Drama Queens - Torrey DeVitto

Episode Date: January 8, 2024

New year, new Nanny. At least new in the sense of what we’re finding out about her. Torrey chats with the girls about her first impression of finding out she’d be playing a bad girl, she recalls the feelings of filming the infamous cornfields scene and spills details on her cockroach co-stars.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.

What I told people, I was making a podcast about Benghazi. Nine times out of ten, they called me a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked, why? Benghazi, the truth became a web of lies. From prologue projects and Pushkin Industries, this is Fiasco, Benghazi. What difference at this point does it make? Listen to Fiasco, Benghazi, on the IHeartRadio 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 in our comic girl. Drama girl. Cheering for the right team. Drama queens, drama queens. You could be the 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. Queens.

Hello, friends. Happy New Year. And we're so excited to welcome a member of our family to the show this week. She's been with us so much this year. She's such an amazing friend and supporter. But we weren't able to talk to her during the Sag Strike about her character at all. So now we finally get to ask her all of the questions. Friends, Tori DeVito's here today.

guys. You look great. How are you? I'm good. We're so happy to have you on because we couldn't talk about Nanny Carey during the strike. And so, you know, we were able to get to get you so that the fans could enjoy the pleasure of your company. But we weren't allowed to talk about that everybody's dying to know about. I'm so glad that we're able to talk now. I know. It's so funny. It doesn't matter what I'm doing. Like, everybody always wants to talk about her. you know about like a convention for another show it's like about her you had so much success on other shows too i mean pretty little liars vampire diaries army wives and then obviously recently chicago med it's like you work all the time and it's so funny that nanny carry is the thing that people yes that is the thing that's the thing it actually just happened like well yesterday again but in front of my dad and he was like oh did they say one i was like dad i was like dad all the time he was like really still and I was like all the time yeah that's what people want to talk about I wonder if it's because people rewatch our show so much or or do you think

it's because she is in that sort of canon of these iconic characters like we were talking watching the episode out in the cornfield with y'all last you know in our in our last um rewatch recording that it's so like it's so Kathy Bates it's so they gave you all of this stuff to do that really does feel reminiscent of these iconic sort of horror movies and psychological thrillers and like I don't know I almost am realizing as I'm asking you the question it would probably be great for us at our next convention to ask the fans like what is it that makes it so stand out totally did you know that that's what so like because I thought I was done after the first, like, season five, you know, I thought I had done

what I did. And he called me, it was like, how would you feel about coming back and doing a misery-hyt storyline? And I was like, yeah, like, obviously, that sounds amazing. So, yeah, that was so, that was so fun. Did you know when you came in to audition for Carrie, the nanny, that it was going to be this psychotic? Or was it just like a just a guess spot? It was just like a little recurring and it was and it literally said on the thing I think like

Girl Next Door Next Door New Nanny and that was it. Like it said nothing else and I don't even think and I think they didn't even know that it would go all the way there. Yeah. So it was such a surprise and I was so grateful because at that point you know in life and in my career I think I was like 25. when I got that and it was like I've always

you know you played the girlfriend or like the wife or like you know what I mean and I was like oh these rules are so boring and you always felt like you got to do the fun stuff like in class like not really on set and so when I got to come back and do that I was like oh and I remember I took it so seriously like when I had to like use the syringe and stuff

like I was in my hotel room like practicing all the syringe moves and like all these things I was like, and it's so funny watching the episode back. I watched it this morning, actually the last episode. It was actually made that mistake. I did a pretty little liar's podcast

and I didn't know I was supposed to watch the episode. And I'd never watched any of the episodes. Oh, no. And you know, when you kind of panic and you realize you should just tell them like, you guys, I messed up. I should have watched it. I didn't.

I didn't do my homework. But then you panic and you just decide, I'm going to fake it until I make it. And then at the end of it, you go there no I sounded like an idiot the whole time I lied about everything like I didn't know what I was talking like everything I'd be like and then they did a trivia game with me about no no didn't even know what they were talking about and I'm like still to the day I'm like why didn't I just tell them why didn't I just honestly know what is it know what I don't know what you guys

are talking about this is my fault but anyway so I watched the episode this morning And there were so many moments, though, because I was, like, looking at, like, you know, we look all, like, we're babies. It's so crazy. Babies. And I was, like, in so many things I did, I know I was, like, taking it so seriously. But watching it now, I was like, oh, God. Oh, no, really? No, it's great.

Yes, but you know, you know, like, you know the state of mind you were in and you were like, yes, I'm going to go in there and do this and this. And then you watch it back and you're like, oh, my God. What always makes me laugh about that is sometimes when you get so obsessed with the preparation and making sure you're really in the headspace, like half the shit you spend months doing or hours doing, depending on how much time you have to prep, never even winds up in the edit. And you're like, oh, man. Yeah, you get new sides that morning. Yeah. And you're like, oh, but believe, I don't have to speak German in this scene anymore. Great.

You're like, I'm glad I paid for all those lessons. But, Tori, no, I have to tell you, when we were watching it, we were talking about what an unbelievable job you did and the commitment required and how unhinged Carrie got. Thank God we finally figured out why. They gave you the motivation. We learned about, you know, her son and all these things. But I have to tell you, because look, I think we're all the same. We watch things back that we've done and we go like, oh my God, what was I doing?

So like, A, I feel you deeply, but B, I feel like I just have to repeat. When we were talking about the episode, I said to Joy, I was like, there's this thing that you do. You have this laugh that is so uncomfortable when you sort of like come to and you're having that final exchange with Paul. And I didn't remember it at the time because obviously when we were making our show, we barely got to. watch it a la you are pretty little liars but i was like oh my god that that sound and that choice and that specificity it gave me chills and like my brain immediately went to anthony hopkins and silence of the lambs like doing that sound and i was like oh my god tory has a silence of the lambs moment on our show like it it really like it feels so iconic and cool like you

were so, so fun to watch. Thank you. It was so fun to do. I mean, the whole from start to finish. It was just like, it's still like one of my favorite things, especially like just getting to do, because you don't get to do that. And I love that they actually showed the reason why, because she had a son who died. Like, you normally, especially at network TV, like that they don't really, there's so many holes. And so I was so happy that they did that.

but re-watching the death thing. I actually forgot that she died three times. Me too. She just could not be killed. She could not. I forgot she had that end moment with Dan and I was like, oh, my God. But it was so funny because I remembered I was like cleaning my house after the episode had already aired and I had the TV on in the background.

And I remember the soup with Joel McHale. Yeah. I remember hearing in the background, you know, on one tree hill, there's a new nanny in town and she just won't die. And they literally took all three of my desk and edited them together. And he was like, you know, and you're so flattered to even be in a position to be made fun of him in that way. But I remember if you're like, oh, my God. Oh, my God. They loved to make fun of our show on that show.

They sure did. I remember that. Do you remember that day? Yeah, how could you not? It's so ridiculous. So that day in the cornfields was, please recount your experience of that because I have my own version of it, but we talked about it already. Everybody's already heard it. Tell me.

It was insane. It was so hot from what I remember. So hot. And we were just running around these cornfield chasing. It just, the whole thing seemed so. wild it was just like me holding the syringe i remember just and like chasing poor jamie too like oh my god poor kid poor kid like how are you not traumatized from this um but i remember it was my first time wearing squibs too which was really yeah i was really like i get like a little funny about things so i was

like what if they put it on backwards and it's going to explode and i'm going to really die but i didn't i'm still here give everybody a sound bite remind everybody what squibs are for people people who don't know. So Quib is what they put on you. So when somebody shoots you, it pops at the same time. So it looks like you're actually getting shot. Yeah. And it pops like out from under your house. A little sticker full of blood, basically, that they put on your skin. And then it pops in the same, yeah. They have a tube that runs down your back or something. Somebody squeezes it and it pops at the same time. Unless you are in control the tube, who was doing it with somebody else or were you? Somebody else. Okay. Yeah, I don't think I could have done that at the same time.

time I was like, but it was so much fun. I just remember we were just running around all day in this point. Oh, you've had fun. Man, it was so hot and buggy. Remember all the bugs? Oh, yeah. Every time you ran past all that corn, the rows were really tight. It did actually start to feel kind of claustrophobic at some point because you can't get up high enough to see over and realize where you are. And at some point, I do remember kind of doing a 360 turnaround and being like, I'm very uncomfortable with the fact that I do not know how to get out of this maze.

You're seconded with one maze. Really don't like this. Did you guys ever get lost in there that day or no? No, because they had the dollies and they had all the ones. Like you just follow a cable at the end of the day, I guess. In my head, I'm like, they couldn't have tied something to you so you could follow the rope back like a diver because you'd see it. Like, how do you get out of there?

They laid cables. Oh, my gosh. It was so funny. Communication was tough. Like, how, I don't remember how Asher was. Was he on like a bullhorn or was he at the camera? That I don't remember. Like I don't remember him in there with us.

I feel like he had a bullhorn. Yeah. Probably. But yeah, it was so buggy. It was so buggy. And what's, yeah, and I remember getting the blood on me too because it's so sticky. And like on top of already being sweaty and sticky and buggy, like that corn syrup, fake blood didn't do any favors either. And of course, our base camp where your shower would be was probably like a 20 minute ride away.

So you're walking to the van covered in molasses. Yeah, molasses. I don't think people realize how sticky that fake blood is. It's so gross. It's the worst. Especially when it gets in your hair and then you go like this and your hair just sticks and pulls and you hear it rip. And you're like, oh, no. Tori, do you die a lot in your shows?

No, that was the only one I died in. Okay. Yeah. All right. It's funny. It's funny. you think that I think that people assume that because these are like it takes so long to film something and we film it for so long that we just like have this amazing recollection of the things we've done and it's incredible to me how I'll even watch a scene and be like what's that I did that I did that you know what I mean like or photo shoots or something and you're like that's me when did I do that it's like so weird how it like starts to slip your memory 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 Teller Ornette. 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 Podcast. podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. What I told people, I was making a podcast about Benghazi. Nine times out of ten, they called me a massacist, rolled their eyes, or just asked, why? Benghazi, the truth became a web of lies. It's almost a dirty word, one that connotes conspiracy theory.

Will we ever get the truth about the Benghazi massacre? Bad faith political warfare. And frankly, bullshit. We kill the ambassador just to cover something up. You put two and two together. Was it an overblown distraction or a sinister conspiracy? Benghazi is a rosetta stone for everything that's been going on for the last 20 years. I'm Leon Nefok from Prologue Projects and Pushkin Industries.

This is Fiasco, Benghazi. What difference at this point does it make? Yeah, that's right. Lock her up. Listen to Fiasco, Benghazi, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What is your interaction with fans like when they do come up to you? Because, you know, Paul has told us that they are still actually mad at him. Like, people will come up really genuinely upset with him. What's your interaction like?

So when the show was first airing, it was not great. And people were so, because they loved you and James together so much. Oh my God. I remember like this one time I was in a gym and I was, I took my shirt out. I was changing and I was in my sports bra and this girl came running up to me. She's tears, tears. And she was like, you're ruining everything. And she just, and everybody in the locker room stared at me.

And I was like, oh, what? And people would come up to me on the street like that all the time. Like, oh, like, and then I was getting my email. were getting hacked into my parents emails were getting hacked into and people were like not happy it's like this weird they cannot differentiate between real life and not real life um but i think as i as it's gotten for some reason it's not really the same reaction anymore which thank god and i don't really know why because like you said sophia like i think that so many people are watching it you know over and over again like the younger generation is like it's like a new thing for them but I'm not getting as harsh

of a reaction it's more just like you're crazy but even with friends like I remember when it was airing um like if I started dating someone and they wanted to introduce me and our friend if anybody in their friend group had watched it they were like we really didn't know we thought you would be like we were really afraid to meet you like we didn't know what you'd be like and I was like what it is called acting everybody wow wow I also wonder if there's something to, you know, people are obviously able to watch it and binge it and get to the culmination of the story quicker. And, you know, we do win. Nathan and Haley do stay together. But I also wonder if there's something to the fact that now there is social media, whereas there wasn't before.

And like, people know us and they also know we're all friends, you know? Like, it isn't like, you know, Nanny Carey versus Haley. It's like, oh, Tori and Joy and Sof and Hillary are all friends. Yeah, exactly. So easy to look you up and go see you smiling. You know, and like people come to conventions with us and they get to hang out with us and they get to, we all get to do this with our audience. And like, you know, even you and I getting to go and work together for an overlap of years in Chicago,

like we, you know, we have. We have a bigger life than just these characters who, when that show was on, there was no Instagram. There was no way to know you just sort of experienced characters, and then that was it. That is so true. I never thought of that. And also, I think getting to like binge it like that, you don't sit with it for a week. It's so hard to get into it when you really connect.

I mean, I started watching Game of Thrones again with somebody who has never seen it. And it's like, okay, so we watched two episodes or like maybe three a week. And it just does, it's not the same thing. You're not sitting with it. You're not living with it. You're not waiting in anticipation for a week to find out what the hell's going to happen. Yeah. You just answer your instant gratification needs immediately.

And it's bad for all of us. Yeah. Bad for everyone. Not for everyone except you because now the fans are nice to you because same thing. There you go. for all the villains out there we've really thrived in this environment yeah was it hard at all like being in the midst of that because because as an actor you know you were saying earlier it's it's amazing to get a challenge like this and a storyline like this and what an episode this is

you know um this arc is so cool when you get dan out there and god even that scene like when it first happens and he opens the door to the hospital and we realize we're in the farmhouse house. It's so eerie and you got to, you know, it's like having such a big meal. But was it also a little strange knowing that this was going to be the death episode? Was it bittersweet? Or was it just like you wanted to lean all the way into it and go like level 10? It was kind of both. I mean, it was definitely bittersweet because I had so, I enjoyed doing this portion of it so much. Like, I really felt like I was just able to do so many things. So I didn't want that to end.

Like that was really, you know, sad to me. But I also loved that it wasn't just like, you know, a shot and she's dead. I was like, you know what I mean? There was so much more. And then once you really think she's dead, I know they cut away to like some, I think it was a Michaela and Chad scene that was like really like, you know what I mean? So you definitely think, okay, that high intensity, that's, done. And then it goes back. And I love that. Keeps coming back. Yeah. I was really, I was definitely

sad that it was over. I was like so sad to say goodbye to her. But at the same time, like, I was like, this is cool. This is like a really cool way to go out. And did you have to, did you do research on on movies like this? Like misery, the Kathy Bates film and other things. Was there stuff you wanted to put in to the character? Because that, that final, moment with you and Dan is so crazy and the laughing and that you can't kill me like it it really is it's peak horror film yeah did you like watch a bunch of horror films or did you not want to think about what other people were doing so I did watch misery because I actually hadn't seen it and so when he said we want to do a misery storyline I was like okay well I'm going to check this out um

and that got me so excited but then otherwise like I feel like especially like when I was younger. I thrived. Like I loved doing horror movies. I loved doing that sort of thing. So I just felt like I thrived in that environment. I was like, oh, yeah. So my research more was like the sympathy part for her. Like building the sun, like building why she is the way she is. So that then like I could let it all go and be crazy, but it was like grounded in why she was doing it versus like, I'm just going to go wild. Do you know what I mean? Did they give you that information ahead of time before you started with all the kidnapping step even a while ago, or were you just, did you have to make something up for yourself?

You know what? I actually don't remember. I really don't remember. But, you know, and it sounds so pretentious, but like as actors, they always say, like when somebody just asked me the other day, like how when you were playing such a horrible character. It's like, even if you can't, find reasons to like that and you have to find reasons why they're doing it and like sympathize with that right yeah um so yeah i don't know if it was them that told me early on or if i built something but yeah like finding that grounding of like why she's doing this um was like the biggest part of the research for me and then also like all like i said all the little prop things which was so silly but i was like for some reason i was so nervous to use all of them i was like

oh can i go home with this can i go home with that even like i think i had to hold the revolver i didn't even have to shoot it and i went to a shooting range in wilmington because i was so i was like is she's going to look silly i got to hold it right like i was so obsessed with everything and it's funny because i kind of miss that a little bit i feel like as i've gotten older like obviously like research and all that stuff but that feeling of like that anxiety where you can't sleep you can't eat. You're just like, this has to be perfect. Like, I don't, I don't know that I've had that in a little, you know what I mean? It's like, when you're young and you're like, I've worked for free. This is so important. This is so important. Put me out in the cold at three in the morning. I don't

care. I'll wear a tank top. Like, yeah. And now I'm like, where's my fever? Yeah, is there a warming tent? Yeah, thank you. What time will we be finished? That's right. Well, speaking of Wilmington, Tell us about your experience in Wilmington because you came in in, was it the summer? I'm trying to remember the time in the season that you came in. And like, yeah, what was going on in your life when you got this job? Just give us a lay of the land. So I definitely remember being hot the whole time I was there. I loved Wilmington.

I mean, it is so charming. It was the first time I had ever had Kilwin's ice cream. And I remember just like the hotel I was saying out was so close to it. I was like, this is amazing. Like, I was like on the water every night, having ice cream every night. And it was interesting because I moved, I moved to L.A. when I was 18. And so being in Wilmington when I was like 24, it was the first time I was back for a long period of time. I spent my formative years in high school.

I mean, in high school. I spent my formative years in high school. I spent my formative years in Florida. And so Florida's weather is very similar to Wilmington. Yes. And my parents split when I was 19 and it was really, really difficult for me. And my whole family dynamic changed. And I remember I was in a rental car in Wilmington and it has that, those huge rain drops,

like that downpour that L.A. does not get. You only get that like in the south. Yes. And I had an experience that since high school. And I remember I pulled over and just started sobbing because it felt like home, but like letting go and all these things. And I had that movie in Wilmington. And so whenever I think of Wellington now still, I just, I always think of that moment.

Like, it did so much to heal a lot that I was going through, which was really beautiful. And then I also, like, I loved being there. I didn't want to leave. I found this amazing Kowadi teacher that I would go see for, like, private. She was so incredible. Like, I just started being a vegetarian. And I was, like, eating just potatoes every day because back then, like, in the South, it was very difficult. Matt Damon was farming potatoes on Mars and you were like,

that is a good idea. Good idea. So it was really special. And then I also feel really lucky because I know me and Michaela McManus came on the show at the same time. And I just like fell in love with her. She's so incredible. And I loved that we were both like newbies at the same time.

So I feel like we got to like kind of lean on each other in that way. And I was like, oh, what a better person to kind of have that experience with because she was so lovely and wonderful. Yeah. Yeah. 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 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. What I told people, I was making a podcast about Benghazi. Nine times out of ten, they called me a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked, why? Benghazi, the truth became a web of lies. It's almost a dirty word, one that connotes conspiracy theory. Will we ever get the truth about the Benghazi massacre? Bad faith political warfare, and frankly, bullshit.

We kill the ambassador just to cover something up. You put two and two together. Was it an overblown distraction or a sinister conspiracy? Benghazi is a rosetta stone for everything that's been going. on for the last 20 years. I'm Leon Nefok from Prologue Projects and Pushkin Industries. This is Fiasco, Benghazi. What difference at this point does it make?

Yeah, that's right. Lock her up. Listen to Fiasco, Benghazi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I remember having you guys over to my apartment. Yeah. Pasta? you made us dinner i made dinner that's right you guys were yeah the new girls that was fun that was a really fun night it was nice to connect with you both i remember just how smart you both were

but um i loved i felt like we had really good table conversation and it was so nice to just i don't know be in a space i love that age when you really have nothing but time and you're just happy to sit and get to know anybody and spend the time and you could like I long for those days. I long for being able to cut enough out of my schedule so that I can just have anybody over for dinner to sit and get to know you. I'm like our curiosity starts to get overshadowed by all the things that we have to just accomplish and we don't have as much time to sit in that curiosity and miss those days. It's interesting you talk about it that way.

I feel the same. like it feels like we have so much to manage and do and and days can go by where you're just sort of ticking off the to-do list and when I think about that time and you guys both coming out and what just lovely injection of spirit you both were to all of us because we've been there for so long I remember like I just I just think about the nights of like you know going to Circa or going to the brossary and like getting a mac and cheese. And in this moment, I'm like, isn't that so crazy because we were working, you know, 16 hours a day and still being like, want to go to dinner? Yeah. Yeah. And it does sort of feel like now we're in this

time. Maybe it's because we have smartphones and we're supposed to be on email like every second of the day. But we're just like slammed with work. And I miss that too. I miss like the smell of Wilmington and all of us rapping and walking out to base camp and being like, should we go? Are we going to go to the beach or are we going to go downtown? Like, where are we going to get a table and gab? That was so nice. Is that youth or is that the product of the age that we're in? Like, do you think the older generation 20 years ago did have time to slow down? Or is it always you just, the older you get, the busier you get and you just start steamrolling. snowballing into occupied.

I feel like it's a combo. I do too. I feel like it's a combo. I do think that as you get older, like things like it's like, but I also think like this age with cell phones and like, like you just said, there's no cut off for your emails. There's no cut off for phone calls,

especially now, I mean, Joy, you're on the East Coast, right? It's like, so we're three hours ahead of L.A. or, and so, you know, if somebody's calling me at 6 p.m. there, it's 9 p.m. here. like when do I when do you cut that off you know and it's like when do we draw that line and I find that to be so hard with cell phones yeah well me too it's the blessing and the curse of being connected you know we're more connected than we've ever been but we're also more stressed out than we've ever been and you know I think it's also it's so incredible that so many people can have creative careers now and it means that everyone needs a job and a side hustle you know we all have day jobs and

then we do this job and then we do other jobs and we do it's like there's there's so much available but it also means that every moment of your time is taken yeah and you know are we are we more connected than we ever happen like I know the ease of functional like I guess literal communication is easier. And that's what I mean a little bit, is like what Tori was saying about if somebody from your office on the West Coast calls you at six, but it's nine

and you're at dinner with your parents, but you're trying to close, I don't know, a deal for a film, like, do you pick up the phone or not? How do you set boundaries? We are expected to be connected all the time. Right. We do have more access to information, but it also does create a sort of vacuum

of, I think, intimacy. Because in a way, you know, like today for whatever reason, I slept with my sliding door open and the birds woke me up at 5, which was so lovely. But yeah, like I was up at 5 a.m. and was like, well, what am I going to do with myself? It's 5 o'clock in the morning. So I was pittering around the house and make coffee. And then I started checking on everyone on Instagram because I was like, what's everybody doing? And I knew we were going to talk today. And I was like, is there anything that's happened in Tori's life in the last couple weeks that I don't know about? So I'm scrolling. And then I was like,

I just love that pumpkin photo. And I'm like, looking at that. this picture of you with a pumpkin and I'm and I'm like she's just so happy but she has no idea that you're well exactly so it's it's this really interesting thing right where we can kind of say oh I miss this person oh I want to check on someone but are we really connecting so again I think it's I think what happens is as as these things expand as these avenues of connection and opportunity grow, in a way, as they get wider, they get a little shallower because you really can only hold so much. So you can hold three columns that are narrow and deep, or you can hold nine columns that are shallower and wider across. And I don't know necessarily what's better,

but I do think it is the journey of our generation, certainly, to try to figure out how to bridge this divide. Yeah, because we're the only ones that remember what It was like before and had really fully embraced the current, even like, I was thinking the other day about the fact that in, you know, 1995, we were all listening to exactly the same songs on the radio and watching exactly the same shows on TV, because that's all anybody had access to. Like, every single person in the United States was listening to Mariah Carey Sing Hero on the radio. Do you know what I mean? Or Nirvana. I don't know when, I don't know when. I should have a song list up in for me right now.

Nirvana, Tupac, Mariah, all these change makers of culture. And we all knew them. Yeah. We all were doing it at the exact same time. Like every, yeah, like every kid was singing Gangs's Paradise in Middle America because dangerous minds came out. And we all were watching everything the same. And so even though we weren't maybe connected talking about it all that.

Like we knew that that's, we were sharing this culture. sameness. And now it's all so, so, so different. For better, in a lot of ways, it's so nice to have the variety and to be able to have access to things that you wouldn't normally see in your current bubble. But it is kind of weird to be like, oh, there's just so many options now that we're not. I think actually that's one of the things to tie it back to our show, because our show was one of the last of that breed where everybody was watching it. It was right before all the, all the options came out. I mean, it's wild to watch, you know, even to be watching these episodes and all of our

characters are on flip phones. Like, you couldn't text novellas back and forth between your friends. You had to get on the phone, because to type the word the took 19 key taps, like on T9. It was just different. And now, you know, people, like, I have a friend who edited a book they wrote. on an iPhone just like oh yeah every time i was on a flight i was editing my chapters and you know he's miming this the the thumbtaps and i'm going whoa we are from our grandparents or our parents rather to our children like the shift is so big it's just so big yeah we saw around the world in the

sort of last big political cycle what fake news did but how it looks like real news on all these social websites on Facebook, on X, on everything. And you think about media literacy and how we're starting to talk about we've got to teach it to kids, not just college students in journalism class, for example. But it's like

we can't forget that when was the first silent picture? I can't remember if it was like 1912 or 1920, but it was in that era. 20s, I think. Okay. So let's say 1920, 1921, people go to the first silent movie. There was

a shot of a train coming toward camera. And, you know, we do stuff like that all the time. We put the camera on the road and the car barrels toward us and we watch and we're like, oh, high speed chase. But at the first silent movie, when the train was barreling toward the audience on screen, everyone got up and ran out of the theater screaming. Yeah, they freaked out. Because people didn't know that something they were seeing in front of them was not going to leave the screen because they'd never seen something that wasn't 3D before. I think this is an 1895 French short film that you're talking about. Okay.

Obviously, it would have been silent at the time. But still, wow. So let's call it just barely over 100 years. We ran out of theaters because we thought trains on film were real. And now we're supposed to like know how to do this? Just over 100 years. And then think about just on a very personal level, how long it takes for personal change.

We think about the people that we know who are 50, 6,000, 60, 70, and people can change, I believe, throughout their course of their life and they grow and they evolve. But it doesn't happen overnight. So now you're going to apply that to an entire culture and say everything's supposed to be different. Boom, within a hundred years. It's not that much time. Sometimes you can be 65 and still working on something that your parents did in your childhood. 100,000 percent, let alone this big massive shift. It's really scary. It honestly makes me more and more reclusive for lack of a better word because I still like connect with my family and friends and, you know, go and play on my tennis teams here and there. But like, it's cut me

like off. Like I've been in like, I get very, I just don't want anything to do with it. It freaks me out. And so I have these like little tactics I'll do like I don't, I try not to charge my phone. I'll charge my phone in my car, but I won't charge it at night. So hoping that it dies throughout the day and then you don't have access to the charger in my house so I just kind of like let it die. What a funny subconscious game

to play with yourself. My fiance will like call my wife. So my mom and my sisters, they don't even call me anymore. They just call my fiance, Jared. Because they're like, and I'm like, why did you call me there? Because you never answer your phone.

I'm like, I can't. I just, there's got to be a line sometimes. You know what I mean? But then on the flip side, sometimes I've realized that lately it's been making it so I'm kind of like lacking in what's going on. And I like to know what's going on. So it's like, how do you find that balance? How do you connect with your friends while also not being so like allowing that, you know, well, you didn't get back to me for a couple days? And it's like, well, that's okay. That's okay. You know what I mean? It's like we need that balance. Different priorities. Yes. Yeah. But everybody's living with different realities in their life, different priorities that they have to set into place because everybody can't do everything. Yeah. And all the more reason why empathy is really important to be able to, you know, recognize that everyone's growing at different paces. Everybody has to prioritize different things. It's not going to be a perfect process, you know.

But when you're probably used to spewing things off on the internet, like how, you know, is that building empathy or is that taking it away? Like we're talking about this. Yeah. Yeah. It's taking it away. But can you have empathy for the person who's doing that understanding? that where they came from and the pace that they're growing at is different than yours. And how do we walk that fine line? Because it's really nuanced. It's not an easy black and white. Like you get on this checklist, you get on that checklist. Right.

Right. It's tough. Yeah. Yeah. I actually remember this happening with the start of reality TV because I remember it was so new. I mean, beyond the real world. Like that was something we had all watched. But when they started doing these and you saw everybody fighting and going

going at each other and getting, like, smashed on TV in a way that you're like, ooh, that person clearly is hurting to be doing this to their body repetitively. I remember my little sister and I got into an argument. She wanted to watch something while we were eating. And I was like, it was over the holidays. We were home for Christmas. And I was like, turn it off. It makes me uncomfortable.

And she's like, oh, my God, get over it. And I was like, no, I think that it's putting this weird energy in the house. And then it does something to our psyche. Like, I want nothing to do with it. Yeah. Now cut to like what? 15 years later or something, I watch the housewives all the time. I have reality on like you're in there.

You know what I mean? It shifted your window. It shifted my window. Yeah. So it's like my threshold went up for this, but it's definitely, I can say for me, I don't even think it's not a good thing. I know it's not a good thing. Do you know what I mean?

Like, I don't like that. 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 Taylor Ornellis, 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. What I told people, I was making a podcast about Benghazi. Nine times out of ten, they called me a massacist, rolled their eyes, or just asked, why? Benghazi, the truth became a web of lies. It's almost a dirty word, one that connotes conspiracy theory. Will we ever get the truth about the Benghazi massacre? Bad faith political warfare.

And frankly, bullshit. We kill the ambassador just to cover something up. You put two and two together. Was it an overblown distraction or a sinister conspiracy? Benghazi is a rosetta stone for everything that's been going on for the last 20 years. I'm Leon Nefok from Prologue Projects and Pushkin Industries. This is Fiasco, Benghazi. What difference at this point does it make?

Yeah, that's right. Lock her up. Listen to Fiasco, Benghazi, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. okay can i give you guys a wreck it's we're taking a left but it is related stay with me here um yes i can't handle that stuff like so many and to each his own like i know a lot of people love reality tv i can't do it it stresses me out it's bad it's bad for me emotionally yeah also to be clear like one of the things i find the most stressful in the world even though i watch them because i think he's funny or adam sandler movies because watching some make mistakes for two hours and like set their life on fire is so I have to walk around the

house I have to take breaks my friends are like are you okay I'm like no I can't handle it like it gives me a full panic this man he just needs to tell people like so I I understand that I am my own breed of anxious human but the reality show lane that I love and you have a farm and we're all a little exhausted by technology and would like to be disconnected. It's why, you know, I've had Instagram paralysis for at least six months. I can't be there anymore. I don't know what to do about it. I try to share a little news in my stories every day and pretty much, that's almost it. My respite in reality TV is a show on the history channel called Alone. Have you watched it? No. You guys, it is like, it is a survivalist show.

about incredible like hunters, outdoorsmen, environmental experts who know every herb and leaf and mushroom in the forest and they go and they compete and they literally get dropped off in the middle of fucking nowhere alone.

And they have to be their own camera crews and they get checked. I think it's like every 10 days they come in and they bring a medical team to make sure no one is, you know, emaciated and dying because you have to live off the land. You get to bring 10 things with you

and then the gear that they give to everyone that is the same and you just have to survive in full isolation I mean all sorts of things not practically not practically

I mean emotionally because you're saying this is your respite like what are you walking away with this? I just can't stop watching it I'm fascinated by the human spirit I think one of the things I really like about it is watching these people

be in such connection to nature but that it always circles back to why they love the people in their lives. Like, it really is human connection that we live for, and it's our connection with nature, I think, that enriches our life. And, oh, my God, you guys, it's just so good. It is so good.

And you just learn all this shit about, like, I'm like, you know what? Prior to starting this show, I probably would have died in the woods in three days. Now I think I could make it a solid seven. Like, I think I would last seven days, and then I might die. But, like, I've really learned a lot. A whole week. I'm telling you we are not getting paid

to advertise this show I'm just obsessed I will never be able to go on it because I am not a trained survival expert but I will watch it forever Are you not so envious of this

information that these people have so much I just want to know all of it like I am so bad at gardening and all those things I want to learn if you want to start a gardening club I'm in

I have a plant club here in Nashville Great. We literally get together and go dig up plants and talk about them. Oh, my God. I would love that. Let's do it. Oh, my God. Can we FaceTime in? 100%. We can just, we can group chat it. See, this is where the cell phones are helpful. But we'll get there. We'll be like, no, we're doing tech, but we're doing it to get into the dirt. And that's how we get, how else are you going to get into all that information except by not being on your email and not being on your phone and just going out there and getting into it. And it's good to doing community. Because when you do it with your friends, then you're like, Well, what did you grow this week? It's a dream. Right. What did you grow? Oh, my God.

I can't wait to talk to you guys after you both watch your first episode of Alone. I'm vibrating. I'm so excited. I can't wait. It's so good. It's a perfect holiday show. Let's all just grow mushrooms and become experts at those. I would love that.

Okay. They're asking us to move on to some questions from fans. Our poor producers are like, you three are ridiculous. There are fan questions. Stop talking about surviving in the woods. Speaking of Nanny Carey in the Woods, the questions are pretty funny here, actually. We are. Oh, here's a really good one, speaking of Nanny Carey in the Woods.

From Jackie, how did you deal with the roach cereal that you had to feed? Dan, you have to remember this. I definitely remember this. First of all, one of the most fascinating parts of this I remember is there is like, I didn't know there were certain different breeds of cockroach. Oh, the different breeds, and they use a specific breed for film and TV because they're more trainable, these ones. What? That's what the guy told me. Whether he was lying to me or not, I never, like, fact-checked him.

But, yeah, it was so crazy. It's so funny because right now, like, if you were like, oh, feed this cop. I'd be like, ugh. But I think I was so in that nanny carry world. I loved it. I did feel so bad for Paul. I remember that was the first time, like I looked at him and I think I even said. I was like, who did you piss off on this show?

You're strapped in a bed with a cockroach this close to your face. It was so gross. How did he end up? Was he buggy? Was he okay with the bugs? Or was he a little? No, I don't think he was particularly into it. Paul's okay with a lot of things, but I don't think.

He didn't have his arm, you know? I don't like that one bit. No, so if I don't think he was. dropped it. It's on somebody else to come over it because I'm not scooping it up off her face. Sorry. I also remember because later, I don't know if it's this season or next season, but Lisa Goldstein and I had to do a big scene with a bunch of roaches. And they are very strict about the fact that you can't touch them, squish them, hurt them, flick them. So like your natural instinct with a bug is to fling it off you. And these are like protected set animals, insects. And you are not. allowed to put them at any in any sort of risk so like poor paul a knows he can't you know throw it off of him if it falls on him and b probably isn't even allowed to anyway it's disgusting i cannot oh honestly it kind of makes me feel better knowing that they're trained it makes me feel a

little bit more like i care about them more i could be like okay you you serve a purpose i guess i don't have to be so scared of you right i don't know it's all psychological you've gotten really far in your life little roach like i don't want to be the one to hurt you very proud of where you've come sophia what do they want to know what what are they want to know next this i actually think is really interesting because you were saying this earlier about jackson like the moments where you were like how is this child not traumatized were there ever days or moments where he was afraid of you or did you guys gamify this stuff so much that he was having a good time Yeah, good question.

I think he was pretty much having a good time because the scene where I kidnap him from the wedding and I take him to the hotel and that's where Dan comes and finds me and he like strangles me and puts me up against the wand, you would think for a kid that would be trauma. They gave him so much candy that day. And I saw Jackson.

Literally, I watched it with my own eyes. He ran around the room and then he went, oh, because I think he was like the sugar high. It's so hardcore. I was like, oh, my God, this kid's going to pass out from sugar. So, no, he had a fantastic time, I think. That's great.

Oh, good. But the corn maze, I don't know. I don't know. He may still have dreams about that. I don't know. Yeah, we'll have to find out. Yeah. We'll find out one day.

Was it hard being on, this one, that was from Alexa and this last question's from Emma. She's saying, was it complicated being on the vampire diaries and Winter Hill at the same time? I actually don't think I was. I was on pretty little wires and vampire diaries at the same time. One Tree Hill, I did alone. Vampirees didn't start yet when I was on One Tree Hill with you guys.

Because, yeah, because Paul and I were together then. So I remember he started that after I was done with that. That's right, because he was, I remember the only episode I did watch, he was doing Army Wives an episode, and I went down there, and we watched the episode together. I totally forgot about that. That was the one. I remember watching it in the first. hotel room. It was like so excited. I think it was like my first episode coming out. We're like,

oh my God. It was so crazy. But yeah, so no, I did pre-lil-lirs and vampire iris at the same time. And that was hard because I did pre-lil the lawyers for seven years. And I went so in and out of that show. I mean, I even did the finale while I was doing med. So I was so used to doing everything else with that show that it wasn't. Do you, do you have anything else coming up that everybody should be paying attention, looking out for what do you want to talk about and plug you know quite truthfully i'm like taking especially the top of this year to kind of focus on myself and grow my own little family so um not that i'm taking a break it's not like that i'm just being a little pickier and kind of waiting for something

really special to take me out and until then i'm kind of like ruminating here at home um focusing on a lot of writing, things I want to produce. And yeah, I feel like the next acting thing that comes through, I just want it to be something really, really special. Because not that I don't love everything we've done. I mean, Montreal, like, I'm so grateful to have been a part of this show that just keeps going on and on. And, you know, same with the whole, like, Chicago world and stuff.

But I've never actually watched something that I've done something that I would actually sit down and watch. So that's kind of like my new goal. for the future. It's time for it. And any time I thought, like, I was doing a movie that I would, I'm like, oh, I'm so excited. It's like a cool indie.

And then it just turned out not to really like, you know. So that's kind of my goal with things next. But where that goes, I'm not quite sure. I'm just kind of like enjoying the holidays and taking it slow right now. That's great. Yeah. Nice. Well, I loved having you.

I'm so glad you came back. We finally got to talk about Nanny Carey. Yeah. I know. I know. I love talking about her. I love her. I love her. Do you have a favorite on-set moment or Wilmington moment? I mean, I know you said the feeling the comfort of home from Florida, but anything on set, any fun anecdotes for the fans out there? Honestly, Joy, my most favorite one, and I know I've told you this guy told you guys this already. It was just that first day on set. I was so nervous. But you just. made me feel so comfortable and I still have it I told you you gave me that it had a little turtle on it it was that letter opener but oh you knew that I was going to try to kind of break you

and James up so you said like this is for all the not so nice mail you'll probably be getting but it made me laugh and you used to protect yourself too yeah to protect yourself you made me feel so comfortable and so that was one of the memories because you always have that right like you remember the people that really were like impactful or gave you like the good piece of advice or really kind of showed up because we always talk about as actors it's so hard to go on other people's shows at this point you're in season five you're all a bit exhausted you've been doing this forever you don't have to prep the same way somebody knew coming in so when somebody stops and has that like moment of like kindness because you were the first person I met you were the only person I really worked with for a while you and James well that was also that was that was that was going to I mean that was up to to me. I had to do that for you because not that I didn't want to. It's not in me, but like it is. But I did feel the weight of the responsibility of that because I knew you were coming in to exactly what you're saying, an established show. And you were going to try and break up this couple. And like I didn't, I just really didn't want you to think that it would like, like,

I didn't like, you know, because it was just going to be us. Like that would have been so awkward for you to come into an environment where it was like, oh, God, is she actually mad at me? I don't know. And then it was really great, too, because I got to reconnect with Daphne, who played my mom on my first show. Oh, that's right. And that was so lovely. Yeah, we share a mom. So I was like, yeah, so there was a lot of, like, that that show had so many firsts for me that it's like, I'll carry that with me for a long time.

Do you remember going to Fondue with Daphne? Yes. Daphne is the best. Remember, she was like, he'd never been to Fondue before. She'd never been to fondue. Wait, you guys, why was fondue such a big deal in Wilmington? Like, I just gave away the fondue set that I bought there. I was like, I'm never going to do this.

We used to go in Wilmington all the time. I don't make fondue at home. Like, who do I think I am? And I finally gave it to a friend. Was it like a 2006 nationwide craze? Like, what was that? Yes, because I remember high school, too, it being very popular. Like, oh, we're going to fondue.

Vandu. The rest of the fondue restaurants, well, there was a fondue restaurant. Well, there was a fondue restaurant, the melting pot. And we went. And we all sat around. We had dinner. And Daphne was kind of like, she was game for it at first. Like, oh, interesting.

Okay, fun. You know, and we're sticking the raw meat on the stick and cooking it over the flame. She's like, how long does this take? So about an hour and a half into the meal, the guy comes over. And he's like, okay, so I'll clear your plates. Can I get you dessert? And Daphne looks at him. She goes, do I have to cook it?

She's like, I can't believe. I remember her saying, she's like, I can't believe I am paying to cook my own food. Obsessed. You guys, we should take her to Korean barbecue in L.A. just to make her laugh. Oh, yeah. It would be fun. Oh, my God.

Oh, my God. Well, it's great to see you, Mama. You look great. You seem so happy. Always nice to talk with you. So good to see you guys. 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 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 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 queens, 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. What I told people, I was making a podcast about Benghazi.

Nine times out of ten, they called me a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked, why? Benghazi, the truth became a web of lies. From Prologue Projects and Pushkin Industries, this is Fiasco, Benghazi. What difference at this point does it make? Listen to Fiasco, Benghazi, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.