere and you don't like it, then you know you
(31:43):
don't like it. I think life's too short to just
avoid everything. Oh I love that because it's easy to
avoid things, right, you know, it's really easy to like
the trains are slow today, it's kind of cold. I
don't want to go and being a hypocrite because my
friends have veted me somewhere today and I don't think
I want to go. So it's not like there are
(32:04):
words I live by.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
But you're saying when you actually say yes, you don't
regret it.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Yeah, that's awesome. It's a talk of progress. I might
rescind to that in thirty seconds, but I think it's true.
Like I don't know, I don't I don't regret that stuff.
I don't regret going to a party I wasn't sure
if I wanted to go to, or seeing a movie
that I didn't like the trailer for.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Because you got to have an experience you wouldn't have
had otherwise, even if it wasn't the experience that you
wanted or didn't turn out exactly how you thought it
would be. You Yeah, you got to try something new exactly.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Yeah, that's like the most perfect January twenty twenty four response.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
To this resolution. I have a list. Actually no, I'm yeah,
that's a resolution response. So yes, some more things.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
That's awesome. I couldn't loved that more. And you know what,
You're right, that's something I remind myself of sometimes it's
like just say yes, you have nothing to lose, and
if it doesn't work out, who cares?
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Because I think it's also easy to get habitual sometimes
and be like, all right, this is what I'm gonna
do this week, and in my downtime, I'm gonna do
a B and C. And then you know, g pops
up and you're like, well, that's not part of my
routine that I don't know. But it's good to try things.
It's good.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
I'm gonna remember that. That is a good reminder for
everybody listening. Try something new, don't be afraid to say yes. Right.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
I think so that was well.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Said my friend. I've so loved this conversation. I think
that you have such a bright future ahead of you.
You've accomplished so much already, and something tells me this
is just the beginning. And honestly, man, it was such
an honor getting to hang out in chat today.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it, truly, this
was so much fun.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
Anytime, and everyone, go see the movie right.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Oh, check it out. Man. I think it's gonna be good.
I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's good.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
It's gonna be good. You haven't seen it. I've seen it,
and I'm saying it's good. So go see the movie.
Means out now, go see it. Thank you again, man,
we'll talk soon.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
J I've Never Said This Before is hosted by me
Tommy Dederio. 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
(34:24):
and subscribe to our show and if you liked this episode,
tell your friends. Until next time. I'm Tommy Dedario
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