May 13, 2026 • 57 mins
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star Kelli Giddish joins Sophia to reminisce about their early SVU-Chicago P.D. crossover days — find out why she still thanks Sophia in her head every time she goes out to dinner!
Plus, Kelli opens up about her scrappy NYC beginnings, a meet-cute you can’t script and why she's not making any long-term plans for SVU.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to work in progress. Welcome
back to this week's work in progress. Friends, I am
sitting down with someone I love to watch and that
(00:22):
I love to act with. This week's guest is none
other than the iconic Kelly Giddish. She has spent over
a decade inhabiting one of television's most complex and quietly
evolving characters on Lawn Order SVU. Kelly brings a depth
and grit and vulnerability and kindness to Amanda Rollins in
(00:44):
ways that have resonated so far beyond the screen and
off screen. I've been lucky enough to spend some wonderful
time with her, and let me tell you something, there
is nobody cooler to grab a burger and a beer
with than miss Kelly Giddish. Her journey has been shaped
by her early ambition in the South and the grind
of New York theater and moments of uncertainty that tested
(01:06):
her resolve, And in this conversation, I was just so
inspired to hear about the turning points that have defined
her path and who she's found in herself in the
quiet moments. Kelly has really mastered the art of giving
work her all stepping away to take really considered time
(01:29):
for herself and then diving right back in with her
full heart. Let's figure out how she's figured that out.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Let's dive in with Kelly Kiddish.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Well, gosh, hi, my dear, it's so nice to have
you here today.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Nice to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I've just missed you. I can't believe how long it's been.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
I know, I know, I am. It's I think about
I don't know how many times I came over and
get to play on Chicago p d's set when you
were when you were there, but they were so memorable
those times, and like you you showed me Chicago and
the places to eat yeah in a Chibal I don't
(02:18):
know if you remember. And now they did want here
and that's like the only place my husband and I
go out to eat here is abal here. And it's
I'm like, well, we can thank Sophia Bush for this time. Yeah,
it's been a long time. It's been a long time.
I'm so happy to see all of the things you're into,
all of the things you're you're getting to do. It's
(02:40):
really exciting following what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Thanks, honey, it's so nice and Yeah, it was. It
was so much fun when you guys came to visit,
and I always had the best time coming to work
on your set. I mean, you just run such a
great ship, all of you over on SVU. Congratulations on it.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
I think so too. It's a really it's a really
nice place to work.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Really, oh it's the best.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
And especially in this in this environment, this atmosphere, this
this time where they're like, oh, yeah, the show, it's
a it's a great show. You you you read the script.
You're like excited about everyone who's involved. You know, maybe
it's a new possibility. And they're like, and it's going
to be in Dublin and you're.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Like, oh, oh yeah, you know, or just Budapest or
Winnipeg or you know, and you're just like, oh my god,
I've this my fifteenth season of SVU.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
So I've I've gotten to be in New York, you know,
and raised my little family here and not have to
worry about about that. And that's that's worked so much
to me, you.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Know, oh totally. I mean it's really interesting. I've always
had to pick up and go for work and it's
so tough. Yeah, and I think to be in a
city that you actually live in, getting to do what
you love to do. It really it's it's kind of
like winning the lottery.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Yeah, it's huge. You don't you don't factor that in
when you're when you're twenty eight years old and you're like, yeah, whatever,
when when when do I come you know, rint for
a month? Yeah, no problem. You know, now you'd be like,
I need a kitchen ittte first of all, like whatever, you.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Know, it's like, also my kids are in school.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Wait what Yeah, it's it's totally totally different from from
the priorities you have in your twenties, as they should be. Yeah,
but that was fun then too, like getting to hop
around on different jobs and you know, you got to
be part of the circus and that was that was
so much fun, you know, And just so many different places,
(04:45):
work with so many different crews, beautiful, awesome cruise. You know.
It's like not everything, you know, not everything revolves around
New York, you know, And sometimes it feels that way.
I think to people when you live here and you
work here, you're like, well, everything here, you know, and
it does. And there's so many there's so many talented
and beautiful, beautiful especially crews and just cast members and
(05:07):
like you know when they do local casting. And when
I worked in Georgia, I was like, God, the hair
and makeup crew there, you know, yeah I'm Georgia and
like getting to getting to walk in first thing in
the morning and hear a Southern accent here, you know,
like they're they're eating the same kind of breakfast I
grew up on, so totally that was always great.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yeah, I had such a similar experience in North Carolina.
I mean, it's it is really special to get to
go and plug into these other pockets. And I, at
least for me, I feel like it's kind of the
both and it's so great, And it's hard to leave
your family and your home. Yeah, you're so lucky, and
(05:48):
you're trying to navigate something really difficult given the hours
that we work. But yeah, I love that you've been
able to go home a little bit and work. You know,
in your adulthood, when you think about growing up in Georgia,
I'll never forget, you know. Talking with you over burgers,
(06:08):
and you said this thing that really stuck with me
that I think is it's the way you phrase it.
You say that you were a latchkey kid with a
lot of freedom, like running around there. And I just
wonder what was your childhood, Like, what was Georgia like
when you were eight or nine years old? Were you
into performing already? Can you give us a little child peek? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
I mean I played. I played softball, you know, like
my dad was the coach of my softball team. So
I was the one that had to call every girl
in the roster and say, okay, practice is not canceled today,
even though it's raining. We're all going to meet up,
you know, be there, leave a message. And I had
to make notations you know, I was the coach's daughter there.
But then also I guess it was around that time
(06:53):
that like I was in an elementary school that you
know that I don't in my mind. The library was
like the size of Madison Square garden, and like the
roofs were so huge and beautiful, and miss Gatzi was
the librarian, and I just thought she was magical and
(07:14):
just she she curated, you know, so many experiences for
all all different kind kinds of kids, but for me,
like she I think she saw a little bit of
like a performing little thing, and so she kind of
mentioned it to somebody else in the county for Side County,
and then they kind of mentioned it to somebody else
and they go, well, you know, we're doing a community
play the Velveteen Rabbit. She should try out. So my
(07:37):
mom asked me. She was like, hey, they think maybe
you'd like to do this, and I was like yeah,
And I was like what do I have to do?
And you know, they go, you have to audition. I
was like, okay, got mean, you know, so I sang
do your years saying low for my first audition, I think,
and I got the part of the boat. So I
did pretty good on that one. You know, It's like
(08:00):
then I then I ended up doing you know, another
play with with that community group, and I found I
found a person that totally changed my life. And she
was huge in the community. This woman named Yate C.
Harvey who taught at the high school there. And you know,
my mom, my mom was a teacher in the county,
and so I moved over to her high school that
(08:22):
that theater teacher taught there, and so I got to
kind of go night through twelfth with this woman who
was a fireball, just a complete fireball, and I learned
everything I needed to know, I mean that blessed my
my college. But she prepared me for like a life
of performing, like to take it super seriously. You know.
(08:45):
She she she brought us to New York. She you know,
she showed us how to act in a theater as
an audience member. She showed us what it meant to
really care about to you know, and and and that
kind of thing. But like even when I was a
little kid, you know, it's like if I was on
my bike at like five pm, my parents would be like,
what are you doing home? You know, what are you in?
(09:06):
Like my my other friend had a go kart that
we figured out how to how to make the gas
like loosen up so that you could go faster. Yeah,
and we crashed it. I mean it was like we
were always in. There was a creek behind my house
that I got to go and make bridges over, and
you know, it's just like building for It's like that
kind of that kind of thing. So I see my
(09:28):
kids now and I'm like, Okay, piano on Tuesday, ceramics
on Wednesday, you know, and I'm like, I don't know
if I didn't after school like structured activity, I don't
know if I did that until really like I did softball,
but you know, you look at the kids now and
it's like so much of their time as structure, playtime,
you know, and it's it's so different. It's just it's
(09:50):
a different, a different thing. Like I had to call
my dad when I got home from school at like
eight and just be like, Okay, I made it home,
you know, and then I would be like, all right,
what snacks am I going to get into here? That's
that's kind of what it was like growing up. It
was it was absolutely a beautiful place to grow up,
Northern Georgia, picking farms and and cows, and you know,
(10:14):
it's like all kinds of local lore about different different
parts of the county. You could like like go on
and like all these different mystical tales about what had
gone on in different areas. And yeah, so that was
it was. It was really really beautiful, and all of
my immediate family was down there, so I got to
spend a lot of time with my grandmama's you know,
(10:35):
and you know, as my cousins and you know, so
it was it was really kind of idyllic.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
I love that. Yeah, it's so special, and you're right,
it's a weird thing. I hear you on watching your
kids and seeing how different time is.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
You know.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
I think about when I was a kid, we did
a stint in central California in a really small town,
and like we'd get our my parents' closest friends and
their kids, and like we'd go to the creek on
Fridays and catch frogs and like sit out and watch
the sunset. And I realize, even for me now, if
(11:15):
I don't structure a break, like if I don't put
take a walk in my calendar, I won't go outside.
And I'm like, wait, Like I'm a nature kid, how
did this happen? Everything is so different in such a
strange way. But yeah, man, the idea that we have
(11:36):
to structure our play is so it's crazy.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
It's been It's been a lot of fun at this
stage in my life. Like because I have a tenanist
seven year old, it's not they're not old. But I
also now have a two year old, so it's like
as soon as you learn how to walk, we'd get
up and you know, you don't have to have a
plan with a one or two year old. You just
kind of go and look at rocks or dirty. It's like,
(12:01):
that is one thing I love about New York. You
don't really have to have a plan if you don't
want to, Like, if you're ever feeling down, like even
in your twenties or whatever, Like, if you're ever feeling like, ah, you.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Just go out for just go outside.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
It's it's great. It's like it's weird because you'll all
of a sudden you'll meet up with someone that you
were thinking about, like that you had in five years,
and you're like, oh my god, I was just thinking
about you.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Let's go getfe like, what are you doing on the
street here?
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Yes, And it's you conjured. You conjure these these things up,
you know.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
It's like they have Well that's so interesting.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
You know.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
You talk about the kind of mystical magical of Northern Georgia,
and there's a mystical magical in New York.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
There is so in my brain.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
I was going to ask you, was it a crazy
culture shock when you moved to start pursuing acting. But
I actually wonder if, as different as the cities are,
if you felt that kind of similarity in the magic
of the two places.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Yeah, I mean I think I my head, I'm very
you know, like a lot of people, I'm just very
adaptable to new new places. It was like, I remember
my first morning after moving to New York. I woke
up in Chelsea, where I'd rented a food time in
someone's apartment for five that night a month, and I
(13:24):
go down the steps and I'm like, oh, new York,
you know here I am. Let's go and look down
and there's like an eighteen inch black dildo with like
like crack files. I was like, well, okay, you know,
it was just like pooh reality, you know. And I
was like I can deal with that too. You know.
It's like, okay, so someone had a great time here,
(13:46):
or you know, last night, I'm gonna go get my
coffee and bagel. But yeah, I was. I don't culture
shock doesn't really happen to me. Like I've always loved traveling.
I've always loved being like a stranger in a strange land,
you know, I like even even other countries and that
kind of thing. I never minded like being by myself traveling,
(14:08):
you know, and taking it all in Like it's that's
just I love doing that. I do too.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
I love I love knowing that about you. Yeah, I
I find it so exciting to get to a new
place and figure out what it's all about, especially if
it's different than where I've.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Been, same, same, And my dad is still like a
love of maps, you know, So it's just like me
with the map in a new city. It's like it's
heaven to me.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Oh I love that.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Well, when you you know you moved to New York,
obviously you have a pretty wild initial career. Like immediately
you're on stage opposite fair Faucet, then you're working on
All My Children. I mean, you did over one hundred
episodes on that, and then you get onto SVU, Like, ah,
(14:58):
did it just feel like one thing after an or
were there all those days that we know as actors
of like pounding the pavement and chasing the thing that
other people don't see?
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Absolutely? Absolutely? I mean like I I remember when I
first moved here, like I got kicked out of the
five hundred dollars a month apartment. She was like, oh, hey,
it's ever you to go and I was like, oh, okay,
yeah huh. And so I and I was working as
a waitress, you know, like at a at a little
restaurant around the corner, making forty dollars a night. I
(15:29):
was like, this is not gonna this is unsustainable. And
I'm like, I don't know what. I don't know what
I'm going to do, and I'm taking I'm like, I'm
in kind of tears because I'm like, I don't know.
In a you know, one of my regulars that you know,
me and old men have always gotten along, he's like,
he's like, what's wrong, And I go, I don't have
any place to live, you know, and she's like, well,
(15:49):
my housekeeper has a place. It's five hundred bucks a
month that's right up the road. And I go, yes,
So like I take that, and you know what. But
in the meantime, I was I was always like, you know,
I waited tables and did all that, but like I
always had friends here from college write, you know, playwrights
and that kind of thing that I would do black
box theater and that stuff my whole hardened mind into,
(16:13):
you know, and like being able to to figure out
how to make that work, you know, make enough money,
like on the weekends, so that I could audition during
the week and go to rehearsals for another thing at
night and and do all that, you know, it's you.
Of course, you don't regret a second of it. It
is the funnest time you know of your life where
(16:33):
you're living in like a crap hole, and just like
just like working working so hard on these plays and
like these new things, like trying to make it work
and figuring out like and I throughout all of it,
I always believed work begets work, no matter what it was,
you know. And at some moment I was like, well,
(16:54):
there's nothing for me to be in right now, I'm
going to write and you know, and I ended up
writing this one woman show and somebody from all my
children had come to see that, and that's how I
got it. Was like, I know, I know that work
begets work. That's all I know. So all I have
to do is keep working in some kind of fashion.
And you know, whether it's whether it's the mindset that
(17:19):
you know, just like just like playing guitar or something,
you have to keep keep that up, you know, you
have to keep up your chops. Whether it's that you
know and you just keep the momentum moving forward, whether
it's just trying to put yourself in places to be seen.
I think it's both of those, you know, because no
one's going to see you if you're not out there,
(17:40):
you know. Of course, So I throughout any hard times,
I always just believed I was like work, but gets work.
So whatever kind of work it is, you know, like
if it's a reading, if it's this, if it's that,
like it's going to lead to something else, you know.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Yeah, I love that. It's like the the idea that
the muse has to find you working. Yeah, you know,
I remember there's that. There's a great book called The
War of Art, you know, that was based on the
art of war, and it's like the the idea that
if you just continue making things to make will continue
(18:18):
finding you. I think there's something really powerful.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
In that too.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
How do you kind of balance though? Then, you know,
always being at work, especially when you've been on a
series for so long, and then the periods where you
do want or need a break, where you do want
to go somewhere with your family or work on something
(18:43):
else for a moment of freshness, Like, how do you
how do you grapple with those things?
Speaker 3 (18:51):
It's super hard because I have I have three kids.
So if if if work that isn't paying the bills
is not like if I'm on a break from that.
Then I'm like, okay, bull on, mom, you have me
every second, every every hour, every day, you know, and
I'm trying to get better about that, you know, like
(19:11):
setting some time aside for for just my mind, for
just for just staring off it in the you know,
into space at the wall and and being open for
the muse or whatever. But it is, that's it's really
hard balancing that and like just daydreaming and and then
making making the conversations happen and the meetings happen that
(19:34):
you know, somebody tells you of an idea, like you
come up with something and it won't leave you alone,
and actually you know, honoring that to to go after
it and to keep to keep cultivating it. I definitely
think it's a it's a skill, a learned, a learned
skill that you know, Like I said, I'm trying to
get better at at honoring that because it's it's it's
(19:58):
really easy when you're when you do feel like you
have a job that fulfills you. And I get to
go to work every day and I get to you know,
figure out some kind of puzzle and that's satisfying to me,
you know, and there's there's also a ton of other
stuff I want to do. There's different worlds I want
to you know, different characters I want to inhabit, different
people I want to work with. So but like I said,
(20:20):
work that gets work. And right now I'm doing I'm
doing like it just feels really good where I am
getting to be the mom that I get to be
and all that stuff. At the end of the day,
I fall asleep very well, like my head, my head
lays on the pillow very nicely at night, you know,
like the things that I feel like I'm getting done,
(20:42):
and you know, it's like, you know, you know, you
need to set set some more time aside to to
to just daydream and and you know, and like have
those conversations, follow up on those on those inklings of
things that you're like, that's that's something, you know, And
I have done that, you know, And and it hasn't
gone very far yet, but you know, it's it's going
(21:04):
to and and I'm going to keep working at it.
And like in working with Marushka and seeing all the
things that she's you know, it took her a long
time to make a movie about her mom, and she
did it but it took her a very very long
time to get to a place where it was possible,
you know, for her heart, for a brain, and and
(21:27):
things come at the right time, you know what I mean.
But it's it's certainly nice working with a good role
model like that, you know, who's years ahead of me
that I'm like, okay, all right, I see you. You know,
like that's when you did that. That's that's the decade
that comes, you know, and that's that's kind of that's
kind of awesome being a woman and just seeing another
powerful woman get after it and and do do the
(21:52):
things that make her happy. So I'm totally so happy
I have her as a role model.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Well, and I think you know, for you certainly at
work and in your friendship. But I would say that
that ripple affects out, you know, also having worked there
and seeing it for your crew. When you have someone
like her in the position of number one on the
call sheet, the world is so vastly different from what
(22:19):
it could be without her. Absolutely, and a person who
leads like that and manages to bring such professionalism and
also such humor into a space where like y'all are
dealing with a lot of really heavy stuff, and you
manage to laugh a lot on that set, and I
think that's really profound.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
I do too.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
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(26:14):
you know, because you've been playing Amanda Rawlin since two
thousand and seven. You know, you're coming up on twenty
years here, which is so crazy. And in the middle
of that, as you've discussed, you became a mom, you know,
for the first time ten years ago, and I really
wonder I've said it. I think you guys do a
(26:35):
really great job of taking the material very seriously as
it deserves to be. And as a cast you have
such a great group you managed to find such levity.
I mean, I've done some of my favorite acting and
then also like laughed the hardest I've ever laughed on
set with you guys. Yeah, Like, do you think that
(26:59):
being a well to do both at work when you're
playing a character who is immersed in so much hardship,
you know, trauma, heavy stuff. Did the duality you guys
have on set help you keep the light side at
home as a mom?
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Absolutely? Yeah? Absolutely? And people people are like, are you
do you parents scared? And I'm like, no, like my no,
like my kids a lot of free They're like, how
can you let him do that working on the show
you work on and I'm like that that doesn't It's
not like, yeah, you can't live scared just because you're
(27:37):
immersed in these horrible stories, you know, on a day
to day basis, and I rarely ever like bring that
that side of my work home. So it definitely helps.
I know, when I've taken breaks from the show. The
biggest thing I I I find that I miss is
the belly laughs that we have on set. Yeah, you know,
(27:58):
but I I like, I certainly didn't have an actor
as a mom, and I don't. It's got to be
annoying at points from like I'm so sorry. I'm like,
I you know, because I'm I give it to them,
you know, and it's they they roll with it, and
(28:19):
you know, we laugh a lot, and there's a lot
of different characters they get to see and a lot
of different funny voices, just like every mom goes out there,
you know. Yeah, like today, I go I was doing
like I was doing, like, oh my gosh, I forgot
my external hard driver at work. Oh And I was like,
I was like, was that good acting? Guys? And they
were like no, I was terrible.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Oh my god, Like oh, my god, mom, you're a shract.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
I tried it again and they're like, that's terrible, terrible,
and I go, Okay, your turn, and like we're trying
to get out the door to go to school. We're late,
you know what I mean, but we take the moment
to like get the moment the acting down right for
leaving your external charger at work and not being whatever.
So's it's just like it's you know, that's that. Hopefully
(29:03):
it's fun for them, you know, And yeah, it's it
certainly does. Like the level of play that that you
do at work, it definitely carries over when you come home.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Sure, yeah, totally. Oh I have found that especially for
me loving voice work as much as I do, and
you know, having having been lucky enough to play a
character in a Pixar movie, it's like, now I'm lucky
enough to live with these two magical little humans thanks
to my partner, and oh my god, like I turn out,
(29:34):
I do full Pixar movies. When we read books every
night with like voices and characters, I'm a great big girl,
a little witch and there you know, and she's just like,
who are all these people? And I'm like, I don't know,
it's just coming out of me. They love it. Yeah,
and it's like all those years of theater school you
you think you did and left there. Oh they're they're
(29:54):
in us.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
Oh they're there, They're there are five.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
And three and a half.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
Oh perfect.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
It's so fun. A Plaza, Oh my god, the funniest,
which is the joy of my life. Aubrey Plaza wrote
this great Halloween book about a little girl on a
block who becomes friends with the witch who lives across
the street. Wonderful and like, oh man, you've got to
read her. That book is a big hit in our house.
(30:22):
And doing all the little voices is so fun.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
That's great. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
I feel like being an actor gives you really great
play skills at home, Like you can just make anything
into an improv game.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. You know a lot of times, like
if Oldie the little one, if he's like really upset,
I mean just totally not reachable, you know, Like then
I'll pretend like his voice is knocking me down, you know,
and like all of a sudden, I'm crawling across the kitchen,
you know, and it's just like, yeah, at least I
got that, Like I got that in my tool kid
to make him laugh, you know what I mean? And
(30:56):
that being that parent is you know, I may, I
may mess up a lot of other stuff, but at
least at least I can reach him and make him
laugh when when things are getting hairy inside of his brain.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
How is it having such a little one with two
bigger kids, Like do they love having the baby around?
Speaker 3 (31:17):
Or they love? Oh it's magic? And like my old
he burst onto the scene and he was like, heard
you needed a baby in the family, So you know
what I mean, He was like, got it, got it,
got it, got it. But also, to be honest, it's
frustrating because we can't ever play the same board game.
(31:39):
So it's like the age difference is I mean, they
dote on him, they take care of him. They're such
good big brothers. He can throw a spiral and dunk
and you know what I mean, like way ahead their
two year old. I've seen so he's advanced and a
lot of that thing and a lot of those things.
But like find a board game, Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Not a two year old's gonna swallow the pieces of
the board game. You can't even you can't open those
boxes anymore, exactly.
Speaker 3 (32:04):
Find Yeah, I guess that's the first chune find a
board game in my house with all the pieces intact,
right first, Yeah, that's that's not me. Organization is not
my not my strong suit, but it is. It's frustrating.
And so like when you find a show, you know,
or a movie that you can all watch, sit down
and watch for for a while and everyone is like engaged,
(32:26):
it's like it's a win. It's like, oh, my dad,
one's actually doing the same thing all at once, you know.
So that's when the pool, you know, we're like going outside,
you know, like going for walks. That's those things everyone
can do and everyone has a different interest level in
something and we're all doing something together though.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
So it's those kind of things that you have to find.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
Oh that's so fun. Thank god it's finally getting warm
out here too. Right This winter was so tough.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
I well, last week, I think it got up to
like seventy for a day, call my husband, I dropped
the two year off at school and I was like,
he didn't answer. He was doing something. So I was like,
I just want to tell you, I'm so grateful for
you and for the boys. Love our life and this
is so great. All right, have a good day. And
like and I'm like, what's going on? I was like, Oh,
(33:19):
the sun is.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Out, the sun's out. Yeah, this seasonal effective depression is
starting to wane.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
Yes, it's so crazy how much it affects everyone. But
like for me, I was just like, what is going
Oh that's right, it's it's above three.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
Yes, yeah, yes, I can walk outside without my snot
freezing in my nose.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
That's correct.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
But I still love the seasons, you know, like I
still love going through all of it because it really
did to create the crocus and the daffodil is coming up,
and yeah, you know it makes it all special because
you've waited for it for so long.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
I love it. Just starting to see, you know where
I am. The birds are all starting to come back.
We just saw our first pack of turkeys, you know,
moving through the property the other day and I was like,
oh my god, they're all home. Everyone's coming home.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
You know.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
It's really it is really sweet.
Speaker 3 (34:13):
The little things are not so little, you know. Yeah,
it makes you make your whole day better.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
You mentioned your sweet husband Bo. You guys met while
you were at SVU, like and forgive me. I know
we've talked about this, but I feel like it's probably
been ten years since the last time we had a
beer together. Remind me of your meet cute story.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
So he he was, he was, he was driving me,
and I like, it's we didn't even talk that much
in the car, you know what I mean. And I
I was going through a divorce, butuch when he met me,
and like we didn't really we didn't really even talk
(34:59):
like personal stuff. We just played music in the car
and it was just like a beautiful little oasis of peace,
and and his taste of music was really good, you know,
and like, yeah, I was like, oh my gosh. And
then the then the divorce was happening, and so that
I was leaving that behind, and then he kind of
(35:22):
emerged his It's like, oh, I'm like I I kind
of wanted more of that, you know. It just kind
of it just kind of slowly bloomed into something really
special and really like I'm like, oh, this is my
person I want to rely on and I want him
(35:43):
to rely on me, and I want to be like
I'm going to be a bigger, better person with this
this guy beside me, and that that to me is like,
I mean, the biggest thing you can say for your
relationship is just just wanting one to be better so
that you can make them better. And you know, and
(36:03):
like knowing you go through really hard stuff with someone
and they're just they're going to be right beside you,
and it's who you want rubbing your back. You know,
it's back you want to rub, you know, and it's
I'm so I'm so grateful the sound and shining, but
I am I'm so grateful. So we we had we
(36:26):
had a son together almost three years ago and now
we have this beautiful, little blended family that's just it's
a lot of boys and a lot of balls in
the house and and it's just we're rolling along and
time it's crazy how fast time goes. But you know,
it's like these kids have known him since he was
(36:48):
little and now and as as their stepfather, and you know,
he really embraces that role in a beautiful way. And
he's embraced fatherhood to two oldie and such a beautiful way.
And you know, seeing that, it's I like you, I'm
just still excited for what's to come, even though like
(37:09):
we've done the big milestones of having a baby and
gotten married, Like now it's like okay, now, like the
meat of the relationship starts, you know, it's like the
falling in love and everything like that. That's beautiful. But
it's like I said to him the other day, I
was like, that's that's kind of the easy part, you know,
like now to get to make our relationship what it's
(37:29):
going to be, you know, in ten twenty years, and
that all that work is exciting exciting for me.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
Yeah, oh my gosh, I yes, yes, yes, yes, I
feel like everything you're saying. I'm like in that part
and that part and that part and that part. I
think there's a really profound thing that can happen when
when you have the courage to say, oh, the checklist
(37:59):
we all get handed, isn't I don't think it's my list,
like I did it, but I don't think it's for me.
And I think when you wind up in community with
people that are having their versions of that experience, magic
can can come out of that. I know that it
did for me, and there is something really special. I
(38:22):
think about recalibrating your life to what brings you joy,
not just falling in line and doing the thing that
everyone told you to do and it yeah, it's like,
it's so I don't know if you feel this, but
I feel like I'm living the most normal version of
(38:44):
my life I've ever lived, and it's also the most exciting.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
Yes, same, same, it's crazy that. Yeah, if you had
written it down, I would have been like, wait, what
Then I fell in love with my driver and now
we're we get to work in the same place, and
then we have an I have three children in that library,
Like I'm the mom to three kids. That's crazy, right,
(39:09):
he told me that it Yeah, if you told me
that at twenty five or do you know or whatever,
it's it's And now it's like, I'm I don't know,
I've carved it out and I'm I'm so I don't know.
I'm so happy and like the things that I have
to make decisions on are so wildly so wildly normal,
(39:31):
you know, like you have to make them together with
a partner and and and then you have to you
have to worry about your kids and like all the
all the things you're you're doing good and all the
things you're messing up, and the finite amount of time
you have with them at home, Like I never. I
don't know you just like because when I was when
(39:52):
I got my driver's license at sixteen, my parents like
we were laughing about it the other day. They were like,
we never saw you after that. Yeah bye, yeah, super tight,
like and and I don't remember calling them when I
was in college, Like I like, they were just always
there for me, and I I like, I loved speaking
with them, I loved going back home to visit, but
(40:12):
it was just like they were always just the net
for me, and yeah, you know, hopefully that's how I
can be for my kids. But I'm like, but they
have to call me a lot. And I was thinking't
be like I was, you know, in England and traveling
the world and just not just you know, they have
to email. But it's like we didn't. We didn't even
(40:33):
do any of that. You know. It's like life three
sixty like that didn't that stuff didn't exist.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
No way. I was so similar. I went to college
and you know, my mom and I have talked about
this more recently, but you know, I finally was like,
you were really but her that I didn't call anymore,
and she was like, well, you know, we were just
so close and you left and I was like, Mom, like,
you got to reframe that you did a good job.
(41:00):
You raised me to be an independent kid, and then
I was independent, like aren't you glad? I wasn't like
calling you to clean up my messes and asking you
for money.
Speaker 3 (41:09):
And then she was kind of like oh.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
I was like, that's a sign you did well as
a mom, and she was like, oh, I never thought
about it that way, and we had a really good giggle,
you know, and yeah, you know, serving kind of in
the role in my household that you know bo dozen yours.
Like now my mom knows these kids that are in
(41:34):
my world and she's you know, she's so god, she's
so sweet with them. And then there's these moments where
I'll be talking about like a leap, you know, some
verbal leap or some some streak of independence about something,
and she's like, oh, gee, wonder what that's karma for.
And I'm like, you know, they're like, no, let me
(41:54):
help you. I know you can do it yourself, but
let me help you. I love, I love like doing
things with you, like get ready, where do they get
a driver's license? So it's that I think, for.
Speaker 3 (42:05):
Sure, super big karma coming back at us but in
a good way. That means we've done a good job
at that part.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
That part and now a word from our sponsors that
I really enjoy and I think you will too. You
know you were mentioning how cool it is. You couldn't
have seen it coming, which, wow, do I understand that
in my bones? But you know, now you you get
(42:34):
to work with your man. You've built this big family,
you know, SVU in its own way, I would imagine
feels like a family. It's your other home, it's your
other world. Sure, and then you know it's also work,
and work can be complicated, like you know, as things are,
(42:55):
you clearly love it and you all love each other,
and you've you've talked about how there were tougher seasons
and there were moments where you were all in in
moments where you were kind of out, not you know,
by choice, like we all know what that's like in
the world of creativity. How did you take a break
(43:16):
that felt weird and figure out how to make it
feel amazing? Like you touched on it a little bit earlier.
I'm curious, do you feel like it gave you the
space to recalibrate priorities? Did it give you the space
to try a creative thing you hadn't tried, like cause
you seemed, at least from the outside from somebody who
(43:38):
likes to cheerlead, you seemed like you made incredible strides
during that time. So in reflection, does it feel.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
Like that, Yes, it does. I mean the break that
I took coincided with with the birth of my third
third baby. Now, in the first two I had breastfed
on set. I am like, like for one of them,
I was back doing adr week after giving birth, like
(44:07):
back filming like four weeks after, you know. And I'm
a workhorse, like I love I'm good at I'm good
at showing up, I'm good at long hours, I'm good.
I'm just good at working. I liked it. I like it.
But when I didn't have a call sheet coming to
my inbox every morning and you're like, oh, there's no
(44:29):
plan for me today, I get to make my own plan.
You know, That's when I started lifting weights a lot.
And after I swear it was like I love doing that,
like actually finding that, you know, like like in your
twenties and thirties, you're just like running on the on
the track or like the treadmill you know, like actually
(44:51):
like really making myself strong, like really strong physically, and
like pursuing an opportunity to sell a show, you know,
and go out on pitches for for this show that
I absolutely loved based on this book, and then all
these conversations happened about like starting up this. I did
this show called The Burg, which is like it was
(45:13):
like one of the first Internet shows. Like SAG didn't
even know what to do. They were like, you don't
know what to do?
Speaker 1 (45:19):
Like what is this?
Speaker 3 (45:21):
Yeah? It was? It was that was really fun. And
I've I've kept those the the creators of that show
close to to me, close to my heart, and then
they're the funniest people I know and like just get
circling back with them and going, hey, what are you
guys up to? Like like what, Yeah, let's let's see
if this has any more life in it, you know,
(45:42):
and like so that's an ongoing thing and like I
think just learning those lessons of of it's it's okay
to make your own schedule, Like you're good at this,
you know, like you you get you get shit done.
It's okay, you know, and like getting to be at
home with a baby, you just at home, yeah, you know,
(46:02):
and like watching a Rick Rubin documentary at twelve o'clock
in the afternoon if I want to with the baby,
you know what I mean? Like that felt I've never
I haven't done that, Like I've been working. Oh, I've
been working for since forever. So to kind of be
able to that was the big thing I learned is
that you can make your own schedule pretty well and
(46:25):
you make good use of your time. It's okay, you know,
it's okay. You don't get a call sheet in your
inbox every morning, do you.
Speaker 1 (46:34):
Feel like did you have a kind of template for
your schedule or was it different every day? And the
reason I ask is because I like you am a
great workhorse. I love to show up, tell me where
to be, tell me what to do. I'm all in.
I'll figure out how to make it fun. I'll probably
get a snack truck like that's my vibe. And I
(46:56):
find that unscheduled time is my It's the most exciting
thing to me and also my biggest source of panic
because the list of things like the Rick Rubin documentary
and everything else that I haven't had time to do
that I want to do is so overwhelming that then
I can't decide what to do. Yes, So like how'd
you do it? Did you have certain days you did
(47:18):
certain things on to give it a cadence, or like
what's the inside scoop on how you learned how to
manage your time?
Speaker 3 (47:24):
Well, the gym and the sauna were the priority, you know, okay,
that was the priority, and like as long as you know,
and like I would do that during nap time, so
I wasn't missing oldie time, you know what I mean.
So it's like, so I didn't have mom guilt about
going to take care of myself because it was during
the morning nap. He was asleep anyway. So then then
you get to go out to the park and then
(47:45):
you get to schedule a meeting in the afternoon nap, right,
So I never because the mom guilt is crushing for me, Like, yeah,
I don't know what did it. I'm like, it's it's fine, you're.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
There, you're there, You're right there.
Speaker 3 (47:57):
Yeah, it doesn't it's it's very hard to like go
of that for me. So I think, you know, it's
like scheduling meetings and knowing, you know, like knowing that
I had to I had to give myself time to
prepare for that meeting the day before or two hours before,
you know, to kind of go off on a tangent
(48:17):
and write some some new ideas, you know, to bring
to that meeting to you know, like yeah, I because
I know I need I need thirty minutes of time
to like settle down, and then I'll work for like
an hour hour and a half and then I'm like, Okay,
who's missing me? You know what I mean? And then
I come back out of it, you know. So it's
like I know my cadence about like about It's like
(48:39):
when you go on vacation, you need like two days
to calm down, to like settle You're like, okay, let's
go do something. Let's not do something. You don't care
at that point because you're already settled in. You're like
we can go on the boat or we cannot really
give a shit less. Yeah, and then like you come
home and you need a data to do it. You know.
It's like it's a tame kind of thing, you know.
(48:59):
So it's like just knowing how much time like it
takes for me to to kind of get in the
headspace like that, that's super important. To me, but yeah,
the g the gym was super important. And then like
scheduling things in the afternoon where I knew, like the
kids were already taken care of, they were already doing
their own thing. They didn't need me, So then i'd
(49:21):
be back for you know, even if I didn't leave
the house, I'd be back, you know in the mix
for yah market and dinner and all of that.
Speaker 1 (49:29):
That's so cool. It's like you you figured out how
to take the nap trap and make it work for you.
Speaker 3 (49:35):
Yeah, and now this little guy is like he's barely
taking naps. So now I'm just like, ah, okay, all right,
we've got preschool in the morning, that's what. We've got
three and a half hours go and get it done.
But I do feel that pressure of like, okay, you've
got three and a half hours preschool, last three and
a half what what do you what do you want
to accomplish? You know, And you're just like it's okay, guys,
(49:56):
Like behind me, it's like there's maybe nothing. Maybe I
just want to read.
Speaker 1 (50:01):
Yeah, maybe maybe I want to go for a walk.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
Unscheduled free time, unstructured playtime for Kelly, who could imagine it.
Speaker 1 (50:10):
Oh my god. Yeah, I've got a friend who twice
a week blocks unmovable meeting do not overlap in her calendar,
and it's just unstructured time. And she said to me,
if I do not save the time, I'll fill it.
And I just thought that.
Speaker 3 (50:31):
Was pretty genius. That's that is smart. Yeah, very smart.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
Well, you got in your groove and then you showed
back up for season twenty seven. What was that like?
Speaker 3 (50:44):
Like?
Speaker 1 (50:44):
What felt like a homecoming? What felt new? I know
the show has its first ever female showrunner now, which
is so cool.
Speaker 3 (50:51):
Huge, So what like, what's it like? Right? And we
got Brenna molloy who is the producing director. I don't
know if we've ever had a female producing director her
and I am. I'm so I'm so in love with
her and how she directs and how she runs the set. Yeah,
and like she calls you like on your poop, you
(51:12):
know what I mean, She's like, you know how you
were doing it, Let's get back to that. And you're like, wow,
some awesome, you know what I mean. So it's just
like you have to be present in the moment every take,
and that's exciting for me. Whenever she gets to direct.
I'm I'm like thrilled. I'm like, oh God, his friend's episode,
you know what I mean, because you know it's you're
(51:33):
you're in for a treat and you know you're going
to do this work, and like so much of it
was just like being back with the crew. I I
love that crew. I love it. I love them, I
love it. I love our camera, I love our sound apart,
I love wardrobe, I love makeup, I love it. I
love every love props I love It's just like I
(51:54):
have so much love for all those people, all the
hours we've been with them, and all the things that
we've all gone through over all of these years that
we've all worked together. You know. I mean like I
wonder about films, you know, because like they set up
a circus for three months, six months, and then it
blooms and it grows, and then it just gone. You know,
(52:15):
you never see those people again. You know. It's like,
I'm going to take it for what, for what I
can find that I love about it, which is just
I get to see these people year after year, and
their kids have graduated middle school, in high school and
then college and gotten married, you know what I mean.
And it's there's so few friendships I think that we
(52:36):
all have from from when we were little like this,
I have that with these people. So that's a lot
of it felt like really really really good. I haven't
done one single thing to my dressing room. There's still
stock stock paintings up there. There's still an ugly rug,
and just like, I refuse to do anything that that
stakes my claim in this particular place because it could
(53:00):
be very very temporary, and I'm okay with that. Yeah,
I'm okay with it. It is what it is, and
I I the nature of the beast, I totally understand,
and the way the business is changing and moving and
it's it's it's absolutely insane. All the things that I
(53:20):
think that all the suits are having to juggle. I
do think it's it's crazy, you know, and their numbers
look look probably a lot different. And so I'm okay
with it just being what it is right now, this month,
this season, you know, and we'll see about next season,
but who knows, you know, I'm grateful for this year.
Speaker 1 (53:41):
I think when you're in such a good place in
your life and your workplace feels so healthy and everything
feels like it's rooted in something good. It's so I
don't want to say it's easy. I think it's easier
to hold all that goodness with an open hand.
Speaker 3 (53:57):
Yeah, yeah, you know, not clenching at all.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
Yeah yeah, And it's I don't know, it's just so
nice to see you so happy.
Speaker 3 (54:06):
Oh, thanks you too. I'm really I'm really happy to
see how successful this has been. I think it's such
a perfect thing for you because you you've always asked
such great questions and coquisitive and been such a good host.
I think you're the best, and you you shall be
such a nice time every time I've seen you, and
so I'm really really happy to see you me too.
Speaker 1 (54:28):
We'll have to we'll have to plan a non zoom
hang soon. And so I'm on your coast.
Speaker 3 (54:34):
Sounds good.
Speaker 1 (54:35):
Well, I have to ask you my very favorite question
to ask everyone. Yes, you know, things feel so good
for you and so in the right place. And I'm
curious from this moment, you know, as you look around
at your life, as you look at the rest of
the year ahead, what feels like your work in progress
(54:56):
right now?
Speaker 3 (54:57):
My work in progress is to really to carve out
more time where you are you're just you can be
an island for a little while, you know, and all
that all that space and all that stuff happening inside
my head, you know, and because I love my mind,
(55:20):
you know what I mean, And and just to just
to get some some time to access that and and
not have to be any you know, at the at
the school door at seven forty five and the other
school door at eight twenty. And then make sure that
he had a half of sandwich and make sure that
there's out and oh my gosh, there's no goldfish for
(55:41):
his lunch. And I can't believe I forgot the cucumbers
and they really want send them in rolls tomorrow morning.
Like to just leave leave some of that and know
that these are really good boys. My husband's really happy,
like everybody's in a good place, and I can go, okay,
I think that there's some there's some there's some stuff
(56:01):
to carve out of me now, you know, and and
it'll happen like it's the work in progress, but it's there.
Speaker 1 (56:09):
Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, well, congrats on everything.
Speaker 3 (56:13):
And to play piano, I need that to work in progress.
I'm taking lessons, so that's a big work progress.
Speaker 1 (56:18):
That's on my list too, and I still haven't done it.
Speaker 3 (56:21):
So you do it. It's so fun. It's so fun.
I play the same thing over and over and over
and my my family is like, oh, that's great, that's
really good.
Speaker 1 (56:32):
Congratulations, you did it.
Speaker 3 (56:35):
I nailed it again.
Speaker 1 (56:39):
Look at me. I'm an artist.
Speaker 3 (56:42):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (56:43):
I love it. I love it well, congrats on everything.
Just so so happy for you.
Speaker 3 (56:49):
Thank you for you too. It's nice to see your face.
Speaker 1 (56:52):
You too.
Speaker 3 (57:01):
Oh.
Hey, everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to work in progress. Welcome
back to this week's work in progress. Friends, I am
sitting down with someone I love to watch and that
(00:22):
I love to act with. This week's guest is none
other than the iconic Kelly Giddish. She has spent over
a decade inhabiting one of television's most complex and quietly
evolving characters on Lawn Order SVU. Kelly brings a depth
and grit and vulnerability and kindness to Amanda Rollins in
(00:44):
ways that have resonated so far beyond the screen and
off screen. I've been lucky enough to spend some wonderful
time with her, and let me tell you something, there
is nobody cooler to grab a burger and a beer
with than miss Kelly Giddish. Her journey has been shaped
by her early ambition in the South and the grind
of New York theater and moments of uncertainty that tested
(01:06):
her resolve, And in this conversation, I was just so
inspired to hear about the turning points that have defined
her path and who she's found in herself in the
quiet moments. Kelly has really mastered the art of giving
work her all stepping away to take really considered time
(01:29):
for herself and then diving right back in with her
full heart. Let's figure out how she's figured that out.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Let's dive in with Kelly Kiddish.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Well, gosh, hi, my dear, it's so nice to have
you here today.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Nice to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I've just missed you. I can't believe how long it's been.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
I know, I know, I am. It's I think about
I don't know how many times I came over and
get to play on Chicago p d's set when you
were when you were there, but they were so memorable
those times, and like you you showed me Chicago and
the places to eat yeah in a Chibal I don't
(02:18):
know if you remember. And now they did want here
and that's like the only place my husband and I
go out to eat here is abal here. And it's
I'm like, well, we can thank Sophia Bush for this time. Yeah,
it's been a long time. It's been a long time.
I'm so happy to see all of the things you're into,
all of the things you're you're getting to do. It's
(02:40):
really exciting following what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Thanks, honey, it's so nice and Yeah, it was. It
was so much fun when you guys came to visit,
and I always had the best time coming to work
on your set. I mean, you just run such a
great ship, all of you over on SVU. Congratulations on it.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
I think so too. It's a really it's a really
nice place to work.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Really, oh it's the best.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
And especially in this in this environment, this atmosphere, this
this time where they're like, oh, yeah, the show, it's
a it's a great show. You you you read the script.
You're like excited about everyone who's involved. You know, maybe
it's a new possibility. And they're like, and it's going
to be in Dublin and you're.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Like, oh, oh yeah, you know, or just Budapest or
Winnipeg or you know, and you're just like, oh my god,
I've this my fifteenth season of SVU.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
So I've I've gotten to be in New York, you know,
and raised my little family here and not have to
worry about about that. And that's that's worked so much
to me, you.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Know, oh totally. I mean it's really interesting. I've always
had to pick up and go for work and it's
so tough. Yeah, and I think to be in a
city that you actually live in, getting to do what
you love to do. It really it's it's kind of
like winning the lottery.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Yeah, it's huge. You don't you don't factor that in
when you're when you're twenty eight years old and you're like, yeah, whatever,
when when when do I come you know, rint for
a month? Yeah, no problem. You know, now you'd be like,
I need a kitchen ittte first of all, like whatever, you.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Know, it's like, also my kids are in school.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Wait what Yeah, it's it's totally totally different from from
the priorities you have in your twenties, as they should be. Yeah,
but that was fun then too, like getting to hop
around on different jobs and you know, you got to
be part of the circus and that was that was
so much fun, you know, And just so many different places,
(04:45):
work with so many different crews, beautiful, awesome cruise. You know.
It's like not everything, you know, not everything revolves around
New York, you know, And sometimes it feels that way.
I think to people when you live here and you
work here, you're like, well, everything here, you know, and
it does. And there's so many there's so many talented
and beautiful, beautiful especially crews and just cast members and
(05:07):
like you know when they do local casting. And when
I worked in Georgia, I was like, God, the hair
and makeup crew there, you know, yeah I'm Georgia and
like getting to getting to walk in first thing in
the morning and hear a Southern accent here, you know,
like they're they're eating the same kind of breakfast I
grew up on, so totally that was always great.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yeah, I had such a similar experience in North Carolina.
I mean, it's it is really special to get to
go and plug into these other pockets. And I, at
least for me, I feel like it's kind of the
both and it's so great, And it's hard to leave
your family and your home. Yeah, you're so lucky, and
(05:48):
you're trying to navigate something really difficult given the hours
that we work. But yeah, I love that you've been
able to go home a little bit and work. You know,
in your adulthood, when you think about growing up in Georgia,
I'll never forget, you know. Talking with you over burgers,
(06:08):
and you said this thing that really stuck with me
that I think is it's the way you phrase it.
You say that you were a latchkey kid with a
lot of freedom, like running around there. And I just
wonder what was your childhood, Like, what was Georgia like
when you were eight or nine years old? Were you
into performing already? Can you give us a little child peek? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
I mean I played. I played softball, you know, like
my dad was the coach of my softball team. So
I was the one that had to call every girl
in the roster and say, okay, practice is not canceled today,
even though it's raining. We're all going to meet up,
you know, be there, leave a message. And I had
to make notations you know, I was the coach's daughter there.
But then also I guess it was around that time
(06:53):
that like I was in an elementary school that you
know that I don't in my mind. The library was
like the size of Madison Square garden, and like the
roofs were so huge and beautiful, and miss Gatzi was
the librarian, and I just thought she was magical and
(07:14):
just she she curated, you know, so many experiences for
all all different kind kinds of kids, but for me,
like she I think she saw a little bit of
like a performing little thing, and so she kind of
mentioned it to somebody else in the county for Side County,
and then they kind of mentioned it to somebody else
and they go, well, you know, we're doing a community
play the Velveteen Rabbit. She should try out. So my
(07:37):
mom asked me. She was like, hey, they think maybe
you'd like to do this, and I was like yeah,
And I was like what do I have to do?
And you know, they go, you have to audition. I
was like, okay, got mean, you know, so I sang
do your years saying low for my first audition, I think,
and I got the part of the boat. So I
did pretty good on that one. You know, It's like
(08:00):
then I then I ended up doing you know, another
play with with that community group, and I found I
found a person that totally changed my life. And she
was huge in the community. This woman named Yate C.
Harvey who taught at the high school there. And you know,
my mom, my mom was a teacher in the county,
and so I moved over to her high school that
(08:22):
that theater teacher taught there, and so I got to
kind of go night through twelfth with this woman who
was a fireball, just a complete fireball, and I learned
everything I needed to know, I mean that blessed my
my college. But she prepared me for like a life
of performing, like to take it super seriously. You know.
(08:45):
She she she brought us to New York. She you know,
she showed us how to act in a theater as
an audience member. She showed us what it meant to
really care about to you know, and and and that
kind of thing. But like even when I was a
little kid, you know, it's like if I was on
my bike at like five pm, my parents would be like,
what are you doing home? You know, what are you in?
(09:06):
Like my my other friend had a go kart that
we figured out how to how to make the gas
like loosen up so that you could go faster. Yeah,
and we crashed it. I mean it was like we
were always in. There was a creek behind my house
that I got to go and make bridges over, and
you know, it's just like building for It's like that
kind of that kind of thing. So I see my
(09:28):
kids now and I'm like, Okay, piano on Tuesday, ceramics
on Wednesday, you know, and I'm like, I don't know
if I didn't after school like structured activity, I don't
know if I did that until really like I did softball,
but you know, you look at the kids now and
it's like so much of their time as structure, playtime,
you know, and it's it's so different. It's just it's
(09:50):
a different, a different thing. Like I had to call
my dad when I got home from school at like
eight and just be like, Okay, I made it home,
you know, and then I would be like, all right,
what snacks am I going to get into here? That's
that's kind of what it was like growing up. It
was it was absolutely a beautiful place to grow up,
Northern Georgia, picking farms and and cows, and you know,
(10:14):
it's like all kinds of local lore about different different
parts of the county. You could like like go on
and like all these different mystical tales about what had
gone on in different areas. And yeah, so that was
it was. It was really really beautiful, and all of
my immediate family was down there, so I got to
spend a lot of time with my grandmama's you know,
(10:35):
and you know, as my cousins and you know, so
it was it was really kind of idyllic.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
I love that. Yeah, it's so special, and you're right,
it's a weird thing. I hear you on watching your
kids and seeing how different time is.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
You know.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
I think about when I was a kid, we did
a stint in central California in a really small town,
and like we'd get our my parents' closest friends and
their kids, and like we'd go to the creek on
Fridays and catch frogs and like sit out and watch
the sunset. And I realize, even for me now, if
(11:15):
I don't structure a break, like if I don't put
take a walk in my calendar, I won't go outside.
And I'm like, wait, Like I'm a nature kid, how
did this happen? Everything is so different in such a
strange way. But yeah, man, the idea that we have
(11:36):
to structure our play is so it's crazy.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
It's been It's been a lot of fun at this
stage in my life. Like because I have a tenanist
seven year old, it's not they're not old. But I
also now have a two year old, so it's like
as soon as you learn how to walk, we'd get
up and you know, you don't have to have a
plan with a one or two year old. You just
kind of go and look at rocks or dirty. It's like,
(12:01):
that is one thing I love about New York. You
don't really have to have a plan if you don't
want to, Like, if you're ever feeling down, like even
in your twenties or whatever, Like, if you're ever feeling like, ah, you.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Just go out for just go outside.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
It's it's great. It's like it's weird because you'll all
of a sudden you'll meet up with someone that you
were thinking about, like that you had in five years,
and you're like, oh my god, I was just thinking
about you.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Let's go getfe like, what are you doing on the
street here?
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Yes, And it's you conjured. You conjure these these things up,
you know.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
It's like they have Well that's so interesting.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
You know.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
You talk about the kind of mystical magical of Northern Georgia,
and there's a mystical magical in New York.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
There is so in my brain.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
I was going to ask you, was it a crazy
culture shock when you moved to start pursuing acting. But
I actually wonder if, as different as the cities are,
if you felt that kind of similarity in the magic
of the two places.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Yeah, I mean I think I my head, I'm very
you know, like a lot of people, I'm just very
adaptable to new new places. It was like, I remember
my first morning after moving to New York. I woke
up in Chelsea, where I'd rented a food time in
someone's apartment for five that night a month, and I
(13:24):
go down the steps and I'm like, oh, new York,
you know here I am. Let's go and look down
and there's like an eighteen inch black dildo with like
like crack files. I was like, well, okay, you know,
it was just like pooh reality, you know. And I
was like I can deal with that too. You know.
It's like, okay, so someone had a great time here,
(13:46):
or you know, last night, I'm gonna go get my
coffee and bagel. But yeah, I was. I don't culture
shock doesn't really happen to me. Like I've always loved traveling.
I've always loved being like a stranger in a strange land,
you know, I like even even other countries and that
kind of thing. I never minded like being by myself traveling,
(14:08):
you know, and taking it all in Like it's that's
just I love doing that. I do too.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
I love I love knowing that about you. Yeah, I
I find it so exciting to get to a new
place and figure out what it's all about, especially if
it's different than where I've.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Been, same, same, And my dad is still like a
love of maps, you know, So it's just like me
with the map in a new city. It's like it's
heaven to me.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Oh I love that.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Well, when you you know you moved to New York,
obviously you have a pretty wild initial career. Like immediately
you're on stage opposite fair Faucet, then you're working on
All My Children. I mean, you did over one hundred
episodes on that, and then you get onto SVU, Like, ah,
(14:58):
did it just feel like one thing after an or
were there all those days that we know as actors
of like pounding the pavement and chasing the thing that
other people don't see?
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Absolutely? Absolutely? I mean like I I remember when I
first moved here, like I got kicked out of the
five hundred dollars a month apartment. She was like, oh, hey,
it's ever you to go and I was like, oh, okay,
yeah huh. And so I and I was working as
a waitress, you know, like at a at a little
restaurant around the corner, making forty dollars a night. I
(15:29):
was like, this is not gonna this is unsustainable. And
I'm like, I don't know what. I don't know what
I'm going to do, and I'm taking I'm like, I'm
in kind of tears because I'm like, I don't know.
In a you know, one of my regulars that you know,
me and old men have always gotten along, he's like,
he's like, what's wrong, And I go, I don't have
any place to live, you know, and she's like, well,
(15:49):
my housekeeper has a place. It's five hundred bucks a
month that's right up the road. And I go, yes,
So like I take that, and you know what. But
in the meantime, I was I was always like, you know,
I waited tables and did all that, but like I
always had friends here from college write, you know, playwrights
and that kind of thing that I would do black
box theater and that stuff my whole hardened mind into,
(16:13):
you know, and like being able to to figure out
how to make that work, you know, make enough money,
like on the weekends, so that I could audition during
the week and go to rehearsals for another thing at
night and and do all that, you know, it's you.
Of course, you don't regret a second of it. It
is the funnest time you know of your life where
(16:33):
you're living in like a crap hole, and just like
just like working working so hard on these plays and
like these new things, like trying to make it work
and figuring out like and I throughout all of it,
I always believed work begets work, no matter what it was,
you know. And at some moment I was like, well,
(16:54):
there's nothing for me to be in right now, I'm
going to write and you know, and I ended up
writing this one woman show and somebody from all my
children had come to see that, and that's how I
got it. Was like, I know, I know that work
begets work. That's all I know. So all I have
to do is keep working in some kind of fashion.
And you know, whether it's whether it's the mindset that
(17:19):
you know, just like just like playing guitar or something,
you have to keep keep that up, you know, you
have to keep up your chops. Whether it's that you
know and you just keep the momentum moving forward, whether
it's just trying to put yourself in places to be seen.
I think it's both of those, you know, because no
one's going to see you if you're not out there,
(17:40):
you know. Of course, So I throughout any hard times,
I always just believed I was like work, but gets work.
So whatever kind of work it is, you know, like
if it's a reading, if it's this, if it's that,
like it's going to lead to something else, you know.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Yeah, I love that. It's like the the idea that
the muse has to find you working. Yeah, you know,
I remember there's that. There's a great book called The
War of Art, you know, that was based on the
art of war, and it's like the the idea that
if you just continue making things to make will continue
(18:18):
finding you. I think there's something really powerful.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
In that too.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
How do you kind of balance though? Then, you know,
always being at work, especially when you've been on a
series for so long, and then the periods where you
do want or need a break, where you do want
to go somewhere with your family or work on something
(18:43):
else for a moment of freshness, Like, how do you
how do you grapple with those things?
Speaker 3 (18:51):
It's super hard because I have I have three kids.
So if if if work that isn't paying the bills
is not like if I'm on a break from that.
Then I'm like, okay, bull on, mom, you have me
every second, every every hour, every day, you know, and
I'm trying to get better about that, you know, like
(19:11):
setting some time aside for for just my mind, for
just for just staring off it in the you know,
into space at the wall and and being open for
the muse or whatever. But it is, that's it's really
hard balancing that and like just daydreaming and and then
making making the conversations happen and the meetings happen that
(19:34):
you know, somebody tells you of an idea, like you
come up with something and it won't leave you alone,
and actually you know, honoring that to to go after
it and to keep to keep cultivating it. I definitely
think it's a it's a skill, a learned, a learned
skill that you know, Like I said, I'm trying to
get better at at honoring that because it's it's it's
(19:58):
really easy when you're when you do feel like you
have a job that fulfills you. And I get to
go to work every day and I get to you know,
figure out some kind of puzzle and that's satisfying to me,
you know, and there's there's also a ton of other
stuff I want to do. There's different worlds I want
to you know, different characters I want to inhabit, different
people I want to work with. So but like I said,
(20:20):
work that gets work. And right now I'm doing I'm
doing like it just feels really good where I am
getting to be the mom that I get to be
and all that stuff. At the end of the day,
I fall asleep very well, like my head, my head
lays on the pillow very nicely at night, you know,
like the things that I feel like I'm getting done,
(20:42):
and you know, it's like, you know, you know, you
need to set set some more time aside to to
to just daydream and and you know, and like have
those conversations, follow up on those on those inklings of
things that you're like, that's that's something, you know, And
I have done that, you know, And and it hasn't
gone very far yet, but you know, it's it's going
(21:04):
to and and I'm going to keep working at it.
And like in working with Marushka and seeing all the
things that she's you know, it took her a long
time to make a movie about her mom, and she
did it but it took her a very very long
time to get to a place where it was possible,
you know, for her heart, for a brain, and and
(21:27):
things come at the right time, you know what I mean.
But it's it's certainly nice working with a good role
model like that, you know, who's years ahead of me
that I'm like, okay, all right, I see you. You know,
like that's when you did that. That's that's the decade
that comes, you know, and that's that's kind of that's
kind of awesome being a woman and just seeing another
powerful woman get after it and and do do the
(21:52):
things that make her happy. So I'm totally so happy
I have her as a role model.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Well, and I think you know, for you certainly at
work and in your friendship. But I would say that
that ripple affects out, you know, also having worked there
and seeing it for your crew. When you have someone
like her in the position of number one on the
call sheet, the world is so vastly different from what
(22:19):
it could be without her. Absolutely, and a person who
leads like that and manages to bring such professionalism and
also such humor into a space where like y'all are
dealing with a lot of really heavy stuff, and you
manage to laugh a lot on that set, and I
think that's really profound.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
I do too.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
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(23:27):
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(23:48):
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(24:10):
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(24:30):
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(24:50):
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(25:11):
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growth journey today. I'm curious about that for you too,
(26:14):
you know, because you've been playing Amanda Rawlin since two
thousand and seven. You know, you're coming up on twenty
years here, which is so crazy. And in the middle
of that, as you've discussed, you became a mom, you know,
for the first time ten years ago, and I really
wonder I've said it. I think you guys do a
(26:35):
really great job of taking the material very seriously as
it deserves to be. And as a cast you have
such a great group you managed to find such levity.
I mean, I've done some of my favorite acting and
then also like laughed the hardest I've ever laughed on
set with you guys. Yeah, Like, do you think that
(26:59):
being a well to do both at work when you're
playing a character who is immersed in so much hardship,
you know, trauma, heavy stuff. Did the duality you guys
have on set help you keep the light side at
home as a mom?
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Absolutely? Yeah? Absolutely? And people people are like, are you
do you parents scared? And I'm like, no, like my no,
like my kids a lot of free They're like, how
can you let him do that working on the show
you work on and I'm like that that doesn't It's
not like, yeah, you can't live scared just because you're
(27:37):
immersed in these horrible stories, you know, on a day
to day basis, and I rarely ever like bring that
that side of my work home. So it definitely helps.
I know, when I've taken breaks from the show. The
biggest thing I I I find that I miss is
the belly laughs that we have on set. Yeah, you know,
(27:58):
but I I like, I certainly didn't have an actor
as a mom, and I don't. It's got to be
annoying at points from like I'm so sorry. I'm like,
I you know, because I'm I give it to them,
you know, and it's they they roll with it, and
(28:19):
you know, we laugh a lot, and there's a lot
of different characters they get to see and a lot
of different funny voices, just like every mom goes out there,
you know. Yeah, like today, I go I was doing
like I was doing, like, oh my gosh, I forgot
my external hard driver at work. Oh And I was like,
I was like, was that good acting? Guys? And they
were like no, I was terrible.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Oh my god, Like oh, my god, mom, you're a shract.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
I tried it again and they're like, that's terrible, terrible,
and I go, Okay, your turn, and like we're trying
to get out the door to go to school. We're late,
you know what I mean, but we take the moment
to like get the moment the acting down right for
leaving your external charger at work and not being whatever.
So's it's just like it's you know, that's that. Hopefully
(29:03):
it's fun for them, you know, And yeah, it's it
certainly does. Like the level of play that that you
do at work, it definitely carries over when you come home.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Sure, yeah, totally. Oh I have found that especially for
me loving voice work as much as I do, and
you know, having having been lucky enough to play a
character in a Pixar movie, it's like, now I'm lucky
enough to live with these two magical little humans thanks
to my partner, and oh my god, like I turn out,
(29:34):
I do full Pixar movies. When we read books every
night with like voices and characters, I'm a great big girl,
a little witch and there you know, and she's just like,
who are all these people? And I'm like, I don't know,
it's just coming out of me. They love it. Yeah,
and it's like all those years of theater school you
you think you did and left there. Oh they're they're
(29:54):
in us.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
Oh they're there, They're there are five.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
And three and a half.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
Oh perfect.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
It's so fun. A Plaza, Oh my god, the funniest,
which is the joy of my life. Aubrey Plaza wrote
this great Halloween book about a little girl on a
block who becomes friends with the witch who lives across
the street. Wonderful and like, oh man, you've got to
read her. That book is a big hit in our house.
(30:22):
And doing all the little voices is so fun.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
That's great. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
I feel like being an actor gives you really great
play skills at home, Like you can just make anything
into an improv game.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. You know a lot of times, like
if Oldie the little one, if he's like really upset,
I mean just totally not reachable, you know, Like then
I'll pretend like his voice is knocking me down, you know,
and like all of a sudden, I'm crawling across the kitchen,
you know, and it's just like, yeah, at least I
got that, Like I got that in my tool kid
to make him laugh, you know what I mean? And
(30:56):
that being that parent is you know, I may, I
may mess up a lot of other stuff, but at
least at least I can reach him and make him
laugh when when things are getting hairy inside of his brain.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
How is it having such a little one with two
bigger kids, Like do they love having the baby around?
Speaker 3 (31:17):
Or they love? Oh it's magic? And like my old
he burst onto the scene and he was like, heard
you needed a baby in the family, So you know
what I mean, He was like, got it, got it,
got it, got it. But also, to be honest, it's
frustrating because we can't ever play the same board game.
(31:39):
So it's like the age difference is I mean, they
dote on him, they take care of him. They're such
good big brothers. He can throw a spiral and dunk
and you know what I mean, like way ahead their
two year old. I've seen so he's advanced and a
lot of that thing and a lot of those things.
But like find a board game, Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Not a two year old's gonna swallow the pieces of
the board game. You can't even you can't open those
boxes anymore, exactly.
Speaker 3 (32:04):
Find Yeah, I guess that's the first chune find a
board game in my house with all the pieces intact,
right first, Yeah, that's that's not me. Organization is not
my not my strong suit, but it is. It's frustrating.
And so like when you find a show, you know,
or a movie that you can all watch, sit down
and watch for for a while and everyone is like engaged,
(32:26):
it's like it's a win. It's like, oh, my dad,
one's actually doing the same thing all at once, you know.
So that's when the pool, you know, we're like going outside,
you know, like going for walks. That's those things everyone
can do and everyone has a different interest level in
something and we're all doing something together though.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
So it's those kind of things that you have to find.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
Oh that's so fun. Thank god it's finally getting warm
out here too. Right This winter was so tough.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
I well, last week, I think it got up to
like seventy for a day, call my husband, I dropped
the two year off at school and I was like,
he didn't answer. He was doing something. So I was like,
I just want to tell you, I'm so grateful for
you and for the boys. Love our life and this
is so great. All right, have a good day. And
like and I'm like, what's going on? I was like, Oh,
(33:19):
the sun is.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Out, the sun's out. Yeah, this seasonal effective depression is
starting to wane.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
Yes, it's so crazy how much it affects everyone. But
like for me, I was just like, what is going
Oh that's right, it's it's above three.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
Yes, yeah, yes, I can walk outside without my snot
freezing in my nose.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
That's correct.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
But I still love the seasons, you know, like I
still love going through all of it because it really
did to create the crocus and the daffodil is coming up,
and yeah, you know it makes it all special because
you've waited for it for so long.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
I love it. Just starting to see, you know where
I am. The birds are all starting to come back.
We just saw our first pack of turkeys, you know,
moving through the property the other day and I was like,
oh my god, they're all home. Everyone's coming home.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
You know.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
It's really it is really sweet.
Speaker 3 (34:13):
The little things are not so little, you know. Yeah,
it makes you make your whole day better.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
You mentioned your sweet husband Bo. You guys met while
you were at SVU, like and forgive me. I know
we've talked about this, but I feel like it's probably
been ten years since the last time we had a
beer together. Remind me of your meet cute story.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
So he he was, he was, he was driving me,
and I like, it's we didn't even talk that much
in the car, you know what I mean. And I
I was going through a divorce, butuch when he met me,
and like we didn't really we didn't really even talk
(34:59):
like personal stuff. We just played music in the car
and it was just like a beautiful little oasis of peace,
and and his taste of music was really good, you know,
and like, yeah, I was like, oh my gosh. And
then the then the divorce was happening, and so that
I was leaving that behind, and then he kind of
(35:22):
emerged his It's like, oh, I'm like I I kind
of wanted more of that, you know. It just kind
of it just kind of slowly bloomed into something really
special and really like I'm like, oh, this is my
person I want to rely on and I want him
(35:43):
to rely on me, and I want to be like
I'm going to be a bigger, better person with this
this guy beside me, and that that to me is like,
I mean, the biggest thing you can say for your
relationship is just just wanting one to be better so
that you can make them better. And you know, and
(36:03):
like knowing you go through really hard stuff with someone
and they're just they're going to be right beside you,
and it's who you want rubbing your back. You know,
it's back you want to rub, you know, and it's
I'm so I'm so grateful the sound and shining, but
I am I'm so grateful. So we we had we
(36:26):
had a son together almost three years ago and now
we have this beautiful, little blended family that's just it's
a lot of boys and a lot of balls in
the house and and it's just we're rolling along and
time it's crazy how fast time goes. But you know,
it's like these kids have known him since he was
(36:48):
little and now and as as their stepfather, and you know,
he really embraces that role in a beautiful way. And
he's embraced fatherhood to two oldie and such a beautiful way.
And you know, seeing that, it's I like you, I'm
just still excited for what's to come, even though like
(37:09):
we've done the big milestones of having a baby and
gotten married, Like now it's like okay, now, like the
meat of the relationship starts, you know, it's like the
falling in love and everything like that. That's beautiful. But
it's like I said to him the other day, I
was like, that's that's kind of the easy part, you know,
like now to get to make our relationship what it's
(37:29):
going to be, you know, in ten twenty years, and
that all that work is exciting exciting for me.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
Yeah, oh my gosh, I yes, yes, yes, yes, I
feel like everything you're saying. I'm like in that part
and that part and that part and that part. I
think there's a really profound thing that can happen when
when you have the courage to say, oh, the checklist
(37:59):
we all get handed, isn't I don't think it's my list,
like I did it, but I don't think it's for me.
And I think when you wind up in community with
people that are having their versions of that experience, magic
can can come out of that. I know that it
did for me, and there is something really special. I
(38:22):
think about recalibrating your life to what brings you joy,
not just falling in line and doing the thing that
everyone told you to do and it yeah, it's like,
it's so I don't know if you feel this, but
I feel like I'm living the most normal version of
(38:44):
my life I've ever lived, and it's also the most exciting.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
Yes, same, same, it's crazy that. Yeah, if you had
written it down, I would have been like, wait, what
Then I fell in love with my driver and now
we're we get to work in the same place, and
then we have an I have three children in that library,
Like I'm the mom to three kids. That's crazy, right,
(39:09):
he told me that it Yeah, if you told me
that at twenty five or do you know or whatever,
it's it's And now it's like, I'm I don't know,
I've carved it out and I'm I'm so I don't know.
I'm so happy and like the things that I have
to make decisions on are so wildly so wildly normal,
(39:31):
you know, like you have to make them together with
a partner and and and then you have to you
have to worry about your kids and like all the
all the things you're you're doing good and all the
things you're messing up, and the finite amount of time
you have with them at home, Like I never. I
don't know you just like because when I was when
(39:52):
I got my driver's license at sixteen, my parents like
we were laughing about it the other day. They were like,
we never saw you after that. Yeah bye, yeah, super tight,
like and and I don't remember calling them when I
was in college, Like I like, they were just always
there for me, and I I like, I loved speaking
with them, I loved going back home to visit, but
(40:12):
it was just like they were always just the net
for me, and yeah, you know, hopefully that's how I
can be for my kids. But I'm like, but they
have to call me a lot. And I was thinking't
be like I was, you know, in England and traveling
the world and just not just you know, they have
to email. But it's like we didn't. We didn't even
(40:33):
do any of that. You know. It's like life three
sixty like that didn't that stuff didn't exist.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
No way. I was so similar. I went to college
and you know, my mom and I have talked about
this more recently, but you know, I finally was like,
you were really but her that I didn't call anymore,
and she was like, well, you know, we were just
so close and you left and I was like, Mom, like,
you got to reframe that you did a good job.
(41:00):
You raised me to be an independent kid, and then
I was independent, like aren't you glad? I wasn't like
calling you to clean up my messes and asking you
for money.
Speaker 3 (41:09):
And then she was kind of like oh.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
I was like, that's a sign you did well as
a mom, and she was like, oh, I never thought
about it that way, and we had a really good giggle,
you know, and yeah, you know, serving kind of in
the role in my household that you know bo dozen yours.
Like now my mom knows these kids that are in
(41:34):
my world and she's you know, she's so god, she's
so sweet with them. And then there's these moments where
I'll be talking about like a leap, you know, some
verbal leap or some some streak of independence about something,
and she's like, oh, gee, wonder what that's karma for.
And I'm like, you know, they're like, no, let me
(41:54):
help you. I know you can do it yourself, but
let me help you. I love, I love like doing
things with you, like get ready, where do they get
a driver's license? So it's that I think, for.
Speaker 3 (42:05):
Sure, super big karma coming back at us but in
a good way. That means we've done a good job
at that part.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
That part and now a word from our sponsors that
I really enjoy and I think you will too. You
know you were mentioning how cool it is. You couldn't
have seen it coming, which, wow, do I understand that
in my bones? But you know, now you you get
(42:34):
to work with your man. You've built this big family,
you know, SVU in its own way, I would imagine
feels like a family. It's your other home, it's your
other world. Sure, and then you know it's also work,
and work can be complicated, like you know, as things are,
(42:55):
you clearly love it and you all love each other,
and you've you've talked about how there were tougher seasons
and there were moments where you were all in in
moments where you were kind of out, not you know,
by choice, like we all know what that's like in
the world of creativity. How did you take a break
(43:16):
that felt weird and figure out how to make it
feel amazing? Like you touched on it a little bit earlier.
I'm curious, do you feel like it gave you the
space to recalibrate priorities? Did it give you the space
to try a creative thing you hadn't tried, like cause
you seemed, at least from the outside from somebody who
(43:38):
likes to cheerlead, you seemed like you made incredible strides
during that time. So in reflection, does it feel.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
Like that, Yes, it does. I mean the break that
I took coincided with with the birth of my third
third baby. Now, in the first two I had breastfed
on set. I am like, like for one of them,
I was back doing adr week after giving birth, like
(44:07):
back filming like four weeks after, you know. And I'm
a workhorse, like I love I'm good at I'm good
at showing up, I'm good at long hours, I'm good.
I'm just good at working. I liked it. I like it.
But when I didn't have a call sheet coming to
my inbox every morning and you're like, oh, there's no
(44:29):
plan for me today, I get to make my own plan.
You know, That's when I started lifting weights a lot.
And after I swear it was like I love doing that,
like actually finding that, you know, like like in your
twenties and thirties, you're just like running on the on
the track or like the treadmill you know, like actually
(44:51):
like really making myself strong, like really strong physically, and
like pursuing an opportunity to sell a show, you know,
and go out on pitches for for this show that
I absolutely loved based on this book, and then all
these conversations happened about like starting up this. I did
this show called The Burg, which is like it was
(45:13):
like one of the first Internet shows. Like SAG didn't
even know what to do. They were like, you don't
know what to do?
Speaker 1 (45:19):
Like what is this?
Speaker 3 (45:21):
Yeah? It was? It was that was really fun. And
I've I've kept those the the creators of that show
close to to me, close to my heart, and then
they're the funniest people I know and like just get
circling back with them and going, hey, what are you
guys up to? Like like what, Yeah, let's let's see
if this has any more life in it, you know,
(45:42):
and like so that's an ongoing thing and like I
think just learning those lessons of of it's it's okay
to make your own schedule, Like you're good at this,
you know, like you you get you get shit done.
It's okay, you know, and like getting to be at
home with a baby, you just at home, yeah, you know,
(46:02):
and like watching a Rick Rubin documentary at twelve o'clock
in the afternoon if I want to with the baby,
you know what I mean? Like that felt I've never
I haven't done that, Like I've been working. Oh, I've
been working for since forever. So to kind of be
able to that was the big thing I learned is
that you can make your own schedule pretty well and
(46:25):
you make good use of your time. It's okay, you know,
it's okay. You don't get a call sheet in your
inbox every morning, do you.
Speaker 1 (46:34):
Feel like did you have a kind of template for
your schedule or was it different every day? And the
reason I ask is because I like you am a
great workhorse. I love to show up, tell me where
to be, tell me what to do. I'm all in.
I'll figure out how to make it fun. I'll probably
get a snack truck like that's my vibe. And I
(46:56):
find that unscheduled time is my It's the most exciting
thing to me and also my biggest source of panic
because the list of things like the Rick Rubin documentary
and everything else that I haven't had time to do
that I want to do is so overwhelming that then
I can't decide what to do. Yes, So like how'd
you do it? Did you have certain days you did
(47:18):
certain things on to give it a cadence, or like
what's the inside scoop on how you learned how to
manage your time?
Speaker 3 (47:24):
Well, the gym and the sauna were the priority, you know, okay,
that was the priority, and like as long as you know,
and like I would do that during nap time, so
I wasn't missing oldie time, you know what I mean.
So it's like, so I didn't have mom guilt about
going to take care of myself because it was during
the morning nap. He was asleep anyway. So then then
you get to go out to the park and then
(47:45):
you get to schedule a meeting in the afternoon nap, right,
So I never because the mom guilt is crushing for me, Like, yeah,
I don't know what did it. I'm like, it's it's fine, you're.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
There, you're there, You're right there.
Speaker 3 (47:57):
Yeah, it doesn't it's it's very hard to like go
of that for me. So I think, you know, it's
like scheduling meetings and knowing, you know, like knowing that
I had to I had to give myself time to
prepare for that meeting the day before or two hours before,
you know, to kind of go off on a tangent
(48:17):
and write some some new ideas, you know, to bring
to that meeting to you know, like yeah, I because
I know I need I need thirty minutes of time
to like settle down, and then I'll work for like
an hour hour and a half and then I'm like, Okay,
who's missing me? You know what I mean? And then
I come back out of it, you know. So it's
like I know my cadence about like about It's like
(48:39):
when you go on vacation, you need like two days
to calm down, to like settle You're like, okay, let's
go do something. Let's not do something. You don't care
at that point because you're already settled in. You're like
we can go on the boat or we cannot really
give a shit less. Yeah, and then like you come
home and you need a data to do it. You know.
It's like it's a tame kind of thing, you know.
(48:59):
So it's like just knowing how much time like it
takes for me to to kind of get in the
headspace like that, that's super important. To me, but yeah,
the g the gym was super important. And then like
scheduling things in the afternoon where I knew, like the
kids were already taken care of, they were already doing
their own thing. They didn't need me, So then i'd
(49:21):
be back for you know, even if I didn't leave
the house, I'd be back, you know in the mix
for yah market and dinner and all of that.
Speaker 1 (49:29):
That's so cool. It's like you you figured out how
to take the nap trap and make it work for you.
Speaker 3 (49:35):
Yeah, and now this little guy is like he's barely
taking naps. So now I'm just like, ah, okay, all right,
we've got preschool in the morning, that's what. We've got
three and a half hours go and get it done.
But I do feel that pressure of like, okay, you've
got three and a half hours preschool, last three and
a half what what do you what do you want
to accomplish? You know, And you're just like it's okay, guys,
(49:56):
Like behind me, it's like there's maybe nothing. Maybe I
just want to read.
Speaker 1 (50:01):
Yeah, maybe maybe I want to go for a walk.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
Unscheduled free time, unstructured playtime for Kelly, who could imagine it.
Speaker 1 (50:10):
Oh my god. Yeah, I've got a friend who twice
a week blocks unmovable meeting do not overlap in her calendar,
and it's just unstructured time. And she said to me,
if I do not save the time, I'll fill it.
And I just thought that.
Speaker 3 (50:31):
Was pretty genius. That's that is smart. Yeah, very smart.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
Well, you got in your groove and then you showed
back up for season twenty seven. What was that like?
Speaker 3 (50:44):
Like?
Speaker 1 (50:44):
What felt like a homecoming? What felt new? I know
the show has its first ever female showrunner now, which
is so cool.
Speaker 3 (50:51):
Huge, So what like, what's it like? Right? And we
got Brenna molloy who is the producing director. I don't
know if we've ever had a female producing director her
and I am. I'm so I'm so in love with
her and how she directs and how she runs the set. Yeah,
and like she calls you like on your poop, you
(51:12):
know what I mean, She's like, you know how you
were doing it, Let's get back to that. And you're like, wow,
some awesome, you know what I mean. So it's just
like you have to be present in the moment every take,
and that's exciting for me. Whenever she gets to direct.
I'm I'm like thrilled. I'm like, oh God, his friend's episode,
you know what I mean, because you know it's you're
(51:33):
you're in for a treat and you know you're going
to do this work, and like so much of it
was just like being back with the crew. I I
love that crew. I love it. I love them, I
love it. I love our camera, I love our sound apart,
I love wardrobe, I love makeup, I love it. I
love every love props I love It's just like I
(51:54):
have so much love for all those people, all the
hours we've been with them, and all the things that
we've all gone through over all of these years that
we've all worked together. You know. I mean like I
wonder about films, you know, because like they set up
a circus for three months, six months, and then it
blooms and it grows, and then it just gone. You know,
(52:15):
you never see those people again. You know. It's like,
I'm going to take it for what, for what I
can find that I love about it, which is just
I get to see these people year after year, and
their kids have graduated middle school, in high school and
then college and gotten married, you know what I mean.
And it's there's so few friendships I think that we
(52:36):
all have from from when we were little like this,
I have that with these people. So that's a lot
of it felt like really really really good. I haven't
done one single thing to my dressing room. There's still
stock stock paintings up there. There's still an ugly rug,
and just like, I refuse to do anything that that
stakes my claim in this particular place because it could
(53:00):
be very very temporary, and I'm okay with that. Yeah,
I'm okay with it. It is what it is, and
I I the nature of the beast, I totally understand,
and the way the business is changing and moving and
it's it's it's absolutely insane. All the things that I
(53:20):
think that all the suits are having to juggle. I
do think it's it's crazy, you know, and their numbers
look look probably a lot different. And so I'm okay
with it just being what it is right now, this month,
this season, you know, and we'll see about next season,
but who knows, you know, I'm grateful for this year.
Speaker 1 (53:41):
I think when you're in such a good place in
your life and your workplace feels so healthy and everything
feels like it's rooted in something good. It's so I
don't want to say it's easy. I think it's easier
to hold all that goodness with an open hand.
Speaker 3 (53:57):
Yeah, yeah, you know, not clenching at all.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
Yeah yeah, And it's I don't know, it's just so
nice to see you so happy.
Speaker 3 (54:06):
Oh, thanks you too. I'm really I'm really happy to
see how successful this has been. I think it's such
a perfect thing for you because you you've always asked
such great questions and coquisitive and been such a good host.
I think you're the best, and you you shall be
such a nice time every time I've seen you, and
so I'm really really happy to see you me too.
Speaker 1 (54:28):
We'll have to we'll have to plan a non zoom
hang soon. And so I'm on your coast.
Speaker 3 (54:34):
Sounds good.
Speaker 1 (54:35):
Well, I have to ask you my very favorite question
to ask everyone. Yes, you know, things feel so good
for you and so in the right place. And I'm
curious from this moment, you know, as you look around
at your life, as you look at the rest of
the year ahead, what feels like your work in progress
(54:56):
right now?
Speaker 3 (54:57):
My work in progress is to really to carve out
more time where you are you're just you can be
an island for a little while, you know, and all
that all that space and all that stuff happening inside
my head, you know, and because I love my mind,
(55:20):
you know what I mean, And and just to just
to get some some time to access that and and
not have to be any you know, at the at
the school door at seven forty five and the other
school door at eight twenty. And then make sure that
he had a half of sandwich and make sure that
there's out and oh my gosh, there's no goldfish for
(55:41):
his lunch. And I can't believe I forgot the cucumbers
and they really want send them in rolls tomorrow morning.
Like to just leave leave some of that and know
that these are really good boys. My husband's really happy,
like everybody's in a good place, and I can go, okay,
I think that there's some there's some there's some stuff
(56:01):
to carve out of me now, you know, and and
it'll happen like it's the work in progress, but it's there.
Speaker 1 (56:09):
Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, well, congrats on everything.
Speaker 3 (56:13):
And to play piano, I need that to work in progress.
I'm taking lessons, so that's a big work progress.
Speaker 1 (56:18):
That's on my list too, and I still haven't done it.
Speaker 3 (56:21):
So you do it. It's so fun. It's so fun.
I play the same thing over and over and over
and my my family is like, oh, that's great, that's
really good.
Speaker 1 (56:32):
Congratulations, you did it.
Speaker 3 (56:35):
I nailed it again.
Speaker 1 (56:39):
Look at me. I'm an artist.
Speaker 3 (56:42):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (56:43):
I love it. I love it well, congrats on everything.
Just so so happy for you.
Speaker 3 (56:49):
Thank you for you too. It's nice to see your face.
Speaker 1 (56:52):
You too.
Speaker 3 (57:01):
Oh.
Host
Sophia Bush
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