RAIN CUDDLE BUDDY Ft. Anna Cathcart | Episode 215

Anna Cathcart is on the show this week!! Drew and Anna talk reuniting with Lana Condor for the new season of XO Kitty, astrology, scrapbooking, a random bystander walking into Anna’s scene, bolognese in the Dolomites, Drew cuddling burritos, and so much more. Anna IG: https://www.instagram.com/annacathcart/ Anna Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@annacathcart_ Follow The Comment Section on IG! https://www.instagram.com/thecommentsection/ 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

  Beyonce just like goes to the bathroom, she wakes up, she does normal person things. I'm like, I can't picture it. Like I can't picture, I can't picture, like, does Beyonce ever wash a spoon? I don't see her wa- like, I can't picture.

• 0:09Drew Afualo?

  For real. Does Beyonce ever have to text Jay-Z and say, can you bring me toilet paper to the bathroom?

• 0:13Speaker 00

  No, literally, I'm like.

• 0:14Drew Afualo?

  I doubt it.

• 0:14Speaker 00

  It's like she can't. I don't think Beyonce's ever farted.

• 0:17Drew Afualo?

  There's no way.

• 0:17Speaker 00

  I don't think she's ever farted in her life.

• 0:26Drew Afualo?

  Hey, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Comment Section Show. Sorry, me, your fave, everybody knows me, who cares about me. Onto the guest. Today, we have the iconic, the legendary Exo Kitty herself, Anna Cafcard.

• 0:38Speaker 00

  Hello. Thank you so much for having me.

• 0:41Drew Afualo?

  Oh, my God. Thank you for gracing us with your presence.

• 0:43Speaker 00

  I'm literally so excited.

• 0:45Drew Afualo?

  Big fan, Exo Kitty. Have to mention, have to call it out early, my sister and Carrie, who's not here right now, but she will be here, huge fans of the show.

• 0:52Speaker 00

  Thank you so much. I'm honored.

• 0:53Drew Afualo?

  They actually told me about the show.

• 0:54Speaker 00

  Oh, my God. Oh, they're like doing PR for us. Thank you. Thank you.

• 0:58Drew Afualo?

  They love it. I love it. Very happy to have you.

• 1:01Speaker 00

  Thank you. I'm such a fan of you. I think you're so funny and so awesome. I like, I've actually been so hyped for this.

• 1:07Drew Afualo?

  Thank you, Exo Kitty. Thank you. And we have met before.

• 1:10Speaker 00

  We have.

• 1:11Drew Afualo?

  We met at the SAG Awards.

• 1:13Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 1:13Drew Afualo?

  Now the Actor Awards.

• 1:14Speaker 00

  Yes. And then we met in the bathroom.

• 1:16Drew Afualo?

  At the, yeah, at the women's brunch.

• 1:18Speaker 00

  Yeah, women's brunch. And I was like, hi, I don't know if you remember me, but I think you're cool. And we meet again as we wipe our hands on the floor.

• 1:25Drew Afualo?

  And so we go way back, you and I. And I'm happy to finally have you on the show. It's a, it's a joy and a privilege. How have you been? How's life been for you lately?

• 1:34Speaker 00

  I've been good. We've been busy. We just started Exo Kitty Season 3 press, like, full speed the last few days. So it's been a lot, but good reunions with the cast and like hadn't seen him since shooting, which is so crazy.

• 1:45Drew Afualo?

  That is interesting.

• 1:46Speaker 00

  You go from seeing someone every single day of your whole life and you know, like, everything about them. And then we all like pop back out into like the normal world and then we don't see each other for months. So it was a very good reunion.

• 1:56Drew Afualo?

  Until you have to talk about your bubble filming, everything, until you reunite for that.

• 2:00Speaker 00

  For another, and then you're like back in the snow globe. I always, like, I always, it's like literally feels like a snow globe and you like fall out of the sky when you go back home and you're like, what just happened? Cause that was like your whole universe. And then the show's like the new rap. And then you're just like, well, I won't, like, none of them live in the same city.

• 2:13Drew Afualo?

  I'll never see that again, until you do.

• 2:14Speaker 00

  Until you do. It's, it's like a terrific experience, for sure.

• 2:17Drew Afualo?

  Very cool. Well, how, how has been filming or how was filming?

• 2:21Speaker 00

  It was so good. It was so fun. Season three, I feel like was chaotic in its own way, but also like so comforting because now it was their third time around and like everybody was the closest they've ever been, know each other the most, know what to expect the most with like, just the whole process in general. So it was really fun and I'm so excited. It's finally like coming into the world like it's about to be like everybody else's now, not just ours. So I'm very excited.

• 2:43Drew Afualo?

  That's so cool. Well, I want to go back a little bit. I, I know you're like very young, especially compared to me. But how did you get into acting? Like what was the draw to it initially for you?

• 2:54Speaker 00

  I never thought I would be an actor, first of all, like it did not seem like a real job. Well, also when you're like 10, you don't like, you're not like thinking like realistic career paths, but I was just like, oh, like that, like I loved Disney Channel so much and I watched so much TV. It was ridiculous. And now I say like, I'm like, thanks mom. That was like my training. Like I literally just watched so much TV as a kid. And I wanted to be them. Like I was just like, that would be like the coolest thing ever. And then my older sister, who I grew up like wanting to be, like anything she did, I want to do. She did a few commercials growing up. So I got into like having a commercial agent and I did like my first day on set ever was a Campbell's soup commercial. I literally didn't have any lines. I just had to go.

• 3:32Drew Afualo?

  That sounds so fake.

• 3:33Speaker 00

  And just eat soup. And I loved, it was like the best day of my life. And I was like seven. And then like five years later, I did a Crayola chalk commercial. I also know lines.

• 3:42Drew Afualo?

  Heavy hitters.

• 3:43Speaker 00

  But I had to do a dance with a bunch of chalk. And I literally remember leaving and was like, mom, that was the best day of my life. Like however, whatever just happened, can we do more of that? Like I like loved it so much and I didn't, I didn't even get mic'd. Like I didn't even have words. And then after that, I got an agent that did film and TV and I was like very, very lucky. Right place, right time. I did my first audition for a show called Odd Squad on PBS Kids. And then I booked it and I moved to Toronto for two years and we shot that like, oh, like it was a very long series and it was like my boot camp. I learned everything.

• 4:13Drew Afualo?

  Crazy.

• 4:13Speaker 00

  I was only 12. That was my first role and I loved it so much. And now that was 10 years ago.

• 4:18Drew Afualo?

  That's crazy.

• 4:19Speaker 00

  Very crazy.

• 4:20Drew Afualo?

  You were like working your ass off almost immediately.

• 4:23Speaker 00

  It was wild.

• 4:24Drew Afualo?

  Alright, I know that's fucking right.

• 4:25Speaker 00

  It never felt like work at that age, because I was 12. And I was like, this is my life dream. I feel like, hey, Montana, like, I'm, like, it was like all the things I want to do. And then like the transition later of becoming an adult and being like, wait, this is like a job now. Like, this is actually not just like a fun little hobby was like so crazy and like such a weird thing.

• 4:42Drew Afualo?

  Also at 12, by the way.

• 4:43Speaker 00

  Well, no, like, later, at like, when I like became like 18, 12, like, then I was like, oh, this is like, no longer what I used to see it as at 12. Like, back in the day, my mom was with me all the time, because like, she had to legally, and I was just like having fun. And it didn't feel like it, it's changed so much over the years of like how I, even my own relationship with career is like, it wasn't, I never even used the word like job as a kid, because it's like.

• 5:06Drew Afualo?

  It's a beautiful thing, though.

• 5:07Speaker 00

  Yeah, totally.

• 5:08Drew Afualo?

  What were your favorite Disney Channel shows?

• 5:10Speaker 00

  Oh, my god, Shake It Up.

• 5:11Drew Afualo?

  You like Shake It Up?

• 5:12Speaker 00

  Shake It Up made me, single-handedly made me want to become an actor. Ever, I've watched every single episode of Shake It Up more than once. I used to be able to quote, like, honestly, there's a lot of Disney Channel shows that I can like quote the whole scene.

• 5:23Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 5:24Speaker 00

  And like Zendaya, my queen of all queens.

• 5:26Drew Afualo?

  I know, isn't it so trippy to think about her being on that show?

• 5:30Speaker 00

  I like to always say, I liked Zendaya before she was Zendaya. Like, before she was like the Zendaya that now everyone loves her. When she was Rocky Blue.

• 5:37Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, Rocky Blue.

• 5:37Speaker 00

  On Shake It Up Chicago, I was like, I already see your potential. I know you're going to be the star of a generation, and I'm eight. And I knew she was, like, she was.

• 5:45Drew Afualo?

  Girl, I hate to be that guy, but I knew.

• 5:46Speaker 00

  But I knew. I was a fan before she was big. Like, I was there when her first album came out, like Replay, I know the dance.

• 5:53Drew Afualo?

  I was a fan of Zendaya.

• 5:55Speaker 00

  Big, exactly. I, when she was wearing like way too many skirts at once on Shake It Up. And she had like eight different jackets on, I was like, and I want to be, I want to be you. One glove. I want to be that. I got pink streaks in my hair because of that show.

• 6:08Drew Afualo?

  That's so, that's so real, though.

• 6:10Speaker 00

  I was obsessed. But I also watched like, like Gillette Charlie, oh, my god, raised our whole family. My dad, I once wa, I once like watched, walked into the room, and my dad was watching Gillette Charlie alone. Like, my parents loved Disney Channel as well. Liv and Maddie, Jessie, Austin and Ally, like, all of them, I never missed an episode.

• 6:24Drew Afualo?

  Thinking about, yeah, I'm, well, I'm 100 years older than you, so I was like in a different season of Disney Channel, but I remember all of those shows. It's just crazy to think about now, all of the heavy hitters in those shows now.

• 6:34Speaker 00

  Disney knows how to find it. Yeah.

• 6:36Drew Afualo?

  Ross Lynch on Austin and Ally.

• 6:38Speaker 00

  Ross Lynch was one of the people, people used to have like a crush on it when I was a child, and I was like, I don't get it, I don't see it. And then he dyed his hair brown for Sabrina, and I was like.

• 6:47Drew Afualo?

  No, hold on a minute.

• 6:47Speaker 00

  I think you're my dream man.

• 6:49Drew Afualo?

  Why he kinda looking like?

• 6:50Speaker 00

  And now, he's dyed his hair back, but it's like, the impact has been made on me. It doesn't matter.

• 6:55Drew Afualo?

  You saw it.

• 6:56Speaker 00

  I've seen it and I can't go back. I think Ross Lynch is one of the most beautiful people ever. I think he's so gorgeous and he's so cool.

• 7:02Drew Afualo?

  Like Ross Lynch?

• 7:03Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 7:03Drew Afualo?

  Do you have any other celeb crushes? This is the place we manifest.

• 7:06Speaker 00

  Oh.

• 7:07Drew Afualo?

  This is, that is the chair.

• 7:08Speaker 00

  Peter Parker, and like, I understand he's a fictional person, but like, Tom Holland, we love, but Peter Parker specifically, it could bring me to tears, like, watching it.

• 7:18Drew Afualo?

  You're telling me a made up person?

• 7:20Speaker 00

  But like, about Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland, like, as people, like, they're just like so cool and so wonderful, and so like, I just wanna give you a hug. I just want you to like, like, I just, I just like, I just wanna like, give you a little cuddle, you know? But like, I also love their characters so much. Like, Peter Parker's just like the dream man. There, I feel like there's a, I have a lot.

• 7:35Drew Afualo?

  You're like nerdy, witty.

• 7:37Speaker 00

  Yes, and they're just like, they're just like, you wanna just like, yeah.

• 7:39Drew Afualo?

  Low-key athletic, I get it. I get it, girl.

• 7:43Speaker 00

  You know?

• 7:43Drew Afualo?

  Anyone in the real world?

• 7:44Speaker 00

  Anyone in the real world. Um, a lot of, a lot of the people of the sort, like that, like, it's like the ba, like, like, the cute, the cute white boys, it's just like, unfortunately, it works on me.

• 7:54Drew Afualo?

  It works on you.

• 7:55Speaker 00

  Unfortunately, I fall in, like, the white boy of the month, like, oh, Dylan O'Brien, I'm like, yeah.

• 7:58Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, well, obviously.

• 8:00Speaker 00

  I understand why that is a thing, like, why that title's become a thing, white boy of the month, it's like, because people like me exist, and we love them, and we fuel that continuously.

• 8:07Drew Afualo?

  You're feeding the, the numbers.

• 8:09Speaker 00

  Yeah, I'm right, I'm right there.

• 8:11Drew Afualo?

  Well, I love that. I'm happy for you about Peter Parker especially, I think that's wonderful.

• 8:15Speaker 00

  Thank you.

• 8:15Drew Afualo?

  Also, very fun to hear about Disney Channel. What was like, your first gig where you were kinda like, oh my god, this is huge?

• 8:21Speaker 00

  Descendants. I mean, I did, I did Descendants, like, when I was 13. Where it was like, still passable to like, freak out and like, play my cast, like, my castmates' songs in the trailer, like, I was still allowed to be crazy, cuz I was 13. Thank god. It wasn't like, a few years later, it was like, this girl needs to chill. And I would like, look into Sofia Carson's eyes and be like, I love you, I have a poster of you. And it was like, I was cute enough and young enough for it to like, not be weird.

• 8:44Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 8:44Speaker 00

  But I look back now, and I'm like, that's, like, you were fully working with these people, and I was not hiding how much I love them.

• 8:49Drew Afualo?

  That was Sofia Carson.

• 8:50Speaker 00

  And like, China Anne McLean, she's my Aunt Farm queen, like, I loved her. Dove Cameron, like, all of them. I was like, I like, you made me wanna do this and now I'm here with you. Like, I was.

• 9:01Drew Afualo?

  You're so real dude.

• 9:02Speaker 00

  Like crazy.

• 9:03Drew Afualo?

  You're so real dude. Honestly, that's what I felt when I had Sammy Henratty on the show. She was telling me she was like a child actor too. So she was on like. Sweet Life of Zack and Cody, like, she was on iCarly, like, she was on so many different things. And I was like, girl. And she's like, every time I went, I was like, oh my god, I'm the biggest fan. And I was like, you're real as fuck. I'd be doing the same thing.

• 9:20Speaker 00

  Yeah, it's like, it's like, you really have to, well, again, I didn't, I didn't channel like being calm. Now I have to chill out in terms of like fangirling, but like. I really got to live it up then, cause I was so little. And like, I used to up like, enter contests to be on, like. You know how there was like, oh, like, you could win, like, with Best Western, you could go for one day and like. Try on Rocky Blue's glove. And I was like, I will sit here and enter my max amount of entries every single day at my mom's MacBook. And I literally did that when I was like eight. And then now, and I was like, I have a trailer beside yours, like this, like, I'm getting paid to be here. I would pay to be here. Like, that was, that was my whole childhood.

• 9:56Drew Afualo?

  That's so awesome. We were like, this is how I know I've made it on the set of Descendants.

• 10:01Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 10:01Drew Afualo?

  Honestly, my sister, huge fan of the Descendants franchise as well. I know that, cause she's told me. When I met Dove, I'd met Dove for the first time at, at the Actor Awards, like, a couple of weekends ago. And love her, she's trying to come on the show too. We were kinda chatting. And my sister was like, did you tell, we have our cousin Cruz, it's like, she's. What, twenty-one? I think twenty-one. She was like, did you tell Cruz you met Dove Cameron? And I was like, no, cause I forgot she was obsessed with Dove Cameron. Living Maddie, but specifically Descendants.

• 10:28Speaker 00

  I'm so glad. You should just start, you should just like, start singing, like, Rotten to the Core, every time. If you see any of them, just bring that up. I feel like, just start singing.

• 10:38Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, just say, Alexa, play Rotten to the Core by Dove Cameron.

• 10:40Speaker 00

  As she walks in the room.

• 10:43Speaker 00

  Please.

• 10:44Drew Afualo?

  I love that. And I love that you are a proud and loud fangirl.

• 10:48Speaker 00

  Very.

• 10:48Drew Afualo?

  Anything else you were a big fangirl of? Like, music groups, TV shows, anything?

• 10:53Speaker 00

  That was, that was really it. Like, all Disney Channel. And then like Zendaya was the number one rising one. And that's still, that's still like. I don't know how I would act if I met Zendaya. Like, I want to so badly, but like, it would be hard.

• 11:07Drew Afualo?

  That's real.

• 11:07Speaker 00

  Like, she's like, not, like, she's. All the things, because she's also done the transition of like becoming like a serious actor as an adult, but doing, she did two Disney Channel shows. I think we forget about Casey Undercover. I think the world forgets about Casey Undercover, and like that's so impressive that I'm like, you did that and then you did another entire series as the number one on Disney Channel when you were older, like and you still, like I just think she's so graceful.

• 11:31Drew Afualo?

  She transitioned flawlessly too.

• 11:31Speaker 00

  She's flawless, and like, she could wear anything and it's perfect, like, everything she does is just like, has golden like, sand around it.

• 11:38Drew Afualo?

  I get that. How I feel about her is how I feel about Beyonce. It's one of those people, and I did meet her, and I barely survived it.

• 11:45Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 11:45Drew Afualo?

  But it was amazing.

• 11:46Speaker 00

  You're so strong, and I'm so proud.

• 11:47Drew Afualo?

  Thank you, and it was one of those, she's the only person I've ever met that didn't make me nervous, or made me a little bit nervous.

• 11:52Speaker 00

  Oh, oh, oh.

• 11:52Drew Afualo?

  Everybody else never makes me nervous, like anytime I meet other famous people, I'm never nervous. She's the only one that I felt like, a little like, what am I gonna say?

• 11:59Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 12:00Drew Afualo?

  When I get in there, what am I gonna do?

• 12:01Speaker 00

  Like, I don't know how, like I'm like, Beyonce just like, goes to the bathroom, she wakes up, she like does normal person things, I'm like, I can't picture it. Like I can't picture, I, I can't pict- like does Beyonce ever wash a spoon? I don't see her wa- like I can't picture.

• 12:13Drew Afualo?

  For real. Does Beyonce ever have to text Jay-Z and say, can you bring me toilet paper to the bathroom?

• 12:17Speaker 00

  No, literally, I'm like, and she's, like, it's like she can't. I don't think Beyonce's ever farted.

• 12:20Drew Afualo?

  There's no way.

• 12:21Speaker 00

  I don't think she's ever farted in her life. Like those types of things, I'm just like, you're too, you're too like, ah.

• 12:26Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like, there's something, yeah, I totally get what you mean. There's just something about it, and that's how Zendaya is for you.

• 12:32Speaker 00

  That's how Zendaya is.

• 12:32Drew Afualo?

  I get that. That's why I was asking if you were a big fangirl of other, like, music groups or anything, because I was a big Jonas Brothers girl when I was young.

• 12:38Speaker 00

  I get that.

• 12:39Drew Afualo?

  One Direction, kind of, but then past that, I was like, I was a little aged out of it at that point.

• 12:44Speaker 00

  I think, I got into One Direction later.

• 12:46Drew Afualo?

  You did?

• 12:46Speaker 00

  Like, way, like, they were already broken up, and then I was like, we're on to something, wait, that's actually really good.

• 12:51Drew Afualo?

  Wait, guys, come back.

• 12:52Speaker 00

  Yeah, I was like, wait, now, like, just for me, can you come back? Because like, I feel like I got, like I started liking the music when I was like, in high school.

• 12:57Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 12:57Speaker 00

  They were already broken up. Like, it's like, their peak was when I was in elementary school, and everyone like, had like, Nal Horon on their phone cases, and I like, didn't even have a phone yet. Like, it was like, we were like, little, and I was like, guys, like, boys are gross.

• 13:09Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, you said, I don't know anything about One Direction, but what do you know about Casey Undercover?

• 13:14Speaker 00

  Exactly, I'm like if you at recess, if you want to talk about Austin and Ally, I'm there. But like, I don't care if One Direction. And then I was like seventeen and I was like, wait, these are some, these are amazing. And now I love Boy Man.

• 13:23Drew Afualo?

  I was, I was the same way about men too, like with my sister. My sister is a lesbian. But she in, in all schooling we were in was like boy crazy, like she always had a new crush. I never had any crushes. So you would think that it would be me to turn out to be gay.

• 13:37Speaker 00

  Right.

• 13:38Drew Afualo?

  But it was not the case. She was hiding in plain sight, you know what I mean? But she would bring up boys to me all the time and I would be like, who cares?

• 13:45Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 13:45Drew Afualo?

  Cares about boys.

• 13:46Speaker 00

  No, I was so.

• 13:47Drew Afualo?

  We don't have time for that.

• 13:48Speaker 00

  I was so like that for so long. Yeah.

• 13:50Drew Afualo?

  And I love that you were so into acting at such a young age. You a big theater girl?

• 13:55Speaker 00

  No, Kay, weirdly, I've never done theater in my life, even like at any degree, like not even like community center theater, like, and I would love to.

• 14:03Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 14:04Speaker 00

  Now I feel like it's, like now I don't know how to get into that or like I'm such a big fan of musicals and such a big fan of theater as like

• 14:11Drew Afualo?

  Me too.

• 14:12Speaker 00

  Audience member.

• 14:13Drew Afualo?

  Can you sing?

• 14:14Speaker 00

  Not really. My life dream is for Lin-Manuel Miranda, if you're watching, which I'm sure you're a huge fan of this podcast.

• 14:22Drew Afualo?

  Right, Lin, you know.

• 14:23Speaker 00

  This is why he listens to when he works out.

• 14:24Drew Afualo?

  Yes, of course, yeah.

• 14:25Speaker 00

  He's literally, I know, he's doing choreography and he's listening to your voice.

• 14:28Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 14:28Speaker 00

  That I want you to train me to become a singer the way you trained Andrew Garfield for Chitik Boom, because that's one of my favorite movies of all time. And he wasn't a singer.

• 14:38Drew Afualo?

  No.

• 14:39Speaker 00

  And Zac Efron wasn't a singer in High School Musical One, and then he became a singer for High School Musical Two, so we know it's possible. That's what I think is my destiny, is that someone will train me and then I'll become a singer and then I will become a musical prodigy.

• 14:50Drew Afualo?

  The longer I talk to you, the more I'm like, I feel like I ripped you out of my brain and put you there. Like, I was like, that's actually how I feel too.

• 14:57Speaker 00

  Oh my gosh.

• 14:58Drew Afualo?

  I've talked a ton of shit about not being able to sing because I can't. But I've also been like, well, Lin-Manuel Miranda, like, he kind of like talks sings. What The Rock did in Moana, like, I could do that.

• 15:08Speaker 00

  We could do that.

• 15:08Drew Afualo?

  Actually, The Rock has a really nice voice though, which is a bummer for me because I can't sing, but still.

• 15:13Speaker 00

  Right, but like.

• 15:13Drew Afualo?

  I'm thinking I could learn.

• 15:14Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 15:15Drew Afualo?

  A tune or so.

• 15:15Speaker 00

  You're, to me, you are The Rock, so I think you could do it.

• 15:19Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 15:20Speaker 00

  I think you could do it.

• 15:20Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, we're built the same.

• 15:21Speaker 00

  When I see Moana, I think of you. You, you could do it. I want to be like the little pig.

• 15:28Drew Afualo?

  Right, oh in Wana.

• 15:30Speaker 00

  If they're doing another live action, you could be Maui and I could be.

• 15:33Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 15:34Speaker 00

  Pua, pua or something.

• 15:35Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, pua. The pig. And you know what, I would love to be The Rock and I would love, I would go topless, sure. Why not?

• 15:42Speaker 00

  I can see you with the sword.

• 15:44Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, with everything. Me and Maui built the same, obviously.

• 15:48Speaker 00

  And that's a compliment. Let's be clear, that's an elite compliment.

• 15:52Drew Afualo?

  Right, and it was like, I feel like, back to your point about musicals, what's your favorite musical first? Is it Tic Tic Boom?

• 15:58Speaker 00

  Well, the movie musical, yes, but Dear Evan Hansen is my favorite musical.

• 16:03Drew Afualo?

  That is crazy, Carrie and I loved Dear Evan Hansen.

• 16:06Speaker 00

  No way, I, literally, I, that whole soundtrack like got me through high school and I love it so much. I'm like, everything about Evan Hansen, I've watched Jordan Fisher be Evan on Broadway and I was sobbing. And I love Jordan Fisher too, and I don't even cry watching performances of like anything, which always I could get concerned sometimes that I'm like, I'm an actor, I should be feeling like everyone around me is crying and I'm like, that was great. But I like have nothing happening, but that one, I was sobbing under my mask. It was COVID still and I was literally just like, like my mask changed colors because I was crying so much.

• 16:36Drew Afualo?

  Jordan Fisher and I are mutuals online and he is like very supportive of me. Like, he comments on so many of my things, love you, Jordan Fisher.

• 16:44Speaker 00

  I feel like he's the most supportive person ever.

• 16:46Drew Afualo?

  He is.

• 16:47Speaker 00

  Have you, wait, have you met in real life?

• 16:48Drew Afualo?

  No, I haven't.

• 16:49Speaker 00

  He gives you Jordan if you're listening, which again, this is probably what this is. Like, I honestly, it makes me happy to think about. He gives you a hug like you just got back from war. Every time he ever has given me a hug, it's like the most like, like.

• 17:02Drew Afualo?

  He's like my brother, my blood.

• 17:04Speaker 00

  The best hugs ever. And like my sister had like a unique experience, like without us, we both came together and we were like, Jordan Fisher hugs and she was like, Jordan Fisher hugs are the best hugs ever. So it's not just me, it's like a universal experience.

• 17:17Drew Afualo?

  Two separate experiences.

• 17:18Speaker 00

  Yes, he gives the best hugs ever.

• 17:20Drew Afualo?

  That's so deep. Dear Evan Hansen, that's a great pick. Waving Through a Window was one of my top songs for like two years in a row.

• 17:27Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 17:27Drew Afualo?

  Which kind of says where I was at mentally at the time, but it's okay. We're healed now, it's okay.

• 17:32Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 17:33Drew Afualo?

  Love it though, when I remember when I saw it in theaters. I mean, did Ben Platt look a little insane? Sure. But he is the OG. Like, you have to put the OG in the movie.

• 17:42Speaker 00

  Hot take, I'm so mad when people were mad about that.

• 17:45Drew Afualo?

  Me too!

• 17:45Speaker 00

  I was like, first of all, have you seen Grease? They're like 42, playing high school.

• 17:49Drew Afualo?

  Right, exactly.

• 17:49Speaker 00

  So if you're gonna be upset that he's playing high school, this is not the craziest thing we've done.

• 17:53Drew Afualo?

  No, not at all.

• 17:54Speaker 00

  And he made Evan. Like, I'm like, you birthed him. Yeah, you birthed him. Of course it should be you. And like, his voice is perfection. I still like the movie. I feel like people didn't know what they were getting into when they were watching. Like, they like, the plot like shocked them because they were like, oh, this is gonna be like a cute heartfelt movie about like a gay man.

• 18:11Drew Afualo?

  No, and it's actually really dark themes.

• 18:12Speaker 00

  And I'm like, it's not about that at all. But that's on them for not knowing that.

• 18:15Drew Afualo?

  I agree. Maybe they should get into Broadway more. And I remember when we went to see the movie, I took my mom and my sister. And when we went, uh, we were like late. We were like, probably like five, 10 minutes late. So we missed Waving Through a Window.

• 18:27Speaker 00

  I was just saying, it opens the window.

• 18:28Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I know. And I missed it and I was pissed. And so we're sitting and my mom, again, my mom has never watched this musical and actually didn't even know it was a musical. She just wanted to come to the movies. And so she was saying, and she goes, who is that? Who is that? Who's that? Wait, are they related? And then she goes, wait, is this a musical? And I was like, you need to stop. I'm so sorry. I love you so much. You need to stop. Otherwise, I'm gonna scoot over one seat. I was like, cause I've already missed Waving Through a Window. And now you're asking me all these damn questions.

• 18:52Speaker 00

  I was sad they skipped, does anybody have a map? Anybody, like, the first, the fir- first song from the actual soundtrack wasn't in the movie. It started and I was like, does anybody have a map?

• 19:00Drew Afualo?

  You're all, wow, nice. So not accurate to the themes.

• 19:04Speaker 00

  And they skipped, they, there were many songs on in there. And I was like, what, what, where is that?

• 19:08Drew Afualo?

  I agree.

• 19:09Speaker 00

  I was disappointed.

• 19:10Drew Afualo?

  Well, that's a great pick. One of, one of my favorite musicals of all time is, uh, Legally Blonde.

• 19:14Speaker 00

  Oh, yes.

• 19:14Drew Afualo?

  Like Broadway musicals. I'm like, that, uh, The Color Purple, Six, great one. Do you have any other great choices?

• 19:21Speaker 00

  Hairspray. I love hairspray. I wanna play Penny in Hairspray because she doesn't really have to sing very much. She has like three lines alone. The rest is ensemble. And she just has a lollipop and gets to like be the fun friend the whole time.

• 19:31Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 19:33Speaker 00

  Not that I've thought about this, but like truly.

• 19:34Drew Afualo?

  What's your star sign?

• 19:35Speaker 00

  I'm a Gemini.

• 19:39Drew Afualo?

  Interesting.

• 19:40Speaker 00

  What does that tell you?

• 19:40Drew Afualo?

  Do you have any Virgo?

• 19:41Speaker 00

  I don't know. I don't know.

• 19:43Drew Afualo?

  You don't know any of it?

• 19:43Speaker 00

  I don't know anything about that. I, I don't even know what it means to be Gemini. I also don't know what dates, like, I, I couldn't know less about horoscopes, which is fascinating because I am in an industry where everybody asks you what sign you are in the first conversations. Like, this is a very typical experience. And then I go, "I don't know." And like, "What's your moon star?"

• 20:01Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, you're just so type A. I thought you were Virgo.

• 20:04Speaker 00

  I don't, like, I don't know what any of it means. Do you think it's like, do you think it's, like, are you someone who, like, researches the like?

• 20:10Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I do. I, I am very witchy woo woo, just generally speaking. I think that's part, part, partially because I'm indigenous. So I, I feel very connected to spirit and all that kind of thing. So I do believe in astrological,

• 20:21Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 20:22Drew Afualo?

  like, depictions. I just don't think they're as, like, hard-pressed as people think they are. Like, I think generally speaking, if I spoke generally about a certain sign, I'm sure all of the people who are that sign would understand it and be like, "Wait, wait, wait, that's true."

• 20:35Speaker 00

  But don't you think, like, everybody who also isn't that sign could think that they relate to that?

• 20:40Drew Afualo?

  They could, yes.

• 20:40Speaker 00

  That's the thing with everything. They're like, "It's this." And everyone's like, "That's so me." And I'm like, "But if I told you that that was actually the Sagittarius one, you'd still say that's so you." And I think that's the power of women. Women are just so convincing. We're just so open-minded.

• 20:55Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and women are so empathetic and women want people to feel supported. So I feel like when you tell-

• 20:59Speaker 00

  We will see the truth in all.

• 21:00Drew Afualo?

  Right. And I do think that there is a lot of-

• 21:02Speaker 00

  It's a positive spin.

• 21:03Drew Afualo?

  There's like, yeah, there is a lot of posi- I do think, though, it's very accurate in a lot of ways. Just not as, like, finite. It's not like, "This is the only way all of these people act."

• 21:13Speaker 00

  Right.

• 21:13Drew Afualo?

  But also, everybody, to some extent, has all of the signs in their chart.

• 21:17Speaker 00

  Right, right, right.

• 21:17Drew Afualo?

  Not all of them, but most of them. So like, you'll exhibit traits in certain areas.

• 21:21Speaker 00

  What am I supposed to exhibit as a Gemini?

• 21:23Drew Afualo?

  With Geminis, as far as I know, I know, and again, don't jump me astrological girls, but like, Geminis, the one thing I do know is people always say they're two-faced, but that's not always a bad thing. Sometimes it's just like-

• 21:34Speaker 00

  I do think that's kind of true.

• 21:36Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like, it's not always a bad thing. Also, you're an actor, so that's, that's that too. And with almost zero training, which, again, could lend towards the Gemini.

• 21:43Speaker 00

  Right.

• 21:43Drew Afualo?

  But it's also, I think it's two-faced in the sense that you can be also, you could just be different people in different situations.

• 21:49Speaker 00

  I think I am two-faced in some way because- I'm like a very pessimistic optimist.

• 21:55Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 21:55Speaker 00

  And like my sister and I talk about this a lot where she's like, you are like the most negative positive person I've ever met. Like I'm like incredibly cynical and incredibly like I'm a realist to a fault.

• 22:03Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 22:04Speaker 00

  Where like.

• 22:04Drew Afualo?

  You're also extremely self-aware.

• 22:06Speaker 00

  I am, I am a little self-aware, sometimes also to a fault where like I wish I could. Being delusional is so hard for me. And like the fun part of it of like, you just have to like believe. I'm like, what, but like, who says? Like when someone's like, everything happens for a reason. I'm like, it does not. Or they're like, oh, like everything's gonna work out. And like, and I'm like, but like, why would I, why would it? Like, it's so bad, but I'm so like, throw an inspirational quote at me and I will knock it down.

• 22:30Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 22:30Speaker 00

  Which is so terrible because I also think, this is why I'm two-faced, because the other side of me is like, I am so positive. I, I get so excited over little things. I find joy in everything. I'm like, so easily excited and like, I'm like easily joy-filled. But then I'm also just as easily like, let me debunk why that inspirational pillow is stupid. Like, I also have that. So I think that is me being two-faced.

• 22:51Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, you're like, you're not negative, but you are a realist, which I think is like, almost too rooted in reality.

• 22:58Speaker 00

  It's, yes.

• 23:00Speaker 00

  It's, I need, can you help me find some more whimsy? Because it's hard for me. It's hard for me to buy into the whimsy, which is so unfortunate.

• 23:08Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I, I get that too, because I'm a Virgo, so I'm very like detail-oriented, very organized planner, that kind of thing. Earth sign, so I'm very grounded. I'm also very realist, but I'm very like, uh, believe, I believe in manifesting. I believe the universe is always working in my favor kind of deal. And maybe that's what you're looking for more of.

• 23:26Speaker 00

  I can't do that.

• 23:26Drew Afualo?

  More connection.

• 23:27Speaker 00

  The manifesting thing too, also hard for me. I like, I just like, I don't know.

• 23:33Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 23:33Speaker 00

  I don't, like, I don't, I've had my friends.

• 23:36Drew Afualo?

  Really, really fucking smart, and I think that's what it is.

• 23:38Speaker 00

  No.

• 23:38Drew Afualo?

  Sometimes really smart people, it's hard for them to daydream and.

• 23:41Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 23:41Drew Afualo?

  To like imagine.

• 23:43Speaker 00

  I like, I have a big imagination, but then like, it, I, I always come back to real life. Like, it's like a little too quickly.

• 23:50Speaker 00

  If I've ever, if anyone's ever teaching like a dream course, like a like, let's like, I'll, I'll, I'll sign up.

• 23:54Drew Afualo?

  That's tea, you know, cause I, I talked about this in therapy once, but I was like telling my therapist, I don't have hobbies. Like I told her, I feel like I don't have hobbies. Like my hobbies are like things that normal people just do. So like watching TV. Or like playing video games, which I guess could count. They could count, but I was like, I just like, I don't have them because I, I have this thing in my head where I have to, if it doesn't give me something, like it doesn't procure a result. Or help me succeed or, or be the best at something. I kinda think my brain is like, well, that's not important.

• 24:24Speaker 00

  Right, I get that.

• 24:24Drew Afualo?

  But my sister is the queen of hobbies. Like she loves all hobbies. She's tried every craft you can think of. Like she's filled with nothing but whimsy.

• 24:31Speaker 00

  Those people are so cool to me.

• 24:32Drew Afualo?

  Yeah. And I was like, I, I was like, I wanna do that. Like my sister will be like, oh yeah, I'm just doing butterflies. Spot a butterfly thing. So. She's, she's just so like, yeah, I'm just getting into it. So.

• 24:41Speaker 00

  The will. It's all about the will though of people like, people who make DIYs for fun. I'm like, where did you find the will? Where did you find it in you to like, you went to Home Depot, you bought that, you researched it, you made it, you let it dry, you did it again tomorrow. For no one but yourself. That's like, you have a very strong relationship with your own inner soul.

• 25:01Drew Afualo?

  That's so tea. It's true.

• 25:02Speaker 00

  Because where'd you find the energy?

• 25:03Drew Afualo?

  I don't have that. Like I recently bought a journal because I was like, I want to journal, but I was like, I just like.

• 25:10Speaker 00

  I do do that.

• 25:11Drew Afualo?

  I, you do journal. That's great. I love that. I wanna journal more, but then I'm like, but sometimes I sit there and I feel like when I'm writing it. I'll like write jokes like to myself, which I'm like, what, what am I doing? Like I was like, it feels like I'm jerking myself. Writing my own joke. Yeah, I'm going.

• 25:30Speaker 00

  No, but like, I feel like that's good. That's good for your craft.

• 25:33Drew Afualo?

  I was like, I just have never stuck to the journaling, but I bought a journal specifically because I know about junk journaling.

• 25:39Speaker 00

  Okay, yes.

• 25:40Drew Afualo?

  Which I've heard about many times, but I was like, mm, I don't know, it's a lot of crap. And again, it's like messing with hobbies. I'm trying to get more hobbies. So then I saw one girl I know do junk journaling, but she does like anything, like trash, not just like scrapbooking stuff, but like trash. And she does it only when she wants to like memorize a moment.

• 25:57Speaker 00

  Whoa, okay.

• 25:58Drew Afualo?

  She's like, just to memorialize something.

• 26:00Speaker 00

  That's so cute.

• 26:00Drew Afualo?

  So she had one that was all Popeyes trash, but it was because she ate Popeyes on this really special day.

• 26:05Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 26:06Drew Afualo?

  I was like, now that I could get into, I bought a journal that day. She influenced me.

• 26:10Speaker 00

  That's so wonderful.

• 26:10Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, so I was like.

• 26:11Speaker 00

  Why media brings the world together. That is fantastic.

• 26:15Drew Afualo?

  Sometimes when I see myself buying something specifically because I saw it online, I'm like, look at me being influenced.

• 26:20Speaker 00

  Yes, this is globalization as far as you're like, look at us coming together.

• 26:24Drew Afualo?

  Capitalism, it's working on me.

• 26:25Speaker 00

  I can't scrapbook because I'm too much of a perfectionist.

• 26:27Drew Afualo?

  Me too.

• 26:28Speaker 00

  I tried to make a collage and I did succeed and I did make it, but I was making with one of my friends and we were both like silently working and I was like, are you having any fun? She was like, no, are you? I was like, no. I was like, is this, like, are we getting, is this supposed to be the fun part? I'm like, I'm over here sweating, I'm like standing, I keep moving things. And then once you glue it, it's done. And then I'm like, well, now I can never move. Like, that's a photo booth photo that's now stuck in here forever. Like, what if I wanted to do something else with it? I just like, I can't relax.

• 26:50Drew Afualo?

  Prison, girl. And mine is too.

• 26:53Speaker 00

  I would say a lot of the time.

• 26:54Drew Afualo?

  Sounds like you get a lot done, though.

• 26:55Speaker 00

  I try. I do try. You should see like how many tabs I have open at once. That's how my brain works too. And I can, I can do it. I can multitask.

• 27:02Drew Afualo?

  Me too. Oh my gosh, my tabs on my safari on my phone.

• 27:06Speaker 00

  It's terrifying.

• 27:07Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, mine, I have so many. Did you know there's a limit to how many you can have open?

• 27:11Speaker 00

  No, but you've reached the limit.

• 27:12Drew Afualo?

  I've reached it twice. And it's five hundred.

• 27:14Speaker 00

  Ah, why?

• 27:16Drew Afualo?

  And I'm so dead ass, five hundred tabs open. Don't know what that is. But I literally my.

• 27:21Speaker 00

  That's not ever needed.

• 27:22Drew Afualo?

  No, my man gets so grossed out when I show him. He's like, oh my god, ninety-three tabs. I'm all, don't look over my shoulder while I do things.

• 27:30Speaker 00

  Ever revisit the, like, are they just there because you open a new tab every time you go on safari? You're not actually using them all at the same time, you just open a new one.

• 27:37Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, or I click a link and it goes in there. I'm someone who's like, if I can do it from my phone, I will do it from my phone. Like, if I can buy a house from my phone, I'm telling you right now, I'm gonna buy it.

• 27:47Speaker 00

  You buy plane tickets from your phone?

• 27:48Drew Afualo?

  Yes, I did that all the time. You know, there's like, phone task, laptop task, desktop task. I don't have that. Everything is a phone task, unless it makes me so angry I want to throw my phone in the ocean, then I move it to the laptop.

• 27:59Speaker 00

  Have you ever filled out a when to meet?

• 28:02Drew Afualo?

  When to meet?

• 28:02Speaker 00

  You know, like, the when to meet website, it's like, if you have a big, like, if two, like, if a group of friends are all trying to figure out when they're both free, you can fill out a when to meet, and everybody blocks out when they're busy, and then it will be like, you're all free at this time. If anyone has ever tried to fill out a when to meet on their phone, that is a perfect, like, screen time, like, motivator that you don't want to go on your phone again. You never want to go on your phone ever again. If you're like, I've been on my phone too much, try and go on a when to meet, and you'll turn off your phone for the rest of the day.

• 28:27Drew Afualo?

  That's crazy.

• 28:28Speaker 00

  Nothing is more frustrating than filling out a when to meet. You have to do that.

• 28:31Drew Afualo?

  I've never even heard of that, but that is a genius thing.

• 28:34Speaker 00

  It's so awesome.

• 28:35Drew Afualo?

  Especially, you need it.

• 28:36Speaker 00

  It's kind of a, it's like, no offense to when to meet, it's like a janky website, but it works. It does, you like, fill out your weird little green squares, and then like, the darkest or the lightest, it's one of those, like, it's color coordinated, and then they're like, you guys can all hang out this day.

• 28:49Drew Afualo?

  Me being influenced again.

• 28:50Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 28:51Drew Afualo?

  I've never heard of that app, but I'm going to look into it as soon as we're done, because all of my friends. Yeah, it's, okay, need to do it on the laptop. Laptop task exclusively. I think that's so helpful too, especially in this industry, because, like, when I want to invite my friends to something, let's say it's in, like, September, I ask them in February, because I'm like, just in case, because I don't know, I don't know if the, because some of my friends film movies, some of them are flying all over the place, I'm like, I need to ask you now, and you tell me.

• 29:19Speaker 00

  But do they actually say yes or no?

• 29:20Drew Afualo?

  They'll say, I think I have something, but I'll let you know.

• 29:23Speaker 00

  Right, and then like, this really ever helped.

• 29:25Drew Afualo?

  And then as we get closer, they're like, okay, I don't have that, okay, I do have this.

• 29:28Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 29:29Drew Afualo?

  It's one of those, but that when to me thing will leave you.

• 29:31Speaker 00

  But that's normally for like, the next two weeks, like, I can't, like, if someone tells me, like, something's happening in September, I'm like, and I might be living in, like... Patagonia.

• 29:39Drew Afualo?

  No, same.

• 29:40Speaker 00

  I don't know where I'll be then.

• 29:41Drew Afualo?

  No, for real.

• 29:42Speaker 00

  I don't know where I'll be in two weeks, so don't ask me. Come back to me that week. But I'm a very planned person, but you can't with like these types of careers.

• 29:49Drew Afualo?

  I know, for real. This episode is brought to you by Tommy Hilfiger with a new spring collection that takes a laid back California look at modern prep. For starters, they've got light washed denim in new relaxed silhouettes, oversized trenches, and chore coats with heritage inspired touches. And it's those touches that really bring sophistication to this relaxed range. Think rugby and polo shirts elevated with rich cable textures and new Tommy cress. And with light layers and breathable linen essentials that move from day to night, it's full of the perfect wardrobe building blocks for breezy effortless fits. Explore more at tommy.com.

• 30:33Drew Afualo?

  What would you say has been the funnest thing in like now that you're a full time working actor? Like, what's your favorite part of it?

• 30:41Speaker 00

  Oh, my God. Um, favorite part? Honestly, like, the actual acting part is such a small part of the job.

• 30:51Drew Afualo?

  That's so true.

• 30:52Speaker 00

  And I, it's my favorite and I'll like, I need it every once in a while to remind myself why I

• 30:58Drew Afualo?

  Do all the others.

• 30:59Speaker 00

  Yeah, why I am in this career and like so much of your job is like, you're not, it's not in between the moments of action and cut. Like, that's like such a tiny sliver, but it will always be my favorite. And like, it makes me happy whenever I remind myself that like whenever I go back and I'm like, oh wait, I still like, I love this so much. Cause it's like, I never intended to be like a social person or like a content creator or like a public person. It's like, I just like found acting so fun and so fascinating and like gaining to be a character is so fun, gaining to make choices and like work with dialogue and like all those things. I'm like, I just get so like ignited by it, but I really only get to do it like a few months a year. And like, hopefully I can do that more. Like, that's the hope of like, whatever, more projects coming up.

• 31:42Speaker 00

  But like, at the moment, so much of work is all the other parts.

• 31:46Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 31:47Speaker 00

  Which is like, just a completely different job.

• 31:49Drew Afualo?

  And I'm nowhere near you. Like, the acting things I've done, you're so right. It's like 90% of it is standing around and waiting for people to redo things, reset things, whatever. And then you get to do it for like five, 10 minutes.

• 32:00Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 32:01Drew Afualo?

  Then you reset, move on to something else.

• 32:03Speaker 00

  Totally.

• 32:03Drew Afualo?

  So, and a lot of it, I've compared it to like, it feels like you're running from air. Every other part of the job is like you're running for mayor.

• 32:10Speaker 00

  You're constantly running for mayor.

• 32:11Drew Afualo?

  I'm kissing babies, I'm cutting ribbons, I'm like going and making people laugh, like and doing, I'm doing all that shit like and shaking hands and meeting people.

• 32:19Speaker 00

  I just want to make a difference in my community, I want to be mayor. Like the mayor's like, I didn't want to do this either.

• 32:23Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and half the job, yeah, half the job feels like beauty pageant.

• 32:27Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 32:27Drew Afualo?

  Part of it, like doing, like, you know, being all dressed up, meeting people, shaking, or what do you call it, uh, touching elbows with like people in the industry kind of deal?

• 32:37Speaker 00

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 32:38Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, oh, you're like, oh, I think I meant.

• 32:40Speaker 00

  Definitely not what I like had, like that was not my 12-year-old dream, was like, oh my god, I want to like get dressed up all the time and like make like, no, it's like, there's joy in that too in moments for sure because it like makes the dream feel very real where I'm like, this is also something that little me would love like, want to do. I literally, this is like, this is me trying to be dreamy and whimsical. I like had, I found a Pinterest quote that said like, do it for the little kid inside of you, and I like made that my background for like a few days of press this week because I was like, I need motivation. And I was like, even this stuff, like little me used to pretend to like do.

• 33:14Drew Afualo?

  Interviews.

• 33:15Speaker 00

  Yeah, and like my sister and I would like make fake commercials or like pretend we were on talk shows, and I'm like, that is like, yes, it's not the acting part that I'm like really love so much, but it's still part of the whole dream that like 11-year-old me would be like, you get to like go on a podcast and call it work, like, that kind of stuff is like the perfect reminder to be like, I, I, I am freaking out if I look back at 10-year-old me, she's losing her mind.

• 33:37Drew Afualo?

  That's true, and it's also, it's because it's exhausting. Like, it's really, really tiresome and it's hard and like, also, like you said, there's just so many other hats you have to wear, like, in addition to what you actually want to wear. So I get that.

• 33:50Speaker 00

  But it's also like, then I feel, I feel so guilty being like, oh, it's so tiring, it's like, well, like.

• 33:54Drew Afualo?

  Me too.

• 33:54Speaker 00

  It's, it's a jo, like, it's like, that's, I think, the weirdest part is acting is like disguised, or like just being a public person is disguised, it's like, you're just having fun all the time and it's not a job. Where I'm like, I used to get freaked out when I like wanted to like have an off day, or like I wanted to like leave a red carpet, I'd be like, oh my god, like you're not grateful enough, like someone would die to be in your position.

• 34:13Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 34:13Speaker 00

  And I was like, actually, like, there's no job in the world that you're not going to have certain days where you're just like, I just want to be at home, like, I don't want to, and I'm like, that's. That's okay, but at twelve, thirteen, fourteen, none of it, that never happened to me. Like, I literally would be so sad when I was wrapped. Oh, like, you're done for the day. I'd be like, are you sure? Like, are you sure you don't want to do another setup? Like, I just, like, never wanted to leave. And then when it changed to me being like, wait, I'm like exhausted. I like had this whole like identity crisis. And I was like, no, I actually think this is just a job now. Like, it's like, and it's, it's still like a job that I adore, but it's a job. Like, it's like, you're an adult. This is a career.

• 34:39Drew Afualo?

  Every job has its like complaints.

• 34:42Speaker 00

  You're gonna be tired sometimes.

• 34:44Drew Afualo?

  And you're right, though, in the sense too that it feels ungrateful. Like, I talk about that in therapy a lot, too. Like, feeling guilty for being like averse to it. Like, I'm like, I'd rather just do literally anything else. I don't want to do that. Kind of deal. So I get that. And it's also like, I did a talk last week. I went to like FSU in Florida and I did like a college talk thing. And one of, one of the girls asked me like, oh, cause again, like, I'm like an internet dickhead. So it's like a different kind of perception and everything than you're talking about. You're way busier than me, probably.

• 35:16Speaker 00

  Dude, you are everywhere. Like, every time, you're always, I'm like, how did you have time for that? How did, you're literally on every carpet ever.

• 35:22Drew Afualo?

  Oh, girl, because I'm not you, so I have to make sure they don't forget me.

• 35:27Speaker 00

  And you're, you're funny every day. That's effort. That's so exhausting.

• 35:31Drew Afualo?

  Hard being a clown. I literally think about Mary Beth Barone when she said, do you see me as a clown or a sexual being? Like, literally, I'm like, I am a clown, obviously.

• 35:38Speaker 00

  I, I, I think you can be both. Two things to me true.

• 35:41Drew Afualo?

  Two face. That's my two face. Clown sexual being. Um, but I, I talk about that a lot. And I, when I did my talk last week, this girl had asked like, oh, like, what's been the hardest part about like becoming a public person? And also like, do you have any advice for people who want to do the same thing? Which is being an influencer, I'm assuming. Um, so I told her, I was like, well, the first thing, the hardest thing is privacy. Like, it's like giving, giving up what you did not realize you were giving up. Like, it's, it's, it feels like, oh, wow, that would be crazy to be recognized by people. And then it's awful in like many, many, many ways. And I had told her, I was like, I don't think the Illuminati is real. In fact, I know it's not. There's a, there's a very real evil existing in this industry, but it's not the Illuminati. I could tell you that right now.

• 36:25Drew Afualo?

  I was like, but I do think, you know, on the Illuminati theories, they say you have to sell your soul in order to get fame. I was like, there is like a piece of you, you have to give away in order to get famous, like or to be famous or to be someone, like be a, a public person. You have to give away something. And I was like, and I just would like double, triple, quadruple check that it's worth it to you. Cause for most people, it's not like you, like you said, it's hard. It's fucking hard. And ninety percent of it is shit that you're like, I didn't realize this came with the job, but okay.

• 36:55Speaker 00

  It's a lot of other jobs within one, but then I'm also, I don't know, I'm like every job, like. If I think that, then I look at what my friends are doing and I'm like, that's so hard.

• 37:03Drew Afualo?

  I agree.

• 37:04Speaker 00

  Everyone has, everyone's job is so hard. And I'm like, but I'm getting like salads for free every day for lunch and getting driven around. I'm like, they're not.

• 37:11Drew Afualo?

  And that adds to the guilt.

• 37:13Speaker 00

  Complain.

• 37:13Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 37:14Speaker 00

  It's like, we all have hard parts of our job, but like the reward that we get can be so disproportionate of like.

• 37:20Drew Afualo?

  Amen.

• 37:20Speaker 00

  I'm getting so hyped up for something that I'm like, everyone else has a hard job that like, no one is getting praised for that or like. Who's driving them home at the end of their workday? Yeah, or finally, totally. That like still at the end of the day, I'm like, I'm like such a lucky one.

• 37:32Drew Afualo?

  I agree. And I, and I said to, I said to them too, cause I got this when I was in my mid twenties. So I was like, so I was aggressively normal before this. I went to college, I graduated, I got jobs, I worked, lived paycheck to paycheck, did all that stuff. So I was like, so I would never sit here and tell y'all like, this is the hardest job in the world. Of course it's fucking not.

• 37:50Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 37:50Drew Afualo?

  And I was like, the only, the hardest part about this job is that the problems you have. There is no guidance for until you meet other people in the industry. Then that's your like guidance. There's no handbook. There's no thing that you sign. That's like, hey, by the way. You're never going to be able to go anywhere and not be known ever again. Hope you're cool with that. Like you just find out. So I was like, every, every job has their issues. But I would never trade this job.

• 38:13Speaker 00

  There's, yeah.

• 38:14Drew Afualo?

  Especially having had real jobs. I've had real jobs too. And I was like, those are way fucking harder. I was a server.

• 38:18Speaker 00

  And like, I, I also feel like what's weird for this stuff is like. People just expect you to know what you're doing, like I always am like, thank God I started at twelve. Because you were allowed to be confused, you were allowed to ask questions, I was allowed to like, like, just be very vocal about like why I didn't know what I was doing, because it was like, oh, she's a kid, it's okay.

• 38:34Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 38:34Speaker 00

  But I'm like, that experience of like my castmates who work on Exo Kitty being their first job, it's like, now you seem like maybe you're unprofessional or you're unprepared, and I'm like, that's not fair, because if you put me in any other job, I wouldn't have no idea what I'm doing.

• 38:47Drew Afualo?

  And I would need training.

• 38:48Speaker 00

  I would need training, and I would need someone to tell me like what lingo means, or even like, what does it mean when like, what does this word stand for, like, things that are just like, they're assumed that like, you show up on set and you're supposed to know these things, and no one sees you, it was like, that's so unfair.

• 38:59Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 38:59Speaker 00

  That I'm like, very lucky that I had the background when, like, when I was a kid, so I was allowed to like, mess up and be, like, imperfect, because now you're expected to like, know what you're doing when you show up, just because.

• 39:09Drew Afualo?

  Immediately.

• 39:10Speaker 00

  Yeah, and I'm like, if you like, made me be like, a chef tomorrow, and I showed up in the kitchen, why would I know what I'm doing, like, I'm like, any sort of spot you put me in that wasn't a set, I would be lost, like, that's so unfair to adult actors who are starting now.

• 39:20Drew Afualo?

  That's true, and that's, and that's also a good thing that your fellow actors on the show have you, to be able to like, ask, that's why I always tell people in this industry, make friends.

• 39:28Speaker 00

  Totally.

• 39:29Drew Afualo?

  Be nice, make friends, like, connect to people because you're gonna need them, like,

• 39:32Speaker 00

  It's so important, yeah.

• 39:33Drew Afualo?

  When you have questions about stuff, like, and things, who are you gonna ask?

• 39:36Speaker 00

  Totally.

• 39:37Drew Afualo?

  I was like, my family doesn't know, so like, who the fuck am I gonna ask?

• 39:39Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 39:40Drew Afualo?

  I think that's the, the best part about like, one of the best things about this business is the friends I've made, and I'm sure you said, one of the chicken girls is one of your best friends.

• 39:50Speaker 00

  Shout out Chicken Girls.

• 39:52Drew Afualo?

  Shout out to the Chicken Girls.

• 39:54Speaker 00

  Yes, no, there's honestly, like, I've made friends when I was like, fifteen, sixteen in LA that like, I am still so close with, and like, are like, such a wonderful community here, and I'm just so lucky that I met them when I did, like, that pivotal time of like,

• 40:08Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 40:08Speaker 00

  I was not cool in high school, I was like, figuring out that, like, I went to regular public school while trying to figure out career stuff, and like, High school's weird for everybody, but like it definitely was weird at many times and like to have such strong friends like in the industry in that era was so important and then also like I was lucky to make good friends at home too but like having kind of my Hannah Montana life of having a community in this world and in that world was like

• 40:32Drew Afualo?

  No, deadass, I was gonna say you literally were Hannah Montana.

• 40:34Speaker 00

  I was like always so honored, so honored by that compliment. I was like, yes, you get the limo out from. I was like, that is, that's me guys. But I definitely like really leaned into that in high school of being like, whoa, I have two worlds like this weird, crazy double life of like it was weird and it totally was like of being like, oh, I'm going to Rick Harper and like tomorrow I have like a bio test that like I need to run into my like school that like I'm so not cool in, but then like I'm like hyped up in work wise like I'm like getting recognized on the street but like I'm getting like, I'm like so deeply not popular at school. Like it was such a weird, it was weird. It was crazy.

• 41:10Drew Afualo?

  Well, speaking of, we'll pivot back to Exo Kitty. What are you excited for people to see in this new season?

• 41:16Speaker 00

  Oh, I'm so excited for them to see Laura Jean and Lana being back. I think was like, that's like, I've been saying this is like our Andrew Garfield inspired moment where like I feel like I couldn't talk, like it was like illegal. It was the same of like same with like Noah being in season two. It was like you cannot speak like they changed like Laura Jean was Mary Jane in all of our scripts. Because they were like, in case someone gets a hold of it, they don't want them to see the word LJ. Like they're like, we're being so top secret about it. Then now I'm like, whoa, I can actually like publicly talk about this. So excited for people to see that. I think it's so fun to have that dynamic back and like just it really brings it to all the boys world and like that feeling back to the series, which was so fun. And like, I don't know, I think we're doing a lot of things that the fans have been asking for. So I'm very excited to see their reaction and like

• 41:58Speaker 00

  I can't wait to see everybody's TikTok edits. I can't wait to see everybody's like losing their minds. It's so fun. It's so fun to see that like they care so much. Like I'm like, that's so special. Like that's so cool that like you did this with your time. Like you actually wanted to make an edit or you like care about this character's story. Like, yeah, I'm just, I'm very excited for them to see it.

• 42:15Drew Afualo?

  How was it, uh, working with Lana again?

• 42:17Speaker 00

  So fun. Not a single minute had, like, we didn't skip a beat. Like I was like, I feel like I'm fourteen again and you're my big sister and like we are playing the same games we used to play. Like it just like felt like we were right back in the movies and yeah, it was awesome.

• 42:32Drew Afualo?

  Oh my god, I'm so excited. I was like, I gotta lock in. I gotta lock in on Exo Kitty, obviously. Okay, well, to pivot now, we're gonna go, we do have some fun facts.

• 42:40Speaker 00

  I'm so excited.

• 42:41Drew Afualo?

  About you. And then we'll, we'll, hopefully, we'll link it back to Exo Kitty, obviously. But this first fun fact says, on the first day of shooting Exo Kitty, you had a scene where you had to struggle getting a suitcase up the stairs, and a bystander who didn't know you were filming saw you having trouble with your bag and tried to come help you. That's really nice. That's sweet.

• 43:02Speaker 00

  I was like, poor man, we're in a TV show right now.

• 43:05Drew Afualo?

  Get out, get out, get out!

• 43:07Speaker 00

  He's like, he was walking up the stairs from like, the subway station, and was just like, look at this poor, sad girl struggling with her one big ass suitcase. And he just like, picked it up, and I was so confused, I thought I was a background actor, that I was like, you're just taking your moment. I'm like, congratulations, you saw an opportunity and you took it. And then we all realized he was not an actor. And he was just a nice man, trying to help me take out my suitcase.

• 43:27Drew Afualo?

  Man, that's so nice.

• 43:29Speaker 00

  It was so nice.

• 43:30Drew Afualo?

  Evidence of a man being nice for once.

• 43:32Speaker 00

  I know, I was like, maybe in Korea, they're actually kind. Like, I was like, this is incredible. But it also was like, someone was obviously like, kinda chilling and not doing their jobs, because how did he get there?

• 43:42Drew Afualo?

  No, for real, how did he get that close to you?

• 43:44Speaker 00

  How did he get that, like, I'm like, you're, like, you are in the show, you are on my mark. Like, how did you, how did you get here? But I still think to this day, he doesn't know. Like, he literally just like, carried it and kept walking. Like, he wasn't even there, and we were like, all confused and like, yelling, "Cut!", like,

• 43:58Drew Afualo?

  He saw you struggling, he said, "Damn, I'll help you."

• 44:00Speaker 00

  Walking around the world, being like, remember that girl that I helped? Way back in 2022, and there was that sad little girl with her big suitcase. "I'm such a good citizen", and he doesn't know.

• 44:09Drew Afualo?

  Imagine he was just like, "God, I saw this girl, and she was really struggling today."

• 44:13Speaker 00

  And then like, she opens Netflix, and he's like,

• 44:17Speaker 00

  He still doesn't know.

• 44:19Drew Afualo?

  How was it shooting in Korea?

• 44:20Speaker 00

  Oh, it was crazy. It was so fun. Honestly, season one was like, a whole different experience from two and three, because it was COVID. And it was like, a whole different version of the city, a different version of production, like, everything. And then getting season two of like, getting to really explore, and like, It it feels like we are also all at international school like we all live in the same building it's like your classmates are down the street we're like all getting like fried chicken at two AM after work like just like feeling like we are also are living that life of like being at international school was so fun and Korea is such a cool place and I still feel like I've only explored like a tiny corner of it like

• 44:50Drew Afualo?

  I'll bet it's like expansive I've never been to Korea but I really wanna go it sounds awesome as hell I like I feel like the only international place first of all this job has taken me internationally more than I ever been ever in history of time um but I've only ever been to like Europe and then Mexico obviously but only Europe I haven't explored Asia yet I gotta get into it

• 45:11Speaker 00

  I'll give you recommendations

• 45:12Drew Afualo?

  Oh yeah please do oh my god I'm gonna take you up on that you can't take it back it's on camera okay next one fact it says you were simultaneously acting while going to college and studying sociology and creative writing

• 45:24Speaker 00

  So true

• 45:24Drew Afualo?

  Smarty pants okay

• 45:27Speaker 00

  So true

• 45:28Drew Afualo?

  You were doing a sociology major my my fiance was a sociology major

• 45:31Speaker 00

  No way

• 45:32Drew Afualo?

  Mm-hmm he sure was queen

• 45:33Speaker 00

  Comparing notes get into deep conversations about why the world is the way it is

• 45:38Drew Afualo?

  It's very fascinating

• 45:39Speaker 00

  I love sociology I honestly like that was such a perfect major for me like I thought it was so fun but I always wanted to go to school and I always like thought I would go to UBC specifically which was like my university is where my parents met and where like my dad like has PhD from there my sister has her undergrad and her masters from there like everybody my whole family went to UBC and like my grandparents my aunts and uncles all went there like it was such like like I had a UBC hoodie when I was like six years old of being like one day I'm gonna go to this school that then once my career like started I was like I still wanna go cuz I still want that chapter of like I wanna be a university like student I wanna be a college kid I want to like have that space to also make friends my age cuz I feel like so much of my job I was twelve with like a bunch of fifty year olds on set like it's like you're not

• 46:23Speaker 00

  you're not with people in your same stage of life I was like I wanna just like be like a young adult and like have that space to mess up and figure things out and like go to a frat party and see if you hate it like those things where I'm like you don't get to do when you're working like it's so different you're like you grow up very quickly in some senses so I was just like very excited to have that chapter and it was like it did not disappoint it like exceeded expectations

• 46:44Drew Afualo?

  I love that you're very Emma Watson like when she was like I'm going to college

• 46:48Speaker 00

  First in the world except like I am a college dropout Emma Watson is not Then I did not finish my degree.

• 46:56Drew Afualo?

  And that's okay. Sorry, you succeeded tremendously at your job.

• 47:00Speaker 00

  That's the hope. That's the hope. I said, this is someone recently and they're like, you're in really good company. You know who many, like, how many good people are college dropouts? I was like, thank you so much. That's so true.

• 47:07Drew Afualo?

  It's true. Also, I got fired right before I did this and a lot of people I've met have gotten fired right before they.

• 47:11Speaker 00

  Before they, right.

• 47:12Drew Afualo?

  And so I was like, you want to be famous on TikTok, you gotta get fired.

• 47:14Speaker 00

  Go get fired. That's actually true.

• 47:17Drew Afualo?

  I'm just kidding. Do as I say, not as I do.

• 47:20Speaker 00

  Whoa, no chancey. I'm not, I didn't actually, I don't even know you just said it, but it sounded good.

• 47:24Drew Afualo?

  I said, do as I say, not as I do.

• 47:27Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 47:27Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 47:28Speaker 00

  It sounded like we were in Hamilton all of a sudden. You are rapping.

• 47:31Drew Afualo?

  Well, that's because I'm a hundred and you're eleven. So like, I, I have a lot of isms. I have a lot of isms in me that are very old man. That's why I got a lot of those.

• 47:41Drew Afualo?

  And I love that you, honestly, I love that you still pursued it, even if you didn't finish. You can always go back and finish too.

• 47:46Speaker 00

  Totally. And it served its purpose. And I feel like I learned so much and like, gained so much, just like as a young adult also. And like, made a really good community and like, it was the best thing ever, but.

• 47:55Drew Afualo?

  And unfortunately, you're a very talented actor, so.

• 47:57Speaker 00

  I hope this was the right, I hope that was the right choice and I can keep working away.

• 48:02Drew Afualo?

  Oh my gosh, you'll be fine. You're too talented to not succeed at literally anything you touch. Um, okay, it says, in 2025, you hiked the Dolomite Mountains in Italy.

• 48:11Speaker 00

  People do research. I love.

• 48:13Drew Afualo?

  I know, Amanda likes to get real creepy.

• 48:15Speaker 00

  Thank you to the Fun Fact team. Um, also like the, the suitcase one, I was like, trying to hide how much taken back it was because I don't remember. Like, when did I say that? Probably, like, that was probably 2023.

• 48:24Drew Afualo?

  Hey, you fooled me. I thought you were very like, wow.

• 48:27Speaker 00

  I was like, I talk about that all the time. That's actually my number one topic in most interviews, so of course you asked. No, I, I like, that's like really niche. So like, good job.

• 48:35Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, Amanda likes to creep people out. That's her favorite part.

• 48:37Speaker 00

  That's like your full-time job. You get to like be an FBI agent and like, it not be weird.

• 48:40Drew Afualo?

  Right. My in-house Nardwar, honestly.

• 48:42Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 48:43Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that's why I said, she's my in-house Nardwar.

• 48:45Speaker 00

  Nardwar is like from my hometown and I feel very special. Like, he's like, he, at my universities, this is such a side tangent, but he like does shows at my university's radio station. And it's like our big claim to fame. Like, we're like, UBC, Nardwar, go Nardwar. Anyway, to me, you are Nardwar and The Rock.

• 49:01Drew Afualo?

  I guess what I'm trying to say is

• 49:03Speaker 00

  You're everything to me.

• 49:04Drew Afualo?

  You're an hardware and the rock.

• 49:04Speaker 00

  What I'm trying to say is you're all the icons in my, in my mind. You fulfill them.

• 49:08Drew Afualo?

  Oh my gosh, I'm a good company.

• 49:10Speaker 00

  What was the question?

• 49:10Drew Afualo?

  Oh yeah.

• 49:11Speaker 00

  What are we talking about?

• 49:11Drew Afualo?

  You hiked the, the Dolomites.

• 49:13Speaker 00

  I did, I did. And it was like the best thing ever. I loved it so much. We never thought we'd see the day that me and my mom be like, are like trying to be athletic. And now I've like fully been in like, now I'm like on my athletic grind and like I love running. I love working out, but like we never thought that would happen. Like my sister and my dad have been like super competitive athletes their entire life. Like my dad used to be like semi-pro. My sister was like super, super high level and like all of university and high school.

• 49:39Drew Afualo?

  What sport?

• 49:39Speaker 00

  Track and field was her thing. And then my dad is a triathlete.

• 49:43Drew Afualo?

  Oh, okay.

• 49:44Speaker 00

  And a cross-country skier also. So they were like doing all the things and my mom and I would like cross-country ski like twice a year and like be like, snow. Like we like wouldn't actually be, we just like, this is pretty. It's like, we're like snowshoeing basically like we were so not in that world. And I did track when I was little. That is my like, my true lore is that I, track and field was my first love. And then acting came. Like I was obsessed. I, my iPod background used to be iHeartTrack.

• 50:07Drew Afualo?

  iHeartTrack.

• 50:08Speaker 00

  I made it on Pic collage.

• 50:10Drew Afualo?

  Just track.

• 50:10Speaker 00

  iHeartTrack, it was like cut out on like a background of like a track, like get like photo, like stock image.

• 50:16Drew Afualo?

  Backgrounds.

• 50:17Speaker 00

  I, no, like that.

• 50:18Drew Afualo?

  You're very influential on you.

• 50:19Speaker 00

  I was clearly. Why have I brought them up so many times in one conversation? But that was like, I was so obsessed with track and field and I was like the PC champion shout out in my province for like sprinting and long jump, which was ironic because I was like two feet tall. Like everybody was else was way, I was like the last person to grow in all of the city of Vancouver.

• 50:37Drew Afualo?

  Which run was it?

• 50:37Speaker 00

  Yeah, the 60 meter sprint. Because my legs are so small, but then also the 100 meter, I did also do, I did 60.

• 50:43Drew Afualo?

  Okay, see, I was gonna say they go down to 60.

• 50:45Speaker 00

  60 meters, it's like, it's like two steps, but I killed that. And then long jump, which was always ironic. Anyway, that was my whole life. Then I found acting and then I decided I hated sports. But my sister and my dad continued, or my dad's always been like crazy athlete.

• 50:57Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 50:57Speaker 00

  And then like a few years ago, I like slowly got into running and now I'm like actually doing races and like love running, but that like took a while.

• 51:04Drew Afualo?

  Like marathons?

• 51:04Speaker 00

  No, absolutely not. Like 10Ks. We love 10Ks. A marathon, the LA marathon like was like outside.

• 51:09Drew Afualo?

  I just, yeah, I just saw.

• 51:10Speaker 00

  I was like, I like, I love running, but not that long.

• 51:13Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 51:14Speaker 00

  Six hours?

• 51:15Drew Afualo?

  I don't love running at all, so.

• 51:15Speaker 00

  That's a whole school day and you're still running.

• 51:17Drew Afualo?

  Right, and also like paying to go do it? No thanks.

• 51:20Speaker 00

  It is crazy how much, no, it is crazy.

• 51:22Drew Afualo?

  And then, and I literally said this recently, I'm like, and you take a picture of me? And you, when I cross

• 51:27Speaker 00

  They're the worst pictures ever.

• 51:29Drew Afualo?

  A picture of me, you, you put my time out there. And they're like, look at this bitch, she runs ten minute miles. That's fucked up.

• 51:36Speaker 00

  And they like announce you on like the big, like you come through and they're like, there comes Drew.

• 51:40Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, last, oh, barely made it in, four hours, wow, for a whole marathon. That's really how about, they're violating my HIPAA like rights.

• 51:47Speaker 00

  No, it is, it is a wild concept. But, all to say, we got into hiking. And then, my sister and my dad did like a crazy Dolomites hiking trip. Like, they did like hut to hut, like wild journey like a few years ago and me and my mom were like, we could never. And then, little did we know, a few years later, we would get on this train of we like hiking. And the four of us went on a hut to hut in the Dolomites of like, we stayed at five different places. And you like hike to the next place every day. But some of them were like very like, like actually like hut vibes. And some of them were like very like fancy lodge that were like way nicer than we expected. But it was so fun because you didn't have to plan anything. Like, all you did was like, every day was like six hours of hiking. In like the most beautiful places. And like, that's all you had to focus on. Like, I feel like trips sometimes stress me out of like,

• 52:31Speaker 00

  what are we gonna do? Or like, where are we gonna go? Or we didn't go, like, where are we gonna eat? And like, what do you wanna do? And this is like, wait, there's literally nothing else you can do. And you have to keep going because that's where you're sleeping tonight. You have to just keep going. It was so fun. I loved it so much. And you could breathe, so much fresh air, so much like,

• 52:46Drew Afualo?

  I'm sure it's beautiful.

• 52:47Speaker 00

  It was not crowded at all.

• 52:48Drew Afualo?

  It feels like hanging a piece of cheese in front of me and I'm like chasing it. Like, if I do that hike, because I'm like, well, I'm not gonna have nowhere to sleep.

• 52:55Speaker 00

  I mean, there is cheese at all the lodges. So that is close enough. They had, I think we ate, my sister ate spaghetti bolognese eight days in a row because it's one of her foods. But every hut, even if they didn't have very much food, they, all of them, all of them served you spaghetti bolognese.

• 53:07Drew Afualo?

  I just imagine your sister hearing you say that and going, alright.

• 53:10Speaker 00

  No, no, like, I think she posted about this.

• 53:12Drew Afualo?

  She literally had bolognese eight days in a row.

• 53:14Speaker 00

  She like is partly made of bolognese. But I think she would proudly put this, like, I think she posted about it on her story, actually. Like, she loves, she would, she would, yes, she took a photo of every bolognese she ate.

• 53:25Drew Afualo?

  And she was like, damn.

• 53:26Speaker 00

  That was her, like, her photo diary of the trip. It was like, oh, how is the mountains? She was like, mountains, let me show you the bolognese. Because it was everywhere. So now we know the Dolomites are actually built in the back.

• 53:35Drew Afualo?

  Now that I know bolognese is in the picture, maybe I'm interested.

• 53:37Speaker 00

  It's fun for multiple reasons.

• 53:39Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, maybe I need to look into it.

• 53:40Speaker 00

  I want to go on more hiking trips. I actually want like a hiking, I want like a sponsorship to like, to do more hiking or like, I feel like that's such a fun, like, random side quest of like, doesn't really match with X O Kitty, but it's like very much like part of my life now, but people are surprised by it. So I'm like, let's do that more often. Like it was so fun.

• 53:56Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, they have so many running apps now. They have like Runa, Strava, like all those ones. That's the one where they're logging, they're like, you're averaging a 10 minute mile. I'm like, okay.

• 54:04Speaker 00

  I don't want to, I don't need to post my times like that. No.

• 54:07Drew Afualo?

  I know I'm going slow. Okay, next fun fact says, in elementary school, your mom used to come in and make dumplings with your class during Chinese New Year.

• 54:18Speaker 00

  Okay, I think that's the craziest one yet.

• 54:21Speaker 00

  Also, like, did you watch like the Chinese New Year video from Disney Channel? Like, I feel like that's,

• 54:28Speaker 00

  And I'm like, hi, I wear a Chinese thumb because I'm Chinese and I celebrate Lunar New Year. It means the cycle of the moon touches, I feel like that's like one of the only times we've ever talked about this. That's incredible.

• 54:39Drew Afualo?

  I like Chinese New Year because my mom comes into my class. Yeah, that's crazy.

• 54:45Speaker 00

  That's crazy, but true facts. All, all true. It was so, I honestly feel so lucky that like, growing up, I was like in like one of the most Asian places in North America. Like Vancouver has such a large Asian population, like, a lot of Chinese population too, and a lot of mixed kids. Like we had so many halfies, that it was so normal to be a halfie. Like it was just like, oh, like so many people, so all my classmates were like, there was always a big population of like half Asian kids specifically. So it was like very normal and like I felt very like, celebrated because of it, which like, I know, yeah, beautiful thing and not every halfie has that experience or not like, just like every Asian person in general. I was like, wearing my Chinese thumb to school on Chinese New Year and being like, let me bring you guys laces. Let me like, I was so excited about it and like wanted to show that off.

• 55:27Speaker 00

  That my mom often like, she also is kindergarten teacher, so she was like very used to like, like she like loved that type of setting. And we'd come and we'd make dumplings and it was so special. Or she would come and like, do it like read a book about Chinese New Year and like answer kids' questions or like play games of like, it was so fun. It was so special.

• 55:42Drew Afualo?

  And I'm so glad that we could scare you with that fact. And your mom sounds like a joy.

• 55:46Speaker 00

  She is.

• 55:47Drew Afualo?

  Your mom sounds sweet as hell. Okay, this says, your first Instagram post from 2016, was this picture with the caption, hashtag throwback, hashtag first day of filming.

• 55:59Speaker 00

  So, so I'm gonna go delete that. No! Wait, it's still up? It gets up right now? With someone, okay. Well, you know, sometimes Instagram is like a little archive, a blast of the past, if you will. And that is certainly that. That's from 10 years ago.

• 56:14Drew Afualo?

  You are so cute, I can't stand it.

• 56:16Speaker 00

  I look like a ball. Like, I literally, my hairline and everything about that is like, she's so spherical. But that was one of the highlights of my career. This was Odd Squad, this was my very first show. And it was like, that was my very first day on set. I actually distinctly remember where we are today. Like, that was at the very end. We just wrapped, and my mom like came up with her little like iPhone 7 maybe. Like, it was like way back in the day. This was her first iPhone also, totally side note, but she had a flip phone up until I did this show. And then she was like, aw dang, I need to buy an actual phone because I need to take pictures of her. But she had a flip phone, the longest out of anybody, out of anybody who's ever had a flip phone. My mom was the last one to like, to the turnover, to be like, oh, a touchscreen. This is the reason why, so she could take this photo specifically.

• 56:58Speaker 00

  And that is me in my little suit. I was, it was the best show ever, honestly.

• 57:02Drew Afualo?

  That is so fucking cute.

• 57:03Speaker 00

  That's crazy.

• 57:04Drew Afualo?

  I love that your mom took pictures.

• 57:06Speaker 00

  Oh.

• 57:06Drew Afualo?

  See, she was like, I gotta get rid of this brick so I can get a new phone.

• 57:09Speaker 00

  If she was here right now, she'd be taking pictures of all of us right now, like constantly. She takes pictures of everything.

• 57:14Drew Afualo?

  My mom takes pictures of everything.

• 57:16Speaker 00

  And then she like gets mad, because like, I'm always like, mom, I'm taking pictures. And then like, I'll be like, can you send me that picture that you sent? And she's like, oh, oh, so if I didn't take that picture, you wouldn't have an Instagram story to post?

• 57:26Drew Afualo?

  It's an extremely universal mom experience, because same thing with my mom. We were like, mom, please, mom. And then my mom, and then later I'm like, can you make a shared album and add me to it? Can I have that pic you took earlier?

• 57:38Speaker 00

  Yep.

• 57:38Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, it's a, we have to do it. It's a rite of passage.

• 57:41Speaker 00

  Exactly. It's, that's what they want to.

• 57:43Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, just like we, just like we let my mom take her pics and her vids. Okay, this last one says, on July 25th, 2016, you posted this gif of you dancing with the caption, "Doing a happy dance because of 500 followers." And it says, "Now you have 5.7 million followers." Congratulations.

• 58:02Speaker 00

  Thank you so much. That is a boomerang.

• 58:06Drew Afualo?

  You, yeah, you're making your own boomerang.

• 58:08Speaker 00

  That was a boomerang. It was the boomerang era. That's me in my childhood home backyard.

• 58:14Drew Afualo?

  Love.

• 58:14Speaker 00

  Wearing my finest H and M outfit and I was feeling cute. I had half my hair up. I literally remember that so clearly and I was like, Mom, time to do a boomerang photo shoot because guess what? I just hit 500 followers.

• 58:25Drew Afualo?

  You said, Mom, get that new iPhone, get outside.

• 58:27Speaker 00

  And that was taken on her phone for sure. And she was so confused by how boomerangs were for sure. And I think I used the, you know, like the like little sideways, like woo emoji? That has like the confetti coming out. There was like a bunch of those in the caption. And I was feeling so fly. I, I mean, I think I was like 13. That was like, I had the most followers, not even in my high school. Like, I felt so cool. I remember hitting 5,000 followers while I was like probably in grade nine. And that was like, like world shaking. Like, I was like, this is like, there's no way. Cause I was like, that's bigger than like my high school population. Like, and they all follow me? Yeah, that was crazy.

• 59:02Drew Afualo?

  That is crazy. To think about it now is even crazier. Like freaking out over 500 is crazy now considering.

• 59:08Speaker 00

  Yes. I want to be like, guess what? Guess what's gonna happen in a few years?

• 59:11Drew Afualo?

  I'll tell you what, you're cute as hell as a kid. So it doesn't surprise me at all that you were doing well as a child actor. Get that cute kid in my office.

• 59:19Speaker 00

  I'll never forget, and I have deleted this because I, whoever just stalked my Instagram to find these, you'll know that it wasn't there. But I remember posting on International Taco Day, I posted a photo of like a stock image of tacos on my feed and just said, Happy International Taco Day.

• 59:39Drew Afualo?

  It's just a stock image?

• 59:40Speaker 00

  Stock image.

• 59:41Drew Afualo?

  It says stock image across it and a water mark?

• 59:43Speaker 00

  And I remember even at the time, my sister being like, now what was that? What, what was that? She's like, she's like, why didn't, like, at least it could have been you with the taco. Like, she's like, that's not weird. Like, like, she's like, we could have had a photo shoot with like, let's go Taco Bell. And then she was like, all there for it.

• 59:56Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 59:57Speaker 00

  But she's like, you really just Googled taco.

• 59:58Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, you opened a tab on your iPhone.

• 1:00:01Speaker 00

  First image you found and post that on your feed, nothing but Happy International Taco Day. And I remember that one because I only deleted it a few years ago when I came across it. I was like, this is still here?

• 1:00:11Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that, that clean sweep, you need to do that once, once people start following you.

• 1:00:15Speaker 00

  I think you should do that again. After, this is reminding me. In the car after this, I will be going to sweep what's, what's new.

• 1:00:20Drew Afualo?

  You have to. You have to go back and double check. Like, and honestly, I've joked about that before where like, I've done a sweep on mine, but I, everything I was getting rid of or archiving, they're just humiliating.

• 1:00:30Speaker 00

  Right.

• 1:00:31Drew Afualo?

  Like, they just make me look. humiliating I guess it's just so I had one it's similar to your taco thing but not I took a picture of like a burrito I was eating but I but I had to put out like a huge blown out filter on it so it looks like bright orange it honestly doesn't look appetizing at all and this is gone now too so you can never find it but I literally yeah and I took a picture of it and I literally just wrote rain cuddle buddy

• 1:00:59Drew Afualo?

  my burrito yeah let that sink in for a bit I'm sitting in the shame of it you guys know that

• 1:01:05Speaker 00

  dare I ask what year would

• 1:01:07Drew Afualo?

  uh that was like twenty ten I wanna say and you were I think one so I was in

• 1:01:14Speaker 00

  I was learning to walk when you were like this is my cuddle buddy and I was like I could step for the first time

• 1:01:20Drew Afualo?

  right exactly

• 1:01:21Speaker 00

  I respect it I would have liked the post

• 1:01:23Drew Afualo?

  I think I was like fifteen and I remember when I posed a little too old I'll admit it a little too old just a little but I felt like

• 1:01:29Speaker 00

  the cuddle part is what's throwing me off the most if you were just like burrito on a rainy day I could almost pass but like you were you had your arms wrapped around

• 1:01:36Drew Afualo?

  okay sorry I miss happy international taco day all of us can't be very literal

• 1:01:40Speaker 00

  we love to post about our magazines through the vendors like why there's something about that they're like

• 1:01:44Drew Afualo?

  yours is so factual mine is trying to be cute and funny

• 1:01:47Speaker 00

  no mine's like have you seen the calendar app I don't think you're aware that today is international taco

• 1:01:50Drew Afualo?

  nobody's talking about this it's international taco day

• 1:01:53Speaker 00

  no one needed to know who you were cuddling on over any day either so

• 1:01:57Drew Afualo?

  you're right you're right both pieces of information are very useless

• 1:02:01Speaker 00

  people could go and unnote like they didn't need to know

• 1:02:02Drew Afualo?

  yeah you're right there was no no read it and honestly the when I look back at stuff like that I think to myself like yeah it's no wonder I ended up in show business I like needed attention clearly and I was like always trying to entertain in some regard even even if it didn't have attention on me necessarily I was still trying to entertain the people I was like maybe you'll enjoy this picture of my food

• 1:02:21Speaker 00

  you posted cuddly burritos so you could have a pocket now that was why that was the trajectory of a good pipeline

• 1:02:26Drew Afualo?

  that was my drag path or whatever the fuck they're talking about on TikTok it was that posting my wet my it was a wet style burrito that's all I remember about it

• 1:02:34Speaker 00

  I don't like that at all you were it was you were cuddling it wet style is

• 1:02:37Drew Afualo?

  I wasn't actually cuddling it

• 1:02:39Speaker 00

  no I know but like that gets that's even worse

• 1:02:41Drew Afualo?

  you're again you are too literal

• 1:02:43Speaker 00

  yeah you're right this is me I can't be a dreamer this is me I'm Andrea I said wet style

• 1:02:48Drew Afualo?

  you're all that literally doesn't make any sense

• 1:02:52Speaker 00

  Was it raining on the burritos? It was a rainy day if it's wet.

• 1:02:55Drew Afualo?

  So what does the rain have to do with it?

• 1:02:57Speaker 00

  I'm the worst. Like, I'm no fun, but I also think this is why I'm gonna be a good, like, director one day.

• 1:03:01Drew Afualo?

  I agree.

• 1:03:02Speaker 00

  I'm so detail-oriented to a fault.

• 1:03:03Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 1:03:04Speaker 00

  Like, it's ridiculous.

• 1:03:04Drew Afualo?

  No, it's funny.

• 1:03:05Speaker 00

  The whimsy is gone, though. It's like, explain that. Let's draw that one up. Bring in the mood. Yeah, it's bad.

• 1:03:11Drew Afualo?

  You know what? It's alright, though, because you, first of all, are incredibly smart and incredibly talented.

• 1:03:18Speaker 00

  Thank you so much.

• 1:03:18Drew Afualo?

  But also, you're a proven star, so it really doesn't matter. You don't need the whimsy. You're living it. You're living the whimsy currently in your career. But that reminds me to kind of close this out. Like, what is any advice you have for any, like, aspiring actors? Especially young people, because you're so young.

• 1:03:34Speaker 00

  I honestly think, like, you, if you think it's never gonna happen, it actually might. Because I truly never thought it was gonna happen, and I often say, like, I thought it was the same as being, like, an astronaut. Like, it was like, well, you'd like, if people wanna be actors, but like, you don't act, you don't become an actor. Like, I was like, that's not like the thing that's gonna happen to me, though.

• 1:03:53Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, totally.

• 1:03:53Speaker 00

  And that, like, the fact that it did, like, all the time now, because I think, again, I fall into that, like, who am I to think all my dreams are in control? Like, all the things that I wanna achieve, like, but what if they just don't? And I'm like, pause. What you thought was never gonna happen did happen, so why? Like, who are you to believe that's not gonna happen again? Like, all the things that could be just around the corner, but like, honestly, keep believing that it's possible and, like, keep being kind to yourself in the process. Because you are the only person that's gonna be with you all the time. And, like, have your own back, be your own cheerleader, and be your own friend when you have to be. Because, like, I think that goes very far. And even if you, like, sometimes it feels silly or feels cheesy to, like,

• 1:04:29Speaker 00

  I don't know, I used to, like, make reminders on my phone that were, like, kind to me. So I would, like, wake up, or, like, in the middle of the day, we'd get a reminder being like, you got this, or like, you can do this. And it's like, literally just like, I said that reminder yesterday. Like, it's like, that's just from me, but it's like getting...

• 1:04:40Drew Afualo?

  From past me.

• 1:04:40Speaker 00

  It's past me. Give me you a text message right now, being like, hey, I thought you might need this. And, like, stuff like that is, like, so wholesome, and I feel actually very helpful of, like,

• 1:04:49Drew Afualo?

  I agree.

• 1:04:50Speaker 00

  Just knowing you have your own back. Like, knowing that, like, whatever's happening, like, at least, like, you like you, you're there for you, like...

• 1:04:56Drew Afualo?

  Totally.

• 1:04:57Speaker 00

  And no matter what you're, like, trying to achieve or what type of career you're going into, I feel like having your own back. And, like, even being a quiet cheerleader, like, you don't have to be, like, like, I'm not super, like... outspoken about it or like wow I think I'm the best like I think I wish sometimes I had more of an ego because I think sometimes it's helpful to like take up that space I wish I had that but even like quietly being like I know I I know I can do this and like I have my back I feel like that mixed with the belief of like literally even if it feels impossible who are you to think it can't happen like

• 1:05:24Drew Afualo?

  amen

• 1:05:24Speaker 00

  it totally can

• 1:05:25Drew Afualo?

  see who says you don't have whimsy

• 1:05:26Speaker 00

  yeah that was so whimsical

• 1:05:28Drew Afualo?

  that's it right there hell yeah and what are what are I I want to ask you one more question what are some other dreams you have

• 1:05:33Speaker 00

  oh I have so many dreams

• 1:05:36Drew Afualo?

  yeah what else do you have

• 1:05:36Speaker 00

  I really want to do movies and I really like I haven't been in a movie since To All The Boys and that was like like I I've never been in something that's released in theaters and I think that would be just like so special or something like so like dreamy about that as well of like whoa you can like buy a ticket to the movie theater and like it's a project that I get to be a part of and I really like I want to just explore different types of projects like I think doing like an action movie would be so far from something I've done in so fun like something that will or something that's like very grounded like my dream person to work with would be like Greta Gerwig like to do a ladybird type of movie would be like that's my like dream right now

• 1:06:12Drew Afualo?

  oh I love that and I loved that movie

• 1:06:15Speaker 00

  I love that movie and like that style of like it's it's grounded but there's still humor in it but there's like a realness to it and like the tone and the way that it's shot is so specific and like it just gets me so excited and I there's so many things I want to do and those are definitely top of the list but I also love musicals so much like we've already established and I think that just adds so much magic like I would love to do like a huge production in that way because there's so much more to like learn and dive into and enjoy and like I have so many dreams and I just hope I hope they they slowly come true

• 1:06:47Drew Afualo?

  this is the place to do it this is the place to manifest it that is the chair to do it in I put two dolls on Broadway from that from that chair I'm just kidding me acting like I'm taking credit for it we just manifested it together on the show and it came true many dreams have come true on this show so I'm happy for you

• 1:07:03Speaker 00

  I'll come back when I'm doing my press tour for my Greta Gerwig movie

• 1:07:05Drew Afualo?

  there you go and then we'll be like and you said it here

• 1:07:08Speaker 00

  and I said it here

• 1:07:09Drew Afualo?

  yes exactly on the comment section

• 1:07:11Speaker 00

  yes on the comment section

• 1:07:13Drew Afualo?

  specifically but thank you so much for coming and hanging out

• 1:07:16Speaker 00

  thank you so much for having me this was so fun

• 1:07:18Drew Afualo?

  yeah you're the best you're you're you're a hoot

• 1:07:20Speaker 00

  thank you I feel the same I'm gonna like every time I see you I'm like oh there goes The Rock and it's just it's never I don't think I can ever and Nordwar

• 1:07:28Drew Afualo?

  yeah

• 1:07:28Speaker 00

  right like the The Rock ward

• 1:07:32Drew Afualo?

  The Rock X-Nord War.

• 1:07:33Speaker 00

  Yeah. You are so special. Thank you so much.

• 1:07:36Drew Afualo?

  Oh, my God. You are to me. I love you. I think you're amazing and I think you're so talented and I can't wait to watch you win an Oscar.

• 1:07:42Speaker 00

  Oh, my gosh. Thank you.

• 1:07:43Drew Afualo?

  I can't wait to see you there. And that's gonna be it for this episode of the comment section show. Thank you so much to my amazing guest, Anna. Anna, where can everybody find you? Maybe two people that don't know you that are watching now.

• 1:07:54Speaker 00

  You can watch season three of Exo Kitty on Netflix, April 2nd, and you can find me on Instagram, just @mynameandacathcart.

• 1:08:02Drew Afualo?

  Thank you for listening. Very exciting. Thank you so much to my amazing guest, Anna, for coming to the comment section. Don't forget to tune into the comment section every Wednesday. You can stream the audio on all streaming platforms with video lists for free and exclusively on Spotify. Thank you so much, my amazing guest, Anna Cathcart. Thank you so much to all of you, and I'll see you next week. Bye.