Madeline Zima Meets World

“The Child Star Club” is back in session! The gang is hanging out with Madeline Zima (a.k.a. Grace on “The Nanny”), whose Hollywood career started at the ripe old age of 28 months, and has never slowed down.

 

Madeline shares the story of auditioning for “The Nanny,” not realizing it was the show that starred “the lady with the voice,” and we hear which famous guest star instructed the cast to not look her in the eyes. 

 

Madeline also had a role on "Twin Peaks” and may be the only podcast guest to have given David Lynch an influential directing note.

 

Plus, find out which host was Madeline’s childhood crush - on an all new Pod Meets World!

 

Follow @podmeetsworldshow on Instagram and TikTok!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Adler learned his first curse word, which was ass.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
That's barely a curse word. That's acceptable on television. That's fine.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
That's probably where he heard it, and he said he said,
Asie said something about like somebody was going to beat
someone's ass, and Jensen said, what did you just say?
And he was like, I'm going to beat that guy's ass.
Gens was like, oh, that is another another word for butt,

(00:52):
and we just prefer that you say butt, and he
was like, okay, so.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
He hasn't he doesn't acknowledged the power yet. No, And
he went through a phase I guess was probably like
seven or eight where it was like when he realized
he could get a rise out of people by swearing,
and oh man, it.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Was just over right.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Well, we said like, you can swear at home, just
don't swear in front of other adults or other kids.
And once he knew he had that freedom, it was
like car rides would just become a swear fest. And
then it was like wanting to find songs or things
where people swore, and that was like, oh my god,
you just wanted to like keep quoting them and talking
and was like okay, dude. And then he finally he

(01:32):
exhausted himself. But it took a while. It was like
a good six months of just having to swear, and
like it finally was just like, you know, it's boring. Yeah,
it's actually like a sign of limited vocabulary. Like if
you can't find a more creative way to say something,
you just think that saying the effort is funny. It's
minimal humor.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
Adler has been trying to figure out what the effort
is for years, so have I.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
I mean, you know, it's a verb, it's a noun,
it's so many things.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
The F word.

Speaker 3 (02:02):
And then one day he said, Mom, I know what
the F word is? And I said you do, and
he goes, yeah, freaking And I went.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Exactly, yeah it is. That's a word that starts with F.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
And then yesterday again he asked, Jensen, does the F
word stand for Fox?

Speaker 1 (02:32):
So close? So so close? But thankfully, thankfully you haven't
crossed that bridge.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
So yeah, anyway, I'm uh, I just can't believe it,
but he's six. We've done a really good job in
our house of not cursing around our kids. We just
we just don't do it. As a matter of fact.
For a while, Adler was saying, oh sh which was

(03:01):
like so cute.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
My favorite thing he would ever say.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
No, Indi, indies brought what the heck into our life,
that's what we love too. He's like, Dad, what the heck.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
That's what he's saying.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
That's great, yeah, or shoot shoot No. Alex made the
mistake last month, literally a month maybe a month and
a half ago, because she decided that she swore too much,
and she was like, I want to swear less. So
she told India that she would pay him a dollar
every time.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
Oh my gosh, it's up.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
To thirty eight dollars and India is holding her too.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
He's like, I want every last.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Day he won and she's like no, come on. And
then and then we were in Costa Rica for her
birthday and he was like, how many times you just
wear in Costa Rica? You should have kept track for me? Well,
that's what he's claiming. He's like an accountant now he
suddenly you know, he just loves it. He loves And
then he tried it with me. I'm like, no, there's

(03:56):
there's no f and way I'm going to keep track
of I swear. I'm I'm fine with the amount of
swearing that I do. I like it. I'm very comfortable
with it.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
What does Indy like to spend his money on?

Speaker 2 (04:07):
That's a good question. Nothing. I mean there's stuff the
kid wants for nothing, like we you know, if he
wants something for real, we usually buy it for like
Christmas or his birthday. Usually gets big things that he wants.
And then like if we go somewhere, like he always
needs clothes because he's growing, so we're constantly buying him
like shirts that he wants. As far as like we
go somewhere and he's like, I want a T shirt

(04:27):
from this plaace or whatever, We'll buy it for him.
So that's like and then stuffed animals. He has like
an entire stuffy kingdom.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
Oh so yeah, my kids are rifriend is ruck.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
I never was into stuffed anim Yeah. So so every
time we're like somewhere, he begs for like a little
stuffed animal if we're traveling, So we end up buying
him that. But like, otherwise, what else do you want?

Speaker 4 (04:47):
Kid?

Speaker 2 (04:47):
Like, I don't know what you need? And yet he
wants money. He wants the idea of money, and we
like we did open up a like little bank account
for him, and you know, we try to keep track
of it, but he never spends it. He never needs
so it's like, what are we doing? This is so anyway,
Alex owe him thirty eight bucks. He's holding her to it,
even though I don't know what he would do with it.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
But yeah, my kids have gotten gift cards for their
birthdays and then they've just kind of sat in a drawer.
And then every now and then, Jensen, like since I've
been you know, during the Dancing with the Stars run,
Jensen would say, Uh, if you guys are really good
this week this weekend, I will take you shopping and
you can use your gift card.

Speaker 1 (05:28):
And they would be like what.

Speaker 3 (05:30):
And then they'd get to walk into a store and
pick something with their gift card. And I think it's
also the cutest thing that both of them are obsessed with.
They still have more money on the gift card, right, so,
like they had a twenty five dollars card, but they
only bought a fifteen dollars thing. And then they come
home and they're like, look what I got. I spent
my own money on it, and I still have money

(05:52):
on the gift card and I'm like, wow, They really
they're enjoying that.

Speaker 5 (05:57):
You know what else Adler really likes, and it's kind
of funny to me, is he likes spending the gift
card money. But I've asked him, we'll bring this money
along in case you need more, and he's like, the
actual money.

Speaker 2 (06:10):
We've been having this weird thing the last couple of
weeks where we've realized Indy has a very accurate assessment
of the value of money. Oh like we would have,
we assumed because he talks about like wanting to be
a billionaire or whenever talks about money, talks about it
in like kid terms. But at one point we were like,
how much do you think that would cost? We asked
him about a car or something, and he nailed the

(06:31):
price exactly, and then we were like, how much do
you think our house costs? Nailed it? We're like what,
So now our big thing is we just quiz him
on like how much do you and he's pretty accurate.
I have no idea where he got this, because we
don't talk about money in front of it. It's like
not like something we but at somewhere along the way,
and I encourage because I've had this conversation with other

(06:52):
parent friends who they just assume their kid doesn't. But
I ask your kid, ask your kid, like how much
do you think? And I think right around this age,
So Indy's gonna turn eleven next month. I think that's
like when you really do start kind of figuring it out.
Like the idea of like a million dollars right, kind
of gets into perspective and you're like, what does a
million dollars buy? Or I don't know how he's picked
it up, but he actually has picked it up, and

(07:13):
like we're kind of impressed. I'm like, all right, dude,
but he still doesn't do anything with money or no,
what you know he wants to buy? But yeah, I
mean he wants to be a billionaire. And I keep
saying to him, I'm like, doesn't that sound kind of miserable,
Like what would you do? What would you are?

Speaker 1 (07:27):
Not going to sound miserable to him?

Speaker 2 (07:28):
No, but I don't know what he wants to do
with it, Like he just wants the status, right, but
like what you would you act? I was like, do
you realize if you're a billionaire, everybody around you is
constantly asking you for money because they know that it's
you can afford it and you're never going to like
really lose it. And he's like, yeah, I guess that's true.

Speaker 3 (07:44):
But but like I think about that, and I think,
why would that bother me? If it's never gonna it
is true, it's never going to actually affect me. If
I would, I would love to have you.

Speaker 2 (07:54):
Searching it away and everybody. But think about it. You
have like you have like probably ten people and your
immediate circle like family, and like, yeah, you know that,
you'd be like, I'm going to help them out. I'm
going to buy them a house. And then if you're
really worth a billion dollars, you're gonna have like another
twenty people. Yeah, like hey, could you help me out?
And you'd be like, oh, yeah, I'll help you out.

Speaker 5 (08:13):
Listen. I don't mean to put Danielle on blast here,
but her charitable heart is humongous.

Speaker 1 (08:18):
It all sounds amazing to me.

Speaker 5 (08:20):
She helps people, She helps people secretly in so many
times financially.

Speaker 3 (08:25):
Yes, but also I do think then it would be like,
once you've asked and I have helped, you say it's
like I need help with a down payment for a house,
and I would be like yes, absolutely, or you know,
my medical bills or you know, yes, or I am
struggling to put food on the table.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (08:46):
But then once you're like out of that situation. If
it were like three months later or even a year later,
and you were like, I really want to take a trip,
I'd be like we No, No, we did that already.

Speaker 1 (08:59):
I I help.

Speaker 2 (09:00):
I gave you, I gave you. Would would never end
I know you would be in this you'd be in
this position of like endless loop and yeah, and it's
like where do you draw the line? Because I like, well,
my people in my town, people in my country. I
didn't want to help everything.

Speaker 1 (09:14):
I know, that is the thing.

Speaker 3 (09:15):
Yeah, I'd have no money. That's why I want to
be a billionaire. I want to be a billionaire so
that I could give it all away, all the way.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
And that's why you'll never be a billion because you
gotta be somewhat prudent and somewhat selfish.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
You're right, Welcome to pod Meats World. I'm Danielle Fishl.
I'm right or strong, and we are missing will Fredell.
He really wanted to be here, but he is traveling
home from Connecticut, so we will sadly miss him for
today's interview. We will be taping a live episode of

(09:51):
Pod Meets World at Disney California Adventure Park on December fourth,
twenty five.

Speaker 6 (09:57):
If you live in the Southern California area or if
you can be in the Southern California area on December fourth,
we have an opportunity for you to join us.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
Between now and November twenty fourth of twenty twenty five,
you can enter for your chance to win tickets to
attend the Coast one oh three point five Private Holiday
Party at Disney California Adventure Park on December fourth, twenty
twenty five, including an overnight stay at the Disneyland Resort
Hotel for a family of four and two day, one

(10:27):
park per day tickets to Disneyland Park or Disney California
Adventure Park.

Speaker 2 (10:32):
Plus you'll have a chance to meet us while we're
taping an episode of Pod Meets World inside Disney California
Adventure Park.

Speaker 6 (10:38):
Visit Coast one oh three five dot com forward slash
pod Meets World now to enter for your chance to win.

Speaker 3 (10:53):
One of my favorite Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes is from
season four. It's called Wandering Bear, and there's a running
joke where Larry, who was an early adapter to electric cars,
thinks it's a mandatory courtesy amongst fellow Prius owners to
wave at each other as they pass in the street,
a little head nod to say I'm part of the

(11:14):
club too, And I often think being a former child
actor has the same unwritten rules. It's such a small
group of people, some still in the business thriving, some
who've entered a new field of work completely, but no
matter what, we all share a unique experience that shaped
our lives at a young, impressionable age, and it's impossible

(11:34):
to fully explain to those who didn't live it. So
I think a lot of us feel comfortable around fellow
child actors, knowing there's a shorthand and care we treat
each other with. And so this week's guest, though we've
never met her, is someone we would absolutely give the
Prius wave too. She broke onto the scene at just
seven years old in the nineteen ninety two thriller The

(11:54):
Hand that Rocks the Cradle, quite a first gig, and
it wasn't much later that she book the type of
sitcom you dream of playing. Grace Sheffield on The Nanny,
a hit show that lasted six seasons in catapulted fran
Dresser and the entire cast into the spotlight, but where
some seven year olds who grew up on a sound
stage living in front of a live studio audience might

(12:16):
rebel against the industry. Now, as an adult, she has
continued to appear on tons of TV shows, including Gray's.

Speaker 1 (12:23):
Anatomy, Heroes, California, Caation.

Speaker 3 (12:26):
You, and Hacks, as well as movies like Subservience and Bombshell.
Also worth noting.

Speaker 1 (12:32):
As a child, she starred in the Hulk.

Speaker 3 (12:34):
Hogan vehicle Mister Nanny, and yes I will be asking
her about that. And so this week we welcome to
podmeets World a fellow member of the club.

Speaker 1 (12:44):
It's Madeline Zema.

Speaker 4 (12:47):
Hi, Madeline, let me turn on my on your camera
so we can sign that. Okay, I don't know, I'm
really bad as.

Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah, you did it, you did it.

Speaker 3 (12:58):
Listen, every time you enter a zoom room, there's always
there's always so many things.

Speaker 1 (13:03):
You're like, am I going to do it?

Speaker 4 (13:04):
Right?

Speaker 1 (13:04):
Is the camera on? Where's the mute?

Speaker 4 (13:07):
And then it's just I'm I'm like, I'm an a'm millennial,
Like I guess we all are. Issue every single time technology,
just I'm not good.

Speaker 3 (13:18):
I've recently went on TikTok live and every time, the
most embarrassing part is where I go.

Speaker 1 (13:24):
I'm like, wait, how do I exit? Is it this button?

Speaker 3 (13:26):
And like you're still on live as people are watching
you be old and just not know how to leave.

Speaker 4 (13:32):
Yeah, it's called the millennial pause, right, yes, yeah, where
it's like and it's we can't hide it. You know.
I am great getting older because what's the alternative.

Speaker 1 (13:45):
Right exactly? The sweet sweet sleep of death.

Speaker 3 (13:49):
So Maln, thank you for joining us as fellow members
of a child the Child Actor fraternity.

Speaker 1 (13:56):
We have a lot to chat about.

Speaker 3 (13:58):
You were born in Kaneta, like our dear friend Wilfred Ell,
who unfortunately could not make it today. But when did
you start making that trip into the city to start auditioning.

Speaker 4 (14:10):
My first job was when I was twenty eight months.

Speaker 2 (14:14):
What oh you were Yeah? Were young?

Speaker 4 (14:17):
Yeah? I was young. I'm actually happy Will did not
join because he was my childhood crush.

Speaker 1 (14:23):
Oh oh man, We're going to have to redo this
when he's.

Speaker 4 (14:26):
Oh no, no, no.

Speaker 1 (14:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (14:29):
So twenty eight months, my mom took me on an
open call that she saw in the paper, which was
for a national campaign called come on into Downy if
you know UK. We were all so young, so I
think it was like nineteen eighty.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
Seven, Oh my gosh, and I was just.

Speaker 4 (14:51):
About two years old, and I was one of I
think thousands of There was at least a thousand baby
at the open call, and I somehow booked the job
and I managed to keep working in a Do you.

Speaker 1 (15:03):
Remember the audition?

Speaker 4 (15:05):
What I remember was having fun.

Speaker 5 (15:07):
No.

Speaker 4 (15:07):
I mean like I literally.

Speaker 5 (15:10):
No.

Speaker 4 (15:10):
I just felt like I owned that room.

Speaker 3 (15:12):
Yeah, exactly. You walked out and you were like, I mean,
I've got it.

Speaker 4 (15:17):
Go home, nine hundred and ninety nine other babies. No, no, no,
I I you know, I just I honestly just always
loved being around people, and I loved playing they believe,
like I'm sure we all did, and do you know,
So it's a natural part of being a kid. So

(15:37):
I've always I always kind of rail against when people
are like child actors, and you know, there's a lot
of stank around that term, and I always want to
highlight the success stories because people don't ever do that.
Like Brian Gosling was a child actor. DiCaprio was a
child actor. Reese Witherspoon was a child actor. I mean,
like super intelligent, loved people who had to confront really

(16:03):
early things like identity, success, showing up on time, Like
those are things maybe too early to confront it twenty
four months, So that's of damage. But there's also a
lot of things that were you know, instill that I
still feel like are amazing qualities too.

Speaker 1 (16:20):
Totally.

Speaker 4 (16:21):
I feel like, yeah, I don't know, I feel very
grateful for my weird path.

Speaker 1 (16:27):
You know, Yeah, we are right there with you.

Speaker 3 (16:29):
I mean we talk about it all the time that like,
are there moments that are that are tough or difficult, Sure,
but also like some of those moments made us who
we are today, and like it wouldn't trade any of
the lessons or the experiences.

Speaker 4 (16:42):
Do you guys never get can I ask you a question?
I know that Do you ever get tired of being asked?
Both of you guys? I mean, I know, Danielle, this
is like the thing that everybody says to you, like
all the time. Do you get tired of people asking you?
Like it it's saying like I had a crush on
you growing up? Is that like something that you like?
How do you see that gracefully to both you and Ryder.

Speaker 2 (17:03):
I mean it's just a thank you. I mean, yeah,
I don't know, it's it's there's there's not much more
you could say. I mean, I feel like people saying
they have a crush is like cool, thanks. Well yeah,
it's also just like you can't return the sentiment because
you're just meeting them, right, so you can't be like, oh,
I also have a history with you, because you don't.

(17:23):
But yeah, it took me a long time to get
comfortable with the idea that like one sided history is
not necessarily a bad thing, you know what I mean.
Like I used to be like that's weird, like I
don't know you, and I would be alienated by that.
I kind of pushed the the like put up my walls.
And it's only recently that I've been able to say like, actually,
that's kind of cool. Like when I think about how
I felt about people I saw in movies or on stage,

(17:46):
and you know, yeah I would I had feelings for them,
and I think you know the hardest part was when
we were actually teenagers and we were meeting other teenagers.
That was uncomfortable because then it was like I know you,
I love you, You're a part of my life, and
you'd be like, no, I don't.

Speaker 4 (18:02):
You know, and they're like we could probably date, Yeah,
we could hang out.

Speaker 1 (18:06):
And you're like yeah.

Speaker 3 (18:08):
I agree with writer that the hardest part was as
a teenager and then and then always second guessing whether
somebody was really interested in getting to know you or
was kind of in love with the idea of you.
As an adult, I always accept it never gets old
hearing that somebody had a crush. It's never get it's
never like annoying or like whatever. It's always very complimentary.

(18:32):
But there's definitely I feel a distance from it. I
know that what they felt was physical attraction. They thought
I was an attractive person, and they loved the concept
of who they thought I was based on a character
I was playing. So I'm I'm very aware that they're
not actually telling me they had a crush on me.

(18:54):
They had a crush on their idea of me, based
on one aspect of me that is me, myhysical appearance,
and the other that's mostly written by Michael Jacobs.

Speaker 1 (19:06):
See what they love is my physical body with Michael Jacobs,
and I just.

Speaker 3 (19:12):
Say thank you, and it's yeah, it's never what about
for you? Is that an awkward situation for you?

Speaker 4 (19:19):
I mean people don't normally say that because I was
young and not like I wasn't you know. I mean
I had a long awkward phase. So no, people don't
really people know. People don't come at me like that,
you know what I mean. Like people will say things
that are wildly inappropriate from the californication stuff. Oh, and

(19:39):
they'll say things that are like gross, and I just
hope that you know that you can laugh it off
and move on or witty to say. But most of
the time you just stand there stunned, kind.

Speaker 1 (19:50):
Of like huh yeah cool.

Speaker 4 (19:53):
I wish I wish a guy would step in and
just be like, back off, buddy. I wish I had
like a and I have. I have had some guy
friends or like boyfriends or whatever be like hey.

Speaker 1 (20:03):
Like yeah, yeah, I need you to take a step.

Speaker 4 (20:05):
Back, man, But no, like I haven't. I haven't had
too many people be like crush on you growing up.
Mostly people tell me they had a crush on friend
dresser and I'm like, I'll.

Speaker 1 (20:17):
Let her know.

Speaker 4 (20:18):
Yeah, I don't know, speed doll right here, hold on, yeah,
brand soly Maroney.

Speaker 1 (20:26):
I'm here with what's your name? What exactly Kevin keV.

Speaker 3 (20:29):
Okay, you also have two sisters who are in the business.
How did did the three of you were you were
you guys attacking auditions as a trio?

Speaker 4 (20:39):
We attacking you know, We're We're all just We're all
just had the creative and performative bug. But then also
my mother was a dancer. She owned her the studio,
and so she instead of being a dance mom because
I was in dance, and then I had the chance
to be like, Okay, I'm gonna do this or do that,

(21:00):
and I wanted to play make believe. And then my
sisters were like I was the oldest, and they're like,
wait when I do that? And then so and it
just we got incredibly as you guys know, like it's
talent to a certain degree, but then it's also luck.
And we all got lucky. And we were all on
network shows in the nineties. So I was on The Nanny,
Yvonne was on Er, and Vanessa was on a short

(21:21):
lived show called Murder One with Stanley Tucci and Daniel
It was a Stephen Bogcoch show. And we were just
really were lucky. And yeah, I mean, I booked I
booked Julie's gold when I was on the Nanny and
they wouldn't let me out to do it, and then
my sister Vanessa ended up doing it and Peter Fonda
won a Golden Globe for that, So I mean we

(21:43):
I feel so grateful for them because I truly don't
know who I would be or if I would have survived,
you know, like the rejection, thirty years of rejection leaves
an imprint on you. And then having other people who
were there every step of the way and they get
it and they have your back is like, uh, you know,
the greatest gift. But you have brothers and sisters. And

(22:07):
I worked with your brother I think on a movie.
I think I worked with Chris, Right, that's your brother
or Silo.

Speaker 1 (22:15):
I was like you, I was just checked out, Yeah,
my brother Chris.

Speaker 4 (22:19):
I was like, brother's name is Shiloh. I got this
so wrong?

Speaker 1 (22:22):
So wrong? No, my brother? Yes, wow, okay, on what movie?

Speaker 4 (22:25):
I think on a movie called I Am Watching You,
he was an a D.

Speaker 3 (22:29):
Yeah, yeah, he my brother is an a D. He's
been a he's been a line producer. He goes back
and forth between those two that's so cool. Oh my gosh,
I'll have to tell him I'm talking to you today.

Speaker 4 (22:40):
Yes, I don't think I've ever met Shiloh, but I
did do running charades one time at your fam with Rachel.
Racheler invited me to her house and and that's how
I know that Ryder has like an encyclopedic knowledge of
film is very impressive. So but yeah, it's.

Speaker 3 (23:00):
So funny to me that how different Writer and I
are because one of the ways my husband always knows
when someone's actually met me or not is if they
say anything about being at a chain restaurant. I met
Danielle once in Orange County at an Applebee's and jen Z's.
That's definitely happened. And with Writer, anytime somebody mentions running charades,

(23:20):
I'm like, yeah, that definitely happened. Like that definitely happened
you guys. You guys definitely hung out.

Speaker 2 (23:25):
But so, how did your family manage three different shows
at the same time? Was your parents are bouncing between sets?

Speaker 4 (23:32):
Like no, my mom, my dad had a full time job.
He's still a computer programmer, even though he should have retired.
He's like, I'm never going to retire. Still just got
rehired at a new company doing computer programming. Wow, I know,
and today's it's his birthday. Happy birthday, dad, little Scorpio father.

(23:52):
How did my mom manage it? I don't know. She's insane,
My mother is, you know, she just finished a novel.
She's just like the most vicious person. Like, yeah, she's
she's bedridden and blind and she did a novel. She
was like, she did it on an app called plod
where you just you dictate and then it records everything
down and my sister helps her edit it, and she

(24:14):
just she's she's the most ambitious person I've ever met.
So it truly wasn't us. My mom did it all
and would hire her sisters. She's the eldest of seven,
so she's like a natural boss sisters to take care
of us. So we had Aunt Susie taking me to
the nanny and then like she would take Yvonne into

(24:35):
you know whatever show and then hire or have somebody else.
Cousin April would take us to take Vanessa to you know,
like we were all it was like that. She she
had employees and she was running like a little mini empire,
but not really because we weren't making that much money.

Speaker 1 (24:50):
But was she always blind or has she gone blind?

Speaker 4 (24:55):
No, No, she's she's gotten blind over years. Not to like
bring down the vibe, but yeah, yeah, you know had
like long long term stuff health and all that stuff. Yeah, wow,
she's again she's doing better than.

Speaker 2 (25:11):
All of us.

Speaker 4 (25:11):
I mean, obviously the strongest, happiest brain.

Speaker 3 (25:15):
I wrote a novel and I'm like, oh god, I
just all I want to do today is take a nap.
So I'm so so impressed.

Speaker 1 (25:23):
Was moving to la always.

Speaker 3 (25:26):
Something your family event like talked about doing eventually or wasn't.

Speaker 4 (25:31):
I have to give all the credit to my mom
because my dad had a job on the East coast
in Pennsylvania. We had our whole family there, and I
think it's like she took me to pilot season was
really happening on the West coast and I was working,
so it was like it seemed to make sense and
it was just her kaka mami idea to be like,

(25:52):
I'm going to take our whole family. She took me out,
I think, just initially.

Speaker 1 (25:56):
And then I looked a.

Speaker 4 (25:58):
Show called Our Song with George Hamilton and Lauren tom
who played on Friends. We Know Lauren, Yeah, you know Laurence.
She's just lovely, lovely, the sweetest. I've run into her
recently and she just always is just like the loveliest
human being. So I worked with her and that show
didn't get picked up, and then I think the very

(26:20):
next pilot season, I got The Nanny, and so that
was that and it kind of was like, we have
to stay out here.

Speaker 3 (26:27):
Now before we jump into The Nanny. I want to
ask you about hand that rocks the Cradle.

Speaker 4 (26:33):
Ask me about everything.

Speaker 1 (26:34):
I'm okay, what was that audition?

Speaker 3 (26:37):
Like, considering it is such a creepy movie and it's
for a great director in Curtis Hansen.

Speaker 4 (26:43):
I mean, I can't remember the exact audition except for
that I wanted so badly to book it because there
was like many, you know, callbacks they like put kids
through the wringer back of the day, like callbacks for
like dude, like why, But I remember I messed up,
Like my mom was like it would be cute if
you said, if I book this, will I get an
Academy Award? And I think it's something along the lines

(27:05):
of like if I booked this, am I going to
get an Oscar Mayer Award?

Speaker 1 (27:10):
You know?

Speaker 4 (27:10):
Like, I got the I almost got the term right,
but then.

Speaker 2 (27:13):
Not, which probably worked in your favor.

Speaker 4 (27:15):
They were like, yeah, exactly, So.

Speaker 1 (27:19):
Oh that's so funny.

Speaker 4 (27:22):
And everybody was really nice on that set. Apparently I
got to meet Leonard Cohen, who I'm like, whoa this
fan of? Because he was dating Rebecca de Morney at
the time. I don't remember, but I was watching the
documentary I'm Your Man, which is a beautiful documentary if
you haven't seen it, and I'm like, at my mom's house,
she's like, you know you met him, right, I'm like.

Speaker 2 (27:42):
What I met?

Speaker 4 (27:44):
I met Leonard the Leonard Cohen, and yeah, anyway, so
I was like, I was flurred by that, but just.

Speaker 2 (27:53):
Goes to show how clueless we were when we were
kids situations just being like, well, this is just the
way the world works. We just go for movie a movie,
and job a job and meet all these amazing people.

Speaker 3 (28:02):
Yeah. Wow, so this was your first movie. It was
also Julianne Moore's first movie. I mean, that's pretty awesome company.
What do you remember about working with her?

Speaker 4 (28:12):
She was lovely and then her husband directed an episode
of Californication later. Oh and so I got to see her.
She came to set, and I was so nervous that
she would weirdly judge me for the nudity, because I
was like, oh, the her concept of me is when
I was a baby, and then you know, I have
done the nudity in this in this show, and I

(28:33):
for some reason felt like, oh, she's gonna look down
at it. And I'd forgotten about boogie Nights, I know.
And she was so nice and she couldn't have been
more warm to me, and she's like, you know, I
thought of you, and I was. She's like, I watched
this movie and it reminded me of you, and I
was thinking of how you're doing, and I was like,
you remember me. She was the sweetest. Like that just

(28:55):
makes I'm sure you guys feel the same way, having
been in the industry a long time. Is when someone
is talented and kind and they and they want any
in any area of life, You're just like, ugh, it
gives me hope. Yes, those lovely, kind human beings who
also have been doing it forever and they get their
moment like a Melanie Lynskey. I don't know if you

(29:15):
guys know her, Oh yeah, he's just like every time
I see her in something, it fills my heart with
joy because she's so brilliant, but then also she's the
kindest human being and it just and Julianne Moore from
my slivers of you know, like snapshots of time with
her was the same way.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
Yeah, just like love.

Speaker 4 (29:37):
Just coming at you and and and kind of people
bolstering each other up, you know.

Speaker 2 (29:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (29:45):
We have quite a few connections between Boy Meets World
and Hand That Rocks the Cradle.

Speaker 1 (29:49):
First, a PA on the movie.

Speaker 3 (29:52):
Lynn McCracken would become our stage manager and then a
director on Boy Meets World.

Speaker 1 (29:57):
And Matt McCoy was the original.

Speaker 3 (30:01):
Dad on our show, but he was replaced mm hmmm,
got nixed after the No.

Speaker 4 (30:08):
Mat McCoy is also a sweetheart.

Speaker 3 (30:10):
Yes, yeah, so I feel like just just with those connections,
we're we're already connected for life.

Speaker 4 (30:17):
I mean, yes, on top of meeting each other's siblings
minus Shiloh.

Speaker 1 (30:23):
Right exactly, we need to make that happen.

Speaker 4 (30:26):
But I just I've also just like loved you guys forever,
Like I have to say, all so so grateful to
be asked to be on the on the podcast, and
I feel like I'm like am I one of the
cool kids now, you guys, because you guys were always like,
you know, in in all the teen Things, and everybody
wanted to like TGI Friday like t G I f

(30:49):
of like Step by Step and Boy Meets World. That
was the musty TV like Friends and Feld for our generation,
for the younger ones. Like people did not miss it.
I didn't miss it. It was like it was like
the plus. I worked with Ben Savage then on a
very uh you know, a lifetime movie. Yeah, recently or

(31:15):
a couple of years back. It was like maybe ten
ish years ago called Lake Effects.

Speaker 1 (31:20):
Okay, lake Effects. That's so funny. Wow, the connections just
keep rolling.

Speaker 2 (31:24):
Well, so, wait, what years were was the Nanny on?

Speaker 4 (31:28):
The Nanny was? Good question. I don't know. I know
my ages. I was six when we did the pilot,
seven when it was picked up to series. Like, you
know how long those ye were? So I was like
already the next I was already a year older by
the time I got picked up series, So six to
seven to thirteen.

Speaker 1 (31:49):
I did you were born in eighty five?

Speaker 4 (31:51):
I was born in eighty five, so I think it.

Speaker 1 (31:52):
Was ninety one, Tonty.

Speaker 2 (31:54):
It's about the same time. We were on the air
at the exact same time.

Speaker 4 (31:57):
Yeah, ninety two, ninety three to ninety nine, ninety eight,
something like that. I don't know.

Speaker 3 (32:03):
Yeah, we were ninety three to two thousand, so yeah,
we were overlapping. How long afterhand that rocks the Cradle?
Did you get the Nanny?

Speaker 2 (32:13):
A year?

Speaker 1 (32:14):
Okay?

Speaker 5 (32:14):
Wow?

Speaker 1 (32:14):
So pretty quick?

Speaker 4 (32:16):
Yeah. I mean I was working. I was just always working.
I got really lucky and I was good and I
showed up on time and had showered. I don't know,
you know, so yeah, it was like the next year,
I think.

Speaker 2 (32:33):
So it's interesting because you started so young, because I mean,
like Danielle and I didn't actually start acting until we
were ten. We were late comers. Did you ever have
the moment where we were like do I know how
to act? I?

Speaker 4 (32:46):
Yeah, I mean I'm still every day.

Speaker 1 (32:48):
But did you ever.

Speaker 2 (32:49):
Did you ever like take an acting class or like
make decisions about or did you just be like, I
gotta I'm going to figure this out on the fly
and keep going.

Speaker 4 (32:57):
You know what's funny is that, truly I had a
lot of like uh insecurity around that because I started
so young, and I was like I wasn't trained, you know,
I didn't go to drama school or anything like that.
And then later I did an acting class that kind
of reinforced what I already was doing the whole time,
because as a child, you're already accessing your imagination. You're

(33:22):
already personalizing things like, oh, my mommy's sick, like you're
seeing your mom in front of you. You don't, you
don't think like it's you know, that whole thing of
the process and the craft of acting is to learn
how to do that. I was always just doing it
so and I didn't have to access my inner child.
My inner child shows up before I do, you know

(33:42):
what I mean. Sure, you guys feel that way too.
There's like such a like a strong part of that
ten year old part of yourself is more imprinted and
you're more in touch with it than the average chow right,
because it was the person showing up and having to
be a professional a little earlier that most people. So
it really it reinforced later, like, oh, the craft part

(34:05):
of it. I already do all those things. I already
find a song that means something, or a smell or whatever.
Like I had a process, it just didn't really have
words for it. I was just kind of unconsciously if
that makes sense.

Speaker 2 (34:17):
Yeah, totally makes perfect sense. I feel like I actually
went more the opposite direction, like my insecurity drove me
to like, oh, I have to figure out this craft.
I must be doing something wrong, only to like in
my twenties come back around and be like, no, I
think the instincts were already there, Like I need to
go back to that sort of like you said, like
the childhood make believe part is that's the essence of
acting really. But I had to go like full circle

(34:40):
to come back to it, you know, because I felt
this pressure to, like especially when I hit my early
twenties and everybody was coming out of theater programs, you know, suddenly,
like my competition was like all these people who had
discovered acting at eighteen or twenty, and they were really,
you know, well trained and could talk about acting in
a way that I never could.

Speaker 4 (34:57):
They had lingo, they had, but by the way, it
didn't you you know, it doesn't really matter, you know, Okay, cool,
they've got the fancy lingo and they've got like wind
in their sales from being like I'm a whatever graduate.
We didn't have because we had the industry kind of
giving us loops of like this is how you're seen,
and you have a sense of how people see you.
Perception and reality are something that you have to confront

(35:21):
earlier on, which feeds insecurity. It's not like ego actually,
which is why I think like child actors and people
who've survived in the industry a long time are such
a special breed of human because we didn't kind of
come to LA with like a grandiose sense of self. Actually,
the industry sort of found us when we were just

(35:43):
mid stride, mid play, kind of doing our thing. And
I think that that's I think that's a kind of
a beautiful distinction because you aren't afforded the like I'm
the grandiosity of some people who're here, Do you know
what I'm saying that?

Speaker 2 (36:00):
Yeah, yes, On the flip side, though, you also, like
I was thinking about this the other when we were kids,
I remember being palpably aware that they were very untalented
kids who would get jobs, do you know what I mean? Like,
which doesn't happen as much when you're an adult. Like
when you're an adult, it's like there's the pool of actors.
It's like you don't just get apart because you look

(36:20):
cute and hit your mark, whereas when your kids, like
I remember a lot of times being in situations being like,
well this person is not an actor.

Speaker 4 (36:28):
Yes, they're just they're cute.

Speaker 2 (36:29):
They could they say the line's right and they got
cat or they're someone's kid, whatever, which also feeds the
sense of like do I belong here? Is there a
reason I'm here? Like? Do I have a right to
be here? I don't know?

Speaker 4 (36:41):
Yeah, yeah. The reality of the industry is is a
is a rough one, and so the comparison and being
super hyper aware and critical of both ourselves and everyone
around us. We internalize the things that we sort of
hear whispers of or have a sense of because kids
are so intuitive. Yeah, you don't even have to have
someone tell you something. You could feel things you know

(37:03):
right like on that you're like, oh, they're disappointed in
the way that that was delivered. Can you internalize those things?
And it becomes the inner critic. That's not a critical parent,
it's not a it's the world. And you internalize ideas
about the way the world sees you towards yourself, which
it is not something that most people ever confront in

(37:24):
their lives like me I have. I had, you know,
absorbed more rejection by the time I was eleven years
old that most people will absorb and their whole lives,
you know, and having to confront that and like process
it and do it in a healthy way without like
you know, a substance or whatever like that is. I'm

(37:44):
really proud of the person that I've become because I've
faced down so much, how many things that most people
never look at.

Speaker 3 (37:53):
Absolutely, I want to talk to you about when you
remember meeting Fran Did you guys do a chemistry test?

Speaker 4 (38:11):
Oh? Yeah, yeah. I was like, who's this lady with
the voice? I didn't know it was her show was
like I think I didn't know till like later, like
one of the again, like one of the seventeen million
auditions that we hoops we had to jump through as
good little trained monkeys, And I was like this lady
with the voice, And then at some point I realized

(38:32):
she was important in the.

Speaker 1 (38:33):
Room, right, you were like star.

Speaker 4 (38:36):
He liked me, and I remember, I do remember there
was a choice that my mom specifically told me not
to do, but I had for some reason gotten locked
into it. You know, when you're an actor and you
get clocked into a line reading or at whatever, and
I was like, I had set a line and went
like this, which is such a like a little kid thing.
I went, you know, like something like that. I did

(38:57):
it in the room and I was like, no, why
do I Yeah, I screwed it up, but I still
somehow got the job. I think I was again by
that point like kind of more polished and stuff. Apparently
I auditioned for Diane Keaton when I was young, for
he called The Good Mother. She didn't direct it, but
she was in the chemistry you read, and I did

(39:17):
remember this that like I said hello Diane, and and
then somebody said, oh, this is Diane, and this is
everyone else, and I said hello Diane, hello everyone else.
And I guess it was so so sassy that he
was like, she's too slick and I couldn't so being
too slick for dian Keaton, which I'm honored just to
have been called that. Yeah, but but it worked out

(39:41):
in the Nanny because you kind of had to be
sort of you know, yeah. I remember just her voice
and then I was like, those voice wasn't going to
go over again.

Speaker 3 (39:52):
And that was the whole thing, right, that's so funny,
and by all accounts, it seems like she really had
to stand up for herself a lot on this show,
and in the nineties that was not an easy thing
for women in the industry. Do you recall her ever
having to be kind of a tough ass and put
her foot down so that she could accomplish her vision.

Speaker 4 (40:12):
I think that's just naturally who she is. Yeah, I
think that's just naturally who she is. I think there's
even there's even like old I'm gonna get called someone's
gonna throw a spirit at me for saying this, But
there's old interviews of Pran where she's like, yeah, I'm
a bu and she kind of just owned that. Maybe
before that was something that women could own, right, and

(40:35):
she could stand in the fact that she made that
happen for herself. Do you guys know how the Nanny
got Greenland and got made No, she was on a flight,
on a flight, like a first class flight, and she
happened to be sitting next to Jeff Sagansky, like the
president of CBS, and she started pitching him her show,

(40:56):
and like by the time the plane landed, she basically
had a shunbelievable, Like stuff like that doesn't happen anymore.
But she just was one of those people who, like
my mother, believed in herself and in fight of everything
else and everyone else, someone could be that part of
ourselves where we internalized the critic. She didn't have that, Yeah,

(41:18):
had an internal part of herself that was like I'm
doing this and yeah, you know, I'm the star and
I feel, you know, like comfortable with all that and
that it's yeah. So I definitely saw many moments like that.

Speaker 1 (41:31):
Do you think that influenced you at all? Like, did that?
Was that? Okay?

Speaker 3 (41:35):
I love that, It definitely did.

Speaker 4 (41:38):
But I also was like, you know, there's there everyone
is a teacher, right, so like there are certain things
that you take from every single person, and you're like,
some things you're like and some things you're like. You know,
so there are both of those things were true on
that set. You know, I think it was beautiful to
have a woman be so powerful and owning herself so much.

(42:03):
But also, you know, I think I was young and
didn't know to celebrate all those things at the time
because at that time women still were judged really harshly,
and I probably was a part of that, you know,
societal soup. If that mean yeah, I didn't learn until

(42:25):
later that like about feminism or about although my mom
was always very like strong, powerful woman, but there were
things about those those aspects of a personality that I
really shied away from that I that I didn't feel
safe in, if that makes sense.

Speaker 3 (42:42):
I think as a child it as an actor, it's
impossible to have embraced seeing that because we are told
and it's apparent when you look around you that being
a team player and being easy to work with and
being directionable, those are the things that get you work.

(43:05):
Those are the things that make you an asset. And
we're constantly chasing the validation of I. They like me
because I'm easy to work with. They like me because
you're a trooper.

Speaker 4 (43:16):
I hate that term. Oh my god. I the word
trooper is so triggering because I've done so many horror
films where you're just like kind of basically abused. We're
horrible to work on. I don't know any actor who
actually enjoys it under.

Speaker 2 (43:32):
I went through, I went through my face but no, no,
now now I want to direct them.

Speaker 4 (43:39):
I get it, I get it, but like, but like
as a girl in a horror film have to be.

Speaker 2 (43:45):
Naked and you.

Speaker 4 (43:48):
And it's freezing and it's you and you're covered in
sticky you know, cold blood and and you're like, you
know so and then they're making like, you know, five
dollars barely covering your gas to get to debt. To
be honest, maybe.

Speaker 2 (44:04):
You have a honeywagon if you're on location, and.

Speaker 4 (44:06):
Yeah, I know, I've done so many of those, and
so I whenever people would be like you're such a trooper,
it's usually after you've hurt yourself and you're noting the
company and you're like, right right, yeah, you can fire
a file for workers comp and like, why didn't I
do that?

Speaker 3 (44:26):
Anyway, So as the show starts to catch fire, it
becomes a global sensation. How did you keep a level head?

(44:46):
And what was your school situation? Were you in a
traditional school or were you home schools? What were what
were you doing?

Speaker 4 (44:54):
What? I want to know what you guys were doing too?
I was, I was in regular school.

Speaker 1 (44:59):
So was that public school?

Speaker 4 (45:00):
Oh my god, what a mistake. Our parents so bad? Okay, sorry,
but like no, our parents messed up. Like I was
in public school with Burbank.

Speaker 2 (45:10):
There weren't a whole lot of options back then. Like
now you meet child actors and they're all like online
school or they do like correspondence courses, like I went
to a tiny like alternati hippie school in northern California
and they were just they were just like do whatever
you want, which is fine, but like otherwise, there wasn't
that many options unless.

Speaker 4 (45:28):
You know, like, dude, I was bullied. I don't know
about you, Danielle, were you bullied into? Like for me,
it was brutal, like I was not like like I
don't know I was.

Speaker 5 (45:39):
I was.

Speaker 4 (45:40):
Yeah, people would come after me and like chase me
down after class, like it was. It was so bad
that they took me out of school.

Speaker 3 (45:47):
Actually, oh my gosh, Bourbank. I feel like, were there
not other child actors at your school?

Speaker 4 (45:53):
I didn't, you know, No, not not at not at
Miller Elementary, and not at John Muir. John Muir was
really bad, but no, there were no other child actors.
I should have been in and and then eventually I
was at homeschooled. Yeah, but it was it was not
it was a bad move. It was a bad okay
because I was there for right, You're like working for

(46:14):
three weeks and you have hiatus. Yeah, so that one
week a month, I'm back in school.

Speaker 1 (46:18):
That's exactly what I did.

Speaker 4 (46:20):
Target. Well did you go did you have other child
actors that were like at the were you in public
school like.

Speaker 1 (46:26):
I was in public school?

Speaker 3 (46:28):
Yeah, and I and and there were other child actors,
not necessarily in junior high, not necessarily other kids that
were gone as often as I was, And so there
was like, I don't I wouldn't even call it bullying.
There were some people that would, like, you know, throw
an insult at me occasionally, like.

Speaker 1 (46:45):
Oh, the princess is back, welcome, but you know you,
where have you been?

Speaker 3 (46:48):
Like there was some of that, but I was never
like aggressively, I was not. I would never even call
it bullying. And then in high school, after I had
already been because we started Boy Meets World when I
was in sixth grade, So I went through sixth, seventh,
and eighth, and then all basically all those same kids
just moved to high school with me. And by then
it was just like yeah, old news, Danielle's you know,

(47:08):
Danielle's famous, and and and I had no issues.

Speaker 4 (47:13):
Yeah, I was never experiencing like the famous part, like
nobody wanted to be my friend because of Not The Nanny.
I think because on your show it was a little
bit more about the kids, like right right, and your
storylines were important, and so yours is important. On The Nanny,
we were we were sort of props, like both like

(47:34):
you know, just we weren't really we had one or
two storylines the first season and then that was like
not really, we weren't really like a part. We were
part of the show just because the show was called
The Nanny, but we weren't really like and it didn't
feel like we were a really important part of the show.

Speaker 2 (47:51):
So how many of you were how many of you
were there? There was Nicole, Tom, you.

Speaker 4 (47:55):
And Ben Salisbury. It was three of us three nights.

Speaker 2 (47:57):
And were you guys all in set school together?

Speaker 4 (48:00):
We were all in set school together.

Speaker 2 (48:01):
One studio teacher or did you have two?

Speaker 4 (48:02):
We had one one studio teacher, and then eventually they
all graduated and I got to have two studio teachers.
I had had Leslie Hall. I don't know if she's
still around or not, but she was amazing, and then
I had more Murray Mednick. I don't know, I don't
know if the last guy's name what his last name
was not Medniic, but but he did. He did. My

(48:24):
I had like a private, you know, school education in
a way because he taught me Latin like trigonometry and
something else like at the same and algebra the same.
Like he would come in special days just for my
like yeah, you know, elective courses. So I was grateful
for that extra attention around my schooling to a certain degree.

(48:46):
But yeah, yeah, we were all in set school. Banking
hours you guys remember that?

Speaker 3 (48:52):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, remember the banking hours. You're going
to bank today? All right, We've got enough banked hours.
You can work all day.

Speaker 4 (48:59):
I love those days when I got to just be
on I don't know about you guys. Were you just
same that, You're like, I'm one of the big kids.
I get to do what I actually enjoy doing, and
and I just felt like it was the best. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (49:14):
Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (49:14):
We always talk about loving the multi caam aspect of
Boy meets World. Being in front of a live studio audience.
Did you like that putting on a weekly play aspect
of it all?

Speaker 4 (49:25):
Oh yeah, it was so exciting, and honestly, I think
everybody felt like once we got rid of the live
audience that the show started to decline.

Speaker 2 (49:33):
Do you know do you know why you guys got
rid of the audience?

Speaker 4 (49:36):
I don't know. It wasn't obviously about my pay grade,
but I have no idea. But I know that once
we started having the laughers come in, did you guys
grab laughers?

Speaker 5 (49:45):
Not on?

Speaker 2 (49:45):
Boy?

Speaker 1 (49:46):
No, did you show shows I direct? Now we use laughers?

Speaker 4 (49:49):
Oh cool? So so you guys both direct. Now I've
directed a little bit, but it's been very hard to
like break in that. So it's the best feeling, right,
every all the all the all the experience that you
guys have, you finally get to put it into something
and be sensitive to the actors communicate and then when
the children on set, you have this extra understanding and

(50:12):
sensitivity around that like it's it's it's a again, there's
amount the amount of experience and value that you bring
from just that much skin in the game, right that
ours doing something like Jody Foster is what.

Speaker 2 (50:27):
And actors feel it. They they they when you walk
on set and you're an actor who's turned director, they're
so much more comfortable. There's immediately like, oh you get
what's going on here, and it puts everybody at ease.
It's it's it's like a superpower. It's so wonderful.

Speaker 4 (50:40):
Yeah. Yeah, like Jody Foster is one of the same,
like where you're just like But it's funny though to me,
the the perceptions in the industry where it's like Jody
Foster is is this amount of value And then like
I've always felt like lesser because of being a child actor.
I don't know if you can felt that way. So
it's like you almost have like more of a chip

(51:01):
on your shoulder to prove, like I have intelligence and
and like and all these other things to offer. Yeah,
I don't know, but that's so cool that you guys
both directed. I wasn't. I didn't know that you directed
to Danielle. That's so cool.

Speaker 3 (51:15):
On a on a weird uh, it's going to feel
like a tangent, but it is a related note.

Speaker 1 (51:20):
Do you have any trouble picking out.

Speaker 3 (51:22):
Your clothes or getting getting dressed on a regular basis?

Speaker 1 (51:27):
I have.

Speaker 4 (51:27):
I have executive dysfunction, like on a make your level.
I don't know if you guys have that, because you
know so much, so many decisions were decided for you,
so that that that confidence in yourself definitely is something
that like when I'm not resourcing and having like Meditated
and Daniella taking care of myself, I definitely get overwhelmed.

(51:51):
And when I'm hungry. When I'm hungry, it's like my
partner is like, you need to eat because I can't,
Like I can't function if I get on angry, it's
just like I leave my body or something.

Speaker 2 (52:03):
Yeah. Yeah, craft service always there, I don't know, and.

Speaker 4 (52:07):
Still my favorite part of set. It's like this is
ninety percent of while I still do this all the time,
and I still always like will steal like a banana
or an apple, like like I've got to squirrel the.

Speaker 7 (52:17):
Way to bring this home, got to bring this home,
got to bring food home wearing it for later.

Speaker 1 (52:23):
You guys have that, yeah, yeah we yeah. And before we.

Speaker 2 (52:27):
Started this podcast, I realized that like I practically have
a panic attack every time I'm getting changed, Like I
like I just hate putting on clothes. And I like
went into the other room to ask my wife. I
was like, just getting dress stressed you out? And She's like,
what are you talking about? And I realized it was
like all right, because we always had like little quick
change rooms between scenes that we'd had to go and
like change while the audience is waiting the whole crew,
and I just totally internalized that I still like can't

(52:50):
stand changing clothes.

Speaker 3 (52:52):
I also have no idea what does or does not
look good on me. I have no idea what my
taste or style is. I just if I.

Speaker 1 (53:00):
Don't go into the room and have.

Speaker 3 (53:02):
A fully put together outfit of like here's your belt,
here's your shoes, and I'll hang it all back up.
I'm neat and tidy and I'll do a t I'm
a trooper, I'm a team player. But I just don't
know it's been picked for me. Where's my polaroids?

Speaker 2 (53:18):
You know?

Speaker 4 (53:19):
I'm the same. I literally put this sweater on and
then I looked at the at the frame beforehand, you
know you check the thing on the zooke, and I
was like, that looks crazy. I was like, I better
take that off myself. It's not too cold. But yeah,
I definitely have that, and clothes have always stressed me out.
I don't like shopping, I don't like putting on outfits.

(53:41):
The whole thing I rejected. So yeah, I'm not a
girlways into clothes never happened.

Speaker 5 (53:46):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (53:47):
While researching The Nanny, I did uncover one of the
weirdest facts about the show. Roger Clinton, the brother of
President Bill Clinton, appeared in three episodes.

Speaker 4 (54:02):
Was wow. I didn't even know that, but yeah, he
was really nice. He was really nice. Everyone was. You know,
my mom was in love with Bill Clinton. Everybody was
so like, maybe Bill will come.

Speaker 1 (54:12):
Do you think Bill will come?

Speaker 4 (54:17):
This is like no, he was yeah, he was president,
he was president. You know. Yeah, he was just really nice.
Roger Clinton was a sweetheart from what I remember, very
very nice to me. You know. Anybody who had kids
and came on set was just like love. Yeah, and
even people who didn't have kids, but they was just
exciting to be like breathe the same air as them.

(54:38):
Like Elizabeth Taylor was on The Nanny whoa Yeah, And
there was a memo that went around that was like
we weren't allowed to look in her eyes.

Speaker 1 (54:46):
I was gonna say, I knew it was going to
be that.

Speaker 4 (54:49):
Yeah, just like crazy rules that were like from a
bygone era of golden age of Hollywood. Yeah. And Donald O'Connor,
who's the guy who does the like backwards flip and
singing the rain and he worked with Marilyn Monroe in
some movie. But he would tell me stories about Marilyn Monroe.
When I was little, Jason Alexander was on the Nanny

(55:10):
and did like the time step with me. I was like,
I know how to do a time step because of
my little bit of dance backgrounds. It was like, you know,
I was showing he's like very good and I was
like torch kids, Dancel likes my time, you know. And
he was so sweet. So it's like I always remember
the people who were so generous and like lovely with me. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (55:29):
Well, we grew up in a really like Boy Meets
World was a very family environment. But that's partially and
maybe mostly because we were a kid more of a
kid slash family show.

Speaker 1 (55:42):
What was set like for you guys?

Speaker 3 (55:45):
Was it did it feel more like an adult adult
environment that you were thrust into or did it did
it all?

Speaker 1 (55:51):
See?

Speaker 4 (55:51):
I did feel more like it wasn't. I'm always like
I'm always you know, I don't have much of a filter,
so it's really difficult all the time. I'm like, okay,
just it was. It was an adult environment for sure.
It wasn't like you know, uh, it wasn't oriented around
the children.

Speaker 2 (56:09):
Okay, you know, on it exactly exactly.

Speaker 4 (56:14):
And then there were a lot of grown up, you
know jokes, and it's like, we got to throw the
kid out of the room so we can make the
joke about sex out of that. I think, you know,
there's probably like will be like a mash up somewhere
of like all the times they threw Gracie out of
the room so that she could say something sassy or yeah.
So it was like it was more like that. And

(56:35):
but again, like I wouldn't change any of it for
the world. I'm not like, I'm not shading the show.
It's it's that I learned so much and I and
I and I grew so much from watching everyone and everything,
you know what I mean. But I had awareness of
like a dirty joke earlier.

Speaker 1 (56:50):
Yeah, right right, that makes sense.

Speaker 3 (56:53):
Yeah, the fashion of the nanny has had a bit
of a TikTok resurgence, a lot of pants suits, and
I know that even Sabrina Carpenter has found inspiration in
the outfits. Are you surprised by the nanny renaissance?

Speaker 4 (57:08):
No, I'm not, because again, it was ahead of its time,
being like a female forward show and a show that
was yeah, like outfit changes, that's like the whole thing now,
you know, Sabrina Carpenter does it. Taylor Swift, It's like
changed those outfits.

Speaker 3 (57:23):
Girl.

Speaker 4 (57:25):
It's kind of impressive how much fashion was on the show,
and Brenda Cooper, who was the costume designer, deserves full
credit for that because she was pulling like Bob Mackie
and all these designers way before Sex and the City even.
You know, it's like it was just ahead of its time,
and then you know, everything that's old becomes new again

(57:45):
as you guys never comes back around. So it doesn't
surprise me that people are really like digging into the
Nanny and France. Fashion was like it was really the
star of the show, aside from like, you know, her
voice and her chemistry with Charles Shawn. So like, you know,
I mean Charlie, you know when I say things weren't

(58:05):
oriented around the children, Charlie, and like, there were a
lot of people who were great on the show. So
I'm not trying to show and all that stuff. I
just want to clarify that. But yeah, I'm surprised about
the Renaissance. It's just it's just it makes perfect sense
to me.

Speaker 3 (58:22):
You have gone on to appear in so much stuff.
When you're filming Californiaication or Hacks or High Potential, does
the nanny ever come up?

Speaker 1 (58:30):
Do people talk to you about it?

Speaker 4 (58:32):
You know, Californication? Not really?

Speaker 2 (58:35):
Not really.

Speaker 4 (58:35):
I mean, I know people don't really ask. You know,
on sets, people are all too busy, you know, doing
their own thing and work, so people aren't really like,
what was it really like working with that person. Some
people will ask about David Lynch because it's such a
cult favorite, so people will ask about David Lynch.

Speaker 3 (58:52):
Well that's my next question. So if you want to
go right into it, go for it.

Speaker 4 (58:56):
Well you ask a question, Okay.

Speaker 3 (58:58):
So you appeared in the twenty seventeen revisit of Twin Peaks,
and he passed away at the beginning of this year,
so I wanted to hear about what your experience was
like with him.

Speaker 4 (59:09):
I have I have such fond memories of working with
David Lynch. I got to work with him for two
whole days, which was a luxurious amount of time to
shoot like basically two scenes, right, and I there was
such a sense of like like a cold following around him,
like he's the cult leader. And everyone's like, yes, sir,

(59:30):
you know that whole thing. But I'm I've never played
that game because I've just been doing this so long.
I'm not I'm not really starstruck by most people. Musicians
for sure, but like actors or like directors, I'm like,
I know the game, kid, And even with David Lynch,
I just didn't have Although I was a fan, I
wasn't like I wanted to ask questions and I was

(59:50):
free to ask questions. So there is a scene where
they're they're, you know, spraying me with a ton of
it's like two hundred and fifty gallons of blood, right,
and I'm oh my gosh, naked, and everyone's we got
one shot with the blood. We got one shot with
the blood. And everyone's just like, you know, stressed and
freaking out. Not David, of course, he's like he's like,

(01:00:11):
you know, one of those people they talk about, like
Steve Jobs, where reality bends and warps around them. Like
he's like on set smoking which was like not allowed,
but of course he was smoking, but just like in
this aura bubble and everyone's like okay, we got one
shot with the blood and they're about to call action,
and I just like raised my little hand, my little

(01:00:33):
naked hand, and I was like excuse me, and everyone's
like dead, dead silent, And I was like, do you
think maybe instead of just doing the blood, maybe we'd
just do a plate and you can add the blood
later if you wanted, and then and then you could
do the blood after that way you have an option.

(01:00:55):
And it was dead silent. I mean, everyone just like
you really just shell Dave Lynch was to do and
and he's like, you know what, Tracy got a pretty
good idea, let's do that. So literally we did two takes.
We did one that was dry where they could add
the blood later, and one with the blood. And afterwards,
the first Ada came up to me and was like,

(01:01:17):
you're a very brave girl, and I was like, oh am,
I I didn't realize, like I just did something that
made perfect sense to me from an experiential standpoint. And
then and then also he took it in because great
directors like you guys, know, great people like are open
to the best idea in the room, no matter where.

Speaker 1 (01:01:38):
Totally best idea wins.

Speaker 4 (01:01:41):
Yes, it wins. He goes aside, let's have room for
the best idea. So that's my experience of David, which.

Speaker 7 (01:01:49):
Was, what a cool story, what a great experience, What
a proud moment for you, Like yeah, yeah, where you're like, yes,
I have been paying attention and to have had the
confidence to say, listen, I'm not I'm the one in
this body who's about to have this blood sprayed, and

(01:02:12):
to think if it goes wrong and then I'm going
to be in.

Speaker 3 (01:02:15):
This high stress. They're not never gonna be happy if
something goes wrong. They're not going to say we only
get one take, We're gonna have to do it again
on another day. And like if I just raise my
hand and make a suggestion, I guess it could go
one of two ways. But the like, that's just incredible.
I'm so proud of you. I like want to I

(01:02:36):
just am so that's so incredible. I'm so I'm so
thrilled we know that story.

Speaker 4 (01:02:40):
Yeah, well it was again a testament to him as
a as an open, you know, collaborative artist.

Speaker 3 (01:02:47):
Yeah. I also cannot let you leave without talking to
you about the nineteen ninety three cinematic experience that is
mister Nanny. You appeared in the movie alongside star Hulk Hogan.
It is about a former pro wrestler who is hired
to be a bodyguard slash nanny for braddy kids, whose

(01:03:08):
dad is also being stalked by his business rival. I
need to know everything about this experience.

Speaker 4 (01:03:16):
I was, okay, so there's so many things. He was
there with his kids. Okay, name is Terry, and I
just remember him like there was some scandal about him
right before we started, Like it was that he had
smoked marijuana, right which is now no going to care,
but back in the das the scandal of whole. So

(01:03:36):
I'm no, I know that there's he's he's had some
other stuff come out which I haven't heard but people
of you know. And then I was like, I didn't know.
I don't know what the deal is. But my little
snapshot of an experience with him was that he was
really the sweetest to me, and he had a think
a wish kid on set more than once, and he
was just you know, you know, like just he would
do his bit for whoever. It was very sweet, and

(01:04:00):
we tortured him. I mean we literally like had to
do all these crazy stunts with him and he gets electrocuted,
and you know, but he was so sweet. The director
was so sweet. I worked with Sherman Helmsley from uh
that old I can't remember the Jeffersons, the Jeffersons, Sherman
Helmsley and Mother Love, and they were both just so

(01:04:23):
warm and sweet. I have so many pictures of Mother
Love just like holding me when I'm like, oh kiddo,
And and everybody was just great, like I just it
was one of those things where I felt I kind
of felt like respected and like a part of it right,
you know, like a part of the whole process. And
and yeah, Huole Cogan was just super super nice to

(01:04:45):
me as a kid, which was all my memory of him.

Speaker 1 (01:04:48):
Well, that's that's good to hear.

Speaker 4 (01:04:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:04:51):
My last question for you is if you could go
back in time and talk to let's say seven year
old Madeline, what advice would you give her? Now?

Speaker 1 (01:05:01):
What would you say to her?

Speaker 4 (01:05:03):
I mean, I do this all the time in therapy.
Is this the therapy?

Speaker 1 (01:05:05):
This is the therapy part?

Speaker 4 (01:05:09):
I would tell her like I would tell like any
young girl to trust themselves more than like that little
voice inside is right no matter what anyone else tells you.
And the more you trust that and you move from
that place of like honoring yourself, you will be happier.
People will recognize you more because there'll be more of

(01:05:31):
you there, and you'll be proud of yourself like I
was that day on set with David. Normally you could
just let that moment go by. But the courage to
stand up and allow yourself to be seen and to
speak from with you know, from an authentic place that

(01:05:54):
you just yeah, you just you get a point, you
know you kind of you, you level up, you beat
the big boss inside that that critical, internalized voice of
the world that says you can't do it, and then
you feel like, you know what I did.

Speaker 1 (01:06:11):
Yeah, that's great.

Speaker 4 (01:06:12):
I feel fantastic.

Speaker 2 (01:06:14):
Be true to yourself. Don't be a trooper exactly.

Speaker 4 (01:06:19):
Put that on the shirt you feel something, Say something.

Speaker 3 (01:06:25):
Madeline, Where what are you working on now? Where can
people find you? Tell us everything?

Speaker 4 (01:06:30):
Okay? Well, I am releasing a web series that me
and my sisters wrote together. I'm just little snippets of
it called What's Her Face? That's just for fun, it's
not It's very lighthearted. It's about three child actors growing
up with the arrested development and unable to sort of
put They're grown up, undis gone. And then I did

(01:06:54):
two films recently, one called Reunion with Ryan Hansen and
Jake Choy and and and it's it's It's gonna be
so funny. It's about a twenty year high school reunion.
And uh, I'm trying to remember everything else. And then
I just did a movie called The Bench that will
be coming out with rel Howery Little rel Yes, yeah,

(01:07:17):
from get Out and so yeah, well, you know, just
plugging away. I'm still managing to get work. And I
feel so grateful and I'm so grateful to be here
with you guys.

Speaker 1 (01:07:27):
So thank you.

Speaker 4 (01:07:29):
I feel like one of the cool kids.

Speaker 3 (01:07:31):
Now you are officially a part of the cool Kid
Pod meets World crew.

Speaker 1 (01:07:39):
Thank you so much for spending your time with us.

Speaker 3 (01:07:40):
It was wonderful talking to you, getting to know you
a little bit, and just thank you for thank you
for being here with us.

Speaker 4 (01:07:46):
Thank you guys for having me. It was just a joy.

Speaker 1 (01:07:48):
Yeah, good to see you.

Speaker 4 (01:07:50):
Bye, Hi, take care.

Speaker 2 (01:07:52):
Oh she got off quick. She did not have the
millennial pause exited.

Speaker 3 (01:07:55):
She did not she knew exactly how to exit. You
know what I bet I bet Tara helped her exit.
They're like, ow, she's so.

Speaker 2 (01:08:04):
Cool, so cool, My god, yeah, it's.

Speaker 3 (01:08:07):
So it's I cannot believe that it still surprises me
after this many conversations with former child actors, how many
things in common we have, it shouldn't surprise me at all.

Speaker 1 (01:08:19):
But the only thing I think.

Speaker 3 (01:08:21):
She said that I didn't totally resonate with was when
she talked about how in touch with her inner child
she is. And I was like, I feel like I
don't have any access to my inner child because I
think I stuffed it so much. I think I to me,
you know, but I mean we had a different experience.
We were told how to be a child. We were

(01:08:44):
given line readings on how to be a child, yes,
instead of being told to discover how to do it.
And so I think from the from age ten on,
I stopped being a child and just started pretending to
be a child or.

Speaker 2 (01:09:02):
Just trying to be a grown up as quick.

Speaker 3 (01:09:03):
Yeah, well yeah, I became an adult pretending to be
a child, and so it was like there was no
real discovery of childhood or teenagehood even And then that's
what I spent my twenties and thirties doing I guess
so yeah, but wow, she was really a that story
about David Lynch and her saying like, hey, guys, we

(01:09:27):
could shoot a plate.

Speaker 2 (01:09:28):
You could do it a different way. This doesn't have
to be this hard.

Speaker 1 (01:09:31):
I can really help you out anyway.

Speaker 3 (01:09:35):
Well, thank you all for listening to this episode of
Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on
Instagram pod Meets World Show. You can send us your
emails pod meets World Show at gmail dot com.

Speaker 1 (01:09:44):
And we've got march.

Speaker 2 (01:09:48):
Maybe we can do the merch as a plate and
add the wheel later.

Speaker 1 (01:09:55):
Writer, you're a genius. Pod Meets World Show do dot
com writer send us out.

Speaker 2 (01:10:02):
We love you all, pod dismissed. Podmeets World is an
iHeart podcast producer hosted by Danielle Fischel, Wilfridell and Ryder Strong.
Executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman. Executive in charge
of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor, Tarasubasch, producer, Mattie Moore,
engineer and Boy Meets World superman Easton Allen. Our theme

(01:10:22):
song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on
Instagram at Podmets World Show, or email us at Podmeats
World Show at gmail dot com.