All About Change - Season 3, Episode 3: Emmy-nominated actress Cheryl Hines from 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' Talks Acting, Inclusion and...Poker

Episode Date: May 24, 2020

Emmy-nominated actress Cheryl Hines joins Jay to talk about her acting career, working with Larry David, 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' inclusion, and her poker face.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

curb your enthusiasm is one of the great comedies on television right now the show stars larry david as himself and as an accompanying cast that is excellent all inclusive a podcast on inclusion innovation innovation, and social justice with Jay Ruderman. Hi, I'm Jay Ruderman, and this is All Inclusive. One of those excellent co-stars on Curb Your Enthusiasm is Emmy-nominated actress Cheryl Hines, who joined us today. Cheryl, thanks so much for joining us today, and I hope you and your family are doing well at this time. We're really proud to have you as our guest. We are living in the time of the surge of COVID-19. I'm here in Massachusetts, and we really are really in the surge. I just wanted to understand how you and your family are dealing with this time of social isolation and

quarantine and how are things in at home? Hi, it's good to be here. How are things at home? Things at home are pretty good, actually. Everybody's so far, you know, I don't want to jinx it, but everybody's hanging in there and they're pretty, dare I say, respectful of each other at our house. We have a lot of people here. We have probably seven, maybe. I have a lot of kids. So we're all hunkered down together. So far, so good.

You know, I've done a lot of online games with my friends. And I think that's what's keeping me sane. A lot of Zoom calls. You know, I'm also living in a house with seven adults and three dogs. And thank God we have the space. But you know, it's it's been you know, I have teenagers. So it's a different phase. Sometimes they're really happy. And sometimes they're not so happy. Yes. Let me ask you, you know, in terms of your industry as an actress in the entertainment industry, has everything just been frozen right now in terms of, you know, filming? I noticed that a lot of, you know, shows that are live shows are now being done remotely, but are they time to read scripts?

I mean, how do you take best use of this time that you have? Well, yes, it's a good time to read scripts. And it does seem like everything is frozen. It's starting to feel like things are lifting a little bit, that there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. I know a lot of executives, as well as the union, like SAG and AFTRA, they're all trying to figure out how to move forward, because we can't just stay stuck in time. So people are trying to come up with good plans of how we can get back to work. And I think, you know, it's going to look different when we do go back to work. It's, I don't imagine there will be shows with big audiences for a while. So I think people are trying to sort of reinvent TV and film, I think, for the next chapter.

It seems like the entertainment industry is a lot about, you know, being out and about and connecting and having the right meetings and socializing. And now that that is not going on so much, how do you keep those connections going? You know, it's interesting. One of my friends is a producer and we were playing poker online. And she was saying that they had a table read for a film that she's you know trying to put together and they didn't know what to expect because they thought it was might just be a dud like fizzle out not the right vibe but she said it was one of the best table reads she's ever been to because it was on Zoom. And usually, you know, when you do a table read, the actors sit at a long table and then producers, writers,

network executives, or, you know, studio executives are all sitting around watching. But she said on Zoom, the way it's set up that people can hide their video so they can mute themselves and hide themselves so you can watch and hear everything that's going on, but people can't see you. So the only people that were seen were the actors that were doing the table read. And she said it was amazing. She felt like she was watching the film because, you know, like we're doing, you're sitting there and you see closeups of everybody's faces. And she said it was just sort of a magical experience. And she said it might change the way people do table reads, because also they didn't, you know, you didn't have to fly in actors from around the country or around the world. Everybody could be there. And was just a very um sort of intimate way of of doing it so things were

changing sometimes so you and i met right before this pandemic really broke out we we did an event uh honoring uh peter and bobby farley um in bever Beverly Hills for their work for inclusion of people with disabilities in their films. And it was a great event. And I got to meet you and Ted Danson and Larry David. And it was probably one of the last events that was held before everything sort of closed down. You've had a tremendous amount of success in your career with Curb Your Enthusiasm. And obviously, I've been very connected to the show and to Larry David, but you've done many other things in your career. How have you moved away from being an integral part of that show and connected to Larry to really developing, you know, a very substantial career on your own?

It's a good question because when Curb Your Enthusiasm first came out, because of the style of the show, it's all improvised and it was supposed to look like a documentary. So it was sort of a mockumentary, if you will, because Larry David is playing a version of himself and you had, and still do, have Richard Lewis playing a version of himself and Ted Danson so you have all these people that you know and when I was cast one of the reasons I got the job was because I was an unknown actress so they wanted somebody everybody didn't know so people would think oh maybe that's actually Larry David's wife because everybody else is a real person so when Curb came out people thought it was really married to Larry so I mean I went to an audition and the casting director said oh

you're an actress too uh what do you mean so she thought it was a reality show and um so anyway it was just uh I had to I hired a publicist then to sort of separate myself from the show. So people would know I'm not really Larry David's wife and I'm an actress. It was helpful. So after that, I started getting auditions and offers as an actress instead of as Larry David's wife. So you were born in Miami and grew up in Tallahassee. When you first started getting into acting, tell us how that happened.

How did you get the bug and how did you begin your acting career? Well, it's interesting because I can only remember wanting to be an actor. I mean, when I was little, I would write sketches with my sister and my brothers, and then we'd have a show in the living room for my parents. I mean, they weren't great shows, let's be honest. But I mean, looking back, I realized, oh, that's not normal. I mean, not every kid is like writing comedy sketches when they're eight. So that was just sort of, you know, my life

growing up. And then when I was in high school, I really started taking acting seriously. And because I did grow up in Tallahassee, I got to work with some of the actors at Florida State University. So that was exciting for me. And I think it really got me thinking in a more serious way about acting in a more focused way of, oh, I need to be disciplined about this. And I want, I have to, to really approach it sort of in a, you know, more mature way. So, yeah, from there, I, you know, studied it in college and, and then at some point I just drove my Toyota Tercel from Orlando to, to Los Angeles. Then, and then from there, I, I found out about the Groundlings Theater in LA, which is all improv and sketch comedy. And I, I went there and I, I really found my home and my people. And I learned so much there. From there, I got Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is all improvised.

So it's all, you know. So, I mean, there are thousands and thousands of actors, people from all over the country that descend on LA and try to make it and most of them don't make it. What do you attribute your success to? I mean, it's, you know, my dad used to say, you know, first of all, 90% of life is showing up, but 25% is hard work and 75% is luck. What's your theory on how it happened for you?

Well, I like the idea of preparedness meeting opportunity. So for me, I feel like I had spent years and years and years studying and learning. And I mean, I wrote a play when I was in my 20s and I produced that. And I, you know, I kept writing play when I was in my 20s and I produced that. And I, you know, I kept writing when, of course, nobody's asking me to write anything. I kept, you know, auditioning for student films. I just did every day. I was working really hard, even though nobody at all cared. But it helped me to prepare for the moment when somebody did care, when somebody did call me

in for an audition, I was ready, you know, because I'd spent my whole life waiting for that moment in time where I could go in and actually, you know, try in front of somebody who was a decision maker or had the power to hire me for something. In some ways, you have to be a very strong person to deal with a lot of rejection and maybe a couple of acceptances. How did you fortify yourself in terms of, I mean, mental health, anxiety, depression is so prevalent in our society and I think very prevalent in the entertainment industry, how do you deal with that? How do you push yourself forward when there's rejection all the time? When I was in Orlando before I moved to LA, there was only one show that was being shot there,

and it was Swamp Thing, the TV show. I was dying to be on it because that was the one show, you know? So I had, I auditioned once and I didn't get the part. I auditioned the second time and I did not get a part. And they called me in the third time for Swamp Thing, you know? And I'm really working on these auditions, right? I'm prepared. I've studied. I've done all the things I'm supposed to do. I go on, go in and I did get the part and I really got depressed. And I, I talked to my sister and I said, you know, maybe, maybe I shouldn't be

in this business. You know, maybe I'm not good at it and I don't know, maybe, maybe I shouldn't be in this business. You know, maybe I'm not good at it. And I don't know, maybe, maybe I should just quit. And she said, yeah, you should. She said, well, if, if this rejection from swamping is getting you down this much, you need to get out. She said, you picked a profession where it's mostly rejection. You're going to go through your whole life feeling badly about yourself if this is how you're treating your swamp thing, rejection. And, you know, I thought about it and it made a lot of sense to me. And it really made me step back and think about, you know, the idea of rejection and auditioning and not getting the part. And it, and it made me, I really thought about it in a completely

different way. Whereas it doesn't matter if you get the part or not, the success is that you got the audition and you got to go in and you got to do your best. And that should be your definition of success. Otherwise, if you're waiting to be happy until you get cast in that thing, you're never, you might not ever be happy because like you're saying, there's a big component of luck that has to be there for you to get something. So I've taken time to think about my self-worth, if you will. That has nothing to do with if I get a job as an actress or not. But then that being said, the fourth time I went in to audition for Swamp Thing, I got it. Congratulations.

Thank you. Talk a little bit about the industry that you're in, like being a woman and the barriers that sometimes women have to face in the industry. And especially, you know, as people progress in their career, you know, the ways that the industry may view them. And what are your opinions on that? And how do you think, how do you handle that? How do you take a leadership role in that? Well, I have a few schools of thought. It's interesting because for me personally,

I haven't felt that barrier between, you know, women and not being able to move to the next level. And maybe because, you know, I started at the groundlings and it's very, I don't know, guy, girl, doesn't matter as long as you're funny or talented, it doesn't really matter. But then when I started doing other things like producing, directing, then it did become clearer to me. Oh, it's unusual for a woman to direct a film. But I had never thought about it before until people started asking me like, wow, you're a lady director. How does that feel? Oh, yeah, I guess I'm a lady and a director.

I'm a lady and a director. Probably feels like a guy director, but I don't know. But you know, it's interesting because especially when I went with my husband, we're trying to figure out a film or a TV show to watch. That's when it becomes very clear to me. Oh, it is very male dominated, you know, because I'm not, I don't connect that strongly to a film that just has is all men and then maybe one one lady that's the nurse you know I don't really need to watch another where it's just a bunch of guys killing each other that does I don't respond to that and just the same as he

probably doesn't want to watch a movie about uh that's 99% women and one guy who comes in and brings chocolate and flowers to the girls. But that being said, it's mostly guys in movies. And when I was putting together this project of a film that I wrote and we were getting money you know trying to to raise the money for it and there was one um organization who said yes we will uh contribute to this as long as you can guarantee that at least 50 percent of the cast will be at least uh women and or minorities. And I thought, that is a weird, I mean, of course it's going to be 50% of the cast, but see that, then that, I realized, oh, that's just me.

And that's not normal. I mean, you watch things and it's not usually a 50-50 mix. So, you know, it's a learning process for me. Well, I think that the entertainment industry has had a lot of stigma and you've seen other minority groups that have been discriminated against for decades and are now sort of making progress. The African-American community, Hispanic community, Asian community have really come to the forefront. I mean, they're not,

I would say, completely in positions of power, but their power is growing. You know, I think also with women in film, I mean, you've not only acted, but you've directed. And I'm wondering if you could talk about, you know, which situation, like how does it feel being an actress as opposed to directing something? And which one do you enjoy more well yes they are they are completely um different art forms although i hate to use that word because larry

david would be like oh god art forms okay um but i'm acting you know there's an ease to it. And maybe because I've been doing it for so long. I don't know, I find it very, you know, it's just my job. But as a director, I just directed an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm this season. So that was fun. And I directed a few television projects, and also an independent feature film a while ago. And directing is definitely more challenging for me. I mean, you're the first one on the set and you're the last one to leave. And you have to know exactly what's going on and you have to anticipate what's going to happen

in the next hour, in the next two hours, tomorrow morning. What happens if it rains what happens if one of the actors is late what happens if you know I mean there are a lot of what ifs that you have to think about as a director and it's very stressful right so does that answer the question sure so it sounds like you enjoyed both being an actor and directing, but they're very different art forms. Yes. And you've talked a lot about this in different forms, but, you know, you are a trained actress. You're used to learning lines and knowing what you have to say and when you have to say it.

How was it to adapt to playing on Curb Your Enthusiasm where you know there are no lines and everything is is improvised well that was very um easy for me only because I had just spent so many years at the Groundlings Theater doing improv in front of a live audience, which is terrifying. But it's about listening to, you know, your scene partner and responding. So that's what we do on Curb. You're just listening and you can't respond until you hear what the other person says. And then if you have a genuine response to it, then you're doing the right thing. So it's actually easier for me on Curb Your Enthusiasm because I've never felt a responsibility to try to be funny. I'm pretty much the straight man on Curb, which is great. Whereas, like I said,

you know, when you're doing improv in front of a live audience and they say, oh, where are these two people? They're at Starbucks. OK, go. And then now you're doing a scene from scratch. You have to label who you are, who your scene partner is, what's going on, what the problem is, how are you going to solve it? And you have to do it all, you know, in two and a half minutes. So for me, it was an easy transition. So I only met Larry once. And it was when we did this honoring of the Farley brothers.

And he seemed like a very genuine person, a little bit prickly, but he's probably exactly as he is in real life as he is on the show. That's my guess. But you probably have years of experience of knowing this. Well, Larry's, you know, as you can imagine, a very smart person. And he's so great because he knows what's funny about himself. He knows that because he hates social rules, he knows that that's funny to other people although in real life he hates social rules so um so it's pretty great that he can harness it basically and do it on the show in real life he wouldn't actually cross some of the lines he crosses on curb but he also says

that's why he does it that's why he does the show so he can because that's why he does it. That's why he does the show. So he can, because that's how he would like to act. Right. I remember when I went to shake his hand, he's like, I haven't shaken a hand in six weeks and I'm not going to start right now. So that was my introduction to Larry David. Yeah. So he will,

but that's what I like about him. He'll tell you, you know, he'll be very honest with you. Do you want to have lunch? No. Right. Oh, okay. Well, then'll be very honest with you. Do you want to have lunch? No. Right. Oh, okay.

Well, then I will talk to you later. Yeah, or not. Right. Let me ask you, if you hadn't gone into acting, what do you think you'd be doing right now? I think I would be a psychologist. Interesting. Yeah, I'm very interested in people

and, you know, how they approach things in life. And I think that I might be helpful at listening. And what advice would you give to young actors who are trying to make it into the business? Well, like we talked about before, I think you have to find other ways to be happy in your life I think you have to recognize your happiness when it comes so you're not sitting around thinking oh when I get that TV show I'll be happy when I get that movie I'll be happy you know find your find your little victories along the way and really celebrate them and And also, you know, I was just interviewing

J.B. Smoove, who's on Career Enthusiasm. And he's just great. He's very smart. And he said, don't let somebody else set the bar. You set the bar and then do pull-ups on it. I like that because it's like, as an actor actor, nobody's gonna knock on your door and say, Hey, I heard you're great. They're just not it just doesn't work like that. But now you know, we're in a time of social media and everybody's got a phone and everybody's got a camera. So be creative, create projects that you like, that you think are good and you think are extraordinary, and then put it out to the world and see if they respond. But don't, you can't sit around hoping that somebody's going to discover you. You're listening to All Inclusive with Jay Ruderman.

You can learn more. View the show notes and transcripts at rudermanfoundation.org slash all inclusive. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review us wherever you are listening. So is this your new form of improv by doing sort of improv on social media? And do you still do improv? Well, I just started a Zoom talk show called Shooting the Shit with Cheryl. That's really fun. And yeah, I mean, I guess in a way it's all improvised because I'm talking to people and hearing, oh, see, this is my life. It's coming together.

I'm using my improv skills and my psychology skills because I like to listen to people. I like to listen to people. I like to hear their stories. I like to hear where they're from and how they got there and, you know, what they're doing. So yes, I'm using my improv skills there. But, you know, I mean, listen, I think everybody could use improv skills in life because it's really, you know, one of the biggest rules about improv is to say yes. And so when someone says something to you, you say yes. And you add information. So you're not saying no to people. You're not saying, I don't like that idea. I didn't just hear what you said. No, thank you. You're saying yes to everything. And I think it's a really good positive attitude

to have. So yes, and eye contact is another, although it's hard in our social isolation. But you know, reading other people and really taking them in, I think is, I don't know, it's a great way to go through life, to listen, make eye contact and say, yeah. And how do you deal with social media when it gets nasty? Like, what's your technique of dealing with that? I usually ignore it. Sometimes you can't ignore it. And then when you can't, maybe you shut it off for a while, but once in a while I'll respond.

Somebody wrote, um, said something about my veneers being too big, my fake teeth. And I said, Oh, I don't have veneers, but thank you for taking the time to write that comment. So, you know, I don't know. I can't, you can't, you can't worry about it too much or you'll go crazy. Right, right.

And I noticed that some actors are very active on social media and some of them choose not to be involved at all. So I guess it's a personal choice in how, you know, you take it, you know, some people, I guess, really take it to heart and it bothers them.

They're very sensitive and some people are able to sort of just blow it off and turn it off. Yeah. I mean, for me, I have been, uh, maybe from being in this business, but you know, it's been years of, like I said, rejection. Oh, she's too old. She's too young. She's too fat. She's too skinny. She's too fat. She's too skinny. She's

too this, she's too that, you know, whatever it is. So I think as long as you know who you are, other people can't define you, right? So if somebody says, oh, your veneers are too big. Well, like I said, I don't have veneers. And even if if I did and I chose him to be this big then I don't care what Joe in Kansas is saying it's fine they're working out for me don't worry about it right it sounds like you have a very strong inner confidence and and that's been with you for a long time and you know maybe your family, you know, is a very strong basis that you can sort of like turn to. You know, I know that you do have a very strong family and that there are probably many people in the industry that don't have that. And, you know, probably lack that stability.

Right. You're right. I do have I have a strong connection to my family. connection to my family. And, and, you know, if you don't have a strong connection to your family, and not everybody does, it's important to have core group of people that will always be honest with you. I think even if it's just one person, you have to have somebody who will say, hey, reel it in, dial it down. Either you're not that great or you're so much better than this. You need one honest person in your corner. So America is a very diverse place. And I think that, you know, we've seen groups that have been ostracized from the entertainment industry. And as we talked about before, it made great strides, although they're not quite there. The disability community has been really ostracized. In fact, I think that there's this feeling in the entertainment industry that great acting is playing disability. And in

fact, in the last three decades, half the men that have won the Best Actor Oscar have won for playing a disability. And our foundation came up with a study that said that 95% of the men that have won the best actor Oscar have won for playing a disability. And our foundation came up with a study that said that 95% of the characters that you see on TV playing a disability don't have that disability. So that was part of why, you know, we've honored the Farley brothers because they've done in their movies a great job at putting, you know, giving roles for people with disabilities. And thank you for coming to that event. And thank you for signing our foundation's letter urging studios to audition actors with disabilities. I know you have a personal connection with disability. I mean, it seems like, you know, entertainment should reflect, even though it's entertainment, but the more that it reflects reality, I think

the more impact it has on society and reducing stigmas. I mean, you obviously chose to come to the event and you chose to sign the letter. What are your feelings about disability in terms of being behind and in front of the camera? Well, you're right. So I have a nephew who has cerebral palsy and he's been in a wheelchair his whole life. And his speech is not great, but I can understand every word. So I think there's an interesting thing that goes on with people,

especially that involves speech, some sort of disability that might impact your speech, the people around them can hear every word and understand it perfectly. And then somebody new comes in and it sounds like, oh, I can't possibly hear what this person's saying. But I think it's very important for the industry to hire people with disabilities because it's an authentic way to really see who other people are. So someone with a disability like cerebral palsy, if you hire somebody who has cerebral palsy, like RJ Mitty in Breaking Bad, here you have an actor, a great actor, who's playing somebody who has cerebral palsy, who has cerebral palsy. So it's a very authentic look at it. And it's not somebody's interpretation of it. It's just an actor playing a role. So like with Shoshana Stern in This Close. I was on that show. And Shoshana has a hearing disability. And everybody on, not everybody, but most of the people when I was there anyway, around me,

had a different, there were different levels of, I don't want to even say capability of hearing because you know oh well I will I'll say that because almost everybody on the set was signing using sign language so it was interesting because I was the minority so I was the one that didn't know sign language and they could all communicate beautifully and perfectly and you know telling jokes and I was the one left out because I didn't know the language. But it was a great show because it's about two people that I can't hear. And you can see their point of view of the world and also how people perceive them. So instead of people trying to imagine how that might look or feel or sound, you have people who can tell you exactly how it looks and feels and sounds. Same with Cole Sibus on Stumptown. So I did an episode of Stumptown, and I just fell in love with Cole because here is an actor who has a disability who's doing an amazing job in his role and he's

doing it better than somebody who would be acting like he had a disability it's just an authentic look at life and about at people and who they are and how they perceive the world and how the world perceives them it only only elevates, yeah, it elevates a project to a very authentic place. Right. And disability is such a large part of our society. 20% of our population has some form of a disability. And we've seen real leadership among people like Scott Silveri, who had a show on ABC called Speechless with Minnie Driver. And he went out and he looked for Micah Fowler, who played one of the lead characters and someone who has a disability,

or Edgar Wright, who produced among his films Baby Driver and auditioned a lot of characters for the film of Baby's father, and then found C.J. Jones, who's deaf, and said, you know, the character was going to be deaf. Or, you know, even John Krasinski in A Quiet Place wanted his daughter to be deaf and found Millicent Simmons. So I think when you find that leadership, you have inclusion. You know, your husband's cousin, Tim Shriver, wrote a book called Fully Alive. I don't know if you've read it, but sort of goes through the history of disability in our country, how people, you know, were institutionalized and segregated. And it was actually Tim's mother,

Eunice Shriver, who really began Special Olympics and, you know, really started bringing people with disabilities out of institutions and into the public view. And our foundation recently did a study that we released to the studios. It was a survey saying that people really want authenticity and they're willing to pay for authenticity. But this stigma that permeates our society about disability, I think also exists in the entertainment industry. And there are some people that are saying, no, well, if you really want to have a character with disability played, you know, correctly, don't hire a person with disability, hire an able-bodied actor to play

that disability. So I think, you know, we're in a transition period, but the more leaders like you and others that really say, you know, no, I think that, you know, people with disabilities have the right to be seen and to be heard and to be, you know, the more that happens, the more stigma in our society, you know, will be reduced. So, you know. No, you're absolutely right. And, you know, I think even ABC Dancing with the Stars, I think they've done a very good job, you know, introducing the masses to someone who only has one leg who can who's an amazing dancer, somebody who can't hear who's an amazing dancer and I and it's been fun to watch how much people around the world around the country connect with with that person and maybe they just haven't you know most people haven't had the opportunity to watch somebody who only has one leg dance you know or who's deaf dance so I think it's a good indicator to the industry that people connect with this and

people want to understand it, want to see it, want to explore it. Clearly, if so many actors have been winning, you know, awards for their portrayal of someone with a disability, there's an audience out there who wants to see the story of this person with a disability. So what better way to do it than somebody with that disability? I think you're right. I think we're ready for it. We want to see it. Yeah. Thank you. So let me just ask you some offhand questions. Are there any actors who you've not worked with yet that you're really dying to work with? Hmm. I mean, I should have an answer for this, shouldn't I?

I don't know. I've been so lucky. I've been so, I have been so lucky with the people that I've worked with. I mean, it would be fun to do something with Glenn Close, like a thriller. A thriller with Glenn Close. Write it up, you guys. Yeah. I saw her in a film at Sundance with Mila Kunis.

That was quite a film. And I think, you know, we'll do, you know, fairly well. Let me ask you, your poker playing, where does that come from? And, you know, how long have you been a poker player? And is this online poker? Will you go to a casino when casinos actually become a thing again? Well, I started playing when I was pregnant 16 years ago because I was so bored and I was stuck at home.

And I started playing online. And and I started playing online and then I started playing with friends and then I started, yeah, we, you know, we have trips to Vegas and stuff like that, but I have a home game. I mean, we haven't played since the lockdown, but I have a home game with like Ray Romano and Jason Alexander and Cameron Manheim, you know, a bunch of people. And we, we go every month we go and we play, you know, till one in the morning, if you're one of the winners. So yeah, I play. And then now during the lockdown, I've been playing online with my friends. We do somehow somebody set it up where we're on zoom and we're also playing on another device so it's complicated but worth it do you have a good poker face i have a great poker face

no you know what i like about poker it's the one time that you not only you know should you lie but you have to you have to look somebody in the eye and lie to them. And it's perfect, perfectly acceptable. And I like that. Interesting. Have you ever thought of joining one of these poker tournaments in Vegas? You see on TV or. Well, I have, I mean, I have, I played like the, the women's world series of poker. I did a, I don't know.

I've done a few TV poker games. One time I won. So I think it's, but I do a lot of, I seem to do a lot of charity poker tournaments, which is fun. I mean, I just did one for Feeding America that Ben Affleck coordinated. That was really fun. Are there any upcoming projects

that we should be looking out for that you've been involved with that you really liked and you're excited about coming out? If you can divulge them at this time, if they're not. That's what's interesting. I mean, I don't know if they've announced it yet, so I don't think I can announce, but we, we shot one episode of this crazy fun show. Okay. I guess.

This is very. That's as much as you can say right now uh right so since we haven't announced i probably should but we we did one episode the day before everything locked down so hopefully we're gonna go back and finish shooting and then they'll tell you all about it then all right well we'll we'll learn about it let me just ask you final question are there any shows or tea or movies that you really like that you know have really caught your attention other than shows that you're in it would be so weird if i only listed shows so awkward well i really love um killing eve really enjoying killing eve and then um we just watched waco um terribly sad but interesting interesting look on history you know people are you know the, I've just finished Netflix.

I kind of feel like that. I feel like I just watched everything. So now. Do you like watching yourself on TV and the movies, or is it something that, you know, if you see something comes up, do you turn the channel or do you, do you watch it? Oh no, I definitely don't watch it. Yeah. I don't necessarily like watching myself but like I said I've been so fortunate to work with amazing people that I want to watch Curb because I want to see what Larry and JB and Susie and Jeff are doing um because I don't get to see it unless it's you

know in the scene that I'm in so I will watch it I have to be in the mood like my husband will want to watch it all the time and I'm like I can't I can't tonight so I mean the same with the Bad Moms Christmas I got to work with um Susan Sarandon and Kristen Bell and I just had so much fun me like we I had so much fun with them that if I wouldn't watch it by myself, but if my stepdaughter hasn't seen it, she needs to see it, I would sit down and watch it with her, you know, with half an eye. Right. It is weird to see yourself.

It's weird. I'm sure. I'm sure. Well, Cheryl, I really appreciate your time and thank you for joining us and thanks for your leadership and being an awesome actor uh who i enjoy watching thank you so much and stay safe and stay healthy and i hope your family stays safe and safe and healthy throughout this whole uh pandemic and we'll see you on the other side yes Yes. Well, thank you for all the work you're doing. It's really important. It makes such a difference in so many people's lives and

it's not easy work that you're doing. I know this to be true. So I appreciate your hard work and keep it up. Thank you. It pays off. And yes, you stay safe and sane. Thank you. Thank you so much. Bye. All Inclusive is a production of the Ruderman Family Foundation. Our key mission is the full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society. You can find All Inclusive on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and Stitcher. Thank you. I'm Matt Jay Ruderman. Thank you.