Navigating The Crowded Room: Amanda Seyfried & Sasha Lane Share Their Experiences

On this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, Get ready for a heart-pounding journey through Apple TV+ limited series, The Crowded Room, as Kyle McMahon has exclusive interviews with the talented Emmy winning Amanda Seyfried and Sasha Lane (Loki). Peek behind the curtain of this gripping thriller and hear firsthand how these phenomenal actresses tackled their roles in a story that keeps you guessing until the very end.


Join Kyle as Amanda Seyfried, Emmy winner and Oscar-nominated actress, reveals the unique challenges of filming The Crowded Room compared to her previous work, what it was like working with co-star Tom Holland as the only two actors on set, while Sasha Lane, known for her roles in Loki and Hellboy (2019), shares her approach to staying focused and present in the moment while filming. Trust me, you'll want to listen to this spoiler-free episode so you can savor every twist and turn of this incredible series. Don't miss out!

Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming: https://www.deathandgrief.show/Chapter-One-The-Diagnosis-AKA-WTF/

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, it's all about Apple TV pluses the
Crowded Room. Let's go Welcome topop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from My
Heart Radio your pop culture news,views, reviews and celebrity interviews on all
the movies, TV, music andpop culture YU Creve Weekly. Here's Kyle

(00:22):
McMahon nant. Hello, and welcometo pop Culture Weekly with Kyle MCMANI of
course m Kyle McMahon, and thisepisode is all about Apple TV plus is
the Crowded Room. I can't sayenough about this limited series. It is

(00:45):
really really powerful, really incredible.It's thriller, it's tight, it's intriguing,
it's deep. It centers around TomHolland, who It takes place in
Manhattan in nineteen seventy nine and TomHolland is arrested for a crime and then

(01:07):
an investigator is trying to solve themystery behind it. Amanda Cifred plays the
investigator. Tom Holland is the manyou know, a thought to do this
crime. It is really really reallygood. Again, I can't stress enough

(01:29):
how good this is. I can'treally say too much because it's very twisty
and I don't want to give youany spoilers. To be honest, I
just want you to go in andlove it as much as I did.
Do yourself a favor. Don't lookup spoilers, you know, enjoy the
series for how it's meant to be, you know, going cold it is,

(01:53):
well, it will be well worthit that way. So, having
said that, on last the lastepisode, I was at the red carpet
premiere of the crowded room at theMuseum of Modern Art. I'm really upset
because so I interviewed, you know, most of the cast and Amanda and
Tom Holland I was next to interviewhim, and then he got done with

(02:15):
the person right next to me whileI was still interviewing Amanda and so as
publicist, which I totally get,you don't want I'm just standing around,
but as publicist, was like,all right, well let's go in,
and I'm like, I dude,I'm next, and I'm last. I'm
the last person he has to talkto. So I missed my interview with
Tom, but that's okay, Wellwe'll get him for the next project,

(02:37):
you know. So those were mystand up interviews at at on the red
carpet. Today is my sit downinterviews, So I talk with Amanda Cifred
and Sasha Lane. Amanda, ofcourse, you know, I've talked to
her before, and she's an incredibleactress, Emmy winner, Oscar nominated,
really really incredible actress. I alsotalk with Sasha Lane, who Sasha you

(03:02):
may know from Loki where she playedHunter C twenty in season one of Loki
in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, andshe was in Daniel Isn't Real and Amazing
Stories and really cool. She wasalso in a Hellboy the twenty nineteen one

(03:22):
and she's just a really great actress, really cool person, and I'm really
glad to talk to her again.You know, I'm trying not to do
any spoilers in these interviews, soit's like difficult, you know what I
mean, because I want you,guys to when you're watching, I want

(03:42):
you to I don't want you tolisten to the show, my show,
this show that you're listening to nowand then be like, oh man,
well now I know that part becausethis is it's very important to the series
that you not know anything. Sowithout further ado, let's just get right
into it. Let's let's start withmy interview with Sasha lay. So this

(04:04):
series is extremely powerful. It's riveting, edge of your seat. I really
really love it. For you,what attracted you to the project? I
think I'm I've always been a bigfan of psychological thrillers. I love a
good like puzzle piece. I alsoreally love the emotional aspects to it,

(04:28):
you know, about compassion and healingand all of that. So it's just
kind of like an instant yes forme, m and for you. You
know, as I was, youknow, watching, I kind of was
thinking of the you know, thefilmmakers and the cast and all. I
feel like you would need a chartto kind of have it all, you
know, laid out before you asyou're filming. Were you only getting the

(04:54):
parts that you needed or were youable to kind of see the whole picture
before you went into shooting? Like, do you mean if I got the
full script or if I was kindof able to focus on everyone else's Yeah,
exactly, Like did you get thefull script so you could kind of
get the whole picture of who yourcharacter is in this bigger picture? Yeah?

(05:17):
I think a little bit before wewent into production, they were kind
of gradually handing out the episodes becausethey were still tweaking them a little bit,
so it was almost like a discoveryof my own character as I was
waiting to start, But it wasit was nice to be able to then,

(05:39):
It's nice to be able to getthe full concept. Obviously I was
a fan of it, so Iwanted to read it myself. But then
because there's so many like separate partsto it, in separate kind of groups
of characters, I've then just kindof zeroed in on my world and who
I interacted with. And how isthat for you? How are you able

(06:00):
to kind of to kind of dothat where I mean, obviously you're an
actor, you're a pro, butyou know, mentally, how are you
able to kind of separate yourself fromthis broader picture and bring what you want
to bring to her? I think, I guess it's kind of how you

(06:23):
might just function in everyday life ofOkay, I know my end goal is
here and this is what this worldcould look like, But I'm focusing on
today because that's what's important, isright now, Versus if I started thinking
about the weekend, then it's allgoing to get consumed and you know,
you won't be able to like focusas deep. So for me, the

(06:46):
rest of the story almost doesn't matter, especially if I'm not meeting them or
if I'm not that has nothing todo with what I'm doing today in terms
of what Arianna is doing that day. You know, so I think it
it's probably a little bit easier thanit sounds, I guess, at least
for me. I like to kindof zero in on something. I love

(07:09):
that, and that's actually a great, great kind of take home for all
of our lives. We could justfocus on, you know, right here,
right now, we won't have toget anxiety about tomorrow or what maybe
Ina. I think it's a goodthing with you know, a person who
struggles with anxiety. It does helpme to be like I, that's not
even happening yet, there's no point, and she's going to stress me out

(07:30):
for no reason when this is whatmy and I'm being a mom too.
You're like, I can't think abouttomorrow too deep because right now it's dinner
time, right right. I lovethat my therapist quickly, my therapist said
one time, do what your dogdoes. And it took me a while
to get that, and then I'mlike, wow, my dog Blue is
always just in the moment, youknow, as dogs are. You know,

(07:53):
they're not worried about you know,tomorrow or next week or next month.
They're worried about right this moment.And I love that so true.
Yeah, that's a good one.That's a good one. Thank you so
much, Sasha. I can't waitfor everybody to see The Crowded Room.
It's such an incredible series. Thankyou for your time. Have a good
day, Sasha Lynne. Really greatperson, really good actor, really does

(08:16):
an amazing job in the Crowded Room. Again, I can't say much.
I feel like I'm being so mysterious, and I am, but it's for
your benefit, I promise, allright. Next up, Emmy Award winner,
multiple Emmy Nams. She won four. Last year's The Breakout, of
course, which we talked to her. I talked to her for She's been

(08:39):
a MoMA, me, a meangirls, all kinds of great films,
and she is really amazing in this. I'm telling you there's gonna be Emmy
Nams for this too. So withoutfurther ado, let's talk with Amanda Cyphred.
So, first of all, Iwant to congratulate you on this.

(09:00):
It is such an incredibly powerful,thought provoking series and you do an amazing,
amazing job in it. I absolutelylove it. I really do.
Thanks, of course, So letme ask for you. You know,
a chunk of this series UM takesplace just you and Tom, you know,

(09:20):
in a room almost like a play. Do you find that more challenging
or less challenging than you know,say something like Mama Mia or something where
there's you know, all these peoplekind of all around you for most of
the project. It's it depends,it depends, I guess. You know,
when you're thinking about physicality, it'sa lot easier because you could just

(09:43):
to sit back and in some waysyou're relaxed in a way that you wouldn't
be when you're dancing around uh youknow, a cliff side. But I
and the you know, the coordinationand the the that just that physical intensity
can can be really fun and actuallymake things easier. But in this,

(10:05):
in this respect, it's kind oflike the meat. It's kind of like
what I love about acting most isthat human connection. And when there's nothing
around else to distract, you canreally get pretty deep and and it's and
it's and it can get pretty silentand pretty tense, and little nuances pop

(10:26):
out in ways that you don't Youjust don't see and you aren't affected by
when it's grand and super comedic,and you know, it just depends on
the genre, and depends on thesubject matter, and depends on the circumstances.
And in this in this sense,I felt like we had so much
room to play in this interrogation roomand to build too. We built so

(10:46):
much on the on these characters.When they really started coming together and connecting
and and caring about each other andtrusting each other, was magical to shoot.
I love that, And does thatI'm not an actor, so I
don't know, But does that scareyou? That vulnerability, that focus where
it's just just the two of you. I know you said it excites you

(11:07):
and all, but I feel likefor me that'd be terrified. Oh well,
you're pretty stripped down. You know. It's just the bare minimum,
and you know, the cameras areclose and they're just moving all around trying
to trying to capture as much asas they can. And I don't know,

(11:28):
it can be terrifying if you don'tlike the person sitting opposite you.
It can be it can be hard, it can be a struggle, But
but it was It was fun becausewe we had the same level of enthusiasm
for our characters and for the storyand for what was developing between us,
and so it didn't it felt reallysafe. Actually, I love that,

(11:50):
and I think that's so important,and I think it ends up showing in
your work. It's it's really anincredible series. I can't wait for everybody
to see The Crowded Room. Thankyou so much, man, thank you,
thanks so much. Of course,have a great day, Amanda Sifriend.
I cannot wait for you to seeThe Crowded Room. It is out

(12:15):
today on Apple TV plus. Itis so so powerful, so twisty,
so psychological, so thrilling, soedge of your seat so good. It
is so good. Let's talk aboutepisode one, okay, because I can.

(12:35):
I can do that once you've seenepisode one. But I need to
talk to people about it because youknow, I've seen it. I've seen
the whole soul and have been unableto talk about it for a month.
So let's talk about it. Hitme up on socials, Facebook, whatever,
I mean, I guess Twitter,but Instagram, read it wherever,

(12:56):
and let's talk the Crowded Room.If you didn't listen to the last episode.
Go back and listen to it.It's my red carpet interviews with the
cast of The Crowded Room. Allright, I'll see you next week.
I love you. Yeah. Thankyou for listening to pop Culture Weekly.
Here all the latest at pop CultureWeekly dot com, Croudy, Crowded, Crowd