COWORKER FUNNY Ft. Taylor Ortega | Episode 222

Taylor Ortega is here this week!! Taylor and Drew talk about her new show Big Mistakes (out now on Netflix), the side effects of being a tall woman, fighting with your sister, being delusional, channeling Bob Ross, manifesting in the shower, banning yourself from Instagram, and so much more. Taylor IG: https://www.instagram.com/taylortega/?hl=en Follow The Comment Section on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thecommentsection/ Barilla: look for the red bag on shelves. Visit mybillie.com http://mybillie.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  There's people in my real life who maintain a height that I go, okay.

• 0:08Drew Afualo?

  Sure, if you need it. If you need that inch, go ahead.

• 0:10Speaker 00

  Whatever. I used to feel like Gaslit by it and now I just go, whatever. No one can see what I see.

• 0:16Drew Afualo?

  I know, when they say, I'm about 6'1" and I can see their scalp?

• 0:19Speaker 00

  Yes!

• 0:20Drew Afualo?

  Sure.

• 0:21Speaker 00

  It's crazy.

• 0:22Drew Afualo?

  Me too, mama.

• 0:31Drew Afualo?

  Hey, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Comment Section Show starring me, your babe, everybody knows me, who cares about me. Onto the guest. Today, we have the iconic, the legendary, the one, the only, Taylor Ortega.

• 0:45Speaker 00

  Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

• 0:47Drew Afualo?

  Welcome to the show. I'm so happy to have you.

• 0:49Speaker 00

  That was a pro intro.

• 0:51Drew Afualo?

  Oh, my gosh, thank you. I get that. I do get that compliment quite a bit from guests and I'm like, oh, my gosh.

• 0:57Speaker 00

  It's something to see. It's something to see.

• 0:59Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that's just what happens when I do like pee pee poo poo time in front of this bullshit for 200-plus episodes. They, you know what? What's annoying too is sometimes people are like, ah, I hate when you repeat yourself. I'm like, you tried talking for 200 episodes.

• 1:11Speaker 00

  No, you, we don't have that much to say.

• 1:13Drew Afualo?

  Girl, you're gonna circle the block.

• 1:14Speaker 00

  There's only so many experiences you can have.

• 1:18Drew Afualo?

  I can only age so fast. I have, I don't have that many.

• 1:21Speaker 00

  You use them up. Like, you get to an age where you have experiences and you go, fine, I have something to say. And then you use them up in a three-hour span.

• 1:28Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and then you're like, all right, does anyone else have anything else they want to say?

• 1:31Speaker 00

  Then you dig into like the personal ones where you go, I wasn't gonna say this, but.

• 1:34Drew Afualo?

  You have to start oversharing.

• 1:35Speaker 00

  I wanna give, I wanna give something.

• 1:37Drew Afualo?

  This episode of the Comment Section is presented to you by Barilla. You know those nights when you're deep in a reality TV binge and suddenly the snacks aren't cutting it? You need a proper meal, something that hits as hard as the most unhinged clapback. Al Bronzo by Barilla is crafted with textured ridges that actually hold on to sauce, so every bite is rich with flavor. That moment you go back to swipe the clean plate? That's carpetta, the art of savoring every last drop. Al Bronzo by Barilla, the pasta. That does scarpetta. Look for the red bag. Well, I'm so happy to have you. Thank you for coming to the show. I think you're a ledge and I think you're hilarious.

• 2:18Speaker 00

  Oh my god, you too.

• 2:19Drew Afualo?

  But I do wanna just kinda kick off just to, cuz I know you've done improv, I know you've done standup. Now, obviously, you're doing acting, or you have been doing acting, but now you're in Big Mistakes. Woo, how exciting.

• 2:29Speaker 00

  It's really exciting.

• 2:29Drew Afualo?

  But let's start from the beginning. Like, how did you get into show business, I feel like, or entertainment as a whole? Like, what led you there?

• 2:37Speaker 00

  Um, I guess, what did lead me there? I grew up thinking that it was like a viable career path, like, I think many of us do. Where we're like, I'll probably either like, like, go to college and get a job, or like, probably I'll be like a famous actress.

• 2:54Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that's-

• 2:55Speaker 00

  I'm like, probably I'll do that.

• 2:56Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, those are my two paths, for sure.

• 2:58Speaker 00

  Yeah, you're like, surely I'll be on camera for a living.

• 3:00Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 3:00Speaker 00

  Um, and, no, and then I'm, I moved to the city in like my early mid twenties. And I, I think at that age, you start to get a little bit more like, oh wait, it's hard. And I was like waiting tables and stuff, and so you're, I minimized my dreams to a realistic place. And I went, okay, actually, I will wait tables, a thing I was really, really bad at.

• 3:22Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 3:22Speaker 00

  And do improv, cuz it was the boom. It was during the big boom.

• 3:25Drew Afualo?

  Okay.

• 3:26Speaker 00

  And you don't get paid for improv.

• 3:28Drew Afualo?

  No, you don't.

• 3:28Speaker 00

  If anything, you pay to do improv.

• 3:30Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, if anything, you pay a hefty price, and not just financially, to do improv.

• 3:34Speaker 00

  No, dignity, a lot of it. And so I was doing that, and I was being the worst waitress in New York City, Tri-State area maybe as a whole. And I said, well, we did it. I'm done, we're good.

• 3:44Drew Afualo?

  This is the dream.

• 3:45Speaker 00

  And I think that was kind of a lifesaver, because having zero expectations is sort of the only way to last out this business.

• 3:52Drew Afualo?

  Oh my god, I know. Especially in art form, like, to make money off art, you really gotta do it for the love of the game.

• 3:58Speaker 00

  You have to do it for the love of, of the game, and I think for me too, it was like- I came, I didn't have, it was so funny recently, I did another podcast where everyone, it got clipped and everyone was like, oh, they thought I was maybe a nepo baby?

• 4:12Drew Afualo?

  Cause they've never heard of you before?

• 4:15Speaker 00

  And yeah, and well, cause they, you know, they pop up.

• 4:17Drew Afualo?

  That's true.

• 4:18Speaker 00

  And I guess the conversation, it seems like, yeah, right. Like sometimes you'll be watching someone for a while and you go, oh, I didn't realize. And, um, and so, no, but I wasn't. And so it just does take a much longer time. It takes a really long time.

• 4:31Drew Afualo?

  I've gotten, I've only gotten industry plant, I think like once.

• 4:34Speaker 00

  Nice.

• 4:35Drew Afualo?

  But I was like, I would be the worst one ever. Like I'm, I'm an antagonizer. Like I go and I antagonize people. I would be like,

• 4:41Speaker 00

  They need you to lay low.

• 4:42Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that would be a really strange approach.

• 4:44Speaker 00

  I know.

• 4:45Drew Afualo?

  They, they typically, men in this industry don't like being harassed.

• 4:48Speaker 00

  They, they, I would, I'd go bigger. I'd go bigger. I'd go men as a whole.

• 4:53Drew Afualo?

  They like harassing. They don't like being harassed.

• 4:56Speaker 00

  You ever, sometimes one of them will be doing like a kind of a joke, a version of like a joke that they will do. And then you'll kind of do it back and you'll sort of see them like, I really like that. Like, I don't like that. I'm like, we were gonna have fun. I'm like, let it, just let me do it a little more.

• 5:09Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, let's be silly.

• 5:10Speaker 00

  I go, it's, this is your kind of humor that you like.

• 5:12Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 5:13Speaker 00

  And girls like it too.

• 5:16Speaker 00

  Girls like it too.

• 5:17Drew Afualo?

  Girls like it too.

• 5:18Speaker 00

  Girls like it to be a little mean too.

• 5:22Drew Afualo?

  I'd argue they're better at it, honestly, than men, typically speaking.

• 5:25Speaker 00

  When you're really on a roll with one and you think everyone, you're both laughing and then.

• 5:29Drew Afualo?

  All of a sudden it's really not.

• 5:30Speaker 00

  And you are kind of like killing it actually.

• 5:33Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I'm giving myself the zoomies because I'm doing so awesome. I'm literally like laughing my, it was so funny. I had someone on. They had said, I went on someone's podcast and they were telling me, I forget who it was, but they were telling me basically that they realized they mispronounced my last name, like in conversation with me. And I was like, really? When? And they were like, oh, it was like when we were talking about this. And I was like, you want to hear something so funny? I didn't notice you did that because I was waiting for you to stop talking so I could get my joke off.

• 6:01Speaker 00

  I can do my joke.

• 6:02Drew Afualo?

  I was trying to get one off and you were taking a little while. So, believe it or not, honestly, Pemdos cancels out. I wasn't listening to you.

• 6:08Speaker 00

  I was hoping when my timing would land. I needed to land mine.

• 6:11Drew Afualo?

  I was workshopping a bit while you were going through that, so it's alright.

• 6:14Speaker 00

  And that's fine.

• 6:14Drew Afualo?

  I didn't even notice.

• 6:15Speaker 00

  That's okay.

• 6:16Drew Afualo?

  But, so you went from improv to stand-up natural pipeline?

• 6:19Speaker 00

  No, I kind of went from like, well, yeah, so, because stand-up, you can get a paycheck. You can, if you really stick with it, get a paycheck. And I said, "I'm not interested in a paycheck."

• 6:29Drew Afualo?

  Oh, no, no, no.

• 6:30Speaker 00

  I said, "No, hold on." No, I was doing improv and I actually, it was like, there was a lot more like internet, like, it was less individual online. It was a bit more like there were structures in place and like companies putting money into talent and you could go host something and get paid. Like, like Cosmo would have you come, like, do a man on the street and they would, it was like BuzzFeed era, you know?

• 6:52Drew Afualo?

  Okay, yes, yes, yes, yes.

• 6:53Speaker 00

  And so, when I first moved to New York, I had like writer friends or people here and there and they'd be like, "Do you want to come host this thing?" And I would do it completely for free at first.

• 7:01Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 7:01Speaker 00

  Because I didn't know that you should get paid. And I would like leave my job or go before my job and I would host these little things. And that's how I sort of got into like being on camera.

• 7:10Drew Afualo?

  Oh, nice.

• 7:11Speaker 00

  And, because that was just a thing back then and I would do that on camera and I met my manager as friends.

• 7:17Drew Afualo?

  Oh, cool.

• 7:17Speaker 00

  Um, when we were both really young. And she said to me, she was like, "You gotta start writing stuff down."

• 7:24Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 7:24Speaker 00

  And I went, "Well, I don't know if I want to do that." And she's like, "You have to start writing stuff down." She was like, "Improv is a great skill and it is so fun." And I still do improv shows and I really love it and it's my favorite form of comedy.

• 7:34Drew Afualo?

  It's true, though.

• 7:35Speaker 00

  And it's so great and it taught me so many good things, but she was like, "You have like, I think the skills you have, you need to start writing stuff." And she was right.

• 7:43Drew Afualo?

  How cool.

• 7:44Speaker 00

  Yeah, she was really right.

• 7:45Drew Afualo?

  So, when you ventured into stand-up, like, how did you like that versus, I know you said improv's your fave, but how did you like it in comparison to improv?

• 7:53Speaker 00

  I love it, I mean, I kind of didn't do it. I, when I did like JFL and SNL, all the abbreviation, um, shows and showcases and auditions, I was doing like characters because I was kind of jumping into it with no experience and you can kind of improvise that. And then I learned to write characters that way. I started doing stand-up when I was living in LA. I moved with other comedians and we started hosting a mic together. This is actually so crazy because I think probably the people who came to the mic didn't realize that I was not a stand-up, but I, they're like, "We know."

• 8:27Speaker 00

  Like, no.

• 8:27Drew Afualo?

  You're all, nobody was aware.

• 8:29Speaker 00

  We knew.

• 8:31Speaker 00

  No, when I started, because it was weekly, I would get like, write my little like jokes for the week. And so really LA was where I was doing stand-up. Um, and I think it's really fun, but I, I have that improv brain of like, I want to be with my friends.

• 8:43Drew Afualo?

  Honestly, you're so real, because I, stand-up's one of the few things that I was like, really resistant to when I started doing this. Mostly because I, I love to watch stand-up. I have many friends in stand-up. Obviously, we have a shared love in Caleb.

• 8:55Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 8:56Drew Afualo?

  And so like, I, I love stand-up comedy, and I love it as an art form. I love to watch it, and I love to laugh, clearly. Um, but when I started doing this, I was, you know, some, you know, people in my team and stuff were like, well, maybe we should try stand-up.

• 9:08Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 9:09Drew Afualo?

  Like, because I love improv. Like, I do love, I love working off people. I love being quick and responsive. That kind of humor is my favorite kind as well. But I, with stand-up, I was like, I just don't want to find out the bad way. I suck. Cause like, I know that-

• 9:21Speaker 00

  You wouldn't, you'd be amazing at it is the thing, and you would be like, good in the room with the, like, with crowd work. You'd be so good with the audience. And what I think you would like, the sweet spot of stand-up, I think, and maybe stand-ups will disagree with me, because I'm not really one, but-

• 9:35Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 9:36Speaker 00

  I think what you would probably like best about it is like, when you're in like, the city you live in, and you're getting up on shows, and you're doing it with like, other comedians. Like, that's how you're seeing your friends. Like, you'd like, be on a show with Caleb, be on a show with like, these other comedians, and that is so fun. I think where it loses me is like, what, what would happen with you is, obviously, your stand-up would be hilarious. You'd, they'd want you to tour. And then, suddenly, you're like, by yourself. And you're like, maybe you have an opener with you if you're lucky, but like, you're traveling alone. And you're in a city you've never been to, and it's like, really lonely, and like-

• 10:08Drew Afualo?

  You're literally so me. Like, that's, I'm not kidding, like, I tried it.

• 10:11Speaker 00

  I don't want to do that.

• 10:12Drew Afualo?

  I tried, I tried it. I tried it. I, I did stand-up. I did open for Caleb, and Chris Fleming, which felt fucking rude.

• 10:17Speaker 00

  Oh, love Chris.

• 10:17Drew Afualo?

  I was like, where you put me before two giants? What the hell?

• 10:20Speaker 00

  No, that's the best.

• 10:21Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I was like, well, I thought so. The, the room was awesome. Like, even, even Caleb told me, it was at the Largo, so like-

• 10:26Speaker 00

  Oh, so good.

• 10:27Drew Afualo?

  Caleb asked me, he was like, do you want me to promote it? Like, you're gonna be there. And I was like, honestly, no. And the reason why I said no is because I was like, I love and adore my fans. I know they find me funny. I don't think I'll know if I'm actually funny, if it's a room full of my fans.

• 10:41Speaker 00

  So true.

• 10:41Drew Afualo?

  I was like, I want it to be people who either have never heard of me, or maybe briefly have heard of me. And I want to know for real if they laugh. Like, I was like-

• 10:48Speaker 00

  Also, it doesn't hurt to announce you kind of like, in the moment, and have people go like, ah, you're kind of like, high off of like-

• 10:55Drew Afualo?

  Which happened when I went on, I went to two of Caleb's like tour stops, which was like, that was fun. At that point though, we had like an established friendship and everything. Everyone was like a huge fan of all of us hanging out. But even when I tried it, I tried it a few times and I was like, I even explained this to Caleb because Caleb was like, please keep trying. Because I told him, I was like, I don't think I'm gonna do stand up. I think I'm gonna pause that and do other things because I love to act and I love to do improv and stuff like that. And I was telling him, I think it's the freedom with improv that I enjoy. Because obviously with stand up, you have freedom, but there is like a structure and you have to stay inside the parameters so you can get your jokes.

• 11:27Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 11:27Drew Afualo?

  Which is great, but I, I, I need no fence line.

• 11:30Speaker 00

  I kind of, I'm at my happiest when anything can happen. And then it's like the fun surprise of like, I just did an amazing joke. And even I didn't see it coming.

• 11:40Drew Afualo?

  Right. It is so low key self-serving because I'm like, and I was hilarious and I just came up with that.

• 11:44Speaker 00

  Yes. I actually think it's really, it's a good measure. Like, yes, you want to try everything, but it's like other, it's like the people who represent us. It is their jobs to be like, what about this? What about this? What about this? Like thinking of all your talents and how do we use them? But I also think it's good to be like, I don't have enough interest in that to pursue it and I'll quit. And I will quit.

• 12:03Drew Afualo?

  No thanks. And I also hate touring. So it's funny you say that. I do hate going on tours.

• 12:07Speaker 00

  It's really hard. I think it takes a lot of fortitude to be touring.

• 12:10Drew Afualo?

  Yeah. And it's like.

• 12:11Speaker 00

  I could never be a pop star. No one asked me to.

• 12:15Drew Afualo?

  And no one will.

• 12:15Speaker 00

  And no one will. I'm turning 37 this month. No one will. My knees crack loud when I go to the ground. Yeah.

• 12:22Drew Afualo?

  You look great.

• 12:23Speaker 00

  Thank you so much.

• 12:24Drew Afualo?

  I never would have guessed 37.

• 12:25Speaker 00

  Thank you. But yeah, no, I can't be, I can't be touring and.

• 12:28Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, you, I, I get you on that though too. I'm like, past a certain age, I need to be at home.

• 12:32Speaker 00

  I need to be at, when I see them lifting Zara Larsson over their head, I go, couldn't be me?

• 12:39Speaker 00

  Put her down.

• 12:39Drew Afualo?

  Yeah. Get her on the ground.

• 12:41Speaker 00

  Put her down. It's been months she's been up there.

• 12:45Drew Afualo?

  I saw, I know, I, we love Zara Larson here. Uh, we're huge fans of her here.

• 12:49Speaker 00

  I wanna be pulled up on stage.

• 12:51Drew Afualo?

  Oh my god, to do the lush life dance? You just wanna give it your all?

• 12:55Speaker 00

  I wanna do it.

• 12:57Drew Afualo?

  Well, I do have an aunt, Zara is my friend, I will tell her.

• 12:59Speaker 00

  Thank you.

• 12:59Drew Afualo?

  That you really wanna do it with her.

• 13:01Speaker 00

  I'll learn the dance, I'll be diligent.

• 13:02Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I'll tell her by that time, you'll be ready. You'll be prepared to ready to go.

• 13:05Speaker 00

  Also, I'm 5'11", me next to Zara Larson is probably like jarring.

• 13:08Drew Afualo?

  So I get it.

• 13:09Speaker 00

  Are you?

• 13:09Drew Afualo?

  Yes.

• 13:10Speaker 00

  We have to stand up later.

• 13:11Drew Afualo?

  Oh my god, nobody's tall. Nobody's fucking tall.

• 13:13Speaker 00

  Nobody's tall anymore.

• 13:14Drew Afualo?

  I know, especially not men.

• 13:16Speaker 00

  Caleb's really tall.

• 13:16Drew Afualo?

  He is really tall. It's funny, cuz when I've, I've had videos standing next to Caleb very few times, cuz most of the time we're sitting and a lot of the stuff we're doing. But when we're standing, they're like, I was not prepared for him to be tall. I was like, no, he is. He's like 6'3".

• 13:28Speaker 00

  Really? Do you think people who only see Caleb in a visual medium?

• 13:31Drew Afualo?

  They think he's short. Isn't that crazy? I'm like, he doesn't even look short to me.

• 13:35Speaker 00

  No, he does not look short to me.

• 13:37Drew Afualo?

  But we're also tall, like I, I, I do think tall women like can always tell when someone's tall and when someone's not. Short women don't know shit. Every single time, when I'm like, when I'm making jokes live, like when I do live comedy and stuff and I ask, and I'm talking shit on men, obviously. Um, I always ask them, how tall was he? And then they're like, oh, he was like 6'1". I'm all, how tall are you? 5'2"? You don't know.

• 13:55Speaker 00

  No, you don't know.

• 13:56Drew Afualo?

  You don't know, and you're wrong, probably.

• 13:57Speaker 00

  There's people in my real life who maintain a height that I go, okay.

• 14:05Drew Afualo?

  Sure, if you need it, if you need that inch, go ahead.

• 14:08Speaker 00

  Whatever. I used to feel like gaslit by it, and now I just go, whatever. No one, no one can see what I see.

• 14:13Drew Afualo?

  I know, when they say, well, I'm about 6'1" and I can see their scalp?

• 14:17Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 14:18Drew Afualo?

  Sure.

• 14:19Speaker 00

  It's crazy.

• 14:20Drew Afualo?

  Me too, mama. You're, yeah, you're 6'1" and I'm 125 pounds, period. Look at us.

• 14:24Speaker 00

  I really am like, how to, I, but then it, because no one is tall.

• 14:28Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 14:29Speaker 00

  You go, maybe I am wrong.

• 14:32Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 14:33Speaker 00

  Like, maybe I...

• 14:35Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, men have tried to gaslight me too. They're like, no, you're probably like, more like 5'8". I was like, I was 5'9" when I was 14.

• 14:41Speaker 00

  Same. I'm an A, I was, I was huge in your frame.

• 14:43Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I was like, I have osteoporosis now, in my 30s. I doubt it.

• 14:47Speaker 00

  Well, that's also the other thing is the, um, uh, accounting for like

• 14:51Drew Afualo?

  The slouching.

• 14:52Speaker 00

  The slouching to be in the group.

• 14:53Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 14:54Speaker 00

  Whenever people talk about like Taylor Swift slouching, I go, she just wants to hear what everyone is saying. And she just wants to be laughing in the group and her head to be where everyone's head is. She wants to be included. But then you don't zoom out and see like a group of girls and you're like...

• 15:10Speaker 00

  Like sometimes you'll see a picture from being like a teenager and you're like hunched over.

• 15:14Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like I, I do like a lean too unintentionally because everyone is smaller than me. But also like I've said this about fans too, sometimes when fans ask me for pictures. They're, they'll always comment on the height. I think it's because they, they literally assume I'm like five, four, five, five. Which I'm always like, I know men lie about their height. I don't, I would never say, I would never say six feet if I wasn't even close to that.

• 15:36Speaker 00

  One hundred, there's no.

• 15:37Drew Afualo?

  There's no way. That's a crazy height to start lying about. Like that would be crazy. If I was five, six and I was telling people I'm six feet.

• 15:43Speaker 00

  No, I'm six feet.

• 15:45Drew Afualo?

  That would be funny, but that would be crazy.

• 15:47Speaker 00

  It would.

• 15:47Drew Afualo?

  So when fans meet me in person, they're like, whoa, you are, you're huge. I'm like, right, P five oh five, right? And then they're like, okay, can I take a picture? I'm like, yeah. And I hate when girls do this, and I've said this many times, stop doing this to me. When they stand next to me because I'm so tall and I do that lean, they do that stomach hole bullshit.

• 16:05Speaker 00

  No, wait, what?

• 16:06Drew Afualo?

  Girl, they hold me like their man.

• 16:07Speaker 00

  What do you mean? Wait, they're going inside?

• 16:08Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like, like to the side, like that, like girls, like do with their man, like their prom dates.

• 16:12Speaker 00

  Oh, no.

• 16:13Drew Afualo?

  I literally was like, hey, no, get that off me.

• 16:15Speaker 00

  No, no.

• 16:16Drew Afualo?

  Get that hand off my stomach, mama.

• 16:18Speaker 00

  I never know how to stand. I never know how to stand in a photo. If someone did that to me, I really would.

• 16:23Drew Afualo?

  I got, got a few times. I was like, now I've noticed a pattern and I need it to stop.

• 16:28Speaker 00

  I used to do a lot of, um, I did, I had a joke I used to do when, uh, when I would be like, are there any short girls in the crowd? Cause always there are, it's mostly them.

• 16:36Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 16:36Speaker 00

  And I, and then they'd woo and I'd be like, one question, what's your fucking problem with me? What's your fucking problem with me? You have everything.

• 16:44Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 16:44Speaker 00

  And it is kind of like, they'll be like, you are so big. And I know for them, it's like, they have, obviously they could never know.

• 16:50Drew Afualo?

  No.

• 16:50Speaker 00

  Cause usually, it really is like, it's not like there's three, six foot women in a group.

• 16:55Drew Afualo?

  No, never.

• 16:56Speaker 00

  There's only ever one.

• 16:56Drew Afualo?

  There's only, we have to, we have to like, I don't know, spread out, I guess.

• 17:01Speaker 00

  There's only ever one. And then like, most of the girls are around five, four. And then it's like, maybe there's two five footers.

• 17:07Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, if that, yeah, if that.

• 17:09Speaker 00

  Usually it is one other really small girl.

• 17:11Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, really small, one really tall, and then everyone else is somewhere in the middle.

• 17:14Speaker 00

  Yes. And I'm always close friends with like the smallest one.

• 17:17Drew Afualo?

  Me too.

• 17:18Speaker 00

  I'm always, I, it is like. Classic friendship of like the tallest girl and the smallest.

• 17:22Drew Afualo?

  Oh my god, I'm giving, I'm giving Dada, like, I'm, I'm giving dad, like, father. When I'm out with my girls, like, it's like everyone's so small, it's like, I feel like a mother duckling.

• 17:31Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 17:31Drew Afualo?

  And they're all just trailing behind me.

• 17:33Speaker 00

  It is really, I, I worked at this, um, restaurant in the city and, um, when these guys that I worked with, I would come to the kitchen to like, you know, bust my like thing and all at once, they would scream Avatar at me.

• 17:48Drew Afualo?

  Okay.

• 17:48Speaker 00

  And I didn't.

• 17:49Drew Afualo?

  Oh, kitchen staff has jokes.

• 17:51Speaker 00

  They all screamed Avatar at me and at first I didn't get it and then I went, Avatars are bigger.

• 17:56Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, Avatar, I got it.

• 17:57Speaker 00

  Yeah, Avatar's.

• 17:57Drew Afualo?

  That's honestly kind of funny that you didn't get it at first.

• 17:59Speaker 00

  Yeah, I didn't get it first and then I kind of, I kind of left and I went, that's a really good joke.

• 18:05Speaker 00

  You really got me.

• 18:06Drew Afualo?

  I would say, I think I would get the Avatar allegations more if I was like thinner, but I'm, I'm a big, I'm a big girl.

• 18:11Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 18:12Drew Afualo?

  So I'm, I'm a thick girl.

• 18:13Speaker 00

  And has anyone ever yelled a specific character at you or?

• 18:16Drew Afualo?

  No, it's more so been like, be, like, I'm more giving BFG, I'm not really giving Avatar. You know what I mean? I'm giving more BFG, I'm giving more Shrek, like, that's kind of more my vibes.

• 18:25Speaker 00

  Not Shrek.

• 18:27Drew Afualo?

  Shrek's huge, I mean, like, tall, like, Shrek's big.

• 18:29Speaker 00

  Well, Shrek's not real. You think he's, oh, he is tall, I guess.

• 18:33Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, he's tall, I mean, I would say, Google it, and I'm sure Fiona's tall too.

• 18:37Speaker 00

  I'm sure she is, I just don't know what, um, size the other creatures are.

• 18:40Drew Afualo?

  Dude, that's true.

• 18:43Drew Afualo?

  Well, cause you know when he's standing next to the humans, they look like this.

• 18:45Speaker 00

  That's true.

• 18:46Drew Afualo?

  That's me with fans.

• 18:47Speaker 00

  Okay, yeah.

• 18:47Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and then I'm like, get out my swamp, like, that's literally my deal, like, when I'm yelling at people and they're laughing and having a good time.

• 18:54Speaker 00

  Yeah, they're loving it.

• 18:54Drew Afualo?

  That's kind of my deal too.

• 18:55Speaker 00

  They're clapping.

• 18:57Drew Afualo?

  Wait, he's canonically seven feet. See, he's seven feet, canonically.

• 19:01Speaker 00

  Big, but that's, I would think bigger.

• 19:03Drew Afualo?

  Big, thick boy, yeah.

• 19:04Speaker 00

  Bigger.

• 19:05Drew Afualo?

  I, I would think bigger too.

• 19:06Speaker 00

  I know.

• 19:06Drew Afualo?

  But that's why I'm like, you know, that's like him going like, pss, to the guys like Torch, that's me to men online.

• 19:12Speaker 00

  Yes, it is, it really is.

• 19:14Drew Afualo?

  Come and storm in my swamp and all that.

• 19:15Speaker 00

  And they didn't even know, and they don't even know that you're tall.

• 19:17Drew Afualo?

  No, they don't, they, they do think I'm lying, there is also too, like, a, I make a joke on here a lot where I'm like, I may tell a joke, but I never tell a lie. Unless I lie.

• 19:27Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 19:27Drew Afualo?

  Then I'm lying.

• 19:28Speaker 00

  Then I am lying.

• 19:29Drew Afualo?

  But then, but then at that point, I am lying, but other than that, I'm not.

• 19:32Speaker 00

  Are you lying or are you just trying something out?

• 19:33Drew Afualo?

  That's why I'm like, or I'm just like narrative building.

• 19:35Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 19:36Drew Afualo?

  Or I'm imagining manifesting, all of those things.

• 19:39Speaker 00

  You know, when people will get really mad at comedians for, um, when they find out like a piece of a joke isn't true or a piece of a story isn't true.

• 19:45Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, they're like, you just lied.

• 19:46Speaker 00

  You need it for the narrative.

• 19:49Speaker 00

  I go, don't dig too deep.

• 19:51Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, well, oh my god.

• 19:52Speaker 00

  Storytelling.

• 19:53Drew Afualo?

  Oh my god, giggling is illegal now.

• 19:54Speaker 00

  Oh, yeah.

• 19:55Drew Afualo?

  I know sometimes when I tell jokes and they're like, oh, a perfect one. I like, when I was serving, I also hated serving.

• 20:01Speaker 00

  Oh, yeah.

• 20:02Drew Afualo?

  Um, the way my attitude is set up, I'm not built to be a server, ever. Um, because people are really mean to servers, but I, I told this story, I've told it many times, how like, the first and last restaurant I worked in as a server, as a server, um, I had to train this guy that I didn't realize was my replacement at the time, but he kept leaving in the middle of the shift to go smoke meth in the bathroom. That is, that is quite literally the joke.

• 20:27Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 20:27Drew Afualo?

  Even though it's true. He, he absolutely was 1,000% smoking meth in the bathroom.

• 20:31Speaker 00

  For sure.

• 20:31Drew Afualo?

  Sounded like a Lil Wayne song from the outside.

• 20:33Speaker 00

  Mm-hmm, and it's, it's happening.

• 20:35Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and then he ended up getting fired like a day later because he left in the middle of the shift again, but he was just like eating. And the, he like made himself a meal.

• 20:42Speaker 00

  Well, they don't like when you do that.

• 20:43Drew Afualo?

  No, they, okay, meth, one thing, but like, eating the food?

• 20:46Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 20:47Drew Afualo?

  Fuck out of here.

• 20:47Speaker 00

  They go, don't eat the food.

• 20:48Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, so like, I tell this whole story on like a different podcast. Obviously, the story is funny, whatever. Um, but a lot of people in the comments, like when the, the clip did well online, they were like, "Actually, when you smoke meth, you have no appetite." So, so like, it was probably weed. Okay, first of all, fuck off. Second of all, believe it or not, meth has a smell. Does anyone know that?

• 21:11Speaker 00

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 21:12Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, meth has a very specific smell and so does weed, so I know what meth smells like, I know what weed smells like. Either way, did you laugh?

• 21:18Speaker 00

  I, yeah, 100, yeah.

• 21:20Drew Afualo?

  Either way, did you laugh and enjoy?

• 21:21Speaker 00

  We're not dissecting here, just enjoy the story.

• 21:23Drew Afualo?

  Oh my god, what are you, a cop? Like, holy shit.

• 21:26Speaker 00

  Also, it's like, I'm sure people are smoking weed at a restaurant, but I guess if you had to give me the choice, to get through the day, to do the work, it's like, I'm not picking weed.

• 21:37Speaker 00

  Why? So it can last longer?

• 21:40Drew Afualo?

  What the fuck?

• 21:41Speaker 00

  So I can go slower and forget more people's orders?

• 21:44Drew Afualo?

  And then I had people arguing in the comments underneath going, "I used to smoke meth and I was actually really hungry." Okay, listen.

• 21:52Speaker 00

  Everybody's different.

• 21:53Drew Afualo?

  We have gone a completely different way.

• 21:55Speaker 00

  Everybody who's does meth is different. Can we not? Like, they're not a monolith.

• 22:00Drew Afualo?

  If you guys can believe, meth was not the point.

• 22:02Speaker 00

  Literally.

• 22:03Drew Afualo?

  That was not the point. The point, I guess my point is like, did you laugh?

• 22:06Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 22:06Drew Afualo?

  Then enjoy.

• 22:07Speaker 00

  You're thinking too hard.

• 22:08Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, you're, you're trying too hard.

• 22:10Speaker 00

  We're all thinking too hard. How are the truths gonna present themselves to us?

• 22:15Drew Afualo?

  Right. And also, can we giggle?

• 22:17Speaker 00

  Can we? More and more, it feels like we can't even giggle.

• 22:20Drew Afualo?

  We can't giggle, especially not online. No way.

• 22:22Speaker 00

  It's an austere time.

• 22:24Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 22:24Speaker 00

  And in many ways, it's never appropriate to giggle anymore. I think we can all agree, it's like never appropriate to giggle.

• 22:32Drew Afualo?

  For real, yeah.

• 22:32Speaker 00

  But sometimes I need it. You ever get like a really big laugh off and you go, "It's been like weeks."

• 22:40Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like it was like bottling up.

• 22:41Speaker 00

  Did you like a bad one where you're like crying, you can't breathe kind of?

• 22:44Drew Afualo?

  Yes, absolutely.

• 22:44Speaker 00

  And you go, "Oh, I needed that release really bad."

• 22:47Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, it needed to like be exercised out of.

• 22:50Speaker 00

  I needed it bad.

• 22:51Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that's how, I feel that way about laughing and I feel that way about like, I almost talk about like how I have to channel my anger and like my venom.

• 22:59Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 22:59Drew Afualo?

  And I have to excrete it, otherwise I can't digest my food like a snake. You know what I'm saying?

• 23:04Speaker 00

  Does it just ball up in your stomach?

• 23:05Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and then I was like, "I gotta use this in some way." And I feel like my platform is a perfect example of me expending that energy positively.

• 23:12Speaker 00

  It's beautiful, it's really creative, yeah.

• 23:15Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, so it's like, I am stealing, but like I'm giving to the poor, so it's.

• 23:18Speaker 00

  And you're kind of channeling in a way.

• 23:19Drew Afualo?

  Right. I was like, "This is healthy, I'm in therapy."

• 23:22Speaker 00

  It is.

• 23:22Drew Afualo?

  I talk about it often.

• 23:23Speaker 00

  I know. I think about that also because I've said this before, like I'm not a, I don't really get big sobs. Like, I'm not a big sobber.

• 23:30Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I feel that.

• 23:31Speaker 00

  So sometimes like, yeah, a verbal tirade is like, feels so good.

• 23:36Drew Afualo?

  It feels so validating.

• 23:37Speaker 00

  It feels so validating. You're like, "I know I'm in the wrong, but I gotta, like, I know I sound foolish."

• 23:43Drew Afualo?

  I know, that's like, honestly a huge part of girlhood, I feel like. Sisterhood with your friends, like,

• 23:47Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 23:47Drew Afualo?

  Your girlfriend ever been telling you something and then like at a certain point, you're like, "You sound insane."

• 23:51Speaker 00

  You're wrong. You're wrong.

• 23:54Drew Afualo?

  You're so wrong, it's not even funny.

• 23:55Speaker 00

  You're in the wrong.

• 23:57Drew Afualo?

  You gotta get the Billy razor into your life. It's designed for how women actually shave. Legs, pits, toes, happy trail, wherever prickles decide to show up. It has five sharp blades and a pivoting head so you can actually get everywhere without having to do shower gymnastics. And it comes with a magnetic holder so your razor stays dry on the wall instead of sitting in a shower puddle. Grab a Billy razor in your favorite color in store or at mybillie.com. One of my really good friends was like, she was telling me about this, this long story about something and then like she, at the end of it, she was like, "Do I sound crazy?" I go, "I mean, yeah, but I love you."

• 24:38Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 24:38Drew Afualo?

  I'm not judging you.

• 24:39Speaker 00

  Also, it's like, you just, you just clocked yourself, so.

• 24:42Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I was like, "Girl, I think you know you're being crazy, but it's okay." Like, I support women's rights and wrongs.

• 24:46Speaker 00

  And wrongs, and certainly wrongs, and certainly wrongs.

• 24:49Drew Afualo?

  Oh, yeah, I hold the most aggressive double standard for women and men.

• 24:52Speaker 00

  For sure. Also, once you're, once you get a little older, it is kind of like you, when I was younger,

• 25:00Speaker 00

  I, I was never sure what was, what was up, what was down. And so you'll feel a big feeling, you'll feel anger, you'll feel sad, you'll feel whatever, and you're like, "I could be wrong about everything." And then the older you get, you know when you're being crazy and you know when your, when your behavior is like, you know when you're being out of pocket, you know when you're being, in my home, we call it, like, me and my, my partner, we go, "I'm being bad, I'm the bad one today, I'm acting bad." You were acting bad last week, you maybe had a week of acting bad. And like, you know you're being stubborn, you know you're in the wrong, and I, the older you get, the more it's like, "Well, I'm still gonna like, need to get this out, but just so you know, I know."

• 25:34Drew Afualo?

  True, it's so freeing, too.

• 25:36Speaker 00

  And then you can have a little winky moment where you go, "I'm being kind of bad this week, being a little bad."

• 25:40Drew Afualo?

  I know, one time I was talking to my sister about something and she was like, in the middle of it, I was like, asking her, I was kind of pushing back on something she was telling me a little bit, and she was like, "Oh, no, I'm being a hater."

• 25:49Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 25:49Drew Afualo?

  "I'm being a hater."

• 25:50Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 25:50Drew Afualo?

  "I'm hating and I just want to hate freely and I'm gonna get over it." And I was like, "That's real, girl, go ahead."

• 25:55Speaker 00

  You need to, and it, and, and it feels sort of like, um, when you're, when you're younger and your friend is doing that, it's almost like building a bad habit in you where you go, "I have to speak up to my friend." Right? Like, I can't just allow her to do whatever. Like, it almost builds a habit where you're like, "No, definitely, am I scared of her?" You're scared to tell her?

• 26:15Drew Afualo?

  Like, I'm gonna wait to address that.

• 26:17Speaker 00

  I don't wanna build this dynamic where I-

• 26:18Drew Afualo?

  When she's in a different state.

• 26:19Speaker 00

  Where, "Am I afraid? Is she in charge of me?" You know? Where now, it's like, you can say-

• 26:24Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 26:24Speaker 00

  "Hey, I think we can't act on that."

• 26:26Drew Afualo?

  That's like, true sisterhood, too.

• 26:27Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 26:27Drew Afualo?

  Like, I feel like that's when you get grown-up friends versus like-

• 26:30Speaker 00

  For sure.

• 26:31Drew Afualo?

  Uh, having friends when you're young versus when you're older-

• 26:33Speaker 00

  Oh.

• 26:34Drew Afualo?

  And in your 30s.

• 26:35Speaker 00

  I was scared of all my, almost all my friends when I was young.

• 26:38Drew Afualo?

  Right, and what they would do.

• 26:39Speaker 00

  Yes. Or you'd get like, access to kind of like, a cool new group-

• 26:42Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 26:42Speaker 00

  Of girls or something.

• 26:43Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 26:43Speaker 00

  And you'd be like, "I can't speak my mind here."

• 26:45Drew Afualo?

  It's too early.

• 26:46Speaker 00

  Uh, I can't.

• 26:47Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, we're in the lying phase, like, when you date. You're like, this is the phase where we lie to each other a little bit.

• 26:51Speaker 00

  We're gonna lie, or I'm gonna pretend to absolutely be someone that I'm not. I don't wanna end up being like, the funny one who like, helps them with their academic appeals. You know, but-

• 27:02Drew Afualo?

  I need a better role.

• 27:03Speaker 00

  I need a better role. Maybe I'll be the leader.

• 27:06Drew Afualo?

  Okay, speaking of a new role, let's talk about big mistakes.

• 27:09Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 27:10Drew Afualo?

  How exciting, how did it come about? Like, how did it feel when you got it?

• 27:13Speaker 00

  Oh.

• 27:13Drew Afualo?

  I'm so curious.

• 27:14Speaker 00

  I mean, it was, um, like, two years ago, almost exactly, that I first- I was, I was on a job in Italy.

• 27:26Speaker 00

  In Rome, you know? Roma. And, um, I did an audition tape for it, and I remember, like- I don't know how all of the industry-side stuff works, but whenever I get an audition, my brain kind of runs through like- Not in, um, in a totally emotionless way. You're just like, "This is something I could reasonably get," or like, "No, they'll probably go with someone bigger," or like- You just know where you slot in a little bit.

• 27:48Drew Afualo?

  Mm-hmm.

• 27:48Speaker 00

  You start to learn. And you do mostly auditions that you don't get, so it doesn't really feel like anything.

• 27:54Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 27:54Speaker 00

  But I got it, and I read it, and I think I read the pilot or something, and I was like- "Oh, wait, this is like, really my personality, and we have the same upbringing and like, background, all this stuff." I go, "Wow, this like, character is very close to type. I think I would do an amazing job at this, but I don't think the timing is right." Like, I do not think they could cast me in this. And I waited six months, and, uh, didn't hear, which is exactly what I was expecting, so that was perfect.

• 28:17Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 28:18Speaker 00

  And I guess what happened was, they had read a ton of people for it, and they were like, struggling to like, really- cast it how they wanted to, or find a fit that felt right. And my manager reached back out and was kind of like, hey, like, what's the deal? Like, why haven't you cast this yet? And like, why not Taylor? And this is so crazy to learn, but they were like, oh, honestly, she was the exact first, um, the first audition we saw. And sometimes you're just kind of like, prepared to see a ton of people. So you forget the first person you see. Yes, or even the first five or 10.

• 28:51Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 28:52Speaker 00

  And I think, and then I had talked to a casting director, not who casted Big Mistakes, but who was like, it's so interesting because I'm sending the people in the first, you know, group of people who I think are the best fit. And a lot of times they're just like, okay, who's next? Because you're just like, this process is gonna be long and we're gonna see every girl in this town.

• 29:09Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, it's like this, like, the grass is always greener mentality.

• 29:11Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 29:12Drew Afualo?

  And they're like, what if, though?

• 29:13Speaker 00

  It can't, I know, I think we're all, and in everything we do, we go, nothing can be easy. Nothing can be easy and simple.

• 29:19Drew Afualo?

  No, never.

• 29:20Speaker 00

  No, we have to torture ourselves and it has to be hard to be good.

• 29:23Drew Afualo?

  Yes.

• 29:23Speaker 00

  Um, and I believe that and I'll keep living my life that way. But, yeah, and then I came, so really quick, like, I waited six months. And then they were like, would you tape again? And I was like, obviously, I'm unemployed, I will tape out.

• 29:35Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, let me check my schedule.

• 29:37Speaker 00

  Yeah, for the lead of a show, I'll tape. Um, and then truly, like, a day after that, I went in and like, read with Dan. And it was, at that point, you are kind of like, either we have chemistry or we don't.

• 29:48Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 29:48Speaker 00

  You can't really fake it. And I'm so glad that we did and that we really liked performing together. But also, I think we were like improvising and we had like a really sweet energy with each other. And I, who knows, but I did leave kind of being like, it does seem like I probably got it, right? Like, I don't know, right? But you're not in the room with anyone else.

• 30:08Drew Afualo?

  You're so me.

• 30:09Speaker 00

  Like, everyone else could have been having that experience, but I go, no, mine's special.

• 30:13Drew Afualo?

  You're like, my fucking nailed that.

• 30:15Speaker 00

  I know, I think I nailed. One time I went to an audition, a live audition, that was like, full Broadway singing for a movie. And not my, I sing, but like, I, I was there with like Broadway girls.

• 30:27Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 30:27Speaker 00

  And I was used to like film and TV auditions, they're very chill with you in film and TV auditions. Um, I go in, my sister, who is a Broadway girl, and me are auditioning. My sister goes in, nails it like you've never heard in your life, okay? It's beautiful, it's flawless, she comes out, she's like, fuck, fuck, fuck it, shit. Right? I go in, I miss a whole page of music. Miss a whole page, they go, you didn't finish the song. I go, amazing, do you want me to just jump back in? She can start from the top. And they're like, I'm like-

• 30:54Drew Afualo?

  I'm so glad you noticed. Take it from the top.

• 30:56Speaker 00

  They go, start from the top. I sing it again. I fuck up the whole audition. I walk out, I go,

• 31:01Speaker 00

  I think I might have gotten that.

• 31:04Speaker 00

  My sister's like, you definitely didn't.

• 31:06Drew Afualo?

  You're so me.

• 31:07Speaker 00

  You definitely didn't.

• 31:08Drew Afualo?

  The only person whose narrative matters is mine.

• 31:10Speaker 00

  Is mine. I leave every audition going, I think my dreams are coming true today.

• 31:13Drew Afualo?

  God, I feel sorry for every other girl who went in after me. I'll be, I'll say that much.

• 31:16Speaker 00

  Holy shit. Someone, someone during this press, like, press run was like, referred to me as an ingenue. Once again, I, and I, and my, my manager's gonna be like, stop doing this. I'm turning 37 this month. They're like, an ingenue, I go, I, it's truly the only way I've stuck it out this long to get this job is that I walk into every space going, today's the day.

• 31:35Drew Afualo?

  That's right.

• 31:36Speaker 00

  Today is the day.

• 31:36Drew Afualo?

  It's true.

• 31:37Speaker 00

  But then you have like a big win and you go, that was worth it.

• 31:40Drew Afualo?

  And you, you did the big win and you're like, I fucking knew it.

• 31:42Speaker 00

  I knew it all along.

• 31:44Drew Afualo?

  And then when you don't get it, you're like, well, see, the universe has a plan for me.

• 31:46Speaker 00

  Yeah, there's something bigger coming.

• 31:47Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, there's something bigger for the, they, they say no, so they can open a window.

• 31:50Speaker 00

  So they can give me an even bigger opportunity. They're calling me soon. And it'll be like, two years. Unrelated, two years. You'll go, there was the win.

• 31:59Drew Afualo?

  That's why I didn't get it. I'm like, well, obviously I wasn't here at the time they were filming.

• 32:02Speaker 00

  Like, if I had gotten that job two years ago, I might not be free to do this.

• 32:08Speaker 00

  Could've done both, girl.

• 32:09Drew Afualo?

  I do the same shit all the time.

• 32:11Speaker 00

  Could've done both for sure, but-

• 32:12Drew Afualo?

  I, I haven't gotten a confirmation once, but I tell myself all the time, I'm like, well, I know the reason.

• 32:16Speaker 00

  I know the reason.

• 32:16Drew Afualo?

  I know the reason.

• 32:17Speaker 00

  It does, here's the thing, that sort of mental abuse cycle is really, it does, it's sort of how I feel about seasons. Like, um, now that I'm like back in New York, it is sort of like the, um, you are getting, god, 200 no's to a yes, maybe more, probably more.

• 32:35Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 32:36Speaker 00

  And so that like cycle really does put your brain in this weird place where when you get a big win, you're like,

• 32:45Drew Afualo?

  I knew it. I knew it. I knew it was gonna happen.

• 32:49Speaker 00

  And it is so hard and everyone is waiting so long for like their one thing.

• 32:53Drew Afualo?

  That's like the one communal thing you share.

• 32:55Speaker 00

  Oh my god, that it is.

• 32:56Drew Afualo?

  Everybody's waiting.

• 32:57Speaker 00

  It is kind of, it does.

• 32:59Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 32:59Speaker 00

  Put you in a place where you're like more, more and more primed to do it.

• 33:02Drew Afualo?

  Which is why the Nepo baby allegations are even funnier. Cause you're like, bro, you have no clue how long I've been waiting.

• 33:10Speaker 00

  I've been waiting.

• 33:11Drew Afualo?

  I have been waiting for my number to be called for a long fucking time.

• 33:14Speaker 00

  And the deeper you get, the more like you learn where it's kind of like you're insane. If you're not, if you're, if you don't have a connection in this business or five million dollars, you're insane for trying. Why would you ever do it?

• 33:27Drew Afualo?

  No, deadass.

• 33:28Speaker 00

  You get one little win, you get like one little, your first little unpaid thing and you're like, oh my god, there's space for me here.

• 33:35Speaker 00

  Oh my god, I'm gonna be huge.

• 33:37Drew Afualo?

  This is just the beginning. Oh my god, the start of my career. Who am I gonna think when I win my Oscar? I literally do the same thing. I'm like, who am I gonna think when I win my Oscar? Oh my god.

• 33:45Speaker 00

  Sometimes I get anxiety where I go, this is crazy. Like an anxiety will hit me where I go, cause one part of my brain goes, awards are silly. Like they just don't matter.

• 33:54Drew Afualo?

  They mean nothing.

• 33:55Speaker 00

  Everyone like, and I do believe, here's the thing, I do believe like everyone does deserve to exercise creativity. And I think if they wanted to have a creative career, which I don't know that everyone wants to do that with their creativity.

• 34:07Drew Afualo?

  That's true, yeah.

• 34:07Speaker 00

  But everyone should get a shot. It's not how it feels like it works and it's not how it works.

• 34:13Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 34:13Speaker 00

  But, so I will have that one part of my brain where I was like, validation doesn't matter and da, da, da, da. And then I have the other part of my brain, obviously, that's like now been trained to be like, it's a sign. Or I'll be like, I'll be like, I'm really nervous about my Oscar speech. And it's like, honey, what Oscar speech? I'm like, I hope I don't forget anyone in my Oscar speech.

• 34:31Drew Afualo?

  Oh my god, I know. I'm like, what if they only give me a plus two? Who am I gonna bring?

• 34:34Speaker 00

  What if they, who am I gonna bring? I think all the time. All the time. Who am I gonna take?

• 34:39Drew Afualo?

  How am I gonna decide?

• 34:40Speaker 00

  I'm like, they're gonna be so mad at me when I don't take them. It's like, you're not invited.

• 34:45Drew Afualo?

  Not yet.

• 34:46Speaker 00

  They don't know your name over there.

• 34:47Drew Afualo?

  But imagine when your name does get called, you need to be ready.

• 34:49Speaker 00

  We have to be ready. We have to be thinking about it.

• 34:51Drew Afualo?

  I'm not even kidding. This happened to me like a couple of weeks ago. I was like so high and I was taking a shower. And I was thinking about like acting because I'm working on some stuff right now and I was like thinking about it. And that's where I say my prayers a lot, like to my ancestors, the universe, whatever. And so I was like literally picturing being at the Oscars. And I was like picturing who would be in the audience, made myself cry. I was so badass. I was like thinking about it and I was like, wow, like how moving.

• 35:20Speaker 00

  I'm like, God, I hope I cry.

• 35:24Drew Afualo?

  I'm like thinking to myself, wow, the first time one woman to win an Oscar, like that is such a huge feat. Nothing's even remote. I haven't been casting shit. I haven't been casting shit, girl.

• 35:33Speaker 00

  When Michael B. Jordan was talking about his mom like taking him to all the auditions, I go, that's really sweet. I should do something like that.

• 35:42Speaker 00

  You guys are not on the same path.

• 35:44Drew Afualo?

  I'm gonna steal that. Michael B. Jordan, I hope you don't mind. I'm gonna steal that.

• 35:47Speaker 00

  I think in, um, I think in, in 15 to 18 years when we win our Oscar, Michael B. Jordan will have forgotten what he said.

• 35:55Drew Afualo?

  For real, he's gonna be on like Denzel Washington's level at that point.

• 35:59Speaker 00

  Yeah, he's not at the event.

• 36:00Drew Afualo?

  No, for real. I saw, I saw an interview with Denzel Washington recently and they, they asked him like, oh, like how many, when you do auditions. Like they said, when you do auditions, that was the start of the question. And he like cut them off and goes, audition? I haven't auditioned in like 20 years. I watched that shit. I said, I'm trying to be like him.

• 36:17Speaker 00

  He's offer only.

• 36:18Drew Afualo?

  Oh my God, I'm trying to be like him.

• 36:20Speaker 00

  I mean, the minute, I think, I think, I think when you get an Oscar, you don't have to audition anymore, but I'll still, I will still do it. I'll read. I always will go, I'll read.

• 36:30Drew Afualo?

  Me too.

• 36:31Speaker 00

  Read. I feel like you, you watched the comeback.

• 36:33Drew Afualo?

  Uh, no, no, I haven't.

• 36:34Speaker 00

  Oh, I think that you would love it. And it's truly one of the best shows ever made. It may be my favorite. And, um, it really, from time to time, and it, her character is like, it is one of the first shows that I watched, um, the first season. And I was like, wait, maybe acting is hard and is like such a skill because sometimes it feels like you're like, I'm just thinking of how I would feel. And you think you're not working that hard, but then you see Lisa Kudrow do this character that is so over the top and silly. And then she's really making you feel. She's a really sympathetic character and you sometimes you love her, sometimes you hate her. And yet sometime you have to watch it because it is that internal monologue.

• 37:14Drew Afualo?

  Oh, I love.

• 37:15Speaker 00

  Where like she is, it's not about her being a good person or a bad person. She is just like kind of has the delusion that you need.

• 37:22Drew Afualo?

  In order to survive.

• 37:23Speaker 00

  In order to survive in this industry.

• 37:24Drew Afualo?

  And like enjoy yourself.

• 37:26Speaker 00

  And or sometimes really make yourself a prisoner of it too.

• 37:29Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 37:29Speaker 00

  Really trap yourself, yes.

• 37:31Drew Afualo?

  You have to like lock yourself in the room with it kind of deal.

• 37:34Speaker 00

  And it is.

• 37:34Drew Afualo?

  That's so real. I feel like I I've told people many times because I'm not even like on your level. I'm at I'm in the dickhead internet level like where they're kind of intersecting. And I've told people before, like, there is a level of delusion you have to maintain to continue to do this because it is so. It's also so subjective, like the casting process in general can be extremely subjective.

• 37:56Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 37:56Drew Afualo?

  Sometimes it's very close to material. Sometimes it's just how they're feeling. Sometimes it's what they like imagined in their head. It's all so subjective.

• 38:03Speaker 00

  They hire somebody else and like you would have gotten it, but then they hire someone else and then suddenly the group chemistry isn't or like layout isn't what they thought.

• 38:10Drew Afualo?

  So many moving pieces.

• 38:11Speaker 00

  Like somebody else getting a job affects whether you get a job or not is crazy. I mean, the internet of it all is, I think that that takes so much more. You're getting like immediate feedback for your performance. And that's like, that takes a crazy backbone.

• 38:27Drew Afualo?

  That's true.

• 38:28Speaker 00

  You know, that is way you you going to a set like doing your, it's like we're all here doing this job and no one's going to see it for a minute.

• 38:35Drew Afualo?

  So I can go and do a job. Yeah.

• 38:38Speaker 00

  And do what I think is the best version of that job. And if someone doesn't like it in six months to a year, it's not really that much of my business.

• 38:46Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 38:47Speaker 00

  But when someone's like literally knocking on your door and being like, I did not like that.

• 38:50Drew Afualo?

  Hey, that sucked. That wasn't funny.

• 38:52Speaker 00

  Have you ever considered that you're wrong and meth makes you not hungry?

• 38:58Speaker 00

  Know a lot about meth, so yeah. No human being on earth, like, obviously, anytime anyone tells me I'm wrong, I go, you're right. You're right. You're like, I have been thinking that I might be stupid my whole life. And like, actually, now that you bring it up to me, you're right.

• 39:11Drew Afualo?

  My hubris is so crazy that even when they tell me, I'm like, well, how would you know?

• 39:14Speaker 00

  It's true, though.

• 39:16Drew Afualo?

  They Google it, and I'm like, well.

• 39:17Speaker 00

  It's always good to learn. It's always good to learn, but I do think it's like, taking constant feedback, I don't think is good either.

• 39:24Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that's true.

• 39:25Speaker 00

  You have to have that. You have to have that chip in your brain that's like, no, thank you today.

• 39:29Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, it's like, actually, I'm gonna choose not to believe any of these things.

• 39:31Speaker 00

  Yeah, I can't. I just can't today.

• 39:33Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and honestly, I feel like with that, that is my version of an EPO baby, honestly, is the internet. That's, that's my way of like bulldozing my way in. But I really do think I needed that, that little like, extra boost from the internet, so.

• 39:46Speaker 00

  It's kind of an amazing, it's kind of an amazing thing, the way it's changed in the last couple of years. Because even before, like, when I was talking about, like, oh, there were these online jobs, you still had to be sort of like around for a minute. And then be like one of whatever 15 people they were using on rotation for these jobs. Where now it's like, you kind of, if you are like funny and good and have something to say, can kind of just be like, and now me as well.

• 40:10Speaker 00

  And it's so hard, it still takes, takes time.

• 40:12Drew Afualo?

  No, for real. I, I've talked about how like, I'm, I'm fully planning on like Lin-Manuel Miranda-ing my way into that industry. Like, I'm like, yeah, you can have it, but I am a principal character. You can have Hamilton, I'm just, I'm Hamilton and I can't sing.

• 40:25Speaker 00

  But you're not wrong, because at the end of the, you're not wrong, though, because at the end of the day, it's still like, people want to watch you. And like, and many people agree on it, and that decides whether you get to talk. Or keep talking.

• 40:39Drew Afualo?

  That's true, yeah.

• 40:40Speaker 00

  That decides. And then even as you start to like transition to different forms of like performance or writing and stuff. It is just, it does just continue to be like, what are your ideas? What do you have? Like, what is your?

• 40:51Drew Afualo?

  Which is, I guess, the dream. Like, that's the goal. The goal is to get to a point where you can like procure your own ideas. Which I think is, that's why I think you're so incredible too, in the way that you've, obviously, you're very talented, but I also think it's the, the way that you've been looking at the industry is like. One of the healthiest mindsets I've heard in a while.

• 41:09Speaker 00

  Oh, thank you.

• 41:10Drew Afualo?

  Which I think is, I think it speaks to your ability to not only sustain, but also like, perform at the level you have for so long, because it's like,

• 41:17Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 41:17Drew Afualo?

  It's given you the like breathing room to kind of understand like,

• 41:20Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 41:20Drew Afualo?

  I don't need to take this personal, but this is what I really love to do and one day it will work out.

• 41:24Speaker 00

  It is, it is, it is not personal. At the end of the day, it really isn't, but it is.

• 41:31Drew Afualo?

  And if it was, that's crazy.

• 41:33Speaker 00

  It, it is.

• 41:34Drew Afualo?

  That's more of a thing on them than it is on you.

• 41:36Speaker 00

  Even people who are watching you, people are watching you way more often than they're watching people on film and TV, right? And you're giving them like so much more content, you're giving them so much more of like what you're creating on a way quicker basis and they're responding to it. It's not, it's still not personal, because it's still not personal, because you, they don't really know you and so you are, it is still performance. And so someone not liking it, you do kind of just have to take a minute and be like, that's okay.

• 42:01Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 42:01Speaker 00

  It really is okay. You don't have to like it. I don't like everything I watch. I know people and like then people become like, I'm sure for you more than anyone, like they're having like a parasocial experience.

• 42:10Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 42:10Speaker 00

  Which is normal and it happens and you kind of do, I bet have to be like, oh my God, but wait, but like actually you do, I do have like all of this life and all of these people who have known me for years and like, I, you know, it is not personal.

• 42:23Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and you need that grounding kind of aspect too, to keep reminding yourself how not personal it is.

• 42:28Speaker 00

  It's so not and people are so not allowed to like it and they're so allowed to tell you and that's okay.

• 42:34Drew Afualo?

  I've said that too, like as far as like finding me funny, I've like said before, I'm like, I mean, if you don't find my kind of humor that funny, like that's fine.

• 42:42Speaker 00

  That's okay.

• 42:43Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like I, I don't care. Like, I mean, like, and also like, I mean, if I were to split hairs, like, and we're asking a counsel of comedy, why would I ask you? Like I, I like if it.

• 42:52Speaker 00

  Also, it's like historically, people agree that you're funny.

• 42:55Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I was gonna say, I mean, I got a cosign for some pretty funny people. I, listen.

• 42:59Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 43:00Drew Afualo?

  Let's call it what it is.

• 43:00Speaker 00

  Throughout my life, people have, I've gotten the feedback more often.

• 43:04Drew Afualo?

  I know, like when men who hate me are like, it's not that I don't like her, I just, I just don't think she's funny. I'm like, well now you're just lying.

• 43:09Speaker 00

  Right.

• 43:09Drew Afualo?

  And I was like, yeah, I was like, I mean, like one of us is funny.

• 43:12Speaker 00

  They're like, it's for academic reasons, I don't like her.

• 43:16Drew Afualo?

  That's typically why I don't like women.

• 43:17Speaker 00

  It's for, I just don't think that she's informed in the ways that I would like. And it's just like historically, she doesn't do the comedy structures that I would.

• 43:25Drew Afualo?

  Yeah. The co- oh my god, comedy structure.

• 43:28Speaker 00

  The comedy structures.

• 43:29Drew Afualo?

  I, one time I had, um, a comment once that was like, saying that I wasn't as funny as like Caleb or Brittany, like my friend Brittany.

• 43:37Speaker 00

  Oh.

• 43:37Drew Afualo?

  Um, because I'm more coworker funny. And then they said that Caleb studied comedy in college and that's why he's so good. I go, no the fuck he didn't.

• 43:47Speaker 00

  There's.

• 43:48Drew Afualo?

  He is, he's a sociology major.

• 43:50Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 43:50Drew Afualo?

  The fuck are you talking about?

• 43:51Speaker 00

  I don't also, is that a co- is that a major?

• 43:54Drew Afualo?

  That's why I was like, where'd you go? Chuckles University?

• 43:55Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 43:56Drew Afualo?

  Like, oh, my fucking bad. Yeah, I got, I didn't get accepted into that college. My fucking bad.

• 44:00Speaker 00

  Yeah, my bad. I didn't apply. It was audition only.

• 44:02Drew Afualo?

  And also you can co-sign this too. Caleb doesn't hang out with non-funny people.

• 44:06Speaker 00

  No, it's true.

• 44:07Drew Afualo?

  He finds them taxing.

• 44:07Speaker 00

  It's true. It's true. And even like, and I'm, when we're talking like even people who are not comedians.

• 44:12Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 44:13Speaker 00

  Like, you know, like the biggest characters in Caleb's life.

• 44:16Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 44:18Speaker 00

  Yes. There is not a, a person around Caleb who does not have a POV.

• 44:23Drew Afualo?

  You're right, who's not for real funny. No, dead ass. Like, I think the same. I was like, he has a very high standard of funny.

• 44:28Speaker 00

  The boy wants to have a good time.

• 44:29Drew Afualo?

  Yeah. Otherwise, he's just dancing for everyone.

• 44:32Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 44:32Drew Afualo?

  Everyone needs to be playing a role, you know?

• 44:34Speaker 00

  That is, also that is the thing about like coworker funny is, okay, so like still the funniest person in the whole office. It's like, what do you mean? If I'm the funniest girl in the office, I'm probably the funniest girl.

• 44:48Drew Afualo?

  The world is my office by that measure.

• 44:49Speaker 00

  So you're talking about like my skill in the office that I'm funny? Okay, so I'm funny.

• 44:54Drew Afualo?

  So you agree?

• 44:55Speaker 00

  So you agree that I'm funny?

• 44:56Drew Afualo?

  I am funny.

• 44:57Speaker 00

  And then you said coworker, what was it? The word after you said was funny?

• 45:01Speaker 00

  Okay. Sorry. I just was like, I'm not a word person, but.

• 45:05Speaker 00

  Sorry.

• 45:06Drew Afualo?

  Same way.

• 45:07Speaker 00

  I used to, I had a boyfriend in my like, early when I was like 22. Sorry.

• 45:10Drew Afualo?

  Oh, derogatory.

• 45:11Speaker 00

  And I apologize. And for that. And, um, and he would be like, no, it's like you, and he like, wasn't funny and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with not being funny.

• 45:22Drew Afualo?

  Listen, God doesn't give with both hands.

• 45:23Speaker 00

  You don't see me being like upset. I don't woodwork. Like, I don't like. Like, it's okay to say you don't know how to do something.

• 45:29Drew Afualo?

  It's okay. It's alright.

• 45:31Speaker 00

  It's okay, but he wasn't funny and he would go, and I hear this, like, I would hear this so many times, like, over the years from guys, but they'd be like, he'd be like, no, it's like, I'm, he's like, you are funny, but you're like theatrical funny, and I'm more like, he's like, I'm more dry, and I go, and I would never understood me, but it would make me feel bad, like, I was, like, yucking it up crazy, and then I go, oh, like, so people are like laughing, having a good time when I'm being funny, and when you're being funny, they're kind of like, hmm.

• 45:53Drew Afualo?

  And so everyone gets uncomfortable when you talk, and then when I do it, everyone's joyous and having a good time?

• 45:57Speaker 00

  Oh, so they're like, ha ha laughing?

• 46:00Drew Afualo?

  Oh, so you meant ha ha funny. What's the other kind?

• 46:02Speaker 00

  Yeah, the other kind of funny is like, that's interesting.

• 46:07Speaker 00

  So you're kind of positing, more than anything, you're positing from time to time.

• 46:11Drew Afualo?

  Right, right. You're just kind of like having, having a thought every now and then, and sharing it with the group.

• 46:16Speaker 00

  Oh.

• 46:17Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, oh, that's good.

• 46:18Speaker 00

  Oh, okay.

• 46:19Drew Afualo?

  No, I love that. That's, one time I asked my man, I was like, who, who between the two of us do you think is funnier? Obviously a loaded question.

• 46:27Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 46:28Drew Afualo?

  And then he goes, between the two of us? I go, yeah. He goes, well, obviously you. And I go, you're right, that's the correct answer.

• 46:33Speaker 00

  Correct answer.

• 46:34Drew Afualo?

  That was a trick question and you passed.

• 46:35Speaker 00

  It would be so crazy not to say that.

• 46:38Speaker 00

  It would be sort of like to have made a profession off of it. Like, I've been in that position so many times, where like, even like, like, guys would just be like, I just think, I think I could do it. And it's like, but you haven't, so I just feel like, and I didn't bring this up, you did.

• 46:54Drew Afualo?

  And also, like, what's stopping you?

• 46:55Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 46:56Drew Afualo?

  You have a phone and a brain and general will, so like, go ahead.

• 47:01Speaker 00

  Go ahead, you're scared.

• 47:02Drew Afualo?

  Feel free.

• 47:02Speaker 00

  It's scary.

• 47:03Drew Afualo?

  Well, like, come join me, it's lonely at the top. I'm so bored up here.

• 47:06Speaker 00

  I wanna laugh.

• 47:07Drew Afualo?

  Oh, I've scaled them out in a thousand times.

• 47:09Speaker 00

  Oh, I wanna laugh. Give me a laugh. Oh, yeah, I haven't had a laugh in so long. Give me a little laugh. Come on.

• 47:15Drew Afualo?

  Do you ever get one of these where you have, like, men, this actually just happened to me last week when I did, like, a work event, but I was hosting something, and it was like, there were comics there, and like, one of them I love, and the other ones I didn't really know that well, but there wasn't Kai there.

• 47:29Speaker 00

  Sorry.

• 47:30Drew Afualo?

  And after, after the, after the show, um, we went into this green room, and he was like, I've never met this man, I've never heard of him, like, he's like, you know, you, honestly, you know what, Drew? You're, you're like, you're like, funny. You ever get one of those?

• 47:44Speaker 00

  Oh, actually, an actually, an actually kind of tone.

• 47:47Drew Afualo?

  Actually pretty funny.

• 47:48Speaker 00

  You're actually funny.

• 47:49Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 47:49Speaker 00

  Or they'll kind of punch up something that you've said. I had a friend who is a guy who is funny, they exist, and is a comedian, and he was telling me a story. Um, and he's also someone who's like very blunt, and I speak very bluntly too, which is like a really refreshing friendship to have with a man.

• 48:05Drew Afualo?

  Absolutely, especially with a man, yeah.

• 48:07Speaker 00

  I could give any feedback and he'd go, huh. Like, and like, and he would let me say whatever I wanted.

• 48:11Drew Afualo?

  And it feels good.

• 48:11Speaker 00

  It feels so good, it's not hard. So, um, and he was talking, he was telling a story where he was in a room on a show or something, and it was two other women comedians. And they were talking, and one of them was talking about their joke, and I think like, uh, the other woman was like, oh yeah, and da da da da da. And he's like, and then I just, I brought up another joke she said, and I said, like, and I noted it, basically. And he goes, and they both got really quiet, and it was really uncomfortable, and I went, so yeah, so, I think like,

• 48:36Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 48:37Speaker 00

  It, so ultimately, honey, don't, I think, don't, just don't even risk that, I think, don't.

• 48:41Drew Afualo?

  I think that like,

• 48:42Speaker 00

  Don't stick your neck out like that.

• 48:44Drew Afualo?

  That's one of those times where unsolicited advice is not well.

• 48:46Speaker 00

  Wait for them to turn to you.

• 48:48Drew Afualo?

  Wait for them to go, what do you think?

• 48:50Speaker 00

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, or I go, stick to the joke they're talking about, don't go, you had another joke that I thought.

• 48:55Drew Afualo?

  Well, since you're taking feedback.

• 48:56Speaker 00

  There was, um, he goes, there was a hush over the crowd when you did this joke, and I, and I feel like, I feel.

• 49:01Drew Afualo?

  And I'm sure you noticed, but I just figured.

• 49:02Speaker 00

  I'm sure you know, I probably.

• 49:03Drew Afualo?

  Bring it up anyways.

• 49:04Speaker 00

  You're probably reeling, um.

• 49:06Drew Afualo?

  God, that was painful. How'd that feel? Not good, huh?

• 49:09Speaker 00

  Woo!

• 49:09Drew Afualo?

  I do have some notes for you.

• 49:11Speaker 00

  It washed over, and he was like, totally, I won't, like, that's the nice thing too, I think, with like a nice guy, um, you know, a guy, with a man who's like not experiencing too much pain in life, which is a beautiful place to be.

• 49:22Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 49:22Speaker 00

  Um, I would just be like, don't do that again, that's bad, and they'll go, yeah, yeah, okay.

• 49:28Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, they're just like,

• 49:29Speaker 00

  They'll be like, totally, yeah, yeah.

• 49:31Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, they're like, oh yeah, I guess that makes sense, and it's like, right, must be nice, huh, to fucking exist in that ignorant spot.

• 49:37Speaker 00

  Yeah, they're like, I love the weekend, and I go, the weekend, it's the best days of the week.

• 49:44Drew Afualo?

  Oh my god, it's infuriating. And also, I envy it. Yeah, I'm like, oh, that would be awesome to chill there. That'd be so sick. But it's the same thing, like that guy, this happened to me last week. That guy was like, you're actually funny, which, when I do commercials, when I do shoots of any kind, like, there's always at least one guy who, who's like a grip, a camera guy, a sound guy, whatever, who feels the need to go out of their way to tell me, you're actually really funny.

• 50:11Speaker 00

  The tone is always too, like, when we, when I heard we were gonna be doing this with you today, I was like, huh, who? And then you came, you came and you did it, and I thought, wait a minute.

• 50:21Drew Afualo?

  And I found myself enjoying it.

• 50:23Speaker 00

  And I, it's almost as if I discovered you.

• 50:26Drew Afualo?

  You're, hey, you're welcome.

• 50:27Speaker 00

  I discovered you.

• 50:28Drew Afualo?

  I hope you make it one day.

• 50:29Speaker 00

  You know what it also happens with, it's like, sometimes a man will tell you that you're beautiful in a way where you're kind of like, I know, people have told me.

• 50:35Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's what I've heard.

• 50:38Speaker 00

  But they say in a way where they're like, you, I, I would, I've gotten this a couple times where a guy will be like, they'll either tell it to you where you could tell they think that you don't get it a lot.

• 50:51Speaker 00

  Where they might, they're like, she, a girl like her probably doesn't get a lot.

• 50:53Drew Afualo?

  This is gonna make her day when I say this.

• 50:56Speaker 00

  You know, or they'll be like, you have a really unique beauty.

• 51:00Drew Afualo?

  What the hell?

• 51:01Speaker 00

  Like, they're like, you have a really unique sort of look, or like, kind of, or they'll like compliment you in a way where you go, people think I'm pretty.

• 51:09Speaker 00

  I'm like, maybe not everybody, listen, maybe not everybody.

• 51:12Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 51:12Speaker 00

  Okay?

• 51:13Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 51:13Speaker 00

  You're not the, you can't think you're the first.

• 51:15Drew Afualo?

  You're like, what do they tell you?

• 51:17Speaker 00

  I'm like,

• 51:20Speaker 00

  no one's.

• 51:21Drew Afualo?

  You're like, this actually means, like,

• 51:23Speaker 00

  People are always saying I'd be a good homemaker.

• 51:26Speaker 00

  They're saying I'm good at vacuuming.

• 51:28Drew Afualo?

  They tell me that I have a face for radio, but you have changed that.

• 51:32Speaker 00

  You've really changed, you think, you think I could be?

• 51:36Drew Afualo?

  No way, dude, no way.

• 51:37Speaker 00

  Girls where like, where Marnie's like, I don't think I'm like a model. And like, Shoshana and Ray are like, well, no, not like a model.

• 51:46Drew Afualo?

  Well, obviously not.

• 51:47Speaker 00

  Not like I'm known and she's like.

• 51:49Drew Afualo?

  Honestly, like that, that's crazy. The unique beauty thing is so funny. It makes me laugh too, because I feel like they think they're being so like different in their approach. Like the way that they choose to compliment you in that way. I also think too, the next time you hear that or someone, anyone hears that, I would honestly be like, you know what? I was planning on killing myself today and now I'm not going to.

• 52:11Speaker 00

  You're like, one second.

• 52:14Speaker 00

  Take the gun out of your waistband.

• 52:18Drew Afualo?

  I won't be needing this later.

• 52:19Speaker 00

  I don't need that.

• 52:22Drew Afualo?

  That means the world to, that means the fucking world to me, bro. Bro, that means the fucking world to me, bro.

• 52:28Speaker 00

  Whoa.

• 52:28Drew Afualo?

  Just make it so over the top, like, oh my God, oh my God, thank you.

• 52:32Speaker 00

  It's also like a guy who's never looked in the mirror before, because he's never had to.

• 52:35Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, because he's ugly and that's just across the board.

• 52:38Speaker 00

  And guess what? Whether he is or isn't, doesn't matter. Just doesn't matter.

• 52:42Drew Afualo?

  He's immediately ugly to me when you're on some bullshit like that.

• 52:44Speaker 00

  It doesn't matter.

• 52:45Drew Afualo?

  I know, that's how I feel.

• 52:46Speaker 00

  I'm not thinking about how he looks, he's not thinking about how he looks.

• 52:48Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I was like, but you felt the need to compliment my looks.

• 52:51Speaker 00

  Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful? I bet not, not.

• 52:54Drew Afualo?

  But you never get that, huh?

• 52:55Speaker 00

  I bet you never get that.

• 52:55Drew Afualo?

  I bet your ugly ass never hears that, huh?

• 52:57Speaker 00

  You never. I bet you see all the other girls and you say, I wish they would look at me like they would look at me.

• 53:02Drew Afualo?

  I wish I looked like that.

• 53:04Speaker 00

  Wish I looked like that.

• 53:05Drew Afualo?

  I know, that's like, um, when I was a, I told this horrifying story about going to prom with a Mormon my junior of high school.

• 53:11Speaker 00

  Wow.

• 53:12Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, terrible experience.

• 53:13Speaker 00

  Did you grow up like in a Mormon community around Mormons?

• 53:15Drew Afualo?

  No, not at all, not even a little bit.

• 53:17Speaker 00

  Just one loose?

• 53:17Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, just one loose caught me.

• 53:19Speaker 00

  One loose one.

• 53:20Drew Afualo?

  You know what I mean?

• 53:21Speaker 00

  Wow.

• 53:21Drew Afualo?

  Honestly, like, he was awful and I sent ire his way metaphysically constantly.

• 53:26Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 53:27Drew Afualo?

  But I do remember explicitly, like, one of, this reminds me of that, was like, you know, you're like, kind of getting to know each other. So you're doing this bullshit mantra in high school and you're, I was like, well, what's your type? Like, I'm trying to be nice.

• 53:39Speaker 00

  Your type, yeah.

• 53:40Drew Afualo?

  And he's, well, he asked me, what's your type? And then I said.

• 53:43Speaker 00

  Being in high school and trying to think of your type, you're like, anyone who talks to me?

• 53:46Drew Afualo?

  Right, like, exactly, like, well, and then when he asked me, I was like, you know, like, someone nice and like, funny and like, gets along with my fam. Like, I'm keeping it real general. And then I asked him, like, what about you, to be polite again? And he's like, I like short, white girls with glasses.

• 54:02Speaker 00

  Oh.

• 54:05Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, to my face. We were sitting across from each other at a table. I was like.

• 54:08Speaker 00

  And you're like.

• 54:10Drew Afualo?

  Okay, well. I'm missing a few of those things.

• 54:13Speaker 00

  You're like, what do I cling to?

• 54:15Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I was like, okay, he said that. I remember feeling so shocked to my core because I was like, how am I supposed to like? I went, oh, really? And he goes, yeah, I go.

• 54:26Drew Afualo?

  Alright, um, like, I'm sixteen, by the way. I don't know how to pivot in this conversation.

• 54:30Speaker 00

  When you're sixteen, it's like, everybody likes short girls.

• 54:33Drew Afualo?

  Sure, white girls with glasses.

• 54:35Speaker 00

  I like when you can pick them up. It's like in Love is Blind where they ask if like they have an active lifestyle or like, could I pick you up? Or something like that kind of thing. It's like, no.

• 54:44Drew Afualo?

  Either you can, whether you can or can't, doesn't really matter.

• 54:47Speaker 00

  If you tried to piggyback me, my feet would drag along the floor behind you.

• 54:51Drew Afualo?

  So don't.

• 54:51Speaker 00

  We can try it, but.

• 54:53Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I was like, okay, don't worry. Less about picking up, more about how much money do you make? Like, that's.

• 54:57Speaker 00

  Well, that's the other thing. It's always like, especially when you're really young, like when you're both teenagers. It's like, I'm for sure that that guy was kind of like, but here I am with you. Like, none of those girls can't get attention from the one short white girl with glasses in her grade.

• 55:12Drew Afualo?

  And he was from Utah and Mormon, so like, yeah, that tracks.

• 55:16Speaker 00

  Right.

• 55:16Drew Afualo?

  I just like really didn't expect him to give me such a very fucking literal answer. I thought you were gonna say, someone funny.

• 55:23Speaker 00

  Yes. No, they're not gonna say someone funny.

• 55:25Drew Afualo?

  Oh, of course not. Well, not funnier than me.

• 55:28Speaker 00

  Surely not.

• 55:28Drew Afualo?

  And I'm funnier than most men, so now what?

• 55:30Speaker 00

  They're not gonna, they don't want that.

• 55:33Drew Afualo?

  And if they say that, they're lying.

• 55:34Speaker 00

  They don't want that. I mean, what's nice about being in your thirties is most of the time if like you find yourself around a group of guys and you're, you know, joke, and you're like really rip, and you're really ripping, and you're really going, they'll like it. You know, especially like knowing other performers, like they really like it. I've had, I haven't had this experience in so long where you're like, you're not making fun of them. You're just being, you're having a funny night.

• 55:55Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 55:55Speaker 00

  And you're like, you're sparkling, you know? And, and you could tell it's like really, whatever, and you see a guy kind of be like, kind of his face, and he's sort of like, she's disgusting to me.

• 56:08Drew Afualo?

  I love that feeling.

• 56:10Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 56:10Drew Afualo?

  That feeling to me feels like what I imagine smelling salts feel like when they like crack them and they go Yeah, that's how that feels to me.

• 56:18Speaker 00

  And you're growing fat. You're getting big like a dragon from Sleeping Beauty.

• 56:24Drew Afualo?

  That's how I feel too.

• 56:25Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 56:26Drew Afualo?

  It's like when you're sucking all of their soul. It's like a dementor kind of deal. Like I'm sucking the soul out of you. Cause you're realizing in real time, you're not that funny.

• 56:34Speaker 00

  Not that funny, but then I go, don't drop the energy.

• 56:37Drew Afualo?

  Hey, stay with me.

• 56:37Speaker 00

  Hey, hey, pay attention. You're thinking sad thoughts.

• 56:42Speaker 00

  It's not about you. It's not about you. It's about me right now.

• 56:44Drew Afualo?

  It's about the energy. It's about the energy. I love that about you. Honestly, what's your sign?

• 56:48Speaker 00

  Gemini.

• 56:49Drew Afualo?

  Oh, tea.

• 56:50Speaker 00

  What are you?

• 56:50Drew Afualo?

  I'm a Virgo.

• 56:51Speaker 00

  Oh, Mercury.

• 56:52Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 56:53Speaker 00

  We're just talking.

• 56:53Drew Afualo?

  Period. Look at us. Yes.

• 56:55Speaker 00

  We just go, go, go.

• 56:57Drew Afualo?

  Well, speaking of your astrological sign, I do have fun facts about you.

• 57:01Speaker 00

  You do?

• 57:01Drew Afualo?

  Yes, that I would like to go over with you now. And then you can let me know if they're fun.

• 57:05Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 57:06Drew Afualo?

  Okay, so, uh, oh, in this one, it says you played Shego in the live action Kim Possible movie.

• 57:11Speaker 00

  I did. That was fun.

• 57:12Drew Afualo?

  What an iconic role.

• 57:13Speaker 00

  That was like one of my first jobs.

• 57:15Drew Afualo?

  I love that.

• 57:15Speaker 00

  I know.

• 57:16Drew Afualo?

  How was that experience?

• 57:17Speaker 00

  Um, it was really crazy. I'm not, I came from truly like, I had not done a lot of acting and then I did that job and they had me doing just like things that I now know are not normal of normal acting jobs, like an action movie. And this was like a kid's movie, but I'm still like on wires and you're doing like a lot of stunts training, which is really cool. Like stunt training jobs are really, really cool. They're like the coolest people who work in this business. Um, but they also had me in like a leather neoprene suit. I can't like, and I'm not used to like using my body, thinking about, I've only used it for comedy. They're like, could you stand up straight when you walk and also be like kind of, and I, I'm not even, it was the first time I'd like think about my body. So it was like sort of so many things I've never done since, but it was a really cool job.

• 57:59Drew Afualo?

  Interesting.

• 58:00Speaker 00

  It was really, really neat.

• 58:01Drew Afualo?

  And you did a lot of your own stunts on that movie?

• 58:02Speaker 00

  No. No.

• 58:05Drew Afualo?

  Oh, no, no, no.

• 58:06Speaker 00

  Basically, when you're doing stunts, you have to do it just enough so that they can cut you together with a stunt double. And like for the fight choreo. So you will learn fight choreography and they will try to film as much of it with you as they can.

• 58:17Drew Afualo?

  I see.

• 58:17Speaker 00

  But then someone who is like truly like an acrobatic performer.

• 58:22Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like a professional.

• 58:23Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 58:23Drew Afualo?

  A stunt professional.

• 58:24Speaker 00

  A stunt professional. And they're doing like cra- and like, it's really crazy with a lot of like action movies or whatever. So much of the movie is stunt performers.

• 58:33Drew Afualo?

  That's so interesting.

• 58:34Speaker 00

  It really is.

• 58:34Drew Afualo?

  I guess it makes sense, but like.

• 58:35Speaker 00

  It makes complete sense, but so much of the movie is them. Like, and now I will watch things and be, and be able to see, especially things like I've done or Ambern. Where you're able to see, or like things that have like big group, um, I did this movie, um, this Paul Feig movie called Jackpot, and they had a lot of like fight sequences. And in that, it's like, they're not even stunt doubles. Those are like stunt performers who are the actors in the, these fight scenes.

• 58:59Drew Afualo?

  Oh, interesting.

• 59:00Speaker 00

  And so they also are doing like a lot of capital A acting as well. It's really fascinating.

• 59:04Drew Afualo?

  That's so interesting.

• 59:05Speaker 00

  Their jobs are so cool.

• 59:06Drew Afualo?

  I have a running joke with Meg Saltzer that like,

• 59:08Speaker 00

  I love Meg.

• 59:09Drew Afualo?

  I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be cast as The Rock's body double before they make me a lead. They're gonna be like, get in there, bitch.

• 59:14Speaker 00

  They are gonna make you a lead.

• 59:15Drew Afualo?

  They're gonna put me in a vault cap and tell me to get to work.

• 59:16Speaker 00

  And then The Rock is gonna have to be your body. That is kind of what it looks like, though. You will see like yourself and then you'll see someone who like does not look like you at all.

• 59:25Drew Afualo?

  Oh, girl, I know they're gonna cast a man.

• 59:27Speaker 00

  At all.

• 59:28Drew Afualo?

  I know I'm gonna be mad.

• 59:29Speaker 00

  In like a shiny wig, sort of like flipping around and the audience can't tell, but you go, that doesn't look like me.

• 59:35Drew Afualo?

  I know.

• 59:35Speaker 00

  It will be, it'll be like a grown, full grown man.

• 59:37Drew Afualo?

  I know whatever the hell it is.

• 59:38Speaker 00

  They're like, sorry, only Seth was here today.

• 59:40Drew Afualo?

  I'm sorry, but like, oh, I, only men are as big as you. I had to cast a man as your double. I'm sorry.

• 59:45Speaker 00

  Sometimes they do go, sometimes they do go, we just.

• 59:50Speaker 00

  Sometimes they're like, we just can't find a girl big enough right now. But, and I'm like, no worries, keep looking. Or like now, sometimes I will go, oh, I worked with this girl. Let me send you her stuff because there's only like a couple really tall.

• 1:00:00Drew Afualo?

  Well, now I gotta, now I have another fear I have to work on.

• 1:00:03Speaker 00

  I'll send you the gals. I'll send you the gals.

• 1:00:05Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, all like, yeah, send me your girls if they've gained about a hundred pounds and then maybe, yeah.

• 1:00:09Speaker 00

  No, I will send you the, it's just not gonna matter. They're gonna wig them up.

• 1:00:13Drew Afualo?

  Hey, movie magic.

• 1:00:15Speaker 00

  They're gonna wig them up.

• 1:00:15Drew Afualo?

  I know, that's editing's problem.

• 1:00:17Speaker 00

  I want to see those girls flipping around.

• 1:00:19Drew Afualo?

  Okay, next fact, it says that you used to be an entertainment journalist and you wrote an article in 2016 called, "I binge watched Orange is the New Black, Season 4 at 3 a.m. and I don't know who I am anymore."

• 1:00:31Speaker 00

  Yeah, so journalist is so loose. Like, I was not a journalist. Basically, it was like the big web days and my job was like, I was not cracking stories. It was like, another bigger outlet would write something and then we would write the same thing and just pad it for word count. So I would do like a person, I would do like a first paragraph, sentence for personality and then it's like the fox.

• 1:00:53Drew Afualo?

  It's like ground floors, Substack.

• 1:00:55Speaker 00

  Yes, but sometimes you'd like live watch things like Orange is the New Black, but that was also like kind of hard because then you're like, this is actually a lot of writing, you know? You're like, this original stuff is actually hard. I want to go back to...

• 1:01:07Drew Afualo?

  I never finished Orange is the New Black, but I did watch a couple of seasons of it.

• 1:01:10Speaker 00

  They had, they had a lot of seasons.

• 1:01:12Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, they did. I never finished it. It was, I have, I have an itis though with that.

• 1:01:16Speaker 00

  I think everybody does. I think like our brains are a little...

• 1:01:19Drew Afualo?

  Just watching new things, so many things.

• 1:01:21Speaker 00

  Yeah, and we're like, we're going, it's longer than 30 seconds. I don't think I can. Well, I don't know what, where I'll be in 30 seconds.

• 1:01:27Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, well, like, how am I supposed to scroll on my phone and also, like, now, like, when I tell my friends, like, I really want to watch, like, something, they're like, is it like a show I can like scroll on my phone now? And I'm always like, no.

• 1:01:38Speaker 00

  Well, you know, sometimes that there will be now when you're developing stuff, there is an intention to, where they're like, reiterate the plot. And it's like, we can't naturally really do that. People are just gonna have to like, ask someone in the room. Like, your mom would. You know what I mean? Like, how my mom's like, asking questions before it started. It's like, we've seen the same amount of, of the movie.

• 1:01:57Drew Afualo?

  I'm actually right with you.

• 1:01:59Speaker 00

  I'm like, I'm discovering it along with you, girl. We're discovering in the moment, let's let it, let's let it play out.

• 1:02:04Drew Afualo?

  I've joked about that with my mom because like, my mom, I love Broadway and stuff. When they made Dear Evan Hansen into a movie, did Ben Platt look insane? Yeah, of course he did, but obviously I had to go see it.

• 1:02:14Speaker 00

  You had to see, yeah.

• 1:02:15Drew Afualo?

  So when we went, I was already annoyed because we were late and I missed my favorite song, which is the opening song, Waving Through a Window. That's my favorite song.

• 1:02:21Speaker 00

  And did they not reprise it?

• 1:02:22Drew Afualo?

  No. Well, like, at the end, towards the end, but like, I missed my favorite song. And I was like, ugh. And then we're sitting there, my mom has never seen this play. She has no idea. She didn't even know it was musical. So when we were sitting there, she goes, "Who is that?" Who's that? Mind you, we're like 10 minutes into the movie, so I, I know what's happening because I've seen the play, but like my mom does.

• 1:02:39Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 1:02:39Drew Afualo?

  Who is that? Is this a musical? Wait, who is that?

• 1:02:42Speaker 00

  To not know something is a musical is pretty jarring.

• 1:02:46Drew Afualo?

  That happened to my, and I took my mom and sister again to see Into the Woods, like when I watched that movie.

• 1:02:50Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 1:02:50Drew Afualo?

  My sister, is this a musical? Holy fuck, stop talking to me.

• 1:02:53Speaker 00

  You can really get lost during Sondheim, too. You can really get.

• 1:02:56Drew Afualo?

  She goes, they sing the whole time? I'm like, yeah, it's a Sondheim. I don't know what that means. Both of you need to stop talking to me during the movie.

• 1:03:01Speaker 00

  You're gonna miss actually a lot if you talk to me.

• 1:03:03Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like I had to tell my mom, I was like, you need to stop. I told her, please stop. You need to stop, please.

• 1:03:06Speaker 00

  And, and, and you're missing literal facts.

• 1:03:09Drew Afualo?

  As we're doing this, you're missing more.

• 1:03:12Speaker 00

  All the lyrics are different. You actually can't miss any. Into the Woods, they, they're not gonna, there's, there's not gonna be a chorus. There's not gonna be, you need to pay attention.

• 1:03:19Drew Afualo?

  You have to lock in.

• 1:03:20Speaker 00

  This is an opera.

• 1:03:20Drew Afualo?

  That's how, that's how I felt telling my friends to watch Chief of War. Have you watched Chief of War on Apple TV?

• 1:03:25Speaker 00

  Are they singing?

• 1:03:26Drew Afualo?

  It's on Apple TV.

• 1:03:27Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 1:03:27Drew Afualo?

  It's so good. It's about the Hawaiian Kingdom.

• 1:03:30Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 1:03:30Drew Afualo?

  Jason Momoa like has been working on it for like 10 years. Finally got it greenlit.

• 1:03:33Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 1:03:34Drew Afualo?

  It's almost 90% of it's in Hawaiian. So like.

• 1:03:37Speaker 00

  Is it subtitles or you're just kinda?

• 1:03:38Drew Afualo?

  There's subtitles, so you have to watch. Like, so I was like telling some of my friends.

• 1:03:43Speaker 00

  But everyone's watching the subtitles anyway.

• 1:03:44Drew Afualo?

  I know, but I was like telling my friends, you can't scroll during this. You'll miss everything. If you don't, if you don't watch and lock in, you're gonna miss everything. So I get it. It's like.

• 1:03:52Speaker 00

  And it counts as reading a book.

• 1:03:53Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 1:03:54Speaker 00

  If you're watching, if you're watching some of the subtitles and it's in another language, you are reading a book.

• 1:03:59Drew Afualo?

  At that point? You're a polyglot.

• 1:04:01Speaker 00

  You are, you are. Good use of polyglot. Hard to work in sometimes, but that was very, that's where it goes.

• 1:04:09Drew Afualo?

  That's improv, baby.

• 1:04:09Speaker 00

  That's improv, that's where it goes.

• 1:04:11Drew Afualo?

  Okay, next one back. It says, your castmates on another simple favor, oh, helped you tape your audition for Big Mistakes while you were filming in Italy.

• 1:04:20Speaker 00

  Yeah, I, well, I don't know if it was Big Mistakes or another one, but I do remember I had a couple of auditions, um, while I was there. And one of them was, um, like a live audition. It wasn't Big Mistakes. It was like I had a Zoom, like, screen test audition.

• 1:04:34Drew Afualo?

  Okay.

• 1:04:35Speaker 00

  Um, I'll, I, I don't know why I'm like, I didn't sign an NDA. It was for the, uh, the paper with, um, and it was with Greg Daniels.

• 1:04:41Drew Afualo?

  Okay.

• 1:04:41Speaker 00

  And so like there, you're doing scripts, you're doing like some improv.

• 1:04:44Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 1:04:44Speaker 00

  And yeah, it was me and Alex Newell and I was like, can you help me?

• 1:04:50Speaker 00

  You please help me.

• 1:04:51Drew Afualo?

  I love them.

• 1:04:52Speaker 00

  I know, Alex is the best. And it is just really funny when you have such a talented, um, person helping you do something where you're like, I'm so sorry to meet you. But I need ya.

• 1:05:04Drew Afualo?

  I'm gonna need to call in a favor.

• 1:05:05Speaker 00

  I really need justice. And I would only feel comfortable asking Alex. Like, we spent that whole ti- we were in Italy for a while and we spent that whole time together. And I would have only felt comfortable asking them to do that with me. It would be- have been insane if I was like, "Blake."

• 1:05:19Drew Afualo?

  Hey, queen.

• 1:05:20Speaker 00

  Hey, Blake.

• 1:05:24Speaker 00

  I don't know if you read for things.

• 1:05:26Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 1:05:26Speaker 00

  But I have to read for something, it's kinda big.

• 1:05:28Drew Afualo?

  And you're not busy, so.

• 1:05:30Speaker 00

  You're not busy, you got, how many kids, four here?

• 1:05:32Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 1:05:33Speaker 00

  Anyway. I can't ask Alex again, you think you'd do it?

• 1:05:36Drew Afualo?

  Right. Okay, this last one says that you used to be roommates in New York with your sister Natalie.

• 1:05:41Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 1:05:41Drew Afualo?

  Who also does comedy, and one time, they were fighting so loud, your other roommate tried to break them up and said, "No, this is just how we talk to each other."

• 1:05:49Speaker 00

  Yeah, yeah. We don't, my sister and I don't ha- we're five years apart, so we don't fight a lot.

• 1:05:54Drew Afualo?

  Okay.

• 1:05:54Speaker 00

  Um, and actually, like, five years apart is sort of like, you're having your own high school experience, you're having like, all your own friends. You're like, so we weren't, we're, we're not big like, screaming sister fighters growing up.

• 1:06:05Drew Afualo?

  Right, same, same with me and my sister.

• 1:06:07Speaker 00

  How far apart are you?

• 1:06:08Drew Afualo?

  We're two years apart.

• 1:06:09Speaker 00

  Two ye- oh, so it could have been, you guys, are you really, really close?

• 1:06:13Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, we're super close.

• 1:06:14Speaker 00

  Yeah, cuz that, that I could see us really getting into it, two years apart, like, you're in high school together, you're having like, friend overlap, like.

• 1:06:20Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, we did have a lot of that.

• 1:06:21Speaker 00

  Yeah, that could be, that could be stressful, no, we never had that, but then we lived together in New York for a while, we lived together for like, five years. And it was more like, you are so comfortable with each other, that you do talk to each other crazy.

• 1:06:33Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that's true.

• 1:06:34Speaker 00

  And I will say, we lived with a third friend who was kind of in the sweet spot of like, she could kind of like, have a Natalie day, or have a Taylor day. And like, kind of like, I would be doing the same thing, I would kind of be like, I'm in a good spot with everybody, like, all the time, you know?

• 1:06:47Drew Afualo?

  A friend you can fight in front of.

• 1:06:49Speaker 00

  Yeah, definitely, well, no one wants that, but yeah.

• 1:06:51Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 1:06:52Speaker 00

  And also, but also that she kind of gets to play both sides, like, if she's like, sick of my sister, she can like, hang with me, if she's sick of me, they can talk shit about me, kind of.

• 1:06:59Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 1:07:00Speaker 00

  And it's none of my business. One time I did hear the minute, I closed the door, they talked too soon, and the sound traveled up the hallway, and I was like, "I can hear you guys."

• 1:07:09Speaker 00

  And they laughed, but this was sort of like we were not, we were not getting in fights when we lived together. And we didn't really snipe at each other, but it means that you do have that closeness that every once in a while, probably like a handful of times in our lives, we've gotten in like a blowout fight.

• 1:07:24Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, same, yeah.

• 1:07:26Speaker 00

  And it's like you've known each other your whole lives and then you have all your like your childhood stuff too. And so you're like yelling at each other and like your face is like shaking, you're like.

• 1:07:34Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, only like literally only your sister could get you to that spot.

• 1:07:38Speaker 00

  And to be a third person in a space where that type of fight is happening and you're like, I'm in my home.

• 1:07:46Speaker 00

  What, I can't go anywhere. And we're doing like a traveling fight, like I remember that fight, like we're doing a traveling fight, like you'll, you'll be yelling at her, following her around and she's like, and then like you'll, you'll have said your thing and then she like comes back after you. And I didn't have a bedroom door. So I had a curtain up like in this weird dining room that we had turned into my bedroom. And she's like pulling it around her face and screaming at me and I'm trying to close the curtain on her face and she's like.

• 1:08:15Speaker 00

  It was really bad, it was really bad.

• 1:08:17Drew Afualo?

  Only sisters get it.

• 1:08:18Speaker 00

  And the whole time you're just like, I'm just never gonna have to apologize for this and it's not gonna happen.

• 1:08:25Drew Afualo?

  In about an hour, none of this is gonna mean anything.

• 1:08:28Speaker 00

  I'm not gonna be mad, I'm not gonna want an apology from her.

• 1:08:30Drew Afualo?

  It is one of those things where you're kind of like, like my sister and I, like it'll get to a point like if we're fighting, which is rare, but like if we do fight and it's preventing us from like, we're like, I'm not talking to her.

• 1:08:41Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 1:08:41Drew Afualo?

  I always, I always know we're fighting because we don't, she doesn't send me TikToks, she doesn't send me anything funny. She's not engaging with anything that I post, like I, I know she's mad at me then, it's and vice versa, I'm sure.

• 1:08:52Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 1:08:52Drew Afualo?

  But sometimes I'll see something that's so funny that I'm like, okay, fight over. I have to tell you this.

• 1:08:57Speaker 00

  I just saw either, I'm not on TikTok anymore because of my time management skills are really poor. Um, I had to delete it, but I saw a reel, which I also am not allowed to be on there really. Um, but I saw a reel and it was like something, it was like what you see when you and your boyfriend are in a fight. And it's like a wooden carved six foot Bigfoot on a flatbed truck passing by and you're like, I want to.

• 1:09:15Drew Afualo?

  I know the type of shit I see when I'm fighting with my boy.

• 1:09:19Drew Afualo?

  I saw one like that too recently. Yeah, it's very similar.

• 1:09:23Speaker 00

  It's the universe's way of being like, send her a little.

• 1:09:25Drew Afualo?

  Or, or like sometimes, like my man is like that friend where he's like seen us bicker like very rarely and he's also seen blowout fights, but he doesn't do anything like he never really gets involved, which is good for him. But the one time he said something was because we, I forget, we were like at Coachella. It was a rough fucking couple of days, but we were like standing, my man's in the middle. My sister and I are like this and we're like bickering at each other and it's, it really was, we couldn't hear what the other person said and we both got offended for different reasons. So we were both arguing and that was the one and only time my man has said anything. He went, hey, guys, let's not. And as soon as he said that, we were like.

• 1:10:06Speaker 00

  Yeah, both.

• 1:10:07Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, yeah, we're both like, now we have a common enemy.

• 1:10:09Speaker 00

  That's exactly what we did to our roommate. We were like.

• 1:10:13Drew Afualo?

  First of all, don't ever talk to my sister that way ever again.

• 1:10:16Speaker 00

  Whoa, we're like, this isn't even that bad.

• 1:10:19Drew Afualo?

  You haven't even, you don't even know a bad day.

• 1:10:21Speaker 00

  Cause you're both embarrassed. You're both like, I was acting embarrassed. So you're saying I'm an embarrassment.

• 1:10:26Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, we were both like humiliated and then we kind of laughed and then we were like, you never say anything. Oh, someone's feeling brave.

• 1:10:32Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 1:10:32Drew Afualo?

  Oh, someone wants to talk during fights now.

• 1:10:34Speaker 00

  And you're perfect.

• 1:10:35Drew Afualo?

  Yeah. Oh, so someone wants to talk during fights. You want to join? That's right. And then he was like, God, no, I was just saying you guys misheard each other. Cause he heard everything.

• 1:10:43Speaker 00

  Right.

• 1:10:44Drew Afualo?

  So then he was like, you guys misheard each other.

• 1:10:45Speaker 00

  He's fully in the right.

• 1:10:46Drew Afualo?

  And then we're both like, yeah, yeah. Anyways.

• 1:10:49Speaker 00

  Like, we're probably gonna have a good day going forward. This might've actually put a damper on your day, but we're actually gonna be better than ever.

• 1:10:55Drew Afualo?

  Someone else like irritates you like exactly like that and you're like, well, let's all talk shit on her now.

• 1:11:00Speaker 00

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. And how dare she.

• 1:11:02Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, let's link up.

• 1:11:03Speaker 00

  And how dare she get upset now that we ruined her day with our arguing.

• 1:11:07Drew Afualo?

  The other day, my sister, I forget what we were talking about. Oh, it was like us with our, one of our friends. And we were laughing about something that we remembered and our friend was like, I don't remember that. Like, where was I? And then my sister was like, oh, that was the night you got mad at us and you went back to your room. So we had a lot of fun without you.

• 1:11:24Speaker 00

  And to find out that the night turned around is like, whoa.

• 1:11:27Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, she literally was like, what the fuck?

• 1:11:29Speaker 00

  The night turned around?

• 1:11:33Drew Afualo?

  And no one woke me up.

• 1:11:34Speaker 00

  And no one woke me up. So you guys were only kind of being like miserable when I was there. Couldn't be salvaged when I was there.

• 1:11:43Drew Afualo?

  So I get it. Oh, man. Well, that's all my fun facts for you.

• 1:11:45Speaker 00

  Cool.

• 1:11:46Drew Afualo?

  Did they feel fun?

• 1:11:47Speaker 00

  They were fun facts. Those were good fun facts.

• 1:11:49Drew Afualo?

  Oh, I have one more.

• 1:11:50Speaker 00

  A bonus?

• 1:11:51Drew Afualo?

  She said you have a bonus one. Okay. In 2019, you did the Bob Ross challenge.

• 1:11:58Speaker 00

  Oh, my god.

• 1:11:59Drew Afualo?

  Where you had to step by step copy a Bob Ross painting while wearing overalls.

• 1:12:02Speaker 00

  I don't think I agreed to wear overalls, but I don't think I would do that because sometimes they will cut you right up the front. If you tried to clip them and they... Whenever anyone tries to put me in a romper, anything, sorry to come back to being tall, but it's like, I'm not putting a one-piece anything on.

• 1:12:17Drew Afualo?

  No way. Yeah, straight up the gooch.

• 1:12:19Speaker 00

  Get real. My two lips outpainting. You wish.

• 1:12:23Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I'm giving claw machine between my legs.

• 1:12:25Speaker 00

  This is like a bikini overall in my... Um, yeah, I'm horrible at painting.

• 1:12:29Drew Afualo?

  It's pulling and like it hurts.

• 1:12:30Speaker 00

  It feels horrible.

• 1:12:31Drew Afualo?

  Cause you have a long torso.

• 1:12:32Speaker 00

  Yes, very long. And people will try to put me in it and I'll go, it's not gonna work, but...

• 1:12:38Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, we can try it.

• 1:12:39Speaker 00

  And you can laugh and laugh.

• 1:12:42Drew Afualo?

  You just want to...

• 1:12:42Speaker 00

  Silly eye look.

• 1:12:45Drew Afualo?

  You big Bob Ross fan?

• 1:12:46Speaker 00

  Um, sure. I mean, I think, is he still with us?

• 1:12:51Drew Afualo?

  I don't think so, no.

• 1:12:52Speaker 00

  Oh, well.

• 1:12:52Drew Afualo?

  R.I.P.

• 1:12:53Speaker 00

  R.I.P. That was a beautiful career and like what a...

• 1:12:55Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, well, I'm sure the painting looked beautiful. Do you like to paint?

• 1:12:59Speaker 00

  No, I'm really bad at like visual arts, like painting, drawing.

• 1:13:02Drew Afualo?

  Me too.

• 1:13:03Speaker 00

  I'm good at like, oftentimes I will try something new and I'm not talking about anything like really out of the way, but every now and then I'll try something new and be good at it right away and I'll be like, maybe that's true of everything. And it's just so weird that it's like an art form and like I'm technically an artist and it's so ugly.

• 1:13:23Speaker 00

  It's so ugly.

• 1:13:23Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I don't like to do things I'm not very good at either.

• 1:13:25Speaker 00

  It's bad. Like when I'm drawing or painting, it looks like a stupid baby did it.

• 1:13:31Drew Afualo?

  I don't enjoy that.

• 1:13:32Speaker 00

  Like a baby that they'd be worried about, they would like get the baby testing. You know what I mean? They'd be like, motor skills are not, there's something up.

• 1:13:38Drew Afualo?

  Well, we recommend getting tested before the next grade.

• 1:13:41Speaker 00

  Truly, they're like, her handwriting something, she's not, pen to paper, it's not something to miss.

• 1:13:46Drew Afualo?

  We're missing something.

• 1:13:47Speaker 00

  I just never.

• 1:13:49Drew Afualo?

  Well, that fact, did you find that one fun?

• 1:13:52Speaker 00

  I guess, even though it reminded me of something I'm bad at.

• 1:13:56Speaker 00

  And an outfit that looks ugly on me.

• 1:13:58Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, so thanks for that, Amanda, by the way. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show.

• 1:14:02Speaker 00

  Oh my god, I had the best time.

• 1:14:03Drew Afualo?

  I fucking, and I'll love ya.

• 1:14:05Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 1:14:05Drew Afualo?

  I think you're a hoo in a holler.

• 1:14:07Speaker 00

  Thank you.

• 1:14:07Drew Afualo?

  And I would love to close us out, if you could give us some tips on, like, getting into acting, like, kind of like,

• 1:14:14Speaker 00

  Oh yeah.

• 1:14:15Drew Afualo?

  the pursuit of trying to get there, and like, how, like, that whole process goes, like, obviously, a lot of people that watch me want to work in this industry, but I also am asking selfishly for myself, because I'm venturing into acting right now.

• 1:14:27Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 1:14:27Drew Afualo?

  I'd love whatever advice you have for me.

• 1:14:28Speaker 00

  People, it's really weird when people give advice about getting into acting, because then there's like, never concrete advice, really. And it, it, and it really is like that, like, it really is so confusing in that way, and I think sometimes people focus on, like, representation, or, or whatever. And I think the thing that ultimately works the best, for someone who has not done, like, who doesn't even, like, has, like, no platform, hasn't done anything, hasn't put themselves out there creatively, is like, if you haven't done anything yet, or you are a creative person, and you're like, why am I not getting somewhere, you do need other people. Even if it's like a solo pursuit, you just do need to be working with other people, creating with other people, help somebody else on their thing, like, something small. That's so true.

• 1:15:08Speaker 00

  Like, if someone, you, if you see someone's doing like a student film, if you see someone's doing like a short or something, like, help them on that in some way, get into a community with other people. It's gonna like, not just so you have people to work with on your thing, but it's also gonna like, really inform you of how things get made, how things get done. It's an industry where you can pay to go to school, but then you're gonna have to go in, into the business and learn it on the fly.

• 1:15:29Drew Afualo?

  Regardless, yeah.

• 1:15:30Speaker 00

  Regardless. So it is like, things that aren't paid, things that, which is another really frustrating part of this business.

• 1:15:36Drew Afualo?

  It's true, though, you're right.

• 1:15:37Speaker 00

  But it's like, use your spare time however you can, even if it's slowly, to meet other creative people.

• 1:15:43Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and be in the environment.

• 1:15:45Speaker 00

  That is like the best. Yes, be in the environment, do the thing.

• 1:15:47Drew Afualo?

  That's such great advice. I think that's wonderful. It also is so inspiring, too, when you work with people, also who work in other mediums that maybe you're not thinking of initially.

• 1:15:55Speaker 00

  I would love to like, meet like musicians.

• 1:15:56Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like, talking to- I've talked to so many musicians on this show too and just generally but like talking to them about songwriting about producing like all of it is so fascinating.

• 1:16:07Speaker 00

  It is fascinating.

• 1:16:08Drew Afualo?

  So much so to the point where it has really inflamed my hubris and thinking I can be a DJ. That is something.

• 1:16:13Speaker 00

  You could definitely be a DJ. You could definitely be a DJ.

• 1:16:15Drew Afualo?

  If Joe Jonas can do it, I can do it.

• 1:16:17Speaker 00

  You would be an amazing DJ.

• 1:16:19Drew Afualo?

  I think so.

• 1:16:19Speaker 00

  You'd be an incredible DJ. Also, it is kind of like, it is just doing the thing. Like, and if you like it, you will just get better and better and better. Whether you're writing something, whether whatever, it's like, I think sometimes people think, especially when you have like no money and no time. You want your first thing out to be perfect. And the the secret and like the lie of it all is that it's not about the thing being perfect. It's about you're gonna make like 900 things. You're gonna do it over and over again. If your wildest dreams work out, what it does is it opens a door to more work.

• 1:16:50Drew Afualo?

  Right. Yeah. You're back at square one.

• 1:16:52Speaker 00

  You're back at square one in every phase. You're back at square one. So it is just about like, just do it. Just get it done. I had, I was writing something once and I hated it, hated it. And I didn't finish it. And I didn't, I didn't, and I dropped it. Like 90 pages and I dropped it. And my friend, who's a writer and director, he was like, it's just more important to finish it. To do something, finish writing it, finish doing it.

• 1:17:11Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and that is the point of art, right? Like the point of art is to create.

• 1:17:14Speaker 00

  Just create it.

• 1:17:14Drew Afualo?

  Not necessarily to like get accolades for, get paid for it, although that is the dream. Um, that's, that shouldn't be the point.

• 1:17:21Speaker 00

  It shouldn't be the point. Do a DJ set where you're, where there's a big space of silence in between and then you play the next song.

• 1:17:27Drew Afualo?

  It's just for my two friends.

• 1:17:28Speaker 00

  You're like, one second, one second.

• 1:17:29Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, it's like just for my man and my dogs.

• 1:17:32Speaker 00

  But no, you just have to do it and like enjoy it and have other people around because it is just so much more fun.

• 1:17:37Drew Afualo?

  Amazing. I think you're incredible. And I can't wait to see you cast in a million, billion more things.

• 1:17:42Speaker 00

  You too. I hope so. Please, never stop making us work. We're hard little workers.

• 1:17:48Drew Afualo?

  Please, please, please, please. Yeah, I'm talking all that shit, but I will do anything.

• 1:17:52Speaker 00

  And if they can make short men look normal size on camera, they can make us. They can make us.

• 1:17:56Drew Afualo?

  Yes, I would. Do you lie in your slates about your height?

• 1:17:59Speaker 00

  No. I actually found out, I slate at 5'10", but I am 5'11", but I only discovered in pandemic that I'm 5'11".

• 1:18:05Drew Afualo?

  I see. So technically it doesn't count.

• 1:18:06Speaker 00

  I measured myself, I got bored.

• 1:18:09Drew Afualo?

  And I leave that inch off.

• 1:18:11Speaker 00

  So yeah.

• 1:18:11Drew Afualo?

  I literally told my acting coach, I was like, do you think it, you think it's okay if I start lying? On my slates? And he was like, I mean, yeah. And I go, and I, I was, he's like, but don't go crazy. Like, don't say like five, five.

• 1:18:21Speaker 00

  Well, the problem is that it's like five, eight to six foot is like, they're just like, okay.

• 1:18:25Drew Afualo?

  It's all the same to them. If I say anything over five, six, I'm seven foot four.

• 1:18:30Speaker 00

  It is true.

• 1:18:30Drew Afualo?

  So that's why I'm like, oh, I'm sorry.

• 1:18:32Speaker 00

  My sister lies by an inch too. And it's kind of like, girl, okay.

• 1:18:34Drew Afualo?

  I'm gonna, I started lying by two. I'm not even kidding. I started telling people five, 10.

• 1:18:38Speaker 00

  It's for you. It's for you. And I do think that there is sort of a, like, uh, people hear that differently.

• 1:18:43Drew Afualo?

  I'm telling you.

• 1:18:44Speaker 00

  People hear five, 10 differently.

• 1:18:45Drew Afualo?

  Yeah. When I say six foot, they're like, damn, next.

• 1:18:48Speaker 00

  I know. But even five, 10 is in the double digits of by, you know what I mean? Like, once you get past nine, five, nine is kind of like, oh, statuesque.

• 1:18:57Speaker 00

  Oh, five, nine. By the time you had like five, 10, five, 11, they're like, oh.

• 1:19:00Drew Afualo?

  They're like, oh, damn.

• 1:19:02Speaker 00

  Okay. So the frame of the camera, it's like to get the other girl in the frame.

• 1:19:05Drew Afualo?

  They're like, yeah. And then the, the male.

• 1:19:06Speaker 00

  We'll shoot from far away.

• 1:19:07Drew Afualo?

  The male lead is as tall as three apples tall.

• 1:19:10Speaker 00

  They're putting him, well, they put him on a box.

• 1:19:13Drew Afualo?

  We need that. So we need more, we need more tall guys.

• 1:19:15Speaker 00

  Movie magic.

• 1:19:16Drew Afualo?

  Yes, of course. Let's work that movie magic.

• 1:19:18Speaker 00

  Let's work that movie magic.

• 1:19:20Drew Afualo?

  Thank you so much for coming.

• 1:19:21Speaker 00

  I loved it here.

• 1:19:22Drew Afualo?

  I think you're incredible. I love you having, I love you having fun here and being here.

• 1:19:27Drew Afualo?

  Where can everybody find you?

• 1:19:29Speaker 00

  Um, I am on Instagram where I'm only allowed to log in once a day, um, because of my time management. Uh, Taylor Ortega. Um, and there is another Taylor Ortega. It's okay if you find her, but she does get tagged as me sometimes.

• 1:19:41Drew Afualo?

  Yeah. Lucky her, honestly. She's, it's working out for her.

• 1:19:44Speaker 00

  It, listen, I hope she likes it. She's very kind about it. She's very patient with me. And, um, on Big Mistakes, uh, on Netflix.

• 1:19:51Drew Afualo?

  Yes. How exciting. Oh my gosh. Make sure y'all go follow Taylor on literally everything if you're not already. I'm sure you are. And make sure you check out Big Mistakes on Netflix starring Miss Taylor Ortega. Oh my gosh, how exciting. So amazing. So wonderful. Thank you so much for joining us. And thank you so much for joining us on this episode of the comment section. Don't forget new episodes drop every Wednesday. You can stream the audio on all streaming platforms. Thanks so much to my amazing guest, Taylor Ortega. Thank you so much to all of you and I'll see you next week. Bye.