February 8, 2024 • 48 mins
Katie and Guillermo practice their eye-hugging with the one and only Darby Stanchfield, AKA Sassy Abby, AKA Big Red, AKA Abby Whelan! Darby shares the story of her stare-down with Shonda Rhimes and what it was like to silently stick her fingers in Joshua Malina’s mouth... Plus, Katie & Guillermo dive into important moments from the episode, like when Huck finally gets laid.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Unpacking the Toolbox is a production of Shondaline Audio in
partnership with Iheartradiots das Katie Tho.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I just logged on and noticed that Giermo for this
episode is wearing a very very very sexy red hoodie.
Why would you be wearing a red hoodie today?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Because in this episode, Huck tries to go incognito into
a hotel. Well, he doesn't even realize he has to
go incognity. He just happens to be wearing a red hoodie.
Who's been wearing flannels? Like how many episodes?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Stupid? I'm sorry, scandal, I love you all.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
All of a sudden he's like, he's like, I'm gonna
rock this bright red hoodie.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Because they couldn't have like further down the line, being
like the most wanted man in America is wearing a
poop brown flannel. Right, it's like the most wanted man
in America is wearing a red hoodie that like sticks.
Although I honestly, until this episode, has Huck ever worn
the color red.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
No, only when there's blood spatter on him does he
have red on his body. But he has not worn
the color red or any other color for that matter,
I mean you know.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, you were always like all fucking dull and shit, boy,
you looked cute in this you're dull. Well, we have
a great episode because I love this episode, and we
have very special guests who we're going to tease you
about later. But wait, wait, wait, wait really quickly, I
wanted to tell you that I got a text from
Shonda Rhymes this morning.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
You did. I love it? What did she say? Does
she love us?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, she loves us. She's obsessed with us. She's going
to put us in all of her shows from now
until the end of time. But Shonda wrote, she sent
me the Prince tweet? Did you know that Prince ever
tweeted us?
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I did not, don't. I feel like if I would
have known that, we would have ran with that shit.
How did we? I didn't know? Did you?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
I did not know? And this she sent me a
picture of Prince. He tweeted a picture We're going to
post it when this episode comes out of himself dressed
and it says a gladiator in a suit, and it's
Prince in like a beautiful suit. My god, from his
fucking own personal.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Oh coount, my god.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
I'm showing this to g right now on the phone, Like,
can you even handle this for one second?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Katie?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
This was when he was alive.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
We have to retweet this like when this episode as
this is amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
This is how I never how did I know?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Right?
Speaker 1 (03:00):
But to be honest, Katie, remember it was like a
whirlwind of things happening around us when shows were airing.
In the tweeting, it was a lot going on in
our worlds, right, Like there was a lot of shit,
So we probably just missed it. But it's Prince. How
did we freaking miss Prince?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
The fact that he even sat somewhere and watched anything
of me doing anything is like absolutely fucking insane to me. Yeah,
we have somebody coming on so special for you gladiators
out there, and my mouth is already watering because she
could win the award for bringing the best salads and
the best fucking food that in seven years of scandal
(03:39):
that we ever saw this person.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
And I first bonded over cum quats because she has
the most amazing cum quats that she grows in her
backyard and she brought me some and she used to
put them in her salad, and ugh, now I can't get.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Enough of her constant watering. She is incredible. She would
come in to work sometimes with dirt under her nails,
like and having to get a manicure in this and
everything because she's like to put her hands in the
earth because she's so fucking real.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
She is uh the best.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Born and raised in a little town off of Alaska,
like I think an island uff of Alaska, and her
dad growing up was one of those deadliest catch fishermen.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Do you know that? Yes, yes, yes, And I'm.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Convinced it's why she's such an incredible actress because she literally,
in my head, she just grew up playing imagination all
the time because literally no one was the fuck around.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah. I remember she told me a story once that she, uh,
the weather there was so crazy and we could ask
her this when she pops on, that she jumped up
or something in the wind like blew her away because
she was so skinny at the time. I mean, my gosh,
when she comes.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
On, she is incredible. She's also the inventor of the
eye hug. Yes, we're going to talk to you about yeah,
because she needs to explain to you all what that
is in all its glory. She was the last person
hired of the series regulars on Scandal. We were waiting
and waiting and waiting.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
That's a very good fun fact, Katie. Yeah, hell yeah,
she was the last one.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Who the hell was going to be playing? Yeah, Abby Wheeling. Yes,
And we are here today hanging out with one of
our true true other gladiators from Olivia Popan Associates, the
one and only Darby stanch Oh. Oh yeah, I'm honestly
(05:36):
going to be emotional.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Oh my god, dubs, Miracle you guys, dum.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I'm telling you. We've had other people on Carrie, John
and Tony, but no one makes me feel like kind
of emotional, like.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
I know, I know, I don't know, because if we
were the crew.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Right, we were like more in the trenches or something like.
I just feel like I feel like the three of us.
And then of course the first three seasons Columbus were like.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
It was special. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
It reminds me a lot of the same that I
feel with people I did an MFA program with, Like, Yes,
we've seen each other in absolutely every single state of mind,
and I feel like I know you guys better just
by looking at you. That's the words that I know
most people. Yes, familiarity.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I completely agree. Can we just stay for the record
that you are so beautiful? It is a show like
it is a shock to the system, Like she's here
with her long red hair and her beautiful face, and
we've been like g and I have watched the first
(06:50):
two seasons and you are so remarkable. You have so
much amazing material. And by the way, this just occurred
to me. We're in these two seasons before you even
became the fucking chief of staff.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Yes, yes, the secretary I know, which was like a
whole inner series for me.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, you became red right, like the.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Nicknames, and then I had that big TV hair and
started wearing the dresses and you know, and then when
low status like trying to get in the bubble at
the White House and being called Gabby, Yeah, like it
was a whole different thing. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
First, tell us your origin story of how you joined
the Scandal family. Do you remember your audition or where
you were in your life.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
I remember that you guys, I had been binging Damages
with Nails and Rose Byrne, and I was at a
point in my career where I was like, Okay, I
really want to play a woman like this. You know,
on a show like this, where you know, they get
(07:58):
to do all the big things and they're and they're
like the main event. And I was at a point
where I was like I might quit acting. And that
was the first summer really thought that way where I
was like, if I'm only going to be called to
be on a you know, a guest star on some
sort of episodic where I cry over you know, a
dead husband, I'm going to go do something else. So
(08:22):
I was in that state of mind when I auditioned
First Gamble, and I was just not having it. I
was so no nonsense in my life. What you see
is what you get. I walked in the room and
Betsy Beer's, you know, Betsy Shadder in the room, Paul mcwigan,
Wenda lay. Betsy says, that's a great suit. And as
opposed to saying you know what the designer was or anything,
(08:44):
I was like, oh, well, it's nothing special. It's just
all a lot of good tailor you know, so abby
wheeling so much true, Yeah, so true. I think Betsy laughed.
And then we did the audition.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
What was the scene?
Speaker 4 (09:02):
I had like three four scenes that one page is
of war where I where I learned this big clue
and I so there's that like kind of awkward side
of Abbey that we see. There was a monologue that
was never in the show that Shonda wrote about Stephen
how Steven smells like apples and man, wow.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Well god, we see it all over your face in
a bunch of episodes.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Anyway, we did the scenes and I got done and
sat down and there was pure silence, and Shonda was
just staring at me. And you know, Sho is like
this presence and sure her brain is going, but she doesn't.
You know, it's like time has stopped. Everyone stopped. Everyone's
looking at her again. Because of the frame of mind,
(09:53):
I was at take it or leave it, you know,
I didn't start to oh, thank you so much, yeah, yeah,
anything again.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I just sat whatever, this is it.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
I stared right back at her. You did that for
like a minute.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Yeah, pretty intense.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
That's mostly what I remember. And then I had to
come back again, I think for some suits who needed
to see with my hair down and can she cry
and stuff like that. So he did another little round.
But at that point I could tell.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
This all happened very quickly though, right Darby, because I was.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
The last one to be cast.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Yeah, yes, do you guys remember this?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (10:31):
We we had been we had been rehearsing this show already,
we had been rehearsing the pilot and we were all like,
oh my god, who's going to play Abbey? Who's going
to play Abbey?
Speaker 4 (10:39):
And then okay, and I have two very specific memories
of you guys really. But first was so I get
cast and we go to the Prospect Studios Prospect Studios, right,
and you guys are we're all waiting for like screen
tests or something or rehearsal or something. And I walk
to the where all this is happening, and Katie, you're
(11:02):
one of the first ones I see. Do you remember this?
What I remember like yesterday and you're sitting there. I
remember where you were sitting at this table and you
look up at me, and you know your face, I mean,
you have this sunshine face. You have the most beautiful,
kind eager like I can't wait to meet my new classmate,
(11:23):
you know, my new show.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
I felt, I.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Know, and you were so I just remember your radiance
and I was like, Okay, this is gonna be fun.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
I remember that moment so well. I was sitting at
a table that had a chair attached to it or something,
and you can walk in, and you were wearing your
suit that I think you auditioned in, like I don't
know or no, was it the suit?
Speaker 4 (11:44):
You know, I don't actually know what I was wearing
in that moment, But for rehearses, I was like in
a long black coat of my own that ended up
being very much like what Abby wears.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
It just made me feel like, well, I just.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
I'm a sucker for a long black tailored coat. And
then Jared, when we did cut you a couple of
days later after warhears as, we did a studio read,
a read for the studio read for the network, and
it was like a big room of you know, all
the important people. And I remember coming into this room
and I was feeling very much like I often do,
(12:17):
like like a watcher, like just kind of quieter, and
you were doing that. You were quiet, no one was
talking to you were already sitting down, I think, at
the table, and I went up and I joined you,
and I just remember, I just remember like that being
the first moment of connection of like okay energy.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
I remember that. I remember that and moving forward from there.
Every time you and I had a scene together. When
we started shooting, it just felt special because our worlds
didn't really collide that much, right, Like on screen.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
I know special task, special group of individuals. I feel
very connected to each and everyone, especially this Gladiator.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Yeah, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
I mean going back to these cases of the week
and like you being up on the board and you
being like, I do know that Wally.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Was She's pulling out that like hair from the from
the drain in that one episode.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
An investigator, right and taking.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Super into Steven. The episodes were like you find out
Steven's sleeping with prostitutes, and you have all these amazing
lines in the first season when you're like finding out
what hardwood floors are, like the drapes and the curtains,
and like you're the snarky, ironic character dry so needed,
so funny, and your relationship with Olivia is just.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Like so good. We'll be right back, guys.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Are there any memories that you have that really stick
out from the pilot?
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Yeah, shooting in the original building downtown for some reason
that period of time. I think it's because we had
to do all night shoots. Yeah, because of we were
shooting night for night I guess right, And it was
also maybe just when we could get in there. I
don't remember. We were there all night long in that giant,
drafty building and there was a jewelry robbery that there
(14:20):
was a robbery that happened across the street at the
jewelry store for real.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
I love that you remember that the jewel heighst and
we all couldn't leave the building. They resolved it or.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Whatever, and so I just remember the sequence that all
night long, like we were doing a sequence where it
was the cloths feeding up but you see all the
different evidence going up on the board and then and
how long that took didn't fail me even though it yeah,
you know, in Paul mccueigan's style, it sped up really
really fast and takety seconds. But how many hours that took?
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Do you remember the windows leaking because it was raining outside?
It was it was raining.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
It was drafty, it was yeah, I mean, wasn't there
like a crazy elevator situation just to get up there? Yes?
I was well, I was having my own high health drama.
I was having I was getting blisters.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
I remember that because you were stockings in.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
The show my god, it was so awful. It was
It's so funny being were like, you know, you can
change shoes, even though we've shot half those things. You
need to change shoes because I.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Was just.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
They were so supportive, you know, and literally just finding
our feet, understanding what the tone of the show was
and everything. But you know, when your boss will say
something like that, you feel quite supportive. Yeah, I'm sure
struggling with something so technical.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yeah, flashing forward, Darby, do you remember you and I
were shooting a scene. I think it was the last season.
We were in a scene We're at a party, and
we were like, let's try like Huck is rubbing your feet.
We rehearsed the scene where I'm rubbing your feet, and
I think Tom was like, yeah, I don't I don't
think I don't remember that.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Oh shut it down.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yes, yes, yeah, I thought it was.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
Why I would have liked it.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Was you and I liked it because we were tired.
It was very like, you know, just like your little
or older brother. I was gonna say a little brother.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
Maybe he thought it would just like lead to too
many questions.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Yes, exactly, exactly interesting interesting debut.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Did you know about Abby's backstory at all about the
abusive husband, about any of that before you got the
role was that.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
No, I did not know. And this particular episode was
an interesting moment in that in that whole story, I
did not know that at all. And I think it
first comes up in season one between Olivia and Abby.
Think it's a very inflammatory scene. I don't remember all
the words, but I remember Abby basically really sticking into
(16:54):
Olivia and saying, you've got your names on that door
you have to fix. You've got to say it, just
like you've helped me out of this relationship. And I
didn't know much. And you know, when I think about it,
it wasn't like I was briefed about it or you know,
I just sort of learned as we went, and then
I I researched, you know, domestic abuse. I started to
(17:18):
build a backstory like we all do with these characters.
And then, you know, it's so interesting because every time
that Abby had anything domestic abuse come up about her
past relationship or a trigger in some way, it always
was like a very PTSD kind of experience. I, as
(17:41):
an actor, didn't know how these scenes would turn out.
It was also surprising what was written in the scripts.
It was new, and I would have a very visceral
reaction to the material and I wouldn't get to.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Collectual about it or yeah we were I feel like
that was the process.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
It was very very strange how how that process was,
and now it affected me. But I think in the
episode that we're talking about, there's a scene where Abby's
waiting for David in his apartment and there's no words
and Abby slaps him.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Oh my god, but that's your brilliance? Are your few?
Me and Carrie used to say this about you. Only
Darby can go from like is she gonna laugh? And
then she gets a twinge of emotion and then you
can see her bury it and then you can see
like anger come out, but like in your face. Without
them writing anything, we could see all of that on
(18:44):
you so beautifully, And.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
In this episode it happens. In this episode you go
from like anger to lust to hatred to emotional oh
my god.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Almost crying, to the relationship that couldn't be. Oh my god,
we're going to get there. I can't even taking like
such a hard left turn. And I talk about how
delicious the salads you made on set for or whatever
food you were bringing in, and honestly, you would come
(19:20):
in with fucking ship that I don't know if you'd
grown in your own garden manicure because there's dirt underneath
my nails.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
We enjoyed watching your salads. We just.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
The spinach, the like nuts. There'd be like it was delicious,
and then you'd always put lemon and stuff in like
a little lemon baggy to like squeeze it. I was like,
she is the classiest bitch guy, remember, oh.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Yeah, oh yeah, that's a wonderful thing to be obs
that is, you were a great cook.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
And also can this bring us to I do think
you also grew grapefruits and you had the most incredible
Instagram video during COVID that saved all of our lives
where you instructed us all how to cut said grapefruit
while you had a breakdown of hysteria, which glass of
Darby can only break like that.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Yeah, that's what happens when you were quarantine.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
And and it wasn't only in one way. You had
different ways you could do it. You were like, well
you could do slices or you could do cute, which
was brilliant.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
You are the most delicious human being Oh my god,
do you remember in DC for the penultimate episode when
you and George and all of us we were like
running around at like the John Wilkspooth Theater where Lincoln
got shot, and we were running around to the bathrooms.
We were like freezing cold, but we were just running around.
(20:55):
Like you said, I think you nailed it like classmates,
like as if they were like back in elementary school,
like almost giddy.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
Some of my favorite memories of all of us are
like backstage before we go on to do Haimy fest
or or Jimmy Cammel, you know, just these sort of
backstage moments where we're in the wings and publicity is
set to work. That's like, really, you know, you're not acting,
(21:22):
you're selling your show. But it was always play with everybody.
There was always there was always We sent so many
upfronts together in New York, and I just remember being
like going through backs of kitchens, you know, being in elevators.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
I forgot about that.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
Waiting at the upfronts, for instance, and there'd be all
these other shows and all these other casts. It would
be quite dry and kind of a corporate day. And
if we would just be like yucking it up.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
We were rock stars. Man. That was so much fun,
you know what I.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
Mean, just the chemistry, the fun that we all have together.
There's just this now actual band or so such a you.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Know, do you get recognized? I wanted to ask you
because I feel like I can hide really easily. G
sticks out like a sore thumb. And I've always been like, God, Darby,
must stick out like a sore thumb. Even though you're
very good at stuffing that red hair underneath the hat.
You're just so tall, You're a giraffe. I mean you
to me, you would stick out even if I didn't
know you.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
I definitely enjoyed when we were in the thick of
the pandemic and we were wearing gasps everywhere. I really
enjoy that.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Yes, but I still.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
Got recognized with that because of my red hair. So
you're right, if I put a hat on, I do
feel like right now I'm getting recognized. For the last role,
I did a lot more, only because I look more.
My hair's a little bit more. It's not as red
as when I was on Scandal. You know, I really
bumped up the red there for a bit. But yeah,
you know, here and there.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
For the listeners. Darby plays Nina Locke on an amazing
show called Lock and Key. It's on Netflix, yes, and
I don't know why it took me so freaking long
to start watching it.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
But because there's so much content cabs now.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Truly, how was that experience shooting Lock and Key?
Speaker 4 (23:05):
It was great?
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Yeah, it was nice.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
It happened just, you know, several months after Scandal. It
was a three season a run. I liked it because
it was something so totally different from Abbey Wheeling, that
kind of a murder mystery so good, wrapped up in
a show that's very magic or kind of light horror oriented.
So it was all very very different from Scandal. The
(23:27):
world of it, well.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Except for another Scandal cast member who is on Lock
and Key, Brendon Brendan Hines, Mister Tatiana Maslani or to grow,
mister Xana Bayou. Gideon Wallace also was on Lock and Key.
Working with Darby. Was that so crazy?
Speaker 4 (23:49):
It was crazy. It's so funny. I every once in
a while I'll still text him a picture of us
rolling him up in the carpet. Remember, yeah, he dies,
there was a photo that we have, or the whole
all of it are standing over him. Katie, you're so bloody,
you're in air. Yes, and we literally roll home up
in this carpet. So I'll just send him out without
any words.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
I love that.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
Back to the good old.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Days, hilarious. Earlier on, when we were recording these episodes,
I was the one that told Giermos, like, guess what
Brendan Hines did in COVID He got married Tatiana Maslani,
and Geirmouth thought, I said, Oxana by.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
Lesle what So it sends us down a real long
imagination train of what what Idi and on Oxana's children
would be like or something.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Darby, will you do something with us? When we get
to the synopsis? Would you do us the biggest solid
If I read the first paragraph, g is going to
read the second, and you'll read the little third paragraph,
and we're going to try.
Speaker 6 (24:52):
Yours.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Oh no, we only got a year, and it's remarkable
how far we have fallen, you guys. To day we
were talking about we have Darby Stanchfiel here, the one
and Only Abbey Wheel and we're talking about episode two
oh nine, which was titled blown Away. It aired on
December thirteenth of twenty twelve, and it.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Was written by Mark Wilding and directed by Jessica Yu.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
It was guest starring Susan Porfar as Becky Flynn, Kate
Burton is Vice President, Sally Langston, Greg Henry is Holly.
Speaker 6 (25:18):
Bally Doya, Dan Bucatinski is James Novak, George Newburn our
Georgie as Charlie, Deborah Mooney as Vernon Thornton, Shannon Cochrane
as Attorney General, Susan Sawyer, and Kate McGregor Stewart as Mary.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Here's the synopsis, Sorry, Ready, here we go. Olivia and
the OPI team are shocked Whenhuck reveals that he's the
person the FBI are looking for in connection with Fitzest shooting.
As the team gets to work uncovering the truth about Becky,
Huck spirals and denial until Becky asks Huck to run
away with her, admitting the truth of her involvement and
and her background.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
As Huck struggles with the decision to run away with Becky,
Olivia and doors fittest potential funeral planning, and Cyrus looks
into exactly what James knows about defiance. As Huck finally
decides to stay Becky anticipates his betrayal and kills the family.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Howkwak Holostyle is up to even more tricks as he
gives Sally Langston and nothing inform mentioned about Berna Thor
to put her off the bench. But Verna has plans
of her own when she offers to resign or give
it the name of the person who wanted for shooting
the president.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Oh yeah, like.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Riding a fuck you guys my heart right now?
Speaker 4 (26:24):
Yay, that's anxiety and.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
You have that in spades, yes, oh yeah. First and foremost,
the biggest scene from this episode that shows the emotion
is like you said, it's the fingers in his mouth.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Where did that come from? Darby? Was that your idea?
Was that in the script?
Speaker 4 (26:45):
Okay, I'm so glad you asked this farm because that
I have been asked this question so many times from fans,
from fans and from you know, like every time we
do press interviews. That was one of the questions I asked,
which prizes me because we were so bound to the script.
(27:05):
And I remember after a table reached on and I said, Okay,
I'm gonna write the scene you know how she does.
I'm gonna write the scene for you guys, and we
get the scene and there's no words. What we did
is exactly what she wrote. What we werehearsed it just
like you would, you know, some sort of stunt, whether
it's violence or sex or whatever those sort of sequences
(27:27):
in TV land. You know, it was very technical and
it was very much like a dance, like you put
your foot here, you put your fingers here, go on,
and so it was really really clinical and it was
all shown it. She was all that she wrote under.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Why did she ever say.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
Why I didn't ask her about the scene. I didn't
discuss it with her. I almost felt like it was
so powerful on its own. I just wanted to do it,
execute it kind of without thinking. It goes back to
what I was saying about, you know, finding more about
(28:08):
Abbie's backstory, and this is the first I mean, what's
so astonishing for me about the scene is it's the
first time you see Abby's maybe her past domestic abuse,
violence stuff sort of creep up in her life in
a present day way that she's initiating and it's like, yeah,
it's tied up with.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Her lover, her trauma.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
There's so many questions about that and he accepts it.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
And he's so submissive to you. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
Yeah, it's an astonishing scene. There's so many questions.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
But Darby, what about the smacking? You really smacked him?
I thought me and Katie have a scene where she
smacks the shit out of me like three times. I
lost my hearing for about twenty minutes. But I was
in Katie's defense. I was like, smack me for real,
do not play smack me? And then I was like,
what what did you say? But it looked like you
really smack Josh. Did you guys have a conversation about that,
(29:03):
about smacking him, how that was going to be, how
that you were going to do that.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
I don't really recall. I don't except that it was
just like this sheet that John had written all of
these actions, and it was just try and remember one
thing in the saint, you know, in the right order,
and do it with no words.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
First we come in first, I do this. Then I
shot up him twice. Then we pull apart. Then I
put fingers down, and then I lift my skirt. Then
I pushed it out.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
It was three fingers. I think it was so specific, you.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Know, But you guys did it so well. You could
have done all that, and it could have been a
shitty scene. But the reason that people remember it is
because you guys played it so well, so.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Real, so good, so good, He's so good, and it's
so you can see her feeling like embarrassed and then powerful,
and then hating him and then wanting to be with him,
and then being sad for where they were, what their
relationship could have been, and just like there's so much
and then she literally lifts her skirt up. You have
(30:03):
sex with them, and then there's this whole moment where
you stand up and you repull your skirt down over
these amazing tights, thank you Lyn paw Right. They're thigh
highs kind of thing, and then you flip your red
hair in like a sexy way, which was incredible, and
then you just pull your skirt down, fix your sort
of jacket, and then you like walk out of the
(30:24):
apartment and just fucking leave his ass.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
But that look she looks back at him and has
this face where she's like about to cry, but no,
fuck you, I'm not gonna cry.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
So emotional. Like other huge moments of this episode, this
is the episode where Becky, played by Susie poorfar. She
finds out that Huck might be framing her to be
caught for shooting the president, and to get back at Huck,
she shoots his family. Yes, and I remember being at
(30:54):
the table read because she shoots the two little girls,
the mom, the dad, and the.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Dog, and people were more upset about the dog. People
were like, remember that bitch. Yeah right. This was the
first episode that I I mean, and I did this
several times after this that I called my managers and
I told them what I was going to be doing
in the episode because I was so excited and what
was happening in the episode, Like I've never done that
(31:20):
with another job, Like on this job, I feel like
I did that a lot.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Yeah, it's really really cool. It's really sweet.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
And the fact that Seanda went there with that scene
of you know, we see that whole family dead.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
Yeah, yes, but I didn't need to pull back on it.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
And we're talking season two, so everything was so shocking. Yes,
it's almost like season one establishes the show. It feels
quite procedural, and season two it just goes off.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
The rail, totally off the rails. At the end of
this episode, they take Hawk under the Patriot Act and
so we start the whole journey of him being like
waterboarded and orchard in the Pentagon and all that kind
of shit. But there's also just such great stuff in
this episode, as per usual, with just God, you worked
(32:09):
so much with Columbus, Like what was that You guys
really were the core of OPA, because Quinn's really the
newbie and Huck is a fucking weirdo beyond and not
that Abby and Harrison aren't, but Abby and Harrison are
sort of like the stronghold, like, and I see that
so much in this episode because this episode, Olivia's kind
(32:30):
of moved back into the White House and she's.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
Yeah, she's back and forth. It did feel like in
season two more and more Abby and Harrison were being partnered,
but they were being assigned more together, and so you know,
it kind of worked, I think great in that Harrison
was so sort of charismatic and loose and charming and
Abby is like such a smart ap and a cut
(32:53):
you know, like they just seem like opposite. So I
remember having they're being nice, nice scenes. They're written for
those characters where you can really feel the opposites.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Yeah, speaking about this, like your Josh Molina stuff was
so amazing in seasons one and two. I mean, Josh,
Abby and David Rosen were really the first couple that
they wrote on Scandal, other than the ones that had
already been established, Like we'd already had Fits and Olivia,
we already had Cyrus and James. Yes, yes, but when
(33:31):
he breaks you up because Olivia is telling Harrison like
your one job is to make sure that David and
don't ask me why, but David and Abby can't be
together because the two of you are going behind your
back and putting the pieces together about Cytron and the
election rigging. He breaks you guys up, and you have
this amazing scene during the case of the Week is
(33:52):
like the really really rich millionaire crazy guy. But there's
a whole episode where you do are on a stakeout
and you slow dance to some people at a jazz
You're gonna find a nice guy because he sets David
Rosen up to make it seem like he had abused
his past women and.
Speaker 4 (34:10):
You want so bad with Alby's background for her to
be happy, and then you know yes, and then you
know Harrison, it's such a good guy in terms of
them working together and well, that seems to be a
common theme in this show, doesn't it. You know, the
the things that we our characters do for power or
for you know, to fix something, either in a good
(34:34):
way or or because of being blackmailed or because of
hunger power. It's I remember that, Yeah, I remember.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
That by any means necessary. Right, we got we got
shit done. Can we talk about you and josh Joshua
Molina on set? How he would push which he was
such a ask to.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
You mag your sides down, which, by the way, he
did to me too. He's a fucking turd.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Not to me, because I would have been like, look, motherfucker.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
He told josh we said the only people you were
scared of was gear. He never fucked with Germo, really did.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
He never rank you.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
He pranked me that one time, and then after that
he didn't do it again. And I could tell you
what happened. I don't know. I think he could just
tell that I was not I was not going to play.
I was like, don't play with me. But I remember
I remember him at one point we were in oh
Pa and we were on wheelie chairs and he would
grab you while you were sitting down and roll you
like twenty feet away from everybody. And he would do
(35:33):
this over.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Over six scenes with this asshole.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
You were such a good sport.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
We had him on and I said to him, you
were the most polarizing person of the Scandal crew.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
And what did you say?
Speaker 2 (35:49):
He was psyched about it. He was like, he was like,
give me all the edge. He loves it.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
He loves to be the troublemaker does he wants that
to be his reputation. The thing that I've was most
humored by, I think, is that every once in a
while we'd have some really neaty scene, you know, I
mean just it would be immediate relationship scene where we're
breaking up, or you know, something a three four page scene,
(36:14):
lots of words, scandal pace, we're in the makeup trailor
he hasn't looked at at once because he has a photographic,
freaking photographic memory, so he just live in the makeup
care We ran the lines once or twice, and he
knows it like that, where I, on the other hand,
for the last forty eight hours or whatever long and
(36:35):
has this really dissecting this thing I've been I mean
not to say that I'm a slow learner. I think
anybody could be qualified as a slow learner and be
unscandaled for seven users. I think we all learned to
memorize quite quickly, but my process was just so different
from his. I think I got such a big kick
(36:55):
out of that that he he's so good. I mean,
he's such a mass at the verbose role that he played,
and you know, the thoughts are very clear. He executes
it so well. It's so brilliant. But we just would
approach it such different ways, and he'd learned it in
like ten minutes and then, you know, be off to
prank someone else.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
So we will be back with more after the break.
Oh you know what I want to talk to you about.
Remember I've talked about it on this podcast before, like
the goodbye process of like like I have to hug
everyone and say goodbye and all this stuff. And Darby
was a person who like never moved shit into her trailer.
(37:38):
I remember at the end of season one or something,
you were like, oh, I won't be here when we're
all saying goodbye, like I'm out, thank you, Yeah something
I'm paraphrasing. Yeah, yeah, can you talk about that a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (37:49):
Yeah, it's I do remember what you're saying. And it
was at the end of season one. Okay, we shot
seven episodes and we didn't know if we were coming back,
right we were shooting for as a mid season replacement.
So we're we're on the last scenes together in the room,
and it felt like most actors were, you know, we're
really into saying goodbye and getting emotional and hugging a
(38:13):
lot and talking about what it meant to them that
I think it's just a habit that I it's it's
really just kind of a muscle that I've developed over
time being in this business. Not too high, not too well,
you know, it's it's a protection or a diplomatic you know.
I had a great time, but I'm not I'm not
(38:36):
going to count any chickens before the hatch. I'm not
going to assume that I'm back. I'm not going to
celebrate before it's happened, you know, and even when something
is awarded. My management team said this about me, like,
you're really a funny one because you don't ever get
to I don't burst into tears when I you know,
when I got scandal or book something huge, O, my god, beautiful,
(39:04):
But that's beautiful and I admire that. And that's the actors.
I mean, we're feeling and we're right. I mean, Katie,
I love your hugging and not letting go. Belly is
very much the same. You're that that kind of love
where you just want to show someone and you're feeling it.
It's so beautiful. Sometimes I was more like that.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
But you know, we're we're a perfect Matt Darby Stanfield.
Speaker 4 (39:29):
But I do like it. We're all so different too.
I think that makes it more interesting. You know, you're
all the same. It would be it would be. Yeah,
back to my thing about Josh Wullia. So I think
I enjoy working with them because.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
It's just such a different derby. I promise these people.
Can you tell us right quick? What's an eye hug?
Speaker 4 (39:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (39:55):
She's doing it right now, folks, Yeah, right now?
Speaker 4 (39:57):
Who invented that? We were at all of us? We
were in the conference room. Maybe was it Carrien?
Speaker 1 (40:05):
I thought it was you. Yeah, you were the eye
hug inventor.
Speaker 4 (40:12):
I was probably because I'm like kind of like lest contact.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
You were like, don't touch me, stay open there. I'm
gonna hugging with my eyes.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
But that's so sweet. Would we would all stand around
the O PA table and it would be fucking late
at night, we will have been shooting for a million hours,
and then we would just look across and do like
a really nice slow blank to me and say, you know,
she's sending me an eye hug beautiful. Okay, I'm giving it.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
Let's give it.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Darby Stansfield was the inventor of she created it.
Speaker 4 (40:45):
Yeah, I'll take it.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Before we do some tweets at the time really quickly. Gee,
is there any scenes from episode two O nine that
stick out to.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
You some of the stuff that sticks out? His stuff
with James and Cyrus. James is back on his ship
with the side on card and defiance and all of that,
and there's just such great moments with those two they have.
They have a scene where they both have sandwiches in
front of them, and the thing that bothered me the
most and not one of them to bite that damn
sandwich fuckers.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
We always don't like when any actors don't eat.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Their whole storyline in this episode is that James is
on the tail of Defiance and is sort of working
with David Rosen and Cyrus to get him off. The
scent is like, I got you your baby. We adopted
a baby. He's like dangling the baby in front of
James's face to make him stop. And Verna Thornton and
Sally Langston have an amazing scene in this where Sally
(41:42):
comes and figures out that Verna has terminal cancer. Yeah, like,
I want your fucking seat on the bench.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
You want to to step off?
Speaker 4 (41:50):
Yeah, so much happens.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Yeah, Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
By the way, that's every Scandal episode in forty two minutes.
The amount of plot. Yeah, had incredible writing that goes on.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
Is no wonder we're going at stand apace.
Speaker 2 (42:03):
Yeah, we have to so insane.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
This is also the first time you see Huck have
sex with with Becky.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
Yes, I was just going to say that. Yeah, I
wrote Becky and Huck fuck on picks because they're sexces
on top of all these photos.
Speaker 4 (42:19):
You want to know something, that's something I really love
the way that was shot. Yeah, you're on top of
all those pictures and they're laid out at like a rainbow,
I mean, and have sex and roll all over these pictures.
I thought that was really I thought that was a
really neat scene.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
Yeah, Jessica you, and Becky sort of saying I want
to be with you, and Huck is saying, well, what's
your name?
Speaker 1 (42:41):
And she what's your real name? Yeah, and she won't.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Tell him, which means like she's being shady.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
Yeah, that's a tell for Huck, He's like, oh, you
don't really love me.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
Yeah, And the episode ends. Verna goes to Sally and says,
I'm not giving up my bench. I won't give up
my seat on the bench, but I can give you
the name of the man in the Red Hood who
shot Fits. And then the swat team comes to Opa
and takes drink under the Patriot Act. Yeah, oh my gosh,
it's a little bit time right now. Darbzy's for tweets
(43:12):
of the time. Tweetetetweeteto, tweetoto, tweetwet two tweets of the time.
Things were insane at dc PsyD on December fourteen, twenty twelve.
Had to repost this and it's a picture. Chicks be like,
(43:33):
I can't stand infidelity, but on Thursdays they'd be like,
oh yeah, because Scandal really made infidelity hot. I've never
seen more fans be more into cheating and loving that
Fits is just a cheating piece of shit?
Speaker 1 (43:50):
Yep, I remember Sue Tanner this this one gladiator. She's
an old g gladiator. Yes, she tweeted at Scandal ABC.
I hear there's a buve that will be going around
in January. The Gladiator flew hashtag scandal, hashtag what the huck. Also,
this is the episode where hashtag what the huck came
(44:11):
into plate way.
Speaker 4 (44:13):
Yes, and I think didn't that hashtags stay around for seasons?
Speaker 1 (44:17):
Yes? It did.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
What were your ship? Did you have any hashtags? Darby?
Speaker 4 (44:25):
Abby?
Speaker 1 (44:26):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (44:27):
Sassy Abby? That's right?
Speaker 1 (44:30):
Oh yeah, not like what the heck?
Speaker 4 (44:34):
Not like that? And Quinn, what was yours? Was it yours?
Speaker 1 (44:38):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (44:38):
I'm Quinn, bitch. Yes, in response to a monelogue that
I have to you where you're like Lindsey the whole
first season, You're like lindsay this and lindsay that. And
then I turned to you in the bar and I'm like,
I am not Lindsey. My name is Quinn Perkins. Then
I actually walk away and it's actually Harrison who looks
to you and says she's Quinn bitch.
Speaker 1 (45:03):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (45:03):
We were all waiting for Quinn to do that. Abby
was just such a Pilber.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
I was too. Let me tell you something. I watched
Quinn in the first season and I'm like, Jesus, let's
get the Carol of Kara.
Speaker 4 (45:14):
Nuts from Deetrough the truth. Counts Abby handled her business
and got up and walked out. You go, girl, such
a scandal. And I think she's referring to that scene
that you guys were talking about.
Speaker 1 (45:27):
Yeah, oh it's so good, so so good. Melody Baker
at Evan GML, she tweets Harrison in charge, get your
ass back here now. She's referring to when he calls
Olivia and he's like, get back to the office because
because Huck has the rifle that shot the president and
he yells at her on the phone, get your ass
(45:48):
back here now, which is the first time we see
him like talk to her like that that episode. It
was it was episode.
Speaker 4 (45:56):
Factor Carter Away at the end after Families and good
Yeah happen right, Oh just a little water boarding.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
Oh yeah, that's week. We're about to go on like
a whole Hawk journey.
Speaker 4 (46:11):
I was gonna say, let's just talk about Hawk and water.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
Oh my god, that's right.
Speaker 4 (46:17):
Just the water your camel.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
It's awful.
Speaker 1 (46:20):
Remember when you stopped.
Speaker 4 (46:21):
Showering and the rain.
Speaker 1 (46:24):
Yes, and all you guys make those faces every time
I come around or you guys, are you stink?
Speaker 4 (46:30):
But remember later on there's like a whole water episode
where you're under.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Like stuck in a car in a trunk.
Speaker 1 (46:35):
Yes, So between that the showering, the water, I did
two weeks of rehearsal in a pool with an instructor
for that episode. Anyway, this podcast is about Darby stanch Field.
Speaker 2 (46:47):
Darby, I just want to say we love you, thank
you for Unpacking the Toolbox of episode two nine.
Speaker 1 (46:55):
Darby, we love you. You're the best. Thank you, thank you,
thank you.
Speaker 4 (46:59):
It's an honor to be on your podcast.
Speaker 2 (47:01):
Yay. The next episode we have next week is called one.
Speaker 1 (47:05):
For the Dog, well for the dog, bitch, and.
Speaker 2 (47:08):
I think we're talking about the dog that Becky Beck
just sh yes. Gladiators, We're so happy that you tuned in.
I hope you loved hearing from Darby Lee STANSFIELDO.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
Thank you guys for joining us on Unpacking the Toolbox.
If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe, share with your friends, rate,
or leave us a review.
Speaker 2 (47:32):
Scandal is executive produced by Sandy Bailey, alex Alcea, Lauren Homan,
Tyler Klang, and Gabrielle Collins. Our producer and editor is
Vince de Johnny, with music by Chad Fisher.
Speaker 1 (47:43):
Scandal is a production of ABC Signature, and you can
follow along by rewatching Scandal on Hulu.
Speaker 2 (47:48):
Unpacking the Toolbox is a production of Shondaland Audio in
partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from Shondaland Audio, visit
the iHeartRadio app or anywhere you subscribe to your favorite shows.
Unpacking the Toolbox is a production of Shondaline Audio in
partnership with Iheartradiots das Katie Tho.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I just logged on and noticed that Giermo for this
episode is wearing a very very very sexy red hoodie.
Why would you be wearing a red hoodie today?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Because in this episode, Huck tries to go incognito into
a hotel. Well, he doesn't even realize he has to
go incognity. He just happens to be wearing a red hoodie.
Who's been wearing flannels? Like how many episodes?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Stupid? I'm sorry, scandal, I love you all.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
All of a sudden he's like, he's like, I'm gonna
rock this bright red hoodie.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Because they couldn't have like further down the line, being
like the most wanted man in America is wearing a
poop brown flannel. Right, it's like the most wanted man
in America is wearing a red hoodie that like sticks.
Although I honestly, until this episode, has Huck ever worn
the color red.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
No, only when there's blood spatter on him does he
have red on his body. But he has not worn
the color red or any other color for that matter,
I mean you know.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, you were always like all fucking dull and shit, boy,
you looked cute in this you're dull. Well, we have
a great episode because I love this episode, and we
have very special guests who we're going to tease you
about later. But wait, wait, wait, wait really quickly, I
wanted to tell you that I got a text from
Shonda Rhymes this morning.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
You did. I love it? What did she say? Does
she love us?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, she loves us. She's obsessed with us. She's going
to put us in all of her shows from now
until the end of time. But Shonda wrote, she sent
me the Prince tweet? Did you know that Prince ever
tweeted us?
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I did not, don't. I feel like if I would
have known that, we would have ran with that shit.
How did we? I didn't know? Did you?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
I did not know? And this she sent me a
picture of Prince. He tweeted a picture We're going to
post it when this episode comes out of himself dressed
and it says a gladiator in a suit, and it's
Prince in like a beautiful suit. My god, from his
fucking own personal.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Oh coount, my god.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
I'm showing this to g right now on the phone, Like,
can you even handle this for one second?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Katie?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
This was when he was alive.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
We have to retweet this like when this episode as
this is amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
This is how I never how did I know?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Right?
Speaker 1 (03:00):
But to be honest, Katie, remember it was like a
whirlwind of things happening around us when shows were airing.
In the tweeting, it was a lot going on in
our worlds, right, Like there was a lot of shit,
So we probably just missed it. But it's Prince. How
did we freaking miss Prince?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
The fact that he even sat somewhere and watched anything
of me doing anything is like absolutely fucking insane to me. Yeah,
we have somebody coming on so special for you gladiators
out there, and my mouth is already watering because she
could win the award for bringing the best salads and
the best fucking food that in seven years of scandal
(03:39):
that we ever saw this person.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
And I first bonded over cum quats because she has
the most amazing cum quats that she grows in her
backyard and she brought me some and she used to
put them in her salad, and ugh, now I can't get.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Enough of her constant watering. She is incredible. She would
come in to work sometimes with dirt under her nails,
like and having to get a manicure in this and
everything because she's like to put her hands in the
earth because she's so fucking real.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
She is uh the best.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Born and raised in a little town off of Alaska,
like I think an island uff of Alaska, and her
dad growing up was one of those deadliest catch fishermen.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Do you know that? Yes, yes, yes, And I'm.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Convinced it's why she's such an incredible actress because she literally,
in my head, she just grew up playing imagination all
the time because literally no one was the fuck around.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah. I remember she told me a story once that she, uh,
the weather there was so crazy and we could ask
her this when she pops on, that she jumped up
or something in the wind like blew her away because
she was so skinny at the time. I mean, my gosh,
when she comes.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
On, she is incredible. She's also the inventor of the
eye hug. Yes, we're going to talk to you about yeah,
because she needs to explain to you all what that
is in all its glory. She was the last person
hired of the series regulars on Scandal. We were waiting
and waiting and waiting.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
That's a very good fun fact, Katie. Yeah, hell yeah,
she was the last one.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Who the hell was going to be playing? Yeah, Abby Wheeling. Yes,
And we are here today hanging out with one of
our true true other gladiators from Olivia Popan Associates, the
one and only Darby stanch Oh. Oh yeah, I'm honestly
(05:36):
going to be emotional.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Oh my god, dubs, Miracle you guys, dum.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I'm telling you. We've had other people on Carrie, John
and Tony, but no one makes me feel like kind
of emotional, like.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
I know, I know, I don't know, because if we
were the crew.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Right, we were like more in the trenches or something like.
I just feel like I feel like the three of us.
And then of course the first three seasons Columbus were like.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
It was special. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
It reminds me a lot of the same that I
feel with people I did an MFA program with, Like, Yes,
we've seen each other in absolutely every single state of mind,
and I feel like I know you guys better just
by looking at you. That's the words that I know
most people. Yes, familiarity.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I completely agree. Can we just stay for the record
that you are so beautiful? It is a show like
it is a shock to the system, Like she's here
with her long red hair and her beautiful face, and
we've been like g and I have watched the first
(06:50):
two seasons and you are so remarkable. You have so
much amazing material. And by the way, this just occurred
to me. We're in these two seasons before you even
became the fucking chief of staff.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Yes, yes, the secretary I know, which was like a
whole inner series for me.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, you became red right, like the.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Nicknames, and then I had that big TV hair and
started wearing the dresses and you know, and then when
low status like trying to get in the bubble at
the White House and being called Gabby, Yeah, like it
was a whole different thing. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
First, tell us your origin story of how you joined
the Scandal family. Do you remember your audition or where
you were in your life.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
I remember that you guys, I had been binging Damages
with Nails and Rose Byrne, and I was at a
point in my career where I was like, Okay, I
really want to play a woman like this. You know,
on a show like this, where you know, they get
(07:58):
to do all the big things and they're and they're
like the main event. And I was at a point
where I was like I might quit acting. And that
was the first summer really thought that way where I
was like, if I'm only going to be called to
be on a you know, a guest star on some
sort of episodic where I cry over you know, a
dead husband, I'm going to go do something else. So
(08:22):
I was in that state of mind when I auditioned
First Gamble, and I was just not having it. I
was so no nonsense in my life. What you see
is what you get. I walked in the room and
Betsy Beer's, you know, Betsy Shadder in the room, Paul mcwigan,
Wenda lay. Betsy says, that's a great suit. And as
opposed to saying you know what the designer was or anything,
(08:44):
I was like, oh, well, it's nothing special. It's just
all a lot of good tailor you know, so abby
wheeling so much true, Yeah, so true. I think Betsy laughed.
And then we did the audition.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
What was the scene?
Speaker 4 (09:02):
I had like three four scenes that one page is
of war where I where I learned this big clue
and I so there's that like kind of awkward side
of Abbey that we see. There was a monologue that
was never in the show that Shonda wrote about Stephen
how Steven smells like apples and man, wow.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Well god, we see it all over your face in
a bunch of episodes.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Anyway, we did the scenes and I got done and
sat down and there was pure silence, and Shonda was
just staring at me. And you know, Sho is like
this presence and sure her brain is going, but she doesn't.
You know, it's like time has stopped. Everyone stopped. Everyone's
looking at her again. Because of the frame of mind,
(09:53):
I was at take it or leave it, you know,
I didn't start to oh, thank you so much, yeah, yeah,
anything again.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I just sat whatever, this is it.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
I stared right back at her. You did that for
like a minute.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Yeah, pretty intense.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
That's mostly what I remember. And then I had to
come back again, I think for some suits who needed
to see with my hair down and can she cry
and stuff like that. So he did another little round.
But at that point I could tell.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
This all happened very quickly though, right Darby, because I was.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
The last one to be cast.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Yeah, yes, do you guys remember this?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (10:31):
We we had been we had been rehearsing this show already,
we had been rehearsing the pilot and we were all like,
oh my god, who's going to play Abbey? Who's going
to play Abbey?
Speaker 4 (10:39):
And then okay, and I have two very specific memories
of you guys really. But first was so I get
cast and we go to the Prospect Studios Prospect Studios, right,
and you guys are we're all waiting for like screen
tests or something or rehearsal or something. And I walk
to the where all this is happening, and Katie, you're
(11:02):
one of the first ones I see. Do you remember this?
What I remember like yesterday and you're sitting there. I
remember where you were sitting at this table and you
look up at me, and you know your face, I mean,
you have this sunshine face. You have the most beautiful,
kind eager like I can't wait to meet my new classmate,
(11:23):
you know, my new show.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
I felt, I.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Know, and you were so I just remember your radiance
and I was like, Okay, this is gonna be fun.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
I remember that moment so well. I was sitting at
a table that had a chair attached to it or something,
and you can walk in, and you were wearing your
suit that I think you auditioned in, like I don't
know or no, was it the suit?
Speaker 4 (11:44):
You know, I don't actually know what I was wearing
in that moment, But for rehearses, I was like in
a long black coat of my own that ended up
being very much like what Abby wears.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
It just made me feel like, well, I just.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
I'm a sucker for a long black tailored coat. And
then Jared, when we did cut you a couple of
days later after warhears as, we did a studio read,
a read for the studio read for the network, and
it was like a big room of you know, all
the important people. And I remember coming into this room
and I was feeling very much like I often do,
(12:17):
like like a watcher, like just kind of quieter, and
you were doing that. You were quiet, no one was
talking to you were already sitting down, I think, at
the table, and I went up and I joined you,
and I just remember, I just remember like that being
the first moment of connection of like okay energy.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
I remember that. I remember that and moving forward from there.
Every time you and I had a scene together. When
we started shooting, it just felt special because our worlds
didn't really collide that much, right, Like on screen.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
I know special task, special group of individuals. I feel
very connected to each and everyone, especially this Gladiator.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Yeah, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
I mean going back to these cases of the week
and like you being up on the board and you
being like, I do know that Wally.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Was She's pulling out that like hair from the from
the drain in that one episode.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
An investigator, right and taking.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Super into Steven. The episodes were like you find out
Steven's sleeping with prostitutes, and you have all these amazing
lines in the first season when you're like finding out
what hardwood floors are, like the drapes and the curtains,
and like you're the snarky, ironic character dry so needed,
so funny, and your relationship with Olivia is just.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Like so good. We'll be right back, guys.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Are there any memories that you have that really stick
out from the pilot?
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Yeah, shooting in the original building downtown for some reason
that period of time. I think it's because we had
to do all night shoots. Yeah, because of we were
shooting night for night I guess right, And it was
also maybe just when we could get in there. I
don't remember. We were there all night long in that giant,
drafty building and there was a jewelry robbery that there
(14:20):
was a robbery that happened across the street at the
jewelry store for real.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
I love that you remember that the jewel heighst and
we all couldn't leave the building. They resolved it or.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Whatever, and so I just remember the sequence that all
night long, like we were doing a sequence where it
was the cloths feeding up but you see all the
different evidence going up on the board and then and
how long that took didn't fail me even though it yeah,
you know, in Paul mccueigan's style, it sped up really
really fast and takety seconds. But how many hours that took?
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Do you remember the windows leaking because it was raining outside?
It was it was raining.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
It was drafty, it was yeah, I mean, wasn't there
like a crazy elevator situation just to get up there? Yes?
I was well, I was having my own high health drama.
I was having I was getting blisters.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
I remember that because you were stockings in.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
The show my god, it was so awful. It was
It's so funny being were like, you know, you can
change shoes, even though we've shot half those things. You
need to change shoes because I.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Was just.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
They were so supportive, you know, and literally just finding
our feet, understanding what the tone of the show was
and everything. But you know, when your boss will say
something like that, you feel quite supportive. Yeah, I'm sure
struggling with something so technical.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yeah, flashing forward, Darby, do you remember you and I
were shooting a scene. I think it was the last season.
We were in a scene We're at a party, and
we were like, let's try like Huck is rubbing your feet.
We rehearsed the scene where I'm rubbing your feet, and
I think Tom was like, yeah, I don't I don't
think I don't remember that.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Oh shut it down.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yes, yes, yeah, I thought it was.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
Why I would have liked it.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Was you and I liked it because we were tired.
It was very like, you know, just like your little
or older brother. I was gonna say a little brother.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
Maybe he thought it would just like lead to too
many questions.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Yes, exactly, exactly interesting interesting debut.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Did you know about Abby's backstory at all about the
abusive husband, about any of that before you got the
role was that.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
No, I did not know. And this particular episode was
an interesting moment in that in that whole story, I
did not know that at all. And I think it
first comes up in season one between Olivia and Abby.
Think it's a very inflammatory scene. I don't remember all
the words, but I remember Abby basically really sticking into
(16:54):
Olivia and saying, you've got your names on that door
you have to fix. You've got to say it, just
like you've helped me out of this relationship. And I
didn't know much. And you know, when I think about it,
it wasn't like I was briefed about it or you know,
I just sort of learned as we went, and then
I I researched, you know, domestic abuse. I started to
(17:18):
build a backstory like we all do with these characters.
And then, you know, it's so interesting because every time
that Abby had anything domestic abuse come up about her
past relationship or a trigger in some way, it always
was like a very PTSD kind of experience. I, as
(17:41):
an actor, didn't know how these scenes would turn out.
It was also surprising what was written in the scripts.
It was new, and I would have a very visceral
reaction to the material and I wouldn't get to.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Collectual about it or yeah we were I feel like
that was the process.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
It was very very strange how how that process was,
and now it affected me. But I think in the
episode that we're talking about, there's a scene where Abby's
waiting for David in his apartment and there's no words
and Abby slaps him.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Oh my god, but that's your brilliance? Are your few?
Me and Carrie used to say this about you. Only
Darby can go from like is she gonna laugh? And
then she gets a twinge of emotion and then you
can see her bury it and then you can see
like anger come out, but like in your face. Without
them writing anything, we could see all of that on
(18:44):
you so beautifully, And.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
In this episode it happens. In this episode you go
from like anger to lust to hatred to emotional oh
my god.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Almost crying, to the relationship that couldn't be. Oh my god,
we're going to get there. I can't even taking like
such a hard left turn. And I talk about how
delicious the salads you made on set for or whatever
food you were bringing in, and honestly, you would come
(19:20):
in with fucking ship that I don't know if you'd
grown in your own garden manicure because there's dirt underneath
my nails.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
We enjoyed watching your salads. We just.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
The spinach, the like nuts. There'd be like it was delicious,
and then you'd always put lemon and stuff in like
a little lemon baggy to like squeeze it. I was like,
she is the classiest bitch guy, remember, oh.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Yeah, oh yeah, that's a wonderful thing to be obs
that is, you were a great cook.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
And also can this bring us to I do think
you also grew grapefruits and you had the most incredible
Instagram video during COVID that saved all of our lives
where you instructed us all how to cut said grapefruit
while you had a breakdown of hysteria, which glass of
Darby can only break like that.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Yeah, that's what happens when you were quarantine.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
And and it wasn't only in one way. You had
different ways you could do it. You were like, well
you could do slices or you could do cute, which
was brilliant.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
You are the most delicious human being Oh my god,
do you remember in DC for the penultimate episode when
you and George and all of us we were like
running around at like the John Wilkspooth Theater where Lincoln
got shot, and we were running around to the bathrooms.
We were like freezing cold, but we were just running around.
(20:55):
Like you said, I think you nailed it like classmates,
like as if they were like back in elementary school,
like almost giddy.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
Some of my favorite memories of all of us are
like backstage before we go on to do Haimy fest
or or Jimmy Cammel, you know, just these sort of
backstage moments where we're in the wings and publicity is
set to work. That's like, really, you know, you're not acting,
(21:22):
you're selling your show. But it was always play with everybody.
There was always there was always We sent so many
upfronts together in New York, and I just remember being
like going through backs of kitchens, you know, being in elevators.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
I forgot about that.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
Waiting at the upfronts, for instance, and there'd be all
these other shows and all these other casts. It would
be quite dry and kind of a corporate day. And
if we would just be like yucking it up.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
We were rock stars. Man. That was so much fun,
you know what I.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
Mean, just the chemistry, the fun that we all have together.
There's just this now actual band or so such a you.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Know, do you get recognized? I wanted to ask you
because I feel like I can hide really easily. G
sticks out like a sore thumb. And I've always been like, God, Darby,
must stick out like a sore thumb. Even though you're
very good at stuffing that red hair underneath the hat.
You're just so tall, You're a giraffe. I mean you
to me, you would stick out even if I didn't
know you.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
I definitely enjoyed when we were in the thick of
the pandemic and we were wearing gasps everywhere. I really
enjoy that.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Yes, but I still.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
Got recognized with that because of my red hair. So
you're right, if I put a hat on, I do
feel like right now I'm getting recognized. For the last role,
I did a lot more, only because I look more.
My hair's a little bit more. It's not as red
as when I was on Scandal. You know, I really
bumped up the red there for a bit. But yeah,
you know, here and there.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
For the listeners. Darby plays Nina Locke on an amazing
show called Lock and Key. It's on Netflix, yes, and
I don't know why it took me so freaking long
to start watching it.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
But because there's so much content cabs now.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Truly, how was that experience shooting Lock and Key?
Speaker 4 (23:05):
It was great?
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Yeah, it was nice.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
It happened just, you know, several months after Scandal. It
was a three season a run. I liked it because
it was something so totally different from Abbey Wheeling, that
kind of a murder mystery so good, wrapped up in
a show that's very magic or kind of light horror oriented.
So it was all very very different from Scandal. The
(23:27):
world of it, well.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Except for another Scandal cast member who is on Lock
and Key, Brendon Brendan Hines, Mister Tatiana Maslani or to grow,
mister Xana Bayou. Gideon Wallace also was on Lock and Key.
Working with Darby. Was that so crazy?
Speaker 4 (23:49):
It was crazy. It's so funny. I every once in
a while I'll still text him a picture of us
rolling him up in the carpet. Remember, yeah, he dies,
there was a photo that we have, or the whole
all of it are standing over him. Katie, you're so bloody,
you're in air. Yes, and we literally roll home up
in this carpet. So I'll just send him out without
any words.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
I love that.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
Back to the good old.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Days, hilarious. Earlier on, when we were recording these episodes,
I was the one that told Giermos, like, guess what
Brendan Hines did in COVID He got married Tatiana Maslani,
and Geirmouth thought, I said, Oxana by.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
Lesle what So it sends us down a real long
imagination train of what what Idi and on Oxana's children
would be like or something.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Darby, will you do something with us? When we get
to the synopsis? Would you do us the biggest solid
If I read the first paragraph, g is going to
read the second, and you'll read the little third paragraph,
and we're going to try.
Speaker 6 (24:52):
Yours.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Oh no, we only got a year, and it's remarkable
how far we have fallen, you guys. To day we
were talking about we have Darby Stanchfiel here, the one
and Only Abbey Wheel and we're talking about episode two
oh nine, which was titled blown Away. It aired on
December thirteenth of twenty twelve, and it.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Was written by Mark Wilding and directed by Jessica Yu.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
It was guest starring Susan Porfar as Becky Flynn, Kate
Burton is Vice President, Sally Langston, Greg Henry is Holly.
Speaker 6 (25:18):
Bally Doya, Dan Bucatinski is James Novak, George Newburn our
Georgie as Charlie, Deborah Mooney as Vernon Thornton, Shannon Cochrane
as Attorney General, Susan Sawyer, and Kate McGregor Stewart as Mary.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Here's the synopsis, Sorry, Ready, here we go. Olivia and
the OPI team are shocked Whenhuck reveals that he's the
person the FBI are looking for in connection with Fitzest shooting.
As the team gets to work uncovering the truth about Becky,
Huck spirals and denial until Becky asks Huck to run
away with her, admitting the truth of her involvement and
and her background.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
As Huck struggles with the decision to run away with Becky,
Olivia and doors fittest potential funeral planning, and Cyrus looks
into exactly what James knows about defiance. As Huck finally
decides to stay Becky anticipates his betrayal and kills the family.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Howkwak Holostyle is up to even more tricks as he
gives Sally Langston and nothing inform mentioned about Berna Thor
to put her off the bench. But Verna has plans
of her own when she offers to resign or give
it the name of the person who wanted for shooting
the president.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Oh yeah, like.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Riding a fuck you guys my heart right now?
Speaker 4 (26:24):
Yay, that's anxiety and.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
You have that in spades, yes, oh yeah. First and foremost,
the biggest scene from this episode that shows the emotion
is like you said, it's the fingers in his mouth.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Where did that come from? Darby? Was that your idea?
Was that in the script?
Speaker 4 (26:45):
Okay, I'm so glad you asked this farm because that
I have been asked this question so many times from fans,
from fans and from you know, like every time we
do press interviews. That was one of the questions I asked,
which prizes me because we were so bound to the script.
(27:05):
And I remember after a table reached on and I said, Okay,
I'm gonna write the scene you know how she does.
I'm gonna write the scene for you guys, and we
get the scene and there's no words. What we did
is exactly what she wrote. What we werehearsed it just
like you would, you know, some sort of stunt, whether
it's violence or sex or whatever those sort of sequences
(27:27):
in TV land. You know, it was very technical and
it was very much like a dance, like you put
your foot here, you put your fingers here, go on,
and so it was really really clinical and it was
all shown it. She was all that she wrote under.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Why did she ever say.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
Why I didn't ask her about the scene. I didn't
discuss it with her. I almost felt like it was
so powerful on its own. I just wanted to do it,
execute it kind of without thinking. It goes back to
what I was saying about, you know, finding more about
(28:08):
Abbie's backstory, and this is the first I mean, what's
so astonishing for me about the scene is it's the
first time you see Abby's maybe her past domestic abuse,
violence stuff sort of creep up in her life in
a present day way that she's initiating and it's like, yeah,
it's tied up with.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Her lover, her trauma.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
There's so many questions about that and he accepts it.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
And he's so submissive to you. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
Yeah, it's an astonishing scene. There's so many questions.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
But Darby, what about the smacking? You really smacked him?
I thought me and Katie have a scene where she
smacks the shit out of me like three times. I
lost my hearing for about twenty minutes. But I was
in Katie's defense. I was like, smack me for real,
do not play smack me? And then I was like,
what what did you say? But it looked like you
really smack Josh. Did you guys have a conversation about that,
(29:03):
about smacking him, how that was going to be, how
that you were going to do that.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
I don't really recall. I don't except that it was
just like this sheet that John had written all of
these actions, and it was just try and remember one
thing in the saint, you know, in the right order,
and do it with no words.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
First we come in first, I do this. Then I
shot up him twice. Then we pull apart. Then I
put fingers down, and then I lift my skirt. Then
I pushed it out.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
It was three fingers. I think it was so specific, you.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Know, But you guys did it so well. You could
have done all that, and it could have been a
shitty scene. But the reason that people remember it is
because you guys played it so well, so.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Real, so good, so good, He's so good, and it's
so you can see her feeling like embarrassed and then powerful,
and then hating him and then wanting to be with him,
and then being sad for where they were, what their
relationship could have been, and just like there's so much
and then she literally lifts her skirt up. You have
(30:03):
sex with them, and then there's this whole moment where
you stand up and you repull your skirt down over
these amazing tights, thank you Lyn paw Right. They're thigh
highs kind of thing, and then you flip your red
hair in like a sexy way, which was incredible, and
then you just pull your skirt down, fix your sort
of jacket, and then you like walk out of the
(30:24):
apartment and just fucking leave his ass.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
But that look she looks back at him and has
this face where she's like about to cry, but no,
fuck you, I'm not gonna cry.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
So emotional. Like other huge moments of this episode, this
is the episode where Becky, played by Susie poorfar. She
finds out that Huck might be framing her to be
caught for shooting the president, and to get back at Huck,
she shoots his family. Yes, and I remember being at
(30:54):
the table read because she shoots the two little girls,
the mom, the dad, and the.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Dog, and people were more upset about the dog. People
were like, remember that bitch. Yeah right. This was the
first episode that I I mean, and I did this
several times after this that I called my managers and
I told them what I was going to be doing
in the episode because I was so excited and what
was happening in the episode, Like I've never done that
(31:20):
with another job, Like on this job, I feel like
I did that a lot.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Yeah, it's really really cool. It's really sweet.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
And the fact that Seanda went there with that scene
of you know, we see that whole family dead.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
Yeah, yes, but I didn't need to pull back on it.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
And we're talking season two, so everything was so shocking. Yes,
it's almost like season one establishes the show. It feels
quite procedural, and season two it just goes off.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
The rail, totally off the rails. At the end of
this episode, they take Hawk under the Patriot Act and
so we start the whole journey of him being like
waterboarded and orchard in the Pentagon and all that kind
of shit. But there's also just such great stuff in
this episode, as per usual, with just God, you worked
(32:09):
so much with Columbus, Like what was that You guys
really were the core of OPA, because Quinn's really the
newbie and Huck is a fucking weirdo beyond and not
that Abby and Harrison aren't, but Abby and Harrison are
sort of like the stronghold, like, and I see that
so much in this episode because this episode, Olivia's kind
(32:30):
of moved back into the White House and she's.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
Yeah, she's back and forth. It did feel like in
season two more and more Abby and Harrison were being partnered,
but they were being assigned more together, and so you know,
it kind of worked, I think great in that Harrison
was so sort of charismatic and loose and charming and
Abby is like such a smart ap and a cut
(32:53):
you know, like they just seem like opposite. So I
remember having they're being nice, nice scenes. They're written for
those characters where you can really feel the opposites.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Yeah, speaking about this, like your Josh Molina stuff was
so amazing in seasons one and two. I mean, Josh,
Abby and David Rosen were really the first couple that
they wrote on Scandal, other than the ones that had
already been established, Like we'd already had Fits and Olivia,
we already had Cyrus and James. Yes, yes, but when
(33:31):
he breaks you up because Olivia is telling Harrison like
your one job is to make sure that David and
don't ask me why, but David and Abby can't be
together because the two of you are going behind your
back and putting the pieces together about Cytron and the
election rigging. He breaks you guys up, and you have
this amazing scene during the case of the Week is
(33:52):
like the really really rich millionaire crazy guy. But there's
a whole episode where you do are on a stakeout
and you slow dance to some people at a jazz
You're gonna find a nice guy because he sets David
Rosen up to make it seem like he had abused
his past women and.
Speaker 4 (34:10):
You want so bad with Alby's background for her to
be happy, and then you know yes, and then you
know Harrison, it's such a good guy in terms of
them working together and well, that seems to be a
common theme in this show, doesn't it. You know, the
the things that we our characters do for power or
for you know, to fix something, either in a good
(34:34):
way or or because of being blackmailed or because of
hunger power. It's I remember that, Yeah, I remember.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
That by any means necessary. Right, we got we got
shit done. Can we talk about you and josh Joshua
Molina on set? How he would push which he was
such a ask to.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
You mag your sides down, which, by the way, he
did to me too. He's a fucking turd.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Not to me, because I would have been like, look, motherfucker.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
He told josh we said the only people you were
scared of was gear. He never fucked with Germo, really did.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
He never rank you.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
He pranked me that one time, and then after that
he didn't do it again. And I could tell you
what happened. I don't know. I think he could just
tell that I was not I was not going to play.
I was like, don't play with me. But I remember
I remember him at one point we were in oh
Pa and we were on wheelie chairs and he would
grab you while you were sitting down and roll you
like twenty feet away from everybody. And he would do
(35:33):
this over.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Over six scenes with this asshole.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
You were such a good sport.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
We had him on and I said to him, you
were the most polarizing person of the Scandal crew.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
And what did you say?
Speaker 2 (35:49):
He was psyched about it. He was like, he was like,
give me all the edge. He loves it.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
He loves to be the troublemaker does he wants that
to be his reputation. The thing that I've was most
humored by, I think, is that every once in a
while we'd have some really neaty scene, you know, I
mean just it would be immediate relationship scene where we're
breaking up, or you know, something a three four page scene,
(36:14):
lots of words, scandal pace, we're in the makeup trailor
he hasn't looked at at once because he has a photographic,
freaking photographic memory, so he just live in the makeup
care We ran the lines once or twice, and he
knows it like that, where I, on the other hand,
for the last forty eight hours or whatever long and
(36:35):
has this really dissecting this thing I've been I mean
not to say that I'm a slow learner. I think
anybody could be qualified as a slow learner and be
unscandaled for seven users. I think we all learned to
memorize quite quickly, but my process was just so different
from his. I think I got such a big kick
(36:55):
out of that that he he's so good. I mean,
he's such a mass at the verbose role that he played,
and you know, the thoughts are very clear. He executes
it so well. It's so brilliant. But we just would
approach it such different ways, and he'd learned it in
like ten minutes and then, you know, be off to
prank someone else.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
So we will be back with more after the break.
Oh you know what I want to talk to you about.
Remember I've talked about it on this podcast before, like
the goodbye process of like like I have to hug
everyone and say goodbye and all this stuff. And Darby
was a person who like never moved shit into her trailer.
(37:38):
I remember at the end of season one or something,
you were like, oh, I won't be here when we're
all saying goodbye, like I'm out, thank you, Yeah something
I'm paraphrasing. Yeah, yeah, can you talk about that a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (37:49):
Yeah, it's I do remember what you're saying. And it
was at the end of season one. Okay, we shot
seven episodes and we didn't know if we were coming back,
right we were shooting for as a mid season replacement.
So we're we're on the last scenes together in the room,
and it felt like most actors were, you know, we're
really into saying goodbye and getting emotional and hugging a
(38:13):
lot and talking about what it meant to them that
I think it's just a habit that I it's it's
really just kind of a muscle that I've developed over
time being in this business. Not too high, not too well,
you know, it's it's a protection or a diplomatic you know.
I had a great time, but I'm not I'm not
(38:36):
going to count any chickens before the hatch. I'm not
going to assume that I'm back. I'm not going to
celebrate before it's happened, you know, and even when something
is awarded. My management team said this about me, like,
you're really a funny one because you don't ever get
to I don't burst into tears when I you know,
when I got scandal or book something huge, O, my god, beautiful,
(39:04):
But that's beautiful and I admire that. And that's the actors.
I mean, we're feeling and we're right. I mean, Katie,
I love your hugging and not letting go. Belly is
very much the same. You're that that kind of love
where you just want to show someone and you're feeling it.
It's so beautiful. Sometimes I was more like that.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
But you know, we're we're a perfect Matt Darby Stanfield.
Speaker 4 (39:29):
But I do like it. We're all so different too.
I think that makes it more interesting. You know, you're
all the same. It would be it would be. Yeah,
back to my thing about Josh Wullia. So I think
I enjoy working with them because.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
It's just such a different derby. I promise these people.
Can you tell us right quick? What's an eye hug?
Speaker 4 (39:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (39:55):
She's doing it right now, folks, Yeah, right now?
Speaker 4 (39:57):
Who invented that? We were at all of us? We
were in the conference room. Maybe was it Carrien?
Speaker 1 (40:05):
I thought it was you. Yeah, you were the eye
hug inventor.
Speaker 4 (40:12):
I was probably because I'm like kind of like lest contact.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
You were like, don't touch me, stay open there. I'm
gonna hugging with my eyes.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
But that's so sweet. Would we would all stand around
the O PA table and it would be fucking late
at night, we will have been shooting for a million hours,
and then we would just look across and do like
a really nice slow blank to me and say, you know,
she's sending me an eye hug beautiful. Okay, I'm giving it.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
Let's give it.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Darby Stansfield was the inventor of she created it.
Speaker 4 (40:45):
Yeah, I'll take it.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Before we do some tweets at the time really quickly. Gee,
is there any scenes from episode two O nine that
stick out to.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
You some of the stuff that sticks out? His stuff
with James and Cyrus. James is back on his ship
with the side on card and defiance and all of that,
and there's just such great moments with those two they have.
They have a scene where they both have sandwiches in
front of them, and the thing that bothered me the
most and not one of them to bite that damn
sandwich fuckers.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
We always don't like when any actors don't eat.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Their whole storyline in this episode is that James is
on the tail of Defiance and is sort of working
with David Rosen and Cyrus to get him off. The
scent is like, I got you your baby. We adopted
a baby. He's like dangling the baby in front of
James's face to make him stop. And Verna Thornton and
Sally Langston have an amazing scene in this where Sally
(41:42):
comes and figures out that Verna has terminal cancer. Yeah, like,
I want your fucking seat on the bench.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
You want to to step off?
Speaker 4 (41:50):
Yeah, so much happens.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Yeah, Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
By the way, that's every Scandal episode in forty two minutes.
The amount of plot. Yeah, had incredible writing that goes on.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
Is no wonder we're going at stand apace.
Speaker 2 (42:03):
Yeah, we have to so insane.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
This is also the first time you see Huck have
sex with with Becky.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
Yes, I was just going to say that. Yeah, I
wrote Becky and Huck fuck on picks because they're sexces
on top of all these photos.
Speaker 4 (42:19):
You want to know something, that's something I really love
the way that was shot. Yeah, you're on top of
all those pictures and they're laid out at like a rainbow,
I mean, and have sex and roll all over these pictures.
I thought that was really I thought that was a
really neat scene.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
Yeah, Jessica you, and Becky sort of saying I want
to be with you, and Huck is saying, well, what's
your name?
Speaker 1 (42:41):
And she what's your real name? Yeah, and she won't.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Tell him, which means like she's being shady.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
Yeah, that's a tell for Huck, He's like, oh, you
don't really love me.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
Yeah, And the episode ends. Verna goes to Sally and says,
I'm not giving up my bench. I won't give up
my seat on the bench, but I can give you
the name of the man in the Red Hood who
shot Fits. And then the swat team comes to Opa
and takes drink under the Patriot Act. Yeah, oh my gosh,
it's a little bit time right now. Darbzy's for tweets
(43:12):
of the time. Tweetetetweeteto, tweetoto, tweetwet two tweets of the time.
Things were insane at dc PsyD on December fourteen, twenty twelve.
Had to repost this and it's a picture. Chicks be like,
(43:33):
I can't stand infidelity, but on Thursdays they'd be like,
oh yeah, because Scandal really made infidelity hot. I've never
seen more fans be more into cheating and loving that
Fits is just a cheating piece of shit?
Speaker 1 (43:50):
Yep, I remember Sue Tanner this this one gladiator. She's
an old g gladiator. Yes, she tweeted at Scandal ABC.
I hear there's a buve that will be going around
in January. The Gladiator flew hashtag scandal, hashtag what the huck. Also,
this is the episode where hashtag what the huck came
(44:11):
into plate way.
Speaker 4 (44:13):
Yes, and I think didn't that hashtags stay around for seasons?
Speaker 1 (44:17):
Yes? It did.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
What were your ship? Did you have any hashtags? Darby?
Speaker 4 (44:25):
Abby?
Speaker 1 (44:26):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (44:27):
Sassy Abby? That's right?
Speaker 1 (44:30):
Oh yeah, not like what the heck?
Speaker 4 (44:34):
Not like that? And Quinn, what was yours? Was it yours?
Speaker 1 (44:38):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (44:38):
I'm Quinn, bitch. Yes, in response to a monelogue that
I have to you where you're like Lindsey the whole
first season, You're like lindsay this and lindsay that. And
then I turned to you in the bar and I'm like,
I am not Lindsey. My name is Quinn Perkins. Then
I actually walk away and it's actually Harrison who looks
to you and says she's Quinn bitch.
Speaker 1 (45:03):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (45:03):
We were all waiting for Quinn to do that. Abby
was just such a Pilber.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
I was too. Let me tell you something. I watched
Quinn in the first season and I'm like, Jesus, let's
get the Carol of Kara.
Speaker 4 (45:14):
Nuts from Deetrough the truth. Counts Abby handled her business
and got up and walked out. You go, girl, such
a scandal. And I think she's referring to that scene
that you guys were talking about.
Speaker 1 (45:27):
Yeah, oh it's so good, so so good. Melody Baker
at Evan GML, she tweets Harrison in charge, get your
ass back here now. She's referring to when he calls
Olivia and he's like, get back to the office because
because Huck has the rifle that shot the president and
he yells at her on the phone, get your ass
(45:48):
back here now, which is the first time we see
him like talk to her like that that episode. It
was it was episode.
Speaker 4 (45:56):
Factor Carter Away at the end after Families and good
Yeah happen right, Oh just a little water boarding.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
Oh yeah, that's week. We're about to go on like
a whole Hawk journey.
Speaker 4 (46:11):
I was gonna say, let's just talk about Hawk and water.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
Oh my god, that's right.
Speaker 4 (46:17):
Just the water your camel.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
It's awful.
Speaker 1 (46:20):
Remember when you stopped.
Speaker 4 (46:21):
Showering and the rain.
Speaker 1 (46:24):
Yes, and all you guys make those faces every time
I come around or you guys, are you stink?
Speaker 4 (46:30):
But remember later on there's like a whole water episode
where you're under.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Like stuck in a car in a trunk.
Speaker 1 (46:35):
Yes, So between that the showering, the water, I did
two weeks of rehearsal in a pool with an instructor
for that episode. Anyway, this podcast is about Darby stanch Field.
Speaker 2 (46:47):
Darby, I just want to say we love you, thank
you for Unpacking the Toolbox of episode two nine.
Speaker 1 (46:55):
Darby, we love you. You're the best. Thank you, thank you,
thank you.
Speaker 4 (46:59):
It's an honor to be on your podcast.
Speaker 2 (47:01):
Yay. The next episode we have next week is called one.
Speaker 1 (47:05):
For the Dog, well for the dog, bitch, and.
Speaker 2 (47:08):
I think we're talking about the dog that Becky Beck
just sh yes. Gladiators, We're so happy that you tuned in.
I hope you loved hearing from Darby Lee STANSFIELDO.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
Thank you guys for joining us on Unpacking the Toolbox.
If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe, share with your friends, rate,
or leave us a review.
Speaker 2 (47:32):
Scandal is executive produced by Sandy Bailey, alex Alcea, Lauren Homan,
Tyler Klang, and Gabrielle Collins. Our producer and editor is
Vince de Johnny, with music by Chad Fisher.
Speaker 1 (47:43):
Scandal is a production of ABC Signature, and you can
follow along by rewatching Scandal on Hulu.
Speaker 2 (47:48):
Unpacking the Toolbox is a production of Shondaland Audio in
partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from Shondaland Audio, visit
the iHeartRadio app or anywhere you subscribe to your favorite shows.
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