Drama Queens - Cullen Moss

Episode Date: May 27, 2024

Junk is here!  Cullen Moss joins Sophia and Hilarie as they reminisce on some sweet moments working together.  Together they relive some real life Wilmington stories that could have easily been a plot for the show or its own movie! Plus, the Cullen factor: similarities between One Tree Hill and Outer Banks!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. It may look different, but native culture is alive. My name is Nicole Garcia, and on Burn Sage, Burn Bridges, we aim to explore that culture. Somewhere along the way, it turned into this full-fledged award-winning comic shop. That's Dr. Lee Francis IV, who opened the first Native comic bookshop. Explore his story along with many other native stories on the show, Burn Sage, Burn Bridges. Listen to Burn Sage Burn Bridges. Listen to Burn Sage Burn Bridges on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

First of all, you don't know me. We're all about that high school drama girl, drama girl, all about them high school queens. We'll take you for a ride and our comic girl. Drama girl. Cheering for the right team. Drama queens, drama queens. Smart girl, rough girl, fashion but you'll tough girl. You could sit with us, girl.

Drama queen, drama queens, drama queens, drama queens, drama queens. Ladies and gentlemen, we have one of our favorite humans in the whole wide world. Cullen Moss is going to be with us today. I'm so happy. Junk. Who named this child junk? There he is. Look at this mustache.

Handsome. Thank you. It's mine. Thank you. The mustache is a gift to all of us. Where are you right now? Charleston, South Carolina. Yeah, you made that big move.

Four hours south. Yeah. Yeah. Listen, but Wilmington was always the place where, like, you went once and then you stayed for 30 years. And so anytime someone gets out of Wilmington, it's a big move. You did it. It was. Yeah, that was 21 years of history that I left back there and didn't leave.

I mean. Yeah, we're back all the time. It's right over there. So are you working right now? What's going on with you? I am. Yeah, I've only got a couple of days left for season four of Outer Banks. Okay.

I'm going to tell you something right now. Are you going to tell him the theory? He knows the fairy. Listen, so just so you guys know, we're having a fun little catch-up with Cullen here, but then we're going to do an episode recap with him. And that episode is episode 622, and it hit me really hard. Like, I cried through the whole thing. I did too.

Everybody was crying, y'all. Baby, my palate cleanser was, I'm going to watch this Outer Bank show. And when I tell you, I just binged four episodes in a row after dropping my kids off at school, I'm so fixated right now on these little goonies running around the island. What are these kids doing? I'm real into it. Do you get caught up in these capers? I'm so sad I'm behind.

You know, I only get caught up as far as my jurisdiction will allow. You know, as sheriff, L.E.O. of Kildare County, I, it never takes me to, to Morocco or Barbados, say. They left you? They go places and they come back, but, yeah, Shoup stays home and mine's the chickens. And so, yeah, but I do, I get to, I get to peripherally go on these capers. And I'm, you know, always, I'm after the wrong guy until I'm not. Right. I'm that, I'm that cop.

I'm like this far from being Roscoe Pico train, you know, from Diggs Fazardt dated reference. We love it. Please don't you use that reference with these young kids. And they're like, sure, mister. Okay, Bob. Sophia, give him the theory. And I know that you know this already, Colin. Well, and for our friends who are listening, you have heard us.

discuss this. And Hillary, we really owe this theory to you because you came up with the idea that the outer banks and one tree hill live in the same universe adjacent universe. Maybe we call it a metaverse. I don't know. Totally. You've, you superhero fans can tell us. But that essentially your character, Colin Junk, is the center of our multiverse here. And that when he grew up, he dropped the nickname and he joined the police force. Why would he drop the nickname? Well, he got adopted by his stepdad, changed his last name. Like, this all makes sense to me.

Because Junk was always a really steady guy. He seems like the kind of guy that, like, after a couple years of community college in Tree Hill, was like, you know what? I'm going to go into the force. Watch me do this. Or after a couple of years of community service. Or there he is. He might have an arrest or two on his record. What do you think?

Yeah. Yeah, I mean, yeah, he might have had that brush with law, and maybe there's the, you know, the kindly deputy that took him under his wing and said, let me get you on the right path, junk. And he was like, hey, I can do that. That's a valid theory. You know, I know, I had high school, well, a high school friend in particular that everybody was just shocked. Like, you know, later on in social media land, re-catching back up with this guy. I'm like, oh, my God, he's a cop. He's on the force.

And this was the guy that, you know, that was complicit in so many things, if not spearheading. And they're in. He's a cop. By the way, that's what makes you a good investigator. That's the origin story of a lot of cops, don't we think? Yeah. They know how to solve those crimes because they committed them in junior high and high school. easy man. I love it.

Yeah, no, we definitely think that there's a crossover because you're working with a lot of the same crew that we worked with. That's like one of the most beautiful parts of that show, yeah, for me. I mean, we've got the most handsome sound mixer in the world. Mike Rail. Oh, my God,

what I give. Love. Yeah, Mike Rail, Boe Webb. I love him. Tim Carjoli. Oh, my God, the Cartier. Coliole's. The Cajolos broke up. They broke up.

The Cajoli no longer together. Damn it. I know. But yeah, I mean, Michael Jefferson. Oh, my gosh. And wasn't Michael's daughter working on the show for a second? McKenzie Jefferson? Yeah.

And she was on there. She was a two-year-old in our trailer on One Tree Hill. And my nickname with her was Amemba. She thought my name was Amemba. Because any time I came into the trailer, she would say, a member me? And I would say, yeah, a member me? And so for a very long time, Mackenzie Jefferson thought my name was a member.

It's very adult disease. Get the t-shirt made. Okay, so let's rewind, because we love that you've become this, you know, cop with a heart of gold. You've played so many bad cops. I like that you're playing a good cop. I'm glad that you recognize it. So many people don't.

So many people are like, Why do you got to mess with the pogs? Yeah, dude, no, you're just trying to keep those kids alive. You get it. They need boundaries. They need adult supervision, man. Right. Yeah, I don't know how one goes from playing junk to playing law enforcement.

So let's go back to the beginning because what had you done before one tree hill? Not a lot. Well, I'd done a lot of theater. and I've done some independent films and shorts and well I've done an episode of Dawson's Creek barely who hasn't do do do do do I was in Wilmington I did whatever you know whatever was available there but I think Dawson's Creek was that was about it I don't think I'd hit anything else. Were you just doing extra work on Dawson's or did you say words?

No, I said words. I said words on the edge of my glasses got into the frame before they cut. And then Josh brought me back. There was an episode Josh directed and he brought me Josh Jackson and he brought me back in to play off, to be an off screen actor for actors that couldn't be there on the same day. It was the Dr. Drew and Adam Carolla episode. Oh, Jesus.

So were you playing like a misogynist? What were you doing? Both misogynists. I had to be two misogynists. Oh, my God. And whoever was in the audience asking questions. And then, like, so on the day that one of the, that either Drew or Adam couldn't be there, I had to be one of them.

And then on the day the guy in the audience couldn't be there, I had to be one of him. And Josh was like, and you can also pass a mic around. Oh. And I guess so, yeah, almost background for that. No. Did you get your sag card for that? That's a big deal. I wish I could remember when and how.

But I don't remember the first thing. I mean, I think it was Dawson's Creek. But like I said, I've done a bunch. I've done like indie stuff up until then. And then, yeah, but once we had it was like the big, the big one thing that started, like, that started opening things up for me. Yeah. Do you remember auditioning for junk? Like, what was the, what was his name junk?

Yeah. Why? Do you know why? Yes. Well, later it was revealed why. I didn't write at first. It was just there was nothing but speculation for eight years. and I mean I had an idea

but I've found the notebook a few years ago that I had with me when I got the call from from my agent and I had written down jump J-U-M-P jump McReady like McGrath like jump McReady 17-year-old baller is what I had written on this page.

Oh, my God. Jump! Because, you know, he's got jumps. Oh, my God. And I was just, I remember thinking, how improbable. And I had a trip to my wife. I was married to my first wife at the time. She was pregnant.

We were planning a trip to, we were planning a trip to Japan to visit my brother. Um, and this, and that's, that was when the audition came about, but, and jump is an entirely different character, baby. Jump would be different. Jump is so funny to me. What is your real basketball background? Are you a baller? Um, a big time.

Yeah. I can't tell if he's fucking with us or not. I can't either. I'm like, uh, uh, I coached. Um, no, I, I'm not good. Uh, I play, just playing pickup. games and stuff. You were there to make Chad look good.

Right, right, exactly. I just, I played frantically. I was, I was a real go-getter. I'll tell you that. Wait, wait, I was a trier. Colin, I am obsessed with, what kind of basketball player were you? A frantic one. It was, it was.

I was frantic. He was crying. Frantic and frequently disappointed. Jump McReady is going to, be the name I book when I go to hotels and I want to be under an alias. I am Jump McReady

gorgeous. So different. McReady, your car is ready. Oh my God. We did find out later that junk was because my parents had a scrapyard. Oh, when did we find that out?

Was I there? No. I was gone. It was during a poker game. And Chad was there as a mannequin. We're in a Lucas wig. Stop, was it really supposed to be, Chad?

No, it was like, that was the joke. Okay. But it looked a lot like. It was, I mean, it was powerful. Yeah, that's art, Colin. And there's like a truth or dare going around the table. And somebody was like, all right, why are you? And somebody made fun of my name.

And then I said, my parents were in a junkyard. And it was that much, it was that anticlimactic. Wow. All that buildup. and it's because your parents ran scrap all right listen were they made were they like made guys

because you know how the waste management business here is New York is you know yeah they're part of that Carolina mafia not in Tree Hill in Tree Hill it wasn't such it wasn't as lucrative

straight narrow they didn't know how to find the strings to pull it may look different It may look different, but Native culture is very alive. My name is Nicole Garcia, and on Burn Sage, Burn Bridges, we aim to explore that culture. It was a huge honor to become a television writer because it does feel oddly, like, very traditional.

It feels like Bob Dylan going electric, that this is something we've been doing for hundreds of years. You carry with you a sense of purpose and confidence. That's Sierra Taylor Ornellis, who with Rutherford Falls became the first first native showrunner in television history. On the podcast, Burn Sage Burn Bridges, we explore her story along with other Native stories, such as the creation of the first Native Comic-Con or the importance of reservation basketball. Every day, Native people are striving to keep traditions alive while navigating the modern world, influencing and bringing our culture into the mainstream. Listen to Burn Sage, Burn Bridges, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. So you brought up theater. Colin, everybody knows that you were like my first friend in Wilmington. When we shot the pilot, you were like, hey, little girl, you seem lost. Join me at level five. Don't say it like that. Let's rewind. No, but seriously, I was super freaked out.

I mean, I was really nervous. And we, you know, yeah, I was really, really nervous. And I didn't know, you know, working at TRL, you don't hang out with the talent. Like, that's tacky. So hanging out with, like, actors was a very big faux pa. You hung out with the crew. But I was also 20 years old. And the crew were these, like, guys with kids.

You know, I didn't know where to go. And you were so great because you were like, we're going to go see improv comedy. And you're going to come to level five. And you're going to spend the next six years of your life there. And it just opened up so many doors. So fun. Well, I'm glad you see it that way. Yeah.

It was cool. And, like, when we wrapped the pilot, that was just such a, like, that was the soapbox, which is now a waffle house. Isn't that fucked up? Was our, was our first rap party? Oh, my God. Was it? I lived there, because that's, like, where we would go to see bands play. That was a really cool spot on that little southeast music circuit.

We saw all sorts of people there. Yeah. And your friends that you, you know, introduced me to own it. Andy Vaughn and Val and Jason and Grant. They were the bad kids of Wilmington, just always getting into shit. I loved it. We were all a little bad. I loved hearing, I really love this because it's like I'm hearing about the sort of leapfrog moments because, you know,

Collin, you showed her around, and you can't forget. Like, I wasn't on the pilot. You know, you guys did this project in the spring, and then I got hired onto the show right before it started in July. And, like, I showed up, you know, this was like my first real big job. I've been, like, a guest star on this. And like you said, Colin, done some independent movies, and, you know, I'd been doing theater, but I got to Wilmington and was like, what is happening here?

And Hillary was like, come to level five, little girl. I know a guy. I know a guy. And so it's like so funny for me to think about you on the pilot feeling as intimidated as I felt, you know, four months later. Oh, my God. Because I'd never, I'd never, like, been on location and I'd never done anything like that. And I remember looking around being like, what is happening here? And you, you knew all the ropes of production from TRL.

And then you seemed like you knew everything about Wilmington. And essentially you were cosplaying Cullen. I was like, this dude knows everything. I'm going to shadow him. You guys quickly, y'all all quickly superseded me and your knowledge of things like that. No, it, well, it is like in that world because, you know, it was, it was a spotty thing for me. I was in it out and like and not, I mean, aside from knowing the crew and all that, because I worked at the studio still at the time.

I worked in the lighting and grip shop. Did you really? Yeah. And like, and I would like fix, especially, well, during Dawson's Creek and still some during, and was back there, some during one tree hill. I think, I think my buddies took me to the Fincanon's office to audition in the golf cart from lighting and grip. I had no idea.

I didn't know this. So I was like, I was, I was, I was loading our grip and electric package probably. Stop, Colin. I feel like this is the movie. The movie is the guy that works in construction and grips and electricers like at the studio, like sneak it around and then getting on the teen drama. Yeah. That's the movie. That's our version of the office.

Yeah, we got something. Don't say it too loud. Okay. Yeah. But that's how I would find out sometimes if I was going to be in an episode. I'd go to one of the stages and I'd be like, hey, let me get a script because they didn't send me scripts. And so, and I try to find out like how much I was going to be utilized and I'd try to get a few scripts. This is also blowing my mind because, you know, on our little trivia sheets, we know.

and I did not realize this at the time. I don't know why. I guess it just seemed like such a big deal, you know, like I left college right before my senior year was about to start to move to Wilmington. So I don't know. I felt like I was part of this, you know, rag-tag little bunch, but you were 27

when you audition, right? And like, you're expected to play a high school student. I mean, bless your parents, you have great jeans, you looked very young. But now I'm thinking about you. literally working on the lot and being like, I can do that. Yeah, I've seen, I've seen these shows come through. It's not hard, guys.

I can do it. No, I don't know how that audition came my way. I mean, other than the thin canons were cool as shit. And they're the reason I got an agent. I auditioned for an indie short that somebody who worked on Dawson's Creek was putting together. He had come to see plays and changing channels, the sketch comedy thing that I did. And he had the thin cannons cast this short that he was doing. And, um, and I went in and that was the first time I was ever in front of a casting director. And they're like, you should

get an agent. And anyway, they, they were big champions. And they're the, they're the only reason that junk Maretti found out. Jump McRedy found up in my lap. But you guys really, when I say you like you superseded me in your knowledge of the way things of just the way things work in a broader sense and the mechanism because I would come in and get glimpses of it and you guys like had the continuity of staying in that world and so like it was not long before I needed to lean on you to figure out what the fuck was going on in these situations. It may look different, but native culture is very alive. My name is Nicole Garcia, and on Burn Sage, Burn Bridges, we aim to explore that culture.

It was a huge honor to become a television writer because it does feel oddly, like, very traditional. It feels like Bob Dylan going electric, that this is something we've been doing for a hundred of years. You carry with you a sense of purpose and confidence. That's Sierra Teller Ornelis, who with Rutherford Falls became the first native showrunner in television. history. On the podcast, Burn Sage Burn Bridges, we explore her story, along with other Native stories, such as the creation of the first Native Comic-Con or the importance of reservation basketball. Every day, Native people are striving to keep traditions alive while navigating the modern world, influencing and bringing our culture into the mainstream.

Listen to Burn Sage, Burn Bridges on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You were always such a grown-up, but like a fun grown-up to me, because you, like you said, your first wife, Bonnie, was pregnant while we were shooting the pilot, and I'll never forget getting the message from you that your baby was born. And I was like, oh my God, I know someone that had a baby. This is crazy. We're grown-ups. And then you have. had your house? What was, was that in Sunset Hills? Where were you in Wilmington? The house that sunset park? The sunset park, yeah. That was so grown up to me that you guys had this house. Like, whoa, blew my mind. And then you had this whole circle of friends. And when I bought my haunted house, I guess some of the old members of your sketch comedy troupe used to live in my house. They were the previous tenants. And I heard stories about them too. So, well, listen,

We had a wild time. I think it was some of the other side, though, wasn't it? Was it Sterling? It was Sterling. I think Sterling Martin that had lived in it, yeah. He's in Chicago now, and he's a wonderful artist. Well, I'd love to talk ghost with him sometime. Okay, so our fan base wants to know.

You know, junk is at all of the really big important events that are happening. We've got dances and games and graduations and all sorts of. of stuff that's happening over the course of the nine years of our show they want to know what your favorite episodes are like what are the ones that you got the script and you were just like I'm gonna rock this I'm good

junk is here to play done they were the ones that I was in there were the ones where I had more than one line I was like yes I've got something I've got something to put my teeth into no there were some specific

fun um fun episodes I like um I liked it I did I always loved it when

when it went I liked the the the coziness of the river court crew that was always just cool and when Jamie would come but I really did like it when not when the world's combined and that it was like okay you know

when I felt like because it was interesting in the microcosm of the show, how that mirrored kind of how I felt about things, like, in a larger way. Like, you know, that we had this little river court crew, and I was like, I'm almost a part of things, you know, but, and so, so when, when everybody was kind of involved, it's like, oh, yeah, I am. Like, yeah, this is like, you could feel, you could feel a part of the larger world

and start to put that connective tissue together and make, and it made more sense. since because so those were fun episodes like the the big the big like the dance party at the house or whatever um the graduation party graduation party the dance party at the house yeah yeah i knew exactly what you were talking about my daughter was listening to spice girls last night and i was like oh mommy has a core memory of this yeah i mean sitting on the roof with yeah sitting on the roof with with Lee and Vaughn and Antoine. I mean, it was, and, you know, just some iconic scenes there. But it was just, it was a fun time and, uh, ish.

It was a long day. But, uh, that, that was cool. I, the ridiculous, um, fun, the John Hughes homage that they did. Yeah. Um, kind of the home alone references and, um, and, um, and, what else did they reference like weird science and we did a lot of John Hughes

rip-offs that was our there's our bread and butter there for a while this this is the one where Jamie attacks Vaughan Fergie and junk with with the paintball guns um no

did I miss that we got shut up with the yeah like we there was like this this hit this Harry and Marv dynamic that was we were supposed to babysit Jamie and he had locked us out of the house and so we're coming back in he thinks that we're breaking

that we're burglars or something sure I don't something something like that in the whole like big wide world of tree hill that sounds pretty normal I mean it has blown our minds watching the show back and be like

what did we do like what are we talking about here with psycho stalkers and like crazy And then I think back to some of the real stuff that actually was going on in Wilmington. And I'm like, no, actually, that tracks. Like, Wilmington's a weird place. How did you end up there? I moved there with some friends of mine from Winston-Salem who'd gone to film school.

Yeah. And Frank Eaton. Oh, yeah. He was a roommate for a... Wait, so did you have an apartment with your friends when you moved there? Was it like a junk Fergian skill? apartment? Big time.

Yes. And we shot in and we would shoot like we would shoot home videos like we would do like little short films but in camera edits

ridiculous comedies we did that was one of my first cop roles we did a cops parody. Wait I feel like I've seen the cops

parody. I think you did where would I have seen the cops parody did we play it? Maybe we did maybe if you at some

some party or something I don't know but I moved Sean Lou Allen, who camera department, great DP, wonderful camera operator, DP, writer. I mean, it was Sean Lou Allen and my buddy, Frank Eaton, and this guy, Damien Smith. Oh, I remember Damien. Yeah. Remember Damien?

Yeah. Yeah. Evil D. Evil D. Oh, I know the brows. Oh, I know the brows. Yes, yes. But, yeah, we moved.

They'd all gone to film school and we'd shot in Indy in Winston-Salem and rented our equipment from screen gems, and our DP was from Wellington, Paige Thomas, who was wonderful. And so we came back to return the equipment and just, and I'd heard about the film mecca that was Wilmington. And we just, and we spent a day on the beach and hung out, and we're like, we got to be here. This is where it's at. Wow. You lived the reality before you had to act it out on our show. So from then on, you went and you played an evil cop and like everything. Walking Dad. When I saw you in Righteous Jumstones, I was like, I know him.

I know him, Jeffrey. That's my friend. And he was like, settle down. But yeah, I mean, you have been working more than anybody. And it's really exciting to see, Colin. Well, thank you. In everything. The mayor of the Southeast.

Well, well, that's what you get for staying put. I'm like junk. I just hung out until it happened. No, you became a very, beloved person to so many people in our industry. And so everyone knows when they need someone trustworthy and they need someone who's going to be hilarious and show

up, you're the guy. You know, you were my guy when I first moved there. I know a guy. And now we're all lucky. Fine and sweet of you. Yeah. Thanks. And you guys do, like watching all the things that you do with what you have is just

as beautiful and wonderful. You guys are just making making differences and making changes. You knew we were bitchy little girls. We're just out there fighting, running our mouths. You're picking good fights. That's us.

We learned it in the mean streets in Wilmington. We sure did. Here we go. So you're going to stick around and recap 622 of us, right? Mm-hmm. Did you watch it? I did. Y'all.

Oh, I can't wait. Oh, you're going to hold our hand through this. Okay, guys. We're going to see you in the next episode with our boyfriend, Cullen Moss. Don't miss it. Don't miss. Hey, thanks for listening. Don't forget to leave us a review. You can also follow us on Instagram at Drama Queen's OTH. Or email us at Dramaquins at iHeartRadio.com. See you next time. We're all about that high school drama girl, drama girl, all about them high school queens. We'll take you for a ride in our conference. Drama girls, cheering for the right team. Drama queens, drama queens. Smart girl, rough girl, fashion but you'll tough girl.

You could sit with us, girl. Drama queen, drama queens, drama queens, drama queens. Drama, drama queens, drama queens. It may look different, but native culture is alive. My name is Nicole Garcia, and on Burn Sage, Burn Bridges, we aim to explore that culture. Somewhere along the way, it turned into this full-fledged award-winning comic shop. That's Dr. Lee Francis IV. who opened the first native comic bookshop.

Explore his story along with many other native stories on the show, Burn Sage Burn Bridges. Listen to Burn Sage Burn Bridges on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.