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Healing Your Inner Theater Kid with Angela Giarratana
69 Plays11 days ago
Talking out loud about the stuff that won’t leave us alone.
This week Angela Giarratana from Smosh, Starkid and Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists joins us for a conversation about comedy, horror, theater kids, internet comfort creators, and the strange emotional process of growing into yourself creatively. Angela is a comedian, actor, writer, and Smosh cast member whose work also spans projects like StarKid and Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists.
Angela brings:
• Half Man on HBO
• Rewatching Nerdy Prudes Must Die
• TikTok creator Joey Foo
We talk about the brutal and riveting world of Half Man, revisiting creative work years later, and why internet sincerity can feel strangely healing in a cynical online landscape.
From there, the conversation opens up into Angela’s creative journey through theater, improv, sketch comedy, producing, gaming, and online content, and why making things in community can feel so creatively and emotionally vital.
We also get into:
• Comedy horror
• Smosh and online comedy
• Nerdy Prudes Must Die
• Theater kids and collaboration
• Internet comfort creators
• Gaming and escapism
• Creative insecurity and vulnerability
• Why making art with friends matters
So… what are you into right now?
Email us:
sowhatareyouintopod@gmail.com
Follow along:
Instagram + TikTok: @sowhatareyouintopod
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
Back, back, back again. and into Welcome back to the show. We got a special guest today. Oh, I'm so excited. She's a comedian.
00:00:11
Speaker
She's a writer, an actress, a dancer first. ah She has done so many. is
00:00:20
Speaker
She's one of favorites. Can we get that clean? Can we get that clean one more time just in case?
00:00:27
Speaker
tuma if If I can... One of the greatest joys in life is having either James or Lauren after like doing a bit of choreo be like, good job. like you have You have no idea that means. There's nothing i like it.
00:00:40
Speaker
It's like, that'll carry me for a year. You guys should go on Cameo just to be like, nice. You got the combination down. And just tell people... Oh my God. wonderful agree Okay. Like 60 bucks just to say, nice turnout.
00:00:54
Speaker
and I would pay for that if I was having a bad day. I'd be like, I just need to know that I have a good turnout. ah Please welcome to the podcast, Angela Giratana. I just learned how to pronounce your last name correctly like two weeks ago.
00:01:14
Speaker
People always love saying that. And you know. lying if I didn't want to put some special sauce on it and really give it like an Italian. Well, let's hear it, Girt. Girtana. You what mean? That's nice. Like, that's how I want to say it. I don't want to make a stereotype, but. No, I mean, please. You can.
00:01:29
Speaker
You really can. Girtana, people always were like, I learned how to say it right. And I was talking to my dad about this. There's not a lot of wrong ways to say it. It's not like, like, I've, my dad says Girtana.
00:01:41
Speaker
Oh, interesting. My grandmother says Girtana. Jettaton. Like I just heard it different. I've never like heard the what it's meant to be. So that's fair. The playwright's original intent. Never heard it.
00:01:55
Speaker
so Well, also, well, I mean, some lore about the two of us. I know that I'm saved in your phone as James Black Friday. So that is my last name. and Kurt, you might be Kurt Black Friday. Let's see.
00:02:07
Speaker
Because for the listener at home. James Black Friday. Oh, yeah, you're. Wait. Yeah, you're Kurt Black Friday. I love It's like back in the day when like now you can add someone to your contacts so easily. It's like boom. And it pops right up and it's like their face and their address and everything. But like back in the day, it was like on my – iPhone like four or whatever. I don't know. That's really, I do have, I have so many contacts on my phone where I didn't do that from like, yeah. When I first moved to LA and I'm like, I don't know who, I don't know who Mike is. I have no idea what the context is here. So I wish had done that. That's smart. And all we were was like a group text being like, see you guys at the theater at five. And then you're like Oh, I should remember this is Kurt from black Friday. Not thinking. And it's actually really special to think like,
00:02:54
Speaker
the ways that something starts and the ways that like it could, it's so not just Kurt from black Friday anymore or James from black Friday. It's crazy. But you know, what the one thing I had to learn in the early days of Grindr was you have to differentiate who you're speaking to. So it was usually a name and the profession that they either were honest or lied to you about that they had. yeah so So that's how I was organizing people in my phone. That's it. That's really good. I have so many people on my phone that are like, I actually went on a birthday trip.
00:03:26
Speaker
um my friend's Chance's birthday trip last year and there were so many people at this Airbnb and I just saved them all as Chance's friend one, Chance's friend two, Chance's friend three, Chance's friend four, Chance's friend five, Chance's friend three. Just because I didn't want to like, i didn't want to connect all the dots. Yeah.
00:03:44
Speaker
Yeah. and And were they ranked too? So like number one was probably- No, I think I was just, for some reason, the girl who didn't have anyone's phone numbers, I was in charge of the shared album. So then I had to add everybody into my phone, but I was like, I don't have the time to add everyone's full contact. so I'm just going to add a bunch of Chance's friends and then create the album. A weird thing. A weird thing. I find- I was just gonna say, I don't like being assigned a task in situations like that. Like, yeah, unless you're paying me.
00:04:13
Speaker
Yeah. I've taken several vacation trips with friends where everybody knows, like, I'll bring a camera. And actually, I've started to not because I've actually found that I'll go, wow, I didn't actually experience that trip. I just filmed it. But then everyone's like, can I get the footage from the trip? And I'm like, oh, it's on a hard drive. And then they're like, wow and i and I'm like, i don't I just let's just let it live in our memories. I don't want to be responsible for that. It's a full-time thing. Yeah. You're taking all the videos. And it takes so much your freaking storage. You're right. Like, I keep thinking about how I think I'm going to be like a hoarder of data.
00:04:47
Speaker
Yeah. There's got to be those people. Mm-hmm. Like, in our time. Where it's like, I've been taking pictures since I was a kid. Mm-hmm. And I have it all. I have it all on my cloud.
00:04:58
Speaker
Like I have, my dad got me a digital camera. This is a really cool thing that I was privileged that my dad got me a digital camera and my dad's like ah a nerd. So he would make me back it up and put everything on a computer. So I have pictures that I took when I was like literally 10 on my phone. I'm going to show you.
00:05:16
Speaker
That's crazy. It's crazy because you think about like, I guess I have a bunch of pictures as a kid, but I don't know I grew up right when like digital was becoming a little bit more accessible, but the first half of my childhood was all like, like you know, you get them developed at the store or whatever. And it's weird to think like kids in now are going to be able to see, oh my gosh. she's that That's me That's me taking a mirror selfie. a mirror selfie.
00:05:42
Speaker
with a digital camera that I have this photo. That's crazy. I just scroll all the way up to this. And honestly, Grace Chastity clips. yeah Well, I was going to ask, did you or did you not use that for your MySpace photo?
00:05:58
Speaker
I must have, no, but this, I was like young. This was pre-MySpace. MySpace, we had to go real high with that photo. Like we had real high. You don't still understand. So the selfie, the art of the selfie, like, yeah, you were like high angle, maybe like you were covering up this eye, but you- Classic millennial- um my And we all had the same wallpaper in our bathrooms that was like old and like floral.
00:06:20
Speaker
Oh my God. Disgusting. Speaking of, try this on for a segue. Speaking of connections, we all three kind of met. Yeah. Doing Black Friday, which is crazy. I was thinking about that. i was like, oh my God, like that's how we all connected. Like that was all of our first kind of affiliation with Star Kids stuff. That was crazy. Frickin' that's coming up on what, eight years ago at this point? Isn't that crazy? Don't say that.
00:06:47
Speaker
Oh, my 2019 2019. Yeah. So eight years ago. crazy I yeah, Lauren's in my phone is Lauren Black Friday. Joey's Joey Black Friday. And Mariah is just Mariah Rose Faith Casillas. There's some people that you met after, but everyone in Black Friday in my phone is named Black Friday.
00:07:05
Speaker
And boy, we did not know each other. and yeah Is that because, wait, Mariah was originally going to be Black Friday and then couldn't because of Mean Girls. And then that's and I remember Jamie being like, I know this person. And and i remember you came in.
00:07:19
Speaker
It's all coming back to me. I'm like remembering being at what is it? Thymeli? That that. Yeah. Oh, I feel arts person that cursed rehearsal space over on like all in Hollywood.
00:07:31
Speaker
They just redid the floor. in that place. That's something. That place is crazy. I would pick any of the cursed rehearsal spaces in LA over Thigh Mill Arts. And also, correct me if I'm wrong, were we rehearsing Black Friday there one night when one of the rooms was closed off because Lady Gaga was rehearsing there?
00:07:51
Speaker
Was that during Black Friday? Really? I don't remember. That's crazy if so. It happened, but I just don't remember what I was rehearsing for. But yeah, in that in that, not the room that we were in, but there's that like other larger, almost ballroom. Yeah, the one. Yes, yes.
00:08:04
Speaker
Oh, wait. i Yes, i I remember this. yes Yes. I couldn't remember Lady Gaga, but it was like some huge artist. Yeah. Oh my God. wow You guys, there's the other one that's really cursed. This is not fun info to hear if you don't live in l LA. But there's, um what's the other one that's like scary cursed rehearsal space in Burbank?
00:08:23
Speaker
Madeline Clark? Yes! Yeah. Yes! And I love Madeline Clark. If you don't live in LA, there's there's a rehearsal there's some rehearsal spaces and they're few and far between, but there's self-tape studios everywhere. But to to like, you know...
00:08:38
Speaker
just rent a room and rehearse. It's not, there's not a lot of good ones that aren't affordable. And that place has not been touched or renovated in 40 years, 50 years. oh It feels like a time capsule when you walk in there because nothing has been updated. I don't even think the toilets are from this century.
00:08:54
Speaker
Literally. It's crazy in that, in that building. Yeah. Anyway, that's where you guys rehearsed um ah Guy, right? the for Before London? We rehearsed Guy in several locations. I love. But yes, but yes Madeline Clark was one of them. um Yeah. But yeah, we so we all met on Black Friday. what what was you Yeah, that's crazy.
00:09:14
Speaker
No, no. I remember meeting you guys and so and thinking everyone knew each other. Like, I, Kurt, thought you were already a Starkid. I can't believe that was your first Starkid show.
00:09:25
Speaker
It's like I knew people from like just general hangouts, but yeah, that was the first let's actually get together and do something. That's how I met James. and i knew Lauren and Joey really well. Yeah. But everybody else, everybody else was pretty new to me. Yeah. Cause Kurt, i I heard your name because again, of that whole star kid adjacent thing, also a shipwreck too. Yes. spies yeah are Spies had already happened by this point. And I could not marry the thought in my head that there was a guy named Kurt Mega, but also there's this agent Kurt Mega in a show. And I was like, well, which came first? And just so confused. I thought Spies was always Star Kid.
00:10:00
Speaker
A lot of people. Spies is Tin Can Brothers. Yeah, boy, I get tagged in a lot of erotic fan fiction on Tumblr with that. And I constantly am like, is this about me? And i'm like, no no, no, no, it's not. It's not about me. That's okay. And that's good. it's good So if it was about you, would be fine. Yeah,
00:10:19
Speaker
yeah i do um Anyway, well, angela we're so grateful that you're here. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for being here. happy to be here.
00:10:30
Speaker
You, you got a lot going on. And so we genuinely appreciate your time. We're excited to get into stuff, get into stuff today, but what are you, what are you been up to recently? What do you, what's so many things want to talk about.
00:10:42
Speaker
I have so many things i want to talk about being into. This is not the thing I'm giving, but I do want to ask you guys if any of you are watching half man, I want to. Yes. Oh my God. Yes. Yes. Yes. yes yes Did you watch Baby Reindeer?
00:10:54
Speaker
Yeah. I did watch Baby Reindeer. Okay. Yeah. It's the same writer, right? i right Yeah. Showrunner, writer, Richard Gad. Jamie Bell. Kurt, are you lying? I love it. it's It's not a show I feel like I can...
00:11:08
Speaker
tell a lot of people I know to go watch because it's such a, it's, it is a you're going to pull yourself through hell. But I, every episode I'm just like, Oh my God, the way they constantly turn the screws on this. Um, it's some heavy shit. It is so good and so heavy, but that was like, like literally you going, what's been up with you lately? I'm like, all I can think about is like what I'm watching because you know,
00:11:33
Speaker
and I love when people say people say to me all the time, they're always like, you're so busy. And I think it's because social media, like and you guys know this too, where it's like, I'm banking content at Smosh. We'll do like six videos a day.
00:11:47
Speaker
And then those are released one at a time. then I think it looks like i'm when I'm posting them, that every single day I'm there. But sometimes that's all one day. yeah and then you do five days of that. And then it's just, it's funny because- I've had people that they go, oh my God, you're doing, so and I go, and I filmed that like six months ago. It just came out and I i barely, i was like, oh, it's out now. Oh, cool. Yeah, that's great. Dropout stuff too. Dropout stuff is so far banked. And you're like, there's just, there's, I haven't done that. So I've i've been chilling. I've been resting. I've been learning to rest.
00:12:22
Speaker
That's great. Which is new for me and hard. But it's it's hard because like we're so used to being busy. And in fact, I've had so many times where if I'm sitting too idle, I get anxious. I get anxious because i'm like, I have to be doing something. I need to be writing. I need to file my taxes again. what where Where do I go?
00:12:38
Speaker
Yeah, 100%. I'm like really – I don't know if you feel this way, but trying to – I'm in a phase of life of trying to unpack my self-worth from – you know, like the question of like especially in LA, like so what are you what are you up to?
00:12:51
Speaker
yeah I feel this instinct to immediately be like – ah Let me list all the things and trying to un like divorce myself from like self-worth is how many things I have coming up. um I had a real, like the last year, it's gotten pretty busy recently, but I had about six months where I just had kind of, I had work, but I really had to like sit with like, I don't have anything on the horizon. And yeah it was actually a really healthy stage to go through to be like,
00:13:19
Speaker
Oh, I still am alive and I'm still here and I'm still present. And, uh, I want to do cool things, but I don't need to. That's hard though. That's a, I think about that a lot, especially like i I feel like in the comedy world too. I feel like having a gig, having a show, having a thing. It's so like, that's the grind of it. Um, which can be awesome and all the time. Yeah. Yeah. But I feel you where it's like, that's why I do like the, the pod itself just being like,
00:13:44
Speaker
talking instead of instead of what I have going on, like what i'm what art I'm enjoying and that I'm liking and that I'm seeing, why we don't ask each other that upfront and we're mostly like, what are you up to?
00:13:55
Speaker
Like, okay, I'm going to list, I guess, um let me show you a self-tape I did. Like what? Yeah. um Okay. So yeah. So so you already said um half man.
00:14:07
Speaker
okay yeah but then are you Okay, yeah. So I have a couple of them. i was For the audience at home, I was telling James and Kurt right before we got on here that I am i couldn't pick one thing. I was like, should I suggest a Starkid thing? Because lately, I saw Will Branner's YouTube video. Did you guys watch it? I did. It was great. I had a lot of good.
00:14:28
Speaker
Look at this show that we did. I know. im I never thought I'd be somebody that likes content that's watching other content. And a lot of my coworkers do that stuff. And I and i love it.
00:14:39
Speaker
maybe I had that experience recently with, there's a YouTuber named Mortius, I believe. And he, every other week has been doing Cinderella's castle. And, you know, we did that. It was like two years ago. And, i you know, he you you just don't think about it. And so it was so interesting watching somebody else revisit it.
00:14:58
Speaker
And like have these questions and be like, oh my God, with distance, I go, it's it's, yeah, there's something really lovely about that, of seeing your work through the lens of somebody else's thing and and really enjoy it. um I loved Will's video. I thought that was great. It was also fun watching him with with his co-star watching it.
00:15:16
Speaker
he's like, so this is this is Hatchetfield. But like, it's so interesting with theater specifically because when you're doing it, you never... you're never picturing people thinking thoughts out loud, talking to each other during it.
00:15:32
Speaker
Like reality TV's that way, movies that way, where we're like, oh my God, I love this part. But like when you're watching a musical, you can't like stop down. But they're they're little like, oh, I love that. Okay, love that choice. Them just like vocalizing that, I was like, wow, I don't watch theater that way. I watch theater like,
00:15:49
Speaker
Like I'm not. Yeah. Because you're used to it as a live medium, but watching theater online is like such a fun thing that I'm getting used to because you can pause and you can stop. and You can go back and you can zoom into an ensemble member and go, look what she's doing back there. Like,
00:16:04
Speaker
That's just there' not Peter in my head. This is what Broadway is missing because you know so much footage and material is not accessible to the public. But if you could have reaction videos to Les Mis or if you could have some – and not just like high school production.
00:16:19
Speaker
We all have those. I'm talking about like onstage, on Broadway, professional – and then like you can – you don't have to rely on bootlegs of defying gravity. You can actually watch a person do it with good footage. Yeah, there's there's a missed opportunity there I think.
00:16:33
Speaker
Oh, what's, uh, what's your take on nerdy prudes? Like three years removed. What listening to it again, watching it? oh nice so ah what What's your, what do you, what do you feel it about? It was mostly me watching will talk about it.
00:16:45
Speaker
And I was like, cause again, I'm like, I'm not talking through things, but like YouTubers are good at that when they're like, they can talk and pause and talk over things, but watching it back, I,
00:16:58
Speaker
it is we are having so much fucking fun. and same thing with Cinderella's Castle, too. We had to talk about my favorite moment, James, that we brought up recently. James are and I and were in a rehearsal and I was thinking about my favorite moment in Cinderella's Castle. I think I just really miss theater and I got to get back into it.
00:17:13
Speaker
i think i I see any theater people and i'm like, can we talk? Remember that moment five years ago? Just miss it. We were talking about that time. Do you remember, Kurt? I think you weren't in...
00:17:25
Speaker
What number was it? the the What number was it, James, that I'm about? You're talking about Curse Crazy. Curse Crazy. You weren't in Curse Crazy, right? Because you guys had a ah scene after, right, Kurt? No, Kurt. I was, but I exited before the last chorus. And I exited way before him. And this is what you're talking about. This is what you're talking about. So when's your exit, Kurt? And was it as visible as James' exit?
00:17:50
Speaker
Because James' exit in that number is, I think, my one of my favorite moments of theater because he's owning it so hard. You're going...
00:18:02
Speaker
yeah For the listener the room doesn't know we're talking about, there's a moment where James has to go do a change, but he's also like in the, he needs to be in the number. So he just crosses stage so boldly.
00:18:17
Speaker
It's the longest cross too. Like I couldn't have gone the other way. I had to go the other way. I had to go to stage left. And so I'm just like walking three quarters of the stage. just And you got those gloves on, you know? yeah I think it's like, it was like big arms. Yeah. And it's so funny to be like, well, we're making a choice that this character is walking out of the dance. It makes me laugh.
00:18:38
Speaker
He's gone. So fucking hard. ah please Please play that when you put this video out. I also i was going to say, that my other favorite moment about...
00:18:51
Speaker
Cinderella's Castle, it was act two. It was Lauren's, are you a troll line? Because- you a troll? Because in the rehearsal room, that got a laugh every single- We would crack ourselves Lauren. We were We were like, this is the funniest one with the show. This the funniest one the And then opening night- Nothing. It was so silent.
00:19:14
Speaker
There's nothing like it. When this happens on our podcast all the time, we always go one for us, one for them, one for us. And the one for like us, is like they never laugh. They never laugh at the thing you're the most excited for them to laugh at.
00:19:30
Speaker
But then we would break because we were laughing at the fact that they weren't laughing. So like every show was us just cracking up at ourselves because there was a zero response from the audience on that line. Truly. um My sketch team, we wrote a musical called City Walk the Musical. And I think it's the best thing I've ever ever made in my life is City Walk the Musical. Can't believe it. that the And jo Josh Flurry did the music, right? Josh Flurry, everybody. I think Sam, Janitis is on the on the album. Yeah.
00:19:59
Speaker
just happened to like strike genius and write about them all that you can't really tell people about it unless they've been to LA. But there is a, there is a joke in there that we would make, that would make us laugh so hard. And it was just like, are you a troll? And you would just hear the audience just silent every time, every time. But anyway, that cross James is my favorite thing that you've ever done. It makes me laugh harder than anything.
00:20:25
Speaker
I'll take that. Thank you. I'm glad I can make you laugh. We should meme it where it's like everyone dancing. It's like my weekend, my problem. My plans for a summer of 2020, COVID.
00:20:37
Speaker
covid it' good All right. we'll do We'll do a caption contest. We'll we'll pull the footage and then have people give their best caption. my God. Please guys, let's caption the James moment. It's the funniest thing in the world. um But the other things I'm into. Okay. That's what I'm, are we doing that now? Yeah. never so Yeah. Let's go. Yeah.
00:20:58
Speaker
Okay. A thing I am really into right now. wanted to do like a small one. And then I guess half man is one of my bigger ones, but like my small niche thing I'm really into right now.
00:21:10
Speaker
um I don't know how you guys, how your scroll, your, so your FYP is your for you pages, but lately mine is not a lot of things that, that I'm currently like super interested in Like there are times where like my For You page is like a lot of like sketches or musicals or things like that. And then you can tell that my for you page when my For You page changes and goes into like other people's real lives is when I like kind of maybe I'm working too much.
00:21:39
Speaker
Where there is this dad, he's now a big TikToker and he's just a really amazing stay at home dad. And he takes care of like these four kids.
00:21:50
Speaker
I watch him all the time. And i don't know what it is. I'm over caffeinated, sorry. What it is, is that this man is getting so much done.
00:22:05
Speaker
I think I act like it's hard to be like an actor in LA. These parents, All of my TikTok right now is parenting. Not because I like, I'm wanting kids, but because I'm burnt out and I can't wash two bowls in my sink, two bowls. And these parents are fucking, I, they're, they are doing laundry every day, all day.
00:22:29
Speaker
I have one laundry night. that I can't even get through. Like, okay, so let me show you him. His name is Joey Food. He is the funniest man. I don't know what this man's politics are or anything like that, people, okay? So I should have done a deep dive of that. Okay, we're absolving of that. We're just here for entertainment. We're just here for entertainment. And and weirdly, I'm so entertained by the fact that he'll he'll clean his neighbor's lawns. Like he's a big power washer. He loves power washing.
00:22:58
Speaker
And I will watch this man power wash My wife has taken the newborn, our two-year-old and five-year-old, on a play date with some friends. So I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to deep clean this house. I love a good story time, but I said, honey, you go along. I'll take care of the house. Time check. At first, let's find all the dirty things. you' changing my favorite part is the times. Yes. The best option. A newborn poop isn't even like real poop. So as soon as we brought home a newborn baby, the whole family got the stomach bug. But we have weathered the storm.
00:23:30
Speaker
This man is strong. live I had to accept the fact this last week that not everything is going to be clean all at once. It just got to the point of, was like, I can just take the trash He's giving life advice too.
00:23:43
Speaker
This is 20 million views. oh my, 20 million views. Yes. Let me find one of my favorite ones. of because Are the like comments and the consensus like similar to what you feel of like, I love this guy. I feel, or is it, my God, parenting is so hard. What do we, like, what is the...
00:24:00
Speaker
it's all It's all like, me too, me too. Oh my God, this is me on Sundays. Like it's everybody, it's just parents. Very relatable. yes Yeah. It's not so... water Sorry, no. do you go hornet You go first. Well, no, I was just i was just wondering, like I'm marveling at the fact that entertainment has, you know, it's gone in this... weird wheel where at first social media was about like, let's do pranks, let's do sketches, let's do really funny stuff. yeah And now it's like completely gone to the side of like, I want to watch other people live their life. I want to watch them make a bowl of cereal. And that's entertainment now. this is This is something I nerd out on all the time is talking about this because it's not what we went to school for.
00:24:40
Speaker
And It is what a majority of our industry is doing. that like There is something about, and I think it was maybe the pandemic. there but There's so many different things to like attribute it to. But people want to watch other people live lives and they feel connected to it. I weirdly like love watching this guy clean his house. And that's not art in my head, traditional art, but it is. yeah And like him being opened, also the way he's editing it, everything is like,
00:25:11
Speaker
maybe there's you don't see like broad paint strokes, but this there is a style to it yeah that for some reason relaxes me and I've never been that type. I've never enjoyed YouTube content and I've gotten so into it now just because so much of my work is that.
00:25:25
Speaker
And it just took me a long time to be like, that's art. When you are like in theater school learning like fucking, remember i to try to me I had to memorize this Walt Whitman poem that was so dense. And it was so long. And I was like, that's art versus somebody that's just like, get ready with me for church.
00:25:44
Speaker
And she's just like tying her kid's hair up in ponytails. And I'm like, I don't know what it is. Maybe my brain's fried. I don't know. What do you guys think? Well, actually, I have a question about that because because part of the art of it is like knowing setups and lighting and the right angles. Like there is a skill to making a successful video. I i watched a guy earlier today.
00:26:06
Speaker
His wife is going off on a girl's trip for – well, the night or the weekend. So he's watching the kids. But he sets the camera up in like the corner of the room and on the ceiling fan and around like in the bathroom door. And i'm like – How much time and thought went into the angles of yeah you watching? There's on one on the other side of the tub while his kids are in the tub. There's a lot of thought that went into this and I can't see myself ever doing that.
00:26:32
Speaker
No, I get that. and That's what's hard for me too, like making videos and stuff. It's hard to do that part. But I think at the end of the day, it's like, all the art I wanted to do was like about learn, like, like really good theater. I feel like I learn things and I feel like i walk away, experience something that I couldn't have experienced from my POV and jumped in somebody else's.
00:26:52
Speaker
But with this stuff, it does feel like, like content for loneliness, in my opinion, where like, it feels like, Oh, I just, I'm like, I'm just like experiencing him cleaning his house makes me feel like at Smosh. We talk about this all the time where,
00:27:06
Speaker
My friend Tommy says this. He goes, I can write a really good sketch, but half of the time they want to watch us eat lunch when we make that sketch on our lunch break. Mm-hmm. In terms of like ah a big portion of the algorithm doesn't want really created, polished things. They just want to sit with their friends. And I just want to watch him like power wash his car.
00:27:29
Speaker
I don't know what it is. it makes You make a great point that, and this is something i struggle with sometimes where i'm it's easy to go, oh, the the better my production gets, the the funnier my jokes are, the the more so the more profound the material is, that will yield more attention.
00:27:46
Speaker
so people will like it more. And it's like, actually what most people enjoy is going, I love these people. I just kind of want to hang out with them. And it's like, I i feel this way with star kid stuff sometimes where I go at the end of the day, they go, we just kind of love what you guys do. And we love to see you mess up or we love to like, it's, and then I'm like, look at this thing that I made. and for sure Great. But really I just kind of want to hang out. And it's a I'm trying to unpack, like, let go of this notion that it always has to be better, better, better and go, actually, my job is to try to just give you ah moment to like, be with, be in space in a world that you love. And like, you don't have to blow someone's mind. Like, yes, you don't have to blow. Yeah, exactly. And it goes back to like pattern. I think what Starkid has that a lot of these, like on the internet is that like someone is doing, like when Lauren Lopez does a Lauren Lopez role, she disappears and becomes somebody else. But then like her playing Draco and then her playing Linda, for example, that people are like, that's, that's the Lauren I love, but she transformed. But that is like, I don't know what it is, but like Starkid,
00:28:50
Speaker
There is something where they love seeing the same people, just like with sitcoms too, where you're like I love, I love, these are my friends and I love watching them do stuff. I don't know what it is. It's like, one my, one of my, I like, I, one of my favorite podcasts is just a few people that it's like a, it's a podcast theoretically about movies. But my favorite episodes are like, they have like a bonus thing that they do for their Patreon and I subscribe to it. And I'm like, love episodes where they' like, today we're going to talk about how my, my kid got food poisoning and I had to cancel my, and I like, go ohh I want to know how what's going on.
00:29:24
Speaker
And I go, I'm here for the movie opinions, but i think it's a great reminder sometimes to free ourselves from the pressure of having to deliver and to perform and go actually like being yourself and sharing yourself is pretty profound and meaningful to people like, you know, like with Smosh stuff. It's like people go, i just want to hang out with these people. That's why I tune in every every week or whatever video. yeah I'm trying to learn to embrace that. And obviously I want to make good art, but I'll it's not always about perfection and making it better and and increasing the production quality. That's not why people are moved. you know But that's why I love it. That's what I'm saying. It's like, it's a funny balance to be like, yes totally my favorite thing in the world was theater school and just getting really good at something that maybe didn't like...
00:30:12
Speaker
I don't know, trying so hard to do an incredible checkoff play was like all that mattered and trying to be really good at my skills and get better at them versus like then feeling kind of lame if I'm just doing like a I don't know, you're like,
00:30:28
Speaker
Get ready with me. It's hard to see that there's a lot of like integrity in those, but that's me judging. yeah Yeah. I think part of that though is like, so think about the the way that reality TV became so prevalent in our culture, right? Because at at first celebrities, Hollywood stars, they were something so intangible. Like we we couldn't be them. So we aspired to be them. But then once reality TV kicked off, everyone kind of had an avenue with which to either relate to someone or they saw themselves in a player on Survivor or Top Chef or a Project Runway. And so all of a sudden, as they're watching a version of themselves succeed in these avenues, yeah the so the mystique of a celebrity broke down. And so I think why we love things like watching a dad take care of his kids is because, oh, I could see myself doing that. There's a version of me that could accomplish this. There's something tangible about these TikTok moms. like I love watching teachers. I think watching teachers- I love watching teachers. They're so much fun. like and And so I agree with you in that way. Yeah. yeah
00:31:28
Speaker
Did you guys watch the teacher? I think now he's like blown up, but like a year or two ago, my friend our friend Patrick McDonald showed me him, and it was this teacher that was announcing the school play on his desk, and every morning he would rip off a musical that was getting out of the running. Yes. Yes, yeah yes, yes. was like- I love TikTok teachers. That's so funny. I'm the same way. I'm obsessed with watching them.
00:31:53
Speaker
Yeah. So yeah, I think i think it's just ah i think we all – it's funny because Kurt and I have talked about this need for escapism in the past few episodes. But also there's this need for – reality because I do think the the monoculture doesn't exist the way that it did in like the 90s. So now we're all kind of searching for like, who else is going through this similar thing that I'm going through? And I yeah think this is a version of that where it's to see a reflection of yourself in an influencer, in a teacher. Which is escapism, you know? Like I'm thinking about like the first time –
00:32:26
Speaker
it was the the American Idol like home videos where they would go home and it was like Kelly Clarkson, you go back to her house and she's nobody before she blows up. And that's everyone at home going, that's me.
00:32:37
Speaker
Oh my God. She lives in a normal house, like in ah in a small town. Oh my God. And then you see her win American Idol and suddenly you are feeling like on top of the fucking world. Or I did when I was eight and she won. But it was like, it was so relatable when you went to the hometowns. And that's, yeah, it's crazy. My mom my mom has ah a youtube YouTube family that she watches that has this like homestead. They like live at, they live off, they live in the land and they like are, they have a farm and they're like self-sustaining. And i remember she kept being like, watch it with me. And I'm like, I'm not into this kind of stuff, but i a very similar thing where I did one Christmas. I like,
00:33:13
Speaker
watched it with her. And then I was like, Oh my God. And I got so invested in, is the goat going to make it? The goat was sick. And like, you know, and I, and it's like a world that I go, I would never, I would never have a homestead, but this whole life and they have this whole world they live in. And it's so full of interesting things and tasks. And yeah, it, you know, I could watch a movie about that, but there's something really meaningful about like, here's this family. And like, here's the, it's so far removed from anything I could conceptualize of. And I, yeah, I think,
00:33:44
Speaker
I also find myself really clinging to and wanting to like see things that feel real and honest because everything like everything is trying to a subscription or trying to sell me something. You just somebody who's like, here's my normal life. I'm like, wow, look at that. That's great. You're not trying to become something. You're just you're just like, hey, I'm a dad and I take care of my kids and that's a that enough. You don't have to be anything else. I think that's really lovely. It's kind of like being like, oh, like,
00:34:12
Speaker
Fast food, French fries. Don't get Michelin stars and go with me on this. Cause they're not blowing our mind. Right. Like, like we need, there's so, it's so cool when someone makes a dish that's like amazing and incredible and it's really famous and has all these incredible ingredients, but then like a, just like a tuna sandwich. Yeah. And those are, those shouldn't be getting the same awards. Like I get it.
00:34:34
Speaker
One is like a very high end, like, I don't know, creation that someone made and took time on. And one is really simple and just like the pattern, the same thing. I know what I'm going to expect from it. And it shouldn't win an Oscar, but it's just simple. Yeah. And you need that too. You can't just always have, you know, that's what I, that's what I'm saying.
00:34:57
Speaker
Go ahead, Kurt. Oh, I say I, one of the things I've been getting lately on my feed has been, i think it's one guy, but he goes to like food festival, like, like, you know, farmer's markets. And the whole thing is like, he's like a POV camera, but he, he'll go and buy food from like vendors where there's no customers. And he'll just sit there and talk to them. And he'll like, there was one the other day where he like went up to this and there was like,
00:35:21
Speaker
there was like a couple who was making like homemade Chinese food and crepes and he just like talked to them for five minutes and they like cooked the dish for him and he's just asking him questions. And I was just like, I love these people. I love them. I wanted, i I made me want to go there. And it was like a really, that's not baby reindeer.
00:35:37
Speaker
And that can be two separate parts of your artistic brain. It's like, that's not going to blow your mind. Like some art does, you know? Yeah. Yeah. um What I was going to say is to your point, Angela, ah that that whole thing about you know not everything has to get the Michelin star or the or the award or whatever is is why I love the bear so much because it's ah it's a show about that. you know Carmi's whole journey is like I got the training from the best chefs in the world and when I come back to my the restaurant back in my hometown, yeah I'm going to make this the the highest caliber thing whereas so many people are combating him because they're like, listen, we just like that beef sandwich.
00:36:13
Speaker
Yeah. we don't I don't care about your Michelin star. Let me just have that thing that I've had like that's been in my family for generations. Let's just do that. And yeah I think that's such a great ah meditation about- Totally.
00:36:26
Speaker
Cooking is an art in its own right. So where is that art taking you? How are you, you know is it about the recognition or is it about the authenticity? Which one do you prefer? If we didn't have to do a really like high concept musical and we just did, like I don't know, The Sound of Music one year, and we all just like did something really simple and everyone knows what it's going to be and there's no twists or turns and you're not going to walk away with your mind blown, it's just going to be like a great matinee that feels like a warm hug. Yeah. Instead of, like I don't know, like reinventing the wheel.
00:37:01
Speaker
Yeah. um Who would you play in Sound of Music? I'm glad you asked. was talking about Sound Music with my grandma and on Mother's Day, she and I was like, we were talking about, and I was like, I pulled up some clips of it because I just like, we were running out of things to do. So i was pulling up clips of old musicals and I saw, there's like one of the younger ones, one of the younger ones that there isn't, it's not the 16 going on 17 girl.
00:37:28
Speaker
And it's not like the baby one. There's like two in the middle. Oh, that ah there's Liesel, then there's Brigitte. Brigitte! That fucking bitch. I wanted that role.
00:37:39
Speaker
I wanted that fucking role, and I didn't get it, and I got Pit Choir. Pit Choir. Can I tell you, i think The Sound of Music is largely the reason I decided to try to become an actor out of spite. Because when I was 12, I auditioned for it for the role of Kurt. Kurt.
00:37:58
Speaker
with a No, it was 10. was the first show I ever did. and I was, my mom was playing music for it. And I understood, I brought in, they were like, hey, the guy that's playing Friedrich is probably going have to drop out of the show. So like, you're going to be understudying, but you're probably going to actually be in it. And I understudied for six weeks. And then the day that I was supposed to go into the show, they were like, just kidding. We're going to have somebody else come and replace this role because he needs extra credit. So that was like that was like a moment of like, I will never let this happen again. So then like a year later, another theater was doing it. I auditioned, didn't get it. And then i auditioned over like the next five or six years during high school for the show, always trying to be like Friedrich. Then I was trying to be Rolf. The only role I ever booked three times was that of a ah German um yeah person who does terrible things. there's photos floating out there of me dressed like that.
00:38:52
Speaker
All I ever did in the sound of music was go out and go, they're gone. That's the only thing I've ever done in that show. never got to play We need justice for this. We need it's time. I'm going to play Brigitte or whatever the fuck.
00:39:06
Speaker
You're going to play all the male roles that aren't the yeah bad ones that yeah are men. James, what are you doing? uh i will be an usher for the show i will be getting everyone to their seats no can i tell you a story though uh so i've never done the show but i was working at a theater um a summer stock and it just happened to be also be a season in which they needed a lot of black people for a production of showboat at the end of the summer so what they did is they hire you for like most of the summer and then you do specific shows So they hired a lot of black people knowing they were going to put them in showboat, but Sound of Music was before that. So the people on that track to do showboat had to do Sound of Music. No. Well, there aren't a wealth of black roles in Sound of Music. So where do you think they put specifically the male black ensemble members in the Sound of Music? No.
00:39:57
Speaker
No. Really? You're kidding. I remember sitting in the audience being like, Oh, we should burn this place down. You're going hell.
00:40:11
Speaker
That's fucking rough. We got to all do the sound of music. Yeah. So we can, we can like heal our trauma around this show. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, that's, that's, that's crazy to relive that.
00:40:27
Speaker
That's insane. That, um, All right. So Angela, question for you. um First of all, I know you're talking about how you're not busy, but you have your hands in a lot of things. You're a producer. You're a writer. You do improv. You're on Smosh. You've got artists on artists on artists on artists. I just got picked up, by the way. Yes. you guys Congratulations. Thanks. Thank you so much. That's so huge. You're also in a new series that I saw. It popped up on my YouTube channel. New series on YouTube.
00:40:58
Speaker
Oh, wait, what? It's like about a dog. Am I crazy? Am I losing my mind? that was a short film I did. I did okay i did like a couple of years ago that they put on YouTube. Gotcha, gotcha. It literally popped up as a recommend for the other day. That's crazy. There's Angela. YouTube, our phones are listening.
00:41:14
Speaker
You're everywhere. and And so really, the first thing I'm going to ask you is ah because you you have one of the most active and imaginative minds that I've ever seen. How are you able to constantly come up with such refreshing perspectives when it comes to your characters and the stuff that you're doing.
00:41:31
Speaker
Where does that come from? That's so sweet. That's so sweet. um
00:41:37
Speaker
I'd have to say, especially just based off of the all the things you just listed, it comes from ensemble like creation that I can't – I really – no matter how hard I try, i don't find inspiration um working alone. I cannot.
00:41:57
Speaker
And I know that's like, there are a lot of people I work with that work really well alone. Or like there are some Twitch streamers that I'm like, that's so cool. You could just cultivate on your, you just just like create, create, create. I cannot. And I think that's why i am obsessed. I will always get more like energy,
00:42:19
Speaker
from going out and doing an improv show, it literally reminds me of like the gym where that will, yeah that will sustain me creatively so much. Just doing improv with people. I, it's so hard for me to work by myself. um But then i have, then I have a tendency to just like hide on a team or just like only do stuff in groups and never do stuff on my own. But I think it's also just because like, that's what makes me,
00:42:45
Speaker
Like the happiest is like, I'm not a super, I don't like a lot of attention. I like state, moment that's why StarKid's so fun because we're doing a lot of moments for each other.
00:43:00
Speaker
There are so many people in that company where we are on stage making each other laugh. That's what I love about the Hatchetfield series and like the trolls where it was like some things are for the audience, but a lot of things are for each other. And that's when I feel like I'm never going to get tired of this because that feels like it's healing the like lonely child wound where I just feel like I'm a lot of the smosh stuff. It was like hard for me to do personality content like we were saying, because I wasn't used to it. was used to just like being an actor.
00:43:30
Speaker
But then if I tap into just like in like relationships and working with my friends and trying to make my friends laugh, um I get to go back to a place of like literally childhood joy. So you are are you an only child? I am not, but my brother and i were only, oh feeling like only because i've me your brother we only really became friends when we were adults and now we're like the best friends, but we were very much like in the car with the blanket and the road trip. Like that's your side. This is my side. Do not come on my side.
00:44:03
Speaker
Yeah. Oh Well, I said it cause I was an only child and I have always felt this way where like my family, mean, i had friends, I mean, I, you know, I, I know I have cousins and people that i but I just, wasn't I just don't know them well. And my family, like when I first figured out like, Oh my God, these are like my, is when I started doing plays in theater. And yeah i I, so relate to what you, so what you just said, which is,
00:44:25
Speaker
I've never had this like auteur, like, let me go into a room and unpack my genius. I, by myself, I'm like, what what am I even doing here? The second and I get into a room with people, I'm like, yeah oh my God, i just want to be in a room with people throwing around ideas. And I get so many ideas. And then when I'm by myself, I, not that I don't think I can do anything, but I feel so like, what's the point? And I've, For years, I struggled with that being like, well, I'm not a real artist because a real artist would lock themselves away and write the next great American play and whatever. And I'm like, actually, i don't like that. I don't enjoy that. I like making stuff with people. And I'm I just I hearing you say that's really refreshing because I'm like, yeah, that's the fun part. That's the reason you do it. It's not because I want everyone to be so impressed with me. The first every time I have an idea, my first instinct is to be like, who can I
00:45:16
Speaker
who can I call? I need to call somebody and like, go Hey, want to do this? Um, yeah I, that encourages me a lot. Of course. It's my favorite thing to do for other people. Like I'm so much funnier. If someone's like, can you help me punch up this character?
00:45:30
Speaker
like i'm I don't know, in service of others, I'm so much better than in service of myself. And that's some deep, twisted, bullshit, feminine, Christian upbringing.
00:45:43
Speaker
There's so many layers. like Yeah, there's a lot of layers that I'm unpacking. But I love help like making things... Like if somebody brings something that they're working on, i love helping with their stuff rather than – but always – that's also just vulnerability too. so Yeah. No, I get that too because I've – we talked about this before on a previous episode how I believe for a very long time I'm just not a funny person and I i internalize that. That's crazy.
00:46:07
Speaker
And because I realized, and to your point, I'm much funnier when I'm just riffing with other people. Yeah. If I'm in my head and I'm trying to say here like, oh, make a joke, of of course I'm not going to make one. They're all going to suck. But just talking with your friends, banter back and forth, the quips. you know like The best time to come up with comedy is sitting in a dressing room with your friends. You will will have hours of material.
00:46:30
Speaker
Yeah, and that's truly just like at its core, just connecting. And it's not even about being funny. It's like, I'm so fucking, I'm such a loser, but it's true. Like yeah I play video games all the time for work. And I go, there are moments where I think back to, I was like,
00:46:48
Speaker
There was all my cousins, there was a lot of younger girls and older boys, and I was like closest in age to the boys, but they would not hang out with me. And I would just stare at them and watch video games, watch them play video games and watch them laugh. And I didn't, never knew what they were talking about, never got the chance to learn. And I would just sit there and watch and like be really bored, but not have nothing else to do.
00:47:11
Speaker
And I could just like, i don't know, asked to hang or maybe spoken up, but I didn't. And now I think about it all the time where I'm like, I'm playing video games with boys all the time. And I'm like, I'm just like healing that kid that couldn't talk.
00:47:23
Speaker
that was scared to find That was scared to want to have fun. And i'm I'm just redoing it now, which is so funny and lame, but it's true. So. So truly the real therapy is just join an improv team and play video video games with friends. Yeah. Just like kind of like go back to school and that's what theater feels like. Yeah.
00:47:43
Speaker
And just be confident in those spaces that you weren't confident before. It's crazy. I have so much weird, i't I'm not going to call it trauma, but sadness around the holidays because my only like connection to people outside of my parents, who really all of my parents, but was doing plays and and yeah yeah Patrick McDonald and I were on a sketch comedy team, which is crazy when we were children together, which is wild. that That's wild. the small world it is.
00:48:09
Speaker
But my only connection was like the people I did theater stuff with. And so then on the holidays, I felt so lonely because everybody would be like, well, it's family time. And I'd be like, can I hang out with my friends? And then they'd be like, my parents are like, no, sorry. Like they're, they're off doing their family stuff. So I'd always feel so alone. and like, I, and so i think I have to be careful that sometimes like I want to be in a show so bad. I have to be careful that I'm not just using it as a substitute for like taking care of No, it's true though. But there is a part of that where I go, this is all this feels like home to me. That feels like family to me. And when I don't do it, I'm like, I'm alone. I'm alone. I mean, I have Kim, obviously. and No, for sure. That's wonderful. But like it...
00:48:54
Speaker
it's so much more meaningful than just like, oh, I'm i'm in a show this you know that everyone can see me. I'm like, no, I get to be with people and that's where feel the safest, you know? It makes it easier. There's discipline already because you have a stage manager asking you when telling you when to come versus like when you're working for yourself and you're creating something by yourself, you're doing all of it. And you don't have like guidelines given to you and asked of you. So it it it is easier.
00:49:21
Speaker
I'm recognizing that. But it's... So much better to just do stuff together. But yeah, that's that's my answer to all of those projects put together is the community aspect.
00:49:32
Speaker
I love that. Is there – So on the flip side, so when you are – Say you're a producer. you're on the You're on the other side of the table. What is the kind of work that you're looking for that you're trying to create and put out there? Is it also in the comedic lens? Because because you also – Did you also produce on Guts?
00:49:51
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So tell me like what getting into that realm is like for you. Sure. I think with – My best friend in my 20s, she was a production designer and I would work as her assistant. And I got really obsessed with, I was just a set junkie. I don't know if you're allowed to say that. I was obsessed with being on I loved PA-ing and no one loves that. It was just like, I mean, people do, but it's like when you first are like on a set you're like, oh my God.
00:50:21
Speaker
we're all here all day and then you're just like i got addicted to it and it was just like the first time i got to be on real big sets and from there i started just meeting more filmmakers and like just got the short film bug that we all do um and just wanted to start making stuff and guts came out of i I made a ah short with my ex-boyfriend at the time. and Well, he was my boyfriend at the time. He's my ex-boyfriend now. And we we made a short because I was like, oh, I love – had this idea that i was I loved. And I think as a producer, I'm not a type A person, but I am a very like – you have to meet this person. Like if you – like if every time someone's at a birthday party, mind I'm like, you need to meet her. You guys are going to hit it. That has happened. That has definitely happened before.
00:51:10
Speaker
And I like – especially even like – producing stuff like like mama me of a different like that was like a show that i love to do where i was like i had so many friends from the star kid world that are musical theater people that live in la and then i have comedy people that are putting up stuff and then we started doing more musicals and i was like my god there are so many musical theater actors and there are so many things that we can just combine these and and you should meet you and oh my god you like music oh my god you're gonna things like that that kind of producing is my favorite i'm not good at the um
00:51:42
Speaker
the call sheets of it all, and the Excel feats. But I nerd out on connecting people that I know will hit it off. So that's where I think it all starts. Guts, I made because I wanted to act more because I had just made this film this short with my boyfriend at the time. And we went to Tribeca. and We were like, oh my God, film festivals are so cool. And I was like, I can't believe I just...
00:52:06
Speaker
used all of this. I did art. I did the production design on it with my best friend. I PA'd on it. I used all my friends and connections, but didn't put myself in it. And that was me being like, not serving myself as an actor.
00:52:19
Speaker
And that was kind of being like, I'm obsessed with this, the film bug of it all. And I'm obsessed with teamwork and gathering people. But then I was like, okay, you can't want to do that and be an actor. You got to push yourself. You gotta to you got to kind of fight for yourself, Angela. You can't just make stuff and not cast yourself in it. Um, which is hard. It's crazy. Cause both of those things take so much effort and energy. And it is like, that's a really reasonable place to come to where you're like, I'm just going to not, yeah I'm just going to make it and not, it's like, it's, hard it is hard. It takes us.
00:52:47
Speaker
You have to really push yourself to do that. And it takes a lot of effort to do both of those things at the same time. Yeah. That's um, yeah, I did a play reading with am um, a theater company in l LA and I'm at this playwright, Jane Rosenberg, and they are, I just loved their work. And i was like, can you just send me your stuff? I just want to read it anytime you, and I got on their mailing list. They're a playwright. They live in Brooklyn,
00:53:15
Speaker
And then me and my friend Margo were like, we want to make a short just like the one we did for my boyfriend. But we were like, but let's make it so I can do something. And then I yeah hit up that playwright and I was like, could you write me something that's just like really simple to people in – in like one location, hope like preferably an apartment, my apartment. Cause we had no money on it. And we spent all our money on my ex-boyfriend's shore. And then we were like, okay, let's just do one for fun. So I could feel like what it's like to act again. Cause it had been a bit.
00:53:45
Speaker
And Then Jan wrote this bomb fucking two-hander, 10-pager. And we were like, let's just make it for fun. So I think the producing of it all comes from wanting to do stuff for fun. And like, mom and me of a difference to that exact thing. I was drunk as hell walking home from the Pantages with Patrick McDonald. And I was like, I want to experience that over and over and over again. But unfortunately, the book isn't that good. Can we just – we should – And then Patrick's really good about like finding new shows to highlight writers instead of just performers. So then that's when we started producing that show where you get a new writer every month to write their own Mamma Mia and do whatever they want with it. So that felt fun too, where it's like, it kind of comes from the idea first. I'm an idea first person, not really...
00:54:34
Speaker
i I only like to produce if it's like helping me do the other stuff is what I'm learning. yeah um Yeah. Yeah. But I love it. I'm so glad you used to do that. Is there more of that in your future, you think, in terms of like making films or projects? Is that like, have you in the process of making those? Are you like, I want to keep doing this? Or is that like. Yeah, it's so funny because i did a lot of that stuff.
00:54:56
Speaker
And then turned 30 then started – think I was full-time at Smosh at 31 or – I'm 32 right now. So, i was yeah, I got to be full-time a year ago almost. And it was right when it was – production over there was picking up like crazy. And then I kind of just only – was doing improv shows, just nothing really heavy left because I just got super busy.
00:55:21
Speaker
and um And now it's like I'm in the fun place where it's going to be – it's going to come to me first. is i can't I can't be like I want to make a short. And think of it. I have to know what it is first. Like I didn't want to make musicals on – I didn't want to do parody musicals of Mamma Mia!,
00:55:40
Speaker
I didn't think of the idea. What am I saying? I didn't think, can you tell I've been alone all day and barfed all morning? I didn't think like, oh, I want to make musicals in LA.
00:55:52
Speaker
It was, I want to be, i want to do Mamma Mia with my friends and then go backwards. So I don't really think of, I don't go like, I want to make a short. It's like, I need to act in something and then go backwards. yeah So I'm kind of waiting for something like that to hit me again in terms of producing and making something on my own. Like, I don't want to force it. I want to know. i want it to like come to me.
00:56:14
Speaker
And I'm a little woo woo that way. Are you guys like that? Totally. i This is what was saying. like I feel like sometimes not – I have this this this imposter syndrome where like shouldn't I be having – if I was a true artist, shouldn't I you just be – but I found that I get most excited when I'm having a conversation and some – I mean, heck, even – I know this is not this is not a film, but like James and I, this whole podcast was just born out of us being like, I love talking to you about – stuff that we're into. We're like, should we, that's usually what it takes to inspire me. I don't usually sit around.
00:56:49
Speaker
and think of it. Just coming up with 10 pitches for projects. And there are people like that. Yes, and that's an amazing, it's an amazing thing. But I i get really hyped when out of genuine relationship, an idea emerges and I go, wait, we could just make that. um Like I just literally spent the last week putting together this pitch for Fantastic Fest for this film that I've spent two years developing. It was almost just born out of meet me and my two writing producing partners just being like, you want to make something about like the urban legends around Texas where we grew up? And we're like, yeah, wouldn't that be? And it just was like conversations for a year that led to a script that I am so proud of.
00:57:26
Speaker
And I don't, I never would have come to it if we hadn't have had honest organic, like, Hangouts and talking about it. So i yeah, I'm like freeing myself of that feeling that I need to be generating brilliant ideas. yeah the dome I just, that's not me. And that doesn't, have you don't have to create that way. We're not all Lin-Manuel Miranda. Listen, it took him seven years to make In the Heights. So you know take your time when you're making these things. No, I'll i'll say, because like in my experience, a lot of things are brought to me, specifically as a choreographer. Generally, a show exists on its own, and then as a choreographer, it's brought you're kind of brought into something that already exists. but um But I found that because of that and just in my practice,
00:58:07
Speaker
I work well with a you know a frame like a frame of reference. ah just If there's like a template that's just there, like what kind of world are we living in? What are we doing? Then I start playing with the rules of what that world is and that's how I come up with movement. and Then also you're you're dealing with – We're talking StarKid specific. I just know everybody really well. so i just Yeah. This movement is going to work well on Kurt. This is going to work well on Angela. Yeah. so I will modify as necessary. but When it comes to things that I want to do personally, I'm i'm with both of you. with that I get stuck a little bit because I'm on my own and I'm just trying to, what's the right thing to make here? And I and i have to consistently tell myself, to we're not looking for perfection. We're just looking for an authentic idea, something that sparks a joy in you. Because nothing's better than when you, you know Mariah will call this the flow state, where you've got something that you're really into. And you're like, oh, great. And then you'll just start, the like the pen just starts going. You just know exactly how it's supposed to sound and how it looks. So that it can happen, but I tend to work better when people bring me an idea and then I can expand on it. Yeah. Like you're given a box and you can go within that box. I love that too.
00:59:14
Speaker
That's always really fun. With this um this project, Kim and have been making this this like hat is nightmare time things yeah yeah thing. That was such a gift. It's challenging because there's a lot of limitations, but it was such a gift to have writers like Nick and Matt be like, here's this crazy world that you already know and we're giving it to you to...
00:59:33
Speaker
in this little box, go make it. And it, it was so nice to be like I know exactly what the limitations are. I know what I can't do. I can't do anything. Like anything that involves a practical set can't do it. And so it actually, I got so excited, Kim and I both, like it's like our imaginations just sparked up.
00:59:49
Speaker
And I go, if I had to conceive of this entire thing by myself, I just think we never would have gotten off the ground. But I am like, I realized I have a lot of a lot to offer in being the person who can take the idea and like run with it. And yeah yeah, it's, that's like a nice realization that, that that's okay. I don't, don't always have to be the, I don't have if to be the idea person all the time or ever really.
01:00:13
Speaker
Yeah. Cause then sometimes you could just stand on your mark and then get wrapped and then go home, which is yeah always is great. And you make that day rate. Absolutely. Oh, come on. And you go home.
01:00:25
Speaker
Did you guys see, you see it's it just opened, but um I saw Brigadoon at the Pasadena Playhouse. No, I'd love to see it though. Haven't seen it. You should see it. You guys should see it. I'm curious what you'd think. um It was also directed by a choreographer and I love.
01:00:42
Speaker
when a director has like choreography in their in their work, like everywhere, James, you would love it. It's like some classic old shit. I was like, this feels like an old epic musical. Oh, have you never seen Brigadoon before?
01:00:57
Speaker
Oh, it's ah it's a learner and low yeah it's a Learner and Low musical from way back in the day. But this was like a remount. They went back to the script. They changed a bunch of stuff with the Learner and little foundation like blessing it. So go see it because it's interesting how old it is, but then revamped. I really liked it.
01:01:13
Speaker
Nice. Just a side note. Just a side note. It's just a little for Pasadena Playhouse. They definitely need they need the exposure. so Yeah. Give them all the plugs. Yes. um wait So Angela, at this point now, um with everything you've – you're kind of in this era right now where you're busy with Smosh. um Where – it's and it's hard to ask artists this question. so and I hate when people ask me, but like, if you were to say like in the next five years, where do you kind of want to take your art or your passion right now? Where where would you like it to go?
01:01:44
Speaker
Okay, I love this question. And it is so funny, like depending on the the artists you talk to, like so many of my friends will be like, oh I want to do this, this, this, I have this, I want to, come I have this and and I feel very much actor-y where things find me. If like, right if you would have told me like the way I auditioned for Lex is so funny. I didn't even, I didn't send a video of me singing traditionally like park and bark. I like was on the piano singing a sad song and like, you don't even see my face. That only would have worked for Lex.
01:02:20
Speaker
Cause I'm like looking depressed as hell singing a really low alto ballad, just kind of going like, I sent that to an audition to a musical. So that, I just think in the the universe of it all, things find you. So I'm excited. i i never want to like, like close my mind to what I want.
01:02:40
Speaker
um I kind of just want to see like Like, I don't, I like to be open-minded for what hits me and what comes to me, especially revolving the internet, regarding the internet and things like that. The Smosh, all of it. It's none of it I would have expected, but I am dying obviously to do some theater again. i want to, um, I think I finally figured out vocal health in a YouTube world where I am I did not understand it during nerdy prudes.
01:03:11
Speaker
Um, or Cinderella's castle. i I still was like shooting all day, every day. My relationship with, yeah, with my vocal health is so much better. a rarely lose my voice. i used to lose my voice once a month. People, you know, when you're doing a show on Broadway, it's like, I remember when Kim was doing Fantastics, it's like, she did not speak to me.
01:03:30
Speaker
Literally, we got to talk after the show for like 20 minutes. She was in New York, I was in l la And that was the, she's like, that that was how people function. You don't talk all day. and then- yeah jump to like this world where you're doing, you know, you're doing sketches, you're doing all kinds of stuff that's very energetic and loud and then to show up and do four hours of rehearsal or do shows. That is a special kind of grind. That's crazy. It's really challenging. And was not taking care of myself. I wasn't doing it correctly and now I think I fully know how to do it correctly, think. So I'd love to do more theater.
01:04:04
Speaker
And again, like I want to, i I don't want to be someone that only makes stuff with other people. I want to be able to be like, oh, I really want to I have this idea for something that I want to do by myself.
01:04:16
Speaker
Of course I need a team to do it, but then like just generating stuff with no fear of like needing to hide behind a group um is what I'm really hoping for. That, some more theater and you know, just, I love, I love getting in and doing some darker stuff. Like Son of ah Half Man is inspiring cause it's just dark and I love that dark shit.
01:04:37
Speaker
And I play cards against humanity at work every day. So it's like, I like doing, I like doing both. So I want to scratch that itch more. totally we talked to We talked last week also too about how much crossover there is in the comedy to horror space. Not the dark-ass horror. we were talking about Obsession and that whole team coming from you know sketch comedy and obviously Jordan Peele. but No, for sure. i I do think that for some reason people in the comedy space have a real penchant for being able to pivot and be able to play that tension and the setups and the builds and the yeah punches, whether it's comedic or something really upsetting in a way that
01:05:13
Speaker
we were We were trying to unpack like why that is. like What is the theory as to why why comedian comedy people tend to make really great, dark, messed up stuff? Do you have any theories as to like what that overlap might be? I also think it's musicals too. And I think it's just heightened. Like a heightened sense of reality. I don't know what it is. I think it's like, just like musicals lend themselves really well to horror. I think it's like, um yeah, all I can say is like heightened sense of reality. Like,
01:05:42
Speaker
But then comedy, a lot of it sits in like the grounded place too. I don't know why that jump happens. I think- It feels it feels super intuitive and logical, but yeah, I don't think we've been able to identify like what exactly that is. But I think you're right. Like living in a really, going to really large hyper reality kind of you know over the top places and then bring it back down and understand the juxtaposition between those two, maybe that's it. And I think it might just i love it escalation, right? Where it's like- Yes and, yes and, yes and, charts yeah.
01:06:14
Speaker
And it's like, oh, Max Yegerman's a demon and now everyone's dying. Like, I don't know. It's just like escalation with like funny things. Yeah, I don't know. That's what I loved about, like we talked about obsession last week, but I go, this is just like a great premise taken to its absolute fullest conclusion. You go, yeah very simple premise and we're just going to yes and it all the way to its inevitable like horrific de but demise. And I go, that is kind of what...
01:06:40
Speaker
a great improv scene is it's what a great sketch is it's like finding ways to just keep raising the stakes and go we're gonna go hard committing yeah yeah all the way yeah yeah yeah i love that um did you wait did you see obsession angela no i didn't i've been dying to see it oh so i don't want to ruin anything so i highly recommend it you should go see it i also i'm thinking you would make bomb horror movie out of something. I'm sure you could do it. my god i bet you I wrote a short. i will send it to you guys. Shameless plug. i I did a short with my best friends and we called it, it was The Haunting of Dahlia Parton. And it's one of my favorite things I've ever made. We made it in for a 48-hour film festival. I was obsessed with those. yeah In my 20s,
01:07:24
Speaker
It is maybe one of the best things I've ever made. It was in my grandma's. My grandma had just moved into an old folks home. So we were cleaning out her like one bedroom condo.
01:07:35
Speaker
And right when we were cleaning it out, i was like, can I film something in here? And my parents were like, yeah, go in there. We put, cause they were painting it. So we've got blood everywhere. It's about this crazy girl. I play her and she's obsessed with, um she's obsessed with Dolly Parton. And one night in the middle of her nights, she gets haunted by um an army of dollies. And I thought it's, you could tell we made it in 48 hours. Cause it is great put together with scotch tape. It was so fun. Cause it's just committing hard. And it was like, it was so fun. I love horror. We got to make something like that.
01:08:08
Speaker
That was insane. We've got to make some face glistons. I go, that like that feels right in your DNA. I mean, just even also some of the stuff you've done with Hatchetfield, but like seeing your creative like vision in that world as well and yeah what you would bring to that space. I'm all about that.
01:08:24
Speaker
Hell yeah. I love that. um Well, before we wrap up, I have a question I want to pose to both of you um because we were talking about our For You pages. So here's what's been happening on mine.
01:08:35
Speaker
I've been seeing a lot of really, how do I want to say this? um there's have been hot tap There's been some hot takes about self tapes. Okay. And the techniques with which we're supposed to do them, what you're supposed to do with your opening line. A lot of people, acting coaches, professionals, whoever you want to call yourself, they're they're in my feed right now telling us how to make the perfect self tape.
01:09:01
Speaker
So... I want to know what do you, in your opinions, what do you think makes the perfect self-tape? God.
01:09:11
Speaker
Just something I'm asking myself every fucking day. so hard. it's so hard I, okay, here's my, here's my hot take as somebody who does this for work. Like did three of them today. I'm doing more but after this.
01:09:28
Speaker
The perfect self tape is the one where you make me feel the movie or show that I'm, that we're supposed watch. That you're going for? Yeah. I if I can feel the DNA of that thing, the mood, the vibe, the tone, the feeling, the Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever that means. I think actors, this is my hot take, is actors get so caught up in this minutiae BS of like, well, a moment before, and the backdrop, and I go, nobody cares. You have to make me...
01:09:54
Speaker
nobody cares about what you're doing as long as what you do is impactful and it moves me. And I'm, and so when I'm like working with, with somebody, I'm like, like today I was, I was taping somebody and we were just like, it was the world was supposed to be very like post-apocalyptic and dirty and grimy and messy. And so we really played with like him, like wiping the dust off his glasses. And like, it was like stuff like that, where I go, that's the world. That's the like, yeah If I can make the world tactile, sensorial, and like visceral, i think I've done my job. And if I... God, that's good.
01:10:28
Speaker
And if I, as the actor, can like forget that I'm doing a tape and just be like, oh my God, I am in this world and I can like feel it and taste it and bring that into my... and my tape then my auditions are better um but i don't know so i i like go crazy in this space i like try to make a movie not because i think that that's a like the like casting requires it that's like for me it's like so that i can have fun if i can have fun then like whatever that's and you want to feel it you want to get it as close because that's not the job right it's but it feels like that is the job so then getting that as close as
01:11:02
Speaker
as possible as to what we want to do. It's such great advice. yes Yeah. have to say for me, I had to sing a funny song this weekend and I went over to my best friend's house and was like, can I just do this with you? Can you just take with me? And was really short, it was like 16 bars. It really fast. And it was funny.
01:11:28
Speaker
I did something crazy. I think only because I was tired, I was okay with this, but she had her mom and her sister visiting and they were in the other room. And I was like, sorry, I'm just going take this really fast with Demi. And she was like, yeah, you guys take your time. And were in the other room and Demi and I are like doing it. Demi's my best friend and I'm singing it. And I'm like, Demi's giving me notes and i'm making her laugh. And she was like, my mom really wants to come in and watch you do it. i was like We had gotten one i went, sure. Sure. Her mom and her sister came in.
01:11:57
Speaker
And I just then had to make them laugh. It's my goal. All of a sudden, I wasn't in service of the tape. I was like, oh my God, this is fun. I'm just going to make them laugh. I love them so much and I've known them for years. So I was like, oh, okay.
01:12:09
Speaker
And all of a sudden, like the power wasn't given, taken away from me where I'm like, I just want your approval. It was like, oh let me show you, let me do something I want to Does that make sense? i didn't feel like so much of the time with self tapes. I'm just trying to like do what they want rather than like what I want. And yeah it is hard because i I don't know the tone a lot of times. So I don't know what the showrunner wants unless I like really understand the material. But it's fun to just be like, here's what I wanted to do. And that's like with my full chest.
01:12:37
Speaker
And I can't believe I did that. And I'll probably never do that again. i just felt very safe with them. But I sent the take. I went back and I watched all the takes and I was like, the one where they're in the room, because I could tell was the last two, I'm the best. Because I'm like, I'm grounded and I'm going for it. So. Yeah.
01:12:53
Speaker
Yeah. I've had, and then John, I want interrupt you, James, but I've also had really a lot of fun in the last year bringing in like concepts where I go, i don't relate to this character necessarily, but this reminds me of somebody. So I'm going to do my, like I did this one audition for this Apple show where I got pinned. I was producers directors. I got really close. I never heard anything about it, but I remember reading the script and being like, this is just Ryan Murphy.
01:13:18
Speaker
And I worked with Ryan Murphy. And so I was like, I'm just going to do my take on Ryan. Yes. And I just did it. And I like had a blast being like, here's my impression of Ryan Murphy in the character. and my agent was like, I love this. I don't know what you were doing. And I was like, I was doing an impression Ryan Murphy. i don't know what to tell you. So I think that can be really fun sometimes. It's like, oh, wait, I'm just doing an impression. I'm just going to bring in my like version of it. But again, it's about, am I having fun with it? Yeah. Yeah.
01:13:46
Speaker
Yeah. yeah No, I agree with all of those. like Because really the best self-tapes I've done, or especially the ones that I've booked, are when I was less concerned about, okay, I need to do this perfect caricature of this character that is in the breakdown. have to hit every single beat that they wrote in that description.
01:14:00
Speaker
When I just let that go and just choose to be, hey, here's this version of of James doing this. And then here's the most honest version of me. And those are the ones that I've always booked. um just by being closest to myself while being true to like at least the ethos of the show it gets back to what you're saying with the with even like the the guy the dad you follow on tiktok you go you know what maybe people just want to see like what you are and like what you have to offer yeah yeah yes yeah maybe that's just all we want and i think that's actually really like refreshing to go i am the best thing i can offer that's cool that's cool
01:14:35
Speaker
Yeah. um But I will say, if I can paraphrase some of the, and i wrote this down. This is some of the advice I saw on some of these videos. Oh, no. And I'm going to, this is what I've heard.
01:14:47
Speaker
um You should have the right camera, not an iPhone, but sometimes an iPhone. Just change the settings. Why are you so close to the camera? You should back away. You're too far away and I can't hear anything you're saying. Are you using a microphone? You should use a lapel, but don't use a lapel. You should use the one of those standard boom mics. Also your lighting is really awful. Are you using your kitchen light? What's going on here? Are you in a hotel? Why are you in a hotel?
01:15:09
Speaker
Exactly. Because you're booked. Because you're booked. There's also i was also someone who said that um the it should be is all about eye work.
01:15:19
Speaker
So it's not even about the first line. It's about where are your eyes? God, we're cold. I am convinced that 99% of the time, the advice that's dispensed is to justify like charging somebody for a course or like take my exclusive weekend self-tape workshop or whatever. oh that's like usually. we Yeah. Yeah. Yes. For anybody watching, the short story is there is no right way to do this stuff. You just got to do your thing, man. Yeah. yeah And also, this industry is so predatory. you don't know like they're probably They probably get thousands of submissions, so you don't even know which time they've watched yours. And if they've like looked past the first sentence, you have no idea yeah no control over that. You have You've been going back to the like you doing like putting yourself on tape for Lex. I'm sure Nick and Matt were like...
01:16:07
Speaker
that's we love her i cannot believe i did that i can't because if like you were to do that for like i don't know any other role that's like a like ah that just perfectly worked for that one and that was random but yeah yeah amazing i love you guys that's odd so fun and so chill thanks for having thanks for thanks coming on thanks for talking about stuff is there anything specific that like to shout out or plug or anything yeah i guess it's not that's okay too but I guess this TikToker, Joey Moo. I don't know. it' yeah called Joey Moo.
01:16:43
Speaker
And half man is so good. And what else? But for you, is there anything else? For me.
01:16:52
Speaker
ah You can say no. it No is also an answer. I should. I should. Artists on Artists on Artists, come listen. It's fun. We do fun stuff. right It's great stuff.
01:17:04
Speaker
There you go. I know, Angela, you and I will be on Parlor Room pretty soon. sweet. Pretty soon. I can't wait. Dropouts Parlor Room. So look for that coming up in the next, don't know, I think month or so. I'm guessing. Oh, yeah. It's going to be a really good one. Yeah. And I don't know anything. think that's all I've got. Kurt, what you got coming up? Uh, we got three, four days left in the tomb quest kickstarters. We're doing this summer. That'll be fun. Oh my God. Uh, that's it. That's kind of everything else is like, will not be seen for many, many months. I'll, I'll circle back, but, uh, Plug the process. We're plugging the process. The process, baby. Plug the process. Amazing. I love you, guys.
01:17:48
Speaker
I love you, too. And friends that are listening, you can always reach us at SoWhatAreYouIntoPod at gmail.com. And you can find us on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram at SoWhatAreYouIntoPod.
01:17:59
Speaker
ah Angela, once again, thank you so much for joining us. You're amazing. We love you. Thank you for being here. We're grateful. We you, guys. We miss you. To everybody else, we say stay curious. Thank Thank