June 25, 2024 • 64 mins
Current actor and former supermodel Tricia Helfer regales Brian with her epic journey from small town farm to Supermodel of the World, to getting fired from her first-ever acting job, to becoming the Goddess of All Creation.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
But I was I was like really trying to downplay
that at the time because at the time there was
no kind of crossover model turned out, you know, like
model turned act. It was kind of a bad thing,
and it's like you can't You're probably not going to
be able to act if you're a model type thing. So, right,
I really did downplay it a lot.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
How do you downplay I don't I mean, what like you,
I don't wash your hair for a week or like
what like you.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
I would always go in with like, well, you know
it does.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
It has hurt me in many ways my height because
I'm almost six week tall.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Right, I'm five eleve so that I'm taller, don't don't
get braggy, I'm taller.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Hello, I'm Trisha Halfer and I am certifiably the mother
of cats and goats, and I'm moonlight as an actor
and a model.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Hi, everybody, welcome back here to another episode of Off
the Beat. I am once again your host, Brian Bumgartner.
Now you've probably heard that classic Hollywood story about someone
being discovered while just going about their daily life. Right,
They're at a grocery store and an agent comes up
(01:24):
and says, hey, there we've got to get you to
Hollywood be in the movies. My experience, this is many
years of meetings and interviewing many many actors. That doesn't happen. Okay,
it's just it is just not how things work. You
do not get noticed at a grocery store. It's a
(01:44):
fairy tale. It's a myth. But I guess fairy tales
do come true, because it did happen for my guest today,
Tricia Helfer, at a movie theater in Canada, mind you,
so there you go, And whoever discovered her at that
movie theater was either very perceptive or very lucky, because
(02:08):
guess what, Tricia is a true talent. She's gone on
to have a very successful modeling career on runways all
over the world, then moved on to acting, where she
has played favorites like Number six on Battlestar Galactica, Dracula
in the sci fi series Van Helsing, and many more. So, Yes,
(02:30):
pat Scout got lucky when they saw her at the
movie theater, But now we're all lucky because we get
to see her perform in all of her spectacular roles.
And guess what, I feel lucky to have her here. Today.
Here she is my new friend, Tricia Helfer Bubblin Squeak.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I love it bubblin squea gano, bubble and squeaker, cooking
every move over from the.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Ninefo Hi, Tricia, Hello, how are you?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
I'm doing good? Thank you. I'm pleased to be here
with you.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Well, thank you so much for coming in and having
a little chat with me today. Where are you where? Like?
What city are you in?
Speaker 1 (03:32):
I'm I'm not in a city actually, and you're from Georgia.
You're from Georgia, right, you might you might go, you
might know where I am. Then?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Actually I'm in Chattahoochee.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Hills Chatahoochie Hills. Yeah, so I lived well that's an exaggeration.
I was a like two minute walk down the hill
from the Chatahoochee River. So the Chattahooche Hills. What is
that like north Atlanta? North of Atlanta?
Speaker 3 (04:02):
That south?
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Actually is it's south like an hour south of city,
so like twenty five minutes south of the airport.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Are do you live there now?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
I do?
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I think I had a midlife crisis in twenty twenty
one and just backed up and without even thinking about
anything and moved. So yes, since since fall of twenty
one live. I live here now, but I'm I'm hoping
to come back to.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
La Okay, But but do you like it?
Speaker 1 (04:29):
I do.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
It's it's not to start off a fun and negative.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Right, Well, no, that's fine.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
No, it's been a I do love it. I mean,
I live out on twenty five acres.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
I like, I literally just changed lifestyle and and it's
been you know, it's it's great.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I missed my friends, I miss being you know.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
I moved here not knowing anyone, right, So, and then
I moved here and my mom died and my dad
got Alzheimer's and I uninjured my knee and was out
of work for a year and hobbling around and Jesus, no,
it couldn't be physical, couldn't go hiking, couldn't do anything
like that. And then the strike happened, and then now
here we are.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
It's like, you move and just your life goes to shit.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
I don't know, Oh I got you could say whatever
you want. Oh my god, that's terrible.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
It's hard to not base it off of like the move,
like that's what made everything go bad. Oh god, logically
I know that's not.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
The case, but well, It's very interesting. I mean, you've
kind of written a perfect transition for me, because now
you're there in rural Georgia, twenty five acres sounds like
a farm to me. You grew up on a farm.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
I did in rural.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Rural, by the way, is one of the hardest words
for me to say personally, and the fact that I
just did it twice in the same sentence is unbelievable.
Uh in Canada.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
A I did?
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Get it? A get it? Yeah? Yeah? All right, So
you worked on a farm when you were a kid,
earned some money working on a farm, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
I absolutely did. I was.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I was actually just there visiting my family last week.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Yeah. I grew up on a farm, working farm.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
My grand my grandparents started the farm, and my father
was born and raised on a farm, and so that
was my I never had an after school job aside
from being a farm hand, so I grew up driving
tractors and fixing farm machinery and all of that.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Do you do you have animals? Now? Do you have
a garden.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
I do have a garden.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
I have six cats, which I brought with me from
la and I have two goats.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Goats that qualifies as a farm. If you have a goat,
then that equals farm. Like do you, I don't know,
do you milk the goats? Like what are the goats do?
Do the goats help keep the grass down? Do they
do you play with them? Like? What what do you
do with the goats?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
They're boys, so milking them would be a different thing.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
All right, that's awkward. Okay, I took I took a gamble.
I don't know. Do people milk goats if they have goats?
Speaker 3 (07:14):
They do. There's a neighbor's mine.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
She has a bunch of goats and she milks them,
and she has a little farm stand and she makes okay,
goat cheese and all the all the stuff that is. Yeah,
that's way too much work for me. Mine are just spoiled,
little you know. They get their fresh apple in the
morning and carrots in the evening, and they're you know,
yesterday I got the hoofs trimmed, and yeah, they're they're
kind of just a little spoiled rescues.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Well, now, when you go back to LA, are you
going to bring the goats?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
That's my plan?
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Okay, you know, I'm actually thinking of looking at places
like Woodland Hills, or even carts. Mensino are zoned for
farm animals, so goat friendly.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Yeah, I don't think i'd be smacked at in Beverly Hills,
where I was before.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
You know, I went from studios, I went, I'm like
Laurel Canyon to Beverly Hills like a Coldwater Canyon to
Sherman Oaks Canyon in my many years there, and yeah,
I don't think they do very well there.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
No, probably not. So you were you did farm work?
What were you interested in as a kid?
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Like?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Were you watching movies? Television? I know you're in Canada,
but you must have access to American shows there or
not so much?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Actually, no, they do.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
I mean it's not it is the Great White North,
but it's not so far removed that it doesn't have
you know, you can't get all all the American shows
because they do certainly limit different stations, right yea, yeah,
but I had no TV growing up, so I really
did not grow up with any access to movies or
television or anything like that. So we saw very few
(08:54):
movies and I was I was allowed to go over
and watch hockey games. My grandparents had a TV that
had like four stations and I was allowed to go
over and watch hockey games because I was a big
Edmonton Olers fan.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Last nights congratulations, Yes, very good. Yes, I'm happy for them.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
But yeah, I didn't really you know, I was I
was interested in volleyball and school and so sports.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
More stories. Yeah, okay, Now rumor has it that you
were approached at a movie theater? Now was this in
Canada about being a model? Is this right?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
That that is correct?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Yes, I was in the nearest town that had a
movie theater, like a one room theater, Stetler, Alberta. And
I think the town has about forty five hundred people
something like that.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
And yeah, so I was there.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
And it was actually a girl that had gone to
school with my older sister, and she was doing some
local modeling for this agent, Kelly Strait, who was who
was only twenty four himself when he started, and he
used to scout for Ford models in New York and everything.
And so she asked, and I said, absolutely not. You know,
this is obviously pre cell phones and pre right, you know,
Google and everything.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
But she gave him my parents' number.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Because of course there's the Yellow Pages, and so he
called and I was goaded on by my volleyball teammates,
okay to go see him the next time I was
in the city, and so I did, and like literally
about a month or two later, I was in New
York City.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
So okay, So wait a second. So I'm so this
is so interesting to me because you're saying it like
this is a matter of fact. But there are talent
there's talent scouts in Stetler, Alberta, Canada that are like
legit recruiting for like legit modeling jobs in New York City. Well,
(10:58):
this is surprising. This would be like Atlanta back in
the day. Now Atlanta is different. But if it was like, hey,
do you want to be a model? I would think
you know that that would that would well they wouldn't
ask me. But you know what I'm saying, like that
that I wouldn't have thought that was legit.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Well I did. Again, it wasn't him that was there.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Although he is also from a small town, he lives
in Calgary now, so he has just always wanted to
stay in Alberta. He could have gone to any of
the you know, New York, he could have been an
agent anywhere, and he's just always been partial to staying
where he grew up.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
But he did.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
He he really was. He's an interesting guy. He's got
a very good eye for the modeling business right and
and what is working and everything at the time, and
just but he if he had probably approached me, I
would have been way too shy, and because he's quite
(11:55):
he's quite energetic and quite quite a personality.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
But it was a girl that went to school with
my older sister.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
So I knew her okay, and you know, i'd known
her for years. And she said she was in Calgary
doing you know, at university and had met and was
doing some local modeling and that type of thing.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
So it might have been a different story if he
had approached me.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
So within a couple of months, you're in You're in
New York City m hm, and you're so what are
you doing, like you're immediately starting to get jobs.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Well, this was between grade eleven and grade twelve. So
I went.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
He set me up to go, and I actually stayed
at Eileen Ford's house or her apartment, and I went
to New York for five days to get some pictures
so they they he had he took some pictures of
me and he sent them to for New York and
they said we want her, and so I went there
and did some test.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Shoots they had set up.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
You know, you have to get photos r right to
be able to show. And then he had organized me
to be with an agency in Montreal. So I was
only in New York the first time for five days
and I went from there to Montreal, where an agency
started putting me out in the Montreal market for three weeks.
So I was gone for like for a month basically.
(13:10):
And I remember, I just I did all these like
Bridal magazines.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
I was six sixteen seventeen.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
I was gonna say, yeah, I was young for.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
That seventeen and just doing all these Bridal magazines and
I look at them now, and my mom has them
all still and.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Or had them all still, and.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
I just it's they're so funny to see that time
period and the Bridal magazines. But yeah, So I went
there and with the guys of kind of just with
the idea of just kind of seeing what it was,
what it was like and then going back to grade twelve.
So I went, and I remember specifically I made thirty
six thousand dollars in three weeks. And I went back
(13:52):
to grade twelve, and then I was like, maybe I should.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Give this a track. I liked it to go to Milan.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
They want me to go to Paris, Like, maybe I
should try this, and so I did my first semester
and then and then I packed up and I left.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
I left before graduating.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
And you were based then in New York or you
just went wherever you had to go.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Well, yeah, I went to Milan first for a couple
of months, and then I went to Paris, and then
very quickly moved my base, like within a year, moved
my base to New York. I just I'm much more
of a kind of New York mentality than living in Paris.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
I didn't like living in Paris at that time. So okay,
love it, love visiting it now, but I didn't like
it as a seventeen eighteen year old. I found it
very kind of difficult to get to get by in
many ways.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Nineteen ninety two, you won the Ford Supermodel of the
World contest. Supermodel of the World is I mean that's.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
A title, it's a statement.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
It was a kind of I kind of just glazed
right over that. That was between Milan and Paris.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
They uh, oh so even before oh so, just based
on your first time and then going to Milan, you're
now the supermodel of the year, says Ford.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Well, they hazy right back in the back in the
early nineties. I think in the eighties and nineties, they
had these things, these these I mean, for lack of
a better word, pageant. I've never been a pageant person,
but it is a modeling competition, right. It's it's a
you do runway and you do photo shoots and everything.
But they had these two hour specials on TV, so
(15:39):
it was a thing, you know, and they Ford had
kind of I lean forward, had just chosen me the
winner of Canada instead of doing it a search, but
they just chose out of a bunch of people and
announced me as the Canadian winner. When I was in
Milan the first time, when I first left home to
really get this try, and I didn't even know like
(16:00):
I was, I didn't enter myself. So I then went
to la to do the international competition and it's like
a two week you tape for two weeks, you know,
all this type of stuff, and I won that. So yeah,
it was that title was a blessing and a curse,
because it definitely helped kickstart. You know, I went straight
from their Paris for fashion Week, and I remember meeting
(16:25):
Carl Lagerfeld at Chanel for the first time, and I
had a camera crew with me because I had just won,
so there was a you know, camera crew following me,
and I'm you know, I've just turned eighteen and I'm
this shy Canadian farm girl, and but I had a
camera crew, which is probably the only reason he hired
me for the show.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
But then, you know, so things like that helped.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
But then other times I remember meeting I can't remember
who it was, but it was somebody at Vogue and
I walked in and of course on your card, your
composite card, it says forts new Fall of the World.
And they just look at me and like, oh, so
you're a supermodel, Like you have no pictures. Basically you're
brand new. You're a supermodel.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
And I'm like, I didn't name it and.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I did not get that job. So it was a
blessing and accurse.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
I mean the I mean basically, any top fashion outlet
that I have heard of you have either done shows
for or ads for. How long were you intensive and
more specifically, what made you begin to think about doing
(17:40):
something else, I e.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Acting at the time.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
I mean I probably did it for ten years, okay,
seventeen to twenty seven. I think I moved to La
around I have to do the math, but around twenty
seven or twenty eight, and it had been a couple
of years before that where I could start. I had
started to see my career starting to be, like I
(18:05):
wasn't getting booked for the top fashion shows anymore, and
that there's much more diversity in all ranges, but also
age in the modeling business now, not at the for
the regular editorials and things, but for the campaigns, and
you will see some of the older models, even older
than me, having a resurgence and that type of thing.
At the time, you really there really was an expiration day.
(18:28):
Hollywood has a bit of that as well, but more
so in the modeling business at the time. So it
really was because it hadn't been it hadn't been a
dream of mine. It turned out to be a wonderful career,
an amazing opportunity that I'm really lucky, you know, fortunate
to have had. But it wasn't It wasn't like I
(18:50):
didn't grow up with reading fashion magazines and wanting to
be you know, so to me, it was always a business.
And maybe that's why I was able to see a
little bit early on like Okay, I have to I
have to figure out how to set myself up for
you know, I didn't want a family. I didn't want
to get married and have a family and go down
(19:10):
that route.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
So I was like, Okay, I'm gonna have to figure
out something else to do.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Okay. I mean your math I think is pretty spot on.
Because you moved to Los Angeles and you pretty much
immediately begin booking some television jobs. What did you do
to prepare for that? Was it just like, oh, this
is something else that I want to do, or was
there something specifically about acting that you wanted to give
(19:36):
a try, and then what did you do to prepare
yourself for it?
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Well?
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I I thought for a while that I was like, okay,
what about like reporting.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
I had done some kind of correspondent report, hosting or
a fashion file that type of thing.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Yeah, and so I had done a few segments and things,
and then I just realized, even you're in front of
the camera there, I kind of like being the you know,
maybe this is a little selfish or narcissistic, but I
kind of like being the topic, you know.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Right right, right, right right, Tell me it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
And that I'm kind of making fun of myself there.
I don't mean it necessarily like that, but it wasn't.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
I just didn't.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
It didn't catch me right, And so I was like,
why don't I take an acting class. I had never
done anything like that again, grew up without watching really anything.
But I thought, even if it helps me with commercial auditions.
Most of the only commercial editions I did at the
time were beauty beauty commercials, right, I wasn't going out
(20:41):
for anything else, but maybe it'll help me in that
in that respect, And I got into an acting class.
My my commercial agent suggested some places and I called
around and nobody answered the phone. And one place answered
the phone, and this was a Friday, and they said, well,
we have an advanced on camera on Monday that somebody
(21:01):
just dropped out of because they got a play. So
if you come in Monday afternoon, read this little you know,
one page script, we'll see and the class starts that night.
So I went in and I think probably because they
had the space available and that was it. But they
took me and I started class that night, and I
just remember I went home to my I lived with
(21:24):
my boyfriend at the time, and I just went home
and I went.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I love this.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
I was terrified, right, and I had never been through therapy,
but I remember saying walking in, going.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
I feel like I've just had a therapy session. I
just feel like I've like I've been terrified, but I.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Feel like I've released some stuff, right, And that's what
started it. It was Penny Templeton Studios in New York,
and I just I took her on camera class and
then I took her ongoing and wanted me to take
their masterclass, and I took that while I continue to model.
I think I did that for about a year and
a half and then I was like, okay, I'm moving
to LA and I just packed up and moved to LA.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
I was thinking about you, not having met you, but
sort of looking over your history before and there's something
like you had such a career and although not as
an actor, it was forward facing in a way. And
there's so much in our business that is about being relaxed,
(22:51):
being poised, that you're comfortable in an environment and the
fact that you had so many years on the biggest
stages in the world performing in some way, it seems
to me, so tell me if I'm right or wrong
that that had to have prepared you in a certain way.
(23:11):
You didn't know how to create characters, maybe in terms of,
you know, taking a script and analyzing it and figuring
out what the character is doing, but in terms of
those like exterior things which so many gifted trained actors
miss out on. That on just being comfortable enough to
be let the person know that you know what you're doing.
(23:33):
Does this make any sense at all to you?
Speaker 3 (23:36):
It does, And I think.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
There's different elements I think to it, right, Like, definitely
I was a very shy kid, so modeling and being
in that world and being in front of the camera
even though your crews are much smaller, you know, a
few people, five to ten people maximum, right, compared to
or maybe sometimes down to two or three or a
(24:00):
or a you know Vasaci fashion show where you're in
front of a lot of people. But you definitely had
to become more comfortable being in front of people and
that helped one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Right, There's parts.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Of me that have always felt like a little bit
of a not a fraud, but it's like I do
still walk into some job sometimes like a very apprehensive
and then it's it's usually until the first take or
two and then you're it just kicks in or everything
makes sense or or something. But because I didn't go
to act, you know, I really didn't go to a
(24:33):
big acting school. I haven't done plays, I haven't you know,
I didn't grow up watching TV.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
I didn't it or movies. I'm not well versed in
that way.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
I've always felt like I don't know a lot about
you know, people. People talk about all these different old
movies and things like that, and it's.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Just over my head.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
But I've just had and granted, I could go and
study more, and I could go and obviously watch things
more than I do, but then I fall back on
the well, sometimes it's just about people watching and some
sort of natural abilities maybe the wrong word, but natural
something too.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
You know, when I was a kid, I was going
to go into psychology.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
So that's what gets me about about our business, is
getting into the psychology.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Of the character.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Right.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Yeah, it didn't really answer your question.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Sorry, No, no, I mean I mean it sort of did.
I mean in terms of what interests you, which is
that you know, that's what's interesting to me. I just
I don't know, there's something about and look you're talking
to I mean, I literally don't know anything about high fashion,
but I know enough to know it's got to be
(25:51):
exposing in a way. And again not just physically, I mean,
but you're putting yourself out there. You're presenting, you know,
in your case, a lot of of high fashion, and
there's so much scrutiny, and there's so much judgment, and
there's so much physical hands on manipulating garment. That just
(26:14):
had to have given you an advantage starting out, just
just being who you are in the place, having done
what you did, because those things are the are some
of the most difficult things when you're starting out, like
hitting your hitting your mark, suddenly performing with I mean
(26:36):
you say your crew was smaller when you're doing a
shoot or whatever, but doing it in front of twenty
five people, thirty people, fifty people, you know, whatever it
is that's on a set. I don't know. There's just
something fascinating to me about that. And I haven't really
engaged in that conversation with someone before, but that just
had to have given you an advantage.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
It did, because you're used to being in front of
the camera's or having people's attention on you. Right, the
whole room is looking at you, and that can be
very disconcerting. Yes, And it was when I first started modeling,
when you know, when I was seventeen eighteen, I was
it was terrifying to have everybody look at me. Yes,
(27:18):
and then you know, you're like and you're not quite sure,
you know, like a gawky teenager. Still well, you're not
quite sure what you're supposed to be doing with your body.
You're not really right, you learn, you know, modeling is
performing as well. Like you said earlier, it is. You
can have the most beautiful woman, so to speak, that
walks down the street, but she can't translate that in
(27:40):
front of a camera, right, So it doesn't it's not
just about beauty or society's beauty or whatever that is, right.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Kelly, My old modeling age we call a bone structure,
whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
But you have to be able to translate that and
and be able to translate the tone that the photographer
and the magazine or whatever is looking for. And that's
also in film, right, because you have different tones. Be
within comedy, you have different tones. Within drama, you have
different tones. And also just having being used to having
the eyeballs all focused on you, and a lot of
(28:18):
them not sometimes not happy with what you're doing necessarily
of course, all the time. You know, you you don't
perform the best all the time or every take or
every snap of the camera.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Right, Yeah, so you have to.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Be willing to mess up and be willing to make
an ass of yourself and not let it destroy you.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Yeah. Shortly after you move to LA, you take your
acting classes, you move to LA, you get a role
on Showtime's Jeremiah. What was it like being on set
for the first time?
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Uh, it was awful. I got fired from that job.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
You did, so my first ever acting job I got
fired from.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
That's happened. It happens everybody.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
I was still modeling at the time.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
I was still living in New York, and I remember,
I think it was summer of two thousand and one,
and I had was in LA for a modeling job
and my commercial agent knew that I had wanted to start,
you know, I was acting classes and I had planned
on moving at the end of the year. I think
I looked at houses and everything, and so they said, oh,
(29:30):
there's this audition. Stay an extra day and go in
on this audition. So I did, and it was Jeremiah
and it was for the lead female role.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
And flew back to New York and they wanted to
test me.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
I didn't even know what a studio test was, right,
So they fly me back out.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
I test. They don't take any of us.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
There's four four women similar look whatever, they didn't take
any of us. Cut to I'm back in New York.
Nine to eleven happens. I drive down after about a week.
I had a place in Jupiter au On in Florida.
I'm down in Florida and I get the call, You're
You're hired. You have to be in Vancouver in like
(30:10):
two days for four months.
Speaker 3 (30:14):
Now. I got to get on my get on a plane.
That I'm terrified.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
You know, I've just watched the towers fall from my apartment.
You know, I've driven down with two cats, and I've
got to get by myself with two cats, back up
and pack up.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
And leave for four months. That all happens.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
And I get to Vancouver and it was Luke Perry
and Malcolm Jamal Warner and they were lovely. My character
is introduced at the very end of a two hour
pilot to then be part of the series, right right.
They're searching for this valhalla, this this place, and they
finally find it at the end of the two hour pilot.
I get there and the showrunner won't even like look
(30:51):
at me. He's so unhappy that the studio has.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Forced you on all.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
Yes, and this was my first introduction to the business.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Like he wanted nothing of my type at all, you know,
and I don't want to explain what he wanted, but
something that I could not be.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
Ever okay, right, yes, and they ended up.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
I remember he said that I was nerve. I had
one scene and the scene was fine, Like we used
it on my reel.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
It was good, there was nothing wrong with it, right,
and Luke Perry.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Years later, I ran into Luke Perry at like comic
Con Warner Brothers party and.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
He was like, yeah, that was so mess you know,
messed up and whatever.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
But he used the fact that I was off in
the corner prepping, as I had been told in Penny
Templeton studio was like prepping to do an emotional scene,
and he said that I was I was just way
too nervous and whatever. But I was like I and
she's like off in the corner whatever, and I was
I was preparing the scene was fine, and but I
(31:59):
get fed and they don't replace me, they just can
the character completely and then lo and behold, he gets
what he wants.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Like a few episodes later, I watched it and there
was a character that he was wanting.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
So it all worked out fine. But you know things,
at the time, it was very hard to take and
to accept. But if I had done that, I wouldn't
have then been available to do Battlestar Galactica. That went
two seasons, and I wouldn't have been able to do
it because it crossed over a year. Yeah, so I'm
(32:33):
trying to tell my sell myself now that that same thing,
when my career is in the crapper and I'm am
I ever gonna work again, I'm trying to remind myself
of that.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
Well. Yeah, I mean, look, you did get and you
said went a couple of seasons Battlestar Galactica, your character
number six, not only Battlestar Galactica becomes a huge epic
press getting show of various incarnations across what do they
call it, across the in perpetuity throughout the universe. There
(33:09):
you go, I finally got it. That's the phrase they
always use. Not just that, but you play a character
that gets to play different variations of themselves, which is
literally an actor's dream. Talk to me a little bit
about well, first off, getting that, so after you go
(33:29):
from the disappointment of Jeremiah to get to landing this
this role of number six on Battlestar Galactica.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
I had been in La about a year at that point,
so it was and it was, you know, I had
done a couple of things. I had done a couple
of guest stars and you know, right, and in an
indie movie and yeah, I just it was I think
I had done a guest star for CSI Vegas season two,
that's how long ago was and the finale.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
And it was.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
The casting director that remembered me from that show that
then pulled me in to read for the producers of Battlestar.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Wait a second, it's uh cher Dean. Yes, I was
on CSIS. You said, CSI Vegas. That's just CSI.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
That's the original.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yes, the og the O G. Yes, what did you
play on there?
Speaker 1 (34:28):
I played a model, so I was the victim and
I actually auditioned. There was this two sisters, the model
and her sister, and I auditioned for the sister and
I remember they called me back in and they said, look,
there's two that's we want you these two. But you
look like you could be a model. She doesn't, so
(34:50):
at least at that time, that sounds true.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
I didn't mean it.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
They said it, so we need you to play the
role that has no lines.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Well, no, but the fact that they the fact that
they said it looks like you could be a model,
were you were exactly?
Speaker 3 (35:06):
But I was.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
I was like really trying to downplay that at the
time because at the time there was no kind of
crossover model turned out, you know, like model turned act.
It was kind of a bad thing, and it's like
you can't you're probably not going to be able to
act if you're a model type thing. So, right, I
really did downplay it a lot.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
How do you downplay I don't, I mean, what like you,
I don't wash your hair for a week or like
what like you.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
I would always go in with like, well, you know
it does it has hurt me in many ways my
height because I'm almost six feet tall, right.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
I'm five le so that I'm taller, don't don't get braggy,
I'm taller.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
I love when somebody's taller.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
But I don't know for men, if it ever hurts
you that you're tall. But you know, we all get
we all get put in boxes of what you can
play in which you couldn't play.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
But this was actually quite a difficult role.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
Because even though yeah, she was a model and she
didn't have any lines, she had body dysmorphic disorder. Okay,
so there was quite a few scenes and and she
ultimately gets toxic shocks in Rome from like cutting herself
and that type of thing, and and nobody killed her.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
She died herself. But okay, yeah, so what did you play?
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Dog Man?
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Dog Man? Dog walker dressed up as a furry.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
That's it right there, that's it. Yes, I didn't even
know what it was at the time, I'll be honest
with you, but it was explained to me in great
detail what a furry is and likes to be. Uh, yeah,
that was it, all right? He got totally off topic.
(36:53):
I just love I just I just love comparing CSI stories.
And actually before we move on, because I do want
to talk about Star Galactica, but I do want to
what what were you in? Uh? I didn't I'm sorry,
I didn't watch the episode. What were you in? Criminal Minds?
Were you a killer or are you a victim? There too?
Speaker 4 (37:11):
No?
Speaker 3 (37:12):
I was.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
It was a two episode bank robbing. I was an
international uh, internationally sought criminal okay, and I and I yeah,
held a bank hostage.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Okay. Well so then so there you go. So I
do want to talk about this before we talk about
you actually like being a star on a serious regular part.
I often talk about for pragmatic reasons that Criminal Minds
was one of the hardest jobs I ever did in
television because because you're a guest star, right, But it
(37:48):
sounds like you had the same situation that I did,
where you go in and and functionally like you are
the lead. It's your story, Yes, you or the protagonist.
That's the word I was looking for for those episodes.
And so you're your energy sort of is guiding the
whole thing. Yet everybody else has been there for like
(38:11):
fourteen years or whatever it is, and the crew knows
them and they don't know you it's just a very
odd feeling thing. And also my very first day was
like we shot the final scene and it was on
the docks in Long Beach Harbor from eight pm to
seven am. Oh yes, and I was like, what is
(38:34):
going on here? It was like crazy. But anyway, it's tough, right,
That is a tough job.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Yes, Guest starring is a tough job, because you're right,
you come into a well oiled machine where everybody knows
each other and you know you're in the business long enough,
hopefully you know. It's more often that when you do
come on and guests are on something, you end up
knowing crew you've worked with before, and that starts to
really change everything. And it also depends on the cast
(39:05):
you're with, because there I've gone on a guest starret
on some things where it's just I've had the most
amazing experience, and then I've had gone in and guest
starred where You're like, Okay, I'm clearly made to feel
like I'm the odd met.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
Out like lunch in my trailer today, please lunch? Yeah?
All right. So back to Battlestar Galacticat you auditioned for
number six, was this an exhaustive audition process. Did you
have multiple steps or was this was this easier?
Speaker 3 (39:39):
You know, I had multiple steps.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
I remember specifically it was January sixth that I went
in because I was given the script right before Christmas
and I took it home with me and it was
for the miniseries.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
It was a big script.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
And I came back and I auditioned and then they
said it went really well, but you know, they're not
making up any minds, and I was still really like
almost no credits, right, So I think they were looking
for a name or they were you know, and I
think i'd also heard it some points they were thinking
of maybe having this character kind of CGI, which in
(40:13):
that time period also was a little bit newer, harder
to do, and and it wasn't. It was like two
months later that they came back. So I just thought
it was gone. Poof, it's one of you know, it's
one you didn't get. But it was one of those
I just couldn't get rid of the script. The script
was still you know, I'm I'm I could be a
little bit petty if I don't get something. It's like
(40:35):
I might not watch the show, or I might you know,
throw out the script whatever.
Speaker 3 (40:39):
I can be a little petty, but.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
I just couldn't just sat there on the corner of
my desk and cut to I think it was two
months later, it was in March, and they called me
back in and I went back in, and then they
said the next day I was going to test for it,
and I had to do a work and maybe it
wasn't the next day, but I had to do a
work session, which I'd never done a work session before,
(41:05):
and went through that process and then tested and it
was a full like, oh gosh, at least half to
I think we got there at eight thirty in the
morning and I don't think we were released till about
two pm.
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (41:20):
And I remember, you know, just pairing. It was probably
like eight or nine guys and gals and for the
number six in baltar role, and I don't I don't
remember much of it. We all went in separately, and
then they got rid of some people, which is.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
So awkward, so awkward.
Speaker 1 (41:39):
And then they started pairing us up and I remember
James and I James Callus, who played balltar, went in
and he remembers this. He remembers hearing somebody in the
room say that's it, but I don't.
Speaker 3 (41:53):
I don't remember that.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
I just remember thinking, well, now I'm definitely not going
to get it because I tower above him, and at
this point.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
I had no idea what I've done.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
At one point, I think it was I think it
was Robert all Right came up to me and he's like,
just because they keep giving everybody gives you notes and
everybody and by the time you go back in, it's
like fifteen people have given you notes. You're going back
in for the fourth time. And it must have just
shone on my face, like I was like a deer
in the headlights. And he just took me aside in
the hallway and just said, just go back to what
(42:24):
you did in.
Speaker 3 (42:25):
The room when you came in to see me.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
Just forget about everything and just go back to what
you came in here with. And I guess that's what
I attempted to do. But I remember thinking, I tower
over James. I'm never going to.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Get this for ale. So it started as a mini series.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Yeah, it was a We shot him for our mini
series in the spring of two thousand and three, and
then we didn't go back to start filming the series,
which started with an episode called thirty three in until
two thousand and four.
Speaker 2 (43:02):
Wow full series movies, on and on and on. Have
you ever heard the phrase bears.
Speaker 1 (43:11):
Big Battlestar Galactica. Yes, from the office.
Speaker 2 (43:17):
Well we have a little kinship there from the show
because as it sounds like, you know, our good friend
Rain Wilson aka Dwight was a big Battlestar Galactica fan.
I hope everybody considered that to be endearing. I mean
it was Dwight absolutely.
Speaker 3 (43:36):
Did you hear that?
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Was that the same episode or was there another Was
there another place where something about you watch Battlestar galacticat
know what you're dumb or something like that, there was
another Yeah, or was that from the same episode.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
I don't know. I think that was different. But I
think he had that, he had the T shirt. He
was very clearly a big uh. So it got a
lot of discussion I will say on our real live
set at the time as well. It was It was
a big It was a big show on our set.
What are you most thankful for out of that experience?
(44:10):
I mean, your first big time show multiple years but
really sort of launches you. But what for you is
your sort of memory.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
I know it's going to sound kind of corny to say,
but the people, you know, I had moved to LA
and really didn't know. I moved there not knowing anybody,
and a year later got Battle Star and it was
just one of those experiences where it was such a
collaborative group of people and such an amazing group of
(44:42):
people that really formed a family. And they are, you know,
twenty twenty years later, they're still they're my family. And
you know when I said at the beginning that I
missed La, it's I miss them.
Speaker 3 (44:57):
I miss my family.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
It's Edward James almost Mary McDonald and Katie Sagoff and
Michael truccau and like James call like they they are
my nearest and dearest, and so I know it sounds corny,
but there. You don't always have that experience where you know,
you get together and you may have some fun experiences,
but then you all go in your separate ways, and
we didn't.
Speaker 3 (45:17):
We just really became a family.
Speaker 1 (45:19):
And I know they'll be with me for the rest
of my life and they have my back, and so that.
Speaker 3 (45:25):
To me is is the biggest thing that I took
out of it.
Speaker 2 (45:29):
But you know.
Speaker 1 (45:31):
The other thing would be, you know, more specific to
the actual show, would be it's kind of longevity and
the quality of the writing and this subject matter that
we got to deal with is something that I think
it has already lived on and I think will continue to.
So it has a longevity that even though you know,
(45:53):
I also said I feel like I'm definitely a lull
in my career right now, it is it is something
that has helped me throughout my career in terms of
other job voiceover jobs and things like that, that it
is kind of the gift.
Speaker 3 (46:06):
That keeps on giving.
Speaker 2 (46:25):
Are you a gamer?
Speaker 1 (46:27):
I've never actually played a game in my life, but
I've voiced like about eight different games.
Speaker 2 (46:32):
Well, no, that's why I was going to ask, because
you brought up the voiceover and you, I mean, that's
been a large chunk of work that you have done.
I mean, from international model to television star and now
do you enjoy doing the voiceovers?
Speaker 3 (46:52):
I do.
Speaker 1 (46:52):
I mean, if I had to choose one, I would
choose on camera, just because you actually have the interaction
with other people. You know, You're not just in a
sound booth by yourself, and depending on the job, sometimes
you really don't have a lot of you know, I'm
not a Hanks area, I'm not a Dan Castelnetto where
I can do eight million different voices and accents.
Speaker 3 (47:14):
I can do.
Speaker 1 (47:15):
I can do a slight version of my own voice
and accent. You know, I can sound I can sound
a little bit different. But it is I really enjoy
doing it. But between the two, I prefer on.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Camera another show that you had the opportunity to work on.
I mean there have been many that has gotten a
lot of attention. Is Lucifer. Talk to me about that,
the world of that show and why you enjoyed playing
in it.
Speaker 1 (47:47):
It was another experience, was a really great group of people,
a different tone of a show, much more I call
it a popcorn show.
Speaker 3 (47:57):
You know, it's much much lighter, fair sure, even.
Speaker 1 (48:01):
Though it's you know, show about the devil and uh
it's based off of a graphic novel comic book tongue
in cheek, but with heart and certainly some some definitely
heartfelt moments. And and Tom Ellis, who played Lucifer, was
just such is such a lovely person and fantastic actor
and so so focused and professional and everything. So it
(48:23):
was a great experience. It was another show where I
got to play multiple character, two characters, because I was
originally just cast as as the mother for one season
and then they ended up devising coming up with a
plan to have my character the body that the celestial
mother of all.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
Creation, goddess of all creation is like that is a name,
that mean from the name from from from Ford supermodel
of the World. Now you're the goddess of all creation.
This is like an This is an upgrade. I mean
at what's next? I don't even know.
Speaker 3 (49:01):
Yeah, it's all downhill from there.
Speaker 2 (49:04):
No, there's got something.
Speaker 3 (49:06):
I played Dracula next.
Speaker 2 (49:08):
So well, I yes, I that's actually an upgrade. That's
pretty pretty. Yeah that did you enjoy that? I mean
that is an archetype. I mean that is an archetype
of I don't know, I mean it is had so
many iterations, but I just thought it was so interesting
(49:31):
and your work at it was so so interesting. What
did you what did you pull from for creating that character?
Did you did you go back in time looking at
prior history or was this more your own interpretation for Dracula? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (49:52):
Yeah, I mean I gosh, I can't remember at the
time i'd gone back and I'd read a book about
Dracula through Hall in Hollywood, like all the different kind
of mood, and there'd never been a female Dracula.
Speaker 3 (50:02):
There had been.
Speaker 1 (50:05):
Brides of Dracula and things, so I was a little
nervous about that.
Speaker 3 (50:10):
But it wasn't not a hugely watched show, so.
Speaker 1 (50:15):
But it was you know, like similar to I would say,
Van Housing was similar to like a walking walking Dead,
but vampires instead of zombies, right apocalyptic type thing, and
their their slant was female. But you know, the van
Helsing was a female, and I did I didn't want
to copy someone, right, So I did go back and
(50:37):
watch a couple of things. I was big into the
Anne Riis books, interview with a vampire and all those
type of things. I just want I wanted to sink
my teeth into somebody so badly. I was really excited
for those scenes. But no, I just kind of I
didn't want to try and copy someone, and so I
didn't specifically like go and watch like right before filming.
(50:58):
I did more a little bit recent searched on on
just the different types.
Speaker 3 (51:02):
Of Draculas, and you know, there's all different types.
Speaker 1 (51:05):
Of tones of Dracula as well, from more campy to
scarier and more serious and that type of thing, and
Van Helsing was definitely a little bit more on the
serious side than super campy, right right, Yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (51:20):
Just kind of want Is it bad to say I
just kind of wung it?
Speaker 2 (51:24):
No? Is that the right wung it? Did you did it?
Speaker 3 (51:30):
I wong it?
Speaker 2 (51:32):
Can you say that?
Speaker 3 (51:33):
I don't that's a word. I don't think it.
Speaker 2 (51:35):
I just wung it. I just winged it. I don't know.
This is a great question. I didn't research that either. Yeah,
I mean, you're the variety. I envy you for the
variety of say, genres that you've been able to play in.
I mean, right, so there's sci fi, fantasy, some horror,
(52:00):
even some procedural that we've discussed as well, video games,
rom coms. Is there anything that you that appeals to you,
Tricia the most?
Speaker 1 (52:13):
Yeah, in terms of what I want to play or
what I want to I mean, I again, I because
I didn't grow up with the TV, I often find
myself just not even watching anything like I'll I'll it
sounds awful, but I'll.
Speaker 3 (52:28):
Sometimes just sit there and stare.
Speaker 1 (52:30):
At a wall before I'll like reflok or watch TV
as I just sometimes need quiet. But I would love
like to find a show like you know, I like
shows like Ozark or Breaking Bad or that ting where
you're actually playing just some you know. I've often played
bigger than life characters, you know, and or the you know,
(52:51):
I've played lawyers or but they're always the tough, bitchy
one or the you know that I try and infuse
with the vulnerability because I think everybody has there, you know,
even if they're the antagonist, they have their own thing.
Speaker 2 (53:03):
You know.
Speaker 1 (53:03):
There's a there's a serial killer role that I want
to play so badly and I'm trying to get made.
But there's a lot of layers to this character, right,
but she would be a pretty bigger than life character
as well.
Speaker 3 (53:13):
But I just really want to.
Speaker 1 (53:16):
And I don't get it that often to play more
your every every woman, every person type thing and a
story about whatever the story is.
Speaker 3 (53:26):
Am I making any sense?
Speaker 2 (53:27):
Yeah? I think? I mean, I mean how I interpret
what you're saying so I don't want to put words
in your mouth is like ultra realism, which actually makes
sense to me because of Yeah, there's been a lot
that has been stylized for you so far, in your career.
And so when I think about like Ozark, Breaking Bad
(53:49):
had its own sort of sensibility. But I but but ultimately, yeah,
sort of ultra realism. That's how I would kind of
define that.
Speaker 1 (53:57):
I now have a word for or for what it
is I haven't I tell I just told my guy
the other day. I was like, I'm better when words
are written for me and then I make them pun
to life.
Speaker 3 (54:10):
Like I'm not very good on my own. I can't.
Speaker 1 (54:13):
I'm not a good improver, not good thinker on my feet.
So thank you for giving me the word for that.
But yeah, and I had a slice of it. This year,
I've done two indie films and I played played a
character version of a real woman that has a breast
cancer survivor story. And I played off a book called
Walk Beside Me by Christine Handy and I did that
(54:37):
this the beginning of the year, and that was but
and that was ultra realism. I'm telling this woman's story
and that was really interesting for me to be able
to do because I don't I haven't really gotten that
opportunity that often.
Speaker 2 (54:54):
The other movie, I believe you're referring to the Great
sail Ish tell me about the film. It's a it's
a comedy, right it is.
Speaker 1 (55:04):
It's I actually haven't even seen it yet. That's not
the one I was talking about. I just the other
one I was talking about was called Primitive War that
I just came back from filming in Australia, but it's
not out yet.
Speaker 3 (55:15):
But it was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (55:16):
But The Great Salish Heist was Actually it's a small,
small movie. I played a very small role in it.
I play a museum curator. That it is a comedy.
Dennis Daryl wrote and produced it, and it's it's really
about the First Nations and their struggle throughout throughout history
(55:37):
of recovering their artifacts and their land.
Speaker 3 (55:41):
And certain things like that.
Speaker 1 (55:42):
And so so there's there's a museum exhibit that they
are sending off. So I play the museum curator that
thinks that she she's not malicious, she doesn't come from it.
You know, she comes from a mindset of let's show
these artifacts to the world as a to they wanted,
you know, Dennis's Carroll character wants to keep the artifacts
(56:05):
for themselves, right and you.
Speaker 3 (56:08):
You know, you could see both sides.
Speaker 1 (56:09):
But I play a very small role in but it's
it's there. It's a heist movie, so it's their plan
of reclaiming the artifacts.
Speaker 2 (56:18):
Got it? Is it going to be available and wide release?
Do you know what the plan is? You haven't seen
it yet.
Speaker 3 (56:22):
I have not seen it yet.
Speaker 1 (56:23):
No, it's a At this point, it's just doing kind
of the festival circuit up in Canada, so I have
not seen that yet.
Speaker 2 (56:29):
But all right, Well do you do comic cons?
Speaker 3 (56:35):
I do? I have it. I don't do a lot
of them.
Speaker 1 (56:37):
I with Battlestar and Lucifer and Ben Helsing and things
like that. I was at San Diego quite a bit
when those were airing, but I haven't. I did the
OD I just did one in Perth, Australia on the
way back from from filming Primitive War on the Gold Coast.
Speaker 2 (56:51):
Really yeah, So I.
Speaker 1 (56:53):
Do them every once in a while. I've got I've
got two coming up this year. I've got a Battlestar
Galactica reunion coming up in Chicago, which will be really fun,
and then I've got to loose for one coming up
in September in Birmingham, England.
Speaker 2 (57:05):
I mean the fact that I was supposed to do
that one time the fact that you have these three
shows that are so big in that world. I mean,
that's that's what I mean. Yeah, we need to get
you on something ultra realistic because like you have like
spanned the like large scale comic DC world.
Speaker 3 (57:27):
But I've never been in a superhero.
Speaker 1 (57:29):
I've never been in a big movie, like a big
Marvel or anything like that type of movie.
Speaker 3 (57:35):
I've never been. I've never been in a big movie.
Speaker 2 (57:38):
We don't changed that.
Speaker 1 (57:40):
I was in Bombshell, but I was in a tiny
role I actually played. I listened to your episode and
Cameronda today.
Speaker 2 (57:45):
God, I was supposed to. I was supposed to say
that it's here in my papers. Yes, how delightful is hurt?
Do you know her? Have you met her? No?
Speaker 1 (57:57):
I have not, And but she was absolutely Yeah. I
used to watch her on CNN years ago. But yeah,
I think she's delightful. But I've never met her in person.
But I specifically was.
Speaker 3 (58:08):
Like, oh, I want to listen to this one.
Speaker 1 (58:10):
So but yeah, I played her in Bombshell, so a
couple of couple of scenes, very small scenes.
Speaker 2 (58:16):
Well, she's interesting. At least she didn't she didn't send
you a hate mail?
Speaker 1 (58:21):
No, no, not at all. I think we corresponded over
Twitter briefly or DMed each other briefly. And I don't
know if it was before, before the movie came out
or after, but but the director had said he thinks
she'll like my performance, So that's what I went on.
Speaker 2 (58:38):
Is it fun for you? The fanaticism with which people
hold I mean, you just mentioned three shows, but I'll
stick very specifically to Battlestar Galactica because even with Lucifer
and Van helsing and all that, I mean, Battlestar Galactica
is just well, I mean, it's it's a it's a cultural,
(59:00):
pop culture iconic show. Does the fanaticism with which people,
uh celebrate that show? Is that fun for you? Always?
Is that? Is that difficult for you?
Speaker 3 (59:14):
It is? I don't. I don't find it difficult because
I look at it in.
Speaker 1 (59:20):
A few ways that like, you know, we're describing comic
cons that type of thing I've described it is.
Speaker 3 (59:25):
What's the difference of going to.
Speaker 1 (59:26):
See a you know, I watched the hockey game last
night and people were dressed up with their favorite jersey
and yeah, their faces painted the colors of the team.
What's the difference of going to a comicon and people
are dressed up as their favorite character or something like that.
There's really no it's it's a coming together of a
like minded enjoyment.
Speaker 3 (59:44):
Right.
Speaker 1 (59:44):
But I don't often get recognized in public for number six,
So it's not like it affects me too much personally
out on the street, so to speak, because I don't
I don't walk around, you know, I don't have the
white hair that was more iconic with the character. I
had versions of the character that had my own hair
color in later seasons. But right but the you know,
(01:00:04):
the the one that people think of is the white
the platinum haired one, and I look different. I mean
I kind of sometimes it gets self conscious about it
because unless I'm all dulled up, it's almost like I
disappoint people in person, like.
Speaker 2 (01:00:20):
They like that you don't look like Yeah, I mean,
this is a whole other We could have a huge
conversation about just this topic alone. You know. I think
it's and I'm saying this from a like a culture again,
like a cultural standpoint. I think that the beautiful people
(01:00:42):
in our business get recognized less. Don't know why I
have been sitting this is the story I always tell,
which is a totally true story. Sitting at a sushi
restaurant with myself and Mandy Moore and John Krasinski, people
would come up to the table for me and not
(01:01:02):
even noticed that they were there. Just it's it's und
you can't even figure this out. I mean, I do
have a distinctive head, but I'm probably wearing a hat.
I mean, that's the crazy thing. I know. I don't know.
I don't.
Speaker 1 (01:01:18):
I always thought, like I look at it too, is
like often I changed hair and makeup or whatever.
Speaker 3 (01:01:23):
Yeah, I feel like I'm a.
Speaker 1 (01:01:25):
Little bit of a chameleon in that way, Like different
hair and makeup really changes me. And I know that
from my modeling days. I can look different with a
soft makeup or a dramatic makeup or dark hair. Like
even people I know if I changed my hair color
don't recognize being off the top.
Speaker 3 (01:01:42):
So I don't know. Maybe there's something to that. Did
you just call me a pretty person now again?
Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
I said culturally? I said culturally the idea of attracted.
What did I say pretty? I don't think I said pretty,
I don't. Somebody checked the tape Trasa.
Speaker 1 (01:02:01):
Well, if you did, I appreciate it, because you know,
I'm fifty now, and that's kind of has an expiration
date in Hollywood.
Speaker 2 (01:02:08):
So you don't you don't look you don't look a
day over fifty. I mean, thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:02:13):
I mean I'm a day in maybe a month, month
and a half over fifty.
Speaker 2 (01:02:18):
Thank you so much for joining me. I wish you
all success. I mean, listen, here's here's the sum total
of what I heard. Okay, you discussed having a career lull,
and you've shot two movies this year. Okay, and we're
only in June. So let's just say I think you're
doing just fine. Enjoy your cats, Enjoy Chattahoochee City, and hey,
(01:02:46):
I'll be down there. My family's still there. I'll look
you up and we'll go to a hockey game.
Speaker 3 (01:02:52):
Come visit.
Speaker 2 (01:02:53):
Loved it, all right, all right, thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (01:02:56):
Thank you, Bryan, Thank you Tricia.
Speaker 2 (01:03:11):
I am so glad that we got to catch up.
Thank you for that conversation and to hear your amazing story.
I don't think that I can advise young actors to
go standing around outside movie theaters waiting for their big break.
But the world is a better place now because you did. Listeners.
I look forward to seeing you all here again next week.
(01:03:33):
It's summer. Get outside, but keep me in your ears
while you do it. Have a great week. Off the
Beat is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner,
alongside our executive producer Ling Lee. Our senior producer is
(01:03:57):
Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and
Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and
our intern is Ali Amir Sahem. Our theme song Bubble
and Squeak, performed by the one and only Creed Bratton.
But I was I was like really trying to downplay
that at the time because at the time there was
no kind of crossover model turned out, you know, like
model turned act. It was kind of a bad thing,
and it's like you can't You're probably not going to
be able to act if you're a model type thing. So, right,
I really did downplay it a lot.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
How do you downplay I don't I mean, what like you,
I don't wash your hair for a week or like
what like you.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
I would always go in with like, well, you know
it does.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
It has hurt me in many ways my height because
I'm almost six week tall.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Right, I'm five eleve so that I'm taller, don't don't
get braggy, I'm taller.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Hello, I'm Trisha Halfer and I am certifiably the mother
of cats and goats, and I'm moonlight as an actor
and a model.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Hi, everybody, welcome back here to another episode of Off
the Beat. I am once again your host, Brian Bumgartner.
Now you've probably heard that classic Hollywood story about someone
being discovered while just going about their daily life. Right,
They're at a grocery store and an agent comes up
(01:24):
and says, hey, there we've got to get you to
Hollywood be in the movies. My experience, this is many
years of meetings and interviewing many many actors. That doesn't happen. Okay,
it's just it is just not how things work. You
do not get noticed at a grocery store. It's a
(01:44):
fairy tale. It's a myth. But I guess fairy tales
do come true, because it did happen for my guest today,
Tricia Helfer, at a movie theater in Canada, mind you,
so there you go, And whoever discovered her at that
movie theater was either very perceptive or very lucky, because
(02:08):
guess what, Tricia is a true talent. She's gone on
to have a very successful modeling career on runways all
over the world, then moved on to acting, where she
has played favorites like Number six on Battlestar Galactica, Dracula
in the sci fi series Van Helsing, and many more. So, Yes,
(02:30):
pat Scout got lucky when they saw her at the
movie theater, But now we're all lucky because we get
to see her perform in all of her spectacular roles.
And guess what, I feel lucky to have her here. Today.
Here she is my new friend, Tricia Helfer Bubblin Squeak.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I love it bubblin squea gano, bubble and squeaker, cooking
every move over from the.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Ninefo Hi, Tricia, Hello, how are you?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
I'm doing good? Thank you. I'm pleased to be here
with you.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Well, thank you so much for coming in and having
a little chat with me today. Where are you where? Like?
What city are you in?
Speaker 1 (03:32):
I'm I'm not in a city actually, and you're from Georgia.
You're from Georgia, right, you might you might go, you
might know where I am. Then?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Actually I'm in Chattahoochee.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Hills Chatahoochie Hills. Yeah, so I lived well that's an exaggeration.
I was a like two minute walk down the hill
from the Chatahoochee River. So the Chattahooche Hills. What is
that like north Atlanta? North of Atlanta?
Speaker 3 (04:02):
That south?
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Actually is it's south like an hour south of city,
so like twenty five minutes south of the airport.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Are do you live there now?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
I do?
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I think I had a midlife crisis in twenty twenty
one and just backed up and without even thinking about
anything and moved. So yes, since since fall of twenty
one live. I live here now, but I'm I'm hoping
to come back to.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
La Okay, But but do you like it?
Speaker 1 (04:29):
I do.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
It's it's not to start off a fun and negative.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Right, Well, no, that's fine.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
No, it's been a I do love it. I mean,
I live out on twenty five acres.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
I like, I literally just changed lifestyle and and it's
been you know, it's it's great.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I missed my friends, I miss being you know.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
I moved here not knowing anyone, right, So, and then
I moved here and my mom died and my dad
got Alzheimer's and I uninjured my knee and was out
of work for a year and hobbling around and Jesus, no,
it couldn't be physical, couldn't go hiking, couldn't do anything
like that. And then the strike happened, and then now
here we are.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
It's like, you move and just your life goes to shit.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
I don't know, Oh I got you could say whatever
you want. Oh my god, that's terrible.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
It's hard to not base it off of like the move,
like that's what made everything go bad. Oh god, logically
I know that's not.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
The case, but well, It's very interesting. I mean, you've
kind of written a perfect transition for me, because now
you're there in rural Georgia, twenty five acres sounds like
a farm to me. You grew up on a farm.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
I did in rural.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Rural, by the way, is one of the hardest words
for me to say personally, and the fact that I
just did it twice in the same sentence is unbelievable.
Uh in Canada.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
A I did?
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Get it? A get it? Yeah? Yeah? All right, So
you worked on a farm when you were a kid,
earned some money working on a farm, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
I absolutely did. I was.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I was actually just there visiting my family last week.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Yeah. I grew up on a farm, working farm.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
My grand my grandparents started the farm, and my father
was born and raised on a farm, and so that
was my I never had an after school job aside
from being a farm hand, so I grew up driving
tractors and fixing farm machinery and all of that.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Do you do you have animals? Now? Do you have
a garden.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
I do have a garden.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
I have six cats, which I brought with me from
la and I have two goats.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Goats that qualifies as a farm. If you have a goat,
then that equals farm. Like do you, I don't know,
do you milk the goats? Like what are the goats do?
Do the goats help keep the grass down? Do they
do you play with them? Like? What what do you
do with the goats?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
They're boys, so milking them would be a different thing.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
All right, that's awkward. Okay, I took I took a gamble.
I don't know. Do people milk goats if they have goats?
Speaker 3 (07:14):
They do. There's a neighbor's mine.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
She has a bunch of goats and she milks them,
and she has a little farm stand and she makes okay,
goat cheese and all the all the stuff that is. Yeah,
that's way too much work for me. Mine are just spoiled,
little you know. They get their fresh apple in the
morning and carrots in the evening, and they're you know,
yesterday I got the hoofs trimmed, and yeah, they're they're
kind of just a little spoiled rescues.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Well, now, when you go back to LA, are you
going to bring the goats?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
That's my plan?
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Okay, you know, I'm actually thinking of looking at places
like Woodland Hills, or even carts. Mensino are zoned for
farm animals, so goat friendly.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Yeah, I don't think i'd be smacked at in Beverly Hills,
where I was before.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
You know, I went from studios, I went, I'm like
Laurel Canyon to Beverly Hills like a Coldwater Canyon to
Sherman Oaks Canyon in my many years there, and yeah,
I don't think they do very well there.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
No, probably not. So you were you did farm work?
What were you interested in as a kid?
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Like?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Were you watching movies? Television? I know you're in Canada,
but you must have access to American shows there or
not so much?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Actually, no, they do.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
I mean it's not it is the Great White North,
but it's not so far removed that it doesn't have
you know, you can't get all all the American shows
because they do certainly limit different stations, right yea, yeah,
but I had no TV growing up, so I really
did not grow up with any access to movies or
television or anything like that. So we saw very few
(08:54):
movies and I was I was allowed to go over
and watch hockey games. My grandparents had a TV that
had like four stations and I was allowed to go
over and watch hockey games because I was a big
Edmonton Olers fan.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Last nights congratulations, Yes, very good. Yes, I'm happy for them.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
But yeah, I didn't really you know, I was I
was interested in volleyball and school and so sports.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
More stories. Yeah, okay, Now rumor has it that you
were approached at a movie theater? Now was this in
Canada about being a model? Is this right?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
That that is correct?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Yes, I was in the nearest town that had a
movie theater, like a one room theater, Stetler, Alberta. And
I think the town has about forty five hundred people
something like that.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
And yeah, so I was there.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
And it was actually a girl that had gone to
school with my older sister, and she was doing some
local modeling for this agent, Kelly Strait, who was who
was only twenty four himself when he started, and he
used to scout for Ford models in New York and everything.
And so she asked, and I said, absolutely not. You know,
this is obviously pre cell phones and pre right, you know,
Google and everything.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
But she gave him my parents' number.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Because of course there's the Yellow Pages, and so he
called and I was goaded on by my volleyball teammates,
okay to go see him the next time I was
in the city, and so I did, and like literally
about a month or two later, I was in New
York City.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
So okay, So wait a second. So I'm so this
is so interesting to me because you're saying it like
this is a matter of fact. But there are talent
there's talent scouts in Stetler, Alberta, Canada that are like
legit recruiting for like legit modeling jobs in New York City. Well,
(10:58):
this is surprising. This would be like Atlanta back in
the day. Now Atlanta is different. But if it was like, hey,
do you want to be a model? I would think
you know that that would that would well they wouldn't
ask me. But you know what I'm saying, like that
that I wouldn't have thought that was legit.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Well I did. Again, it wasn't him that was there.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Although he is also from a small town, he lives
in Calgary now, so he has just always wanted to
stay in Alberta. He could have gone to any of
the you know, New York, he could have been an
agent anywhere, and he's just always been partial to staying
where he grew up.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
But he did.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
He he really was. He's an interesting guy. He's got
a very good eye for the modeling business right and
and what is working and everything at the time, and
just but he if he had probably approached me, I
would have been way too shy, and because he's quite
(11:55):
he's quite energetic and quite quite a personality.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
But it was a girl that went to school with
my older sister.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
So I knew her okay, and you know, i'd known
her for years. And she said she was in Calgary
doing you know, at university and had met and was
doing some local modeling and that type of thing.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
So it might have been a different story if he
had approached me.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
So within a couple of months, you're in You're in
New York City m hm, and you're so what are
you doing, like you're immediately starting to get jobs.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Well, this was between grade eleven and grade twelve. So
I went.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
He set me up to go, and I actually stayed
at Eileen Ford's house or her apartment, and I went
to New York for five days to get some pictures
so they they he had he took some pictures of
me and he sent them to for New York and
they said we want her, and so I went there
and did some test.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Shoots they had set up.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
You know, you have to get photos r right to
be able to show. And then he had organized me
to be with an agency in Montreal. So I was
only in New York the first time for five days
and I went from there to Montreal, where an agency
started putting me out in the Montreal market for three weeks.
So I was gone for like for a month basically.
(13:10):
And I remember, I just I did all these like
Bridal magazines.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
I was six sixteen seventeen.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
I was gonna say, yeah, I was young for.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
That seventeen and just doing all these Bridal magazines and
I look at them now, and my mom has them
all still and.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Or had them all still, and.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
I just it's they're so funny to see that time
period and the Bridal magazines. But yeah, So I went
there and with the guys of kind of just with
the idea of just kind of seeing what it was,
what it was like and then going back to grade twelve.
So I went, and I remember specifically I made thirty
six thousand dollars in three weeks. And I went back
(13:52):
to grade twelve, and then I was like, maybe I should.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Give this a track. I liked it to go to Milan.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
They want me to go to Paris, Like, maybe I
should try this, and so I did my first semester
and then and then I packed up and I left.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
I left before graduating.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
And you were based then in New York or you
just went wherever you had to go.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Well, yeah, I went to Milan first for a couple
of months, and then I went to Paris, and then
very quickly moved my base, like within a year, moved
my base to New York. I just I'm much more
of a kind of New York mentality than living in Paris.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
I didn't like living in Paris at that time. So okay,
love it, love visiting it now, but I didn't like
it as a seventeen eighteen year old. I found it
very kind of difficult to get to get by in
many ways.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Nineteen ninety two, you won the Ford Supermodel of the
World contest. Supermodel of the World is I mean that's.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
A title, it's a statement.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
It was a kind of I kind of just glazed
right over that. That was between Milan and Paris.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
They uh, oh so even before oh so, just based
on your first time and then going to Milan, you're
now the supermodel of the year, says Ford.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Well, they hazy right back in the back in the
early nineties. I think in the eighties and nineties, they
had these things, these these I mean, for lack of
a better word, pageant. I've never been a pageant person,
but it is a modeling competition, right. It's it's a
you do runway and you do photo shoots and everything.
But they had these two hour specials on TV, so
(15:39):
it was a thing, you know, and they Ford had
kind of I lean forward, had just chosen me the
winner of Canada instead of doing it a search, but
they just chose out of a bunch of people and
announced me as the Canadian winner. When I was in
Milan the first time, when I first left home to
really get this try, and I didn't even know like
(16:00):
I was, I didn't enter myself. So I then went
to la to do the international competition and it's like
a two week you tape for two weeks, you know,
all this type of stuff, and I won that. So yeah,
it was that title was a blessing and a curse,
because it definitely helped kickstart. You know, I went straight
from their Paris for fashion Week, and I remember meeting
(16:25):
Carl Lagerfeld at Chanel for the first time, and I
had a camera crew with me because I had just won,
so there was a you know, camera crew following me,
and I'm you know, I've just turned eighteen and I'm
this shy Canadian farm girl, and but I had a
camera crew, which is probably the only reason he hired
me for the show.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
But then, you know, so things like that helped.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
But then other times I remember meeting I can't remember
who it was, but it was somebody at Vogue and
I walked in and of course on your card, your
composite card, it says forts new Fall of the World.
And they just look at me and like, oh, so
you're a supermodel, Like you have no pictures. Basically you're
brand new. You're a supermodel.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
And I'm like, I didn't name it and.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I did not get that job. So it was a
blessing and accurse.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
I mean the I mean basically, any top fashion outlet
that I have heard of you have either done shows
for or ads for. How long were you intensive and
more specifically, what made you begin to think about doing
(17:40):
something else, I e.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Acting at the time.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
I mean I probably did it for ten years, okay,
seventeen to twenty seven. I think I moved to La
around I have to do the math, but around twenty
seven or twenty eight, and it had been a couple
of years before that where I could start. I had
started to see my career starting to be, like I
(18:05):
wasn't getting booked for the top fashion shows anymore, and
that there's much more diversity in all ranges, but also
age in the modeling business now, not at the for
the regular editorials and things, but for the campaigns, and
you will see some of the older models, even older
than me, having a resurgence and that type of thing.
At the time, you really there really was an expiration day.
(18:28):
Hollywood has a bit of that as well, but more
so in the modeling business at the time. So it
really was because it hadn't been it hadn't been a
dream of mine. It turned out to be a wonderful career,
an amazing opportunity that I'm really lucky, you know, fortunate
to have had. But it wasn't It wasn't like I
(18:50):
didn't grow up with reading fashion magazines and wanting to
be you know, so to me, it was always a business.
And maybe that's why I was able to see a
little bit early on like Okay, I have to I
have to figure out how to set myself up for
you know, I didn't want a family. I didn't want
to get married and have a family and go down
(19:10):
that route.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
So I was like, Okay, I'm gonna have to figure
out something else to do.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Okay. I mean your math I think is pretty spot on.
Because you moved to Los Angeles and you pretty much
immediately begin booking some television jobs. What did you do
to prepare for that? Was it just like, oh, this
is something else that I want to do, or was
there something specifically about acting that you wanted to give
(19:36):
a try, and then what did you do to prepare
yourself for it?
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Well?
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I I thought for a while that I was like, okay,
what about like reporting.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
I had done some kind of correspondent report, hosting or
a fashion file that type of thing.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Yeah, and so I had done a few segments and things,
and then I just realized, even you're in front of
the camera there, I kind of like being the you know,
maybe this is a little selfish or narcissistic, but I
kind of like being the topic, you know.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Right right, right, right right, Tell me it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
And that I'm kind of making fun of myself there.
I don't mean it necessarily like that, but it wasn't.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
I just didn't.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
It didn't catch me right, And so I was like,
why don't I take an acting class. I had never
done anything like that again, grew up without watching really anything.
But I thought, even if it helps me with commercial auditions.
Most of the only commercial editions I did at the
time were beauty beauty commercials, right, I wasn't going out
(20:41):
for anything else, but maybe it'll help me in that
in that respect, And I got into an acting class.
My my commercial agent suggested some places and I called
around and nobody answered the phone. And one place answered
the phone, and this was a Friday, and they said, well,
we have an advanced on camera on Monday that somebody
(21:01):
just dropped out of because they got a play. So
if you come in Monday afternoon, read this little you know,
one page script, we'll see and the class starts that night.
So I went in and I think probably because they
had the space available and that was it. But they
took me and I started class that night, and I
just remember I went home to my I lived with
(21:24):
my boyfriend at the time, and I just went home
and I went.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I love this.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
I was terrified, right, and I had never been through therapy,
but I remember saying walking in, going.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
I feel like I've just had a therapy session. I
just feel like I've like I've been terrified, but I.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Feel like I've released some stuff, right, And that's what
started it. It was Penny Templeton Studios in New York,
and I just I took her on camera class and
then I took her ongoing and wanted me to take
their masterclass, and I took that while I continue to model.
I think I did that for about a year and
a half and then I was like, okay, I'm moving
to LA and I just packed up and moved to LA.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
I was thinking about you, not having met you, but
sort of looking over your history before and there's something
like you had such a career and although not as
an actor, it was forward facing in a way. And
there's so much in our business that is about being relaxed,
(22:51):
being poised, that you're comfortable in an environment and the
fact that you had so many years on the biggest
stages in the world performing in some way, it seems
to me, so tell me if I'm right or wrong
that that had to have prepared you in a certain way.
(23:11):
You didn't know how to create characters, maybe in terms of,
you know, taking a script and analyzing it and figuring
out what the character is doing, but in terms of
those like exterior things which so many gifted trained actors
miss out on. That on just being comfortable enough to
be let the person know that you know what you're doing.
(23:33):
Does this make any sense at all to you?
Speaker 3 (23:36):
It does, And I think.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
There's different elements I think to it, right, Like, definitely
I was a very shy kid, so modeling and being
in that world and being in front of the camera
even though your crews are much smaller, you know, a
few people, five to ten people maximum, right, compared to
or maybe sometimes down to two or three or a
(24:00):
or a you know Vasaci fashion show where you're in
front of a lot of people. But you definitely had
to become more comfortable being in front of people and
that helped one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Right, There's parts.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Of me that have always felt like a little bit
of a not a fraud, but it's like I do
still walk into some job sometimes like a very apprehensive
and then it's it's usually until the first take or
two and then you're it just kicks in or everything
makes sense or or something. But because I didn't go
to act, you know, I really didn't go to a
(24:33):
big acting school. I haven't done plays, I haven't you know,
I didn't grow up watching TV.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
I didn't it or movies. I'm not well versed in
that way.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
I've always felt like I don't know a lot about
you know, people. People talk about all these different old
movies and things like that, and it's.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Just over my head.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
But I've just had and granted, I could go and
study more, and I could go and obviously watch things
more than I do, but then I fall back on
the well, sometimes it's just about people watching and some
sort of natural abilities maybe the wrong word, but natural
something too.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
You know, when I was a kid, I was going
to go into psychology.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
So that's what gets me about about our business, is
getting into the psychology.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Of the character.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Right.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Yeah, it didn't really answer your question.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Sorry, No, no, I mean I mean it sort of did.
I mean in terms of what interests you, which is
that you know, that's what's interesting to me. I just
I don't know, there's something about and look you're talking
to I mean, I literally don't know anything about high fashion,
but I know enough to know it's got to be
(25:51):
exposing in a way. And again not just physically, I mean,
but you're putting yourself out there. You're presenting, you know,
in your case, a lot of of high fashion, and
there's so much scrutiny, and there's so much judgment, and
there's so much physical hands on manipulating garment. That just
(26:14):
had to have given you an advantage starting out, just
just being who you are in the place, having done
what you did, because those things are the are some
of the most difficult things when you're starting out, like
hitting your hitting your mark, suddenly performing with I mean
(26:36):
you say your crew was smaller when you're doing a
shoot or whatever, but doing it in front of twenty
five people, thirty people, fifty people, you know, whatever it
is that's on a set. I don't know. There's just
something fascinating to me about that. And I haven't really
engaged in that conversation with someone before, but that just
had to have given you an advantage.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
It did, because you're used to being in front of
the camera's or having people's attention on you. Right, the
whole room is looking at you, and that can be
very disconcerting. Yes, And it was when I first started modeling,
when you know, when I was seventeen eighteen, I was
it was terrifying to have everybody look at me. Yes,
(27:18):
and then you know, you're like and you're not quite sure,
you know, like a gawky teenager. Still well, you're not
quite sure what you're supposed to be doing with your body.
You're not really right, you learn, you know, modeling is
performing as well. Like you said earlier, it is. You
can have the most beautiful woman, so to speak, that
walks down the street, but she can't translate that in
(27:40):
front of a camera, right, So it doesn't it's not
just about beauty or society's beauty or whatever that is, right.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Kelly, My old modeling age we call a bone structure,
whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
But you have to be able to translate that and
and be able to translate the tone that the photographer
and the magazine or whatever is looking for. And that's
also in film, right, because you have different tones. Be
within comedy, you have different tones. Within drama, you have
different tones. And also just having being used to having
the eyeballs all focused on you, and a lot of
(28:18):
them not sometimes not happy with what you're doing necessarily
of course, all the time. You know, you you don't
perform the best all the time or every take or
every snap of the camera.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Right, Yeah, so you have to.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Be willing to mess up and be willing to make
an ass of yourself and not let it destroy you.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Yeah. Shortly after you move to LA, you take your
acting classes, you move to LA, you get a role
on Showtime's Jeremiah. What was it like being on set
for the first time?
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Uh, it was awful. I got fired from that job.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
You did, so my first ever acting job I got
fired from.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
That's happened. It happens everybody.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
I was still modeling at the time.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
I was still living in New York, and I remember,
I think it was summer of two thousand and one,
and I had was in LA for a modeling job
and my commercial agent knew that I had wanted to start,
you know, I was acting classes and I had planned
on moving at the end of the year. I think
I looked at houses and everything, and so they said, oh,
(29:30):
there's this audition. Stay an extra day and go in
on this audition. So I did, and it was Jeremiah
and it was for the lead female role.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
And flew back to New York and they wanted to
test me.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
I didn't even know what a studio test was, right,
So they fly me back out.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
I test. They don't take any of us.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
There's four four women similar look whatever, they didn't take
any of us. Cut to I'm back in New York.
Nine to eleven happens. I drive down after about a week.
I had a place in Jupiter au On in Florida.
I'm down in Florida and I get the call, You're
You're hired. You have to be in Vancouver in like
(30:10):
two days for four months.
Speaker 3 (30:14):
Now. I got to get on my get on a plane.
That I'm terrified.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
You know, I've just watched the towers fall from my apartment.
You know, I've driven down with two cats, and I've
got to get by myself with two cats, back up
and pack up.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
And leave for four months. That all happens.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
And I get to Vancouver and it was Luke Perry
and Malcolm Jamal Warner and they were lovely. My character
is introduced at the very end of a two hour
pilot to then be part of the series, right right.
They're searching for this valhalla, this this place, and they
finally find it at the end of the two hour pilot.
I get there and the showrunner won't even like look
(30:51):
at me. He's so unhappy that the studio has.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Forced you on all.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
Yes, and this was my first introduction to the business.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Like he wanted nothing of my type at all, you know,
and I don't want to explain what he wanted, but
something that I could not be.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
Ever okay, right, yes, and they ended up.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
I remember he said that I was nerve. I had
one scene and the scene was fine, Like we used
it on my reel.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
It was good, there was nothing wrong with it, right,
and Luke Perry.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Years later, I ran into Luke Perry at like comic
Con Warner Brothers party and.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
He was like, yeah, that was so mess you know,
messed up and whatever.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
But he used the fact that I was off in
the corner prepping, as I had been told in Penny
Templeton studio was like prepping to do an emotional scene,
and he said that I was I was just way
too nervous and whatever. But I was like I and
she's like off in the corner whatever, and I was
I was preparing the scene was fine, and but I
(31:59):
get fed and they don't replace me, they just can
the character completely and then lo and behold, he gets
what he wants.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Like a few episodes later, I watched it and there
was a character that he was wanting.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
So it all worked out fine. But you know things,
at the time, it was very hard to take and
to accept. But if I had done that, I wouldn't
have then been available to do Battlestar Galactica. That went
two seasons, and I wouldn't have been able to do
it because it crossed over a year. Yeah, so I'm
(32:33):
trying to tell my sell myself now that that same thing,
when my career is in the crapper and I'm am
I ever gonna work again, I'm trying to remind myself
of that.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
Well. Yeah, I mean, look, you did get and you
said went a couple of seasons Battlestar Galactica, your character
number six, not only Battlestar Galactica becomes a huge epic
press getting show of various incarnations across what do they
call it, across the in perpetuity throughout the universe. There
(33:09):
you go, I finally got it. That's the phrase they
always use. Not just that, but you play a character
that gets to play different variations of themselves, which is
literally an actor's dream. Talk to me a little bit
about well, first off, getting that, so after you go
(33:29):
from the disappointment of Jeremiah to get to landing this
this role of number six on Battlestar Galactica.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
I had been in La about a year at that point,
so it was and it was, you know, I had
done a couple of things. I had done a couple
of guest stars and you know, right, and in an
indie movie and yeah, I just it was I think
I had done a guest star for CSI Vegas season two,
that's how long ago was and the finale.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
And it was.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
The casting director that remembered me from that show that
then pulled me in to read for the producers of Battlestar.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Wait a second, it's uh cher Dean. Yes, I was
on CSIS. You said, CSI Vegas. That's just CSI.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
That's the original.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yes, the og the O G. Yes, what did you
play on there?
Speaker 1 (34:28):
I played a model, so I was the victim and
I actually auditioned. There was this two sisters, the model
and her sister, and I auditioned for the sister and
I remember they called me back in and they said, look,
there's two that's we want you these two. But you
look like you could be a model. She doesn't, so
(34:50):
at least at that time, that sounds true.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
I didn't mean it.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
They said it, so we need you to play the
role that has no lines.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Well, no, but the fact that they the fact that
they said it looks like you could be a model,
were you were exactly?
Speaker 3 (35:06):
But I was.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
I was like really trying to downplay that at the
time because at the time there was no kind of
crossover model turned out, you know, like model turned act.
It was kind of a bad thing, and it's like
you can't you're probably not going to be able to
act if you're a model type thing. So, right, I
really did downplay it a lot.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
How do you downplay I don't, I mean, what like you,
I don't wash your hair for a week or like
what like you.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
I would always go in with like, well, you know
it does it has hurt me in many ways my
height because I'm almost six feet tall, right.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
I'm five le so that I'm taller, don't don't get braggy,
I'm taller.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
I love when somebody's taller.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
But I don't know for men, if it ever hurts
you that you're tall. But you know, we all get
we all get put in boxes of what you can
play in which you couldn't play.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
But this was actually quite a difficult role.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
Because even though yeah, she was a model and she
didn't have any lines, she had body dysmorphic disorder. Okay,
so there was quite a few scenes and and she
ultimately gets toxic shocks in Rome from like cutting herself
and that type of thing, and and nobody killed her.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
She died herself. But okay, yeah, so what did you play?
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Dog Man?
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Dog Man? Dog walker dressed up as a furry.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
That's it right there, that's it. Yes, I didn't even
know what it was at the time, I'll be honest
with you, but it was explained to me in great
detail what a furry is and likes to be. Uh, yeah,
that was it, all right? He got totally off topic.
(36:53):
I just love I just I just love comparing CSI stories.
And actually before we move on, because I do want
to talk about Star Galactica, but I do want to
what what were you in? Uh? I didn't I'm sorry,
I didn't watch the episode. What were you in? Criminal Minds?
Were you a killer or are you a victim? There too?
Speaker 4 (37:11):
No?
Speaker 3 (37:12):
I was.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
It was a two episode bank robbing. I was an
international uh, internationally sought criminal okay, and I and I yeah,
held a bank hostage.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Okay. Well so then so there you go. So I
do want to talk about this before we talk about
you actually like being a star on a serious regular part.
I often talk about for pragmatic reasons that Criminal Minds
was one of the hardest jobs I ever did in
television because because you're a guest star, right, But it
(37:48):
sounds like you had the same situation that I did,
where you go in and and functionally like you are
the lead. It's your story, Yes, you or the protagonist.
That's the word I was looking for for those episodes.
And so you're your energy sort of is guiding the
whole thing. Yet everybody else has been there for like
(38:11):
fourteen years or whatever it is, and the crew knows
them and they don't know you it's just a very
odd feeling thing. And also my very first day was
like we shot the final scene and it was on
the docks in Long Beach Harbor from eight pm to
seven am. Oh yes, and I was like, what is
(38:34):
going on here? It was like crazy. But anyway, it's tough, right,
That is a tough job.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Yes, Guest starring is a tough job, because you're right,
you come into a well oiled machine where everybody knows
each other and you know you're in the business long enough,
hopefully you know. It's more often that when you do
come on and guests are on something, you end up
knowing crew you've worked with before, and that starts to
really change everything. And it also depends on the cast
(39:05):
you're with, because there I've gone on a guest starret
on some things where it's just I've had the most
amazing experience, and then I've had gone in and guest
starred where You're like, Okay, I'm clearly made to feel
like I'm the odd met.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
Out like lunch in my trailer today, please lunch? Yeah?
All right. So back to Battlestar Galacticat you auditioned for
number six, was this an exhaustive audition process. Did you
have multiple steps or was this was this easier?
Speaker 3 (39:39):
You know, I had multiple steps.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
I remember specifically it was January sixth that I went
in because I was given the script right before Christmas
and I took it home with me and it was
for the miniseries.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
It was a big script.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
And I came back and I auditioned and then they
said it went really well, but you know, they're not
making up any minds, and I was still really like
almost no credits, right, So I think they were looking
for a name or they were you know, and I
think i'd also heard it some points they were thinking
of maybe having this character kind of CGI, which in
(40:13):
that time period also was a little bit newer, harder
to do, and and it wasn't. It was like two
months later that they came back. So I just thought
it was gone. Poof, it's one of you know, it's
one you didn't get. But it was one of those
I just couldn't get rid of the script. The script
was still you know, I'm I'm I could be a
little bit petty if I don't get something. It's like
(40:35):
I might not watch the show, or I might you know,
throw out the script whatever.
Speaker 3 (40:39):
I can be a little petty, but.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
I just couldn't just sat there on the corner of
my desk and cut to I think it was two
months later, it was in March, and they called me
back in and I went back in, and then they
said the next day I was going to test for it,
and I had to do a work and maybe it
wasn't the next day, but I had to do a
work session, which I'd never done a work session before,
(41:05):
and went through that process and then tested and it
was a full like, oh gosh, at least half to
I think we got there at eight thirty in the
morning and I don't think we were released till about
two pm.
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (41:20):
And I remember, you know, just pairing. It was probably
like eight or nine guys and gals and for the
number six in baltar role, and I don't I don't
remember much of it. We all went in separately, and
then they got rid of some people, which is.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
So awkward, so awkward.
Speaker 1 (41:39):
And then they started pairing us up and I remember
James and I James Callus, who played balltar, went in
and he remembers this. He remembers hearing somebody in the
room say that's it, but I don't.
Speaker 3 (41:53):
I don't remember that.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
I just remember thinking, well, now I'm definitely not going
to get it because I tower above him, and at
this point.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
I had no idea what I've done.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
At one point, I think it was I think it
was Robert all Right came up to me and he's like,
just because they keep giving everybody gives you notes and
everybody and by the time you go back in, it's
like fifteen people have given you notes. You're going back
in for the fourth time. And it must have just
shone on my face, like I was like a deer
in the headlights. And he just took me aside in
the hallway and just said, just go back to what
(42:24):
you did in.
Speaker 3 (42:25):
The room when you came in to see me.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
Just forget about everything and just go back to what
you came in here with. And I guess that's what
I attempted to do. But I remember thinking, I tower
over James. I'm never going to.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Get this for ale. So it started as a mini series.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Yeah, it was a We shot him for our mini
series in the spring of two thousand and three, and
then we didn't go back to start filming the series,
which started with an episode called thirty three in until
two thousand and four.
Speaker 2 (43:02):
Wow full series movies, on and on and on. Have
you ever heard the phrase bears.
Speaker 1 (43:11):
Big Battlestar Galactica. Yes, from the office.
Speaker 2 (43:17):
Well we have a little kinship there from the show
because as it sounds like, you know, our good friend
Rain Wilson aka Dwight was a big Battlestar Galactica fan.
I hope everybody considered that to be endearing. I mean
it was Dwight absolutely.
Speaker 3 (43:36):
Did you hear that?
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Was that the same episode or was there another Was
there another place where something about you watch Battlestar galacticat
know what you're dumb or something like that, there was
another Yeah, or was that from the same episode.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
I don't know. I think that was different. But I
think he had that, he had the T shirt. He
was very clearly a big uh. So it got a
lot of discussion I will say on our real live
set at the time as well. It was It was
a big It was a big show on our set.
What are you most thankful for out of that experience?
(44:10):
I mean, your first big time show multiple years but
really sort of launches you. But what for you is
your sort of memory.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
I know it's going to sound kind of corny to say,
but the people, you know, I had moved to LA
and really didn't know. I moved there not knowing anybody,
and a year later got Battle Star and it was
just one of those experiences where it was such a
collaborative group of people and such an amazing group of
(44:42):
people that really formed a family. And they are, you know,
twenty twenty years later, they're still they're my family. And
you know when I said at the beginning that I
missed La, it's I miss them.
Speaker 3 (44:57):
I miss my family.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
It's Edward James almost Mary McDonald and Katie Sagoff and
Michael truccau and like James call like they they are
my nearest and dearest, and so I know it sounds corny,
but there. You don't always have that experience where you know,
you get together and you may have some fun experiences,
but then you all go in your separate ways, and
we didn't.
Speaker 3 (45:17):
We just really became a family.
Speaker 1 (45:19):
And I know they'll be with me for the rest
of my life and they have my back, and so that.
Speaker 3 (45:25):
To me is is the biggest thing that I took
out of it.
Speaker 2 (45:29):
But you know.
Speaker 1 (45:31):
The other thing would be, you know, more specific to
the actual show, would be it's kind of longevity and
the quality of the writing and this subject matter that
we got to deal with is something that I think
it has already lived on and I think will continue to.
So it has a longevity that even though you know,
(45:53):
I also said I feel like I'm definitely a lull
in my career right now, it is it is something
that has helped me throughout my career in terms of
other job voiceover jobs and things like that, that it
is kind of the gift.
Speaker 3 (46:06):
That keeps on giving.
Speaker 2 (46:25):
Are you a gamer?
Speaker 1 (46:27):
I've never actually played a game in my life, but
I've voiced like about eight different games.
Speaker 2 (46:32):
Well, no, that's why I was going to ask, because
you brought up the voiceover and you, I mean, that's
been a large chunk of work that you have done.
I mean, from international model to television star and now
do you enjoy doing the voiceovers?
Speaker 3 (46:52):
I do.
Speaker 1 (46:52):
I mean, if I had to choose one, I would
choose on camera, just because you actually have the interaction
with other people. You know, You're not just in a
sound booth by yourself, and depending on the job, sometimes
you really don't have a lot of you know, I'm
not a Hanks area, I'm not a Dan Castelnetto where
I can do eight million different voices and accents.
Speaker 3 (47:14):
I can do.
Speaker 1 (47:15):
I can do a slight version of my own voice
and accent. You know, I can sound I can sound
a little bit different. But it is I really enjoy
doing it. But between the two, I prefer on.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Camera another show that you had the opportunity to work on.
I mean there have been many that has gotten a
lot of attention. Is Lucifer. Talk to me about that,
the world of that show and why you enjoyed playing
in it.
Speaker 1 (47:47):
It was another experience, was a really great group of people,
a different tone of a show, much more I call
it a popcorn show.
Speaker 3 (47:57):
You know, it's much much lighter, fair sure, even.
Speaker 1 (48:01):
Though it's you know, show about the devil and uh
it's based off of a graphic novel comic book tongue
in cheek, but with heart and certainly some some definitely
heartfelt moments. And and Tom Ellis, who played Lucifer, was
just such is such a lovely person and fantastic actor
and so so focused and professional and everything. So it
(48:23):
was a great experience. It was another show where I
got to play multiple character, two characters, because I was
originally just cast as as the mother for one season
and then they ended up devising coming up with a
plan to have my character the body that the celestial
mother of all.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
Creation, goddess of all creation is like that is a name,
that mean from the name from from from Ford supermodel
of the World. Now you're the goddess of all creation.
This is like an This is an upgrade. I mean
at what's next? I don't even know.
Speaker 3 (49:01):
Yeah, it's all downhill from there.
Speaker 2 (49:04):
No, there's got something.
Speaker 3 (49:06):
I played Dracula next.
Speaker 2 (49:08):
So well, I yes, I that's actually an upgrade. That's
pretty pretty. Yeah that did you enjoy that? I mean
that is an archetype. I mean that is an archetype
of I don't know, I mean it is had so
many iterations, but I just thought it was so interesting
(49:31):
and your work at it was so so interesting. What
did you what did you pull from for creating that character?
Did you did you go back in time looking at
prior history or was this more your own interpretation for Dracula? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (49:52):
Yeah, I mean I gosh, I can't remember at the
time i'd gone back and I'd read a book about
Dracula through Hall in Hollywood, like all the different kind
of mood, and there'd never been a female Dracula.
Speaker 3 (50:02):
There had been.
Speaker 1 (50:05):
Brides of Dracula and things, so I was a little
nervous about that.
Speaker 3 (50:10):
But it wasn't not a hugely watched show, so.
Speaker 1 (50:15):
But it was you know, like similar to I would say,
Van Housing was similar to like a walking walking Dead,
but vampires instead of zombies, right apocalyptic type thing, and
their their slant was female. But you know, the van
Helsing was a female, and I did I didn't want
to copy someone, right, So I did go back and
(50:37):
watch a couple of things. I was big into the
Anne Riis books, interview with a vampire and all those
type of things. I just want I wanted to sink
my teeth into somebody so badly. I was really excited
for those scenes. But no, I just kind of I
didn't want to try and copy someone, and so I
didn't specifically like go and watch like right before filming.
(50:58):
I did more a little bit recent searched on on
just the different types.
Speaker 3 (51:02):
Of Draculas, and you know, there's all different types.
Speaker 1 (51:05):
Of tones of Dracula as well, from more campy to
scarier and more serious and that type of thing, and
Van Helsing was definitely a little bit more on the
serious side than super campy, right right, Yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (51:20):
Just kind of want Is it bad to say I
just kind of wung it?
Speaker 2 (51:24):
No? Is that the right wung it? Did you did it?
Speaker 3 (51:30):
I wong it?
Speaker 2 (51:32):
Can you say that?
Speaker 3 (51:33):
I don't that's a word. I don't think it.
Speaker 2 (51:35):
I just wung it. I just winged it. I don't know.
This is a great question. I didn't research that either. Yeah,
I mean, you're the variety. I envy you for the
variety of say, genres that you've been able to play in.
I mean, right, so there's sci fi, fantasy, some horror,
(52:00):
even some procedural that we've discussed as well, video games,
rom coms. Is there anything that you that appeals to you,
Tricia the most?
Speaker 1 (52:13):
Yeah, in terms of what I want to play or
what I want to I mean, I again, I because
I didn't grow up with the TV, I often find
myself just not even watching anything like I'll I'll it
sounds awful, but I'll.
Speaker 3 (52:28):
Sometimes just sit there and stare.
Speaker 1 (52:30):
At a wall before I'll like reflok or watch TV
as I just sometimes need quiet. But I would love
like to find a show like you know, I like
shows like Ozark or Breaking Bad or that ting where
you're actually playing just some you know. I've often played
bigger than life characters, you know, and or the you know,
(52:51):
I've played lawyers or but they're always the tough, bitchy
one or the you know that I try and infuse
with the vulnerability because I think everybody has there, you know,
even if they're the antagonist, they have their own thing.
Speaker 2 (53:03):
You know.
Speaker 1 (53:03):
There's a there's a serial killer role that I want
to play so badly and I'm trying to get made.
But there's a lot of layers to this character, right,
but she would be a pretty bigger than life character
as well.
Speaker 3 (53:13):
But I just really want to.
Speaker 1 (53:16):
And I don't get it that often to play more
your every every woman, every person type thing and a
story about whatever the story is.
Speaker 3 (53:26):
Am I making any sense?
Speaker 2 (53:27):
Yeah? I think? I mean, I mean how I interpret
what you're saying so I don't want to put words
in your mouth is like ultra realism, which actually makes
sense to me because of Yeah, there's been a lot
that has been stylized for you so far, in your career.
And so when I think about like Ozark, Breaking Bad
(53:49):
had its own sort of sensibility. But I but but ultimately, yeah,
sort of ultra realism. That's how I would kind of
define that.
Speaker 1 (53:57):
I now have a word for or for what it
is I haven't I tell I just told my guy
the other day. I was like, I'm better when words
are written for me and then I make them pun
to life.
Speaker 3 (54:10):
Like I'm not very good on my own. I can't.
Speaker 1 (54:13):
I'm not a good improver, not good thinker on my feet.
So thank you for giving me the word for that.
But yeah, and I had a slice of it. This year,
I've done two indie films and I played played a
character version of a real woman that has a breast
cancer survivor story. And I played off a book called
Walk Beside Me by Christine Handy and I did that
(54:37):
this the beginning of the year, and that was but
and that was ultra realism. I'm telling this woman's story
and that was really interesting for me to be able
to do because I don't I haven't really gotten that
opportunity that often.
Speaker 2 (54:54):
The other movie, I believe you're referring to the Great
sail Ish tell me about the film. It's a it's
a comedy, right it is.
Speaker 1 (55:04):
It's I actually haven't even seen it yet. That's not
the one I was talking about. I just the other
one I was talking about was called Primitive War that
I just came back from filming in Australia, but it's
not out yet.
Speaker 3 (55:15):
But it was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (55:16):
But The Great Salish Heist was Actually it's a small,
small movie. I played a very small role in it.
I play a museum curator. That it is a comedy.
Dennis Daryl wrote and produced it, and it's it's really
about the First Nations and their struggle throughout throughout history
(55:37):
of recovering their artifacts and their land.
Speaker 3 (55:41):
And certain things like that.
Speaker 1 (55:42):
And so so there's there's a museum exhibit that they
are sending off. So I play the museum curator that
thinks that she she's not malicious, she doesn't come from it.
You know, she comes from a mindset of let's show
these artifacts to the world as a to they wanted,
you know, Dennis's Carroll character wants to keep the artifacts
(56:05):
for themselves, right and you.
Speaker 3 (56:08):
You know, you could see both sides.
Speaker 1 (56:09):
But I play a very small role in but it's
it's there. It's a heist movie, so it's their plan
of reclaiming the artifacts.
Speaker 2 (56:18):
Got it? Is it going to be available and wide release?
Do you know what the plan is? You haven't seen
it yet.
Speaker 3 (56:22):
I have not seen it yet.
Speaker 1 (56:23):
No, it's a At this point, it's just doing kind
of the festival circuit up in Canada, so I have
not seen that yet.
Speaker 2 (56:29):
But all right, Well do you do comic cons?
Speaker 3 (56:35):
I do? I have it. I don't do a lot
of them.
Speaker 1 (56:37):
I with Battlestar and Lucifer and Ben Helsing and things
like that. I was at San Diego quite a bit
when those were airing, but I haven't. I did the
OD I just did one in Perth, Australia on the
way back from from filming Primitive War on the Gold Coast.
Speaker 2 (56:51):
Really yeah, So I.
Speaker 1 (56:53):
Do them every once in a while. I've got I've
got two coming up this year. I've got a Battlestar
Galactica reunion coming up in Chicago, which will be really fun,
and then I've got to loose for one coming up
in September in Birmingham, England.
Speaker 2 (57:05):
I mean the fact that I was supposed to do
that one time the fact that you have these three
shows that are so big in that world. I mean,
that's that's what I mean. Yeah, we need to get
you on something ultra realistic because like you have like
spanned the like large scale comic DC world.
Speaker 3 (57:27):
But I've never been in a superhero.
Speaker 1 (57:29):
I've never been in a big movie, like a big
Marvel or anything like that type of movie.
Speaker 3 (57:35):
I've never been. I've never been in a big movie.
Speaker 2 (57:38):
We don't changed that.
Speaker 1 (57:40):
I was in Bombshell, but I was in a tiny
role I actually played. I listened to your episode and
Cameronda today.
Speaker 2 (57:45):
God, I was supposed to. I was supposed to say
that it's here in my papers. Yes, how delightful is hurt?
Do you know her? Have you met her? No?
Speaker 1 (57:57):
I have not, And but she was absolutely Yeah. I
used to watch her on CNN years ago. But yeah,
I think she's delightful. But I've never met her in person.
But I specifically was.
Speaker 3 (58:08):
Like, oh, I want to listen to this one.
Speaker 1 (58:10):
So but yeah, I played her in Bombshell, so a
couple of couple of scenes, very small scenes.
Speaker 2 (58:16):
Well, she's interesting. At least she didn't she didn't send
you a hate mail?
Speaker 1 (58:21):
No, no, not at all. I think we corresponded over
Twitter briefly or DMed each other briefly. And I don't
know if it was before, before the movie came out
or after, but but the director had said he thinks
she'll like my performance, So that's what I went on.
Speaker 2 (58:38):
Is it fun for you? The fanaticism with which people
hold I mean, you just mentioned three shows, but I'll
stick very specifically to Battlestar Galactica because even with Lucifer
and Van helsing and all that, I mean, Battlestar Galactica
is just well, I mean, it's it's a it's a cultural,
(59:00):
pop culture iconic show. Does the fanaticism with which people,
uh celebrate that show? Is that fun for you? Always?
Is that? Is that difficult for you?
Speaker 3 (59:14):
It is? I don't. I don't find it difficult because
I look at it in.
Speaker 1 (59:20):
A few ways that like, you know, we're describing comic
cons that type of thing I've described it is.
Speaker 3 (59:25):
What's the difference of going to.
Speaker 1 (59:26):
See a you know, I watched the hockey game last
night and people were dressed up with their favorite jersey
and yeah, their faces painted the colors of the team.
What's the difference of going to a comicon and people
are dressed up as their favorite character or something like that.
There's really no it's it's a coming together of a
like minded enjoyment.
Speaker 3 (59:44):
Right.
Speaker 1 (59:44):
But I don't often get recognized in public for number six,
So it's not like it affects me too much personally
out on the street, so to speak, because I don't
I don't walk around, you know, I don't have the
white hair that was more iconic with the character. I
had versions of the character that had my own hair
color in later seasons. But right but the you know,
(01:00:04):
the the one that people think of is the white
the platinum haired one, and I look different. I mean
I kind of sometimes it gets self conscious about it
because unless I'm all dulled up, it's almost like I
disappoint people in person, like.
Speaker 2 (01:00:20):
They like that you don't look like Yeah, I mean,
this is a whole other We could have a huge
conversation about just this topic alone. You know. I think
it's and I'm saying this from a like a culture again,
like a cultural standpoint. I think that the beautiful people
(01:00:42):
in our business get recognized less. Don't know why I
have been sitting this is the story I always tell,
which is a totally true story. Sitting at a sushi
restaurant with myself and Mandy Moore and John Krasinski, people
would come up to the table for me and not
(01:01:02):
even noticed that they were there. Just it's it's und
you can't even figure this out. I mean, I do
have a distinctive head, but I'm probably wearing a hat.
I mean, that's the crazy thing. I know. I don't know.
I don't.
Speaker 1 (01:01:18):
I always thought, like I look at it too, is
like often I changed hair and makeup or whatever.
Speaker 3 (01:01:23):
Yeah, I feel like I'm a.
Speaker 1 (01:01:25):
Little bit of a chameleon in that way, Like different
hair and makeup really changes me. And I know that
from my modeling days. I can look different with a
soft makeup or a dramatic makeup or dark hair. Like
even people I know if I changed my hair color
don't recognize being off the top.
Speaker 3 (01:01:42):
So I don't know. Maybe there's something to that. Did
you just call me a pretty person now again?
Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
I said culturally? I said culturally the idea of attracted.
What did I say pretty? I don't think I said pretty,
I don't. Somebody checked the tape Trasa.
Speaker 1 (01:02:01):
Well, if you did, I appreciate it, because you know,
I'm fifty now, and that's kind of has an expiration
date in Hollywood.
Speaker 2 (01:02:08):
So you don't you don't look you don't look a
day over fifty. I mean, thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:02:13):
I mean I'm a day in maybe a month, month
and a half over fifty.
Speaker 2 (01:02:18):
Thank you so much for joining me. I wish you
all success. I mean, listen, here's here's the sum total
of what I heard. Okay, you discussed having a career lull,
and you've shot two movies this year. Okay, and we're
only in June. So let's just say I think you're
doing just fine. Enjoy your cats, Enjoy Chattahoochee City, and hey,
(01:02:46):
I'll be down there. My family's still there. I'll look
you up and we'll go to a hockey game.
Speaker 3 (01:02:52):
Come visit.
Speaker 2 (01:02:53):
Loved it, all right, all right, thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (01:02:56):
Thank you, Bryan, Thank you Tricia.
Speaker 2 (01:03:11):
I am so glad that we got to catch up.
Thank you for that conversation and to hear your amazing story.
I don't think that I can advise young actors to
go standing around outside movie theaters waiting for their big break.
But the world is a better place now because you did. Listeners.
I look forward to seeing you all here again next week.
(01:03:33):
It's summer. Get outside, but keep me in your ears
while you do it. Have a great week. Off the
Beat is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner,
alongside our executive producer Ling Lee. Our senior producer is
(01:03:57):
Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and
Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and
our intern is Ali Amir Sahem. Our theme song Bubble
and Squeak, performed by the one and only Creed Bratton.
Host
Brian Baumgartner
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com