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August 19, 2024 42 mins
Actor John Magaro joins the BFFs as they tackle the worst things about being an actor, the Swedish Viking Museum, and their love of Britt Lower. Emily tells the story of how she and John met, Haley and John fail to uncover the secret to parenting, and John declines Emily's invitation to be an honorary New Jersey-an. So put on your trench coat, attend the Tribeca Film Festival, and let’s talk about guilt. #YOLO
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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are we going to do a clap?

Speaker 2 (00:01):
It synced up pretty well last time.

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Apes clapping yourself, John, you're just clapping.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
There's my new screensaver.

Speaker 3 (00:11):
Hi.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'm Emily and I'm Hayley. After meeting online, we became
international best friends who bonded over how hard it is
to find success in the entertainment industry.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Join us and our celebrity co authors as they help
us write the book on how to make it.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
And, more importantly, uncover what making it even means.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
You know, saying we met online sounds a lot sexier
than it actually is.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Emily, you don't think it's clear we met on a
networking site?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
No, I think it sounds very much like I swiped
right on you, my friend.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Would you like to meet a British person online site?

Speaker 3 (00:48):
We're going to have to do this again now, aren't we.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Yes. Hi, my name is John mccarrough and I wanted
to be an actor when I grew up.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Okay, well, good job you did it.

Speaker 1 (01:15):
I know it's pretty amazing. But the thing is, like
anything you want to do as a kid, you don't
realize what it really means. It's just like if you
want to be a fireman or a pilot or whatever.
You don't realize how much those jobs actually are difficult
and potentially can suck.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
So what's the worst part of being an actor?

Speaker 1 (01:37):
What's the worst part? I mean, how many things? How
much time do you have? I mean, let's be honest,
Like it's uh, there's a lot of rewarding things about it,
but that's you know, usually in success, there's also a
lot of terrible stuff about it. Rejection, loneliness, being isolated,

(02:01):
not having a schedule, you know, forging relationships and then
you know, then you're off to the next job. So
then they break down financial, insecurity, I mean, the list
goes on, you know. So so there's so much about
it that is so difficult. That's why that that old
you know, the cliched saying is like, if you can

(02:22):
do anything else, then don't do this.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
Wow, I keep saying that to my daughter. There's anything else.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Oh, I'm not letting my daughter do this.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
No way, you can't start talking about that, John, because
I've got that as a question for you.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Like meanwhile, in New Jersey, I'm this has not deterredly
one no.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
I mean, but that's the thing, Like, if it's what
you If that's you're set on it, then but I
think you got I think it's healthy to be aware
of the difficulties.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
Definitely, definitely true. What's the best thing about being in
at John, I'm taking it up.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Really, the best thing is the especially it depends what
you're talking about. Like on stage, it's when you're on
stage and you're really connecting with you know, your fellow actors.
In film, it's when the camera's rolling and you're finding
those when it really like clicks and it connects. Everything
else is forgotten and you're there and you're present and
then you know they yell cut and it just you know,

(03:19):
it went well and it feels good. That's the best feeling.
And then the second best feeling is if it resonates
with an audience.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Yea, yeah, so you're getting that feedback.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, you know that's a hard one because that's complicated. Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
Do you find like when you're kind of feeling a
story that's enough for you, Like you know you're feeling it.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
I mean it's enough. It's enough in a moment, but
it's not like in a vacuum, because you know, you
have to share this with other people. I think if
you're an actor and you're only focused on that, then
you're in trouble. I think you have to find the
balance of making something for other people to view, but
also being authentic as an artist. I think that's a

(04:03):
balance that is necessary to find as an actor.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
We move into a section where we we tell you
too facts we found out about you on the internet. Mine,
so mine is like, here's the thing. So, I'm from
New Jersey. I'm in a Mamath beach.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
When you came into New York. When you were it
was that's why you had to go to the bathroom
because you had all the way, came all the way
from Jersey, took the ferry. Yeah, so you were like
you were like try, Yeah, I get it.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
And for everyone who's confused, I'll tell that story later.
So I am very surprised that you are not from
New York or New Jersey. Yeah, that is my interesting fact.
I was like, wait, because you just you just strike
me as a New Yorker. I know you live there now,

(04:56):
but like, where where did your Like, I mean, this
is a compliment, by the way. That's why I opened
with that I'm from here. I'm like, I need to
make you an honorary Jersey guy because you just want that.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
Okay, Okay, I love Jersey.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
I love I'm not saying no, no, I know, I
know Jersey Coast.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
I want to be from there. Oh sure, No, I
know what you're saying. Yeah, And I get that. I've
always gotten that. I think it's as simple as this.
I'm Italian and Jewish, and I think there's like a cadence,
you know, Like my family came from the East Coast,
a lot of Italians, and my grandparents generation, my Italian side,

(05:45):
moved to Pennsylvania, so I have a lot of family.
My dad grew up in Pittsburgh, but I was a
lot of family in like Philly and stuff like that.
And then my mom's side moved to Toledo, Ohio, which
is just south of Detroit. And I think there's just
kind of a rhythm and a cadence that are of
those two cultures. And then where I grew up, you know,

(06:07):
I grew up around Cleveland, Ohio, which is a kind
of a weird place because it's sort of like not
really Midwest, it's not really East and it's not really South,
but like it's like if you go in Cleveland. In
the areas around it, you will find people with that
kind of like Fargo Midwestern accent. You will find people

(06:29):
just to the south with like a deep Southern accent.
You will find people with like Pennsylvania accents. Because it's
just kind of this like undefined place that's sort of
like riding the cusp between kind of all these different
sections of the US. I don't know, but people have
always said that. Even when I was in high school,

(06:50):
people would ask that.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
It might be the Italian. Like you'll see me several
times during this interview going like this, I mean so much.
Last guess I was doing something I don't even know
what I was doing, and he goes, what are you
doing with your hands? And I was like, what.

Speaker 1 (07:06):
You're like, don't worry about it?

Speaker 2 (07:08):
Like that exactly exactly.

Speaker 3 (07:12):
Well, Emily's Italian and I'm Jewish. You're basically family. John, Oh,
there you go. That makes me makes such sense.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
This is where that's all it takes.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
If you put us together. Were you I see it?

Speaker 1 (07:32):
I see it for sure for sure.

Speaker 3 (07:35):
My my fact that I read in a random article about
you is that you carry two treasured items, two Zippo lighters,
from your grandpa.

Speaker 1 (07:43):
Yeah, one is from my grandfather and they're both from
my grandfather's just on both sides.

Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah, ohush, what's the what's the story behind that?

Speaker 1 (07:53):
My dad had this little box. My dad's passed now,
but he had this like little box like a kind
of he must have wanted to kind of be like
kind of like like a tough like Saturday night fevery.
I don't know Saturday Fever is tough, but like that
kind of like Italian guy. Because he had this box
of these terrible fake gold rings that he must have

(08:15):
at one point in the seventies tried to wear and
like fake gold chains. It was very tacky. But in
there was also and also like weird coins and stuff,
and in there with the lighter and and it had
my grandfather, my grandfather mcgarough's initials on it, and it
was just in there, and I asked him about it,

(08:35):
and I basically just when I was a late teenager,
I asked if I could have it, and then he
gave it to me. Because I never knew my grandfather Magaro.
He passed away before I was born, but he was
apparently a very sweet, generous man. Meanwhile, my grandfather Magaro
was kind of a kind of a piece of work.

(08:57):
She was like, she was like Livy Soprano in brand.
She was like, really, there was one time we were
at our house and my brother and I were throwing
a tennis ball and I don't know how, but a
tennis ball broke the window some this thick these thick
bottle cap glasses glass windows, and it broke it. And
then she came out and just freaked out at us
and yelled at us and smacked us and anyway, so

(09:21):
this was like a thing to remember the nice grandparent that.

Speaker 2 (09:24):
I never met, not from the from New Jersey.

Speaker 1 (09:28):
I mean, it's all Italians. And then the other one.
The other one actually I got with my other grandfather.
He bought it for me on a trip to Israel
that I took in the ninth grade for his eightieth birthday,
and we got it there and we got it engraved
in Hebrew and with my initials on it. That's as

(09:48):
simple as that. Nothing that exciting. No, it wasn't like
the Chris Walking Paul fiction thing where they pulled it
out of his ass and he was on the Vietnam
And you know, I'm kind of glad it wasn't like that.

Speaker 2 (09:58):
Yeah, or I mean, I think it's sweet because I don't.
The only thing I carry with me are the punch
cards for the bunk Cake place so I can get
a free one.

Speaker 1 (10:08):
Oh I carry I carry those two. But in addition
I have these lighters. But these lighters, these lighters also
presented a problem because since nine eleven, everyone's and also
hearing Europe, they're very weird about lighters, the same with Asia.
And there's been a few times. Not that these lighters
have nothing in them. There's no fluid, there's no flint

(10:28):
or anything like that in them. Because I travel with
them and I don't want to get them taken away,
but several times, like people been like, what why do
you have these?

Speaker 4 (10:35):
We're going to take these, and then I cry and
they give them back. Always they looks John, I'd like
to believe that. Yeah, I haven't had a plane crash
with them, so that's you know, that's a win.

Speaker 2 (10:49):
Yeah, glad we have this on on we're recording this,
So I guess I was going to ask you if

(11:11):
you're okay if I talk about the fact that you
were not in the theater during the movie. Before I
went into my question about it. Okay, I don't know.
I met you when I was going to the bathroom
at Tribeca Film Festival and you, well, excuse me. First
I saw you and I probably yelled too loudly are

(11:32):
you in this movie?

Speaker 1 (11:34):
And then something like that.

Speaker 2 (11:36):
And then you said yes. And then you I think
you asked where I was going or if I was leaving,
and I said I was going to the bathroom. And
then I got caught in those rope things.

Speaker 1 (11:47):
Yeah, and I said, I, if you want to leave,
you can leave. It's okay, Like I don't I understand,
and they were like, no, I'm writing a review or
something like that.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
Yeah, oh my god. It's like it's like if you
send a child to do an adult job.

Speaker 1 (12:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (12:05):
I was two kids in a trench coat at that
at that premiere.

Speaker 1 (12:10):
Anyway, two kids in anat have to pee sometimes, that's true.

Speaker 2 (12:14):
Twice a month.

Speaker 5 (12:15):
Oh, that's right, I bet spreads.

Speaker 2 (12:18):
Oh my gosh. Okay. I think you mentioned it during
the Q and A afterwards too, that you had been outside.
That is something that obviously is interesting because you've chosen
a career where you are in front of people and
in something that's recorded and in something that's going to
be seen by a lot of people. But then to
have that fear of or I don't know if it's

(12:41):
fear you can correct me, or anxiety or something about
actually watching it on screen and hearing people's reactions, which,
by the way, people were laughing so much. I actually
I almost didn't know if I should go see it
because I was like, this is going to be too
scary for me. And then it was like one of
the funniest things I've seen. So I'm wondering one where
that comes from, and then to how you deal with

(13:02):
it since you are obviously this is your career and
it will keep happening, like.

Speaker 1 (13:08):
Yeah, I mean, I haven't always been like that. It's
something that I learned just was better for me to do.
I watched the movies I've seen it, like I've seen that.
I always watch them. Sometimes it depends on my involvement
with it, but I think i'd seen an earlier cut,
and then I saw that cut right before Tribeca. Some movies,

(13:29):
like the movies that I'm producing or movies that I'm
more involved with, I watch many cuts. But something about
being in the room with people I realized it's hard
for me to really watch the film and sort of
let go and just focused on the reactions and focused
on what other people are doing and what I expect

(13:49):
them to do, and you know, things like that. So
it's just not like a healthy thing for me. So
I just found that it's better for me to just
avoid it, and for good or bad, for like the
stroke of your ego. Even if they're like laughing big
and really loving it, you know, sometimes that might mislead
you because audiences are you know, each audience is different

(14:11):
and each person's view is different. And I think, especially
with that movie Shallow Tale, I think it plays a
lot better if you see it with a group of
people because you are encouraged to laugh, whereas I think
if you're watching it at home, which a lot of
people do nowadays and critics do nowadays, just on the

(14:32):
laptop or on their TV or whatever, it doesn't really
you're not quite sure if you're supposed to laugh. You're
not quite sure if it's really that funny, because it
is an odds style of humor and it's really kind
of dark and not typical, so good or bad, I
just found that it's just like anxiety inducing and it's

(14:53):
just not healthy. So I've stopped. I've stopped, you know,
going and watching the premiere s whatever festivals or whatever
things like that.

Speaker 2 (15:02):
Will you do it for your film? Just got into
what is it? Venice?

Speaker 1 (15:06):
Yeah no, no, I won't watch it. Yeah no, it's
it's called September fifth. It's like it's about the Munich
Olympic massacre kind of thing. Yeah, thank you. So it
just got into Venice. We're gonna play there, I think
the twenty ninth, but now I don't go. I'll have
a glass of wine or something.

Speaker 3 (15:24):
That's such a great boundary to put in for yourself, though.

Speaker 1 (15:27):
I mean it's not great. It is just like everyone's different.
Like some actors never watch themselves on screen. Some actors
watch every over and over again. It's just I think
you've got to do what's what's good for you and
for not for at least for now, that's what's good
for me.

Speaker 3 (15:44):
That's what I mean, like for you, like yeah, yeah, right, I.

Speaker 1 (15:47):
Think it's important. I think it's important for actors or
any art whatever, any artists to be authentic to themselves
and not feel obligated to do things because they think
that's the way you're supposed to do it, Like you're
not insulting the people or the filmmakers or anything by
not looking after your mental health. So so I think

(16:10):
it's fine, and I think if other actors feel that way,
I want to encourage them to also do whatever makes
them feel good. And that's what everybody should be doing
in this industry. Yeah, listen, I'm sensitive to it. I'm
sensitive to criticism, and and it's hard as an actor
to get criticized because a lot of the times it's
not something that you were doing. There's a lot of

(16:32):
factors involved in this, right, Yeah, it's it's it's tough,
and you got to really have kind of a thick
skin about it. And I'm also not one of those
actors who like, I'll read things. I'm not living in
a bubble or isolation about that, and some things that
I've read have been helpful and some less so. But again,
everyone can do their own things.

Speaker 3 (16:51):
Sure, did you want to did you want to embellish
a little bit, Emily?

Speaker 1 (16:54):
Or do you want me to go on about our bathroom? True?

Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah, absolutely, I'm gonna sounds like such an idiot. I
loved the movie. I had a huge crush on you
when I was in high school, when you were in
Orange is the New Black?

Speaker 1 (17:08):
Oh my god, how old are you? God, I'm so old.

Speaker 2 (17:11):
No, I'm thirty one, but I'm not. Was I in
high school or was I in college? I don't know.
At some point in my life when Orange is the
New Black came out, so I was thrilled to see it.
And then I've made Britt Lauer in my head like
my honorary big sister. I just I love her so much,
so seeing her in that role was so fun.

Speaker 1 (17:33):
It's great. BRIT's someone who I worked with. We did
a really like no one saw hindy years ago when
we were little babies in New York. I mean, I
don't even know how many years ago.

Speaker 2 (17:44):
What was it called.

Speaker 1 (17:45):
It's called Don't Worry Baby, And it was me her
dream of Walker. Do you know who dream of Walker is?
Brit was the girl who I should have been with,
but I chose dreama And so it's cool to reunite
because I love her. She's so great. She's so great
on Severn's. I'm so happy for having.

Speaker 2 (18:06):
That is that show like it is so good it
makes me want to like break something I get so
fired up.

Speaker 1 (18:14):
The whole time we were shooting Charlata, I kept like
asking about the experience and then wanting to ask about
season two, but being like, no, I'm not guy.

Speaker 2 (18:22):
And now having to wait until what is it January?

Speaker 1 (18:25):
It's not far it's coming up.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
It'll have been what has been three years since?

Speaker 1 (18:30):
Well because of the strike, and that show takes a
really long time to make. She felt like they they
take like two months an episode.

Speaker 5 (18:39):
It's it's crazy Woman.

Speaker 2 (18:41):
I think is in New Jersey.

Speaker 1 (18:43):
Yeah, I want to go there. It's like this weird
apartment slash kind of a.

Speaker 2 (18:49):
Mall right, Yeah, it's like an hour for me. I
should go, Yeah, just to turn around.

Speaker 1 (18:55):
And come back.

Speaker 2 (18:56):
Yeah, okay, Haley, you now have my permission to move.

Speaker 3 (19:00):
Okay, thanks Darling, Thank you. So John, you're a parent.
How do you balance your parenting and your career? I
don't know if you get the constant guilts like I do?

Speaker 1 (19:11):
Do What do you mean you get guilt? Tell me
about your guilt.

Speaker 2 (19:17):
You need you need to give background because otherwise it
sounds like it just sounds like you're like, John, do
you feel guilty that.

Speaker 1 (19:24):
You feel guilty all the time?

Speaker 3 (19:28):
Tell me about you, because like when you're on set
and stuff, it's very all consuming.

Speaker 2 (19:32):
And Heally has three kids.

Speaker 3 (19:35):
I've got I've got three, and then I'll be on set.

Speaker 2 (19:38):
And she's telling your job.

Speaker 3 (19:40):
I'm an intimacy coordinator, so I do the same and
such like. But yeah, it's all consuming being on set,
isn't it?

Speaker 5 (19:47):
And so what do you do?

Speaker 1 (19:48):
Like you have to go off to London and or Yeah,
yeah I go here, there and everywhere.

Speaker 3 (19:54):
I've been up in Newcastle today. Yeah, I go everywhere,
do those scenes and come back to Leeds. Yes, I
don't know. I think parental guilt is a thing, but yeah,
and just having the time to like parent your children
and then having a job like this where it's so
full on, Like how do you balance that?

Speaker 1 (20:15):
I don't know. You tell me, like I'm learning as
I go. I've been trying to figure this out. It's
really hard. The answers John, Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, let
me let me give those I mean that's again like
one of those things you know, like I said, what
do you want to be when you I want to
be an actor, But it's like, well, think about having

(20:37):
a family. It's incredibly difficult and I think that's why
so many, you know, the stereotype of actors relationships falling apart,
that that's kind of one of the reasons, because you
are a way a lot. Like right now, I'm doing
this series here in London and I'm gone kind of
for six months. I'll go back when I can, but

(20:58):
it's a long amount of time and maybe they'll come
over here once or twice. But it's incredibly hard to
be away, especially when you're away from a kid who's
four years old and missing things in their life and milestones. Thankfully,
she was born during COVID, so I was home for
pretty much the first two years, so that was nice.

(21:22):
But now I'm away a lot. Last year I was
away for about seven months on and off, and this
year I'll be away for roughly six months. And it's challenging.
And my wife her career, she works in fashion, so
she's doing kind of like a nine to five, but
even crazier hours because high fashion has insane stuff, and

(21:44):
with Fashion Week coming up, it's even more crazy, so
we have to rely on help and things like that. Thankfully,
our daughter is really great and she's got you know,
she's very independent and very strong. Willed. It hasn't quite
become a major hurdle yet, but who the hell knows.

(22:06):
I don't know. But I got bills to pay too,
and I got to like work, and it's I always
remind me. I try and tell myself, like, yeah, it's
this is hard. But like, how was I watching something recently?
I was watching? Oh no, I wasn't watching it. This
is a terrible reference, but I'm going to reference it anyway.
This is what it was. It was, it was I

(22:28):
was in Stockholm a few weeks ago. I went to Stockholm, right, Yeah,
and I went to the Viking Museum in Stockholm. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (22:36):
I was getting ready for you to talk about some
life changing movie you watched.

Speaker 1 (22:40):
No, no, no, this is even no, but this is
even better because you got to go to that. So
this is the Viking Museum in Stockholm. And at the
very end they have this like ride that's basically like
something at Disney, like Pirates of the Caribbean or like
that kind of ride where you go and there's little
like vignette, right, and the story is about this guy.

(23:03):
It's to explain why why the Vikings did what they
did and what they did, and this guy Basically the
story is he was a drunk and he lost all
his money and they're going to have to sell the
daughter off to some guy to marry her to get money.
So instead of doing that, he basically goes off viking
like does what vikings do and kills a lot of

(23:25):
people and blah blah blah, and then he comes home
with all this money and then they have a big celebration,
and at the end of what the lady goes, how
was it. I'm like, guy's kind of brushed over the
whole death of all these rapes and murders.

Speaker 5 (23:37):
It's not really great.

Speaker 1 (23:40):
But the whole the point was at the beginning, he goes, Okay,
i'll see you in two summers. There was a world
back then, and soldiers nowadays, and people who like to
do that where they're gone for a lot longer. So
this is the thing that has existed before. But I
got this. I'm going on a long guy tried about this.
I'm sorry, but I love it. That point is it's

(24:01):
happened before, so like, I can't feel terrible. You know,
society has sustaining this, and thankfully nowadays, you know, I
FaceTime her every day exactly We always talk. Always try
and be present. Even if I'm on set and they
call on like the camera's not roll, I try and
excuse myself to talk to my daughter or my wife.

(24:23):
So that makes it easier, but it is. It's a
challenge and I'm still learning how to do it. And
I don't know how you do with three kids. It's
hard enough. With one kid, it's a never ending juggle.

Speaker 3 (24:37):
It's getting easier as they're getting older, for sure, because.

Speaker 1 (24:40):
Then they don't want to have anything to do with you.

Speaker 3 (24:42):
That's it.

Speaker 1 (24:42):
They're not bothering. My daughter's just off, she doesn't care.

Speaker 3 (24:46):
But yeah, I just always try and put the flip
on it of the example you're setting as well. I
think if they can if they can see you working hard,
I think that's enough.

Speaker 1 (24:54):
And when I am home, like last year, when I
I came a after the new like around Christmas, I
had worked a lot last year and I was like,
I'm going to stay home at least until April and
not take any work. And when I'm home, I'm on it.
I try and do as Maybe that's the guilt I'm
trying to make up for all that time I was away,

(25:15):
So I really try and like put in the time. Yeah,
and I enjoy it, like you know, I love my
daughter like you spending time with her.

Speaker 3 (25:24):
Of course, it's just a big it's a massive balancing act,
isn't it.

Speaker 1 (25:28):
I think so it is.

Speaker 3 (25:30):
But yeah, I just put you were you were a
child actor?

Speaker 1 (25:33):
So is that I wasn't a child actor. I was
really a child actor. But with Ohio, oh her, I
wouldn't want to let her go on. She needs to
be like a scientist or something like that. Say what
you were going to say? Sorry about being a child answer?
I wasn't really a child actor. Are you asking if
I was a child actor? Yeah? I like did like

(25:54):
community theater in Ohio, Da bled that was like it's
like you guys, when you do like the little like
local pantomime or whatever.

Speaker 2 (26:03):
I auditioned for the State Fair commercials.

Speaker 1 (26:07):
Yeah, so like and yes I did. I did a
couple like random local silly things like that that were
around the area. But I would hardly say that I
was a child actor. The sparkings of the career, John,
Sure it was, it was. That's true. That's true, Haley.

Speaker 2 (26:25):
How does it feel that John just named you guys?
Both Vikings that must be cool.

Speaker 1 (26:29):
Oh, I love it. If you want to know the
Vikings did terrible things, that's what they do. They just
they just they just gloss over that on this ride.

Speaker 3 (26:38):
Like what, okay, if you want to do a good
Viking museum while you're over here, John, that's a great one.

Speaker 1 (26:44):
In your No, I've had enough of Vikings so much death. Yeah,
I'm fine with it.

Speaker 3 (26:50):
I get they go hard care on the history curriculum
in this country with the kids, the Vikings, the kids,
oh really really yeah.

Speaker 1 (27:00):
But they don't talk about the Revolutionary War. I noticed that.
It's just sort of, no, we don't, we don't. We
ignore all of you guys. That divorce really isn't discussed.

Speaker 3 (27:09):
Yeah, we learn about that through Hamilton.

Speaker 2 (27:12):
That was the first time you're yeah, yeah, it's form
so Jonathan GRAFFI were like.

Speaker 3 (27:18):
What yeah, yeah, yeah, arguably a better way of learning.
We move on now to a section called the story, John.
So this is about like a story from your career

(27:39):
where you kind of think why am I bothering? But
then it's the thing that kind of fires you up
to move you on. So, for example, last week I
did a whole load of prep for this film with
loads of intimate scenes in it, loads and loads and
loads are so much work. And then one of the
producers left and a new producer came in and just
cut all of the sex scenes, so all is now

(28:02):
completely irrelevant. And I also don't have a job in September.

Speaker 1 (28:08):
Great, and why why?

Speaker 3 (28:12):
But yeah, do you have one like that, John, Do
you like like a moment where you're just like, why
am I bothering with this?

Speaker 1 (28:17):
Oh? My god? This is so many but one that
always sticks out in my mind. Back in the days
when you used to go to a casting room and audition,
which now seemed like a thing of the past. This
director who has now passed away, and I want to
say his name, but I won't say his name. I'll
show a little.

Speaker 2 (28:38):
Class, just put a long bleep.

Speaker 1 (28:41):
Someday I'll say his name, because it's a really scummy
thing to do. Anyway. I had auditioned for him for
another movie and I didn't get cast. And then he
was doing another movie, maybe a year later, maybe two
years later, something like that, and I got caught in
by the casting director I knew and had she had
cast me in a couple of things. And I was

(29:03):
there and this space is in New York, so it's
like most of the casting rooms are pretty there's not
a lot of space, and sometimes you can hear through
the wall right what's going on in the room. So
I was next up, and you sit around waiting. You
wait four hours and you're like, what the fuck is
going on? And then they would see you for a

(29:26):
second and be like all right, piss off. But this
time was for a movie, and you do your work.
You're prepared. I like to be responsible, prepared actor. And
I knew I was next up, and they're like, come
over here, and then there was like a little seat
you could sit on right outside the door to the room,
right and like the other actor came out and I

(29:46):
sat down in the kind of on deck seat and
the door was still open, and the director, I don't
know if they showed my picture or like they were like,
next up is John mcgaut and he goes, ah, him,
he's not right for this like that, and I heard
it and I'm like, oh fuck. And this is when
I was just like, you know, I was pretty young,

(30:07):
pretty new to it. And then like okay, come in
and then you're in there and he doesn't know you
heard what he said, and then you have to audition
like a schmuck, like a total asshole. And I, you know,
nowadays I think I might have said something, but back then,
I'm kind to say anything. So I just like, with
my tail between my legs, did this terrible audition, and

(30:30):
after it, I was just like, well, what the fuck?
Like it's so phony, it's so fake because as soon
as I got in, he's like mister cordial, right, like
trying to not like overly, but like you know, kind
of nice, trying to be nice. Yeah, So it was
just really discouraging and it was really gross, and it
was really sad, and you know, it took me a

(30:53):
little while to like, you know, heal that wound and
understand these things happen, but just move on. There's other
people who aren't like that. But yeah, that was pretty discouraging,
a horrible attitude. Yeah, he has a real prick. Yeah,
Dyne to know who is.

Speaker 2 (31:12):
We had another guest telling audition story that was also
just like what are they? Yeah, it's like dance monkey
kind of.

Speaker 1 (31:21):
Yeah, it really is. I mean the whole d Like
when I first started, when I first came to New York,
I'm doing primarily commercial commercial auditions and things like that,
and commercial work, and that's just so soul sucking. You
really treated like a total piece of you know, meat
or you know, it's just no respect, just thrown in

(31:43):
and out and and it's just really depressing and sad.
And yeah. So, I mean there's a lot of that
kind of stuff that you really have to barrel through.
You know, especially as an early actor. You've got to.

Speaker 3 (31:57):
Think, like.

Speaker 1 (32:00):
You've just got to have such a thick skin, haven't you.
I think so. I think even in success, you have
to have a thick skin. You know, like people are
constantly coming at celebrities and people all the time over
every that's just especially nowadays with Internet and you know,
that's just the world we live in. It's just so
easy to hate. As Taylor Swift says, a hater is

(32:23):
gonna hate hate, hate hate hate. Hey, Hey, yeah, it's
what songs? John?

Speaker 2 (32:31):
Do you know what song that's from?

Speaker 1 (32:32):
I Shake It Off?

Speaker 2 (32:34):
Oh okay. Haley seems seems to.

Speaker 1 (32:39):
Know, well we have kids to that.

Speaker 2 (32:41):
Oh true.

Speaker 1 (32:42):
Like, let's be honest, I like that song before I
had a kid. Yeah, same is it?

Speaker 3 (32:47):
Is it?

Speaker 1 (32:47):
Old people? Taylor Swift that Yeah, well it's.

Speaker 2 (32:50):
Or really young. The girls that I used to nanny
for are like, you know, obsessed or it's like yeah, as.

Speaker 1 (32:58):
You're in the in between.

Speaker 2 (32:59):
I'm in the in between.

Speaker 3 (33:01):
No Ka Titus Wiet for the faulties? What titleusif for
the forty year old?

Speaker 1 (33:06):
Yeah, you know when she's saying in the forties and
the nineties, what you're saying the nineteen forties?

Speaker 2 (33:10):
Yeah, I was hearing the dial up internet noise was
going on in my head. After you said that, I
was like, what, Oh, by the way I looked it up,
I was in my twenties during Orange is the New Black.
I was not in high school.

Speaker 5 (33:23):
Okay, cleared that up.

Speaker 2 (33:25):
So everyone can stop wondering.

Speaker 6 (33:29):
It was just me.

Speaker 5 (33:30):
It was just me.

Speaker 2 (33:39):
So Johan, what would you say your definition of making
it is.

Speaker 1 (33:47):
Same?

Speaker 4 (33:48):
I'm sorry you quote that.

Speaker 5 (33:54):
Two s's or one six.

Speaker 1 (33:58):
I think it's ever changing, right. But I think if
you are an actor and you're able to just be
an actor, like if you're that's your job, like that's it,
you can do that, then I think you should be
very proud of yourself. And I'm not talking about a lot,
but but and I think it's a shame that a
lot of people don't understand what being a working actor
necessarily means. I think the strikes try to kind of

(34:21):
highlight that, but most people didn't really understand that. No,
I'm talking about outside of our business. But if you
can work and you can make a living, pay your bills,
that's pretty great.

Speaker 2 (34:34):
So would you say it's if you're if you're choosing
projects you like, or if you're just getting anything and
are able to support yourself.

Speaker 1 (34:42):
Oh, choosing projects you like?

Speaker 5 (34:44):
I mean yeah, because there's there are people.

Speaker 1 (34:48):
See, that's that's the next See, those are the levels
right to it. Like you know, like you know, if
you really want to do it, you want to do
just work kind of, but yeah, ideally you want to
be working on you'd like, because yeah, that can burn
you out.

Speaker 2 (35:05):
That's making it part two.

Speaker 1 (35:08):
I mean that's what I'm saying. It Like, making it
is a it's a complicated there's a lot of levels
to making it.

Speaker 2 (35:15):
Well, it could be making it even just in life
in general, not pertaining to well, that's.

Speaker 1 (35:20):
A whole other thing. Making it in life in general.

Speaker 2 (35:23):
What would you say that is what's the meaning of life?

Speaker 3 (35:27):
John? A lot of you today.

Speaker 6 (35:31):
Oh goodness, we just expected you to come here with
all the answers to every day your question, you're so
you're so wrong?

Speaker 1 (35:43):
Answer?

Speaker 2 (35:44):
Yeah, parenting everything, all of it.

Speaker 3 (35:49):
So, yes, nothing so making it is not having to
do one for the bread and then one for the head.

Speaker 2 (35:55):
That was all you got to explain that. He's not
gonna know what you're talking about.

Speaker 1 (35:58):
Yeah, I know, I get where you're saying. The ideal
is that you're doing it for the bread and the head. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (36:09):
See it's not a weird phrase, Emily.

Speaker 2 (36:12):
Yeah, I have a mod that says it now, thanks
to you. So yeah, people better understand it.

Speaker 1 (36:18):
I get it. It makes sense. It's a man yeah,
man yeah man.

Speaker 3 (36:31):
Oh.

Speaker 1 (36:32):
So we're going to move on now to your chapter title.
When we eventually make.

Speaker 3 (36:37):
Yeah, and when we eventually make all of these podcasts
a book, which will happen at some point, each guest
will have a chapter title that sums up your career
journey so far.

Speaker 1 (36:48):
So what would yours be? John? Yeah? But like when
this book comes out in like fifteen years, what if
there's a whole new chapter title.

Speaker 2 (36:55):
Well, then you then you can tell that I'm a procrastinator.
He knows you now coming up for.

Speaker 1 (37:03):
It?

Speaker 2 (37:03):
Like, if I know what thing about?

Speaker 3 (37:04):
Would you like to sign a disclaimer that you can
change the title?

Speaker 1 (37:08):
Yeah, because then it's like like like I'm like, told, man,
I'm saying that the Earth is the center of the universe,
and the next thing, you know, you find out that
that's bullshit, And then.

Speaker 2 (37:18):
Like, I think you're overthinking this.

Speaker 3 (37:21):
I thought of this before, but I like it. What
about what about chat titling twenty twenty four?

Speaker 1 (37:28):
Okay, twenty third, twenty third? What's the year.

Speaker 2 (37:33):
Twenty twenty four?

Speaker 3 (37:35):
You know, although I had to think about that, I
literally had to look at my phone to.

Speaker 1 (37:40):
Check out it was twenty twenty. Finally some stability dot
dot dot at least for now. Hashtag yolo twenty twenty four.
I love it.

Speaker 2 (37:58):
Oh that's my favorite one.

Speaker 3 (38:00):
And we've ever had the same.

Speaker 1 (38:02):
No, my god, change in fifteen call me in fifteen
years when you write this book.

Speaker 3 (38:09):
Oh my godeen years.

Speaker 1 (38:11):
I'll be busing with that. That's a good time frame for.

Speaker 2 (38:13):
Us, Hailey, You're able to support yourself through your art.
I needed to happen before fifteen years from now.

Speaker 1 (38:21):
This is true, This is true.

Speaker 2 (38:23):
That would be great.

Speaker 1 (38:24):
I like that one a lot, though, that one a lot.

Speaker 3 (38:29):
Oh, Emily, have you got anything else to wrap up
before we let h John? I, Oh my gosh, John,
I was so nervous for this.

Speaker 2 (38:40):
I was so nervous because I just didn't.

Speaker 1 (38:43):
Know I did sad work, John, because you've heard about
my violent temper.

Speaker 2 (38:47):
Absolutely, I was afraid I was gonna get slapped through
the computer. Yeah no, let me think. I mean, the
only other thing I was going to ask is if
you know, if you can remember what the worst piece
of advice you've ever been given was? But you might not,
and then that's fine.

Speaker 1 (39:06):
I don't because I usually I think I'm smart enough
and cynical enough to see through that kind of bad advice.
Like usually I'm like, oh, these people, I don't know
what they're talking.

Speaker 2 (39:17):
About, like a true New Jersey.

Speaker 1 (39:19):
And yeah, like I think, like, yeah, so I haven't
really And also I've been lucky to surround myself like
the people I take advice from, yeah, usually are people
that I really trust and you know, have some some
sense about them. Like I don't think I would ever
be like one of those people who had like some

(39:40):
weird guru that they like let follow that they followed
around and showed up on set with their weird guru, and.

Speaker 2 (39:48):
You must know a lot of these people.

Speaker 5 (39:50):
If this may I don't think that happens.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
I don't think that necessarily happens as much anymore.

Speaker 2 (39:54):
But like like Justin Bieber, I think is the one person.

Speaker 1 (39:58):
Oh yeah, yeah, the Hillsong guy and.

Speaker 2 (40:00):
Then ended up being a cult leader.

Speaker 1 (40:02):
Of course that's always how That's always how it goes.
It's always like that. So yeah, I don't think I yeah,
I don't think that will happen to me anytime soon.
But who knows, that might be your next chapter. It
might be an ex title the name Caught Life twenty fifteen. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (40:22):
I love a good cult documentary, so I projects in
the future.

Speaker 3 (40:28):
I love a good cult. I love falling down the
rabbit hole of a cult.

Speaker 1 (40:32):
I think they're going to make a Jones a new
Jonestown movie.

Speaker 2 (40:36):
I thought one just came out on Hulu.

Speaker 1 (40:39):
Did it like a narrative? A narrative or a documentary?

Speaker 2 (40:43):
I feel hold on.

Speaker 1 (40:45):
I feel like somebody one of the big A name actors.

Speaker 2 (40:49):
Has every well, this isn't a cult though. I was
just going to say, has everyone's seen the jinks, but yeah,
it's not enjoy the jinks.

Speaker 1 (40:57):
That's just a weird dudem.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
I went by the building yesterday in the city that
the part of the anyway, nobody cares.

Speaker 3 (41:07):
I did.

Speaker 2 (41:09):
How to Make It is recorded from a closet in
New Jersey and a basement in Leeds, United Kingdom. It's
produced by Emily Capello and Haley Murali Darn. For more
adventures with Emily and Haley, follow us on Instagram at
how to Make It Podcast, where you'll find clips from
today's episode, many episode clips, and more random nonsense. Like

(41:35):
and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or
wherever other fine podcasts are found.
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