Center Stage with John Early & Da'Vine Joy Randolph

0:00This is John Early and Devine Joy Randolph. And we're in my house. Devine. Hello, my friend. Now, Devine Joy or Devine? So my government is Devine Joy. Okay. But I feel like that's a lot. Like every day, just to be like, Devine Joy. Yeah. So I just like, just call me Devine Joy. It's only three syllables. But it just feels like, you know, a lot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do your friends call you Devine Joy or Devine? No, because that's what I mean. I feel like that's extra. Okay, okay. Well, hello, Devine. Hello. This is my house. Oh, my God. Yeah, we're really excited. We just got... Evergreens. We just got these in.

0:35Me and Mark. I made them up. Top tier. Yeah. I want to congratulate you on the colors you're wearing. Thank you. They're both true to you, but also true to the movie Eternity. A24 is Eternity. How have you been? I've actually been good. Good. I've been really good. Nice. It's been, you know... Do you know why? I think it's because I've had a little bit of time off that like, you know, we get so like wrapped up in it. I was just talking about this the other day of like, I feel like we get comfortable in the chaos and the baddie schedule in a weird way that makes us think like, oh, I'm successful.

1:18I'm doing it. And so when I do have the off chance of having moments of brevity, it's like, you know, when you go to the country, at least for me, I grew up in the city. So like if you go to the country and you're like, what is that loud sound? And somebody's like, it's silence. Do you know what I mean? Yes. It's shocking. When I have those moments of brevity, it takes me a couple of days. It feels very uncomfortable. Yeah. And I'm like, I'm not doing enough. And I'm failing, whatever. And then I like, it takes me a while. Like I would probably need to be on a vacation for like two, three weeks because week one is shot.

1:53Yeah. You're like. Yeah. I could be doing something. Whose towels can I fold? You know what I mean? Yeah. So it's been nice to like settle in. We need, I think we need those breaks. Don't you think? Oh yeah. Cause I actually think that's like what then refuels us, but also like creative wise. Yeah. Like, do you find that you're more creative when you get to have a breath or do you find yourself more creative in the midst? Because I heard a rumor, which I think is true. It better not be about my sexuality. I told you we weren't going to talk about that today. but in regards to you were writing your script while we were filming in your trailer for a movie that is now in TIF Film Festival yes so you're double fisting at the Tim Festival well I love fisting and you know I know that's why I gave that reference to lead you right there um I I it's for me it's both I mean you there for this movie that I was writing in particular I needed a degree of like blindness that you can only get through like speed like it's kind of it's a very wild premise and it's like and so I just I I was like there was kind of something built in from the beginning where I was like I just want to go fast and see what happens if I go fast and I was like I have a feeling that if I slow down I'll be like what are you doing and I'm so the whole the whole purpose of that movie maddie's secret coming soon to a theater near you there's no distribution yet better watch it you will get distributed thank you absolutely um but like i i was like i'm gonna just like drive fast and see what happens and like yeah do you do that in in was that your first time applying that process or technique kind of i mean but normally i am more like go to the woods and like let it emerge because even for your comedy i don't know how my comedy comes together if i have to i have to be honest with you it's it's like comedy comes together through like years of like being like going to do sets and like kind of having a gun to your head and being like i need something new you know it's not i think like but like more narrative stuff like movies i feel like has to come from like some time in the woods where you can like let it kind of bubble up you know but i so it's both what about you i kind of like the idea of i i hate having the script in my hand yeah and so some i mean it's you know right it's different project to project but in general i hate to me that's like, duh, that's necessary.

4:40Just do it. Just get off book so that now you can get, it makes me feel blocked. Yes. Right? So that needs to happen for me first so that then I can - Memorize. Yeah. Yeah. So I can then feel free. I like to, I always describe it of like, you can put boundaries or like guardrails. It's like bowling, right? You can put those little rails up, but I want the rails to be like five lanes long. Does that make sense? I don't want it narrow. Yeah, yeah. I want a big playground, right? And there's a safety of me knowing somewhere there's rails to like keep me in here, but it's not tight. But I need to like bang against the walls.

5:18And the rails for you are the memorization? No, I mean like I like to do the work ahead of time in the sense of like, okay, get off book, done that. Then I like to really get to, if I didn't do this, I think I would have been like in psychology or something. Like I'm really, really into human behavior. And like, I'm just fascinated by why people do the things they do. And like the rationale that they make up in their head. And it's legit to them. To someone else, it's like, you are off your rocker. But I'm fascinated how people brains tick. And so that's the part that I like indulge and have fun with.

5:57Once that's then done, I'm like, okay, they're in me. yes when we now come to set to film you could tell me that my character now is going to space and i'm like bet right because yeah they're locked in the essence and the persona and the them is in me so it makes me then feel free right of like i know who she is yes right well and the alternative which is so dangerous and i feel like sometimes i fall into this trap is like if you don't if you like if you don't do all that work beforehand and you and then you come to set and you've like kind of manically done the work like five minutes before then your performance becomes like a book report you'd become like a good student you're like i did the work you're like trying to show how you did the work yeah yeah yeah versus what you're doing is just letting go that still happens to me though sometimes because right like we'll get to set and they might completely change things or uh they've now come up with this amazing idea that your character is something completely different yeah or it might be you know something that's very the needs to be very technical at this point like they might chill out we actually just need you to stand here and say this thing right and so yeah i can understand that but but that's the to me that's the danger of not going to the woods like and not like chilling that's your woods yeah like if you work in too manic or like caffeinated of a way then when it really counts when the camera's rolling sometimes you get a little like i don't know i'm like i'm like i'm like yeah a little manic yeah prepare i get it you know but you i have to say working with you on eternity coming soon to a theater you better go see it you better they have not asked us to do this but it was like it's a given we're doing it i'm you better um it affects my money okay yes come see the fucking movie um i don't like curse i want to try to curse less you know what i mean but it's who you are okay i think you'd be less like i think you'd be more boring if i didn't curse yeah it's who you are and you do it well to curse well yeah so trippingly off the tongue trippingly off the tongue uh-huh is a it's a gift we've opened a door i know okay we've opened a huge door which just acting school.

8:15I know. Okay, so I want to know. I want to know about you. We've talked about this a little bit on set. Yeah. Because people should know there are three NYU students in this movie and one Yelly, and I don't know where Callum went. I'm going to say Rada. Let's just keep it. Yeah, yeah. We're Ivy Leagueies. Yeah. Wait, did we talk about Interlochen? You went to Interlochen? I went to Interlochen. We did not talk about that. I did a little talk about Manic Corporation. I went to Interlochen. Does the name just make you, like literally my eyes are starting to water up. So did you do the academy or the camp?

8:49Did the camp. They then said, that was my junior summer. They then said, come to the school. My mom said, yeah, right. Me too. Bring your butt home right now. Me too. And I was like, mom, please. This is the exact same journey. It was my junior year. Yep. And I got into the academy and I was like, well, here we go. It's started. I'm a star. Center stage. Here we fucking go. I know. It's okay. And then my mom was devastated. Yeah. And I understand. It was our last year. Yeah. She was going to lose me a year early. Yeah. And I get that now. And I'm glad I stayed in Nashville. I know. I felt the same way.

9:25But it was such a dream, that place. Truly. I've never experienced anything. Anything like it. I loved it so much. Maybe. Oh, because I would. Okay. So like while in college, I went back to be a camp counselor. Get it. For the four-year-olds. That's so sweet. Little Korean prodigies literally in the bed with me because they were like, their parents shipped them off. That's crazy. To come in the middle of the woods. You were a counselor in a cabin. Yes. That's wild. For the little, little babies. That's so sweet. So you loved it that much. You had to be back. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I need to hear the song.

10:08See? It gets you. Those that know. it literally i literally could cry you saying that it's crazy i never it's actually been people relatable i just want to check in real quick it no i've people who have gone there say that it is there's nothing in comparison i do think it's relatable because i think i don't know about you but for me i didn't i knew i had a gift in this genre of art like arts and And whether it's singing, I didn't know acting yet. It was just strictly singing music. It was opera? Yeah. I was in the classical voice department. Wow. Yeah. That is so cool. Yeah. Because I always felt as a theater person, you do feel a little bit like the kind of like - You guys like the wild ones.

10:54The clowns. Yeah. You feel like the kind of vagabonds and like everyone else there is like - Yes. Very serious. They're like 10 and they're like - Very focused. Yeah. I can get that. But it started my identity as an artist. Yeah, me too. And right, like the respect and the dedication, that place for sure taught me discipline. Me too. So I'm forever grateful to that place because I've never experienced anything like it. That was the first time I was like, oh, like people can take it seriously. You're allowed to take it seriously and not feel like a nerd. Weird about it. Yeah. It was so thrilling.

11:34about we did the laramie project wait a minute what did we go at the same time we'll talk about this later no do you remember production larry project yeah yeah okay wait unless they do this like every five years i don't think they do i mean it's a it's a smart one it's a big ensemble heavy subject matter um but one one of my favorite memories from laramie project is like you know it's set in wyoming famously laramie wyoming rural wyoming but we were like we literally all could not stop doing southern accents because it's like you know people who live on farms we're like we're out there and the director was like okay she was like they're not in the south and we could not curb the accent.

12:26It was so funny. Wait, I have to know now. What was the musical? The musical was Babes in Arms. The Rogers and Hart musical. We were there at the same time. This is huge. Toby Brahms? From the musical theater department? Yes. Way out west and west and avid. I'm going to cry, stop. This is crazy. I'm going to cry. see this is the connection yes this is crazy we were in each other's energy and we probably were the cafeteria together for sure yeah that's beautiful i did a musical with my friends there we made a musical called interlock and dreams i have to see it and we like performed it in the library and i played a kid named ben dover who was closeted honey let me tell you there was a lot of that it was a very transformative yeah experience that was a big summer for a lot of people i'm not gonna get into details but let's just say i was rocked yes yeah you guys the boys side definitely had way more fun than we did it um brought in a new era for many of you gents it really did and i was very happy for all of you thank you thank you you deserved it it's time but then opera this is my curiosity because you were doing like classical music at interlocking and beyond were you like was part of you like did there did it feel like there were like limits on like an acting level to opera like what yeah so i got into interlocking off of a dare because there was this like snobby girl at my school a newbie that came in was like i went to interlocking i said yo i don't know what this is but i don't like her tone i'm applying right just because i'm competitive got there and i was like whoa this is really really cool yeah right like you can make a living this is a well i don't know about living but you know i mean this is a thing you can take it serious this is whatever um at interlocking it was this sense of play maybe because like the theater department was like around and stuff and you're like intermingling with all these people it wasn't necessarily told to us like you can act too while doing this but it was like you know move around and you know i mean being your body kind of a thing and then when i went to college it was like no acting just stand there yeah stand there look pretty that is it like you're like a concert singer yeah but you're doing an opera and we're doing aida and you're being buried alive with your white boyfriend and they're like and they're like don't act yeah It wasn't that I wanted to act, but that just felt very stiff and cold.

15:11And I was like, I don't know. Now, obviously that's not true of all opera. I mean, there's probably some opera world. Well, right. So back in the day, right? If you look at old videos, epic, extreme acting, like on a Grecian level, right? And then it stopped. And growing up, at least with my education, they were not about it. And now opera is getting a little avant-garde-ish. Yes. And like real weird, like going the other side of the pendulum. The Anna Nicole opera. Yeah. And you're like, whoa, okay. Now, would you, is there a part of you that would, I mean, can you imagine the career shift? Can I just quickly be your manager?

15:49You've won an Oscar. Imagine you suddenly were like, I'll see you at the Met, bitch. And you do an opera. Ooh, can I tell you? I just recently came back from going to Florence and in Florence, but Italy in general, but Florence, like their street performers are casual opera singers that can blow. I cried. Yeah. And I was like, this is funny because this literally just happened like days ago. Yeah. And I was like, okay. You missed it a little bit. You need to tap back into it. Yeah. You need to tap back into it. So. I'm so excited. I don't know how. Yeah. I've thought about like doing it of a way of merging the two, like portraying an opera singer, like in a biopic or something.

16:33Oh God. Okay. I know. I know. But I'm nervous, but excited, but very curious of like how that would work. Yeah. Because as a musician, that is a whole nother side of my brain. Yeah. And I think because of interlocking, but in a good way, I am very regimented. So I'm nervous because all like, because i came to acting by this like happy accident yeah i'm like very free because i was like well i don't know like you know me let's just try it like i'm sure you had people like especially at yale there were people were very like this is acting and stan of slosky says and ruda hagen told me right and i'm like who's oots stan said what you know i mean like i didn't know anything i wish i had that so i was loose but like oh i didn't know anything but i was so good student it was so like rigid those programs make you know i mean like of course inspire that yeah and so i'm nervous because i'm that with music right so like but i think people have like cynthia arrivo or like uh audrey mcdonald where they blend the two i'm so i could not get a chance to see it and i am that's okay gutted i'm really upset yeah because when i but i did see that clip yeah i'm literally getting chills right now she tore talk about acting and music like what i was really what i thought was so cool about her performance was i was like it actually didn't feel like the thing that gypsy off or can be well first of all you should just do gypsy in like 20 years you know what's funny there was talks about it when because they didn't like really want it to close yeah and there was talks about and i was but it literally was like could you do it in two weeks and i was like are you out of your mind yeah no my god this is crazy okay so what i thought was so cool and this will bring us back to other things is like it it really was as opposed to just being a performance about a performance which that role can so easily be where it's like here we go the grand dame of musical theater like it's let's let's all applaud for the diva which that of course is what's going on no matter what and that's the heaven of seeing it live absolutely as an audience member your role is so clear you just get to go yeah yeah and i and i like leapt my feet sure sure sure but like she act it didn't feel like that was like the subtext of the performance it was just like i was like oh she has literally like she studied someone in her life who's like manic depressive like whatever the right clinical term is like she has like watched someone or she knows I was like she knows someone like this.

19:13And I also wonder do you think that maybe her working on Billie Holiday before that set her up? I thought of that. Probably. Right? I loved how she wasn't afraid to sound ugly. Yeah. I love you because the emotion right is in the cracks and the vocal breaks. Yeah. And she yes and for those who don't know she has a classical soprano voice typically but no she was going all in every little parts of her range. And she just let it all hang out and raw. but wait so musical so here's my question to you do you i used to sneak interlocking quick thing i used to sneak in their rehearsals the musical theater yeah so that's it maybe there was something like calling me because it was like i loved classical yeah but i would literally like sneak in i worshipped them because i was like i can't believe like because musical theater like acting is like just pure acting is like obviously just a little more mercurial it's kind of harder to say, well, that person's got it and that person doesn't.

20:10Like musical theater, the fact that there is kind of a metric of like singing and dancing, you know, although I would love for us to release, I would love for us to have more like Elaine Stritches in the world. Yes. Where it's like not about athletic singing. I hope when I get old, I go into transition into that category. Yes. That would be really fun for me. I have, I literally have huge plans for your career. We will talk afterwards. Okay, we'll talk. Yes. But okay, so wait, but do you keep, now that you've done so much like film acting, do you, it's okay if you don't want to answer this. 100%.

20:44Do you keep up your voice? I don't. Yeah. And it is so, well, listen, I think if you're a musical person, there's always a tune in your heart. I'm always like, even out of nerves. Yeah. This is funny. If I have a tense conversation, let's say I like talk with my agent or whoever, right? And I'm like, when I didn't know I do this as a tick. When I hang up on the phone after a tense conversation, I'm like, it's like a thing of like, release it. That's unbelievable. It's like a tick. Where I'll hum something like, release it. So there's always musicality in me. Yeah. But I don't. But that's why I've been kind of like prepping myself and warming myself up to this idea of possibly doing this biopic.

21:30Yeah. And I literally, it's funny. she knows me well my voice teacher i'll text her and i'll be like what do you feel about us possibly having a voice lesson in like two years and she's like let's make it six months and so it's like there's a nervousness people i know who really can actually sing have this because it's very emotional yes and and there's something very scary obviously about the deterioration of the voice still the voice is a muscle yeah and so okay so when i was on broadway it was very intense yes because it was the first thing i did like two months out of graduating right i liked musical theater but i wasn't like a musical theater person i didn't know lyrics to i wasn't that kind of person we did in the west end first and then we i came to do it on broadway but i had lost my voice yeah and so there's a fearfulness that i have because i can't fully control we can't really control our voice yeah right and so that's why i feel like it feels like a okay next step of like a film right because if like if it leaves me then i'm like okay let's take a break until yeah it comes back so i think that's where the fear is in a weird way with acting i feel like i can like all right i could do it or like you know i mean even have a bad day Like there's so many takes that we do that I'm like, they got something, they'll cut away, come back, they'll get enough.

22:59It's so vulnerable standing there. Even as a musician, like with instruments, that instrument is in front of you. Like not to get deep, but like your whole frontal is exposed, your heart is open, exposed like this offering. And when it's amazing, it's amazing. and with me losing my voice on Broadway for the first time, I had developed like severe stage fright. That's so scary. So did someone have to go on for you? Well, yeah, on times they would have to go on and stuff like that. But then when I got nominated, in my mind, I thought, okay, great. We got the nomination. First of all, I was not expecting that at all, but great.

23:40I could take a break and they were like, oh, no, no, baby. You actually have to perform every single night because I didn't know that they can come at any time. oh and they cannot come when the goddamn i have no idea are they like are they freaks or are they like and i don't want to know okay i don't want to know who they are it's best if they yeah no but um yeah so that was a very so even people are like are you gonna come back to brawley i'm like yeah yeah sure yeah for the right thing and we're gonna have to write the music to be in my voice 100 so that even when you know i mean like and you're singing in the winter and like oh my You have no life.

24:17You're not talking. You're like texting. And it's just the amount of dedication that it takes for Broadway in a musical. Yeah. You better really love it. Yeah. And then have an escape plan when you're done. Mercury poisoning from sushi. Because it is intense. Yeah. But I love it. And there's nothing like it. It's nothing like it. Well, okay. So you told me the story when we were on set of eternity. and uh you you were like you told me about the ghost thing where like you yeah the girl had a knee injury and then they that's how i got to the one yeah so i the i had auditioned for it uh like two months out of school but we weren't i was supposed to just do the broadway uh the eventual yes that was like months almost a year yeah later so like it was weird too because it's Like, you got a job, but you can't talk about it.

25:13And it's like a whole year from now. And then they said the lady, she had had a knee injury that like she hadn't dealt with. And I guess the doctors were like, you need to, babes. Yeah. And so what's interesting is, I don't know if it's this way now because Broadway's changed so much. But in the UK on the West End, they have like four understudies for the lead characters. Four. So they said no to all of those who had been with it, workshopping it. And flew me in. I had never had a rehearsal or nothing. That was a cold room, honey. No. Can you imagine waltzing in there? So what? Like, hi guys. Four.

25:51Oh, and they were all in the room. No, no, no. Because they were all in the ensemble probably too. They were like, hi. Oh my God. And you know how the Brits get down when they're upset. Can't quite read it. Do you hate me? Do you love me? I don't know. Wait, so what was the first performance like? Were you flying by the seat of your pants? I landed on a Sunday. They immediately took me to go see the show. Jet lag, fell asleep through the whole performance. That next day, Monday, I had a rehearsal with the assistant director. I did not know. They said, oh, we're going to have rehearsals. I'm going to walk you through the show for this week.

26:27And I was like, OK, cool. Had rehearsal Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. They then were like, great. We feel like you're at a great place. You're going to go on tonight. I didn't know that they had this was like when it was what was that thing called? Skype. That's what it was. The director was secretly Skyping my rehearsals. Skype was gorgeous. No, but I don't remember. That soft palette was. Ray, stunning at all times. Like he was like it was like they had a camera set up. I didn't know. He was watching the rehearsals. The director. After two rehearsals they were like great you're going to go on tonight.

27:07tonight's gonna be your dress rehearsal Thursday you will I don't know basically I had two rehearsals dress rehearsals Wednesday Thursday and Friday I mean I was all on I was performing and I was like why would you do these people they bought their money yeah but did you feel like was a part of you like honestly was it kind of like give it to God like here we go Absolutely. What else are you going to do? Yeah. It was honestly kind of amazing that she couldn't see dead people. What she could see, you know what I mean? Like to sell it, I couldn't look at him, right? So if you are Sam, I can't look at you.

27:51Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right? So it kind of imagined if I had to actually lock in with you on words that I don't really know, it's hard, right? We need to lock eyes with someone. But to be like, Sam, I can't, I could literally be searching. Yeah. it worked does that make sense i made the disability work for me yeah for a cool two weeks that's unbelievable it was very intense in some ways i'm like was it the best like your first show was like the best performance of your life because it's just like you said that speed of fun you just and i remember i was like i remember my uh teacher at yale he was like you'll never experience anything like this after this you're good yeah you got it out the way like that in school right and the craziness that school did but he was like you're good and he's right i've never experienced like things get wild but yeah nah it kind of like broke me in do you know what i mean that then i was like okay so now like with whether we're filming or doing tv shows i'm like okay so you have more pages yeah right we'll figure it out like i'm gonna stumble i'm gonna mess it up but at least i know life or death this is what we're doing today so i can lock in okay i want to talk about acting songs yes do you like this to me is like the problem was so much contemporary musical theater is like i'm gonna demonstrate two different styles of acting songs please okay okay i went to the store okay it's the lyric okay so like there's like the contemporary way is like so like you feel that they were taught this in school where it's like so professionalized or it's like, I went to the store.

29:31Yep. Yep. Clocking it. Versus like older, kind of like Elaine Stritch, Bette Midler, my hero. Deliver it. Where it's just like there. It's like there's no difference between them singing like a jazz standard that moves them. Do you feel like contemporary musicals is like indie? Is that what it is? That it's like, right? Like kind of twee, the acting style? Yeah. Sometimes. I mean I just I feel like there's like a weird homogenization of like the way people act songs and it's like I'm just like I don't know if you need to be so focused on like like I feel like I can see a teacher going tell the story you know and like choose the image and like look up and find the memory and then sing to the memory like yeah and I'm just like I wonder if you have like an approach or if you just feel it yeah yeah of course i mean when i so like uh i had to take a musical theater class in school and that was when i was like oh that was when the world started to merge yeah for me that i was like okay like i did i did i was judgy right in the class because then i call i used to call it like the cheerleading acting you know like like right it's like the setting up i'm about to do the mount yes and i'm about to give you this big note and you better love it and i used to be like what is this so i thought that i was the oddball in class because i just was like i don't look like that and i just refused and luckily like none of my teachers were like no no you need to do that but i did think like where they learn that from what is that i know why does it have to sound that somewhere yeah it's a brand it's a thing i I don't know who created that though.

31:15And if you listen to old Sondheim cast recordings, it's just like, everyone's just kind of like talking basically. That's why I think company is genius. Yeah. It is the most natural thing ever. And it kind of, and what's nice about his stuff is you it's with his stuff. You can't do that. Yeah. It's not even possible. Yeah. Impossible. Yeah. Like even into the woods, like this is a fairy tale and they're real natural. Like, yeah, I need to go to the festival. And do you know what I mean? Like, that's it. Now I want to see her into the woods. I did this. Like, you were just so relaxed on set. It was so cool.

31:52Thank you. You're such an easy actor. But I felt that from you. Thank you. I felt that from you. Because don't you feel as like, you're a comedian. I'm not. But like, with the funnies, do you ever sometimes, especially like, even if it's like, unless it's like you're with all of your friends, sometimes with a comedic energy, do you sometimes feel like i gotta warm people up to me do you know what i mean i sometimes feel that where i'm like how you know what i'm saying like like like kind of teach people your yeah or like people like people still get nervous about improv do you know what i mean or people who consider i think a lot of people are very funny and they don't give themselves credit yeah but they will like freeze up and get nervous yeah all right do you ever feel that way sometimes where like what i love is that I felt like being that I always play, as of yet, I've always played supporting characters.

32:43I think I've developed a muscle of good of like, well, to come into a room and sense people's energy and be like, okay, I know how to meet that and together we rise, right? Totally. But I find with the comedy, people can feel very, especially if they're not considering themselves, you know, like if they cast someone in a movie and it's like, oh, well, that's the straight man, but that's really the straight man. that they can really feel uncomfortable. How do you deal with that? Because I think you're very free. Thank you. Especially with the comedy? What? Thank you. Well, I mean, I think I know what you mean.

33:19I like having the job of the clown of kind of disarming and loosening people up. Yes, yes. I do feel that people, there is, we have been for the past 20 years living under big improvisation. like there's been so much like did you do any of that bear i improvise with my friend kate berlant like my relationship to improv is utterly contained within that collaboration and is that because you i tried the classes and i was like i can't do this like okay they'd be like go and i'd be like pizza like i literally could not do it but i can do it with kate but like person that you feel comfortable yeah and it just flows with yeah but like i do I do think that people clam up because because yeah we like value it too much or something as a culture like people yeah it's like the antithesis of yeah it's supposed to be free that's what I think the point of improv is yeah just be free just like babble things out until I think the idea is like you eventually are going to get to a sweet spot and that is the spark that will then allow it to completely unleash yeah do they do you find the directors like when you I remember when they were like, he's higher.

34:32And I was like, oh, baby, yes. This is all about to open up, really, truly. And like breathe and come onto a whole nother level. And do you find that directors tend to lean into you for stuff like that? Of like, oh, great. You know what I mean? Like, I have him. Or is it the opposite where they're like, don't do it? What is your experience with that? I feel a lot this thing. You're writing the script. Yes. And like when I was, you know, I was about to say when I was 15, I felt 15. When I was like 25. Yeah. Doing my first big jobs and like they wanted me to improvise. I was like, okay, okay, whatever.

35:11But now I feel a little bit like, well, I don't want to write it. Yeah. You guys write it. Yeah. Or bring me in early and give me a credit and a check. Yeah, exactly. And I will happily write it. And it's so much more fun to be given lines. And then, you know, I don't know. It's just like, I don't know. I'm like, it's a lot of pressure. Yeah. Anyway, well, we're getting, I'm getting word from our producers that we have to wrap up. Is it time to do a soft wrap? I'm so happy to see you again. I know. It was so fun working with you. I know. We have to do more of it. We need to do more of it. We really do.

35:41And we cannot not do this again. No. Should we do a podcast? I have a, we should do a podcast. And I want to hear about my thoughts or your thoughts on my career. Yes. I have huge, huge plans that I've hatched throughout. I'm biting at the bit. Biting at the bit to hear it. Well, with that, see you later.