July 16, 2025 • 46 mins
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What happens when a childhood passion refuses to be silenced? In this captivating conversation, Jana McCaffrey reveals her remarkable journey through multiple careers while never letting go of her dream to perform.
Sponsored by Jana McCaffery Attorney at Law. Have you been injured? New Orleans based actor, Jana McCaffery, has been practicing law in Louisiana since 1999 focusing on personal injury since 2008. She takes helping others very seriously and, if you are a fellow member of the Louisiana film industry and have been injured, she is happy to offer you a free consultation and a reduced fee to handle your case from start to finish. She can be reached at Jana McCaffery Attorney at Law
Have you been injured? New Orleans based actor, Jana McCaffery, has been practicing law in Louisiana
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Follow us on IG @nolafilmscene, @kodaksbykojack, and @tjsebastianofficial. Check out our 48 Hour Film Project short film Waiting for Gateaux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pFvn4cd1U . & check out our website: nolafilmscene.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm Jana McCaffrey, actor, lawyer, real estate mogul
, and I am thrilled to be onNOLA Film Scene.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome to NOLA Film Scene with TJ Plato.
I'm TJ and, as always, I'mPlato.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
We're really glad to have you, Jana.
I didn't realize you did realestate as well.
I knew that you were a lawyer.
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
It's a lot.
It's got me a little bit crazythese days.
Well, I mean, we know that thecrazy never really goes away.
I'm a little extra today.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Okay, if you can't lie to our listeners and say a
little bit crazy because some ofthem know you.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Hi, buddy, true.
Hey, I think you and I met inJim's class.
I can't remember if it was thepremier class or if it was the
circle exercise, but I doremember being in class with you
at least a couple times atJim's.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
It was definitely Jim's.
I think it was the premierclass.
That's my memory.
Or were you in class withMichael?
Yeah, well, that's the premierclass.
I'm thinking of the works.
Yeah, I got the of the works.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Yeah, I got the names confused, but yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Yeah, yeah, we definitely had some classes
together, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
We met in the famous circle, yeah, and we did a scene
together and I believe I becameyour dad.
You did.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
You did and you were a good shoulder to cry on,
because we know what the circlereduces us all to eventually.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
It's an emotional lab , and that's all we're going to
say about it.
You can go back to the JimGleason episode, folks, and find
out more and then sign on tohis class.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Right, I know, but we've done some classes together
too.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yes, we're advanced.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
We are, we're advanced, we're advanced.
Yes, we're advanced, we are,we're advanced, we're advanced.
Yes, and we've actually doneother things together too, just
passing, you know, not themedtogether, but a little
professional stuff is what I'mgetting.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
And all three of us were in the same 48 we always
talk about.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
That was great.
We were so great.
I'm just going to say I don'tcare what anyone else said, we
were great.
Actually, everyone else said wewere great, except for the
judges.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Boots, jonathan Sigler, the guy that did the
videography.
We interviewed him.
That was a fun project and Iwas afraid that it was going to
be long and, you know, just dragout.
And I didn't know what toexpect because that was my first
time doing a 48.
I thought it was going to bejust like stress and we got to
hurry up and get it done, but itnever felt like that to me.
It was fun the whole time.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
It was fun.
I think a lot of that was Matthonestly to be, you know,
because he was so level headedand he's so driven by his ideas
and he's just always calm and hejust gets these ideas and rolls
with them and he knows how torun a project.
It's funny, just when you saidyou thought it was going to be
long, I'm like, well, we know itwasn't going to be more than 48
hours.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Well, I didn't know what to expect if we were going
to have to be on set for 48hours straight with you know,
with no sleep and stuff, and weall got to go home and get sleep
at night.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah, that would not have worked for me very well
yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Janet for me very well.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yeah, jenna was kind enough to lend us her office for
the weekend.
There was that and Matt and Iwere going to go to the coffee
shop where they were having ameeting where you pull your two
genres randomly.
Well, I couldn't find parkingso I'm just going to the office.
So I walked in, we were talkingand Matt messaged us and said
we have mockumentary andinspirational.
(03:43):
We were in the office.
I said we're not going anywhere.
Yeah, we're not going to runaround town and shoot and stuff.
We're going to concentrate.
We've got our location.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Yeah.
And it really kind of it kind oflends itself, yeah, but then
that is probably where.
How much do we want to talkabout this?
You know, that's that's what Ithink would stop the judges from
it could be.
I mean, yeah, you can take thisout later if you want, but I
think they think we ripped offthe office.
But I don't think we ripped offthe office.
I think we ended up withmockumentary and an office to
(04:10):
work in and matt carroll hadnever seen the office before and
he was the writer yeah, I hadonly watched a couple episodes
myself I I just had a hard timegetting into it.
I don't know me too, actually meno.
I thought our thing was great.
We were running in the office afew last years.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Take that, Steve Carell.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
And Sexiest man Alive , Jim Krasinski, if I pronounce
it right.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Right, yeah, no, me too.
I never really watched it awhole lot either.
So whatever Awards don't matter, we did a project and we got
real footage and we all think weall did really well.
And you two got nominated forbest actors or best supporting
actors.
I'm gonna say that, if y'alldon't say it and you should have
(04:55):
won, in my opinion, one of youeither one they were trying to
split us up and make us fighteach other I know right, but it
was good.
You know, I bumped into craigLidecker last week Randomly, so
randomly, and you know we werelike, we've known each other
since kindergarten and he gotour, he loved our film.
Yeah, I thought we did great.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So I took that on.
We got a lot of good responsefrom people, and that's what
matters, yeah, what matters tome.
So let's go to our usualquestion.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Can I just want to say?
I just wanted to say one thingon that.
I would rather people enjoyedthe film and got something out
of it than win an award versuswin an award, and most people
didn't like it, you know.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah, no, I agree completely, like on every level.
Whether that, whether we'retalking about some little film
festival that nobody most peopleout of acting have never heard
of, or whether we're talkingabout the academy awards, I'm
not going to be like, no, thankyou, you can keep your oscar.
However, no, I'd rather dosomething that reaches people on
any day didn't you do thissoldier's heart as well?
(06:00):
Yeah, that was fun.
That's how it ends, and this isbrian casting man yeah, brian
had put out text messages, Iguess, saying you know, we're
looking for extras here and Idon't normally do background
work and it's not because I'mtrying to be a snot about it.
I think all actors kind of onany level can relate to this.
It's just that I have so muchof an other life.
(06:22):
I'm still a lawyer, I have myown little office, I didn't
matter.
I do personal injury, by theway.
I feel like I have to say that,and I'm really good at it.
So you know, any actors, Icould just be the personal
injury attorney to the stars ofNew Orleans, but I still want to
be an actor.
I can't get over it.
I've wanted to do it since I wassix.
Anyway, was six, anyway, I'vegot so much to do in my normal
(06:48):
life that I just can't go hangout in the background of a set
for 70K.
Even if I wanted to, it's notreally feasible.
But it was Brian.
So I was like, hey, it's Brian,who knows, let me do it for
Brian.
Yeah, I texted you.
Hey, if you need people, I'mhere for you.
And then it weirdly went fromthere because I'm getting ready
(07:10):
to head out of the house atabsurd am O'clock, whatever it
is Right, and that's when thetext messages start coming
through Actually the nightbefore Right?
Because you asked me if I couldpick up Julia, who lives way on
the other side of town and inthe opposite direction of where
you're going?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
She's telling me the night before she needed a ride,
and it's all the way for thoselistening, it was on the West
Bank.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
No, I think no, she lives uptown Right, but in,
that's right.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Meet Louisiana, I believe, is south of New Orleans
on the West Bank, so peoplelistening who don't know the
West Bank is west, south andeast of New Orleans, depending
on where you stand.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
But do you actually refer to the banks in, like the
Coast Guard and maritime circles?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
They don't say east or west, they say because the
way the river curves, they sayleft descending bank and right
descending bank, that's cool,right, that's, that's cool, that
, actually, that almost jiveswith our way of life in the
Crescent City, which is river,like uptown, downtown, whatever
(08:13):
we don't say, we don't say north.
The only reason I ever knowwhich direction north is is
because that's the lake, isthere's my finger, north is over
there.
Like by the time, folks, right,but anyway, back to the story.
Yeah, the night over there,like folks, right, but anyway,
back to the story.
Yeah, the night before you'retexting me, can you get Julie?
And I'm like yes, yeah, yes,and I learned that somewhere.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
You were playing a councilwoman and you weren't
supposed to have lines.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
You're supposed to be there.
That was even on the table, yet.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Was it so you started as the women's health clinic
person?
I think I started as nothingbut an extra, a backup, oh, like
filling out the council roomfor the bleeding.
Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
And then came the can you pick up, julie?
So I didn't even really have areason to say yes at that point,
except I'm just that great of aperson you are, which I think
you know, know.
And then is I'm on the way outof the house, literally like I'm
letting the dog, that, which isthe last thing we do before we
leave the house, right, and I'mgetting ready to head to the car
.
When the next text comes in,that is, actually, I might have
(09:17):
a featured extra spot for you asa council person at the table
and you're like so, bring acouple outfits.
And then I'm heading to the carwith a handful of some outfits.
When it's like wait, bring moreoutfits.
There's an actual roll withlines that you might get because
(09:37):
someone else has potentiallyjust dropped out.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Yes, it was an independent movie for very
little money and we had adirector of a women's center.
I went to a man who went to awoman.
People dropped out, peoplecouldn't do that day.
People called that morning.
It's craziness when you don'thave the budget behind it, you
know, and so you ended up beinga council person with I was a
council person.
I was to speak there because Iwasn't that day.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
I wasn't there that day I did not speak, but I'm
gonna brag for a second becauseyou know, wow, who's an actor
that doesn't brag a little inthat that moment where the
speech was being done?
I will say that the mainactress that was doing that
speech looked at me a lot and Ilike to think it was because I
was giving her something to workoff of.
(10:21):
You know what I mean, and I wasresponding because it was
important it was.
It was very emotive, it wasvery serious speech there.
So, yeah, nobody will see that,but I liked that, that.
She looked at me, she looked atme.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
That is the wonderful Eileen Gruba, who was friends
with Jim Vess, and one day I'lltell the whole story.
But I sat down with Matt and Iwas going to be the sheriff the
sheriff's in his 50s I'm in my50s but I don't come across as
in my 50s and so he said youcan't do that.
And then I said, well, you knowthis person, I know this person
, I need this role.
And I just started making phonecalls and we got people like
(10:53):
Jeremy London.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
And then Eileen came in, know it killed me.
I couldn't be there.
I was at a sand quarryfinagling our Iraq set for free.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
That's amazing.
Yeah, I know Things just keptcoming together.
I mean hard, hard fought.
But yeah.
I got to do that.
But there was also thisdirector of the woman's shelter
and I had never met Matt beforethat day either.
And I walk in and I getintroduced to Matt and you had
already told me it was thedirector of a women's shelter.
And I started my conversationwith him like, hi, I'm Jana
(11:35):
McCaffrey.
My first job when I was in lawschool was helping the attorney
as an assistant for the attorneydoing divorces for battered
women at the Women's Shelter inNew Orleans.
And he went, you got the job.
So that was a great audition,you know, best audition ever.
(11:56):
So then it went from there andI had, you know what, like three
or four themes with a decenthandful of lines and yay you
know it's fun to play.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
You get a chance to work and then that goes to your
reel.
Once you get the footage which,ladies and gentlemen, that's
like a headshot, it's just yourstill of your face.
A reel is an example of theacting you can do, and so you
show that to casting and toagents and directors.
This is me and they go nottoday or she's the one so you're
building your calling card andshe Jana did it for free.
(12:27):
But you're also makingconnections, like with Matt, all
the people there, and then thatled to the 48th.
So there's always.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
You're building yes, I truly never expected it at all
.
I was just happy.
I was so happy to be part of it.
I think it's a great movie.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
That film led to multiple things for all three of
us.
I mean the connections andfriends.
I'm still in contact withpeople I met on that film.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Me too.
You know I broached Matt with aproject that I've had in my
head for years and it's reallyin complete infancy stages.
Right now Matt's very, verybusy and I keep trying to nail
it down.
You know, every week I'm like,hey, let's do more on that
project, and that, you know, Idon't know what's there, but I
feel like something's reallythere and eventually it'll come
(13:10):
out.
So Matt and I are in regularcontact.
He's just, he's brilliant, andI love working with him and I
think I've got some great ideas.
And then he throws some fictionon top of those ideas, because
mine come from crazy real lifewhich Brian knows about from the
circle exercise.
It's way deeper than you think,brother.
There's so many rabbit holes,man.
We've only got a half an houror so.
(13:31):
I'm really effective on myideas too.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Keep them under lock and key.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
And Matt, we're going to expand the Western.
We did.
But that takes time, energy andmoney.
It may take a while, but it'sgoing to happen.
It works.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I like that.
We all made friends andfriendships.
At those kind of things I knowI kind of sounded businesslike.
Oh it's for the real, oh, weget paid.
It's also a lot of fun to makefriends.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
It's really both.
Yeah Well, but it overlaps forus.
So, naturally, I think thatnone of us being oh, that person
is just trying to get somethingfrom me, for instance, like
when she says you know, I canride a horse right, right, like
you just mentioned, a WesternRight, I can be a cowgirl baby.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
We certainly will need people that can ride horses
.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Yes, and I handle guns.
That I have done since I wasborn, thanks to my daddy we all
had old Western six-shootersRight For that film.
Yes, I have one of those.
It's just that it moved from mynightstand into the closet and
now the Glock is in thenightstand.
Burglars, just so you know.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
That's a first on our podcast, but anyway, jen, I'd
like to go back when you firststarted, when you were inspired
to become an actress, whether itwas high school or your first
job or anything along thosethoughts.
What was your journey to gethere?
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Okay, you want to hear my very first story,
literally.
I mean, I was six years old andmy mom and dad took me to
Barnum and Bailey circus at theSuperdome and there was a little
girl about my age who was in afamily that was on the trapeze
and the moment I saw a child myage performing, it never left.
(15:09):
From that moment I wanted to beon stage in front of a camera,
whatever I could do.
And it's funny, you know my momand dad and this is not a knock
on my mom and dad, my mom anddad were self-employed people
that worked their butts off toput a roof over our head and pay
all the bills and everything,but they were not helicopter
(15:29):
parents like the ones that yousee today that put their kids in
everything.
Like.
The reason I went to dancingschool for the first time when I
was seven was because Missydown the street went to dancing
school and I was like I want togo to dancing.
Missy goes to dancing, you know, and that's how I started
dancing, and you know that.
And then you get exposed somemore in school as you go through
it and then, and when I wasabout 12, my mother was actually
(15:51):
a model in the sixties, whenshe was younger.
My mother was a very beautifulwoman and she I feel like I
should not say some names, butshe was connected to a very
famous mile and silent agency inthe 60s and even went to New
York for a while.
So she had a couple ofconnections and you know I had
shots.
You should see what headshotswhen you're 12 in 1984 look like
(16:14):
.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Yeah, I'm having thoughts of glamour shots at the
mall it was not, it was.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
They were like real photographers and back then
black and white.
You remember when everybody'sheadshots were in black and
white.
You know, even when I was incollege they were still doing
that.
So I did plays all through highschool with a couple.
I went to, grew up in neworleans and went to girls
catholic school, like a lot ofus tend to do, and then I did
plays with the boys schools thathad theater programs.
(16:43):
And then when I went to college, I went to Southern Methodist
in Dallas for one year andstudied business and it was
wonderful and I loved it and Ihad an amazing time.
But I had two men in my life, aboyfriend and a dad, who were
like we miss you so much and Iwas like I'm going to come home.
(17:05):
And I came home and I went toUNO for one semester and studied
veterinary medicine Not well,not like pre-vet.
Whatever we were doing with myboyfriend, we had this grand
plan to become veterinarianstogether, which did not work out
.
After one semester at UNO andno offense to UNO today, because
the UNO of today is muchdifferent than the UNO of 30
(17:26):
years ago I was like this is notlike college life at all.
I mean, I left SMU, the dorms,I was in a sorority, you know,
and I was like I need thecollege life and I ran to LSU,
just like it's not that far away, but it's also very
college-like and I remember itlike it was yesterday.
(17:47):
Y'all, like you know, youdidn't get to sign up online
right there, wouldn't?
You know?
I'm talking about 1992 is whatI'm talking about.
And there was right.
The line was not card tables,the lawn tables like that.
We eat crawfish on down here youknow, picnic tables-ish, right,
those tables with people andindex cards and actual people
(18:10):
standing in line with pens andpencils.
And that's how you picked outyour classes.
And I'm standing in line tosign up to be a business major
again and to sign up for somebusiness course.
And right next door is thetheater major table.
And I did it and I couldn't, Ijust couldn't help it and I ran
over there, I signed up thereand so I ended up with a
Bachelor of Arts in Theater fromLSU and then, I guess, when I
(18:32):
was 22, I chickened out.
I went and worked for Disneyfor a year after college, which
was insanely ridiculous, youknow, kind of like being a
pretend actor.
Sorry, disney people, there's alot of theater involved in it.
Well, I was in the parks and Iworked at the Haunted Mansion
for a while and then I waspromoted sort of promoted.
I know I was not, I know it waskind of cool, it was kind of
(18:53):
cool.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
I love the Haunted Mansion.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
It is a cool ride, it's a great ride.
It's just so different when youwork there and you see all the
guts of the place.
It's very different.
And then I got out of that intothe actual entertainment area
and I was a ship monk for awhile and then I just kind of
got tired of that.
I started like I don't want todo for a living what the rest of
the world does for vacation.
Call me a snot, I don't meanfor it to come across that way.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
No.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
You know, because God bless all the people that work
at Disney.
It is quite a job, you know.
They really work their buttsoff.
I came running home and I waslike what am I going to do with
my life?
And I was like Dad.
I think I might go to law school, because I watch Law and Order
all the time and they're incourtrooms and that's kind of
theatrical.
And dad was like that soundslike a cool idea.
(19:41):
So I went to law school I guesswhat I'm getting at, though,
like when I said I chickened out, it's something in the back of
my head said run out to LA andtry to be an actor.
That is real personal, but Idon't think it would have gone
well for me.
I know I remember the 22 yearold me very well and I was very
vulnerable and naive andemotional, as I still am because
(20:04):
I'm an actor.
So I went to law school, I gotmarried, I had a couple kids, I
got divorced.
My previous husband is deceased, unfortunately.
That's kind of a sad story.
I found the most wonderful mananybody could ever find that I'm
married to now and we've beentogether for 17 years.
So I think it's working.
Yeah, and we got marriedcivilly, technically, in the
(20:27):
beginning and then and he neededan annulment and we just did
our vows in the Catholic churchand so when my youngest who is
now 20, off to college in Texas,like his mama first did, but he
didn't come running home, Isaid I'm going back to acting
class and he couldn't have beenmore supportive.
So that's when we is.
When Jana went, I can't stopfighting me the acting bug after
(20:52):
all these years.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yeah, and, like you said, being a lawyer, you were
still acting, using those skillsto relate to people, to connect
to the jury.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
In so many ways.
But you could like not act, butI guess acting is not really
acting, right, it's being truein make-believe circumstances,
right, that's a good definition.
So I would like, I would neverwant my clients to think that
I'm pretending when I'mconcerned about their
circumstances, because myfavorite part of being a lawyer
is taking care of people.
(21:21):
I love that.
I started my career as anOrleans Parish prosecutor right
Like one order, right Like Ijust heard it.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
I just heard it, you know.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Yeah, that is where I started my career.
I'm sorry, right, that's okay.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
You got me.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
CJ's delayed reaction is beautiful.
He's pushing a little, yeah.
And not long after I startedwith the DA's office, they
realized I had done somedomestic violence work through
law school and so I startedscreening domestic violence
cases and became the maindomestic violence prosecutor at
the time.
Again, we're going back to 1999, 2000, you know.
(22:01):
And for a long time I was in acourtroom every day and it was
really amazing.
And then I had to make a realpaycheck.
Unfortunately, they do not paydistrict attorneys, assistant
district attorneys, enough money.
The actual DAs make enoughmoney.
Well boo.
By the way, the actual DA I wasunder the first time I was
there because I made a couplerounds, was Harry Connick Sr.
So that name may sound familiarto some people.
(22:24):
And that was cool.
In 1999, being in the assistantDA role under Harry Connick Sr,
it was not even questionedskirts and pantyhose into the
courtroom.
Remember pantyhose Y'all.
Remember this Royal?
I think the royals still wearpantyhose when they're out in
(22:44):
public.
But other than that, yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
I mean, I know some judges have weird rules, but
that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Yeah, it was just.
I mean, you know, ladies had a.
There was just like anunwritten, unspoken code.
If you were, a lady how manytimes I do this.
There were no pants on theladies and there were also
pantyhose, but we didn't thinkabout it that much back then.
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Despite rumors, I didn't wear pantyhose.
But I remember my mom's eggsfor legs and then, once she was
done with them, I played withthose.
They became my spaceships, notthe legs, my action figures,
yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Yeah, the ball.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Yeah, no, I remember being like seven or eight years
old and I couldn't wait to getsome pantyhose.
Like that made you a lady.
But this is going so far back.
This is like the younger onesof today that are in well, even
high school, or maybe middleschool, I don't know.
I just know I went all the waythrough law school with a
(23:48):
notebook and a pen.
I didn't even do computers inlaw school, which is probably
why it took me half an hour toconnect to y'all on this podcast
.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
You know, when I finished my undergrad degree
there in the late 90s, computers, internet was a thing, but when
we wrote a paper at that time,you could only use one source
from the Internet.
Everything else had to be fromhard copy in the library.
But you could do one sourcefrom an online thing.
But remote classes online thatwasn't even a dream back then.
(24:16):
Remote classes online thatwasn't even a dream back then.
And when I went back to schoolI guess I started back in 2020
for my grad degree it wascompletely different.
Everything you sign up onlineclasses were online and I
remember going and standing andwaiting at the table at college
when you to sign up for yourclasses like you were talking
about, and it's.
(24:37):
It's so different now and Imiss being in school so much.
I'm taking a digital marketingclass at LSU right now.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
That's cool.
Look at you, I love it.
Yeah, every now and then myhusband and I will be sitting
around watching something, andhe loves watching documentaries.
We love all kinds of stuff,quantum physics even.
There was a time he wanted tobe an archaeologist.
I'm like, why don't we justboth go back to school and
become archaeologists?
And I'm like, oh wait, I'mtrying to be an actor, I'll do
it on screen.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Not an archaeologist, but I did play one on screen.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
You know, Now you're just digging up all the memories
.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
See what you did there.
That was a Jim Gleason.
I told Jim the other day inclass.
I was like, thanks to you, Iwalk around on the regular in my
real life going.
You see what I did there.
You see what I did there Makingsome ridiculous pun Can't help
it.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
For somebody that doesn't have kids.
Brian sure does throw out a lotof dad jokes.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
That is really true.
I'm looking right at you.
Can you tell Kind of I'mlooking at you, brian, I'm
looking at you Without givinganything away.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
by the time this comes out, it might even be
released.
But I just played a stepdad andI was dad-joking all over the
set and I was driving the teenand I think the boy is 11 or 12,
so I was driving them crazy.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
I can't believe that.
I can't believe that my20-year-old still dies half the
time that I'm around him,especially because he.
I believe that my 20 year oldstill dies half the time that
I'm around him, like, especiallyas he's my, my mini me.
My 23 year old is like.
They both look like me, butthey don't look that much like
each other, which is true.
I think that happens withsiblings.
You get that sometimes.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Yeah, mine are like that.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Yeah, but and they are nothing like each other for
sure.
So my 23 year old is not allcringy around me.
My 20 year old, who iseverybody is, says he's my mini
me.
He's like I don't see it.
So anytime I say anything Idon't know, he just doesn't.
He's good when we're one-on-onein front of people.
(26:36):
He kind of just opens me him.
I won't let him know about thepodcast.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Bet you will.
I always try to think ofinteresting questions to ask
people.
During your journey of learningto act and acting, is there
something you discovered aboutyourself that surprised you?
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Okay, so this might sound.
This doesn't sound shallow whenI say this, or just say it
let's say it.
Yeah, shallow, when I say thisor just say it, let's see if we
say it, yeah, yeah, right, yeah,see if you see if it's
obnoxious enough to trash or not.
Acting always came verynaturally to me as a younger
person.
Great, like absurdly natural II can remember being on stage
and I think I was a senior inhigh school.
(27:14):
I was, I was given the lead inNoel Coward's Hayfever, which is
the and it's a.
Not only is it a huge role, butit it.
It was for Rummel High Schoolback in the day and and Mr
Guajardo bless his heart he wasa great man who really wanted to
reach as many students as hecould and he would double cast.
(27:34):
So the plays would run 10nights in a row, so there were
10 performances and he woulddouble cast all the roles so
that more students got a chance.
He always did straight plays asopposed to big musicals.
So because less kids can singand dance than you know, or at
least read lines, he was one ofmy teachers.
Yes, wasn't he amazing?
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Yeah, I didn't do much because I was in the band,
but I was in all the way home.
That's right.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Yeah, he was an amazing man.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
I saw Brian's eyes change when you said his name.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Yeah, yeah, he was an amazing man and in fact, I just
put this in a comment on aFacebook page recently because
someone posted a beautifulpicture of him.
I think he was in New York.
He loved New York City.
I went on a trip to New YorkCity.
He would take the theater groupto New York City every year.
We saw like 10 Broadway showsin five days.
It was insane.
(28:25):
I'm going to go on one tangentbecause this will actually tell
you how great he was.
I don't know that he could dothis today.
He also cast me as Aunt Bea in AView from the Bridge and Arthur
Miller's A View from the Bridge, and his daughter was cast as
my niece, which is the lead rolein that one.
I can't remember the name in theplay, but his daughter was
(28:48):
playing my niece and there is avery serious scene and I
actually slap her across theface in that scene.
And I was being very timidabout slapping her because you
know I'd never done any kind oftheatrical fighting or combat or
whatever, and I was trying notto hurt her and he was like what
(29:09):
are you doing?
This doesn't look real, thisdoesn't.
And I'm like, well, I don'tknow what to do and he walked up
to me and he said this is whatyou do.
And he just slapped me acrossthe face and I mean for real,
like I was like stunned and thatwas it.
And then I never had a problemslapping her across the face.
I guess I was kind of payingher back, paying him back
(29:31):
generationally up the ladder,you know, but but yeah, you
would.
So a teacher probably wouldn'tbe able to get away with that
today, cause today the kidswould probably be like no.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
And people would be there with their cell phones too
.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Yeah, People would be there with their cell phones,
it would be taken out of context, moms would be fainting and
pearl clutching and who knowswhat.
But it was a lesson taught anda lesson learned efficiently and
thoroughly, and that was theend of it.
And she never complained when Igave her a good slap on the
face.
I never did hurt her, of course, but he taught me stop worrying
(30:05):
, get the job done, you know,and so that was great Because
I've taken a theatrical combatclass.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
You'd stage yourself from the audience and you'd slap
your own hand to get the noise.
And it's got to be timed with aturn and it's got to be timed
with a turn.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Yeah, I guess it was a very tiny theater.
I don't know that we were.
I think maybe I cupped my handa little, which helped make the
noise.
Yeah, I certainly did not hurther.
I never left a mark on her, youknow, actually that's a stamp
on me that day.
But again, again, next babiesdidn't go whining home about it,
so it didn't.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
That was back in the days when they still paddled you
at school.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Technically, I guess.
So I don't think my school wasdoing that, but yeah, I think my
husband's was.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
We had a coach there Mine didn't.
He had a paddle and I never gothit because I kept my mouth
shut.
But he drilled four holes in it, yep.
So there wouldn't be airresistance, and if he broke that
paddle on your ass you had tomake a new one.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Wow, see, now I gotta say I don't approve of that.
Like I can't Right, even as atough Gen Xer, I don't approve
of that.
Nonsense.
I agree, nonsense was the niceword.
Speaker 3 (31:12):
I got paddled my senior year of high school by
the football coach.
Same thing he had the holesdrilled in his and what great
sin did you commit.
Did you fumble?
I left my helmet on the field.
So on Thursdays, before gameday, we didn't have full pad
practice, it was just helmetsand shorts and we walked through
(31:34):
the plays just once up thefield.
So we'd run 10 plays, so every10 yards we'd move it and then
at the other end of the field hewould do a quick pep talk and
we would race 100 yards back tothe field house and then he gave
the big you know the big Urosspeech for the next day and I
(31:55):
just spaced it and left myhelmet sitting on the field,
helmet sitting on the field.
So Friday I went into the fieldhouse during lunch to make sure
all my stuff was ready to go,Cause I think we had an out of
town game that night.
I got to my locker and myhelmet was missing and I'm like
all right, well, I'm not surewho's about to toe to ass
whipping, but I'm gonna find myhelmet.
(32:17):
And I walked by the coach'soffice and I saw two helmets
sitting on his desk I'm likedamn it.
And I I kind of walked up to theedge of the office and I looked
and I saw a sticky note thatsaid do not touch.
See, coach.
And he gave us not blood, justdrain out of your face.
I'm sorry, and he was a big, Imean, he was a beefy guy.
(32:39):
So the option was get onethwack from the paddle or run
bleachers.
And I'm like game day, yeah,give me, give me a thwack.
I had that's.
It was one of the other.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
I feel less sorry for you now actually.
I mean, I was picturing it wayworse.
I mean it was.
How serious was the thwack?
Let me recalculate.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
So he would, he would rear way back, and I saw the
other guy.
The other guy went first and hewould rear way back and come
from like way up north and thenhe would stop, close and just
kind of with the like a pingpong flick of the wrist, but it
still stung because I mean, eventhat little flack, it was Sure,
(33:21):
sure.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Yeah, he knew how to do it.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Get the wrist in on it.
So that's I mean I had to earnmy helmet back with a paddle.
Either that or bleachers.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Yeah, Now again, maybe it's because I'm a Gen X
baby.
That's not the cruelest thingAgain.
He would never get away withthat today.
In fact, it is technicallytoday.
In fact, it is technically.
It's not even a battery really,it's aggravated battery, If you
would like to know the legaldescription.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Well, so back then, though you had the, the parents
had to sign consent.
They could.
You parents could opt out of it, and if, if you're, if the
parents opted out, then therewas whatever, whatever other
punishment.
If my parents well, actually, Idon't think they opted in on on
this one, but I mean, I was,you know, I was 17 I could make
(34:06):
my own decisions, and I chose apaddling one one lick from a
paddle versus 20 bleachers Ididn't choose that, I don't know
.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
That's not.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
I'm not saying it's fair, I'm not saying it's good
trust me, the licks that nightwere much worse than that one
little paddle.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
Right, yeah, no, but I don't.
But, like your real stuff, Ican't even remember the movie.
But there is a movie it's anolder movie when I mean I want
to say it was like PhilipSeymour Hoffman, guy Rest, his
Soul was in it when he was ateenager.
Do you know what I'm talkingabout?
Speaker 2 (34:44):
They're teenagers at some private school and they get
, unless I'm mixing that up withthem is that I might be making
this for honors with matt damonor no, maybe I don't, and then
you know what I might actuallybe.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
I'm seeing him, wasn't he in the one with al
pacino and scent of a woman?
Yes, the point is, is thatthere was a sick ass teacher.
I said is that OK?
Is that word OK?
Fuck, yeah, hey, I'm at theschool and he paddled the boys
when they stepped out of line inwhatever way, and it was
tremendously abusive.
(35:11):
It was horrible.
Like I couldn't watch it andthat was a younger person
watching.
But even today and I may,especially because I am the
mother of sons and I knew whathe was doing when he gave me
boys, I am the mother of sonsand dad knew what he was doing
when he gave me boys.
I am such a boy mom, but when Isee boys in pain to the point of
tears, like emotion, like it,just if you know, every now and
(35:35):
then when I'm thinking about Ijust realized what an insane
tangent we went on, cause Inever did ask your question
about what I learned aboutmyself.
I went to Chuck LaHarto and theslap, and then I'm a circle
back in a second.
Ok, after all this time.
But I'm either doing one of twothings.
When you see me having someextreme emotions in a scene to
(35:57):
where it even brings tears to myeyes, I'm either being insanely
brilliant actress and I am soin the moment.
That's all that is real to meor I'm imagining like a
12-year-old boy having his heartripped out because it will
crack me up every time, like Ididn't even see a 12-year-old
girl whine all day.
Like, get the hell over it, youknow.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
But you did find that out about yourself.
What are your triggers to usein an acting scene?
Speaker 1 (36:27):
I definitely did.
But I've known that a long time.
I was preparing for this tripback to acting a long time ago.
I saw your dad a long time ago.
This is what I learned.
This is how Tuck Waharto cameback into my heart Not in my
heart, but in my mind right now.
Acting was like at least it feltlike falling off a log.
Back in the day, a good friendof mine's sister and her
(36:47):
boyfriend at the time were likePhD students in acting at LSU
and they came and saw me in thisplay just because the little
sister was my friend.
You know I don't know why theywould waste time, but I remember
him saying to me I've never,I've never seen a high school
student act on this level.
This was a great performance,thank you.
This is wonderful, you know.
And then I remember how easy itwas for me to be in the moment,
(37:09):
which is not completely.
You know, it's not like I'mwith some hugely brilliant child
.
I mean, children live in themoment, right.
Jim, at least in himself,always says never be on stage
with a child or a dog becausethey're always completely in the
moment Right.
And then you do it.
So that thing that I used to beso brilliant.
I just remember how it wasbeing on stage or in front of a
(37:31):
camera back then, barry.
What I learned about myselfgoing back especially film
acting as an adult was the worldhas entered and changed me and
it is not as easy anymore and itis a whole different ballgame,
(37:53):
right being when someone saysaction or you know the teacher
clicks the button and you hearbeep and you're ready to be in
the moment.
It's a whole different ballgameto get in the moment.
And that's one thing I learnedabout myself was it's not as
natural anymore and I had to getback to that, not saying I'm,
not saying I'm back there.
(38:15):
I'm still getting back thereevery time because we're just
you know.
I mean I'm 52 years old now andlike a lot of life has happened
and then and nerves happen.
That didn't used to happenbecause I have a whole other set
of you know I got to provemyself here.
I got to do it.
I find on on real movie sets,as opposed to acting class, is
(38:37):
actually easier.
Even though you got a camera inyour face and a boom mic and a
sound guy in your face and andother things happening.
It's actually easier than inacting class.
The nerves are more there inacting class.
Do you guys find that?
Speaker 3 (38:50):
I do.
Yes, if you've ever done anykind of training program where
they do scenarios and you haveto like pretend, I kind of
equate it to that, those werealways a little harder to do
than what it would be like inthe real world.
You know, I don't know, yeah,oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
I mean, there is a local acting classes that I
actually really, really enjoy,except for the fact that this
person starts the classes with alittle bit of silly improv.
I hate that.
I hate it.
I'll still go back to the it.
I'll still go back to theclasses.
I'll still pay the money.
This person still has a lot toteach and is great at it.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
That technique to loosen people up doesn't loosen
you up.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
It does not loosen me up, it makes me.
It makes me clench, up to thepoint that I'm like I'm just
going to wait out here.
We're going to wait outside,and so you're finished with that
.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
Does it make you clinch up because you really
want to get everything right?
Speaker 1 (39:45):
No, I just hate it.
Okay, no problem.
Just personally don't like him.
I don't like improv.
I took, I don't, I only like.
This doesn't make me sound likea total asshole, Dear audience.
I'm sorry.
A total asshole, Dear audience.
I'm sorry if I sound like atotal asshole.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
TJ and Marnay and no, I'm not really an asshole.
She's not a total.
She's not a total asshole.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
I only even like watching improv at the highest
levels.
I mean, the people that aretalented at improv are amazing I
can hardly comprehend.
Because they're so good,they're just so quick on their
feet, they're just so funny.
Because they're so good,they're just so quick on their
feet, they're just so funny,they're just so funny or
dramatic, it's just like, wow,maybe that's just because I'm
(40:28):
bad at it, right?
So I don't know.
But I did do a couple of improvclasses and the reason I forced
myself through the door wasbecause I was having this issue
with I got to get back in themoment, and in improv you have
no choice but to get in themoment.
Nothing exists but the momentin improv, because you're in the
(40:50):
moment and you either dosomething or just give up.
And so I took a couple classesand I was like, okay, got it,
like I remembered what it was tobe like in the moment.
And if the person that you knowI took the improv classes was
like, why did she never comeback?
It's not because I think I'm anexpert now, far far from it.
(41:11):
I truly admire people that areamazing at improv and and I
could never do it, but my, mywhole point in the class and
doing the class was rememberingwhat it was like to just be in
the moment.
You know, I mean, I evenremember that first time in the
class and doing the class wasremembering what it was like to
just be in the moment.
You know, I mean, I evenremember that first time in a
class with Jim where we did ascene and a tear rolled down my
face and then, after we did theplayback and he asked me, he was
(41:34):
like I really want to knowwhere were you in that moment?
And I was like I swear to Godthe answer is in that moment
that was like the best Isn theanswer is in that moment that
was like the best.
Isn't that like one of the bestfeelings?
Yeah, totally.
Every week you walk out ofclass and you're like I did it.
Speaker 3 (41:48):
That was cool and it's hard to explain unless
you've explained I mean yeah, itjust sounds like a weird
narcissistic actor thing.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
If you haven't experienced it, yeah no it
sounds like that.
Speaker 2 (41:59):
But like when you first started, when you were
younger, it was just you werethere.
There was no inhibition, therewas no things that happened in
life that make you want to holdthings in, so you were just
playing.
So as you got, back and young,young children just play.
They all pretend we're asuperhero and it's not.
Like, are they going to like mebeing a superhero?
Like no, I'm Superman.
I Like, are they going to likeme being a super?
(42:20):
You're like, no, I'm Superman,I don't care.
Yeah, the other part, even inpublic, yeah, I don't care.
Yeah, yeah, and that's the,that's the being in the moment
and recapturing that and lettinggo Audition versus on set.
I have not done theatrical so Ican't speak to that.
I'm assuming it's the same.
It's because everything's there.
You don't have to imagine it.
The person is there.
(42:41):
Whereas in addition, it's anempty room, you and the camera
and the person behind the cameraand a reader.
It's two different people.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
Yeah, and the nerves and the nerves Because you feel
like it's all on the line, likefor the jobs.
It's so crazy and that's whyit's weird.
But everything's there and plusthe extras.
Right, you've got other people.
You've got, like I said earlier, the camera, the sound guy, the
boom mic, wherever it's at.
You know you might havesomebody like this far from your
(43:08):
face that the camera can't see,but because the other elements
are there, the rest candisappear in a way that doesn't
happen when you're in anaudition.
You You're still like oh, doesshe like me or does she like me?
Speaker 2 (43:23):
I don't know, audition or class.
It's that achievement mentalitythat we have to, as actors, get
past.
I want to get a good grade inthe class, even if they don't
get great, so I have to get agood performance.
Am I doing good?
And that fights in your head.
Instead of being the characterIn an audition, instead of being
you, try, try to be.
I'm just the person and livingthis moment in life.
But you're also like am I goingto book the job?
(43:45):
Is my agent going to like it?
What?
What does it look like?
Another take, etc.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
Etc yeah, it's, oh, it's so hard to get all the
noise out of your head, socompletely hard and, like jim
says, the camera picks upeverything.
The camera reads it.
Although, in my humble defense,I will say this this is one
thing I've had to struggle withand Jim and I have had extensive
discussion about this Is that Ioh you want to know what I
really learned about myself.
(44:09):
This is a big deal.
This is a big deal because I'mhaving kids, because I'm like
honey, your kids think I'm somean Because you know I'm really
not that mean and it's this,it's this Because I'm really not
that mean and it's this, it'sthis Because, yeah, well, that's
the thing is, what I learnedbeing on camera in class is that
my I might want to kill youright now face is the same as I
(44:34):
am so concerned about you.
You see, do you know this?
I mean I'm looking at myself alittle.
I can't yet, but you know thisis not you know the quality.
But yeah, I got here, we go.
Yeah, that is.
(45:00):
I am really serious and veryupset, very concerned in a
loving way.
I have to put a little, I haveto pick it up a little.
I know like a smile isn'tappropriate in that moment, but
I have to make sure I'm eatingwell, that was a big weird thing
to learn about myself on camera.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
And we are out of time.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
On that note, we will .
Speaker 3 (45:24):
Janet, do you have any socials that you want to
plug?
Do you want to plug your lawfirm?
Do you know any of that youwant to plug?
We can plug it.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
You know Law Office of Janet Leonard McCaffrey.
Blood, sweat and tears wentinto that.
I do almost exclusivelypersonal injury.
You know your motor vehicleaccidents.
I've done a good handful of dogbites in my life.
They're hard cases and I always, when I hand my cards and bend
the people, feel morally andethically obligated to say I
hope you never need me, becauseif you need me it means your
(45:54):
heart, even though that's how Imake my living Right.
But again, I do love takingcare of people.
So yeah, I mean, if people needme, I'm there.
Jmechlcnet is there, just likeit sounds.
So that would be my plug.
But mostly I really just wantto be an actor.
And thank you guys, this wasfun.
Speaker 3 (46:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Pod dismissed.
I'm Jana McCaffrey, actor, lawyer, real estate mogul
, and I am thrilled to be onNOLA Film Scene.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome to NOLA Film Scene with TJ Plato.
I'm TJ and, as always, I'mPlato.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
We're really glad to have you, Jana.
I didn't realize you did realestate as well.
I knew that you were a lawyer.
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
It's a lot.
It's got me a little bit crazythese days.
Well, I mean, we know that thecrazy never really goes away.
I'm a little extra today.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Okay, if you can't lie to our listeners and say a
little bit crazy because some ofthem know you.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Hi, buddy, true.
Hey, I think you and I met inJim's class.
I can't remember if it was thepremier class or if it was the
circle exercise, but I doremember being in class with you
at least a couple times atJim's.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
It was definitely Jim's.
I think it was the premierclass.
That's my memory.
Or were you in class withMichael?
Yeah, well, that's the premierclass.
I'm thinking of the works.
Yeah, I got the of the works.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Yeah, I got the names confused, but yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Yeah, yeah, we definitely had some classes
together, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
We met in the famous circle, yeah, and we did a scene
together and I believe I becameyour dad.
You did.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
You did and you were a good shoulder to cry on,
because we know what the circlereduces us all to eventually.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
It's an emotional lab , and that's all we're going to
say about it.
You can go back to the JimGleason episode, folks, and find
out more and then sign on tohis class.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Right, I know, but we've done some classes together
too.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yes, we're advanced.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
We are, we're advanced, we're advanced.
Yes, we're advanced, we are,we're advanced, we're advanced.
Yes, and we've actually doneother things together too, just
passing, you know, not themedtogether, but a little
professional stuff is what I'mgetting.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
And all three of us were in the same 48 we always
talk about.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
That was great.
We were so great.
I'm just going to say I don'tcare what anyone else said, we
were great.
Actually, everyone else said wewere great, except for the
judges.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Boots, jonathan Sigler, the guy that did the
videography.
We interviewed him.
That was a fun project and Iwas afraid that it was going to
be long and, you know, just dragout.
And I didn't know what toexpect because that was my first
time doing a 48.
I thought it was going to bejust like stress and we got to
hurry up and get it done, but itnever felt like that to me.
It was fun the whole time.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
It was fun.
I think a lot of that was Matthonestly to be, you know,
because he was so level headedand he's so driven by his ideas
and he's just always calm and hejust gets these ideas and rolls
with them and he knows how torun a project.
It's funny, just when you saidyou thought it was going to be
long, I'm like, well, we know itwasn't going to be more than 48
hours.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Well, I didn't know what to expect if we were going
to have to be on set for 48hours straight with you know,
with no sleep and stuff, and weall got to go home and get sleep
at night.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah, that would not have worked for me very well
yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Janet for me very well.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yeah, jenna was kind enough to lend us her office for
the weekend.
There was that and Matt and Iwere going to go to the coffee
shop where they were having ameeting where you pull your two
genres randomly.
Well, I couldn't find parkingso I'm just going to the office.
So I walked in, we were talkingand Matt messaged us and said
we have mockumentary andinspirational.
(03:43):
We were in the office.
I said we're not going anywhere.
Yeah, we're not going to runaround town and shoot and stuff.
We're going to concentrate.
We've got our location.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Yeah.
And it really kind of it kind oflends itself, yeah, but then
that is probably where.
How much do we want to talkabout this?
You know, that's that's what Ithink would stop the judges from
it could be.
I mean, yeah, you can take thisout later if you want, but I
think they think we ripped offthe office.
But I don't think we ripped offthe office.
I think we ended up withmockumentary and an office to
(04:10):
work in and matt carroll hadnever seen the office before and
he was the writer yeah, I hadonly watched a couple episodes
myself I I just had a hard timegetting into it.
I don't know me too, actually meno.
I thought our thing was great.
We were running in the office afew last years.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Take that, Steve Carell.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
And Sexiest man Alive , Jim Krasinski, if I pronounce
it right.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Right, yeah, no, me too.
I never really watched it awhole lot either.
So whatever Awards don't matter, we did a project and we got
real footage and we all think weall did really well.
And you two got nominated forbest actors or best supporting
actors.
I'm gonna say that, if y'alldon't say it and you should have
(04:55):
won, in my opinion, one of youeither one they were trying to
split us up and make us fighteach other I know right, but it
was good.
You know, I bumped into craigLidecker last week Randomly, so
randomly, and you know we werelike, we've known each other
since kindergarten and he gotour, he loved our film.
Yeah, I thought we did great.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So I took that on.
We got a lot of good responsefrom people, and that's what
matters, yeah, what matters tome.
So let's go to our usualquestion.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Can I just want to say?
I just wanted to say one thingon that.
I would rather people enjoyedthe film and got something out
of it than win an award versuswin an award, and most people
didn't like it, you know.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah, no, I agree completely, like on every level.
Whether that, whether we'retalking about some little film
festival that nobody most peopleout of acting have never heard
of, or whether we're talkingabout the academy awards, I'm
not going to be like, no, thankyou, you can keep your oscar.
However, no, I'd rather dosomething that reaches people on
any day didn't you do thissoldier's heart as well?
(06:00):
Yeah, that was fun.
That's how it ends, and this isbrian casting man yeah, brian
had put out text messages, Iguess, saying you know, we're
looking for extras here and Idon't normally do background
work and it's not because I'mtrying to be a snot about it.
I think all actors kind of onany level can relate to this.
It's just that I have so muchof an other life.
(06:22):
I'm still a lawyer, I have myown little office, I didn't
matter.
I do personal injury, by theway.
I feel like I have to say that,and I'm really good at it.
So you know, any actors, Icould just be the personal
injury attorney to the stars ofNew Orleans, but I still want to
be an actor.
I can't get over it.
I've wanted to do it since I wassix.
Anyway, was six, anyway, I'vegot so much to do in my normal
(06:48):
life that I just can't go hangout in the background of a set
for 70K.
Even if I wanted to, it's notreally feasible.
But it was Brian.
So I was like, hey, it's Brian,who knows, let me do it for
Brian.
Yeah, I texted you.
Hey, if you need people, I'mhere for you.
And then it weirdly went fromthere because I'm getting ready
(07:10):
to head out of the house atabsurd am O'clock, whatever it
is Right, and that's when thetext messages start coming
through Actually the nightbefore Right?
Because you asked me if I couldpick up Julia, who lives way on
the other side of town and inthe opposite direction of where
you're going?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
She's telling me the night before she needed a ride,
and it's all the way for thoselistening, it was on the West
Bank.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
No, I think no, she lives uptown Right, but in,
that's right.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Meet Louisiana, I believe, is south of New Orleans
on the West Bank, so peoplelistening who don't know the
West Bank is west, south andeast of New Orleans, depending
on where you stand.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
But do you actually refer to the banks in, like the
Coast Guard and maritime circles?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
They don't say east or west, they say because the
way the river curves, they sayleft descending bank and right
descending bank, that's cool,right, that's, that's cool, that
, actually, that almost jiveswith our way of life in the
Crescent City, which is river,like uptown, downtown, whatever
(08:13):
we don't say, we don't say north.
The only reason I ever knowwhich direction north is is
because that's the lake, isthere's my finger, north is over
there.
Like by the time, folks, right,but anyway, back to the story.
Yeah, the night over there,like folks, right, but anyway,
back to the story.
Yeah, the night before you'retexting me, can you get Julie?
And I'm like yes, yeah, yes,and I learned that somewhere.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
You were playing a councilwoman and you weren't
supposed to have lines.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
You're supposed to be there.
That was even on the table, yet.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Was it so you started as the women's health clinic
person?
I think I started as nothingbut an extra, a backup, oh, like
filling out the council roomfor the bleeding.
Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
And then came the can you pick up, julie?
So I didn't even really have areason to say yes at that point,
except I'm just that great of aperson you are, which I think
you know, know.
And then is I'm on the way outof the house, literally like I'm
letting the dog, that, which isthe last thing we do before we
leave the house, right, and I'mgetting ready to head to the car
.
When the next text comes in,that is, actually, I might have
(09:17):
a featured extra spot for you asa council person at the table
and you're like so, bring acouple outfits.
And then I'm heading to the carwith a handful of some outfits.
When it's like wait, bring moreoutfits.
There's an actual roll withlines that you might get because
(09:37):
someone else has potentiallyjust dropped out.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Yes, it was an independent movie for very
little money and we had adirector of a women's center.
I went to a man who went to awoman.
People dropped out, peoplecouldn't do that day.
People called that morning.
It's craziness when you don'thave the budget behind it, you
know, and so you ended up beinga council person with I was a
council person.
I was to speak there because Iwasn't that day.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
I wasn't there that day I did not speak, but I'm
gonna brag for a second becauseyou know, wow, who's an actor
that doesn't brag a little inthat that moment where the
speech was being done?
I will say that the mainactress that was doing that
speech looked at me a lot and Ilike to think it was because I
was giving her something to workoff of.
(10:21):
You know what I mean, and I wasresponding because it was
important it was.
It was very emotive, it wasvery serious speech there.
So, yeah, nobody will see that,but I liked that, that.
She looked at me, she looked atme.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
That is the wonderful Eileen Gruba, who was friends
with Jim Vess, and one day I'lltell the whole story.
But I sat down with Matt and Iwas going to be the sheriff the
sheriff's in his 50s I'm in my50s but I don't come across as
in my 50s and so he said youcan't do that.
And then I said, well, you knowthis person, I know this person
, I need this role.
And I just started making phonecalls and we got people like
(10:53):
Jeremy London.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
And then Eileen came in, know it killed me.
I couldn't be there.
I was at a sand quarryfinagling our Iraq set for free.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
That's amazing.
Yeah, I know Things just keptcoming together.
I mean hard, hard fought.
But yeah.
I got to do that.
But there was also thisdirector of the woman's shelter
and I had never met Matt beforethat day either.
And I walk in and I getintroduced to Matt and you had
already told me it was thedirector of a women's shelter.
And I started my conversationwith him like, hi, I'm Jana
(11:35):
McCaffrey.
My first job when I was in lawschool was helping the attorney
as an assistant for the attorneydoing divorces for battered
women at the Women's Shelter inNew Orleans.
And he went, you got the job.
So that was a great audition,you know, best audition ever.
(11:56):
So then it went from there andI had, you know what, like three
or four themes with a decenthandful of lines and yay you
know it's fun to play.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
You get a chance to work and then that goes to your
reel.
Once you get the footage which,ladies and gentlemen, that's
like a headshot, it's just yourstill of your face.
A reel is an example of theacting you can do, and so you
show that to casting and toagents and directors.
This is me and they go nottoday or she's the one so you're
building your calling card andshe Jana did it for free.
(12:27):
But you're also makingconnections, like with Matt, all
the people there, and then thatled to the 48th.
So there's always.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
You're building yes, I truly never expected it at all
.
I was just happy.
I was so happy to be part of it.
I think it's a great movie.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
That film led to multiple things for all three of
us.
I mean the connections andfriends.
I'm still in contact withpeople I met on that film.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Me too.
You know I broached Matt with aproject that I've had in my
head for years and it's reallyin complete infancy stages.
Right now Matt's very, verybusy and I keep trying to nail
it down.
You know, every week I'm like,hey, let's do more on that
project, and that, you know, Idon't know what's there, but I
feel like something's reallythere and eventually it'll come
(13:10):
out.
So Matt and I are in regularcontact.
He's just, he's brilliant, andI love working with him and I
think I've got some great ideas.
And then he throws some fictionon top of those ideas, because
mine come from crazy real lifewhich Brian knows about from the
circle exercise.
It's way deeper than you think,brother.
There's so many rabbit holes,man.
We've only got a half an houror so.
(13:31):
I'm really effective on myideas too.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Keep them under lock and key.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
And Matt, we're going to expand the Western.
We did.
But that takes time, energy andmoney.
It may take a while, but it'sgoing to happen.
It works.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I like that.
We all made friends andfriendships.
At those kind of things I knowI kind of sounded businesslike.
Oh it's for the real, oh, weget paid.
It's also a lot of fun to makefriends.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
It's really both.
Yeah Well, but it overlaps forus.
So, naturally, I think thatnone of us being oh, that person
is just trying to get somethingfrom me, for instance, like
when she says you know, I canride a horse right, right, like
you just mentioned, a WesternRight, I can be a cowgirl baby.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
We certainly will need people that can ride horses
.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Yes, and I handle guns.
That I have done since I wasborn, thanks to my daddy we all
had old Western six-shootersRight For that film.
Yes, I have one of those.
It's just that it moved from mynightstand into the closet and
now the Glock is in thenightstand.
Burglars, just so you know.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
That's a first on our podcast, but anyway, jen, I'd
like to go back when you firststarted, when you were inspired
to become an actress, whether itwas high school or your first
job or anything along thosethoughts.
What was your journey to gethere?
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Okay, you want to hear my very first story,
literally.
I mean, I was six years old andmy mom and dad took me to
Barnum and Bailey circus at theSuperdome and there was a little
girl about my age who was in afamily that was on the trapeze
and the moment I saw a child myage performing, it never left.
(15:09):
From that moment I wanted to beon stage in front of a camera,
whatever I could do.
And it's funny, you know my momand dad and this is not a knock
on my mom and dad, my mom anddad were self-employed people
that worked their butts off toput a roof over our head and pay
all the bills and everything,but they were not helicopter
(15:29):
parents like the ones that yousee today that put their kids in
everything.
Like.
The reason I went to dancingschool for the first time when I
was seven was because Missydown the street went to dancing
school and I was like I want togo to dancing.
Missy goes to dancing, you know, and that's how I started
dancing, and you know that.
And then you get exposed somemore in school as you go through
it and then, and when I wasabout 12, my mother was actually
(15:51):
a model in the sixties, whenshe was younger.
My mother was a very beautifulwoman and she I feel like I
should not say some names, butshe was connected to a very
famous mile and silent agency inthe 60s and even went to New
York for a while.
So she had a couple ofconnections and you know I had
shots.
You should see what headshotswhen you're 12 in 1984 look like
(16:14):
.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Yeah, I'm having thoughts of glamour shots at the
mall it was not, it was.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
They were like real photographers and back then
black and white.
You remember when everybody'sheadshots were in black and
white.
You know, even when I was incollege they were still doing
that.
So I did plays all through highschool with a couple.
I went to, grew up in neworleans and went to girls
catholic school, like a lot ofus tend to do, and then I did
plays with the boys schools thathad theater programs.
(16:43):
And then when I went to college, I went to Southern Methodist
in Dallas for one year andstudied business and it was
wonderful and I loved it and Ihad an amazing time.
But I had two men in my life, aboyfriend and a dad, who were
like we miss you so much and Iwas like I'm going to come home.
(17:05):
And I came home and I went toUNO for one semester and studied
veterinary medicine Not well,not like pre-vet.
Whatever we were doing with myboyfriend, we had this grand
plan to become veterinarianstogether, which did not work out
.
After one semester at UNO andno offense to UNO today, because
the UNO of today is muchdifferent than the UNO of 30
(17:26):
years ago I was like this is notlike college life at all.
I mean, I left SMU, the dorms,I was in a sorority, you know,
and I was like I need thecollege life and I ran to LSU,
just like it's not that far away, but it's also very
college-like and I remember itlike it was yesterday.
(17:47):
Y'all, like you know, youdidn't get to sign up online
right there, wouldn't?
You know?
I'm talking about 1992 is whatI'm talking about.
And there was right.
The line was not card tables,the lawn tables like that.
We eat crawfish on down here youknow, picnic tables-ish, right,
those tables with people andindex cards and actual people
(18:10):
standing in line with pens andpencils.
And that's how you picked outyour classes.
And I'm standing in line tosign up to be a business major
again and to sign up for somebusiness course.
And right next door is thetheater major table.
And I did it and I couldn't, Ijust couldn't help it and I ran
over there, I signed up thereand so I ended up with a
Bachelor of Arts in Theater fromLSU and then, I guess, when I
(18:32):
was 22, I chickened out.
I went and worked for Disneyfor a year after college, which
was insanely ridiculous, youknow, kind of like being a
pretend actor.
Sorry, disney people, there's alot of theater involved in it.
Well, I was in the parks and Iworked at the Haunted Mansion
for a while and then I waspromoted sort of promoted.
I know I was not, I know it waskind of cool, it was kind of
(18:53):
cool.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
I love the Haunted Mansion.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
It is a cool ride, it's a great ride.
It's just so different when youwork there and you see all the
guts of the place.
It's very different.
And then I got out of that intothe actual entertainment area
and I was a ship monk for awhile and then I just kind of
got tired of that.
I started like I don't want todo for a living what the rest of
the world does for vacation.
Call me a snot, I don't meanfor it to come across that way.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
No.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
You know, because God bless all the people that work
at Disney.
It is quite a job, you know.
They really work their buttsoff.
I came running home and I waslike what am I going to do with
my life?
And I was like Dad.
I think I might go to law school, because I watch Law and Order
all the time and they're incourtrooms and that's kind of
theatrical.
And dad was like that soundslike a cool idea.
(19:41):
So I went to law school I guesswhat I'm getting at, though,
like when I said I chickened out, it's something in the back of
my head said run out to LA andtry to be an actor.
That is real personal, but Idon't think it would have gone
well for me.
I know I remember the 22 yearold me very well and I was very
vulnerable and naive andemotional, as I still am because
(20:04):
I'm an actor.
So I went to law school, I gotmarried, I had a couple kids, I
got divorced.
My previous husband is deceased, unfortunately.
That's kind of a sad story.
I found the most wonderful mananybody could ever find that I'm
married to now and we've beentogether for 17 years.
So I think it's working.
Yeah, and we got marriedcivilly, technically, in the
(20:27):
beginning and then and he neededan annulment and we just did
our vows in the Catholic churchand so when my youngest who is
now 20, off to college in Texas,like his mama first did, but he
didn't come running home, Isaid I'm going back to acting
class and he couldn't have beenmore supportive.
So that's when we is.
When Jana went, I can't stopfighting me the acting bug after
(20:52):
all these years.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yeah, and, like you said, being a lawyer, you were
still acting, using those skillsto relate to people, to connect
to the jury.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
In so many ways.
But you could like not act, butI guess acting is not really
acting, right, it's being truein make-believe circumstances,
right, that's a good definition.
So I would like, I would neverwant my clients to think that
I'm pretending when I'mconcerned about their
circumstances, because myfavorite part of being a lawyer
is taking care of people.
(21:21):
I love that.
I started my career as anOrleans Parish prosecutor right
Like one order, right Like Ijust heard it.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
I just heard it, you know.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Yeah, that is where I started my career.
I'm sorry, right, that's okay.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
You got me.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
CJ's delayed reaction is beautiful.
He's pushing a little, yeah.
And not long after I startedwith the DA's office, they
realized I had done somedomestic violence work through
law school and so I startedscreening domestic violence
cases and became the maindomestic violence prosecutor at
the time.
Again, we're going back to 1999, 2000, you know.
(22:01):
And for a long time I was in acourtroom every day and it was
really amazing.
And then I had to make a realpaycheck.
Unfortunately, they do not paydistrict attorneys, assistant
district attorneys, enough money.
The actual DAs make enoughmoney.
Well boo.
By the way, the actual DA I wasunder the first time I was
there because I made a couplerounds, was Harry Connick Sr.
So that name may sound familiarto some people.
(22:24):
And that was cool.
In 1999, being in the assistantDA role under Harry Connick Sr,
it was not even questionedskirts and pantyhose into the
courtroom.
Remember pantyhose Y'all.
Remember this Royal?
I think the royals still wearpantyhose when they're out in
(22:44):
public.
But other than that, yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
I mean, I know some judges have weird rules, but
that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Yeah, it was just.
I mean, you know, ladies had a.
There was just like anunwritten, unspoken code.
If you were, a lady how manytimes I do this.
There were no pants on theladies and there were also
pantyhose, but we didn't thinkabout it that much back then.
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Despite rumors, I didn't wear pantyhose.
But I remember my mom's eggsfor legs and then, once she was
done with them, I played withthose.
They became my spaceships, notthe legs, my action figures,
yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Yeah, the ball.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Yeah, no, I remember being like seven or eight years
old and I couldn't wait to getsome pantyhose.
Like that made you a lady.
But this is going so far back.
This is like the younger onesof today that are in well, even
high school, or maybe middleschool, I don't know.
I just know I went all the waythrough law school with a
(23:48):
notebook and a pen.
I didn't even do computers inlaw school, which is probably
why it took me half an hour toconnect to y'all on this podcast
.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
You know, when I finished my undergrad degree
there in the late 90s, computers, internet was a thing, but when
we wrote a paper at that time,you could only use one source
from the Internet.
Everything else had to be fromhard copy in the library.
But you could do one sourcefrom an online thing.
But remote classes online thatwasn't even a dream back then.
(24:16):
Remote classes online thatwasn't even a dream back then.
And when I went back to schoolI guess I started back in 2020
for my grad degree it wascompletely different.
Everything you sign up onlineclasses were online and I
remember going and standing andwaiting at the table at college
when you to sign up for yourclasses like you were talking
about, and it's.
(24:37):
It's so different now and Imiss being in school so much.
I'm taking a digital marketingclass at LSU right now.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
That's cool.
Look at you, I love it.
Yeah, every now and then myhusband and I will be sitting
around watching something, andhe loves watching documentaries.
We love all kinds of stuff,quantum physics even.
There was a time he wanted tobe an archaeologist.
I'm like, why don't we justboth go back to school and
become archaeologists?
And I'm like, oh wait, I'mtrying to be an actor, I'll do
it on screen.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Not an archaeologist, but I did play one on screen.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
You know, Now you're just digging up all the memories
.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
See what you did there.
That was a Jim Gleason.
I told Jim the other day inclass.
I was like, thanks to you, Iwalk around on the regular in my
real life going.
You see what I did there.
You see what I did there Makingsome ridiculous pun Can't help
it.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
For somebody that doesn't have kids.
Brian sure does throw out a lotof dad jokes.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
That is really true.
I'm looking right at you.
Can you tell Kind of I'mlooking at you, brian, I'm
looking at you Without givinganything away.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
by the time this comes out, it might even be
released.
But I just played a stepdad andI was dad-joking all over the
set and I was driving the teenand I think the boy is 11 or 12,
so I was driving them crazy.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
I can't believe that.
I can't believe that my20-year-old still dies half the
time that I'm around him,especially because he.
I believe that my 20 year oldstill dies half the time that
I'm around him, like, especiallyas he's my, my mini me.
My 23 year old is like.
They both look like me, butthey don't look that much like
each other, which is true.
I think that happens withsiblings.
You get that sometimes.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Yeah, mine are like that.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Yeah, but and they are nothing like each other for
sure.
So my 23 year old is not allcringy around me.
My 20 year old, who iseverybody is, says he's my mini
me.
He's like I don't see it.
So anytime I say anything Idon't know, he just doesn't.
He's good when we're one-on-onein front of people.
(26:36):
He kind of just opens me him.
I won't let him know about thepodcast.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Bet you will.
I always try to think ofinteresting questions to ask
people.
During your journey of learningto act and acting, is there
something you discovered aboutyourself that surprised you?
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Okay, so this might sound.
This doesn't sound shallow whenI say this, or just say it
let's say it.
Yeah, shallow, when I say thisor just say it, let's see if we
say it, yeah, yeah, right, yeah,see if you see if it's
obnoxious enough to trash or not.
Acting always came verynaturally to me as a younger
person.
Great, like absurdly natural II can remember being on stage
and I think I was a senior inhigh school.
(27:14):
I was, I was given the lead inNoel Coward's Hayfever, which is
the and it's a.
Not only is it a huge role, butit it.
It was for Rummel High Schoolback in the day and and Mr
Guajardo bless his heart he wasa great man who really wanted to
reach as many students as hecould and he would double cast.
(27:34):
So the plays would run 10nights in a row, so there were
10 performances and he woulddouble cast all the roles so
that more students got a chance.
He always did straight plays asopposed to big musicals.
So because less kids can singand dance than you know, or at
least read lines, he was one ofmy teachers.
Yes, wasn't he amazing?
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Yeah, I didn't do much because I was in the band,
but I was in all the way home.
That's right.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Yeah, he was an amazing man.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
I saw Brian's eyes change when you said his name.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Yeah, yeah, he was an amazing man and in fact, I just
put this in a comment on aFacebook page recently because
someone posted a beautifulpicture of him.
I think he was in New York.
He loved New York City.
I went on a trip to New YorkCity.
He would take the theater groupto New York City every year.
We saw like 10 Broadway showsin five days.
It was insane.
(28:25):
I'm going to go on one tangentbecause this will actually tell
you how great he was.
I don't know that he could dothis today.
He also cast me as Aunt Bea in AView from the Bridge and Arthur
Miller's A View from the Bridge, and his daughter was cast as
my niece, which is the lead rolein that one.
I can't remember the name in theplay, but his daughter was
(28:48):
playing my niece and there is avery serious scene and I
actually slap her across theface in that scene.
And I was being very timidabout slapping her because you
know I'd never done any kind oftheatrical fighting or combat or
whatever, and I was trying notto hurt her and he was like what
(29:09):
are you doing?
This doesn't look real, thisdoesn't.
And I'm like, well, I don'tknow what to do and he walked up
to me and he said this is whatyou do.
And he just slapped me acrossthe face and I mean for real,
like I was like stunned and thatwas it.
And then I never had a problemslapping her across the face.
I guess I was kind of payingher back, paying him back
(29:31):
generationally up the ladder,you know, but but yeah, you
would.
So a teacher probably wouldn'tbe able to get away with that
today, cause today the kidswould probably be like no.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
And people would be there with their cell phones too
.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Yeah, People would be there with their cell phones,
it would be taken out of context, moms would be fainting and
pearl clutching and who knowswhat.
But it was a lesson taught anda lesson learned efficiently and
thoroughly, and that was theend of it.
And she never complained when Igave her a good slap on the
face.
I never did hurt her, of course, but he taught me stop worrying
(30:05):
, get the job done, you know,and so that was great Because
I've taken a theatrical combatclass.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
You'd stage yourself from the audience and you'd slap
your own hand to get the noise.
And it's got to be timed with aturn and it's got to be timed
with a turn.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Yeah, I guess it was a very tiny theater.
I don't know that we were.
I think maybe I cupped my handa little, which helped make the
noise.
Yeah, I certainly did not hurther.
I never left a mark on her, youknow, actually that's a stamp
on me that day.
But again, again, next babiesdidn't go whining home about it,
so it didn't.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
That was back in the days when they still paddled you
at school.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Technically, I guess.
So I don't think my school wasdoing that, but yeah, I think my
husband's was.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
We had a coach there Mine didn't.
He had a paddle and I never gothit because I kept my mouth
shut.
But he drilled four holes in it, yep.
So there wouldn't be airresistance, and if he broke that
paddle on your ass you had tomake a new one.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Wow, see, now I gotta say I don't approve of that.
Like I can't Right, even as atough Gen Xer, I don't approve
of that.
Nonsense.
I agree, nonsense was the niceword.
Speaker 3 (31:12):
I got paddled my senior year of high school by
the football coach.
Same thing he had the holesdrilled in his and what great
sin did you commit.
Did you fumble?
I left my helmet on the field.
So on Thursdays, before gameday, we didn't have full pad
practice, it was just helmetsand shorts and we walked through
(31:34):
the plays just once up thefield.
So we'd run 10 plays, so every10 yards we'd move it and then
at the other end of the field hewould do a quick pep talk and
we would race 100 yards back tothe field house and then he gave
the big you know the big Urosspeech for the next day and I
(31:55):
just spaced it and left myhelmet sitting on the field,
helmet sitting on the field.
So Friday I went into the fieldhouse during lunch to make sure
all my stuff was ready to go,Cause I think we had an out of
town game that night.
I got to my locker and myhelmet was missing and I'm like
all right, well, I'm not surewho's about to toe to ass
whipping, but I'm gonna find myhelmet.
(32:17):
And I walked by the coach'soffice and I saw two helmets
sitting on his desk I'm likedamn it.
And I I kind of walked up to theedge of the office and I looked
and I saw a sticky note thatsaid do not touch.
See, coach.
And he gave us not blood, justdrain out of your face.
I'm sorry, and he was a big, Imean, he was a beefy guy.
(32:39):
So the option was get onethwack from the paddle or run
bleachers.
And I'm like game day, yeah,give me, give me a thwack.
I had that's.
It was one of the other.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
I feel less sorry for you now actually.
I mean, I was picturing it wayworse.
I mean it was.
How serious was the thwack?
Let me recalculate.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
So he would, he would rear way back, and I saw the
other guy.
The other guy went first and hewould rear way back and come
from like way up north and thenhe would stop, close and just
kind of with the like a pingpong flick of the wrist, but it
still stung because I mean, eventhat little flack, it was Sure,
(33:21):
sure.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Yeah, he knew how to do it.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Get the wrist in on it.
So that's I mean I had to earnmy helmet back with a paddle.
Either that or bleachers.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Yeah, Now again, maybe it's because I'm a Gen X
baby.
That's not the cruelest thingAgain.
He would never get away withthat today.
In fact, it is technicallytoday.
In fact, it is technically.
It's not even a battery really,it's aggravated battery, If you
would like to know the legaldescription.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Well, so back then, though you had the, the parents
had to sign consent.
They could.
You parents could opt out of it, and if, if you're, if the
parents opted out, then therewas whatever, whatever other
punishment.
If my parents well, actually, Idon't think they opted in on on
this one, but I mean, I was,you know, I was 17 I could make
(34:06):
my own decisions, and I chose apaddling one one lick from a
paddle versus 20 bleachers Ididn't choose that, I don't know
.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
That's not.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
I'm not saying it's fair, I'm not saying it's good
trust me, the licks that nightwere much worse than that one
little paddle.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
Right, yeah, no, but I don't.
But, like your real stuff, Ican't even remember the movie.
But there is a movie it's anolder movie when I mean I want
to say it was like PhilipSeymour Hoffman, guy Rest, his
Soul was in it when he was ateenager.
Do you know what I'm talkingabout?
Speaker 2 (34:44):
They're teenagers at some private school and they get
, unless I'm mixing that up withthem is that I might be making
this for honors with matt damonor no, maybe I don't, and then
you know what I might actuallybe.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
I'm seeing him, wasn't he in the one with al
pacino and scent of a woman?
Yes, the point is, is thatthere was a sick ass teacher.
I said is that OK?
Is that word OK?
Fuck, yeah, hey, I'm at theschool and he paddled the boys
when they stepped out of line inwhatever way, and it was
tremendously abusive.
(35:11):
It was horrible.
Like I couldn't watch it andthat was a younger person
watching.
But even today and I may,especially because I am the
mother of sons and I knew whathe was doing when he gave me
boys, I am the mother of sonsand dad knew what he was doing
when he gave me boys.
I am such a boy mom, but when Isee boys in pain to the point of
tears, like emotion, like it,just if you know, every now and
(35:35):
then when I'm thinking about Ijust realized what an insane
tangent we went on, cause Inever did ask your question
about what I learned aboutmyself.
I went to Chuck LaHarto and theslap, and then I'm a circle
back in a second.
Ok, after all this time.
But I'm either doing one of twothings.
When you see me having someextreme emotions in a scene to
(35:57):
where it even brings tears to myeyes, I'm either being insanely
brilliant actress and I am soin the moment.
That's all that is real to meor I'm imagining like a
12-year-old boy having his heartripped out because it will
crack me up every time, like Ididn't even see a 12-year-old
girl whine all day.
Like, get the hell over it, youknow.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
But you did find that out about yourself.
What are your triggers to usein an acting scene?
Speaker 1 (36:27):
I definitely did.
But I've known that a long time.
I was preparing for this tripback to acting a long time ago.
I saw your dad a long time ago.
This is what I learned.
This is how Tuck Waharto cameback into my heart Not in my
heart, but in my mind right now.
Acting was like at least it feltlike falling off a log.
Back in the day, a good friendof mine's sister and her
(36:47):
boyfriend at the time were likePhD students in acting at LSU
and they came and saw me in thisplay just because the little
sister was my friend.
You know I don't know why theywould waste time, but I remember
him saying to me I've never,I've never seen a high school
student act on this level.
This was a great performance,thank you.
This is wonderful, you know.
And then I remember how easy itwas for me to be in the moment,
(37:09):
which is not completely.
You know, it's not like I'mwith some hugely brilliant child
.
I mean, children live in themoment, right.
Jim, at least in himself,always says never be on stage
with a child or a dog becausethey're always completely in the
moment Right.
And then you do it.
So that thing that I used to beso brilliant.
I just remember how it wasbeing on stage or in front of a
(37:31):
camera back then, barry.
What I learned about myselfgoing back especially film
acting as an adult was the worldhas entered and changed me and
it is not as easy anymore and itis a whole different ballgame,
(37:53):
right being when someone saysaction or you know the teacher
clicks the button and you hearbeep and you're ready to be in
the moment.
It's a whole different ballgameto get in the moment.
And that's one thing I learnedabout myself was it's not as
natural anymore and I had to getback to that, not saying I'm,
not saying I'm back there.
(38:15):
I'm still getting back thereevery time because we're just
you know.
I mean I'm 52 years old now andlike a lot of life has happened
and then and nerves happen.
That didn't used to happenbecause I have a whole other set
of you know I got to provemyself here.
I got to do it.
I find on on real movie sets,as opposed to acting class, is
(38:37):
actually easier.
Even though you got a camera inyour face and a boom mic and a
sound guy in your face and andother things happening.
It's actually easier than inacting class.
The nerves are more there inacting class.
Do you guys find that?
Speaker 3 (38:50):
I do.
Yes, if you've ever done anykind of training program where
they do scenarios and you haveto like pretend, I kind of
equate it to that, those werealways a little harder to do
than what it would be like inthe real world.
You know, I don't know, yeah,oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
I mean, there is a local acting classes that I
actually really, really enjoy,except for the fact that this
person starts the classes with alittle bit of silly improv.
I hate that.
I hate it.
I'll still go back to the it.
I'll still go back to theclasses.
I'll still pay the money.
This person still has a lot toteach and is great at it.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
That technique to loosen people up doesn't loosen
you up.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
It does not loosen me up, it makes me.
It makes me clench, up to thepoint that I'm like I'm just
going to wait out here.
We're going to wait outside,and so you're finished with that
.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
Does it make you clinch up because you really
want to get everything right?
Speaker 1 (39:45):
No, I just hate it.
Okay, no problem.
Just personally don't like him.
I don't like improv.
I took, I don't, I only like.
This doesn't make me sound likea total asshole, Dear audience.
I'm sorry.
A total asshole, Dear audience.
I'm sorry if I sound like atotal asshole.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
TJ and Marnay and no, I'm not really an asshole.
She's not a total.
She's not a total asshole.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
I only even like watching improv at the highest
levels.
I mean, the people that aretalented at improv are amazing I
can hardly comprehend.
Because they're so good,they're just so quick on their
feet, they're just so funny.
Because they're so good,they're just so quick on their
feet, they're just so funny,they're just so funny or
dramatic, it's just like, wow,maybe that's just because I'm
(40:28):
bad at it, right?
So I don't know.
But I did do a couple of improvclasses and the reason I forced
myself through the door wasbecause I was having this issue
with I got to get back in themoment, and in improv you have
no choice but to get in themoment.
Nothing exists but the momentin improv, because you're in the
(40:50):
moment and you either dosomething or just give up.
And so I took a couple classesand I was like, okay, got it,
like I remembered what it was tobe like in the moment.
And if the person that you knowI took the improv classes was
like, why did she never comeback?
It's not because I think I'm anexpert now, far far from it.
(41:11):
I truly admire people that areamazing at improv and and I
could never do it, but my, mywhole point in the class and
doing the class was rememberingwhat it was like to just be in
the moment.
You know, I mean, I evenremember that first time in the
class and doing the class wasremembering what it was like to
just be in the moment.
You know, I mean, I evenremember that first time in a
class with Jim where we did ascene and a tear rolled down my
face and then, after we did theplayback and he asked me, he was
(41:34):
like I really want to knowwhere were you in that moment?
And I was like I swear to Godthe answer is in that moment
that was like the best Isn theanswer is in that moment that
was like the best.
Isn't that like one of the bestfeelings?
Yeah, totally.
Every week you walk out ofclass and you're like I did it.
Speaker 3 (41:48):
That was cool and it's hard to explain unless
you've explained I mean yeah, itjust sounds like a weird
narcissistic actor thing.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
If you haven't experienced it, yeah no it
sounds like that.
Speaker 2 (41:59):
But like when you first started, when you were
younger, it was just you werethere.
There was no inhibition, therewas no things that happened in
life that make you want to holdthings in, so you were just
playing.
So as you got, back and young,young children just play.
They all pretend we're asuperhero and it's not.
Like, are they going to like mebeing a superhero?
Like no, I'm Superman.
I Like, are they going to likeme being a super?
(42:20):
You're like, no, I'm Superman,I don't care.
Yeah, the other part, even inpublic, yeah, I don't care.
Yeah, yeah, and that's the,that's the being in the moment
and recapturing that and lettinggo Audition versus on set.
I have not done theatrical so Ican't speak to that.
I'm assuming it's the same.
It's because everything's there.
You don't have to imagine it.
The person is there.
(42:41):
Whereas in addition, it's anempty room, you and the camera
and the person behind the cameraand a reader.
It's two different people.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
Yeah, and the nerves and the nerves Because you feel
like it's all on the line, likefor the jobs.
It's so crazy and that's whyit's weird.
But everything's there and plusthe extras.
Right, you've got other people.
You've got, like I said earlier, the camera, the sound guy, the
boom mic, wherever it's at.
You know you might havesomebody like this far from your
(43:08):
face that the camera can't see,but because the other elements
are there, the rest candisappear in a way that doesn't
happen when you're in anaudition.
You You're still like oh, doesshe like me or does she like me?
Speaker 2 (43:23):
I don't know, audition or class.
It's that achievement mentalitythat we have to, as actors, get
past.
I want to get a good grade inthe class, even if they don't
get great, so I have to get agood performance.
Am I doing good?
And that fights in your head.
Instead of being the characterIn an audition, instead of being
you, try, try to be.
I'm just the person and livingthis moment in life.
But you're also like am I goingto book the job?
(43:45):
Is my agent going to like it?
What?
What does it look like?
Another take, etc.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
Etc yeah, it's, oh, it's so hard to get all the
noise out of your head, socompletely hard and, like jim
says, the camera picks upeverything.
The camera reads it.
Although, in my humble defense,I will say this this is one
thing I've had to struggle withand Jim and I have had extensive
discussion about this Is that Ioh you want to know what I
really learned about myself.
(44:09):
This is a big deal.
This is a big deal because I'mhaving kids, because I'm like
honey, your kids think I'm somean Because you know I'm really
not that mean and it's this,it's this Because I'm really not
that mean and it's this, it'sthis Because, yeah, well, that's
the thing is, what I learnedbeing on camera in class is that
my I might want to kill youright now face is the same as I
(44:34):
am so concerned about you.
You see, do you know this?
I mean I'm looking at myself alittle.
I can't yet, but you know thisis not you know the quality.
But yeah, I got here, we go.
Yeah, that is.
(45:00):
I am really serious and veryupset, very concerned in a
loving way.
I have to put a little, I haveto pick it up a little.
I know like a smile isn'tappropriate in that moment, but
I have to make sure I'm eatingwell, that was a big weird thing
to learn about myself on camera.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
And we are out of time.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
On that note, we will .
Speaker 3 (45:24):
Janet, do you have any socials that you want to
plug?
Do you want to plug your lawfirm?
Do you know any of that youwant to plug?
We can plug it.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
You know Law Office of Janet Leonard McCaffrey.
Blood, sweat and tears wentinto that.
I do almost exclusivelypersonal injury.
You know your motor vehicleaccidents.
I've done a good handful of dogbites in my life.
They're hard cases and I always, when I hand my cards and bend
the people, feel morally andethically obligated to say I
hope you never need me, becauseif you need me it means your
(45:54):
heart, even though that's how Imake my living Right.
But again, I do love takingcare of people.
So yeah, I mean, if people needme, I'm there.
Jmechlcnet is there, just likeit sounds.
So that would be my plug.
But mostly I really just wantto be an actor.
And thank you guys, this wasfun.
Speaker 3 (46:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Pod dismissed.
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