Lauren Lee

On this week's episode I sit down with the wonderful, the talented, the hilarious, Lauren Lee. We discuss everything from early-life expectations to succeed to her undying love for her dog, Dobby.

If you're looking for handmade wooden home decor then my Etsy shop is perfect for you! For a look at my catalog go to: JohnMadWoodworking.Etsy.com

You can find more info about my work as an actor and voiceover artist on my website at: www.johnmaddaloni.com

Thanks for listening to this week's episode. Be sure to rate the show, enable automatic downloads and, if you're interested in becoming a donor, you can go to workingclassacts.com and press the support button at the top right corner of the page to donate today!

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_02 (00:00):
Wait, let me okay, I got something.

(00:01):
Ready?
Three, two, one, frame.
Brown frame.

SPEAKER_03 (00:09):
Um, okay.
Uh oh.
Three, two, one.
Wooden.

SPEAKER_02 (00:15):
Did you say wooden?
Yeah.
I think that counts.
I do, I think.
Wooden, wooden.
I've actually been good with thelike, this is the set the third
time I think I've played whereI've gotten it on the second go
with a person.

SPEAKER_00 (00:25):
Ugh, I wanted to feel special.
Oh no, that doesn't mean you'respecial.
Oh my god, Ross.
You're actually the special one.

SPEAKER_02 (00:33):
Oh, thanks, Lauren.

SPEAKER_03 (00:35):
You too.

SPEAKER_00 (00:35):
Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 (00:36):
Welcome to working class axe.
As I talk over you.
I'm like, yeah, you're specialtoo.

SPEAKER_02 (01:04):
Hello, and welcome to the Working Class Acts
Podcast.
I'm your host, John Mattalone.
I'm never doing that again.
I scared myself doing that.

SPEAKER_00 (01:18):
Comedic timing was perfect.

SPEAKER_02 (01:20):
Oh, you heard her just now.
You might even see her dependingon how you're looking at this or
taking in this medium.
Um, but I am here with such alovely human being and an
extraordinary actress.
You can catch her right now onan episode of Ellsbeth on CBS.
And if you were around lastyear, she was part of a
fundraiser for the New Yorkstage and film, yes, uh, in

(01:43):
which she got to act alongsideJohn Traturro, Rose Byrne, and
Bobby Canavale, yes, uh, whichis fucking awesome.
She did that at the Music BoxTheater on Broadway.
And I'm here with Lauren Lee.
Hello.
Oh my god, Lauren Lee hasarrived.

(02:05):
Hey, how are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 (02:06):
That was really good.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_02 (02:09):
Absolutely.
I'm so happy you're here.
It's been a little while.

SPEAKER_00 (02:12):
I know.

SPEAKER_02 (02:13):
I mean, we saw each other at NYU.
Oh, she's also an NYU grad.
That's where we met.
Yes.
Um, we saw each other the othermonth.
Yeah, it was after Angels inAmerica, I think.

SPEAKER_00 (02:23):
It was actually after the other show.

SPEAKER_02 (02:25):
Oh, oh no, it was after which, yes.

SPEAKER_00 (02:26):
Oh, wait, but did you see in America?

SPEAKER_02 (02:29):
Oh, yeah.
My my girlfriend uh assistantdirected it.
Right, that's right.
Yes.
And I loved it.
Incredible.
I thought the set in particularwas really fucking cool.
Amazing.
Um, but just great performancesby everybody.
That's the class is reallystrong.
Really strong.
Um, Lauren!

SPEAKER_00 (02:45):
Hello! How have you been?
I've been really well.
Good, good.
I've been really well.

SPEAKER_02 (02:49):
How is your time?
Oh, what?
It's a full moon.
Okay.

SPEAKER_00 (02:55):
What do you mean by that?
Had to say that.
The moon is full moon.

SPEAKER_02 (02:58):
It's a full moon right now?

SPEAKER_00 (03:00):
Yes.
Wow.
It's a hundred percent full moonin Libra.

SPEAKER_02 (03:05):
Libra.

SPEAKER_00 (03:06):
Sorry, everybody.

SPEAKER_02 (03:07):
What does that mean?
Are you are you into uh everywant it mean, John?
Okay, but are you into that sortof uh are you into astrology and
stuff like that?

SPEAKER_00 (03:15):
Or only as much as it benefits me.

SPEAKER_02 (03:17):
Only as much as when I notice the moon is full.

SPEAKER_00 (03:20):
Only as much as when I read something and I'm like,
that is happening to me rightnow.
No, I feel that.

SPEAKER_02 (03:24):
I love that.

unknown (03:25):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (03:25):
So if you're feeling crazy, oh it's because of the
full minute.
Yeah, it's also Rabbit Rabbit.

SPEAKER_02 (03:31):
Rabbit Rabbit.
April 1st.
Oh, yes, it is April 1st rightnow.
Or is it?
Oh, yeah.
April Fools?
Do you hate pranks?
I hate pranks.
Do you really?

SPEAKER_00 (03:42):
I really hate pranks.

SPEAKER_02 (03:43):
Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 (03:44):
I grew up with two older brothers.

SPEAKER_02 (03:45):
Oh, I was just gonna say, me and my brother used to
like to play pranks on eachother.
We tried to like prank our dadevery year because he would be
like unfazed by anything.
You couldn't scare him.
And we got pretty close togetting him.

SPEAKER_00 (03:56):
What was the close time?

SPEAKER_02 (03:57):
It was a really weird prank.
It was a really weird prank, andmy brother had this trick pen
that when you opened it, itsnapped.
Like it popped.
You had to put like a little itwas it was actually like a a
weapon.
It was like you'd have to put inthis little, like, if I remember
correctly, like uh like a littlebit of it's not gunpowder, I

(04:19):
don't want to say, but youdidn't say that.
You remember those poppers likeon 4th of July, and you'd throw
them on the ground and they'dexplode.
Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (04:28):
It was like something.
We call them snappers.

SPEAKER_02 (04:29):
Oh, snappers.
We call poppers is probably notgreat.

SPEAKER_00 (04:32):
Poppers.
Remember those snappers.

SPEAKER_02 (04:34):
We were doing poppers on July 4th.
We were kids.
Um But it was like a thing likethat, but in like smaller form.
You put it in the pen and whenyou pull it apart, it would just
it would pop.
That's horrible, I think.
But here's the thing we didn'tjust give this to our dad and he
opened it or whatever.
We set it up in his walk, he hada walk-in closet, um, and we

(04:55):
tied it to the door and uh somesomething else so that when you
open the door, it would pullapart on its own.
And then we set up a camerainside of the Oh my god, you're
like impractical jokes.
Oh, yeah, we really were.
Um me and my brother would filmlike everything.
We would love making little likefun movies together.

(05:16):
We did parodies of like TheMatrix.

SPEAKER_00 (05:18):
Is that kind of where your love came from?

SPEAKER_02 (05:19):
Oh yeah, absolutely.
Definitely it was a lot of fun.
Um love you, brother.
Um and uh yeah, so we filmedhim, and we I'm sure my brother
still has this somewhere.
Uh my dad opened the door, itwent and he just went, Jesus.

SPEAKER_03 (05:35):
And then was looking around, saw the camera, and then
was just like, oh god.
And then that was it.
So it was like the closest weever got was him saying Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 (05:44):
I like that, actually.

SPEAKER_02 (05:45):
It was quite fun.

SPEAKER_00 (05:46):
It's really beautiful.
Lauren.
Hi.

SPEAKER_02 (05:49):
Where are you from?
Where did it all begin?
Take us back.

SPEAKER_00 (05:52):
Let me set the scene.
Yes.
It's a little town, not solittle, called Burke, Virginia.
It's about 20 miles south of DC.
Okay.
Um if you would like a sort ofuh, I don't know, vibe
representation.
Sure.
David Lynch once said about thisparticular northern Virginia

(06:15):
suburb that it had a poisonseeping deep within.
And it was like infesting thetown.

SPEAKER_02 (06:29):
Oh my god.
Wait, what do you mean by hethought there was a po like a
literal?
I mean, I don't deny it.
You're talking you came in hotwith the uh what it's the full
moon.
It's the full moon.

SPEAKER_00 (06:42):
Ever seen Scooby-Doo?

SPEAKER_02 (06:44):
Know what that means?
Okay, that's wild.
Do you think he was likeinspired to to make what uh
didn't he have like a sort of ahorror film that was about like
suburbs, the like sort of theblanking of blue velvet.
Oh, blue velvet, yes.
Yeah.
Do you think he was sort of cutthat out?
No, no, I'll be able to get it.

SPEAKER_00 (07:03):
But I think it is yeah, replace that with what it
actually is.
Someone else's voice.

SPEAKER_01 (07:09):
It's gonna be a terrible dub over the it was
blue velvet.

unknown (07:15):
Perfect.

SPEAKER_02 (07:16):
Well wow.
What did you feel that pose?
Oh yeah.
Oh, did you really?
Oh yeah.
What do you think it was?

SPEAKER_00 (07:21):
I think that it was not to get political.
I think that it was being soclose to DC.
Oh, a lot of men working inpolitics had families who lived
in the suburbs outside of DC.
Sure.
And the pressure to keep up,it's very much keeping up with

(07:43):
the Joneses, while also beinglike really haunted by the
realities of the country.
Yeah.
And the expectation for men tobe powerful and successful.

SPEAKER_02 (08:00):
Yeah.
Yeah.
But no, I feel that.
That's a thing.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Wow.
So did you like growing up thereor was it?
Not particularly.

SPEAKER_00 (08:10):
Did you feel that a lot?
Yeah, I think, yeah.
Especially, you know, growing upas you know, in I was doing kind
of arts.
I was doing everything.
I was doing anything that wouldkeep me busy.
My mom was so terrified that Iwould there's also a lot of
drugs, you know, there's a lotof like wealth.

(08:31):
Yeah.
And so there's wealth and drugsbehind the scene.
And so like hiding the realitiesnot to get so dark.

SPEAKER_02 (08:39):
But it's true, like it no matter what community
going, if there's if there'sultra wealth, there will be
ultra poverty and there will beother things going on.

SPEAKER_00 (08:47):
Absolutely, yeah.
And I think, you know, growingup, my mom was both my parents,
uh my dad worked in thegovernment, and so he was.
Oh, I was gonna say, was he wasone of those?
And uh and my mom was desperateto keep me busy, and so I was I
played every sport, I did everyprogram, every hour of my day

(09:07):
was spent doing something.

SPEAKER_04 (09:09):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (09:10):
Uh and so I think there was a lot of pressure on
me to be on on a lot of youngpeople growing up in that area
to be something.
Yeah.
And it fell a lot of times onwomen, on girls.
Gotcha.

SPEAKER_02 (09:28):
Oh god.
Well, I'm so sorry.
Yeah.
Um No, it's okay.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (09:31):
I don't know how this got so No, it's okay.
It's less than that.
That's kind of like why I turnedto the arts, was because I mean
it didn't feel healthy the otherthing.

SPEAKER_02 (09:43):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (09:43):
No.
And my mom watched Carol Burnettevery night.
Oh hell yes.
So Carol Burnett is the queen.
She's a god.
Yeah.
And so that was sort of you knowon m you know, the the
soundtrack of of my life growingup.

SPEAKER_02 (10:01):
Do you feel like she inspired you a lot to get into
the arts?

SPEAKER_00 (10:03):
Like, did you really watch a lot or is that more like
your mom and yeah, I think thatI think I think female comedians
really, you know, from from thattime especially were so rare.
Oh yeah.
And um I think it's really hardto to even discern what a comedy

(10:27):
like that is when you're young.
Yeah.
And um and Carol Burnett was sodirect.
Yeah.
And she was like, This isactually the purpose of it is to
make you laugh before you go tobed.
Yeah.
And to maybe like close your dayout with a smile and instead of
the worries, a tummy pain fromlaughing so hard.

SPEAKER_02 (10:47):
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (10:47):
Instead of yes, the woes of life.

SPEAKER_02 (10:49):
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (10:50):
They'll get you done.

SPEAKER_02 (10:51):
I love it.
I love it.
They'll get you done.
So where do you feel like yourbug, the proverbial bug, bit you
in terms of performing andbecoming a well trigger warning,
I grew up in the church.

SPEAKER_00 (11:06):
Me too.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (11:07):
Wait, which one?
Or or like Southern Baptist.
No.
Wait, did you really?
Did you?
No.
Oh, yes, I did.
Oh no, I'm sorry.
I was thinking of the WestboroBaptist.
Holy shit.
I was like, wait, I need to dolike another interview with you
because I would be fascinated tolearn what there.

SPEAKER_00 (11:24):
Hey, darkness.

SPEAKER_02 (11:26):
Oh, they're definitely a darkness there.

SPEAKER_00 (11:29):
Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 (11:30):
Um my god, okay.

SPEAKER_00 (11:31):
So did you feel uh And so I played the angel in the
Nativity.

SPEAKER_02 (11:35):
Oh, there you go.
That was their your first likeever performance.
That was my first everperformance.

SPEAKER_00 (11:39):
Everyone was looking at me and you're like, I love
it.
I oversaw Jesus being born.

SPEAKER_02 (11:48):
Oh, there you go.

SPEAKER_00 (11:50):
Yeah, and I fully believed it.

SPEAKER_02 (11:52):
That you saw Jesus being born.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (11:54):
And it was a classmate of mine.

SPEAKER_02 (11:58):
So did you pick that up and and go?
Like, were you like, oh, I lovethis.
I want to like join your dramaclub or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 (12:04):
No, I didn't do drama club.
I I did choir a lot, and Iperformed like every child in
the living room.
Oh, of course.
Yeah.
And that's like sit down, I'vegot something really important
to say.
And it was You're like, pull myfinger.
Look at this pen.

(12:25):
It's really funny.
Yeah, yeah.
Don't tell them it's snaps.
Oh shit.
Um, yeah, and it was mostly likelip syncing to Hillary Duff.
Oh, hell yeah.
Was a huge my performativeupcoming um upbringing, I should

(12:45):
say.
And yeah, I I caught the bugthen and I did choir, you know,
all through I did choir andband.
Um I played the flute.

SPEAKER_01 (12:56):
You play the flute.
I played the flute.
I play trumpet.

SPEAKER_00 (12:59):
That's so true.
Yeah.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (13:02):
My grandpa played it, my dad played it, my brother
played it, I play it.

SPEAKER_00 (13:06):
That's great.

SPEAKER_01 (13:07):
I got trumpets in my bedroom.

SPEAKER_00 (13:11):
I um was obsessed with Lord of the Rings.
Hell yeah, who isn't?
Still am.
And um the flute is just veryelfish to me.

SPEAKER_02 (13:20):
Yeah.
Elfish to you, yeah.
I love it.

SPEAKER_00 (13:24):
Um, pan flute would be even better, but they don't
have those in the band for sometime.

SPEAKER_02 (13:28):
Oh, do you know how to play it though?
The pan flute?
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (13:31):
No, I'm sure I could.
Do you have one?

SPEAKER_02 (13:34):
No, I don't.
I've got some harmonicas layingaround.

SPEAKER_00 (13:37):
Then I definitely can play it.
And I'm really good at it.

SPEAKER_02 (13:40):
I feel like everyone's really good at the
harmonica, but also you really?
Well, it's like one of thosethings that it's like it's hard
to play it out of tune becauseit's like no matter what you
play, it will be something.
Um, but to play it well, likegenuinely proficiently, is very
difficult.
Super hard.
Very difficult.

SPEAKER_00 (13:57):
I feel like my lips have only touched a harmonica a
handful of times.
And was that weird the way Isaid it?

SPEAKER_03 (14:06):
It was like I had my mouth has only a handful of
times, and I was about a footaway from it when knee deep.

SPEAKER_00 (14:15):
Um and every time it's been really unenjoyable for
me to hear.

SPEAKER_03 (14:19):
So not a Bob Dylan fan, I take it.

SPEAKER_02 (14:23):
I didn't watch that movie.
Oh, I haven't seen it either.

SPEAKER_00 (14:27):
Um, yeah, no, I I'm not kidding.
I actually didn't watch thatmovie.
Yeah.
But you know, I saw a picture ofhis fingernails and it really
put me off.

SPEAKER_02 (14:34):
His fingernails?
Yeah.
Bob Dylan's or Timote Chalomet.

SPEAKER_00 (14:37):
Both of them.
I think gnarly stay true to thecharacter.
He like grew them out reallylong.

SPEAKER_02 (14:43):
Oh, oh, oh, because he was playing guitar.
I think that was a thing.
Yeah.
That's a lot of guitarists dothat, I suppose.

SPEAKER_00 (14:48):
The nails are the picks.

SPEAKER_02 (14:49):
Yeah.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (14:52):
And that's a pole quote.

SPEAKER_02 (14:53):
And that's the quote.
The nails are the picks.

SPEAKER_00 (14:58):
Uh of the hand.
I love it.
They are.
Oh my god.
What?
Yeah, the nails are the picks ofthe hands of the hand.

SPEAKER_02 (15:02):
The nails are the picks of the hand.
Yeah.
Oh my god.
So anyway, how did you get intotheater?
When did you really startpursuing it?
Did you feel?

SPEAKER_00 (15:10):
I was cast in eighth grade in my I went to a
secondary school, which isseventh through twelfth grade.
Oh, okay.
And I was cast in our um.
That's interesting.

SPEAKER_02 (15:21):
You call it a secondary school for seventh
through twelfth grade.
Yeah.
We call it middle school, thenhigh school.
What are you from England orEurope or whatever?

SPEAKER_00 (15:31):
I hear and I validate what you're saying.

SPEAKER_02 (15:32):
What are you not Americans?

SPEAKER_00 (15:34):
Are you saying that you went to one school, one
building that was sevenththrough twelfth grade?

SPEAKER_02 (15:41):
Yeah, actually.
Yeah.
They had built a wing onto our.
We didn't call it a school.
We called our the wing that theycall that they added onto the
high school, the middle school.
And then the high school, whichwas it you were just attached to
it.
So uh maybe my my distinction ofit is different, but nobody
calls it secondary school.
Um agree to disagree.

(16:01):
Maybe you're out east.

SPEAKER_00 (16:05):
Um they did, they called it a secondary school.
And um in eighth grade, I wascast in our production of uh
high school musical.
Oh I was not yet in high school.

SPEAKER_02 (16:18):
Oh, so did you feel like really hip that you're
playing?
Of course.
Wait, who'd you play?
Did you play?

SPEAKER_00 (16:22):
No, like a thespian.

SPEAKER_02 (16:24):
Oh, oh, just like it was I I wasn't sure if you were
playing oh, what's her name?

SPEAKER_00 (16:29):
Uh which one?
Gabriella Sharpay.

SPEAKER_02 (16:31):
Sharpe.
Sharpe.
I'm like, I know I'll know itwhen I hear it.

SPEAKER_00 (16:36):
Sharpay Evans, Ashley Tisdale Extraordinary.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Um no, I did not.
I I I definitely had dreams ofauditioning and being the eighth
grader that they were like, Howdid she get here?
Oh my god, is she Sharpay?
And I was like, you're welcome.
Yeah.
But um, I'm not like a greatsinger, so I got ensemble.

(16:59):
There you go.
And that was it.
History was made.

SPEAKER_02 (17:04):
I can tell you a very funny quick story, right?

SPEAKER_00 (17:06):
Tell me.

SPEAKER_02 (17:07):
So when I first started acting, I don't think
I've told this yet.
So this is a new story.

SPEAKER_00 (17:10):
Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 (17:11):
This is actually a little embarrassing at the ego
that I think I had.
It's okay.
Which was so a lot of peopletold me that it was very funny,
and I did impressions all thetime.
So I was just like, thank you.
Um thank you so much.
And then you're welcome.
Um, and so people were like, Youshould try out for the drama
club.
And I was like, okay, and Ifinally said yes to it.
This was like, I was in middleschool at the time.

(17:32):
I think it was in like eighthgrade, maybe at the time.
Okay.
Uh, and they were doing Annie.
And I was like, Oh, this is agreat one.
Is it classic, good one to starton, or whatever?
Um, but I was like, oh, whoshould who should I play?
And I was like, oh, that wouldbe fun if I was like the the
villain or whatever.
Rooster?
Yes, Rooster, what's his name?
I almost said Cogburn, but Idon't think that's right.
I think that's from uh RoosterCogburn?

(17:52):
I think that's from Jerusalem byJez Butterworth.
Whoa.
Um Rooster, but yeah, Rooster.

SPEAKER_00 (17:59):
Rooster Hannigan, right?
Because they're brother andsister.
Yes, I think so.

SPEAKER_02 (18:02):
Yeah, the Hannigans, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (18:03):
The Hannigans.

SPEAKER_02 (18:04):
I guess I mean if if we're wrong, roast us, I guess.
Um I wanted to play Rooster.
I was like, oh, that'll be fun.
I'll play the villain orwhatever.
So I go to the I'm like learningthe line.
I'm like, easy street, easystreet.
I'm like trying to learn thesong.
Yeah.
Um is my first time singingpublicly.
Oh.
I get to the audition.

(18:25):
We all we it's a it's groupauditions.
We do them together.
Okay.
And I remember this, and uh tohis credit, he did a very good
job.
John Lopez, who is our directorat the time, he was like the
king of the drama club uh at thetime, uh before he moved on to
uh I think he got another jobsomewhere else.
Um was that I said the next one.

(18:47):
No, he's still around.

SPEAKER_00 (18:50):
Long live John Lopez.

SPEAKER_02 (18:52):
But uh we all came in.
There was like five of us.
We all sat down and he was like,all right, we're just gonna like
go down the line and we'll singa little bit of the songs or
whatever, and was like his wayof like get getting us to like,
you know, sing a little, seewhat it's like to sing publicly.
Yeah.
Everyone goes, and then it's myturn, and I'm like, it's tone
deaf.
It's tone deaf all over.

(19:13):
I'm forgetting the words.

SPEAKER_00 (19:14):
You know, in the moment.

SPEAKER_02 (19:15):
Oh, yeah, it's ha it's it's a car, it is it's a
car wreck into a train wreckinto like a zeppelin falling on
top of the train.

SPEAKER_04 (19:25):
Really bad.

SPEAKER_02 (19:26):
That's what it felt like to me.
Um, oh god, this whole wallfalls down.
Um and like I it I am soembarrassed.
And he like he's he stops and hewas like, let's everybody sing
with John.
And I know he was trying to justlike help me feel less uh
whatever.
Um we finished that, and then wehad to fill out a little form

(19:48):
saying like, you know, justbasic information.
Yeah.
Uh and one of them was like, ifyou don't get the part that you
want, would you be willing to bean ensemble?
Classic question.
I wrote, no.

SPEAKER_00 (20:00):
Amazing.

SPEAKER_03 (20:01):
I was like, it's rooster or nothing.

SPEAKER_00 (20:03):
Yeah, that's a that's a boundary.
That was sad.

SPEAKER_03 (20:05):
That was no, it was it was overconfident, is what it
was.

SPEAKER_02 (20:10):
And uh he gets to that on my form and he's like,
John, I just want to make sureI'm reading He's like, I don't
know if you're but um you don'twant to be in the ensemble if
you don't get the part.
And I was like, correct.
Mortified.
I'm like, correct.
Yes, I read that.
Uh yes, sir.

(20:30):
And he's like, okay.
And then we left, and I justfelt like shit, and I didn't
start acting for like anothercouple of years.

SPEAKER_00 (20:37):
Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 (20:38):
I was so mortified.
I was so mortified.

SPEAKER_00 (20:41):
Okay, but can I really say that is really
beautiful that you knew what youwanted.
Oh, well, thank you.
And you said, I deserve this.
Here's and I won't be yourlittle playing, dancing, little
troll.
John Lopez.

SPEAKER_02 (20:58):
But the thing is, is like ensemble is fine.
Like, I should have done that toa channel.

SPEAKER_00 (21:03):
You definitely should have that was a wrong
choice you made.

SPEAKER_02 (21:08):
It's like, I'm just commending you for the fact that
you made the wrong choice.

SPEAKER_03 (21:12):
It was your wrong choice.

SPEAKER_00 (21:14):
That was crazy.

SPEAKER_02 (21:16):
I wouldn't have done it, but never.

(21:59):
Here's what I found about mylife.
It usually takes the second timearound for me to get it.
Really?
Yeah.
It took me two years to get intoNYU, and like I do feel like
there are times when I look backon things and I'm like, why
didn't I know that?
And sometimes I get in my head alittle bit about uh the notion
of like, am I could I be furtheralong had I just known these

(22:21):
things that to other peopleseemed obvious for some reason.
Um Yeah, it's a weird thing.
But then I look back and I'mlike, no, because if I was where
I was then and I knew where I'dbe now, I'd be very happy.
Um, even though I'm still Liketrying to figure it out and I'm
still trying to find that likeconsistent livelihood.

(22:42):
Yeah.
Uh there is a part of me that'slike, no, if I I have to
remember that my past self wouldbe like, Oh, finally, good.
I'm glad I'm I'm there.

SPEAKER_00 (22:50):
John, that's so nice.
Oh, thanks, Lauren.
I mean, it's such a lesson inlike that learning is so
important, and that maybemissing something and knowing
what you missed, being able torecognize a mistake, a failing,
a redirection, something thatyou thought was right, but in

(23:12):
hindsight is maybe not the rightthing.
It's it's a really beautifullesson in learning.
Totally.
And at any age, you can myfavorite thing about life is
that we're constantly makingmistakes and learning and
learning from it.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (23:28):
And then in in that same context, too, I'm like,
okay, well, if that's how Ifelt, if that's how I would have
felt back then, then my currentself, when I'm in the future
doing the stuff that I want tobe doing, I'm gonna look back on
this and be like, it was allworth it.
Totally.
You know, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (23:42):
Um the editing that's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02 (23:44):
This is about you learn Yeah, oh my god, uh
donate.
Um, please.

SPEAKER_00 (23:50):
Anybody got a million dollars?
But what about you?

SPEAKER_02 (23:52):
Have you ever had that experience where you like
like an experience where it waslike you look back and you're
like, I am making strides.
I know I'm like moving forward.
Even in this moment, I may notbe happy with where I th thought
I should or shouldn't be orwhatever.

SPEAKER_00 (24:09):
Oh, every day all the time.
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, I I think back on my myyears in between undergrad and
grad school, and I was I waslike in a race for nothing.
Yeah, you know, and I I wasyeah, I I was so concerned with

(24:32):
the time that I was losing thatthis isn't groundbreaking by any
means, but I that I was missingthe time that I was living.

SPEAKER_02 (24:40):
No, but I I I totally feel that.

SPEAKER_00 (24:42):
Yeah, yeah.
And and then I got to gradschool, and I mean, I'm sure a
lot of people have said this onthis podcast, so I won't, you
know, take too long, but justfucking say damn it.
Wait, I also just want I I wantto say really quick.

(25:03):
I recently figured out I'm a I'ma very slow talker.
Oh, that's fine.

SPEAKER_02 (25:07):
And as I'm like, fucking talk!

SPEAKER_00 (25:10):
I know I'm totally joking, but um but and so bear
bear with my slow it or put iton really nice 1.5.
Have you ever thought aboutdoing audiobooks?
I have thought about doingaudiobooks.
You've got a great voice.
It's like the you have a greatpace for it.
Thank you very much.
That's kind.
Um yeah, what I I got into NYUand it was the best thing that

(25:32):
ever happened to me.
Yeah.
Um bar none.
I mean I had no idea that Icould be an artist and cultivate
community uh in the way that Ihave and been able to learn from
the people that I've been ableto learn from.
You included.
I learned a lot from you.

(25:53):
Thank you.
Um and that came with at NYU,even though the pacing was quick
and it was, you know, like everysecond of every day was devoted
to something.
It taught me to stop and andlook this thing, you know, right

(26:14):
in the face and look at thisthing that I love so much, that
I want so much, that I see assort of the the building blocks
of my whole life and be able tolike swim in it and and not have
to paddle to shore to take abreak and focus on something
else, or like, you know, lift myhead up out of water just to be

(26:36):
able to make a uh some money tobe able to, you know, grad
school really let me it's threeyears of just one thing.

SPEAKER_02 (26:44):
That's what you do.

SPEAKER_00 (26:45):
It's one thing.

SPEAKER_02 (26:46):
And it's really great.
It's fucking tiring as hell.

SPEAKER_00 (26:48):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (26:49):
Um and you came in at a time, I mean, we both went
through this with the pandemicand stuff like a shifting
program, a constantly shiftingprogram.

SPEAKER_04 (26:59):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (27:00):
Um, but I actually I'm so glad we went through it
during the pandemic.
I'm like, I learned so much,especially this, being on camera
doesn't scare me anymore.
At least not as much.
Or like I don't get like I don'ttake notes to heart anymore
about it because I'm like, ohokay, yeah, it's just a matter
of framing.
Yeah.
This has nothing to do with likemy performance.
It's just like we need to seeyou.

(27:21):
So just tilt your head orwhatever the fuck.
No, literally, it's those littlethings though, but like you can
really go.
I know before grad school I hadthat, I was always terrified of
the camera.

SPEAKER_00 (27:31):
Yeah, me too.
Froze.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (27:33):
Yeah, but it's like I I was really happy for that.
Yeah.
It was a really uniqueexperience.
Me too.

SPEAKER_00 (27:39):
I also think, you know, just in terms of the state
of the world, it was Oh yeah.
It was really I I I feel verygrateful that I was able to be
in community during that timeand like around people, even if
we were distanced and masked andmaybe the the program was

(28:00):
slightly altered.
I I don't care.
But the thing is you don't knowwhat the program is until you're
going through it.
So it's like, no, this is myprogram now.
This is how I'm gonna go throughit.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (28:09):
Um, yeah, going through it during that time with
like, you know, Black LivesMatter, yeah, and also like
self-care becoming a much moreprevalent topic.
And like these conservatoryprograms, they they tell you
right off the bat, or at leastthis was uh conveyed to me, and
I was like, I get that, thatmakes sense, which is they're
like everything you're gonna doin grad school is way fucking

(28:30):
more than you will ever have todo in the real world.
Yeah.
So that when you get in the realworld, it doesn't seem that
hard.
Yeah.
Um, when you're in grad school,it's like hellish, or it can
feel hellish.
Yeah.
But if you keep that at the backof your mind, it's like, oh
yeah, that the that's there's apurpose for that.
Yeah, there's a lot to getthrough, and also it's like it's
meant to be difficult becausethey want you to sort of just

(28:51):
get out of your head and makeinstinctive decisions and
choices.

SPEAKER_00 (28:55):
Well, yeah, and like around those conversations in
2020, you know, George Floyd,Black Lives Matter, like I was
able to have those conversationsface to face with other human
beings that weren't like maybemy partner at the time that I
was living with, you know, wholike if I were if I weren't in

(29:18):
school and it obviously we wouldhave been like quarantined or
not not out as much, and I wouldbe having these conversations
with one person or you know,hopefully more people, but I was
able to to have conversationsand to, you know, make small
changes in my life because I wassurrounded by community.

SPEAKER_04 (29:42):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (29:42):
And that's something that I don't take for granted,
and that I never will.
I think probably before gradschool I did take community for
granted.
I didn't really understand theaspect of community.

SPEAKER_02 (29:52):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (29:53):
Uh until really until COVID hit and I we didn't
have you didn't have community.

SPEAKER_02 (29:58):
Community.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (29:59):
And then I mean, I was so lucky that that cov that
I got into grad schoolessentially right after March of
2020.
And so I had this community justbuilt in that I got to join.
I and that's such a gift.

SPEAKER_02 (30:15):
Yeah.
It was something too about likeI was so thankful to have school
to go to during that time simplyto keep myself busy.
Yeah.
Because I knew when when I washome alone, dealing with like I
was going through a breakup atthe time too, and just like that
it was just like reallydifficult to go through the day

(30:35):
just being like in a room alone.
Um, but also going back to likethe Black Lives Matter of it
all, uh, is like it was thefirst time I grew up in a very
white town.
It was the first time that I wasable to like have conversations
about race and build avocabulary around how to talk

(30:56):
about race that wasn't um youknow offensive or like like
stepped on people's toes or justlike learning the basics of how
to ask people about theirexperiences or not.
Yeah, you know, like because atthe end of the day, there is
like the education is on me, youknow.
Um and that being said, becauseI developed such wonderful

(31:20):
relationships with my class anduh a lot of my my very dearest
friends, this is gonna sound sowhite what I'm about to say, but
I have a lot of black friends,but it's like I am so thankful
that I have these friends who Icould have really honest and
sometimes hard discussions withabout my privilege and uh their

(31:41):
experiences and they werewilling to share those with me.

SPEAKER_00 (31:45):
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (31:45):
Even when it was difficult for them.
Um and being able to gauge whenI could and couldn't ask those
questions.
Absolutely, yeah.
Uh that I think that's where alot of people get mixed up.
Yeah, because I've gone throughthat myself.

SPEAKER_00 (31:57):
Yes, yeah, I I feel the same way.
I think uh yeah, I think NYUgave me at a really specific
time in the world, gave me thisvast like ocean, this like
worldwide ocean of people thatlike got to grow with me.

(32:18):
And I mean, my my dad was uhquite a bit older, and he was
from like a tiny town in WestVirginia, a tiny, very white
town in West Virginia.
But he was mama uh exactly, yes,and that that song was actually
based on my dad.

SPEAKER_02 (32:37):
My dad is the mountain mama, yeah.
Um I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00 (32:42):
No, I love that.
Um, but he talked about race alot, and he worked in the
government, and he was just hewas an extremely political
person.
Yeah.
Um and he talked about race alot, but he was really the only
person in my life like growingup um that was was uh like

(33:05):
telling me that thoseconversations were really
important.
Yeah.
And so then when I got to gradschool and those conversations
were happening and the train wasmoving, whether I was gonna get
on it or not.
And I feel grateful that likesomeone was conducting the

(33:26):
train.

SPEAKER_02 (33:26):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (33:27):
You know?
Yeah.
And that space is just verysacred in a lot of ways, and I'm
really grateful for it.

SPEAKER_02 (33:34):
Yeah.
A lot of great books came out ofthat time too.
If you're if you're if you'reever interested, there's a
really great one that's sort oflike a workbook.
It's called White Supremacy andMe by Layla F.
Saad.
It's excellent.
Yeah.
A lot of introspective questionsabout white privilege and race,
and it's really worth giving aread.
Yeah.
Um what was it like coming outof the grad program?

(33:57):
You're now, as we mentionedearlier, I cannot believe it.
You're three years out, and I'mcoming I'm on four years out,
which is really weird.

SPEAKER_00 (34:05):
It's okay.
You can say coming up on.
Coming up on, yes.
We're coming on, you're comingup on three.

SPEAKER_03 (34:10):
I'm coming up on four.
So I'm still within three.

SPEAKER_00 (34:13):
It's not it's not actually.
Yeah, it's not yet actually.

SPEAKER_03 (34:16):
It's in a couple of months, though.
Yeah, we're fine.
But once it's there, we'll fallapart.
Yeah, no, I won't be okay.
By the time this comes out,we'll be upset.
If you find this, we're bothdead.

SPEAKER_00 (34:29):
Um yeah, my time at well, I mean, here's the thing.
I got into school right afterCOVID hit.
I graduated when the strikeswere announced.

SPEAKER_02 (34:42):
Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 (34:43):
So many So trials and tribulations really abound.
But but it was okay.
Yeah.
I mean, I again, I don't knowanything different.
I was never repped before gradschool, and so my auditions
before grad school were mescouring backstage and actors
access by myself and sending inmaybe tapes or like driving to

(35:06):
go to I was living in LosAngeles, and so it I was
driving.

SPEAKER_02 (35:10):
Were you right out of grad school?
You went to Los Angeles?
No, no.
Oh.

SPEAKER_00 (35:12):
Um I'm sorry.
It's it's complicated.
I'm so sorry.
No, no, no.
Never apologize.
I'm just sorry for the way thatthis is gonna go.
I was like, when the hell wereyou in LA?
I graduated undergrad.
I moved to New York with two ofmy very good friends.
We lived in a three-bedroomapartment by the water in

(35:33):
Astoria.
I had to walk 17 minutes to evenget to the train.
Oh, I don't know who was guidingme, but nobody knowledgeable.
The moon?
Hey, Jesus.
Care to help the moon.

SPEAKER_02 (35:46):
Um, and wait, what did you study in undergrad?
Did you study theater and oracting?

SPEAKER_00 (35:50):
I studied theater, yeah.
And but I also studied uhmedieval and renaissance
history.

SPEAKER_02 (35:55):
Yeah, of course.
So what did you think you weregonna do with that?
I don't know why I said that socontradictory or so critically.
But I'm also like that soundsfucking rad, actually.
Medieval and Renaissance thathistory, that sounds really
cool.

SPEAKER_00 (36:10):
It was the coolest thing, and it was mostly
literature.
It was mostly Oh, okay.
Um, and I mean it wasincredible.
I I loved it a lot.
Yeah, um, it was a lot ofstudying Shakespeare and his
contemporaries.
Oh, that's fucking like yeah,you I'm totally applicable.
Yeah.
Um and maybe museum curator, butnot a lot.

(36:31):
That's maybe the only thing.
Yeah.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (36:34):
At the Met.

SPEAKER_00 (36:34):
Yeah, catch me at the Met.

SPEAKER_02 (36:36):
Catch me at the Met.
Um then catch me at the Met.

unknown (36:38):
Hey.

SPEAKER_00 (36:39):
In a show.

SPEAKER_02 (36:40):
You know, that's that was what I was doing with
it.

SPEAKER_00 (36:45):
Sure.
Sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (36:47):
I meant Lincoln Center.
You know, it's the Met, theLincoln Center.
Yes, of course.
They're two separate entities, Isuppose, but they're on the same
property.
Uh what was the question?
So you you studied at undergradin uh Medival.
I was just wondering because Iwas like, I don't know if she
did uh if you were doing actingbefore.

SPEAKER_00 (37:08):
I was doing acting, yes.
And then I moved to New York,and then it was hard.

SPEAKER_02 (37:18):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (37:19):
And to be honest with you, I saw La La Land.

SPEAKER_02 (37:23):
And were you like this is phenomenal?

SPEAKER_00 (37:26):
I was like, oh, of course.
It's not working because I'm inNew York.

SPEAKER_02 (37:32):
Oh my god, you were swayed by La Land.
Yeah, La La Land.

SPEAKER_01 (37:38):
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (37:38):
Oh my god.
That's so funny.
That movie had an impression onme too, and then a week went by
and I went, oh yeah, it's notthat great.

SPEAKER_00 (37:45):
Oh yeah, no, I don't work that way.

SPEAKER_02 (37:47):
No.
Oh, did you do you still loveit?

SPEAKER_00 (37:49):
No, if I get like no, I I think it's just a no,
no, no, it's okay.

SPEAKER_02 (37:52):
I should I shouldn't yuck people's yum.
I think the sound editing isterrible on that film.
Sorry!

SPEAKER_00 (37:57):
Okay, great.
I probably if you pointed it outto me, I would agree with you.

SPEAKER_02 (38:01):
If you watch it again, you'll notice how
egregious it is.

SPEAKER_00 (38:04):
And I will.
I'll hate watch it now.
Um no, I I love everyone in it.
Very good.

SPEAKER_02 (38:10):
Very good.

SPEAKER_00 (38:11):
I just like when I get an idea and I see a
potential outcome, and I see apotential missed opportunity if
I don't follow through, I haveto follow through.

SPEAKER_02 (38:28):
Yeah.
So you were like LA.

SPEAKER_00 (38:30):
And so then I moved to LA.

SPEAKER_02 (38:31):
So you were in New York City, and then went to LA,
and then you came back for NYU.

SPEAKER_00 (38:36):
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (38:36):
How is LA?

SPEAKER_00 (38:38):
Here's the thing.
I right after I moved back toNew York, I spoke very poorly of
Los Angeles.
And some of those things I standup.

SPEAKER_02 (38:55):
And I'm blacklisted.

SPEAKER_00 (38:57):
Um I Oh, you were on the blacklist?
Really amazing time on set.
Everyone was so nice.
James Spader is amazing.
Um, and but the more that timehas passed, the more I realized
again how lucky I was.
I I moved to Los Angeles and Iwas dating somebody that I had

(39:25):
met on a set, and we moved intogether, and wow, we had I had
this again community that Ididn't even know was a
community, and it was a lot ofbehind the camera people.
Yeah.
Because the person I was datingworked behind the camera.
Gotcha.
And and I look back on my timein LA, and though I again wasn't

(39:49):
getting a lot of auditions, Ithen I I worked with this
Shakespeare company calledPorters of Hell's Gate.

SPEAKER_02 (39:58):
Porters of Hell's Gate.

SPEAKER_00 (39:59):
That sounds fucking rad.
They are rad.

SPEAKER_02 (40:02):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (40:02):
Um, and they're doing Shakespeare in North
Hollywood, and it's never beendone before.
Um I'm sure it has, but notwell.
And they're doing it well.
It's full of people who loveShakespeare and who love LA and
who think that there's, youknow, a a gap in absolutely.
And so they're they're making itaccessible, and it's so great.

(40:26):
I had the time of my life.
I played Petrucchio in theshrew.

SPEAKER_02 (40:29):
Nice.
Oh, that would be a great partfor you.
It was so fun.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (40:33):
And um, and I found community that way, and I found
community through my partner atthe time, and um, and then I you
know, I I was sort of itching,and I had I had known that I
wanted to go to grad schoolbecause uh I had a professor in
undergrad.
My undergrad was extremelylacking in just a a a a

(40:58):
well-rounded arts education.
Sure.
But there was one teacher whocame.
Um, his name is Jim Iorio.
He uh he took over the likevoice and speech classes, the
acting classes, um, the movementclasses, and changed my whole

(41:20):
life.
Changed the trajectory of mylife.
I wouldn't have known what gradschool was if it weren't for
him.
He graduated from NYU grad inlike I was gonna say that name
sounds so familiar.
Yeah, it was like I wanna sayearly nineties, maybe.

SPEAKER_02 (41:33):
I think Andy, maybe of Andy Ingalls, I think, maybe
told me about him.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (41:37):
Um, and now he's I believe that he is the our he's
the the chair of the program atat Chicago Oh great Roosevelt
College.
They do have like a really greatum acting program anyway.

SPEAKER_02 (41:52):
Sounds prestigious and great.

SPEAKER_00 (41:54):
Yeah, he's amazing.
And he uh put NYU on my radarand he was like something you
might want to think about in thefuture is grad school, and he
was like, uh it'll be um thehardest but the best thing
you'll ever do.
Yeah.
And then four years out ofundergrad, I was like, I I'm
returning to that recommendationfrom him.

(42:16):
Um and and yeah, and so I I f Iactually flew, I was living in
Los Angeles.
I thought that it wouldn't beenough to go to the California
auditions, and so I flew to NewYork.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (42:30):
Oh, so you flew to New York.
You didn't think it would beenough to do the audition in LA.
I said no, it's not good enough.

SPEAKER_00 (42:37):
I gotta go to the school.

SPEAKER_02 (42:38):
This is what's actually like kind of Did they
know that?
No.
Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_00 (42:42):
No, this was like my I have like a problem.
I don't think so because you gotin.
That's true, that's true.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (42:50):
But if that's what you needed too, yeah, you felt
like that was what you needed,and you're like, I'm gonna feel
more empowered or what have youto be there doing it.

SPEAKER_00 (42:59):
Yeah, and I needed to like, you know, be in the
space and see the school, and Ihad never seen it, or so and I
felt super, I felt so welcome.
I I that's yeah, I told it Itold this story a lot, which is
that like when I walked in thedoor, Donathan Walters being
with like the most beautifulface.
Donathan, I love you.

SPEAKER_02 (43:21):
And I just like felt like Did he give you oils as you
walked in?

SPEAKER_00 (43:25):
He gave me hand sanitizer because of the times.

SPEAKER_02 (43:28):
Oh, yeah, so yeah, fair enough, fair enough.

SPEAKER_00 (43:30):
Um and and yeah, and I I had a really great audition

(43:57):
process, really great umcallback weekend, and and I this
yeah, something I I feel like Ithere's obviously doubts that
creep in, but I like knew I waslike, I belong here.

SPEAKER_02 (44:11):
That's that seems to be that's a very recurring theme
with the people who talk abouttheir grad school experiences
being like, yeah, there's afeeling when you know you want
to be there and you know youthat's like that specific
community is the one you want tobelong in.
Yeah.
We kind of Tarantinoed yourstory.
We sort of started at the end alittle bit and went back or we
jumped around a lot or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 (44:31):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (44:34):
This is yes, no, and sometimes why.
This is a game in which we gothrough three rounds of rapid
fire questions, the answers towhich are yes or no.
And every so often,intermittently, when I am
curious, I will ask Lauren why,and then she'll answer and we'll
see what happens.
Are you ready, Lauren?
What's that?

SPEAKER_00 (44:55):
I said, or I won't.

SPEAKER_02 (44:56):
Oh, you won't.
I mean, you don't have to.
I'm an open door.

SPEAKER_00 (44:59):
Um, I'm ready, yes.

SPEAKER_02 (45:00):
All right.
Here we go.
And these questions were sourcedfrom teambuilding.com.
Thanks, teambuilding.com.

SPEAKER_00 (45:05):
They need that shower.

SPEAKER_02 (45:07):
They I they might.
Because I'm not sure if it'saround or not.
Um, here we go.
Round one.
Ready?
Do you vote?
Yes.
Have you ever been grounded?
Yes.
Do you drive?
Yes.
Do you live alone?
Yes.
Are you married?
No.
Do you have kids?
No.
Do you have pets?
Yes.
Why?

SPEAKER_00 (45:25):
That's my dog Dobby.

SPEAKER_02 (45:28):
Dobby! Oh my god, sweet.
I haven't seen Dobby in so long.

SPEAKER_00 (45:32):
You could see him any time.
Oh my god, please.
Um, the light of my life.
He's such a sweet seven yearsold.
He's the best thing that hasever happened to planet Earth.
Um he's the sweetest, mostsnugly, playful little boy.
In the last year, he hasstarted, he's always been a huge

(45:53):
snuggler.
In the last year, he has startedreally loving being under the
covers.
Oh.
And so he will, right when I goto bed, he'll come up to my left
shoulder and he'll paw at it andwait for me to lift the covers
up so he can curl out.
Oh my goodness.
And then at whatever time hedecides to during the night, he

(46:15):
wakes up and comes to my rightshoulder and paws at my right
shoulder, and I pick up thecovers and he curls up on my
right.

SPEAKER_02 (46:21):
Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 (46:22):
And it's just a little rhythmic ritual that we
have every single night.
That's beautiful.
And sometimes I'm like, I wasasleep.
But then every time I'm like,you're so perfection.
Yeah, you're so precious.
Of course, you can snuggle on myright side instead of my left.
He's the best.

SPEAKER_02 (46:42):
What kind of dog is he?

SPEAKER_00 (46:43):
He's a lab shepherd.
There's a little bit of poodle.
He's got 12% super mutt.

SPEAKER_02 (46:49):
Super mutt?
What's that?
Like it's just they're so it'ssuch a mix of dogs that they're
just like, we gotta it's not mudanymore.
It's super mutt.

SPEAKER_00 (46:59):
Super mutt, I think, is made up of this is I'm gonna
get roasted.
But I think I think that it's amix of all the bullies.
And so I think it's likeStaffordshire, um.
Oh oh, I see, I see like thebully breeds.

SPEAKER_02 (47:16):
I get you.
Um I thought you meant like dogswith bad reputations.

SPEAKER_03 (47:21):
Oh, bullies.
These dogs are bullies.

SPEAKER_00 (47:24):
Yeah, well, I mean, the reputation is for those
dogs, sadly.
That's why we're fighting thestereotype.

SPEAKER_02 (47:31):
Oh, there you go.
Are you an only child?
No.
Do you work full-time?

SPEAKER_00 (47:37):
More or less, I'd say.
The hours vary.
I'm an artist, so did not askwhy.
That's right.
And that's right.
And see, this is what I'mtalking about.

SPEAKER_02 (47:45):
Uh do you have a second job?
Yes.
Why?

SPEAKER_00 (47:49):
And now you're getting your description.
Um, I have a second job becauseI well, I have many jobs.
Um, but I would say my favoritesecond job is I teach one-on-one
yoga to senior citizens.
Oh my god.
That's wonderful.
It's so, so amazing.
It's so fulfilling.
Yeah.

(48:09):
I love it very much.
They are incredible enough tolet me in their homes.
Oh my gosh.
Oh, so you go to people's homes.
Oh my god, wow.
Yeah.
Wow.
And they're usually like 85plus, and their goals are so why
I love it is because their goalsare so anti-fitness.

(48:30):
Their goals are always like tobe able to walk in the park and
listen to the birds, to be ableto lift my grandchildren up when
they come and visit.
Yeah.
And so there's nobody who's everlike, I'm trying to get swole
and count my fucking macros.

SPEAKER_02 (48:45):
Yes.
This is like I want this forpractical.

SPEAKER_00 (48:49):
These people, they still call me bitch, but it's
because I'm a bitch.

SPEAKER_02 (48:53):
I want to be able to hold my grandson, bitch.

SPEAKER_00 (48:58):
Yeah, exactly.
They have a lot of commentsabout my clothes.
Do they really?

SPEAKER_04 (49:02):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (49:03):
Oh my god.
They're always like, why do youwear colors?
They're like, make yourselfsmaller.

SPEAKER_02 (49:10):
It's a different generation.
I know.
Different generation.
Do you know how to ride a bike?
Yes.
Have you ever had stitches?
No.
Do you know how to cook?

SPEAKER_00 (49:20):
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (49:21):
Do you like spiders?

SPEAKER_00 (49:22):
I don't mind them.

SPEAKER_02 (49:23):
Have you ever been to summer camp?
Yes.
Do you have an imaginary friend?

SPEAKER_00 (49:27):
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (49:28):
Why?

SPEAKER_00 (49:28):
Currently?
I mean, I think we all haveimaginary friends.
Imaginary rant.

SPEAKER_02 (49:34):
Why?

SPEAKER_00 (49:35):
Who do you talk to when you're talking in your
apartment?

SPEAKER_02 (49:38):
That's true.
How do you know I'm talking inmy apartment when I'm alone?
Maybe I was a little bit morethan a little bit of a little
bit of a little bit all night.
This is something full moon.
This was actually a bit that'sthat.
This is something I actuallysort of discovered about myself
when I was working one of thesejobs that I had, where I was I
was a director at a showcasecompany for a couple of years.
Cool.
And I kind of came to therealization about like when

(49:59):
people do monologues, I'm like,you're never, and maybe this is
like just so on point, but I'mlike, even when you're home
alone, like when you talk whenyou're home alone and you're
having a phantom conversation,you're not saying it to
yourself.
You you have someone in yourhead that you're imagining.
Whether you can conceptually seewho it actually is, you always

(50:23):
have an idea of who that personis.

SPEAKER_00 (50:26):
Absolutely.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (50:27):
And for some reason, when I f like I that just like
clicked for me.
It helped me do monologues a lotbetter.

SPEAKER_00 (50:33):
Yeah.
Um that's great.

SPEAKER_02 (50:35):
And it I I I felt like I was like, oh, that's a
good advice to pass on to thepeople that I was doing showcase
stuff with.

SPEAKER_00 (50:41):
That's really great.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (50:42):
Um, but that just sort of ignited that memory for
me.

SPEAKER_00 (50:44):
That's cool.

SPEAKER_02 (50:45):
That's round one.
How you feeling?
How you feeling, Lauren?
Be honest, Lauren.

SPEAKER_00 (50:49):
I wish there was someone here to like massage my
shoulders.
Like I was in a mid-fight.

SPEAKER_02 (50:55):
Are you ready for round two?

SPEAKER_00 (50:57):
I'm ready.

SPEAKER_02 (50:57):
Do you like riding motorcycles?

SPEAKER_00 (50:59):
No.

SPEAKER_02 (51:00):
Why?

SPEAKER_00 (51:01):
I've only done it once, didn't do it for me.
I'm not like an adrenalineperson.

SPEAKER_02 (51:05):
Sure.

SPEAKER_00 (51:06):
I don't know that I've ever been on a motorcycle.
I mean, like, here's the thing.
You're gonna die.
I know.
I hope it's not now.
Like the everybody knows this.
Yes.
But the risks on a motorcyclecome on.

SPEAKER_02 (51:22):
When you hear about a motorcycle accident, it's
never like I know.

SPEAKER_00 (51:26):
It's never No, it's never like, oh dang.
I got a little thing.

SPEAKER_02 (51:31):
No, you have head trauma now.
Your arm is dead or your headwas taken off.
Yeah, it's always gruesome.

SPEAKER_00 (51:39):
Yeah, I was recently talking to an orthopedic surgeon
who told me that he used to lovemotorcycles until he saw what it
does every single time.

SPEAKER_02 (51:51):
Yeah.
Like you never, yeah, like yousaid, you never get it's like if
you're gonna be on this thing,you better know exactly how to
ride it and like and maybe go tothe dirt roads in West Virginia,
Mountain Mama.

SPEAKER_00 (52:03):
Mountain Mama, where no one is there to watch your
head fall off.

SPEAKER_02 (52:08):
Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_00 (52:09):
Yeah, die alone.
Come on.
Nobody wants to see that.

SPEAKER_02 (52:12):
No one wants to see that.
Are you a twin or a triplet?
No.
Can you recite pie to more than10 digits?

SPEAKER_00 (52:18):
I think so.

SPEAKER_02 (52:21):
Yeah?
Why?

SPEAKER_00 (52:23):
I don't know.
Well, I think one day when I waslittle, I was like, I'm gonna do
this.

SPEAKER_02 (52:28):
Here's the thing.
I ask sometimes when people sayyes, I'm like, I say why.

SPEAKER_00 (52:33):
But then you just want to hear me do it.

SPEAKER_02 (52:35):
But the thing is, even if you do it, I'm not gonna
fucking know because I can't.
You can say any numbers.

SPEAKER_00 (52:41):
How much can you do?

SPEAKER_02 (52:42):
3.14.

SPEAKER_00 (52:43):
15926.
I think that's all I can do.
Three?
Do you count the decimal point?

SPEAKER_02 (52:48):
Uh I think we have to count everything past the
decimal point as the ten digits.
What?
Because three uh okay, fine.
Fair enough, fair enough.
But you're you're right, you'reright.

SPEAKER_00 (52:57):
I don't even think I'm there though.
Hold on.
I'm gonna count the decimal.
I think it's like eight.
3.14159269.
Oh, nine.
All right.

SPEAKER_02 (53:08):
Is it the last number?

SPEAKER_00 (53:09):
Came in close.
Is it nine?

SPEAKER_02 (53:11):
Do you believe in ghosts?

SPEAKER_00 (53:13):
Yes, of course.
There's one sitting right nextto you.

SPEAKER_02 (53:16):
Is there?
Oh god.
Is this the Haunted Mansion?
I always have to fight the urgeto ask why on that one every
time.

SPEAKER_00 (53:22):
Is it Eddie Murphy at Haunted Mansion?

SPEAKER_02 (53:24):
That was one of them.
And then they did another onethat was even worse.

SPEAKER_00 (53:27):
Sorry! Haunted Mansion is really good.

SPEAKER_02 (53:31):
The ride is great.
Oh my god.
You mean the first one withEddie Murphy?

SPEAKER_00 (53:35):
Of course that's what I mean.

SPEAKER_02 (53:36):
Oh my god.
I don't know.
I don't remember liking it.
Oh my god.
Have you ever been to a liverock concert in the past year?

SPEAKER_00 (53:46):
No.

SPEAKER_02 (53:47):
Have you ever gone?
Have you ever done stand-upcomedy?

SPEAKER_00 (53:50):
No.

SPEAKER_02 (53:51):
Have you ever written a song for someone?

SPEAKER_00 (53:53):
To my dog every day, yes.
You didn't ask why, but I gavethat to you for free.

SPEAKER_02 (53:59):
Do you have a best friend?

SPEAKER_00 (54:00):
Yes, I do.

SPEAKER_02 (54:02):
Why?

SPEAKER_00 (54:03):
We grew up together.

SPEAKER_02 (54:04):
Oh yeah?
Yeah.
Oh, so you have like a long-termbest friend.

SPEAKER_00 (54:07):
Oh yeah, we've known each other since.
Oh wait, I know her.
Yeah, you met her.
Alex.
Allie.

SPEAKER_02 (54:11):
Allie.
But her name is Alexandra.
Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 (54:13):
Okay, there you go.
Um yes, you met her.
She's amazing.
She lives in Ohio.
She is also the light of mylife, the second light of my
life.
And um yeah, we grew up.
I've known her since I wasprobably like six or seven.
Um we didn't get close until wewere like seventeen.

(54:34):
She ten years.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (54:37):
What was it?

SPEAKER_00 (54:37):
Was it just like you were both growing into
yourselves and uh yeah, we ranin different circles and then we
sat next to each other in choir.
And we made each other laugh.
No one else is funny.
I like it.
Just us.

SPEAKER_02 (54:50):
Yep.
That's the best type offriendship.

SPEAKER_00 (54:52):
Yeah.
And we uh truly have like acosmic, like inexplainable
friendship.
It just like did you sayinexplicable to me?

unknown (55:07):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (55:08):
Inexplainable.
Inexplicable.
I'll cut this.
I'm sounding like a fuckingmansplainer and I'm an asshole.

SPEAKER_00 (55:14):
Oh bad.

SPEAKER_03 (55:15):
I think that's uh what you said was probably
perfectly reliable.

SPEAKER_00 (55:21):
If you keep that in, I'll sue.
And you will never get aneditor.
I'm gonna say we have a cosmicinexplicable friendship that has
like stood the test of time andit has stood true through the

(55:44):
most insane hills and valleysand Mountain Mama.
Mountain Mama, West Virginia.
Yeah.
Um, and I'll never be able,that's like why I'm struggling.
I'll never be able to really putinto words.
It's inexplicable.
Explainable.

SPEAKER_02 (56:03):
That's beautiful though.
I that's so beautiful.
I love that.

SPEAKER_00 (56:07):
I love her.

SPEAKER_02 (56:08):
Well, that's round two.
Let's move on to round three.
How are you feeling?
Round three is a little moreexistential.
I will put that out there.

SPEAKER_00 (56:14):
I love existential.
There's a ghost next to you.
Oh, good.

SPEAKER_02 (56:18):
Ready?
Yes.
Here we go.
Would you risk your life to savea stranger?

SPEAKER_00 (56:22):
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (56:23):
Why?
Any stranger.

SPEAKER_00 (56:26):
I do think that that is an impulse thing.

SPEAKER_02 (56:29):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (56:29):
I think that um I mean, no, not any stranger.
No, if that stranger is harmingsomeone else, I it would be
circumstantial, of course.

SPEAKER_02 (56:41):
If you knew they were a harmful person, but
that's tough.

SPEAKER_00 (56:45):
Yeah, that is tough.
If I knew they were a harmfulperson, would I still risk my
life to save them?
If they were the only person indanger at the time, yeah, I
think so.
Sure.
Um if I have to choose twopeople that I'm saving, one a
bad person, two a good person,obviously I'm saving the good
person.
Hopefully I never have tochoose.

SPEAKER_02 (57:07):
I asked them really quickly.
Wait, wait, wait.
Are you a bad person?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Are you a bad person?
Are you a good person?
Yeah.
Okay.

SPEAKER_00 (57:13):
And they're and they're gonna be really honest.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (57:19):
Would you fake your own death to save your family?
And I want to be clear aboutthis one too.
You fake your own death.
Your family believes you aredead too.

unknown (57:30):
Oh.

SPEAKER_02 (57:30):
This is how I hear.
So you're just gonna let yourfamily die.

SPEAKER_00 (57:35):
Well, can I be honest about something?

SPEAKER_02 (57:37):
What?

SPEAKER_00 (57:38):
They would be miserable if I died.
That would be no life for them.

SPEAKER_03 (57:45):
They're like, they'd basically be dead anyway.

unknown (57:48):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (57:50):
It's it's those are the same thing happens.

SPEAKER_03 (57:53):
Oh my god.
It's like this is a lose-losesituation here.
I might as well live my life asLauren Lee and not in some
witness protection program orwhatever under a different name.

SPEAKER_00 (58:06):
Yeah, kind of.

SPEAKER_02 (58:08):
Fair enough.
If you know that that yourfamily would be torn apart in
that way.
Oh my god.
Oh my god, that's brilliant.
Would you accept your dream jobif one of the conditions was not
communicating with your familyand friends for one year?

SPEAKER_00 (58:27):
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (58:28):
I think I'd say yes too.

SPEAKER_00 (58:30):
Yeah, a year.

SPEAKER_02 (58:31):
That's not that bad.
And it also doesn't specify theparameters around not talking to
them.
So you could be like, look.
If it's just like a year of nottalking, they don't get to know
what the what's going on.

SPEAKER_00 (58:44):
Yeah, can I walk by them?

SPEAKER_02 (58:48):
Can you I don't know.
Body language is a form ofcommunication.

SPEAKER_00 (58:53):
Oh, oh, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 (58:54):
You know?
Okay.

SPEAKER_03 (58:55):
If you're walking by like slumped over, like to let
them know you're sad.
I miss talking to you.
That's what that means.
So you tell them this beforeyour year.
You're like, okay, I'll walk byyou.
And if I'm doing this, if I'mhunched over like a crone, that
means I'm sad and I miss you andI'm gonna talk.

(59:16):
I'm so glad I'm not talking toyou, fucks.
I'm thriving.

SPEAKER_00 (59:20):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (59:20):
Thriving.
My life is going great.

SPEAKER_00 (59:23):
Um, I think a year is nothing.

SPEAKER_02 (59:25):
Yeah.
If everything were to endtomorrow, would you be happy
with how your life turned out?

SPEAKER_00 (59:31):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (59:33):
Why?

SPEAKER_00 (59:34):
I love my life.
Obviously, I have, you know,there are hard times and there
are easier times, but I'm I'm sograteful.
I'm so sorry, that's my guestfor tomorrow.
Wow Gail Shallon.
Um go on.
I have so many friends.

(59:56):
I am surrounded by love.
I love what I do.
I don't get to do it as much asI would like to, but isn't that
great?
Like that I'm that I am yearningfor something.
It's very I've I'm very lucky tobe hoping and yearning and to

(01:00:20):
have something to work for, tohave people who I love so much
that I that are role models thatI want to emulate, that I um I
have a beautiful dog.
Yeah.
I love him so much.
He greets me every day when Icome home with like he's been

(01:00:43):
waiting his whole life to see meand to kiss my face.
And to be loved like that isunparalleled.

SPEAKER_04 (01:00:51):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (01:00:52):
And so I'm very, I'm yeah, I'm very happy.
If it all ended, I don't know,maybe I'd want to like get drunk
tonight, but we know your familywould be sad.
They're not.

SPEAKER_02 (01:01:02):
Well, no, they wouldn't.
They wouldn't know.
They'd be dead too.
We'd all be dead.

SPEAKER_00 (01:01:06):
Yeah, everyone would be dead.

SPEAKER_02 (01:01:08):
And on that note, Lauren.
Oh my god, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 (01:01:15):
Of course, thank you.
For coming.
This was so much fun.
This was really nice.

SPEAKER_02 (01:01:17):
Um, anything you want to promote?
I mean, you got Elsbeth comingout, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (01:01:21):
Yeah, take a look at Elsbeth.
Um, season three, episode 15.

SPEAKER_02 (01:01:26):
Season three?

SPEAKER_00 (01:01:26):
Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (01:01:28):
They're already on a third season.
They're really.
Did you get to work with um Ohmy god.
Wait, what's her name?
I'm sorry.
Carrie Preston.
Carrie Preston.
She is she was excellent in theholdovers.
Um small but mighty part.
She was great.
She seems lovely.

SPEAKER_00 (01:01:44):
Is incredible.
Yeah.
Not only an incredible actor,but just the greatest human
being.

SPEAKER_02 (01:01:52):
She seems like a lovely energy.

SPEAKER_00 (01:01:54):
Yeah.
I I have a small part on theepisode, and she made me feel
like I was number one on thecall sheet.

SPEAKER_02 (01:02:01):
Oh, that is so lovely to hear.
But I do think that like lastlittle bit about acting that
I'll say, like, the leads, theyset the mood.

SPEAKER_00 (01:02:10):
Yeah, they do.

SPEAKER_02 (01:02:11):
And it's night and day.
When you're working with someonewho really ingratiates you into
the set, onto into the story.
Absolutely.
It's night and day.

SPEAKER_00 (01:02:19):
And can I just say, last thing, the Moonstruck
reading was exactly like thattoo.
Was it really?
All of those people werefantastic.
I was like, so happy to be thereand so kind and generous and
open and playful.

(01:02:40):
Not truly not an ego in thehouse.

SPEAKER_02 (01:02:44):
That's so beautiful.
It was crazy.
Because those are three inparticular.
Huge.

SPEAKER_00 (01:02:48):
Well no, Steve Buscemi was there.
Steve Buscemi was in it?
Yeah.

unknown (01:02:52):
Dude.

SPEAKER_02 (01:02:53):
My brother and I saw Steve Buscemi on the street
once.

SPEAKER_00 (01:02:55):
Oh.

SPEAKER_02 (01:02:55):
It was great.
We were like, Hugo Buch.
Buscemi.
You go Bush.
Bush.
That's huge.
I love to hear that.

SPEAKER_00 (01:03:02):
I mean, he walked right up to me and he was like,
hey, I'm Steven.
What's your name?
Oh my God.
I was like, yeah, I know you'reSteven.

SPEAKER_02 (01:03:08):
You're a fucking legend.
All of them are legends.
They're amazing.

SPEAKER_00 (01:03:12):
Randall in Monsters Inc.
Oh my God.

SPEAKER_02 (01:03:14):
I always forget he's Randall in Monsters Inc.
You know, my girlfriend and I,we just recently rewatched Troy.
If anybody was watching Troy,Roseburn is the best part of
Troy.
She is delivering so hard inthat film.
She's amazing.
She's incredible.
And Bobby Conavale.

unknown (01:03:32):
I know.

SPEAKER_02 (01:03:33):
What a power couple, too.
Oh, yeah.
Holy shit.
Yeah.
Um, he's so good.

SPEAKER_00 (01:03:38):
It was the best day.

SPEAKER_02 (01:03:40):
That's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 (01:03:41):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (01:03:42):
Well, anyway, Lauren, that's the end of the
pod.
Thanks for coming all the wayout here.

SPEAKER_00 (01:03:46):
Of course.
Thank you.
This was amazing.

SPEAKER_02 (01:03:48):
We should hang out more.

SPEAKER_00 (01:03:49):
We should.

SPEAKER_02 (01:03:50):
Please.

SPEAKER_00 (01:03:50):
Let's do something.

SPEAKER_02 (01:03:51):
Let's do it.
All right, y'all.
That's this week's episode ofthe Working Class Acts podcast.
We'll see you next week.

unknown (01:04:00):
Bye!

SPEAKER_00 (01:04:01):
Do you do that every time?