October 26, 2025 • 25 mins
Pam and Dawn welcome rising star Ash Tsai to Christmas MuVies Spotlight for a heartwarming and joyful holiday conversation! 🎬 Ash shares all about her experience starring in the new Great American Family original movie Christmas of Giving, what drew her to the story, and the special message at the heart of the film. She also talks about her acting journey, favorite holiday traditions, and what she loves most about being part of movies that bring hope, love, and light to the season. Filled with laughter, inspiration, and Christmas cheer, this episode captures the magic of storytelling that makes holiday movies so special year after year. ✨ Settle in and enjoy this festive chat with Ash Tsai — only on Christmas MuVies Spotlight with Pam & Dawn!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:20):
Hello and welcome to the special edition of Christmas movie Spotlight.
I am your host on Mac, one half of the
amazing dynamic duo known as Pam and Dawn. Who is
my best team, my friend, my colleague, my COEs. Hey, Pam,
how are you?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Hey?
Speaker 1 (00:38):
You know what what?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Pumpkin season is over and now we crack open the fruitcake.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Okay, I have to are you a fruitcake eater? Do
you like that?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Gosh no, how well the way you said, I say,
you have this conversation in the past, and I was thinking,
I don't think I recall you mentioning that you love
I mean, fruitcake is one of those things where people
either love it or hate it. There is no in between.
Like you know, you don't find many people to go.
You know, I'll eat it. It's not my favorite kind
(01:12):
of thing. It's either you eat it one time and
you go, I either love this or you say, don't
ever put this in my face again? Right?
Speaker 3 (01:22):
We called them, we call them doorstops.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Okay, Well, there's two things about fruitcake, and I'll make
it short. So here in North Carolina there's a company
called Southern Season and they make fruitcakes. But it's not
your traditional go to the store by all the fruits
and the nuts and stuff to make a fruitcake. Okay,
And my Granny Mac used to make fruitcake every Christmas
(01:49):
and it was homemade, and I still wouldn't need it
though it was fruitcake. Yeah, okay, I know it was
made with love by my granny, but still it was fruitcake.
But anyway, there's a company here in North Carolina. It's
called Southern Season and they're still in business, and they
make their own special brand of fruitcake. And it does
not include all of those red and green candy type
(02:09):
things you see in traditional fruitcake. They what throws it off?
I think so, because you go, why is this in here?
Speaker 4 (02:18):
Right?
Speaker 1 (02:19):
But they do have nuts in it, and it's just
a different battery makeup. And so I have actually had
that and it tastes so unlike traditional fruitcake. It's not
even funny. So I have had that on more than
one occasion. Would I go and buy it, No, probably not,
but it's good by comparison. Yeah. The other thing that is, oh,
(02:40):
go ahead. The other thing that comes to mind is
a Christmas movie that I saw. I can't even think
of the name. I can't tell you who plays in it.
But it's a Christmas movie I saw some years back,
and like I want to say, the star of the
show was a fruitcake. And it was it kind of was.
These two journalists were competing for the story, worry about
(03:01):
interviewing this lady who had this hundred year old fruitcake
in this tin and it stayed in there and it
was preserved, and it was just crazy crazy. I'm like, Okay,
I never thought I'd enjoy watching a movie about fruitcake,
but here we are.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Anyway, so now we got that all out of the way.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Well, I'll tell you it's so preserved after one hundred years.
I don't think that we've made any bad choices by
not eating it.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So well, it's the only thing I'll say is if
something is still intact after one hundred years, that should
be questionable. Best, like you should never eat it anyway, right, yes, exactly. Well,
We're gonna kind of gravitate away from fruitcake because I
(03:53):
can tell you that our guest, I don't know if
she likes or hates fruitcake. Maybe we should start.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Asking get that question, but you know what we should.
And second, she's just as sweet as that that cake,
so there is, But that's so true. Well, it's greet
cake really sweet, though, is we need to cas are
sweet in there?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, well that.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Is true if you ate those only right, But yes,
you're so correct. Pam at Si is absolutely a delight.
We had so much fun chatting with her about her
movie that's coming out on GAC A Great American Family.
I should correct myself and say, and it's gonna be great.
And just to listen to her talk about her career
(04:35):
and all the wonderful things that she's been doing of
late and throughout her career was just amazing. She was
just so much fun to chat with. Absolutely. I mean
we can say that about all of our guests, right, absolutely, right,
I mean it is true. She I don't know. I
(04:56):
just enjoyed talking with her. I enjoy talking with all
of our guests.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Good point there, Yeah, yeah, I guess there's some that
you know, like we've spoken about other people like Brianna Cohen,
you know that we could do a little girls get
together and right and one of them that could join in,
you know, Yeah, yeah, for sure. Absolutely well, speaking of
(05:23):
Si stars in Great American Families holiday movie Christmas of
Giving and that airs on November first, so market calendar.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Mm hmm, it's coming up quick, very very much say
and we are so excited and honored to bring you
or interview with ash Cy. Enjoy the show.
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Hi, my name is ash Cy and you're listening to
Pam and Don.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Hi.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Ash, Thank you so much for joining us today. We
really appreciate you taking the time and of course, welcome,
Thank you, You're welcome. We always start out with the
first question because we get some really great answers. So
what first inspired you to pursue acting and how did
(06:11):
your journey begin?
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Yeah, So I I was in grad school and I
was studying business entertainment, and so I've always loved movies
and TV and storytelling, and so initially I thought I
was going to be on, you know, kind of the
other side of the business, more producing or working at
a studio or even an agent or a manager. And
(06:36):
then my program brought me out to LA and I
saw and met actors and models and artists and they
were pursuing their art form and I didn't really know
what that looked like at a different level, like you
see you know, the movie stars and everything on TV
and you go to the theaters but I started to
(06:57):
see what that looked like on a different level, you know,
starting from people who were just starting out to all
the way to those those big stars.
Speaker 5 (07:05):
And so.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
Once I was able to see that, like, people actually
do this, and this is what it looks like to
pursue it at any level, I was kind of convinced like,
oh well, I at least want to try. And so
I started taking acting classes and just completely fell in
love with the process of acting and being on set
and I am kind of addicted to it now.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
So yeah, that's understandable. Once you see, you know, things
that you didn't even know you were interested in the
first place. You know, just all of a sudden you
come to fruition. That's a great thing.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Yeah, well, what was your first role, your very first role,
and what did you take away from it?
Speaker 4 (07:51):
So I think my first, my first ever just set
job in Hollywood, I think I was in I was
a background to actor on the movie Babylon actually with
Margot Robbie, and it was complete chaos and we actually
just ended up like sitting for eight hours straight and
(08:12):
then going into this movie theater which was where they
were filming for maybe like an hour, but.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
I was able to see.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Who these people were, you know, behind the scenes, and
then see the actors, and it was really amazing because
I was just able to watch them. And I love
watching things. I love movies and stuff, and that's really
how I learn is by watching and listening and then
you know, being able to kind of analyze that on
(08:45):
a later date. But I just I love being on
set and so, like back to the what we were
just talking about, you know, once you get a little
taste of it, you just, oh, you're completely hooked.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Yeah. I'm a visual learner myself. You know, I'll get
something at home that needs to be built or whatever,
and I'm like, talking to my daughter Olivia, please put
this together. I cannot.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Yeah, liked manual is in no way.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
So you know there's people out there that can look
at a script and memorize it instantly. Are you able
to do that? Do you have a specific method that
you use?
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Yeah, So I am not one of those people. I
wish I was.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
That would be really cool, But I I do a
lot of different things and and with the what I've
noticed is movies you have a little bit more time,
whereas TV things change, you know, the night before the
day of, you know, a couple of days before and movies.
I've been lucky to at least have like at least
(09:56):
a week or even two to to start memorizing. So
I do a bunch of different things. I do like
auditory memorization. I write things down. I have an app
that I use that plays back to me. I will
knock on people's door and have them read lines with
me if if they're willing.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
So I do a lot of different things.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
But I really love I love writing, and so I'll
write my lines done. I'll write the other actors lines
down just to cement in my brain.
Speaker 5 (10:28):
You know what that conversation looks like.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Well, I mean, you have you have a process that
is filled with variety, so there's it's not like you're
in just one blane and you're just doing the same thing.
So it never gets boring. And I'm sure for every
role it may be a little different in how you
have to approach it.
Speaker 5 (10:45):
Absolutely, And I think it helps too, because.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Just by reading a script over and over again, you
start to learn a lot and you find the little
nuggets of moments that you can expand on, you know,
within the character, and even by using different methods for
memorization and just understanding the scripts like that uncovers different things,
whether you're you're listening to it or writing it down
(11:12):
your brain. I don't know the scientific term, but your
brain will start to like find new pathways to have understanding.
And so that helps me kind of figure out the
character a lot more because there's so many different ways
that I'm absorbing the words and the information.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
And so how do you balance bringing your own personality
into a character while still fully becoming somebody completely different?
Speaker 4 (11:41):
I think a lot of it is probably unconscious, Like
you know, we all have certain things about ourselves that
no matter how hard we try, you know that is
still going to show up on the day, you know,
like appearance and certain you know, the way that we
say certain words, you know, if there's not like an
(12:01):
accent involved, and stuff like that. So I try to
approach it the way that I like. I look at
the character and I think, Okay, well, what are the
similarities that we have? And that's a great place to
start for me at least, because then I know what
parts I'm probably going to be the best at, because
(12:23):
I you know, I know myself before I know the character.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
And so once I get you know, all of those things.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
In line of like, oh, well, we both have these
these things that we like about life, and we have
these troubles and we have.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
These insecurities, you know, whatever it may be.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
Then you can look at the other things like, well,
I guess I've never had a consultant come into my life.
Speaker 5 (12:47):
And I'm speaking about a.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Movie that I just did, like where a character she's
a consultant. She comes in and she starts making changes
and stuff like that, and it's hard for my character
to deal with. So well, I've never had that happen.
But you can think of, you know, things that are
even remotely close to that, like having a teacher that
(13:09):
teaches the way that you don't necessarily you know, jive with.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
Or stuff like that. So you kind of just you.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Try to make the puzzle pieces fit together as best
they can, and then you know, and see what happens.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
I guess, Yeah, Well, just you know, we're acting, so
you know that's you.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Act, you know, yeah, and golar.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
With that situation. You can use your imagination and exactly
where you go. Yes, So I recently watched a Lifetime
movie with you, and it called cabin pressure and oh,
my gosh, what a great movie.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
It's so fun, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Yeah, Oh my gosh, what was your experience being in
a movie that makes the audience sit on the edge
of their seat.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
That was really fun because we we're basically on a
fake plane for I think like two weeks. And it's
interesting because you're in the same.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Wardrobe, you're.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
You know, the the amount of time that you're on
a plane is very finite, and so we got to
be part of this story that has so many ups
and downs, like you're saying and people, you're on the
edge of your seat, and it was just it was
a lot of fun because I've never done something like
(14:36):
that where the time of the movie is is it's
only this long, and it's only this amount of pages
and so everything has to fit in there.
Speaker 5 (14:47):
But yeah, it was.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
It was like kind of freaky, and you know, people
are they're getting poisoned and they're getting you.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Know, I love watching them because I'm like, Okay, so
that's the person that's doing it.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
But miss there's so many.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Times you know, towards you and you're like, oh, I
would have never expected it to be that person, you know, Yeah,
that kind of thing, and that was kind of what
this movie was. You know, you didn't expect the one
airline guy, so I call it cow.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
That was great.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
I absolutely loved that movie.
Speaker 5 (15:19):
It's so fun.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Well, speaking of movies, Pam and I understand that you're
going to be in a brand new Christmas movie that's
coming out very soon, A Veil Christmas. So we're very
excited to see that. Can't wait. And what can you
tell us about this movie without giving too much away?
Speaker 5 (15:38):
Yeah, so this movie was so much fun.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
We filmed in Buffalo, which was a place I'd never
been before, but I loved it. We ate a lot
of chicken wings and were very immersed in the Buffalo culture,
which was a lot of fun. And then the movie itself,
and this is what I was talking about with the con.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
M. I love this project specifically because there's.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
So many We had so many incredible supporting actors and
so our our group of actors and you know, scenes
with multiple people was a lot bigger than I guess
what I'm used to at this point, and it was.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
A lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
You know.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
We have.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Clara, who is played by Julia Riley. She is a consultant,
and my character Bell, she runs a a kind of
community center. And this community center has been around for
a very long time and it runs exactly the way
that it's ran, you know, sixty years ago, and but
you know, as time goes on, things they change, and
(16:49):
my character Bell, she is not the best with change.
And so Clara comes in as the consultant and she starts,
you know, making some changes, and you know, that starts
the beginning of our relationship. And we have a really
amazing love interest Marshall and he plays Will and we
(17:12):
were high school sweethearts, and so that's a little part
of that.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Yes, yes, absolutely, And.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
I kinda am the type of person that would have
a hard time with that somebody telling me what to do.
John and I work so well together, even though we
have the same type of personality, and I don't know
how we do it, but I guess you're just a
just we We hand each other different jobs to do,
and so I guess that doesn't put us in the
(17:47):
crosshairs of trying to control any one thing.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
That makes sense.
Speaker 5 (17:52):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
And it's hard to you know, work with people, you know,
in general, it can be and then sometimes it's wonderful
and you have a great energy, synergy and everything, but
for my character and Claire, it definitely takes some time.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Yeah, I can't waite to see how this plays out.
Of course, we know how you know, Christmas movies end,
but it's still getting to that end, which is always
fun to watch. So we're definitely looking forward to watching
them Christmas. Well, now looking ahead, what kind of stories
or roles are you most excited to explore?
Speaker 5 (18:34):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
I think Cabin Crushure was so fun because I I
really love thrillers and I actually I have a movie
that is in theaters right now called Nomaka, which it's
a Hawaiian thriller, and so I really like the drama
of that. I love Christmas movies and I love rom
coms too, So any any excuse to be on really
(18:56):
really cheerful sets is always fun. But I don't know,
I just you know, I love working. I love just
being on set. So I'm pretty open.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
But we'll see.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Well, yeah, when you're all set and when you're not acting,
what brings you joy or keeps you grounded?
Speaker 4 (19:20):
I love I love reading, I love going to the beach.
I'm currently in Venice, California right now, which is one of.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
My favorite places ever. So yeah, I just I love
the energy of the ocean and and.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Warmth, and I love hanging out with my friends and
going to concerts.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
I was at the Hollywood Bowl last.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Night and I saw Air so that was really fun.
And just being around good people, you know, that's that's
the whole, the whole point. And I know you guys
get this, but you just got to be around people
that you love and people that bring.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
You joy, absolutely right, keep your head out of the clouds,
as they say. Yes, So what advice would you give
to aspiring actors who are just starting out?
Speaker 5 (20:11):
I would say that it is really difficult.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
It's it's hard to do because there's so much stuff
that you have to do on your own. And and
for me, I you know, I still do on my own.
I still submit to jobs. I you know, auditioning is
a revolving door that you can't really think too much about.
You know what happens after you submit, and just try
(20:35):
to make yourself happy and love the work as much
as possible, because you know, there's so much work that
goes into booking jobs and then the job itself is
actually kind of like a vacation, you know, like you know,
once once I get the script, I'm like, oh, this
is this is the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (20:54):
This is when it starts. Uh, you know, the joy
of the job. But the real work is you know,
constantly submitting, reaching out.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
To casting directors, trying to find an agent or manager,
you know, networking.
Speaker 5 (21:07):
All these kind of things that are the in between.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
I really love that and so I think it would
be really hard to pursue acting if if I didn't
love it.
Speaker 5 (21:18):
So make sure you love it.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Yeah, and that is the key. You've got to love
what you do, or why do it right? You know,
we're you're saying that you know, if you do what
you love, you'll never feel like you're working. And that's
so true.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Yeah, I hope, I hope you guys feel that way
with this podcast.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Absolutely, we are we are. We are now in season six,
so we've been that's incredible. Yeah, we absolutely do. We
enjoy co hosting together and you know, doing the podcast.
So it's it's fun. It's a lot of good it's
a lot of work behind the scenes. But so we
can totally get what you're saying because doing the actual
interviews is the fun part. It's all the right exactly
(21:56):
behind the scenes, you know, to get to the point. Well,
we as we wrap up, we've got one more fun
little question, a lightning round, which is all Christmas related.
So our podcast is about Christmas. So anyway, they're no
wrong answers, but it's always fun to hear what our
guests have to say. All right, so what is your
favorite Christmas tradition?
Speaker 5 (22:17):
Ooh, my favorite Christmas tradition is.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
Honestly, this sounds bad, but like, who doesn't love opening presence?
Speaker 5 (22:26):
It's so fun in being with your family.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
Of course, all of that is incredible, but you know
who does a love opening presence?
Speaker 1 (22:33):
So true? What is your favorite Christmas song?
Speaker 4 (22:38):
Ooh, I love the Oh, I love Santa Baby.
Speaker 5 (22:43):
It's a classic. I love that song.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
And your favorite Christmas movie.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
Probably Elf.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
That's a classic too, by the way, Yeah, oh doesn't
love elm?
Speaker 5 (22:58):
Right, it's so good?
Speaker 1 (23:01):
All right? Say, would you prefer a hot Toddy or
a hot chocolate? Mmm?
Speaker 5 (23:08):
Hot Toddy?
Speaker 1 (23:11):
And last, but not least, white lights? Are colored lights?
Speaker 5 (23:17):
Colored?
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Or no? No?
Speaker 5 (23:18):
White?
Speaker 3 (23:19):
Wait?
Speaker 1 (23:21):
White lights?
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Okay, well, either way it makes everything look beautiful if
you use the white lights or the colored lights or
if you have Yeah, I.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
Think they have different, different purposes.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Absolutely absolutely. We were speaking with one guest recently and
they like the the white lights outside on their trees
and the colored lights on the inside because of their kids.
So I think, oh, yeah, you know.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
That's fun.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
I love the blue ones too, but they always make
my eyes my eyes can't.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Yeah, they really do weird things with your eyes. It's
really really beautiful to look at. Yeah you want to.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Look but.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
True, this is true. So we want to thank you
again for thank you. I had a lot of fun
doing this with you, and you're of course welcome back anytime,
and we will thank you for your movie a Christmas
bell and great American family and have a wonderful day.
And of course we won't see you before the season,
(24:20):
so I have a merry Christmas.
Speaker 5 (24:22):
Yes, thank you both so much.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
This was wonderful and I hope you have a wonderful
day and holiday once it comes around.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Thank you so much. Hie bye bye bye.
Speaker 5 (24:35):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Thank you so much for tuning in to our latest
episode of Christmas Movie Spotlight. Don't forget. You can find
our podcast on iHeartRadio, Spotify, iTunes, Spreaker, and more. Just
search Christmas Movie Spotlight spelled m u v i e s.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
For even more.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Visit us online at christmasmovie spotlight dot com, follow us
on our social media platform Facebook and Instagram. Follow at
Christmas Movie Spotlight, and on X follow us at Christmas Movies,
which would be X M.
Speaker 5 (25:09):
A S m u v i e s.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Until next time, stay merry and we'll see you again
real soon
Hello and welcome to the special edition of Christmas movie Spotlight.
I am your host on Mac, one half of the
amazing dynamic duo known as Pam and Dawn. Who is
my best team, my friend, my colleague, my COEs. Hey, Pam,
how are you?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Hey?
Speaker 1 (00:38):
You know what what?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Pumpkin season is over and now we crack open the fruitcake.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Okay, I have to are you a fruitcake eater? Do
you like that?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Gosh no, how well the way you said, I say,
you have this conversation in the past, and I was thinking,
I don't think I recall you mentioning that you love
I mean, fruitcake is one of those things where people
either love it or hate it. There is no in between.
Like you know, you don't find many people to go.
You know, I'll eat it. It's not my favorite kind
(01:12):
of thing. It's either you eat it one time and
you go, I either love this or you say, don't
ever put this in my face again? Right?
Speaker 3 (01:22):
We called them, we call them doorstops.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Okay, Well, there's two things about fruitcake, and I'll make
it short. So here in North Carolina there's a company
called Southern Season and they make fruitcakes. But it's not
your traditional go to the store by all the fruits
and the nuts and stuff to make a fruitcake. Okay,
And my Granny Mac used to make fruitcake every Christmas
(01:49):
and it was homemade, and I still wouldn't need it
though it was fruitcake. Yeah, okay, I know it was
made with love by my granny, but still it was fruitcake.
But anyway, there's a company here in North Carolina. It's
called Southern Season and they're still in business, and they
make their own special brand of fruitcake. And it does
not include all of those red and green candy type
(02:09):
things you see in traditional fruitcake. They what throws it off?
I think so, because you go, why is this in here?
Speaker 4 (02:18):
Right?
Speaker 1 (02:19):
But they do have nuts in it, and it's just
a different battery makeup. And so I have actually had
that and it tastes so unlike traditional fruitcake. It's not
even funny. So I have had that on more than
one occasion. Would I go and buy it, No, probably not,
but it's good by comparison. Yeah. The other thing that is, oh,
(02:40):
go ahead. The other thing that comes to mind is
a Christmas movie that I saw. I can't even think
of the name. I can't tell you who plays in it.
But it's a Christmas movie I saw some years back,
and like I want to say, the star of the
show was a fruitcake. And it was it kind of was.
These two journalists were competing for the story, worry about
(03:01):
interviewing this lady who had this hundred year old fruitcake
in this tin and it stayed in there and it
was preserved, and it was just crazy crazy. I'm like, Okay,
I never thought I'd enjoy watching a movie about fruitcake,
but here we are.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Anyway, so now we got that all out of the way.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Well, I'll tell you it's so preserved after one hundred years.
I don't think that we've made any bad choices by
not eating it.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So well, it's the only thing I'll say is if
something is still intact after one hundred years, that should
be questionable. Best, like you should never eat it anyway, right, yes, exactly. Well,
We're gonna kind of gravitate away from fruitcake because I
(03:53):
can tell you that our guest, I don't know if
she likes or hates fruitcake. Maybe we should start.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Asking get that question, but you know what we should.
And second, she's just as sweet as that that cake,
so there is, But that's so true. Well, it's greet
cake really sweet, though, is we need to cas are
sweet in there?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, well that.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Is true if you ate those only right, But yes,
you're so correct. Pam at Si is absolutely a delight.
We had so much fun chatting with her about her
movie that's coming out on GAC A Great American Family.
I should correct myself and say, and it's gonna be great.
And just to listen to her talk about her career
(04:35):
and all the wonderful things that she's been doing of
late and throughout her career was just amazing. She was
just so much fun to chat with. Absolutely. I mean
we can say that about all of our guests, right, absolutely, right,
I mean it is true. She I don't know. I
(04:56):
just enjoyed talking with her. I enjoy talking with all
of our guests.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Good point there, Yeah, yeah, I guess there's some that
you know, like we've spoken about other people like Brianna Cohen,
you know that we could do a little girls get
together and right and one of them that could join in,
you know, Yeah, yeah, for sure. Absolutely well, speaking of
(05:23):
Si stars in Great American Families holiday movie Christmas of
Giving and that airs on November first, so market calendar.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Mm hmm, it's coming up quick, very very much say
and we are so excited and honored to bring you
or interview with ash Cy. Enjoy the show.
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Hi, my name is ash Cy and you're listening to
Pam and Don.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Hi.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Ash, Thank you so much for joining us today. We
really appreciate you taking the time and of course, welcome,
Thank you, You're welcome. We always start out with the
first question because we get some really great answers. So
what first inspired you to pursue acting and how did
(06:11):
your journey begin?
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Yeah, So I I was in grad school and I
was studying business entertainment, and so I've always loved movies
and TV and storytelling, and so initially I thought I
was going to be on, you know, kind of the
other side of the business, more producing or working at
a studio or even an agent or a manager. And
(06:36):
then my program brought me out to LA and I
saw and met actors and models and artists and they
were pursuing their art form and I didn't really know
what that looked like at a different level, like you
see you know, the movie stars and everything on TV
and you go to the theaters but I started to
(06:57):
see what that looked like on a different level, you know,
starting from people who were just starting out to all
the way to those those big stars.
Speaker 5 (07:05):
And so.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
Once I was able to see that, like, people actually
do this, and this is what it looks like to
pursue it at any level, I was kind of convinced like,
oh well, I at least want to try. And so
I started taking acting classes and just completely fell in
love with the process of acting and being on set
and I am kind of addicted to it now.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
So yeah, that's understandable. Once you see, you know, things
that you didn't even know you were interested in the
first place. You know, just all of a sudden you
come to fruition. That's a great thing.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Yeah, well, what was your first role, your very first role,
and what did you take away from it?
Speaker 4 (07:51):
So I think my first, my first ever just set
job in Hollywood, I think I was in I was
a background to actor on the movie Babylon actually with
Margot Robbie, and it was complete chaos and we actually
just ended up like sitting for eight hours straight and
(08:12):
then going into this movie theater which was where they
were filming for maybe like an hour, but.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
I was able to see.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Who these people were, you know, behind the scenes, and
then see the actors, and it was really amazing because
I was just able to watch them. And I love
watching things. I love movies and stuff, and that's really
how I learn is by watching and listening and then
you know, being able to kind of analyze that on
(08:45):
a later date. But I just I love being on
set and so, like back to the what we were
just talking about, you know, once you get a little
taste of it, you just, oh, you're completely hooked.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Yeah. I'm a visual learner myself. You know, I'll get
something at home that needs to be built or whatever,
and I'm like, talking to my daughter Olivia, please put
this together. I cannot.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Yeah, liked manual is in no way.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
So you know there's people out there that can look
at a script and memorize it instantly. Are you able
to do that? Do you have a specific method that
you use?
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Yeah, So I am not one of those people. I
wish I was.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
That would be really cool, But I I do a
lot of different things and and with the what I've
noticed is movies you have a little bit more time,
whereas TV things change, you know, the night before the
day of, you know, a couple of days before and movies.
I've been lucky to at least have like at least
(09:56):
a week or even two to to start memorizing. So
I do a bunch of different things. I do like
auditory memorization. I write things down. I have an app
that I use that plays back to me. I will
knock on people's door and have them read lines with
me if if they're willing.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
So I do a lot of different things.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
But I really love I love writing, and so I'll
write my lines done. I'll write the other actors lines
down just to cement in my brain.
Speaker 5 (10:28):
You know what that conversation looks like.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Well, I mean, you have you have a process that
is filled with variety, so there's it's not like you're
in just one blane and you're just doing the same thing.
So it never gets boring. And I'm sure for every
role it may be a little different in how you
have to approach it.
Speaker 5 (10:45):
Absolutely, And I think it helps too, because.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Just by reading a script over and over again, you
start to learn a lot and you find the little
nuggets of moments that you can expand on, you know,
within the character, and even by using different methods for
memorization and just understanding the scripts like that uncovers different things,
whether you're you're listening to it or writing it down
(11:12):
your brain. I don't know the scientific term, but your
brain will start to like find new pathways to have understanding.
And so that helps me kind of figure out the
character a lot more because there's so many different ways
that I'm absorbing the words and the information.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
And so how do you balance bringing your own personality
into a character while still fully becoming somebody completely different?
Speaker 4 (11:41):
I think a lot of it is probably unconscious, Like
you know, we all have certain things about ourselves that
no matter how hard we try, you know that is
still going to show up on the day, you know,
like appearance and certain you know, the way that we
say certain words, you know, if there's not like an
(12:01):
accent involved, and stuff like that. So I try to
approach it the way that I like. I look at
the character and I think, Okay, well, what are the
similarities that we have? And that's a great place to
start for me at least, because then I know what
parts I'm probably going to be the best at, because
(12:23):
I you know, I know myself before I know the character.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
And so once I get you know, all of those things.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
In line of like, oh, well, we both have these
these things that we like about life, and we have
these troubles and we have.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
These insecurities, you know, whatever it may be.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
Then you can look at the other things like, well,
I guess I've never had a consultant come into my life.
Speaker 5 (12:47):
And I'm speaking about a.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Movie that I just did, like where a character she's
a consultant. She comes in and she starts making changes
and stuff like that, and it's hard for my character
to deal with. So well, I've never had that happen.
But you can think of, you know, things that are
even remotely close to that, like having a teacher that
(13:09):
teaches the way that you don't necessarily you know, jive with.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
Or stuff like that. So you kind of just you.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Try to make the puzzle pieces fit together as best
they can, and then you know, and see what happens.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
I guess, Yeah, Well, just you know, we're acting, so
you know that's you.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Act, you know, yeah, and golar.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
With that situation. You can use your imagination and exactly
where you go. Yes, So I recently watched a Lifetime
movie with you, and it called cabin pressure and oh,
my gosh, what a great movie.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
It's so fun, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Yeah, Oh my gosh, what was your experience being in
a movie that makes the audience sit on the edge
of their seat.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
That was really fun because we we're basically on a
fake plane for I think like two weeks. And it's
interesting because you're in the same.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Wardrobe, you're.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
You know, the the amount of time that you're on
a plane is very finite, and so we got to
be part of this story that has so many ups
and downs, like you're saying and people, you're on the
edge of your seat, and it was just it was
a lot of fun because I've never done something like
(14:36):
that where the time of the movie is is it's
only this long, and it's only this amount of pages
and so everything has to fit in there.
Speaker 5 (14:47):
But yeah, it was.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
It was like kind of freaky, and you know, people
are they're getting poisoned and they're getting you.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Know, I love watching them because I'm like, Okay, so
that's the person that's doing it.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
But miss there's so many.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Times you know, towards you and you're like, oh, I
would have never expected it to be that person, you know, Yeah,
that kind of thing, and that was kind of what
this movie was. You know, you didn't expect the one
airline guy, so I call it cow.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
That was great.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
I absolutely loved that movie.
Speaker 5 (15:19):
It's so fun.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Well, speaking of movies, Pam and I understand that you're
going to be in a brand new Christmas movie that's
coming out very soon, A Veil Christmas. So we're very
excited to see that. Can't wait. And what can you
tell us about this movie without giving too much away?
Speaker 5 (15:38):
Yeah, so this movie was so much fun.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
We filmed in Buffalo, which was a place I'd never
been before, but I loved it. We ate a lot
of chicken wings and were very immersed in the Buffalo culture,
which was a lot of fun. And then the movie itself,
and this is what I was talking about with the con.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
M. I love this project specifically because there's.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
So many We had so many incredible supporting actors and
so our our group of actors and you know, scenes
with multiple people was a lot bigger than I guess
what I'm used to at this point, and it was.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
A lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
You know.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
We have.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Clara, who is played by Julia Riley. She is a consultant,
and my character Bell, she runs a a kind of
community center. And this community center has been around for
a very long time and it runs exactly the way
that it's ran, you know, sixty years ago, and but
you know, as time goes on, things they change, and
(16:49):
my character Bell, she is not the best with change.
And so Clara comes in as the consultant and she starts,
you know, making some changes, and you know, that starts
the beginning of our relationship. And we have a really
amazing love interest Marshall and he plays Will and we
(17:12):
were high school sweethearts, and so that's a little part
of that.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Yes, yes, absolutely, And.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
I kinda am the type of person that would have
a hard time with that somebody telling me what to do.
John and I work so well together, even though we
have the same type of personality, and I don't know
how we do it, but I guess you're just a
just we We hand each other different jobs to do,
and so I guess that doesn't put us in the
(17:47):
crosshairs of trying to control any one thing.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
That makes sense.
Speaker 5 (17:52):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
And it's hard to you know, work with people, you know,
in general, it can be and then sometimes it's wonderful
and you have a great energy, synergy and everything, but
for my character and Claire, it definitely takes some time.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Yeah, I can't waite to see how this plays out.
Of course, we know how you know, Christmas movies end,
but it's still getting to that end, which is always
fun to watch. So we're definitely looking forward to watching
them Christmas. Well, now looking ahead, what kind of stories
or roles are you most excited to explore?
Speaker 5 (18:34):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
I think Cabin Crushure was so fun because I I
really love thrillers and I actually I have a movie
that is in theaters right now called Nomaka, which it's
a Hawaiian thriller, and so I really like the drama
of that. I love Christmas movies and I love rom
coms too, So any any excuse to be on really
(18:56):
really cheerful sets is always fun. But I don't know,
I just you know, I love working. I love just
being on set. So I'm pretty open.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
But we'll see.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Well, yeah, when you're all set and when you're not acting,
what brings you joy or keeps you grounded?
Speaker 4 (19:20):
I love I love reading, I love going to the beach.
I'm currently in Venice, California right now, which is one of.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
My favorite places ever. So yeah, I just I love
the energy of the ocean and and.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Warmth, and I love hanging out with my friends and
going to concerts.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
I was at the Hollywood Bowl last.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Night and I saw Air so that was really fun.
And just being around good people, you know, that's that's
the whole, the whole point. And I know you guys
get this, but you just got to be around people
that you love and people that bring.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
You joy, absolutely right, keep your head out of the clouds,
as they say. Yes, So what advice would you give
to aspiring actors who are just starting out?
Speaker 5 (20:11):
I would say that it is really difficult.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
It's it's hard to do because there's so much stuff
that you have to do on your own. And and
for me, I you know, I still do on my own.
I still submit to jobs. I you know, auditioning is
a revolving door that you can't really think too much about.
You know what happens after you submit, and just try
(20:35):
to make yourself happy and love the work as much
as possible, because you know, there's so much work that
goes into booking jobs and then the job itself is
actually kind of like a vacation, you know, like you know,
once once I get the script, I'm like, oh, this
is this is the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (20:54):
This is when it starts. Uh, you know, the joy
of the job. But the real work is you know,
constantly submitting, reaching out.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
To casting directors, trying to find an agent or manager,
you know, networking.
Speaker 5 (21:07):
All these kind of things that are the in between.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
I really love that and so I think it would
be really hard to pursue acting if if I didn't
love it.
Speaker 5 (21:18):
So make sure you love it.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Yeah, and that is the key. You've got to love
what you do, or why do it right? You know,
we're you're saying that you know, if you do what
you love, you'll never feel like you're working. And that's
so true.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Yeah, I hope, I hope you guys feel that way
with this podcast.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Absolutely, we are we are. We are now in season six,
so we've been that's incredible. Yeah, we absolutely do. We
enjoy co hosting together and you know, doing the podcast.
So it's it's fun. It's a lot of good it's
a lot of work behind the scenes. But so we
can totally get what you're saying because doing the actual
interviews is the fun part. It's all the right exactly
(21:56):
behind the scenes, you know, to get to the point. Well,
we as we wrap up, we've got one more fun
little question, a lightning round, which is all Christmas related.
So our podcast is about Christmas. So anyway, they're no
wrong answers, but it's always fun to hear what our
guests have to say. All right, so what is your
favorite Christmas tradition?
Speaker 5 (22:17):
Ooh, my favorite Christmas tradition is.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
Honestly, this sounds bad, but like, who doesn't love opening presence?
Speaker 5 (22:26):
It's so fun in being with your family.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
Of course, all of that is incredible, but you know
who does a love opening presence?
Speaker 1 (22:33):
So true? What is your favorite Christmas song?
Speaker 4 (22:38):
Ooh, I love the Oh, I love Santa Baby.
Speaker 5 (22:43):
It's a classic. I love that song.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
And your favorite Christmas movie.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
Probably Elf.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
That's a classic too, by the way, Yeah, oh doesn't
love elm?
Speaker 5 (22:58):
Right, it's so good?
Speaker 1 (23:01):
All right? Say, would you prefer a hot Toddy or
a hot chocolate? Mmm?
Speaker 5 (23:08):
Hot Toddy?
Speaker 1 (23:11):
And last, but not least, white lights? Are colored lights?
Speaker 5 (23:17):
Colored?
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Or no? No?
Speaker 5 (23:18):
White?
Speaker 3 (23:19):
Wait?
Speaker 1 (23:21):
White lights?
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Okay, well, either way it makes everything look beautiful if
you use the white lights or the colored lights or
if you have Yeah, I.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
Think they have different, different purposes.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Absolutely absolutely. We were speaking with one guest recently and
they like the the white lights outside on their trees
and the colored lights on the inside because of their kids.
So I think, oh, yeah, you know.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
That's fun.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
I love the blue ones too, but they always make
my eyes my eyes can't.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Yeah, they really do weird things with your eyes. It's
really really beautiful to look at. Yeah you want to.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Look but.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
True, this is true. So we want to thank you
again for thank you. I had a lot of fun
doing this with you, and you're of course welcome back anytime,
and we will thank you for your movie a Christmas
bell and great American family and have a wonderful day.
And of course we won't see you before the season,
(24:20):
so I have a merry Christmas.
Speaker 5 (24:22):
Yes, thank you both so much.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
This was wonderful and I hope you have a wonderful
day and holiday once it comes around.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Thank you so much. Hie bye bye bye.
Speaker 5 (24:35):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Thank you so much for tuning in to our latest
episode of Christmas Movie Spotlight. Don't forget. You can find
our podcast on iHeartRadio, Spotify, iTunes, Spreaker, and more. Just
search Christmas Movie Spotlight spelled m u v i e s.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
For even more.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Visit us online at christmasmovie spotlight dot com, follow us
on our social media platform Facebook and Instagram. Follow at
Christmas Movie Spotlight, and on X follow us at Christmas Movies,
which would be X M.
Speaker 5 (25:09):
A S m u v i e s.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Until next time, stay merry and we'll see you again
real soon
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