Drama Queens - From Fairytales to Tree Hill Tales with Lisa Goldstein

Episode Date: October 20, 2025

Lisa Goldstein is here! The long-awaited guest joins the podcast to share how she went from performing as Nemo at Disney to landing her first TV role without ever stepping into an audition room. Lisa opens up about the “Zero Is Not a Size” storyline, Mouth’s weight-gain plot, and the special “souvenir” she snagged from set.  Plus, the Drama Queens have an exciting announcement you won’t want to miss!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hello, America's sweetheart Johnny Knoxville here. I want to tell you about my new true crime podcast, Crimeless, Hillbilly Heist, from Smartless Media, campside media, and big money players. It's a wild tale about a gang of high-functioning nitwits who somehow pulled off America's third largest cash heist. Kind of like Robin Hood, except for the part where he's still,

from the rich and gifts to the poor. I'm not that generous. It's a damn near inspiring true story for anyone out there who's ever shot for the moon then just totally muffed up the landing. They stole $17 million that had not bought a ticket

to help him escape. So we're saying like, oh God, what do we do? What do we do? That was dumb. People do not follow my example. Listen to Crimless, Hillbilly Heist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. The Rich Russians Falling Out of Windows podcast is back.

Sad Olegark Season 2. Since we left you in 2023 after season one, many politically motivated Russian millionaires have continued to die in suspicious circumstances. Season two gets very weird. Listen to Sad Ologar. 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, drama queens. welcome back to a Q&A we've been waiting for for years people literally years literally years Rob who do we have today you you gave the metaphor I compared this guest I said she is our Moby Dick we finally landed the big fish and it is the one and only, the wildly incomparable Lisa Goldstein. Get her in here. Lisa. Lisa.

Oh, my gosh. Hi, beautiful. Oh, it's so good to see you. Oh, my God. You're so pretty. Has not aged a day. It's the bo-chucks, you guys. Same girl, same.

Wait, did you just hear Rob's? intro for you. I was like not involved in that. I was not, didn't hear it. What are your feelings about being compared to Moby Dick? Well, you have to give her context. Maybe, well, I was going to, Joy, I just wanted to see what the initial knee jerk reaction. Okay, very big. I should have more faith in you. Sorry, go ahead. It is just because we have for so long tried to get to you as a guest on this podcast. I would imagine they've been trying, uh, before. or even I showed my face here. Oh, yeah.

I believe that might be true. And so it was to that extent that we have been just working feverishly, and here we are. It's happening. I'm so excited. The like, the out there, we know she's there. We know we'll find her again, you know, obsession, which in the book is fictional, but for us is very real. Very real obsession.

And also, to be so close to the end and to finally have this moment, I, I do feel like we've won the power ball. I would like for us all to also get a billion dollars, but, you know, one thing at a time. Selfishly, the reason I joined this podcast because I don't cross past with you in real life, I just thought, what if I do? This is the long game.

Maybe Lisa will be a guest, and I'll finally get to tell her how great she is. Oh. Only reason. Yeah. That is so nice. Did you guys ever have scenes together, Rob? Not a one.

Not a one. if not a single one. Oh, my. Isn't that crazy? Maybe at the end when it was like, everybody. Yeah. Yeah. Like, trick.

Never interact. Never. And I didn't watch the show. So I am rewatching it basically for that. And I forgot 90% of what happened on the stuff I was involved in. So I have had such just a unique experience of watching you and feeling like, like, I came in just going like, I know Lisa. Like we've, we've said hello a bunch of times.

but then I have never seen your work and I was like she's so freaking good you're just awesome in this show and I'm going to say criminally underused wow I need more of this in my life oh anytime come hang out with us anytime because I wish you could we should find a way to somehow like gather all the things we've said about you and just put them into one audio file that you can just play anytime you're feeling blue because we talk about you consistently on the show, but it's, you're so talented. And there are so many times when we are going, oh my gosh, I can't believe that was on the page. Like we're listening to the dialogue going, that's what was on the page. And Lisa somehow made it feel real and grounded and warm and we feel drawn into her. And I don't, she's magical. Like, how does she do this? You're just so dang good. Yes. I mean, thanks. I had some dozies. I had some real. buddy if i can remember you had some doozies yeah i know i did your whole uh milly's drug storyline was just the i roll real quick it went from like i'm a model i'll take these diet pills

i'm addicted to cocaine in like an episode and it was i was like i was like i think mike daniels actually reached out to me and was like, hey, you need to be prepared for this because this is happening and like, nobody's going to tell you, but I'm going to tell you. He's a good egg. They were going to just spring that on you. Yeah, you became an addict in one episode in 43 minutes and I grew two human beings in 43 minutes in one episode. Sometimes they took the things that would have been so yummy for us to like explore and we're just like speed it up girls get to the point oh yeah we were always too like the if the episode was like going real slow i feel like we were always the ones who like had to rush through the scenes because there was no time no time with

there have been a few storylines on the show that i have vocally just expressed my displeasure and i would say, I would say it's actually a tie for first place, but you happen to be involved in both of them. The first was Millie's tragic after-school special that was a drug storyline, which was just, I mean, listen, if you go back and listen to any of those episodes, it's 50% me just eviscerating how stupid it is, and then 50% praising you for somehow making it palatable. Yes. The other storyline being mouth gaining weight in season nine. Oh, my God.

And just being like, why are we wasting two terrific actors on an absolute nothing plot? Yeah. Season nine was a doozy. It was like, you know what's funny is I remember the, like, before we started filming season nine, on whatever platform that was like popular at the time, Facebook or Twitter or whatever it was, Lee posted a picture of him and like, plaster of Paris, like on his face, like he was getting a mold of his face. And I was like, oh my God, he booked something over the penis. This is amazing. And I like texted him

congratulations. And he was like, I have to tell you. And I was like, oh, what is this? And he was like, they have me in a fat suit this season. And I was like, what? Like, how? And it was so, out of left field, it was just so bizarre. And I think, like, you know, we took it on the chin, but part of us were like, this is so dumb. Like, this is so dumb. Sorry, guys, that this is dumb. Yeah. Yeah. I wish that they had spent more of the time, like I was joking in the 22 episodes to actually like stretch out storylines to make them feel realistic. But I don't even know how if they had done that how the fat suit thing would have worked it's just it is it's just so so stupid it was like of all like everybody I don't remember a lot about season nine because I was like at that point

when I heard like the fat suit story I was like I'm out like bye guys this is like I'm gone but like for the last season of a show that is so beloved by so many people to just like mail in a storyline. I mean, yeah, we're like kind of supporting characters. That's fine. But like, don't mail in our last like big storyline of like, never, you know? Especially with what you guys had gone through and this really great rhythm we had just begun seeing with Moutha Millie in the morning. Like, you guys doing a morning show was so fun. They could have made that fun. You could have had you know he has a little bit of it in the nathan getting kidnapped storyline but like you guys could have been very like the good guy bonnie and clide like checking in with all the sources around town

you could have done such cute which also is so good for you and lee because you're both such brilliant physical comedians like my god lisa to joy's point just the soundbites of us talking about like your physical comedy and your choices and your shoulders and your hands like i wish we could We'll make it happen. We'll get you all of our audio. Like, you're just so fantastic. And as a fan, as a viewer fan of yours and yours and Lee's together, not just even as your coworker and friend,

but like as a person who likes watching you on the screen, I'm like, what the fuck? You could have done a million things with them in the craziness of season nine that didn't require prosthetics or like a womp, womp, you know? Yeah. It felt real. It's like cheesy isn't even the word. It's like, I don't know. I can't even find a word that's like bad enough. Lazy? Lazy. Yes. Lazy. Just like it's not, I don't know. It just wasn't. I'm wondering because I was in a soap opera for two years, a few years before Wentry Hill. And we did some crazy stuff. I was like I was a clone of someone. And then they. And, and. And then they brought me back. You were a pod person of yourself. Yeah.

Yeah. And then they brought, they brought me back as a completely different character, like a year and a half later. And then I, I, like, had to get married against my will to somebody in the mafia. And, like, there was, I mean, it was crazy stuff. Can this be the next show we recap, by the way? Yeah. Joy's Soap Opera.

Yeah. But it taught me so much about making something work. because it has to be realistic and I'm trying to remember how much TV work you had done before Montreal so I know we have some questions for you about this but I also wanted to kind of tie that in with this idea that I was thinking about this Lisa when we were watching

the episode where you were yelling at mouth on the morning show about him being overweight and it was so out of character for Millie and it was so strange but you figured out this like there was this little sweet pocket as an actor where you could get away with it and it felt like if you didn't dissect it too much you buy it you buy the moment it's okay and everything works that takes real skill and instinct and i wondered how much of what you had done before one tree hill or how much of just

like having been on the show and learning between your crazies all your other crazy storylines how much of that prepared you for being able to like really have this amazing skill okay i had done zero television before one tree hill none i had only done theater only theater only this is my first job on like not first job ever professionally but my first job in front of a camera so but i will say that i was trained in college in meisner and in standing Stanislovsky. So Meisner is all about listening to what is being said to you and responding honestly, like, however you're feeling. It's very intuitive. But then Stanislovsky is like all subtext and like make sure what you're saying has meaning behind it. So I feel like I really use

the combination of both of those to like help me, help me through really difficult moments. Because if you have, if you're listening to what the person is saying to you and you're responding honestly, like, I don't think that what you're saying could ever really sound like outlandish because it's an honest reaction. And then if you have that the subtext, the underlying subtext of like what you're really saying because like everything you say has. subtext in real life, it kind of helps create that, like, reality. That's great. I love that. It's so great. Rob coined a term for us.

Obviously, we were all talking at the time about how our show had jumped the shark so many times. but Rob coined the term that we really learned how to ride the shark on our show and like my God, you ride that shark so beautifully in the crazy storylines but also I don't just want to focus on what was so ridiculous there's so much goodness

and from the time that we meet Millie in season 5 you know when we started also shooting Wilmington for New York like creating the like New York City like fancy glass window buildings like so silly and sweet but like to watch the arc of your character grow, to watch her find confidence,

to watch the hilarity, like the Bachelorette party episode, like all of these things that were just so delicious. Like you and Sharon Lawrence did things as hungover girls when we woke up in that suite that were so perfect. Like there's great stuff too. But to your point about training, I want to get into what you loved about it.

But when you were coming to do this show, like, what was happening in your life at the time? I mean, we know. But like for people at home who have these questions, somebody literally goes, how did she go from a Disney princess to starring on One Tree Hill? Was she a fan of the show before joining? Like, people have so many questions about what it was like when you arrived. So let's go back to like the fun part. Yeah, that is fun. So I was working at Disney.

I was doing Finding Nemo the Musical. I was in the original cast. What did you play? I played Nemo. So we had like puppets. We had puppets. I played Nemo. I played squirt.

I got to like squirt was really cool back then. It's not the same anymore. It has been changed since COVID. But you would fly in on like this puppet that had like bungee cords on the side. So you'd fly in and you'd be like bouncing. And I'd be doing flips backwards with a puppet. Like an Avenue Q puppet? Kind of.

It was like squirt was a puppet that you would sit in and your legs would be the fins. So like it looked like the fins were moving, but they were my leg. I'm like miving legs like you can see. So those legs would be the fins. And then his head was where we had these like bike break puppets. And one side was blinking. and one side was their mouth. So it was nuts.

So great. Yeah, it was great. And then the Nemo puppet was like, you'd just hold it. And it had like the bike brakes on like a stick. And then you'd control their eyes in their mouth. Oh, yeah. Wow. But anyway, so I was doing that.

And I got in a local agent and I like sent off this audition for One Tree Hill. And I was like, oh, that's cool. Like, I'll just send it off. Well, we'll put it on tape real quick. And then I got a call leaving rehearsal with my friend and my agent, like, left it on my voicemail. Like, you booked One Tree Hill. As a voicemail? Just on your voicemail?

As a voicemail. Not even call me. I have news? What? No, a voicemail. And I was like, you know, Nicole, you have to listen to this. Like, can you listen to this? And she was like, you booked it.

And I was like, this is crazy. because never, I had never done film and TV. I didn't even have a callback, which is crazy. Wow. Crazy. And you just put yourself on tape or did you go in the room? I just put myself on tape. It was from a tape. And like, I think the reason it was like that was because it was only a one episode situation at the time.

And I think, like, all, like everybody kind of had an idea that maybe was, we'll be bringing this character back. But I think it was like day one was like my test, you know. Whoa. No pressure, having never been on a TV set before. And I remember Greg was directing. And I had a like this tiny little scene. And I forget what it was.

It was like Brooke was like going out to her like taxi or something. And like then the camera was just left on me. And like he didn't cut for a while. because he wanted to see what I would do. But, you know, I kept going and, like, I did it. I, like, breathed and, I don't know, I did something weird. And, like, that was that. And he was like, I remember at the end, Greg, being like, well, we're going to see you again.

And I was like, oh, this is awesome. Oh. I love hearing that. That's so cool. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. I remember, to Rob's point, like, there's so much we've forgotten, even though we're. we all did this.

Like, you did 70 episodes of our show, and isn't it crazy that someone will ask you about something? You'll be like, what? Oh, yeah. There's so many things. I'm like, I don't remember that. Yeah. Yeah.

I remember having the aha moment when we watched Millie join our universe because you're the reveal with Victoria. Oh, yeah. Like you say, you know, and, you know, there's something about like Victoria's in your office or whatever. and you think she's like an executive at the company and then it reveals that she's Brooke's mom. Oh yes.

And you're the misdirect and it was so well done because you obviously aren't saying in the scene like I'm so scared of her, but you and your big beautiful eyes just being so terrified and then we meet Victoria Davis and everyone's like, oh my God. And the dynamic between you two in the office like just the way that built in season five. Millie was like the perfect little, like, cream in the middle of the Oreo sandwich. These two, like, bigger. The dysfunction sandwich.

Yeah. But it's like Millie and Victoria are actually such a unit for this big reveal for Brooks character. And like, I don't know, you just, oh my God, you crushed. Was it, was it nerve-wracking for you to work with Daphne at first? Like, were you actually intimidated by her? I, she walked in on day on me being on set, day one. was like, what's her name and, what's her character's name in space balls?

Princess Vespa. Prince, I was like, it is Princess Vespa. Like, I grew up on Spaceballs, like, second grade me, watching all the F bombs and like all the stuff while my parents are in the other room, like having a drink or whatever. Like, I grew up on Spaceball. So she walked in and I was like, uh-huh. Yeah. Like, that was crazy.

Yeah. I think we all felt a little bit of that intimidation with Daphne when we first met her. Well, and we had it with Moira starting in season one. We would follow her around being like, Topic, Topic, don't say Topic, don't say Topic. And then Daphne showed up. And it was like, what's, we're like winning the mom lottery on our show in the most incredible way. Working with Daphne was, like, as my oldest daughter would say, like, Daphne is her. Daphne is her.

Like, 100%. She is like so great. she's so professional like working with her was unbelievable I loved it and Sharon We often think we know our type in dating tall funny a certain job

but the research shows we're usually not the best predictors of who will actually make us the happiest as we often say on the happiness lab our minds lie to us about all kinds of stuff and that definitely includes the kinds of things we need to be happy in a relationship. That's why it helps to stay curious.

On Bumble, features like shared interests and prompts make it easy to notice right on someone's profile initial sparks of compatibility, like a shared love of cooking, or the same nostalgic TV shows. Shared interests and prompts let you showcase your personality right on your profile, and connect with people who get your vibe.

And with photo and ID verification, you can feel confident the person you're talking to is real, so you can date with a bit more confidence. When you treat dating as exploration, instead of sticking to a rigid type, you open yourself up to happier, more meaningful connections. So maybe your type isn't tall, dark, and mysterious. Maybe it's Love's podcast as much as you do. Stay open, stay curious, and let yourself be surprised. Download Bumble today.

The Rich Russians Falling Out of Windows podcast is back. Sad Olegarch Season 2. Since we left you in 2020, after season one, many politically motivated Russian millionaires have continued to die in suspicious circumstances. We dig deeper into these odd deaths, which include everything from mushroom poisoning and mysterious heart attacks to window clumsiness and suicide by decapitation. One thing we have found since we started back in 2022 is the information on the suspicious deaths has become much harder to find. Not just that, it seems as if state-controlled media in Russia is being utilised to purposely confuse and contradict the reporting that gets put out.

As you can probably imagine, season two gets very weird. Listen to Sad Ologac on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Had you watched this show before John, joining. Did you know what you were walking into? Not really. Way back in the day when it was a pilot, I remember getting like a side for it and or somebody I knew got a side for it to audition for it. And like I knew of the show and I knew it was popular, but I didn't watch it. But then at the time, all the episodes were on SoapNet. So I would record. them and like catch up. Like as I was filming like season five, I was like catching up at the same

time. Good old soap net. Oh my God. Soap net. That was real. TV that aired it a certain time with commercials. My God. I need all my children like circa 1985 till I don't know, 2002. I just feel like I need that back in my life. I literally would put it on every day. Yeah. love it. It's like your comfort. Yeah, because it's the things that we grow up watching when we're kids. Yeah. It's like your guilty pleasure. Yeah. So you, we obviously, you've already covered the, the Millie low lights as they were. Yeah. What are some of your Millie highlights? Yeah. Oh, like all the fun stuff. I was trying, I think Brooke's wedding was super fun. That was so fun for me to film. Like just being like a little tipsy and like coming in on the conversation.

that people are having that are serious and like that was so fun um i mean before i before milly became a drug addict the modeling storyline was pretty fun working with janah when she first came on the show was really fun yeah that was really yeah you two were great you were oh my god chemistry you were the buddy comedy i didn't know i needed yes yeah for sure i don't know i really um I mean, as like crazy as the storylines were at the end of the day, I felt really proud of how I handled it, like handled all the outlandish things that were thrown at me. And like, even though things were like, you know, got real crazy, I don't like, I don't think I would, I mean, I would probably would change some stuff. But I just feel proud of like the how it turned out, how I, you know, got through to the finish line, I guess. Yeah.

Yeah, there were so many things. And you should feel proud. We've, there have been moments where we've watched someone's performance. Like, Jana jumps to mind. And in your tough storylines, it was the same with you. I'm like, oh, they're Teflon. Like, they're so good that even though I'm watching. watching this going like, this story is the worst. I'm going like, I'm watching a really good

actor make very questionable material palatable. So you should be proud because in the hands of a lesser actor, I think it would have just been like an episode breaker. Yeah. To your point about like when our working life shifts is Brooke and Millie and we do are, you're going to go out, you're going to close the show. We have the big surprise moment. I know. for me, zero is not a size is one of those things that stands out for the audience and for the fans as like a thing that they still want to talk about. How do you, do you experience that with people? How do you feel about the storyline? Like now all these years later, do you feel like it stands up? Of course. I mean, I think that's great. And I think that, you know, as where, you know, as society's

evolving and becoming more accepting and of different body types. I think it's a really important lesson to teach. And having a daughter, like I make sure that there is nothing mentioned in our house about weight, about books, about anything like that. And you know what's so funny is that I was like the other day, I was like, oh, I've got to dye my hair. My grazer coming out. And she was like, mommy, like, you are beautiful no matter what.

That's this new generation. Yeah, it is. And like a message that zero is not a size is timeless. It's just, just is. And it was timely, I think, because we all did grow up with all the tabloids in the, I mean, especially when you're as a child actor like I was, they were all just like in the hair and makeup trailer, all of the, every magazine, every tabloid, it was just around. And you know, back in that day and age, it was all body issue stuff on the cover of those magazines and rags.

And so I feel like we were really on the cusp of that transition and leading the way in that transition to, hey, we need to stop focusing on this stuff. And I'm really proud of us just as a show that we got to do that. That was your storyline, you guys. So I'm sure you're even more proud of it. But it's pretty cool. And we were such a perfect show to, to deliver that message, given who our demographic was. Yeah. Yeah.

It really was, like, for some of the egregious missteps that our show has had, like, we've also had some incredible moments. And I would say zero is not a size as, like, it's in the top two or three, if not the top one. But when fans come up to you and they want to talk about something, is there like a go-to scene? or moment or storyline that they bring up most? Good question. I mean, it is zero is not a size. It's like, that's it. And what, I mean, on the rare occasion that a fan comes up to me,

it's usually like, can I take a picture? I loved you. You did such a good job on the show. And then it's kind of like done. But in a more, when I get more in depth, it's like zero is not a size. And mouth and Millie are so cute. They are.

Wait, when you, when you moved down to Wilmington, did you move, you moved to Wilmington, right? Like, because you became a series regular, were you always, you were, yeah, okay. I never know how people were officially built and whatever. But so when you moved there, did you just get your own apartment? Did you do what we did, where you kind of like roomed with other new people on the show? I got my own apartment. Like, it was furnished. It was downtown, like, kind of off the beaten track.

I got my own apartment because I was like. Like, I mean, I'm here now. So, like, I guess I better get a place. Did you and Lee spend a lot of time together offset just to kind of build that chemistry? Or was it already? It was just there when you started on camera. We already had been. Like, in season five, when all those new people came in, every, like, I know I was hanging out with

them and Lee was hanging out. Sophia was hanging out. Yeah. James was like, it was like a bunch of fun out and had a lot of fun. And so that chemistry. like was already kind of there because we were friendly and then you know it just kind of developed over the years that's great but you can see it you could see it on camera for sure yeah we were also in that like it was such a special moment in time because social media wasn't really a thing

you could still like go out with people and not feel like you were being tracked all the time you know like we were going to the brossery for mac and cheese and we were going to to see shows at the soapbox and like it was such a special moment in Wilmington and I'm so happy we get to to talk about all of this today because I was just with Lee there was a convention in Paris and Rob came and sadly Joy couldn't join but like a lot of us were there and Lee and I were talking about it and we were like going through our phones as you do at our age like going through pictures of your families and we were like man we're so happy and lucky but we're Like, remember when we all got to live together and go to dinner every weekend?

And we had no responsibilities and we were so silly. And, like, I was thinking about you and I going to Pilates and learning how to make basil syrup from Natalie and, like, oh, it was just such a special time. I feel like I remember the basil syrup thing. I wasn't there, but did you bring some into work? Like, that definitely just rang a bell in my brain. Oh, we were obsessed. Basel syrup, factory syrup. Like, it was a whole thing.

And it just, it's like, it's like the yumiest memory to me. feels like a hot chocolate chip cookie. You know what I mean? Emotionally. Yes. Okay, friends, real talk. You are worth the wait. We've all been there, giving our energy to connections that didn't honor ours and watching friends do the same. And honestly, we all deserve better. That's why Bumble is built for intentional dating. Safety is such a big deal for us all, especially when meeting new people. And Bumble gives you the peace of mind with options like photo and ID verification. That little extra step means you know the person you're talking to is who they say they are,

with their real photos, and they are ready to show up authentically. And once you feel safe, you can actually focus on what matters, finding someone who gets you. With shared interests, it's easy to see right away who vibes with your passions, whether that's true crime podcasts, yoga mornings, or weekend hikes. So take a pause, affirm your worth, and protect your peace. Bumble helps you create safe, meaningful connections, the kind that truly respect your boundaries, your energy, and your time. Thinking about dating again, take this as your sign.

Start your love story on Bumble. The Rich Russians Falling Out of Windows podcast is back. Sad Oligarch Season 2. Since we left you in 2023 after season one, many politically motivated Russian millionaires have continued to die in suspicious circumstances. We dig deeper into these odd deaths, which include everything from mushroom poisoning and mysterious heart attacks to window clumsiness and suicide by decapitation. One thing we have found since we started back in 2022 is the information on the suspicious deaths

has become much harder to find. Not just that, It seems as if state-controlled media in Russia is being utilized to purposely confuse and contradict the reporting that gets put out. As you can probably imagine, season two gets very weird. Listen to Sad Olegac on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So many good things that we all got to take from One Tree. Hill. But you took something from One Tree Hill that I think is pretty unique and probably beats what the rest of us took, which is a hubby. Yeah, I know. I snag me a hubby at One Tree Hill. Yes, you did.

You and Michaela McManus. I know. We nailed life. Totally. I don't know that story. So can you share? Oh, my gosh. Okay. I'm so excited. So Brendan Kirsch. So he was the sports coordinator, as you guys know. And right when, I don't remember what season, I guess it was season six, when season six started, that was, okay, I was moving to Wilmington. I was like there before everybody because I was just coming up from Florida. And I came in early because I wanted to find an apartment. And I was like, is anybody here, like, putting it out in the universe? And Brendan was the only person who was in town.

And I was like, you should go to dinner, like, totally innocent. I was like, yeah, just as friends, let's go to dinner. Now, Brendan thinks I asked him out. Of course he does. I didn't. We were just going out as friends. But, you know, things progressed from there. and like we had chemistry and you know we I was like oh I really like him and um you know once

the slam ball stuff started filming that's when we really started dating and like it moved real fast from there like we moved in and we got engaged like a year later and that was it it was like I don't know I just was great talk about like location ship that actually like lasted and has kept going. What's the secret? What's the secret sauce, Lisa? My best friend, you know? Like, he always was my best friend.

He always makes me laugh. And, you know, and vice versa for him. Like, I'm always making him laugh and, like, we're just each other's person. So before you clearly asked him out on a date before season six, how did you guys, so wait, I'm assuming then you all met season. five and that's how you had his number yeah he was like one because he was um him and james were really close so he was um he was always going kind of going out with us and hanging out with us so i knew him um like kind of as an acquaintance before season six started

Brendan was like as in the mix as like rob for example jane back like he was in the posse of the friends who on-camera people and off-camera people who were all around the same age, who were just gallivanting around town together on the weekends. And yeah, you two, I remember as your friend, having a moment where I like heard your laugh and you were laughing so hard. And then I heard another laugh I knew that was so hard and I will never forget, like turning like this and seeing the two of you. Like I saw the 50-50, and your head went forward and then your head went back.

And he was doubled over laughing towards you and then his head went back. And I was like, it was like, phew, pew, pew. It felt like the moment in the rom-com where like the stars twinkle a little bit. Oh, God, just like the sweetest thing. The laughter for you, too, even as friends who watched it happen, like, that was cool.

It was so, it was great. I mean, that's fun. do you guys have now we well three gracey is from his previous a previous marriage and then we have two together oh my gosh lisa what ages no 11 and nine oh my gosh yes if anything will will like cut like i always say kids are like a tangible measure of time it's like you can see it it's It's crazy. And how fast it goes. Oh, my God.

Yeah. So what is your life like now? Can you just tell us a little bit? I mean, we haven't talked in so long. I know you and I messaged on Instagram a little bit ago. And Kendra Garrett is obviously like, we both love her and a mutual friend from Wilmington. And she was like, oh, my gosh, I love Lisa. We chatted about her.

But you and I haven't actually connected. And I don't know if you've stayed in touch with a lot of us. So can you just, yeah, tell us what your life's like now. I mean, I'm mostly a mom. Like, I had, once I had our first boy, I was like, that's it. I'm like, that's what I'm doing. Because when I was growing up, my parents had to travel a lot. And I was like, I'm not like, I'm not doing that.

I don't want to leave my kids. So they're like, my family is like my top priority right now. So it's like, you know, soccer practices and e-sports and. Oh, yeah. It's classes and voice lessons and Minecraft and Hogman and a Taylor Swift's new album and like, you know, like all the things that come with like that are in your world now that weren't before. Yeah. That's so cool. Did you say e-sports?

Yes, esports. It's like, so my son does smash. Smash Bros. Yeah. So he does, he has an e-sports, like practice and then game. So he has practice on Wednesdays and then a game on Friday where he like, they do a tournament. Oh, that's so fun. Oh, my inner nerd is so happy.

Oh, my God. You and I would be like. I say inner nerd like I'm not an outer nerd as well. Oh, yeah. I love that. All of me. I love a nerd. So, yeah.

It feels correct. So are you, okay, is that part of. why you decided to step away from acting because you were like, I'm in this with my kids right now and I want to do this. Part of it also have like really bad anxiety. So I found that when I was like always putting myself out there for auditions and like, and that's like your whole job really as an actor is audition, audition, audition. Truly. It's the worst. But I would get into the rooms after one tree hill and i would be like like i would already be defeated and i would already like it just wasn't sustainable for my mental health to continue down that that path and

like really for me the juice wasn't worth the squeeze anymore it just wasn't like i don't have that desperate desire anymore to storytell or be on stage or be in front of a camera. I just don't. I don't know if that like went away after I had kids or like, I don't know. I kind of like did everything I wanted to do when I set out to be an actor. Like I got to be Bell. I got to be on TV and like I don't know.

I got to do so many things. And like I don't. find, like, I just don't have that desire anymore. You also expend so much creative energy as a parent. Yes. It truly fulfills so much. I mean, I know it did for me. Yeah, for sure, for sure. I mean, I would go to sleep and be like, oh, what a wow, wild exhausting day we had. But, I mean, I read her like seven books in 12 different accents. And we like, you know, went to the park and played make believe. And we improv with the other kids at the park. And then I've made dinner with her and we turned it into a cooking show.

And then, I mean, well, you're a fun pair of joy. That's fun. Yeah. Yeah, I'm going to be done storytelling. And then your kid turns to and you're like, all I do is storytell. I do 14 hours of improv a day. And not to mention, like, I'm in Florida. So it's not like I'm living in a place where, you know, acting jobs are easily accessible.

I would have to travel to do. that or if I was you know doing working for a theater or whatever it's like that would take up the majority of my time and I don't want anybody else but me determining what I do with my time yeah makes sense yeah to get your agency back is really it can like alter your chemistry a bit because we just didn't have it for so long that you get used to not having it and then you get a taste of it like COVID for me was my first break and I was like I get to decide what I'm going to do with my day I can decide what time I'm going to eat lunch like it sounds so silly but it really it it teaches you I think something else about yourself and and then you have kids and their

their schedules have to trump everything and it's like what a what a gorgeous thing to to give all of that to yourself yeah it's i mean it feels so right like people ask me my family asked me sometimes do you miss it and i'm like no like i miss the relationships more than anything like um i don't miss the grind you know is there anything is there any role any any show any anything that would make you kind of come out of hiding and be like okay if somebody just picked to the phone and called and said, Lisa, we saw your work on Wentry Hill. You're amazing, and we need you. That is hard. That's a really hard question. I don't know. I don't know if there is one, to be honest, because I'm such a perfectionist, too, and I've been out of the game

so long that I don't know if I could give it, like, what it would need me, you know? Yeah, because you know what goes on behind the scenes. It's not just like, oh, you get to come do this thing. It's like I know what that I know what the grind is. Right. Like thinking about going back like after COVID, Nemo was having auditions again. I was like, oh, let me think about that. And I was like, um, rehearsing eight hours a day for three months, six days a week. And then like doing a show five days a week, three times a day. I was like, no, I don't think so. That's easy math. Yeah, I'm good. Didn't you find that that's one of the natural byproducts of becoming a parent is that suddenly your free time because becomes such a scarce resource that it really helps very quickly you realize what is important to you when you only have 90 minutes free a day, if that, right?

Like you suddenly realize like of all the people, there's only two people who you care to call back. You know, it's like or what activities you're going to do. So it's like when that happens. Is that way you haven't called me back, Rob? I told you I'm going to call you back, Joy. But no, don't you find it? So it's like you become a parent and suddenly you're like, I don't know if that's how I want to use that little island of three time I have. Totally.

That's absolutely right. It's like putting my energy out in the universe for stuff that like I don't know is coming back to me. I want to put my energy into something that I know will benefit my kids, me or my husband. you know yes yeah that's awesome i love it i love it oh there's such a there's such an enchantment i think people think of hollywood and what we do with this glamour still and i love the dismantling of that and recognizing that storytelling is hard and takes a lot of work and it's not it's not a life for everyone and there's so much fulfillment in everybody approaches life differently and needs something different. And

there's lots of things I'm good at that I don't have the energy to really pursue as a as a career. Yeah. Because exactly what you're saying. Like I need the things that I prioritize to be things that are, I'm investing in something that's giving back in a way that's really meaningful. Yeah. So I really, I think it's just so beautiful. the strength and willingness to prioritize your family and yourself rather than like what people perceive is this perfect Hollywood life. Like, oh, my gosh, you're on TV. You must have it made, you know?

Yeah. Like, nope. Yeah, you said it. Auditioning is the job. And auditioning is the worst. Unless you're like, I love auditions. It's like, it's hard. It's going to be hard.

And I got news for you. It's, there are no rooms, or I should say that, there are very few rooms anymore post-COVID. I mean, I don't know if you got a taste of this, but it is all self-tapes and like feedback. You only hear feedback if like you're in the running or you booked it or you did so bad they never want to see you. Oh, God. So it's just you spending hours doing a tape, sending it off. Into the void. Into the void and with nothing.

So like you said, like you want to be sure the energy you're putting out is being reciprocated. That, at least you could get feedback in a room, you know, a chuckle. some sort of nice thing that's gone but let me ask this as as as the keeper of milly yeah what what would you if what is milly doing today what is milly's current life like okay well she and mouth are obviously married with kids i don't know how many um i'm sure maybe they've taken over the tv station or something like that they're still like a duo and working professionally together and in Tree Hill, like, taking the TV industry there by storm. That's what I think.

Love it. Yes. Mouth and Milly in the morning forever and ever. Please. I forgot about Mouth Milly in the morning. That was super fun. So cute. And as we get to the end of the season, Milly does this like gorgeously generous thing

and says to Malf, I love working with you. But I don't think you're happy. I think you miss sports. And getting in our penultimate episode, Mills and Skills, at the Burning Boat. It's so good. Highlight reel of the show for me. And the way he freezes up and just pretends like everything. Wanker.

Incredible. Incredible. You really, you just, you changed the Tree Hill universe for the better, Lisa. Big time. Bar none. And as someone who, like I said, I had no idea what you were up to why we were there in Wilmington doing it. Now going back and watching it, you did such a wonderful job. And you bring such just like grace and levity to the show.

And when it gets really outlandish, you ground it. But you, if One Tree Hill was your mic drop moment, which it seems as though for the time being it is, like what a way to go out. because you just did a phenomenal job. Thanks. You were a glue that we all needed in all the scenes that you were in. You had an ability to pay attention to what was happening, what everybody else was doing in the scene, and you knew exactly what was needed and how to fill it. And that's not always the case.

I feel like there's a lot of times when you see people kind of jockeying to do the same thing or they're not playing off of each other. And you just, truly, every environment you walked into, it was like you just became this adhesive and just brought everything all together. And I'm sure that's just a you quality that happens in your regular life, too, everywhere you go. And we just wish you all the best. And I don't want to let you go. It's so sad. But I'm really, really glad we got you.

We got our moby dick. We got her. Good callback, Joy. Thank you so much for being here. Thanks for having me. It was so fun and I was so good to see you guys. I'm so glad I got to do this and we finally made it work. We did.

Yeah, worth the wait. Yay. Bye guys. Bye. Before we go, before we go, before we go, I have a little piece of cool news. I love cool news. No big D, but I have got on good authority. that we have a couple of special guests

that are going to be joining us at our live show in The Wilmington. That's right. In the Wilmington. The Wilmington. And just because we love symmetry, we thought three hosts, let's do three guests.

Guess who we got? Tell the people, Rob. Mr. Sex-Pylon himself, Austin Nichols. We got him. The Teflon Queen who can just deliver any material. and still make it likeable and charming

Jenna Kramer. Hey, hey, hey. And the one, the only, the lovable Dufus Lothario, bad boy who talks in the third person, Chris Keller, aka Sweet, sweet, sweet Tyler Hilton.

Woo-hoo! I can't wait. I can't wait to sit down with the three of them. Oh, it's great. It's going to be great. I'm pumped, man. Where can people get to? The in-person one is sold out, but we can watch it on the live stream. Is that right?

Yeah. Great question, Joy. I'm so glad you asked. Anyone can get tickets for the stream at Veeps.com forward slash drama queens. That's Veeps, VE-E-E-P-S dot com slash drama queens. Hey, thanks for listening. Don't forget to leave us a review. You can also follow us on Instagram at Drama Queen's O-T-H or email us at Drama Queen's at I-Hart dot 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 and our comic 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 drama queens drama queens

Johnny Knoxville here Check out Crimeless, Hillbilly Heist, my new true crime podcast from smartless media, Campside Media, and Big Money Players. It's the true story of the almost perfect crime and the Nimrods who almost pulled it off. It was kind of like the perfect storm in a sewer. That was dumb.

Do not follow my example. Listen to Crimless, Hillbilly Heist, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The rich Russians falling out of Windows podcast is back. Sad oligarch season two. Since we left you in 2023 after season one, many politically motivated Russian millionaires

have continued to die in suspicious circumstances. Season two gets very weird. Listen to Sad oligarch on the I-Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your... podcasts this is an iHeart podcast