Podcrushed - Dylan Arnold

Episode Date: August 14, 2024

Dylan Arnold (Oppenheimer, YOU) is in the guest seat this week, sharing about his latest project opposite Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram, “Lady in the Lake”. But first, he recalls the impact “Twilight” had on his self esteem as a middle school boy sans a cut jaw and six pack. He recalls his early passion for theater, and why working with Christopher Nolan was like attending 100 million dollar film school. And, of course, we get into YOU, what it was like working opposite Victoria Pedretti, and Dylan’s feelings on how the whole thing should end.   Follow Podcrushed on socials: TikTok Instagram XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So we would walk on the ferry together and walk up to Seattle Children's Theater. And I remember that being so cool to be away from my parents in the city and walking with these older kids. And we all had Healy's on and we were just going to go going down. Healy's, you know, you were the first guest, I think, to mention Heelies. I forgot about Hewis. Whoa, Heelies. Welcome to Pod Crushed. We're hosts. I'm Penn. I'm Sophie and I'm Nava and I think we would have been your middle school besties.

Publicly saying you love Nine-Ech nails to privately, feeling like they're just a little bit too intense. Sophie, are you ready to stage a coup? Oh, we've already staged a coup. It's happened. Penn is out. Penn to the curb. It's exactly what nobody wanted except the two of us. No, before our numbers immediately drop, we need to tell you Penn is part of this episode. We promise. He will be part of this episode, but he's not part of the introduction to the episode. He is landing the plane. He's filming the finale of you too intense to take time to record this. Yeah. Yeah. We miss him. We miss him. Speaking of you, today's guest is Dylan Arnold. But before we get to all of his, that's Theo, for you, you lovers. But before we get to all of his accolades, I, about a month ago, said that I might try this Maeve supplement bar for our faithful listeners, the one that my dad tried and liked. And I decided to do it on camera. For those of you that maybe don't know, Maeve is not just any supplement bars. It's for dogs. Not for human. It's a dog treat.

It's a dog treat. But it smells so good. I give it to my dogs every day. They love it so much and it smells so good that I feel left out. And I just want to try it and see. So I'm going to give you guys my honest reaction. I'm so excited. I'm quite nervous too. I'm going to tell you guys what flavor is this so this is it doesn't say it's a supplement apart for dogs anxiety and calming it smells like it's like peanut butter and sesame for i think i'm so nervous i can't open it you need me to help you we're losing money if nava becomes very chill yeah that's right it's the bar okay yeah sesame i will ask you to smell it i won't make you eat it but i'll smell it tell everyone what you think of the smell and if you think it smells like something a human

shitty oh yeah it smells lovely it sounds really yeah it smells great i might i might try it it smells like coconut it smells like peanut butter and all good things okay it's honestly really good no it really is i feel like you should take a bite no it's honestly really good i told zovie if i don't like it i'll just be like neutral about it, but it's actually really good. It's not sweet. I thought it would be sugary. It tastes like a good cracker.

Okay. You know like those hard crackers that you dip in tea? Yeah. Mave, I'm so impressed. I have to say this is human grade. I would finish this whole thing. Do you want to bite? I'm trying to.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, okay, I'll take a bite. I'll hold your thing. It's actually very good. Yeah, right? It tastes like a cracker. It's like a biscuit. I can't believe I can't.

You can dip this in D. I have to say that I cannot recommend that humans eat this because it was made for dogs. And our sponsor, Maeve, did not ask us to do this. This will be a surprise to them that we are doing this. Listen. But just in terms of taste, I would recommend it. I thought you were about to take another bite. I honestly would.

I feel like if that was like the last snack in the house, I'm going for it. Yeah. Good job, Maeve. Wow. Amazing. I'm sweating. Have you guys last respect for us? Dylan Arnold, what a party.

It was so great to have him. He was so lovely. I apologize to Dylan personally that Pan is not introducing him. For the first time ever, Sophie and I are introducing the guest. I might let Sophie do it. I'm still chewing this. Today's guest is Dylan Arnold, who was such a pleasure to have on the show. You probably know him from you, where he played Theo Engler in season three.

But he was also in Oppenheimer. He's in the Halloween franchise. Most recently, he's an Apple TV's adaptation of Lady in the Lake where he shares a screen with Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram. We get into what it was like to work on you, to work opposite Victoria, to work with Penn. We get into Oppenheimer. But first, we start with a very rich conversation on his childhood. He was just so into it. Had so many stories.

So really excited for this one. Stick around. Does anyone else ever get that nagging feeling? that their dog might be bored. And do you also feel like super guilty about it? Well, one way that I combat that feeling is by making meal time, everything it can be for my little boy, Louie. Nom Nom does this with food that actually engages your pup senses

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NomNum available at your local pet smart store or at Chewy. Learn more at trynom.com slash podcrushed spelled try n-o-m.com slash podcrushed. Why do we do what we do? What makes life meaningful? My name is Elise Lunan, and I'm the author of Honor Best Behavior and the host of the podcast, Pulling the Thread. On Pulling the Thread, I explore life's big questions with thought leaders who help us better understand ourselves, others, and the world around us. I hope these conversations bring you moments of resonance, hope, and growth. Listen to Pulling the Thread from Lemonada Media wherever you get your podcasts. You seem like a uniquely motivated. adolescent. You seem like you love of, I guess, of performing, of acting. So, but it sounds like maybe

some of it started with or it was like developing at Seattle Children's Theater. So this is, yeah. So please, um, I'm really curious about, about that like 12, 13, 14 year old Dylan, like falling in love with theater and performing and how, you know, thinking there, you use the word artist. I don't know. You know, how did you see yourself and how did you see the world? that's interesting well you you know you said very a motivated individual and I didn't think of myself that way but I guess reflecting on it I'm like I guess I was I just didn't it wasn't conscious it just felt like something that I needed to do it was like the thing that I was the happiest doing and I think fortunately my parents saw that I was a very I was a very energetic child I wasn't I wasn't

a great student uh in the classroom so I felt like you know doing theater and all that that kind of allowed me to access parts of me that I wanted to access all the time, but it's not appropriate in every situation to perform. But, yeah, Seattle Children's Theater was, that actually was 12, 13, that was right around there. That's crazy because I was like, I was like, what was your experience there? I, so I did a, I did a, I believe it was during the summer. It was a, so I grew up on Bainbridge Island. I didn't grow up in Seattle.

Yeah, nobody's actually from Seattle. We just say Seattle. Everyone says that they're from Seattle, but they're from Bellevue or Tacoma or Revenue. You know, it's like... I went to school in Tacoma. Yeah, okay. And you're from Tacoma. That's where you... No, I lived outside of Issaquah. And then later lived in Gig Harbor. Do you know Gig Harbor?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Seattle. Why is that such a thing with Seattle specifically? I feel like more than any other city in the U.S., when people say they're from Seattle. They're not really from Seattle. I think it's just because nobody knows these places outside of Seattle. So you just say, yeah, I guess. I guess so. Go ahead. Bainbridge Island. What was it like growing up there? It really was a very magical place. You know, there's a lot of

greenery. It's a very, it's a pretty small community. You kind of, especially growing up, I feel like I kind of knew everyone, even if I wasn't friends with them, you know, you knew about them. I would see these people walking around Bainbridge and I, they would almost, these older people, these jocks or whatever, they almost felt like celebrities to me. Because I was like, oh, wow, heard about them i'm not friends with them but i know who that is you know uh and sports were like huge where i was growing up you know so and i played baseball but i wasn't like super athletic uh so i i always kind of wanted to be more of that uh because that's what everyone respond to um what position did you play were your pitcher by any chance i feel like i was i did pitch i did pitch i i

pitched i played second base uh i i'm pretty sure when i was younger younger i played right field because I definitely wasn't the, the strongest baseball players. But I did pitch a little bit, but I joined a baseball league recently. So that's, I've been returning to that a little bit, which has been fun. Yeah, kind of, because when I was a kid, I was like, I want to be an actor or a professional baseball player. Those were the two things. It was like that, that was it, which are two very difficult professions to get into. But unfortunately, one of them is working out so far.

When you say a kid, how early. do you feel like you started to feel that about as an actor eight seven okay i i i i this was something that i remember doing a school play in second grade and i just it just was one of those things where i i can't really put words to it but it just felt right when i was doing it i felt comfortable and i felt it felt exciting and i felt alive and you know i'm sure i had those moments where you know, I felt the audience respond to what I was doing and I kind of got off that high because I was like, oh, wow. People are looking at me and I'm being entertaining, but it's in an appropriate circumstance as opposed to in the middle of class. You said you were kind of like high energy or

you were you otherwise extroverted or energetic or were you kind of shy? You know, I always thought of myself as an extroverted person, but as I've thought back on it, I think I was pretty shy. I think I was just terrified of people making fun of me or not liking me or rejecting me in some way. And I think the reason probably why I loved theater so much is because I felt like that's where I found my like-minded people. When was your first play then? I'm curious. The first one that I really remember that I did at Bainbridge Performing Arts, which was the community theater that I grew up going to, was Jack and the Beanstalk. And I played the title role of Jack. which was very exciting to me.

But I remember there was this moment where I think it was probably the beanstalk was singing to me. And they had like five people playing different leaves or whatever. And there was this moment and it really stands out. It was in the middle of the song and there was a line where they said, Jack dropped to his knees or something and I dropped to my knees. And it wasn't choreograph, but I like did it. And I was just like, and I just did it.

And I remember I was wearing these pants with little elastic around the knees and I scraped up my knee when I dropped to the ground. But after the show, I was, like, so excited that I just put my body out there and I put myself out there. And I was, you know, for the sake of performance, I just remember feeling this energy. And that's kind of when I, just like I remember never feeling anything like that at any other point in my life. I would even hang out at the theater when I wasn't in the shows.

I would just, like, hang out in the lobby and kind of hang around the other actors and see all the shows as many times. I could. I mean, it really genuinely was like a second home to me. That's kind of where I felt the most comfortable. I just want to hear a little bit about your first home, like your parents, do you have siblings? How were they receiving all of this? I'm so curious. Yeah, my brother is five and a half years older than me. And he was not a performer. He was much more, you know, he was, he was much, he played video games and he, I think he, I would say that he was probably much more tucked in than I was. You know, I annoyed him to no end growing up. Do you still?

No, no, no, no. We're where. I, uh, if I do, you know, he's in on it. He's, he's in on the joke. So it's good. But, um, yeah, I think now, and I remember there was a moment like now he appreciates what I do. And he was kind of like, oh, I guess I guess I was your first critic. That's what he always said. Because at the dinner table, I would, I would go on this interlude and dance. and do whatever, and he would be like, stop it, that's not good, whatever, you know. So he was definitely my first critic. But yeah, I think my brother and I were very different. And, you know, when you're a kid, you're not really aware of the things that your parents

are going through. You just don't have the capacity to think that way. So that's always interesting. You know, that was interesting in my adult life probably in the last five years. It's kind of the moment where you're starting to realize that your parents are human beings. You're like, oh, wait, they're going there. This is their first trip in life as well. They're still figuring stuff out also.

And so I think now I appreciate how probably challenging that was to have two very different children who had very different needs. But it was a very nurturing. I felt very supportive home. I don't think there was a moment where my parents, like, ever said to me, no, you shouldn't act. You know, they were just kind of like, well, if you're going to do it, do it. You know, it's like really, really, really, really good.

for it um it sounds like in some ways it was pretty continuous from uh because you went to performing arts schools yeah and so so basically it sounds like from second grade the seed is planted and then and then i mean by the time you're 12 and 13 you're going to seattle children's theater which is like that's a commitment yeah so you uh just hop on the ferry and you take the ferry over to the city and i actually so i did it with beautiful that's right um the famous ferry up in Seattle. No, but I went with two other kids who were a year older than me. I think I was in sixth grade. They were in seventh grade. And we did theater together. So their parents kind of set them up with the same class at Seattle Children's Theater. So we would walk on the ferry

together and walk up to Seattle Children's Theater. And I remember that being so cool to be away from my parents in the city and walking with these older kids. And we all had Helies on. And we were just going to go going down. Healy's, you know, you were the first guest,

I think, to mention Heelies. I forgot about Heelies. Whoa, Heelies. Yeah, I remember they were the first ones to get it.

And honestly, that was another moment where I kind of looked to these people that I thought were so cool and I was like, I want those shoes with the wheels on my heels.

I want wheels on my heels. I want to walk on my toes at all times. Yeah, I never had them. They sat. They're also so ugly. I know, they're awful.

They must have been so uncomfortable. No, they were. Because it was one of those things where the wheels were always present. So if you walk normally and you put your heel down first, you would just slip out from underneath yourself. It's insane. It's crazy that they gave kids that. And they were sure, go for it. No, but yeah, I remember that we would just, yeah, we felt like like the coolest squad in the world, you know, healing through the city to Seattle Children's Theater.

Yeah, I got to say Seattle as well, it is such a picturesque coming up from the ferry and getting into the heart of the city, especially where the Seattle shows and theater was. Like, I do remember that too. It was incredible. So what was it, what was your, do you remember your first play there? We did the Martian Chronicles. And I imagine it, I don't think it was, they probably adapted it into a play, I imagine. They did a lot of interesting stuff. I did two like originals there. And they were, they were like. He was, like, progressive and stuff. It was very interesting. Yeah. How old are you? I think it was 10, 10 to 10 and 11. Yeah.

Yeah. But I heard. Yeah. Yeah, of course. It was kind of like, there was like one kid who kind of had the lead. And you were always like, cool, you know? And then there were all these bit parts. But looking back, those bit parts were the most fun.

You know, you got to do a bunch of different stuff. And I remember I played an old man. I played like a, you know, an 80-year-old man when I was 13 years old and I remember, you know, just doing the class and, you know, walking on stage and doing that sort of whatever and, you know, that sort of caricature. But, but again, it was this sort of moment where I just felt like I, like, that's another really strong memory that I have of just feeling like I was able to disappear and just imagine and pretend because that's all I wanted to do when I was a kid was just, I mean, I honestly still do that. I catch myself just like daydreaming in these really should elaborate scenarios. And so I kind of do it in a different way. I'm just not running around as much, which honestly I feel like I should do a little more.

You know, get a plastic sword again. Why do we outgrow that? Why can't we do that still? I'm starting to get a picture of you in your healy's, following the older kids around on the ferry, skulking around theater lobbies. And I'm curious now, what was your really? relationship to crushes, those kinds of feelings, maybe romantic or heartbreak, rejection. What was going on for you at that age?

I feel like I had a crush on everybody all the time. I feel like I just, you know, I was someone that had, I feel like I always had these really long, stable crushes for like years, you know, the one person that I was like, oh, one day they'll see, they'll see that I'm the one and then we'll get me. married, you know, when I'm in first grades, I do dreams. And then beyond that, I just had a crush on everyone else, you know, all

the time. So I think that I, yeah, I think that and I never, I wasn't, I didn't really date. There were kids that would date. There were kids that had girlfriends and boyfriends in sixth, seventh grade, and I was like, what? That's wild. You know, I was never, I never did that.

I don't think I had my first serious relationship until high school. You know, so I kind of looked at these things happening and I was like, I wish I could do that, but I don't feel like it's possible for me. And I don't know why. I think probably like what I was saying, a combination of putting myself out there and getting rejected like that is just the most mortified. It feels like death when you're a kid. You know, it's just like there's nothing worse because you're already showing. I don't think you missed out on anything by not dating as a full girl.

I don't think I did anything. No, I was actually going to say it's actually like relationships are relationships are an. apparatus that adults are struggling to understand as well. I don't think 12 and 13 year olds really have the faculties, you know, to actually be in a relationship. So I do think it's, I do think it's actually a very appropriate and normal feeling to be like, I'm not ready for that, even as your friends are all starting to make out and stuff. I mean, it's, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That was definitely my experience too. Right. And I think looking back, I think, yeah, it makes all the sense in the world. But so, yeah, my thing, my, my crushes were very just, like, tucked in.

And I was like, well, they can never know. Did you ever ever let any of them know? Was there ever a slip? I had a couple friends who were all girls growing up. And I had a crush on each of them at one point or another. But my best friend and we're still best friends now where we've been friends since we were 12. Oh, that's so good. I had a crush on her for years.

And I told her. And I remember, well, I didn't tell her. I told one of my friends to tell her. because that's a lot. That's a lot safer. That's a lot safer. That's the route. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Be like, I don't have to confront this. But I remember she messaged me on Facebook chat. I think this was probably an eighth grade. I started crushing on her, you know, 11, 12, and this was an eighth grade. And she messaged me and said, hey, I heard you like me. I just see you as a friend. And I was like, yeah, for sure, me too.

Yeah. Totally. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, totally, totally, me too, like, had no words. But credit to her, like, I was always so terrified that if a girl found out that I liked her and she didn't like me back, she would just stop being friends with me. She would just stop talking to me. She would think I was weird. She would think I was, you know. And to her credit, she was like, you know, I feel like maybe there was awkwardness for a week, but like, you know, I feel like we both really moved past it.

And, you know, I definitely kept crushing for another four years. years but uh but then you know but no we're still just lovely friends today and you know we laugh about it and it's it's i i i mean it feels very special to me that you're able to have a really longstanding relationship in the broad sense of the word with someone but then also just have those like adorable little bits to your yeah to your life and the shared experience having been on the other side of that situation where like maybe a long term friend expresses feelings and they're not reciprocated. The person who always felt like it was just friendship is probably going to be fine to

keep it as a friendship and to keep the friendship going. But the person who had the feelings, I think it's like it can be a blow to your ego. And oftentimes that's the person who will like retreat. So I feel like it says something about 14, 13 year old Dylan that you were able to just move past that. Yeah, maybe, maybe. I mean, I just remember because I really liked her as a person. You know, I really liked being her friend, too. So it wasn't something that I wanted to, like, lose.

You know, I wasn't friends with her just because I liked her. I think it was a combination of the both. Yeah. Yeah. Sweet. The other story is this was in front of my friend, who was my crush. We were maybe 13, and we were going to a soccer game, and I had long hair. And I remember me, her and our other friend were going through the gates.

And we, like, got our ticket scan. And I, like, ducked under something, and one of the people working there said to me, oh, excuse me, and they just, to me. Because I had this long hair. And I just, when, when, when, when they started dying, laughing. And it was so mortifying for a little boy to be mistaken for a girl, a little girl is like, when you're, when you're a boy. Of course. Of course. Yeah.

You're like, watch. It's the worst feeling. I had the same thing. I had long hair. It would happen all the time. and when it would happen in front of girls, it was, yeah, it's emasculating. It's your first, because you're thinking you should be a man. I thought I was a man.

I would stand in the mirror and like, I was not fit. I would like flex to be like, I was actually going to ask, were you, you know, because you are tall, were you tall at this point or had you, you know what I mean? I didn't have my growth spurt until I was like 16 or 17. I think I was pretty short. I was a little, you know, I was a little chubby, you know, I wasn't, I wasn't, and all the girls would always talk about the guy's six packs and I didn't have that and I was just like

why did they talk about the guy's six packs so much I don't know they talked about I remember this is but I remember when Twilight came out they were all talking about Robert Pattinson's jaw jaw line in the in the movie and I remember for like two years everyone was talking about these

jaws and I was like I was like so I would like look at the mirror and I'd be like because he's 24 yeah because he's a man he's twice your age that's really funny there's so many moments

where I'm just like being brought back and like I've thought about this in a one and let's stay there because because if you're having flashbacks and what is it hot sweats what do we say what do you say it's not hot sweats

that's let's just redact that one Um, is there something, was there a moment that was particularly, did you have, do you have an embarrassing story? Oh, because I was so concerned about what people thought of me. I think I had so many embarrassing moments, but I think that probably didn't register to them. Yeah. Whether it was me saying something and maybe not even, maybe they didn't even respond to it. But in my head, I was like, that was a bad thing to say. They're going to, they're going to think X, Y, and C.

but I do remember this again had to do with a crush and it was one of my it was my very first crush I think I liked her from inner garden to fourth grade and I remember in art class I think in second grade she I guess found out that I liked her

and in the middle of class in front of everyone it was also context this was this was what we called junk art day where one day a year we got to like the teachers went and bought a bunch of random knick-knacks and we got to just make whatever you know so it was the best day of it was like it was the day that you looked forward to all all year so needless to say this day was ruined

for me but uh no but in the middle of our class she just goes telling you like me why would i like you everyone knows i like graham and i was like oh no that's a literally out loud out loud in front of everybody and it's just like I was feeling so good about my junk art and then after that I was like what's the point I gotta say that is that's a little bit advanced

that's pretty brutal. You said second grade right? Yeah. That's a stone cold. That's like a mean girls moment in second grade. Yeah, that's pretty. Oh, you're better off without her brother. I mean that probably is the thing that stands out the most to me.

Yeah, it's pretty brutal. Because it was public. It felt like a public execution. I was just like, what? It just felt like survival constantly when I was growing up of just wanting to feel like I had a kind of a home and a place to be accepted. You know, if you get made fun of as a kid, like, that's the worst feeling ever. So I do remember those moments that I had an opportunity to join someone else and make fun

of someone else. I was like, yes, it's not me. I'm not the one at the subject. and I remember just feeling so bad about it in the moment being like, what am I doing? This is so awful. I'm like going along with this joke that is at someone else's expense, but it's only because if not, it's going to be at my expense. And I can't have that.

So I actually think I, without realizing it carried that shade with me for a long time, honestly, until I started therapy, like a few years ago, I was like, I'm such a bad person for all that. My therapist is like year 12. and you realize that it's bad. Like, it would be one thing if you didn't care. It's like you're experiencing those moments and figuring out what is right and wrong. And that also reflected how I behaved in class, which I know that you guys are teachers or were teachers.

Yeah, so I apologize because I would have probably made your life very difficult if I was in your class because it was another one of those things where I'm like, oh, if I could get kids to laugh at me before they laughed at. You know, it's like, if I'm controlling the laughter, then they're laughing with me, not at. So I feel like that was kind of very early on. I was like, this is my defense mechanism. I can just be goofy. I can, whatever, make people laugh with the teacher's not looking. She turns around. I'm like, oh, no, I'm not doing anything.

And then I'm like, awesome. I know you. Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Stick around. We'll be right back. All right. So let's just, let's just real talk, as they say for a second.

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How long have you been in L.A.? Eight years. Okay. So, yeah, so it's like more or less your 20s. So you must have gone right after school. Is that right? Yeah, so I went to boarding school. at Ida Wild Arts Academy.

That's a high school? That's a high school. And it was a performing arts boarding school. Yeah, yeah. That's very specific. Yeah, so they had a summer camp program that I went to, and I found out they had an academy. And when my parents picked me out, I was like,

please, please, please, please, please. I want to go. I want to leave you behind. I want to leave everything. I want to stark fresh. I want to be my own man. Dylan, I just want to ask quickly, Did you miss your parents and brother, or were you sort of like, nah, they're like, you were just focused on what you.

I mean, I definitely, I mean, I definitely, I don't think I've ever said this to anybody, but I mean, it's not that big of a deal. But what I, you know, I was 15, but I definitely like cried the first few nights in that night, you know, because I'm just like, what am I doing? I'm away from home. And how far away was it? Uh, so it's like a, so Ida wild, I guess you fly into LAX or the Ontario airport and it's like a two and a half hour drive in the mountains. So it's far. And it's like then two and a half hours like, you're in the mountains, you're in the woods. You're kind of like secluded.

I also came in the middle of my sophomore year. I was a semester student. They had semester students and then students that started in the beginning of the year. And it was funny because it was a very isolated place, you know, very controlled environment. Whenever the semester kids would come, it was like it was like fresh blood. Everyone was excited to meet the new kids, new people to hang out with. Dylan, I went to a small school and I remember I could still know. name all the semester kids because it was so unusual.

I know, you're like, whoa, new people. You're just waiting to punish them. You came in January? Though, honestly, I never felt cooler than when I came at the semester because I was like, everyone wants to talk to me. This is awesome. And I think beyond that, just beyond that superficial aspect of it, I do think that I felt so at home at that school because it was like a bunch of like-minded people, a bunch of

international students, I think after that first week and a half or so of that adjustment period. And then once, you know, I made my first friend that I was like, you know, in the classes, then you're like, oh, cool, I'm a part of something. And that's kind of when I really felt like I came out of my shell in the sense of who I was and felt better about who I was. Right. So, yeah, so then I went to college. Then I went to North Carolina School of the Arts after that and then I moved out to LA after I graduated in 2016 and came out here yeah you know I I was watching this interview recently with Kristen Wig where she described this this feeling she performed on stage at the Grammys several years ago for Sia and she described like all leading up to

that she was like what am I doing why am I doing this I could be on the couch at home like regretting all her decisions until she did it. And then she had this feeling set in that was like, oh, that's why I do this. That's why I keep coming back. Yeah. And I thought that was such a good description of a feeling that I've definitely had before. And I'm wondering if you've ever had that feeling on a project and you could tell us about it. Honestly, I, whenever I do theater or I honestly feel like I almost have that feeling before I go on stage every single time. I love doing it. And I love the process. I love the rehearsal process. But I almost feel like before every performance, before I go on stage, I'm just like, what am I doing right now? What am I about to do? I could just,

I could just turn around and walk out the theater and go home. And yeah, they'd be screwed. But like, I'd be okay. You know, it's like I'd be out of here. And for some reason, every single time, you know, I almost am like, am I about to not go on stage? And you hear your cue line. And it's like, you're taken over by a spirit and you're just pushed on the stage and say your first line and then you're just off and I think that that that it's probably honestly in that little moment of space in between those two things that are that's really the gem because you're like I'm overcoming this sort of unnatural feeling of of of wanting to run away and not wanting to do this but I know I love it I think that that's and then once and then once you do it

And then once you come off stage for your first scene, then I'm like, I don't have that feeling the rest of the show. It's only the first moment before I walk on stage. Like, no one's seen me yet. I, you know, I don't, if I don't come on. We could go watch TV. Yeah, exactly. And that's safe. So, yeah, I do think I have that.

But I don't know. I think that whenever I'm in the scene, whenever I'm doing it, it's like literally every single moment of that is like, this is why I do it. Yeah. So having gone to performing art school and, you know, sort of a lot of our guests have had this, a lot of other actors have this, I didn't have this experience. I'm always kind of fascinated. Whenever I hear people talk about it, I'm like, oh, God, that sounds amazing.

Because, you know, at that age, I was doing television and film and, and some of it was enjoyable and good, but a lot of it was, you know, not stuff that I would want to watch now, nor did I want to watch at the time, really. It was just, you know, you're working. You're making it work. Yeah. It seems to me my sense of when you're studying, you know,

especially if you end up in a conservatory or whatever, and you're focusing on, like, the essence of the craft because you're learning the craft. Right. You're distilling the essence and you're kind of immersed in the essence of the craft. And then you're not going to maybe have the same fear until you get out into the field of work where you feel different kind of pressure, you know. I mean, when I reflect on my time in school, I almost wish I was more aware of what I was doing. Because I think, I mean, I think whenever you're in the moment, whenever you're doing, whatever you're doing, it's just so, it's so immediate. And it's hard to think about anything beyond what you're doing.

it's hard to have that you can't really have hindsight and we're like well in hindsight it's like well yeah you having more information now so of course you you have a different thought about something but no in the moment I think I was just trying to I was enjoying where I was at

but I wish I took more risks I wish I was aware of the space that I was in because you don't get it here you don't it is unlike anything else that you will you just won't Like, you sort of get it in between action and cut, sort of. You know, you sort of have the, but it's not really, like, the, that's, that's why I have, jealousy is definitely not the right word, but like, I have a fantasy of, of having studied in a way that is, that it just sounds special when you guys talk about. Yeah, because it's a safe space. I mean, I, it's a place where you can do, and thinking back, like, I could do, I could fail. It was a safe space to fail. And I think that in this industry, they tell, you know, it's like, when you.

strive to fail and you allow yourself to fail, that's often when you find really wonderful little magical moments. But it's also terrifying. How are you going to get on a giant set where you're, where all the pressure's on? And then you fail? Like what? You know, I, I, yeah. It's, it's not your job to fail. No, no, no, no. But, but, but in a way, it's like. But it is. It should be. But it is. Yeah, yeah. And so I think that that's why I really, I mean, I mean, I've worked with Alma, who did Lady in the Lake, like she... Oh, right, right, right, yeah. She really...

She's phenomenal. I felt, I felt the sense that I felt in acting school on that set. Wow. Did she direct all the episodes? He directed all the episodes. Wow, that's great. That's great. And she, I mean, my first scene, I remember, she led me through breathing exercises.

She had me stand up and slap my body to, like, wake up my body. You know, it's like, it was a... She came up to me and said, this next take, I want you to be bad. I won't, like, I want you to do everything that you think is too much. I won't make you look bad, I promise. Right, right. That's amazing. I love that.

I just remember hearing that and I'm like, oh my God. Like, thank you. Thank you for that space to explore because I think any time in acting when you're trying to get it right, it's just not going to work. It's just never going to work. So, yeah, but having that time in school. And also, we did dance classes. We did movement classes.

We did singing classes. Even though it was just an acting major, they had us do everything. We did voice and speech. So I think also opening myself up to all these different worlds within the craft, I think made me, A, appreciated it more. And, yeah, just realize that there's more to it. And just get you out of your head because I think the more that you're out of your head, usually, the better it has. Yeah. Dylan, we definitely want to talk about Lady in the Lake.

But let's start with you. Yeah. So you were on a very special season of you. and I always say, I think three is our favorite. And you got to work a lot with Victoria Padretti where like huge Victoria stands. Yeah. So just tell us like how did you get the part? What was it like

to work opposite her and in your scenes and to the degree that you worked with Penn? We had one major scene together, right? Yeah, we have one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, we can reveal it now. Yeah, I think we can say. You were dying. He spared me. I was dying. He spared me.

But yeah, I remember So, yeah, I mean, I auditioned for that. I put myself on tape for that during the pandemic. And I actually remember I had seen some of the show, but I was like, okay, I want to watch more of this just to kind of get the world, you know, understand it. So I started with the second season because I was like, let's just check out what happened right before this. And it was the pandemic. And I remember watching the first two episodes. And I think I'd binge the second season in like two days.

And then I was like, well, now I got to watch the first season. And then I've got to watch the first season in another three days. Yeah, and it was so, I mean, I really loved it. So I think that, and I watched the whole two seasons before I did the audition. So I'm sure that, I'm sure that helps a lot. Yeah, that's a testament. That's a, that's a, and it wasn't hard. It didn't feel like work.

I was genuinely enjoying it. And so it was just kind of, it made it, it made it fun. And it made me feel like I could maybe figure out what world this was. But I remember I did the tape. I had auditioned for the show before and I remember I just did that tape and I got cast off that tape which I was really surprised

I didn't do a callback or anything like I was really surprised Did you have to do a chemistry read with Victoria? No wow I know I didn't That's crazy Can you send us that tape? Yeah yeah you need to study it Well they probably already had you in mind as well

because you didn't you said you read for it before so they probably Yeah I auditioned for 40 The previous season two Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. And then, yeah. Yeah, and I remember that I, I mean, I was very excited to work with Victoria because she's obviously an incredible actor.

And she's, I mean, she's one of those actors that I think makes you better when you work opposite with her. Because there's so, there's so much that she brings. And it's so, it's so loaded, but, like, tucked in in this way where it's like she just shows so much with her eyes, you know. that you can really lock in. And obviously, Penn, you worked with her quite a bit. So you can probably speak to that as well. But I think that she, I mean, it's also clear how much she loves this, which I like loves acting and loves the work. And how much respect she has for it.

So I think that also makes it really easy. But yeah, it was, I mean, I felt like we, we approached it. Like, we really talked about the scene work. We really approached it in this way that felt like school again, you know, where we were breaking down and coming in with ideas. is and then and then figuring out where those fell which you don't you don't get that a lot with tv shows and especially when you're working off to someone who's quite busy you know to like to like have that bandwidth to what are you trying to say no um no you're fully right man it's you don't get a lot of of time or bandwidth in tv and so and victoria was that way she was she was one of the people

i think of when i think of people who talk about having been the conservatory having studied in school she's one of the handful people I think of it's like that sounds like you know something I really wish I'd had because television just operates at such a pace like I know you just you just in terms of like

what we do the essence of it is rehearsal you need to be able to rehearse absolutely unless you're doing something I mean I hear that like Lockheen Phoenix doesn't like to rehearse but so unless you're doing that kind of like extra special mercurial just like I'm totally

totally present in the whatever. I mean, this is what I've heard. Yeah, but it's a different thing. It's it, it'll just, I mean, here's the thing. I, I, I, I had an actor or an acting teacher tell me, you know, you could either do the research or not do the research. You could really work on it or not work on it, but you're never going to know the alternative, you know, if, you know, you can do both. You're either going to work on it or not. And he's like, I would say probably work on it and do the research. But, you know, so yeah, I mean, that's interesting about walking Phoenix. Like, obviously, he's incredible. It also may or may not be true. I don't know.

I mean, I think that there is something to that spontaneity. And, you know, I think rehearsal can be detrimental sometimes. You know, you can run something into the ground and feel like it's stale. But I find that when I'm able to approach it from an open mind and point of view, it's like, I only discover good things. I only go deeper with it. And yeah, yeah, I remember that. And we didn't get to work together a lot. But I do want to say, like, I remember.

the first scene that we were kind of in together where I like showed up to the door and you were just like kind of say we didn't really interact but you know I had a line to you know Vic and and you were kind of standing there and I remember I remember watching you and I remember just being like your physicality was so impressive to me like it was so it was it was really interesting I just felt like you were so it was like so alive in this way that I was like wow he's really like he's really doing something without like I don't know I don't even know how to explain it but you were just so in your body and so physically alive in this really cool way and i and yeah i remember i remember noticing that being like wow i mean that's really cool

before this season that i'm currently shooting that was kind of the only choice i had because i have no lines right it really is like to be quiet for like two minutes yes for just and you guys are doing all the talking all you do all the talking yet somehow the show's about me and so i'm just like Well, I got to do this thing with my body, I guess. Wow. Do you find that that like developed over time, or do you feel like right away? No, definitely, definitely.

I think as an actor, it's all, you know what? Actually, never thought of it this way, but I think it's true. I think this has been my version of acting school. Because I finally, for the first time, I mean, because I started working when I was 12, you know, like I was working, working. Like I've been consistently, like, so much that I actually left school, you know.

So it's not like I had all this time to be exploring and self-actualizing in that way that you do with that age maybe. But, you know, I have gotten an opportunity to just like really sit with myself for long, long takes of just silence, you know, and like figure out what it is to be present, you know, in that way. I was longing for something like this. I wouldn't have known it, you know, but I think it's a, I don't remember exactly. I mean I think I took to it pretty quickly

but at the same time if I think of now and I think of back then first season I really did develop it I think yeah no I imagine because like the idea of silence you know it can be very uncomfortable

but it's very powerful you know it's like you're like you said to sit with yourself and just be like present well you know I even yeah like I used to add a lot of little interjections like yeah oh you think oh i like i like make sounds because scenes that were so unnaturally silent you know the other character has so much to say i have so much to think but i would have no lines like for really significant moments this other person is

being really vulnerable or they're being really funny and like nothing because i have a thought you know but when you're shooting it you realize like i'm not doing anything like i don't yeah and so initially I think I added a lot whereas now I could be silent for so long and it's not even a I do not need to add a thing do you find that when you don't add

the things like it's more powerful as opposed to when you add that little interjections you know I'm not sure I would have to watch and think about that I don't know that it's more powerful because when all said and done I wasn't it's not like I was interjecting that much

but I just used to try to, you know, try to just add things. And worst case scenario, I've gotten too comfortable with it. And it's like an autopilot thing, you know, but which is nice because this season I'm having to shake things up and I actually have quite a lot to say. Oh, that's a nice little tease. No, it is. I think that's true.

Would you say that's true? Because that was been on set a lot. Yeah, yeah. I would say I was going to spoil something. I won't, obviously. but I saw him do something recently and was like, oh yeah, I've never seen him like perform his own stunts

and he's so physical. Yeah, it's so seamlessly physical. It's awesome. Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. I'm excited. Dylan, if you were scripting it, what would happen to Joe? Ah, good question.

That's not his question, but I took it. Wow. Wow. I don't know. That is, I mean, it can really be so many different difficult. Like, there is something to, like, him getting away with all of it. You know what I mean? Like, him just going off and just being like, well, is he going to keep doing it? Like, I, you know, I don't know how. Obviously, there's been a lot of, at least notice with, like, three and four, you know, there's, there has been a lot of, like, growth and character development for, for Joe, like, you know, kind of reflecting on his own actions and being like, in his own way, yeah. In his own way, as much as he can. So, uh, so I don't know, obviously what, what is.

happening in five but yeah there is something to like him just going off and being like okay is he like maybe leaving with this moment of like did he is he changing or is he not you know and then just being like that's it um but then you know I also understand wanting to like wrap it up with a bow and being like he's in prison now kill the man yeah yeah exactly like no more but audience can't be like is there going to be another one you know it's just done people try I mean the amount of people that are like, Victoria's coming back, even though she was burned. She died pretty hard. It was pretty clear.

Yeah. She died twice. Yeah, she died twice. And she did come back. She did come back in the fourth season for a little bit. But obviously, it was not her. Spoiler. Spoiler.

Yeah, no, I mean, I've, it's been out for two years. That is a joke called out. It's a stupid joke. And we'll be right back. Fall is in full swing, and it's the perfect time to refresh your wardrobe with pieces that feel as good as they look. Luckily, Quince makes it easy to look polished, stay warm, and save big, without compromising on quality. Quince has all the elevated essentials for fall. Think 100% Mongolian cashmere from $50.

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Find it wherever you get your podcast and start listening today. Dylan, let's talk about Oppenheimer. So you got to be directed by the legendary, you know, Christopher Nolan, like one of the all-time greats. And I'm curious, like, you know those memes about like my expectations and then reality? Sort of what was that for you? It was expectation and then like honestly reality met the expectation, which made the reality even more.

You know what I mean? Because it's like when it actually meets it, you're like, oh, wait, this is actually what it's like. I mean, I really had like the best experience. It was. That's great to hear. It was for some reason, yeah. I mean, I think that everyone on that set was just so good at what they did. Like every single person, you know.

You're always opposite Killian Murphy, which is just a normal. Like, just what a lovely thing to get to do. I know. I know. And he's also a very lovely person. And, like, I will honestly say, like, everyone was so nice and just grateful to be there, you know, like, every single person. That's awesome. And, like, including Chris.

You know what I mean? Like, literally everyone was just, it was, it's clear how much he loves making movies. Yeah. How, like, he's, it's his true passion. I mean, he made that movie like a $100 million student film in a way. You know, it's like he would hold the, he would hold the slate half the time because it was just convenient, you know. He would, we would be in a room and it would literally just be him, Hoyta, and the DP, and sound. And then he would hold the slate because he was just like, yeah.

He wants to strip down crew like that, like for the sake of the scene. He doesn't look at the monitor. He looks at the actors. Wow. That's very interesting. Locking in. He literally has this. Cassio monitor from like the 90s that you can barely see the color. It's all grainy, but he literally

just does it to check the frame. And then he, and then he watches the actors. I love that. Unless he can't. You know, sometimes he can't be in the room and then, you know, but then he but then he listens. And then that's kind of how he, how are you? That's amazing. That's amazing. Which was terrifying in my, when I got the callback for it, you know, it was my first in-person audition since the pandemic. And I go into the room at Universal and Chris is sitting there. And when I was doing my scene, he's on the other side of the table

leaning all the way forward, just staring at me. Because obviously he's like, is this going to work on IMAX? You know, he's like, he's like looking, but I just remember him just leaning in and he was so locked in

and was distracting the first take. I was like, Chris Rinal is locked in on me right now. But yeah, I mean, that's just how he directs. And I really did every day. I kind of lived around. I was like, this is really special. which I'm really grateful that I was able

to appreciate it when I was there because I think looking back like I really do feel like I did. I was actually wondering when you were talking about that feeling in school you look back on school and you think a bit like

I almost wish I'd appreciated it more than I was wondering it sounds like that thing we were talking about you don't often get in work it sounds like you get that in a Nolan film.

It sounds like you got, you got that on that film. No, I didn't want to waste that opportunity. I didn't want to, I didn't want to go through that being like, did I really not appreciate every single day that I was on this set? Were you always nervous? Okay, so this is why I feel like I have had a sort of imposter syndrome with every single job that I've done, except that one for some reason. Wow.

Because I trusted him and I was like, well, if Nolan's saying that I can come and join, then I guess I can settle into it. And also, I'm across from, like, great actors who, like, and I know I'm not going to look bad. I know he's going to, if it doesn't work, he's not going to put it in the movie. You know what I mean? Like, it's so, so I think that there was that sort of thing. I also prepped more at that time. I did the most research I had ever done because I was like, I need to be on my A game for this.

I need to. And that's how everyone felt. It was like, Chris has said in an interview, like, the cast knew more about their characters than he did because everyone just did. Like, they came with ideas that he didn't even stumble across in his. research because everyone was just like, okay, it's time, time to be at the top of the game and dig in. So it also fleshed out the world with the people that you were working with. But yeah, for some reason, I was just like, okay, I can trust that. That's really amazing to hear. I mean, that's a testament to, you know, the environment that he

creates on sets. That's, it's nice to hear when people at the very top of the game are creating that kind of environment that's a you know what i mean that's like no absolutely really really encouraging because you never know you know i mean you never know with any of it but uh i i just remember the first day i showed up i i i i didn't feel like because i definitely felt like i was on paper like the least uh the least qualified to be there you know what i mean and so and but i never felt that i felt like so welcomed by literally everybody that i interacted with um so that also really helped. It's also helpful when the director, when you trust the director really knows what they want.

You know what I mean? Like sometimes you work with directors and they're like, oh, and you're like, okay, I don't know how to help you if you're, but it's, yeah, it's nice when there's that confidence. That's working with a master, working with a mentor, you know, that's, that's so cool. Can you, can you maybe tell us a little bit about, you said you did the most research for that role that you've done in any and that everybody else seemed to be doing the same thing. Is there one, do you have like a story, either about you discovering something or, you know, I'm just curious. Is there, is there any, anything you glean from that research process?

That's a, that's a, I mean, I mean, so much. I really, I found the, the, the, I found the guy that I was playing just endlessly fascinating, Frank Oppenheimer. He was, he was just, he was so brilliant. He and, he and Robert had a really interesting childhood. They, like, grew up very wealthy in Manhattan. They had, like, original Picasso's. but i frank as a kid like i remember just all the learning about all those things he at one point took apart his father's grand piano just to see how it worked and when his father was out of town

and then he was like oh i got to figure out to put it back together before he gets home and he did it and he would like go at night go into the water towers like climb the rooftops and go to the water towers and just listen to the sounds uh and so he was just like a really interesting person he was very curious about the world in this very immediate and urgent way that kind of just like kind of set the stage for the rest of it it always seemed like he was thinking about things

and just figuring out how things worked I remember there was a scene that I was in that I didn't have anything to do and I was like you know and I was holding this pen and I was just able to be like hmm how does this pen work you know what I mean like I was just like I was able to just kind of

find those little obviously wouldn't read on camera but it was just those things to just kind of drop me into, okay, what, just who is this guy? And he actually wound up, found in the Exploratorium, which is this interactive science museum in San Francisco. Wow. In his later years, Frank did. Because, you know, he wanted people to learn physics in a practical hands-on way. I mean, I really could talk forever about him. I mean, I just think that he, I just really appreciated how he approached.

the world and how we thought about it. So it made the research very easy. Yeah. When you're playing somebody real, which I've had the opportunity to do once, I found it to be very spiritual, deeply spiritual. I just was curious if you found it spiritual as well. No, it did, it did feel spiritual, and it's, it's interesting. It's like a fine line, you know, I'm not going to,

I'm not going to pretend like I'm going to actually become this person, you know, because I'm not, you know, like, but, but there is this, there is this feeling of trying to honor them and just capture whatever bit of their spark that at least you perceive because it's going to be different. You know, it's like people are going to do research about someone

and certain things are going to stand out more than others. So it is through your lens, but it's just however authentic I can make that if that makes any sense. Oh, yeah, definitely. Yeah, but it did feel very spiritual. And I got the opportunity to talk to Frank, his son, and Robert's grandson. I got lunch with them in New Mexico.

And I was able to ask them about stories about his dad. And the most validating thing was I was sharing stories that I came across in my research. And every single one, they were like, oh, yeah, he loved that. Or, oh, yeah, you loved that story. And I was like, okay, cool. I'm on the, like, I'm not totally far off. Yeah. Thank you, Chad, TBT.

Yeah, yeah. That's all I did. And that's it. Before it was even out. Yeah. So you're also in a new project called Lady in the Lake. Yes. Lady in the Lake.

It's a huge Apple films, Natalie Portman. I mean, Alma, how do you say Alma's last name? Alma Horel. Horel, that's what I thought. Yeah, yeah. It's populated with like, just phenomenal actors. Really, really, I thought, exquisite use of music. Not just in it scoring, but actually in like live music happening in the thing,

which is really cool for me. I always love that. For anybody who hasn't seen it, it is, I mean, you see Dylan right in the beginning. Clearly you play a very, an important pivotal role.

It's also very clear that you're deeply, deeply troubled. Well, so I think that something was really, that was really important for Alma and I was to not diagnose him, not to have any sort of specific. Right, I like that actually. thing that we were basing off of. It was more about his trauma and kind of how the things that

happened to him as to why that made him who he is. So, yeah, which I think freed me up because then you're not, you're not playing a specific thing. And also, I don't know, that just gets tricky. That's just a tricky thing to navigate. Yeah, for us, it was like, it was actually very important with the physicality. That was kind of where we stayed. And I was kind of playing with this feeling of him being trapped and kind of having that be like trapped physically and that kind of yeah that kind of reflecting and how I guess whatever mannerisms you see uh that's probably the result of that the listeners there will be spoilers so if you we'll try to avoid them you just skip this section and come back to it but I think there's like a few that are sort of inevitable

but I wanted to ask you Dylan I've been shadowing on on the set of you this season and I, you know, I just hadn't realized how many takes go into, I guess it depends on the director, but like how many takes of a scene and actor has to do. So now I notice as I'm watching things when I see someone do something that I would consider difficult. I have a lot of sympathy. Like they might have had to do this like 15, 20, 30 times. There's all the different angles. So I was curious that scene where you, I think it's in the second episode, you're in a bathtub full of goldfish naked, you're wearing the interesting, what is that called? The gas mask.

The gas mask. Yeah. And then your mother. sort of starts attacking you and pulls you out drags you across the floor yeah it was just so physical and and vulnerable because you know you're just in that in that state and I was just curious for you like what was it like to film that and how do you prepare for that and how do you recover from that oh yeah that was really that was a really interesting day that was a day because so I kind of they block shot the whole the whole series so I would I would kind of fly back and forth from Baltimore to L.A. And I would sometimes go to Baltimore for a week. I would sometimes go for only a couple days. And this just so happened. It was on the schedule where this is all I flew to Baltimore for

was to get in that back and get ripped out of the water. And, and, you know, so in that sense, like, I kind of just had to rev myself up for that. In another sense, I was like, this is such a weird job. I just flew to Baltimore to get naked in a tub and get with. You know, it's like, what am I doing? Yeah. So, I mean, a scene like that, there's a scene like that, there's a lot that goes into it, you know, because I, I'm naked, but I have the modesty garment on, which is like a very uncomfortable, sticky thing, you know, and you're in the water, so you're trying to make sure that doesn't fall off. And you're trying to make sure that when you land, you're not revealing the modesty garment and you're able to, you know, it's like

there's, there are a lot of technical things that go into it. To dance. Position your body. It is a dance. It is a dance. It's like, yeah, how do I, how do I position my body without making it look like I'm doing that, making it look natural and messy. And that actually, the take that we used, I remember that take because I think there was an issue with like dragging me out of the bath and making that safe and making that work. And that take that we used, I like actually slipped a little bit and just like landed on the ground. But it didn't hurt, but it just looked good. It's just like, I just remember being like, that's got to be the take that we're going to use.

But then in that moment, when I had that fall. and I had that hit, I was like, well, shit, the rest of this take has to be perfect because this is, this was, this was the fall out of the bat. This was the what we were looking for. So I remember just being like, okay, just stay in it, but don't reveal anything else. Oh, God, stressful. So that's kind of, and like how I scurry. Yeah, you know, that, given that, given that's all we've seen at this point, you know,

I think that was the moment where I realized like how traumatized this man is who's really a boy. I mean, you know, that's where you realize like, oh, this is. He's trapped. He's like definitely trapped. Yes, like a child.

Yes. And, you know, you're whimpering. I know my, like, you know, the most have ever had to play craziness is obviously on the show I'm on now. And I know what it's, you know, it's a different thing. But like, when you have to get

into that sort of state it's uh you know there's a lot of happen in your nervous system just your mentally what's going on i'm curious like um playing somebody who is so terrified i i think is it terrified maybe or there's also a word i'm looking for he's um so uh i mean this in the most sensitive way like pathetic yeah you know what i mean what is can you say a little bit about that because because I you know that yeah just I like that that's interesting that's that's actually one of the earliest conversations alam and I had so she wanted she wanted me to lose some weight for it I also was trying to remember I was like has he always been this skinny yeah yeah she and pathetic is actually the word that she used in the beginning she was kind of

like I don't want it him to be in intimidate like he is intimidating in a way but like I don't I want it to be kind of pathetic and frail and fray and fragile and weak. So that was kind of the thought process behind that. And I'd never done that for a role before, but I was definitely game because I was like, yeah, like this is an opportunity. You know, it's, I feel like as an actor, it's always exciting when you get to enter a space that's very different from yourself.

And that honestly, feeling more frail, feeling more fragile, like really helped me get into that, into that space in a way that I don't think I would have been able to, I hadn't. And also visually, like, I think it, I think it just works, works better than if I was healthy and fit and whatever. Yeah. Well, you're very tall and you are kind of broad, you know, your, like, your features are broad and like you're a bigger person from what I can recall. And like, that's what you look like right now. Did you feel like it was, you know, did you have, like, you know, maybe the most flattering form of imposter syndrome? You're like, can I be this pathetic? Can I, can I, you know, can I be this kind of small?

No, because I was like, I just want to be. You know what I mean? I think I was so much about being like, I just love the immersion that I just, I just wanted it so badly that I don't think I thought, thought about that as much. But yeah, yeah, for the character, the weakness, the fear, I think that his big through line is he's really trying to find connection I don't think he feels like he has connection but is very afraid to reach out to people and like and I think that has to do

with probably how he grew up and so he does find that with with Maddie Natalie's character you know that's kind of he like feels this this weird connection towards her and she and she kind of nurtures it in this manipulative way you know that's me speaking that's not speaking for the show

but I feel like it is you know and it kind of uses that to take advantage of him and kind of get his story, which is what you'll see in that episode, kind of. You have this big scene where you play opposite Natalie Portman. Can you tell us about that? What was it like to work opposite her? Well, she liked what she liked.

She's amazing. She's honestly incredible. And I think that she's very down to earth. She's very grounded. she's a really generous scene partner you know i think that was the thing that stood out to me the most uh she was really down to work she was really down to try things and explore and it's and i just remember feeling so safe and so invited into trying things and like you know really going for it um yeah i didn't feel like judged at all i i i do remember

when we were doing my coverage and she was off camera, you know, my character's supposed to kind of be infatuated with her in this way. And I remember she was doing this really interesting thing when she was off camera where she was like giving me these looks that maybe wouldn't work if she was on camera, but it's almost like what my character wanted to see. Yeah, I get that.

It's cool. And then, of course, when it was on her, she was playing it how she plays it, which is, you know, I don't want to speak for her, but you'll see it.

It's not, but it's not that. It's not infatuation. But I just remember seeing that and being like, oh, you really can as an actor when you're like really give so much to the other person when you're not on camera that they can use. And the fact that we did all my coverage before lunch and she was so there, so present, so with every single take is just, I think, speak so much to who she is. And just for people who are listening who've never been on a set, which is most of them, it sounds like, oh, you know, we did some work before lunch. No, it's like a six-hour long period with intensive shooting. So that means it was very intense and long and you did it

repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly, and she was all off camera. It was only one setup. Like, it was all in that room. Right. It wasn't much. Like, we were really just going for it. Yeah. You know, you don't have breaks. You know, you don't really have a, you don't have a 15-minute break unless they're setting up lights. That's what's great about those kind of scenes, actually. I love, I love long scenes with lots of words because then you don't have all the changes of camera. It's really nice. Yeah. You kind of get into a rhythm, a really nice rhythm that you're able to just keep up. And that's when it's almost like when we were talking about rehearsal earlier, like it's, I almost feel like it seems like that where you really,

if you get to do it a lot, that's when you really get to discover these juicy bits, you know. Well, Dylan, you're already doing so much. But any projects, anything coming up that you want to share, plug? I have been a movie that is going to come out next month that I actually filmed. I actually filmed right after I shot you, which is crazy. That's a long time ago. Shot it in 2021 called 1992, and that's coming out next month. That's with Ray Leota and Tyre Sipson.

And that was kind of one of Ray's last projects. Yeah. So that was really great to get to work with him. And yeah, that's kind of like a heist thriller, fun. It's a great movie. You know, I think it'll be fun. And, yeah, other than that, I don't know, trying to enjoy life and figure out meaningful things outside of work because it's so out of your control in so many ways. Well, speaking of meaningful things outside of work, our final question is one of those.

If you could go back to your 12-year-old self, what would you say or do? Oh, wow. I didn't, you know, I think I, it's funny, when I think about my 12-year-old self, it almost feels like a little brother. It feels like a different person from myself. I think I would give them a hug. I think I would say, you're perfect the way you are. You don't need to change yourself for anybody else. and find the people that embrace who you are naturally.

Don't try to, you know, be who you think people want you to be. And, yeah, I was going to say, I was going to make a joke. It would be like, sit still in class, but I don't think it would have done anything. People told me that all my life. So, I know that's, but, yeah. Yeah, that's such a, I feel like there's so much that I would have, to have a full-blown conversation with him be like what are you thinking right now yeah yeah just get to know him a hug is a good stuff yeah i definitely agree with that

i'm the only thank you so much for taking the time thank you guys truly for having me on you know i love your guys's podcast and you guys are so wonderful so thank you yeah this was so nice to meet you yeah yeah nice to meet you too take good all right bye bye we are so excited that you can now listen to podcrush ad free on amazon music in fact you can listen to any episode of Podcrushed, ad free right now on Amazon Music with an Amazon Prime membership. I'm so sorry. Should we pin Dylan if we're screen recording? Don't we do that? I've pinned him. You don't need to pin him. You can if you want. Yeah. Okay, okay. Sorry. We can get that. We'll just edit out and have this interjection.