Speaker 1: Hey everyone, Before we get to our new episode, we
Speaker 1: have an exciting announcement. Snakes Miss is back, so please
Speaker 1: join us for a live taping of and That's What
Speaker 1: You Really Missed live from the I Heart Radio Theater
Speaker 1: in Los Angeles. We are raising funds and awareness in
Speaker 1: loving memory of our friend Naya Rivera to benefit Alexandria House.
Speaker 1: Celebrate the holidays with us and keep the snakes Miss
Speaker 1: spirit alive. Join us in person at the I Heart
Speaker 1: Radio Theater or watch the live stream. Special guests, performances,
Speaker 1: unbelievable gleeful auction items, and a live podcast. Here are
Speaker 1: the details. In person event December six at seven pm
Speaker 1: from the I Heart Radio Theater in Los Angeles. And
Speaker 1: for those of you that can't join us in person,
Speaker 1: we are streaming the event on December eight at five
Speaker 1: pm Pacific time, and don't worry, we'll be watching right
Speaker 1: along with you and chatting with you live. We will
Speaker 1: even have a virtual meet and greet option. Tickets are
Speaker 1: available on box office dot Mandolin dot com. We're placing
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Speaker 1: bio and the notes of this podcast episode, so go
Speaker 1: check it out and We'll see you there. Mary Snicks.
Speaker 1: Miss and that's what you really missed with Jenna and
Speaker 1: Kevin and I Heart Radio podcast. Welcome to and that's
Speaker 1: what you really missed with Jenna and Kevin. Welcome back
Speaker 1: for another wonderful and surprising and just delightful conversation we're
Speaker 1: gonna have with someone. We have the one and only
Speaker 1: Jennifer Aspen, who plays Kendra Grd. She is a comedic genius,
Speaker 1: and I think also it's important for people to know,
Speaker 1: like we were so obsessed with her because we never
Speaker 1: actually got to be in any scenes with her, all Right,
Speaker 1: we'd only see them like their scenes after when we
Speaker 1: were watching like screenings of the episodes, which they would
Speaker 1: show us and the crew at lunch. Um, and she
Speaker 1: would just have these zingers, I mean true zingers that
Speaker 1: stuck around forever. She'll talk about out as well. Um,
Speaker 1: but she is just I feel like her and and
Speaker 1: Jescelyn just elevated the show and really we felt like
Speaker 1: it really felt like we were in a comedy with
Speaker 1: them absolutely, you know, with these scenes. I mean also,
Speaker 1: I think her character is probably um, the most quoted
Speaker 1: amongst each other. He and the biggest clothes that we
Speaker 1: would say all the time. She's a delight um. So
Speaker 1: let's get into the conversation. Enjoy. Yeah, look at you guys.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining us. Oh, I'm so
Speaker 1: happy to be here. I mean, that's you know, the
Speaker 1: fandom that never dies. It surely doesn't truly we're here. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean I hear that. You're like, you have a
Speaker 1: resurgence of fame. I do. I do, because now I'm
Speaker 1: mom famous. I think they call it mom pai mom fame.
Speaker 1: That's a new one. Yeah, mom fame because now the
Speaker 1: kids at school. Because I have a ten year old,
Speaker 1: she hasn't seen Glee yet, but it's coming. I mean,
Speaker 1: her friends must tap there's an age that's maybe more
Speaker 1: appropriate than others to start watching the show. Well, I
Speaker 1: don't eve brag, but my daughter is incredibly smart. So
Speaker 1: just she's watched all the seasons of Stranger Things. If
Speaker 1: we're just I've just got it. I'm not a bad mom.
Speaker 1: That happened and with them for all the week. Okay,
Speaker 1: but I do think it's coming. But yes, her friends
Speaker 1: have seen it, and so her friends like to take
Speaker 1: screenshots of me on different shows and send it and
Speaker 1: she's just constantly embarrassed. Basically, that's the that's what happened.
Speaker 1: So um yeah, and she sees it. She's going to
Speaker 1: be real embarrassed. I mean, how you are so good.
Speaker 1: You've also been in a billion shows, so there's no
Speaker 1: way to like watch television and then not see you
Speaker 1: on something that's everything. Yes, that's true. So it's a
Speaker 1: lot of texts. It is true. And what's your mom?
Speaker 1: And but she's at this phase. And I understand you
Speaker 1: have a daughter now, which is super cute, and I
Speaker 1: love her name, Emma. That's one of my favorite names.
Speaker 1: Thank you as congratulations saying, and then any children, No,
Speaker 1: I can barely take care of myself, I will subject
Speaker 1: a child to that. No, I don't. I don't want
Speaker 1: you to, so I want you just I'll leave it
Speaker 1: to you. Guys, you're much more responsible than a cool uncle,
Speaker 1: cool uncle Kevin, well uncle Kevin. Yes. So anyway, so
Speaker 1: she's at the age right now which you will get
Speaker 1: there where you just stand and you're embarrassing to your child. Thing.
Speaker 1: I come to pick up and then she's not there.
Speaker 1: So I went into the like the auditorium where they
Speaker 1: kind of wait for their pickup and I'm just standing
Speaker 1: there trying to not be embarrassing. I'm I'm standing and
Speaker 1: she's like, I said, you shouldn't watch anything. I do
Speaker 1: you know that I'm actually a comedian, Like she's gonna
Speaker 1: be that's really funny. I can't not be. I just
Speaker 1: imagine just standing there, like literally stoic, and she's like,
Speaker 1: you're like, that is all I did. Iath and it
Speaker 1: was too much. Read it was too much. So she'll
Speaker 1: see she will see Glee soon. I think which show
Speaker 1: gets the most screenshots? Um? I think it's well, it's
Speaker 1: kind of the one where I think that Terry I
Speaker 1: was like coaching Terry on how to give birth to
Speaker 1: a fake babo. Um, that one got a lot of
Speaker 1: That was like and you poop on your cowboy boots.
Speaker 1: Oh that's a good one. Yeah. And then I think
Speaker 1: with Dr Wu, of course best scene. That was a
Speaker 1: master master scene, mostly because of my performance, but we agree, yeah,
Speaker 1: but mostly, but really because the writing was just And
Speaker 1: now Dr Wu is like a sex symbol on nine movement, right,
Speaker 1: that's right. Yes. What's fascinating though, is that like you
Speaker 1: come in like you have been on so many shows
Speaker 1: and you come in, especially for let's say for Glee,
Speaker 1: the show was on in the air. You get the
Speaker 1: job and you come in and then you just slaughter everyone, like, yes,
Speaker 1: the writing is good. Not all of us did as
Speaker 1: good of a job with the writing as you did.
Speaker 1: Like for us, because we never even got to being
Speaker 1: scenes together, we would quote your things like to each
Speaker 1: other because we got to watch your scenes as just
Speaker 1: a fan, like the walk gone down to dr chat
Speaker 1: Like we used to say that all all the time.
Speaker 1: We're just out of the time, Like how do you
Speaker 1: do that as an actor? How do you show up
Speaker 1: and just do that? That is such a skill. We're like,
Speaker 1: how do you You don't know the tone of the show,
Speaker 1: Like we're there all the time, and we're still we
Speaker 1: were still figuring out the tone of the show. You
Speaker 1: come in and just I mean, I guess it starts
Speaker 1: with like how did you even get like how did
Speaker 1: you get the role? How did it come to you?
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, I have so much to say. First,
Speaker 1: I want you to know that I'm about to cry,
Speaker 1: you know, because I really appreciate everything you're said in
Speaker 1: your compliments. It's very nice, and because it makes me
Speaker 1: remember that time with you all, and you were also nice,
Speaker 1: and you would all come up to me and say
Speaker 1: my lives to you know, and I and you you
Speaker 1: were all wonderful and supportive and all of it. So
Speaker 1: I just want to thank you for saying that is
Speaker 1: really really nice, and um, I am good and so well,
Speaker 1: why don't I go back to a question that came
Speaker 1: a little later, which was how did you? Let's tell
Speaker 1: us how you how you got here? I think most
Speaker 1: people don't know this. This is definitely in your in
Speaker 1: your vein of what you're doing. But I auditioned for
Speaker 1: Terry and saying and sing in that audition, I saying, um,
Speaker 1: I'm I'm gonna just say I'm not a singer. You
Speaker 1: guys know this. That's why I didn't sing. I asked
Speaker 1: to sing ugly like all the time, like woman, do
Speaker 1: you guys know that song? Because yes, net one and
Speaker 1: I know how that's so I was saying that that
Speaker 1: was my audition and I really thought that was my
Speaker 1: fate and it wasn't my fate. I didn't get that.
Speaker 1: Just one got it. She did wonderful, you know. And
Speaker 1: so what what happened in my devastation of not getting
Speaker 1: that was this like email that just popped up about
Speaker 1: I guess you guys were filming maybe the first episode.
Speaker 1: I think I think I came in on the second episode. Yeah, oh, Ryan,
Speaker 1: Rian Murphy has written this role for you. Here's a
Speaker 1: samples like two pages. Are you interested? I was, and
Speaker 1: I read it and the two pages were incredible. They
Speaker 1: were funny and I couldn't type yes fast enough And
Speaker 1: at the time I didn't know, like is it just
Speaker 1: two pages? Is there more? I'm just gonna say yes.
Speaker 1: I don't even care what this is. And so I
Speaker 1: had when you asked that, how did I come in
Speaker 1: and groove in? It was the second episode and you
Speaker 1: were all finding out what the tone was. And I
Speaker 1: had the total gift of Ryan knowing my work and
Speaker 1: writing something he knew I could deliver, you know, So
Speaker 1: that that made it so much easier. And I don't
Speaker 1: I don't know if he directed my first episode or
Speaker 1: he directed a couple of them. So I also had
Speaker 1: that so that it works so well, you do. Yes,
Speaker 1: it is great writing, yes, you know, but I came
Speaker 1: in with something made for me. I didn't, you know,
Speaker 1: so that was like written to what I could do.
Speaker 1: Your writer's dream It's like, especially when Ryan knows your work,
Speaker 1: he can just be like, let's throw this atter because
Speaker 1: I know she can do that. Yeah. Yeah, that's also
Speaker 1: there's like a sense of confidence going in, being like
Speaker 1: this is written for me. I just have to do
Speaker 1: what I do and like be you know what I mean,
Speaker 1: and kind of be done with it. Yeah, I mean
Speaker 1: I didn't. Wasn't that confident, But I'm glad appeared though
Speaker 1: it absolutely did look at sound whipper snappers with its
Speaker 1: curious uniforms. But I yeah, so I wasn't. I wouldn't
Speaker 1: say I was that confident. I would say I was
Speaker 1: still in a state of shock and that that it happened.
Speaker 1: But I knew walking in. I don't know if you
Speaker 1: guys knew this or not, but I knew this was
Speaker 1: a hit show. This was no we did not know
Speaker 1: what couldn't I told you that? Yeah, I just you
Speaker 1: could you could really feel, having been someone who's so
Speaker 1: experienced having a couple of hit shows yourself, just if
Speaker 1: you know, there was a real specialness to it. And
Speaker 1: I could feel that right away. I felt lucky to
Speaker 1: be there and not confident, very insecure. Your clothes spoke
Speaker 1: of your your costumes spoke of your confidence for you.
Speaker 1: You got some good costumes. You did get Ryan, That
Speaker 1: was all Ryan. So I usually have very opinionated on
Speaker 1: my clothes. I think wardrobe people hate me. I'm just
Speaker 1: like and this. I also don't like the staffick and
Speaker 1: blah blah blah, and and I need it to be
Speaker 1: cut like this. And my jewel tones. I am a
Speaker 1: jeweltuine girl too. Right, it's a difference. I feel like
Speaker 1: I should be hearing some right now, because you guys
Speaker 1: did say form I like very cold, and I gave
Speaker 1: all of those opinions and then walked into my first
Speaker 1: fitting for Glee and the clothes were there and none
Speaker 1: of what I said mattered at all, and and it
Speaker 1: was like this whole person that already been created. I
Speaker 1: didn't have any input, nor did I need any input
Speaker 1: or any input because it was so, you know, so
Speaker 1: much more elevated than even what I could imagine. That's
Speaker 1: kind of what that's Ryan Murphy for you. Yeah, Ryan
Speaker 1: Lou just that's right. Costume masters, do you remember what
Speaker 1: it was like when you first got to set to
Speaker 1: actually start shooting your first day? Um? Because I think
Speaker 1: Ryan did direct your first episode. I think he did.
Speaker 1: I think that. Um, I remember that it was really
Speaker 1: one of the busiest sets I've ever been on because
Speaker 1: you recall, if you guys weren't on camera, you were
Speaker 1: rehearsing oh yes, oh yeah, yes, number and so everyone
Speaker 1: was there all the time. It wasn't like, you know,
Speaker 1: because most of the scenes I did was with Terry
Speaker 1: and Will and Kendred, the three children, which I looked
Speaker 1: at their names, Kyle, Josh, and Me. They're full grown
Speaker 1: humans now. They definitely have ideas and they go to
Speaker 1: exactly so so I was more expecting just those people.
Speaker 1: You know, typically it's the people that are in the
Speaker 1: scene that you're filming, and maybe the scene before after,
Speaker 1: but it's usually just not that many. But because you
Speaker 1: guys had a whole sound stage and you were constantly
Speaker 1: rehearsing on everybody was constantly we were saying on that
Speaker 1: or in the scene, there was just like dozens of
Speaker 1: people the entire cast all the time, and so I
Speaker 1: think that was so great for your camaraderie, but even
Speaker 1: for someone like me coming in because I really felt
Speaker 1: folded in there and we were all hanging outside. This
Speaker 1: was before people were supermaniacal on their phones, right right,
Speaker 1: It's true, and so we actually instead of sitting in
Speaker 1: our trailers and scrolling, we would actually be out like
Speaker 1: sitting on our stoop and talking to each other and
Speaker 1: learning something from Crafty and it was great. So when
Speaker 1: I first came, I just loved that it was busy.
Speaker 1: It was just all everywhere and it was busy. That
Speaker 1: is true. I do forget about that that we all.
Speaker 1: I always just say like the real show was like
Speaker 1: what was happening at base camp because we were all
Speaker 1: always outside just hanging out. Well, except for early season,
Speaker 1: like season the Back the Back Nine, people would come
Speaker 1: to base camp and it would be completely silent because
Speaker 1: maybe like where is everybody? Where's the cast? And we
Speaker 1: were all sleeping because we're so tired, and the only
Speaker 1: time we could sleep was like during setups for other scenes,
Speaker 1: and so the base camp would be like silent, and
Speaker 1: then we'd all come out of our trailers looking like
Speaker 1: a muck, like did I miss it? You know when
Speaker 1: you wake up in your trailer and you're like, did
Speaker 1: I miss the scene? Yeah, like no one would be
Speaker 1: pounding on your door to yeah, but yeah, I can
Speaker 1: see that. At a certain point, you're like I gotta
Speaker 1: take care of me right now. I can't. I had
Speaker 1: a dig a nap. Yeah. That was also the reason
Speaker 1: why Jenna and I have to perspectives on this, because
Speaker 1: I was not an expert napper like you Jenna, and
Speaker 1: so I usually was one of the only ones out
Speaker 1: there just looking for friends like someone wanted to. Were
Speaker 1: definitely out there more you were you. You were definitely
Speaker 1: part of what was happening all the world. I like
Speaker 1: to get all the secrets. I like, you know what's
Speaker 1: going on. I was definitely collector of information. Oh I didn't.
Speaker 1: I didn't really do it that way. Although you were
Speaker 1: secretly what it really seemed like honestly that you were
Speaker 1: just interested I was. It was a very social being too,
Speaker 1: you guys doing what what? Hi? How was your what
Speaker 1: did you eat for lunch? You know What's very like
Speaker 1: you were. But to be fair to you, is you know,
Speaker 1: women like we gotta have a little This is like
Speaker 1: gets real affective it does you know? You can tell?
Speaker 1: You can really tell. So it's like you ought to
Speaker 1: protect it. Yeah. So I'm I, um, yeah, rest the phase.
Speaker 1: And I don't know if you guys know this sounds
Speaker 1: like I'm really bragging now, but I also like executive
Speaker 1: pretty smoothies now, but I do and I yeah, we
Speaker 1: got to talk about that lead to it later. But
Speaker 1: the whole point of it is that I have my
Speaker 1: one of my secrets, as I put some of my
Speaker 1: best friends in the movies because then it's so much
Speaker 1: more fun. However, that means on Monday mornings, if I
Speaker 1: don't do something with the schedule and they have to
Speaker 1: get there before I am. That's a very good point,
Speaker 1: they text. You're talking about we want to do what
Speaker 1: you're doing, exactly what you're doing, produce things, put our
Speaker 1: friends in it, and like, oh, good point. Then they're
Speaker 1: going to be leaning on you for favors exactly exactly.
Speaker 1: So Okay, so you've gotten You've gotten the new acclaim
Speaker 1: from your daughter's um school and snapchats. But what was
Speaker 1: it like for you, um in the real world, Like
Speaker 1: after being on Glee when the show started change for
Speaker 1: you at all? Because you had already been kind of
Speaker 1: recognizable and not a lot of shows. What was that
Speaker 1: like for you? Yeah, so I've been super famous for
Speaker 1: a long time. No, it was so cool, it was
Speaker 1: like I Yes, there were especially younger people on the street,
Speaker 1: and now I was cool to like this whole other
Speaker 1: generation of people joining it. And then I think, you know, um,
Speaker 1: the stories we were telling and that you guys continue
Speaker 1: to tell without me anyway sadly sadly talked about that.
Speaker 1: Um no, I they really meant something to people. So
Speaker 1: there was a real emotional um connection and uh gratitude
Speaker 1: from people on the street. I will say that would
Speaker 1: recognize me because you know, the show was telling stories
Speaker 1: of people that hadn't been told before. It meant a
Speaker 1: lot to them. So there was like this sort of
Speaker 1: deeper thing and then so so that was really nice
Speaker 1: to experience. And I will say I totally missed, missed
Speaker 1: the entire Twitter evolution because my understanding was that I
Speaker 1: was quoted on Twitter like at nauseum and it was
Speaker 1: like finally Chris. I ran into Chris Cole for somewhere
Speaker 1: after you know, it had aired, and he's like, why
Speaker 1: aren't you on Twitter? People are talking about you all
Speaker 1: the time in your lines to do this, and like,
Speaker 1: I'm old with Twitter. The reason I ended up getting
Speaker 1: on Twitter was because of Chris, because he was like,
Speaker 1: this is what's happening and and so that was the
Speaker 1: young the young Padwan showed me the way I mean,
Speaker 1: ye was sort of like at the advent of Twitter.
Speaker 1: It all sort of happened at the same time because
Speaker 1: we also were not on it at the very beginning
Speaker 1: either I sort of forced everyone to do it, but
Speaker 1: did ye. But I I also love that you came
Speaker 1: on and work to like crazy on Twitter and we're
Speaker 1: so foundational because you were in the like first season,
Speaker 1: which obviously I think it was the biggest And what
Speaker 1: sticks people's minds the most that do you do you
Speaker 1: still have like years after, because I feel like you're
Speaker 1: part of like the o G Glee family. Yeah, so
Speaker 1: like when people think of Glee, at least like for me,
Speaker 1: I think of you. I think of everyone that was
Speaker 1: involved and the kids were and also because you were
Speaker 1: so memorable and had like the best Oh my god
Speaker 1: for years after like what was like what was that like?
Speaker 1: In addition to like when it first came out in
Speaker 1: the show weirdly became a thing and then the show
Speaker 1: keeps somehow coming back over and over and over again.
Speaker 1: And now your kids do you still have do you
Speaker 1: have outside of your kids, Like do you have people
Speaker 1: coming up to you too that recognized you from the show. Well,
Speaker 1: now it's it's really different because no to not strangers.
Speaker 1: So I would say the kids at school, I love
Speaker 1: it because you know it makes my daughter popular. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, so I feel like that's coming around now.
Speaker 1: Um you know, nobody saw anybody on the street for
Speaker 1: a minute there. But yeah, but so I think that's
Speaker 1: that's changing now as people. I feel like it's there's
Speaker 1: a whole new wave happening right now. And I totally
Speaker 1: totally right. So I see things on Twitter more and like, uh,
Speaker 1: we'll be tagged in things and I'm like, oh, I
Speaker 1: guess it's re airing it again somewhere. So I think
Speaker 1: what's interesting is that, uh, this show capture what's happening
Speaker 1: right now on culture, totally totally relevant. So I feel
Speaker 1: like this second, Mike, it will be interesting to see
Speaker 1: you know how people respond this time around for sure.
Speaker 1: And I think, you know, again Ryan's writing like I
Speaker 1: I'm going to say that a nauseum and everybody and
Speaker 1: you feel that way too. But I when I wasn't
Speaker 1: doing anymore, and I know that they wanted more, but
Speaker 1: it was really started to focus and I totally understand
Speaker 1: that on the kids more right, and so I was
Speaker 1: more like third storyline out from you guys. So I
Speaker 1: do totally understand that, but it was hard because I'm
Speaker 1: telling you that writing, as you know, is so good,
Speaker 1: and then you you know, you're auditioning for other things
Speaker 1: and you're looking at other things to it. Yeah, I know,
Speaker 1: that's very true. That's a very good point. It's a
Speaker 1: good point when people don't think about two I guess
Speaker 1: people that maybe aren't actors when you do get something
Speaker 1: that is so good, like, how grateful we are to
Speaker 1: be able to get to do that because audition for
Speaker 1: a lot of crap. You got to cling to the
Speaker 1: good ship, only to the good ship. Yeah, and it
Speaker 1: makes a different because you, as you know, you're now
Speaker 1: you're trying to be funny, but the writing itself isn't funny,
Speaker 1: and it's not it's just not the same. You really
Speaker 1: shine when as you know that writing like running up
Speaker 1: the page. Are Yes, it's so easy. So yes. Speaking
Speaker 1: of which, did you love doing sort of all the
Speaker 1: maniacal things that Kendra got to do, the influencing Terry
Speaker 1: and all that, just the plotting, the accomplice to the
Speaker 1: to the villain. Oh god, it was so great. I mean,
Speaker 1: I really I do you know that there's like a
Speaker 1: whole wicki Glee Wicky online. Did you know that? Well,
Speaker 1: there's a whole rite up about me, of course, and
Speaker 1: I was funny. Is I just want under other information?
Speaker 1: This goes along with what you're saying. This interests herself.
Speaker 1: This is about Kendra, which is a great talent, scheming, bribery,
Speaker 1: very good. Yeah, they're right. And vulnerabilities, her arrogance, her
Speaker 1: seams failing. I know that was that could have we
Speaker 1: should have gotten a baby out of that, right, That's
Speaker 1: how it. Yeah, strength manipulation and weaknesses common sense not
Speaker 1: listening to her schemes. That's a weakness. Answer your question,
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh. I loved every second of it. I
Speaker 1: just thought it was so hilarious that this you know,
Speaker 1: like Kendra. You know when I played Kendra, it's like
Speaker 1: just like taking an eraser and just wiping all intelligence out,
Speaker 1: like just I just make which is and I'm just like,
Speaker 1: you know, no, we're gonna have this baby, and here's
Speaker 1: how it's gonna go work, because we're gonna get hers
Speaker 1: and it's gonna be fine. And this is what's gonna
Speaker 1: hap happen, you know, like there's just it's just like
Speaker 1: this train of maniacalness. So I loved it. I find
Speaker 1: the crazier people are the funnier it is to me.
Speaker 1: It just gets me when someone gets really mad at
Speaker 1: in traffic. Oh yeah, you laugh so hard, like they're
Speaker 1: breaking out, and they're just like and I'm just laughing.
Speaker 1: It's really literally laughing in their faces and they get
Speaker 1: even more angry, and you're like, and I'm not doing
Speaker 1: it to be like ha ha, I'm not doing it
Speaker 1: meanly like funny, getting my funny bone. So the fact
Speaker 1: that you know, Kender was just like and working to
Speaker 1: this and now I'm now we're gonna get her baby,
Speaker 1: and that's how this is gonna work. You don't get
Speaker 1: rid of that. I mean, it was just great. It
Speaker 1: was great. I loved the skating NASCAR. It was just
Speaker 1: so stupid. Could you relate to that at all? Drawn
Speaker 1: And no, no, you know I don't draw on my
Speaker 1: life that much. You don't need to when you're that talented.
Speaker 1: That's what I say. Wow, wow, wow, No, I think
Speaker 1: I just as my husband puts it, he's been around,
Speaker 1: We've been together since nineties seven, so he was around
Speaker 1: for all the Glee stuff. He was my all the things. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so gorgeous. And you know, he lovingly says to me,
Speaker 1: you're so great at playing stupid idiots, and and I do.
Speaker 1: It's my favorite. I really enjoy it. And but I'm
Speaker 1: also so smart, you guys. Well, like speaking of smart,
Speaker 1: like executive producing, tell us about UM your production company
Speaker 1: with our our good friend tell its share share, Okay,
Speaker 1: I will share, so Um Kristin Cheneweth and I um
Speaker 1: who we did not meet only what was her character's name,
Speaker 1: only April Rhodes. I mean we got to work with
Speaker 1: her a lab. My god, I know she was like
Speaker 1: mama to you guys, and but I never met her
Speaker 1: actually on set, I was in the makeup chair the
Speaker 1: first time I ever really noticed her. And in the
Speaker 1: makeup chair, and then you know how they put polaroids makeup, right,
Speaker 1: So I'm getting a makeup done, I'm looking at this
Speaker 1: girl and I don't really know her. I don't, I don't,
Speaker 1: I don't know her at all. And I look, I go,
Speaker 1: she's got an amazing tan. That was it that hooked
Speaker 1: me for this person, for what her tan. So then
Speaker 1: years later we started the show called GCV good Christian
Speaker 1: Bitches so good, thank you? That was That was another
Speaker 1: about Bobby Harlan Steele. Magnolia's wrote that that was that
Speaker 1: was you know, another total blessing, like that world class
Speaker 1: cat and that like you guys pass and you're in
Speaker 1: the shore. I mean this was Marison Nichols. This was like, yeah,
Speaker 1: that was heaven anyway. So we we met and fell
Speaker 1: in love on that and instant. It was crazy. We
Speaker 1: were just like in the rooms texting all night long
Speaker 1: every night. And when that show was prematurely canceled, certain people, um,
Speaker 1: we're offended and advertisers and they pulled out and the
Speaker 1: show was over. It was great anyways. Um, so we yeah,
Speaker 1: we wanted to continue being around each other. To be honest,
Speaker 1: she is in my adult life and everyone falls in
Speaker 1: love with christ and Channa. So I just was like, I,
Speaker 1: you know, we need to continue this love affair. And
Speaker 1: I just found a way. I created a movie for
Speaker 1: her and we um did it on a Hallmark channel.
Speaker 1: We filmed it. It was about adoption. She's adopted. She
Speaker 1: inspired me to adopt, who was a very important story
Speaker 1: for both of us, and so we did this movie.
Speaker 1: And it was so good that when I turned it in,
Speaker 1: so I created the story and everything, and then I
Speaker 1: do I don't write. I'm not a writing show owner.
Speaker 1: I'm a creative executive. So there every day. And so
Speaker 1: at the end I turned to my producers kind and
Speaker 1: they made it the Hallmark Hall of Fame, which happens
Speaker 1: once a year on that channel. And that was out
Speaker 1: of a hundred plus movies. It was great. It was
Speaker 1: really yeah. And so then we were like, okay, well
Speaker 1: we need to continue this. So we are. You know,
Speaker 1: we have this production company called Sparkling Shine. It feels
Speaker 1: very appropriately. I'm interested to know which one do you
Speaker 1: think which is just setup? C I know, but I
Speaker 1: just Christians is a Sparkle, You're the shine. I would
Speaker 1: say the same. Oh my god, it's clearly obvious that
Speaker 1: is the truth. Yeah, so we you know, this is
Speaker 1: a very new thing. And she is so smart, Kristen,
Speaker 1: and has wonderful um like she knows when something's going
Speaker 1: to be great, she knows what stories are good. And
Speaker 1: uh so we've basically sold to to Disney Plus, to Netflix,
Speaker 1: to Hallmark and we have I'm more I'm talking like
Speaker 1: two and a half years so we have I'm gonna
Speaker 1: get this board right now of like six projects that
Speaker 1: are unreal. We need to have a sidebar. Yeah, I know,
Speaker 1: um running an empire, I know, but it's not. It's
Speaker 1: really so simple. It's not like we have some like
Speaker 1: fancy office and we're like, you know, have people running about.
Speaker 1: It's not like that. It's just it's just telling stories,
Speaker 1: you know. I mean that's why Kevin I did the
Speaker 1: podcast and so we can hang around each other and
Speaker 1: I can bug him more than I already do. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and your faces are so very cute and attractive and
Speaker 1: they should be just out here doing these conversations and
Speaker 1: making people happy. Likewise, it's all good lighting. Yeah, that's
Speaker 1: why I'm literally sitting in a window. I need to
Speaker 1: be blown out as much as possible. Great, it looks
Speaker 1: so good. I thought I was doing good. But then
Speaker 1: the sun started going down and it's like it's this,
Speaker 1: this is not this natural light. But you got a sunflare.
Speaker 1: You magically got a sunflair into your zoom, and I'm impressed.
Speaker 1: That's how I'm looking at it. Where are you? Then
Speaker 1: we were in l A forever and then you know,
Speaker 1: the world shut down and we have family here, and
Speaker 1: I was like, I gotta go, Let's just go. I
Speaker 1: don't know how. I didn't know at the time. I
Speaker 1: was like, let's just go be three months. It's a
Speaker 1: small town, right, I was just like, let's get out
Speaker 1: of like ground zero for a second and take a break.
Speaker 1: And and what ended up happening is it was just
Speaker 1: really beautiful and really peaceful. And my daughter can go
Speaker 1: out on the street and play with kids. You can
Speaker 1: just go and and I had that as a kid,
Speaker 1: and I thought that was so great. So after a
Speaker 1: while it was like, well, and I have a family
Speaker 1: member who does need us to be here too, and
Speaker 1: um so it's so we ended up staying and and
Speaker 1: we're happy. And I travel anyway, so it doesn't really matter, right,
Speaker 1: You can you can get movies picked up, and you
Speaker 1: can act from anywhere. Yeah, it's true. Yeah, I'm terrible.
Speaker 1: I want to I want to be honest with you guys.
Speaker 1: I know you think I'm amazing, and rightly so, but
Speaker 1: but I am here bowl at on camera auditions just awful,
Speaker 1: just terribly, Yes, which makes me think it's really my
Speaker 1: personality that people have been casting. Well, I'm in the
Speaker 1: same way so I relate. I enjoy doing it because
Speaker 1: I have terrible nerves. So I enjoyed doing like self
Speaker 1: tapes from home. But I think, yeah, I only get
Speaker 1: things when I convince people in the room that I'm
Speaker 1: right for it, not necessarily based off of my mediocre
Speaker 1: acting ability. It's yeah, I think that's what's happened to
Speaker 1: me too. I'm so glad we're talking about it. It's
Speaker 1: not just me. Oh no, No, it's definitely. And I
Speaker 1: have friends who strictly book just off of self tapes.
Speaker 1: I don't think i've booked off, actually booked anything since
Speaker 1: since Glee. To be honest, everything else has been like
Speaker 1: to do this. Yeah, I'm an offer only, So I'm
Speaker 1: offer only, and that's only because I don't book of
Speaker 1: self tapes. Going back to Glee for a second, did
Speaker 1: you have trouble not laughing or was it people not
Speaker 1: having trouble not laughing at you in like while filming
Speaker 1: scenes like we did that with Jane a lot. We couldn't.
Speaker 1: We'd have to keep it together. Oh, she is such
Speaker 1: a national treasure. Truly, I've never actually acted with her,
Speaker 1: but I'm glad because I wouldn't. I don't know how
Speaker 1: it's sort of a nightmare. It's impossibly Yeah. I once
Speaker 1: did a series with um um, oh my gosh, really
Speaker 1: Jennifer the star of the Office Steve Steve Carell. So
Speaker 1: I did series with him, and he was so funny.
Speaker 1: The only thing I could do to even make a
Speaker 1: scene happen was bite the inside of my cheek I
Speaker 1: did with her. I did an episode of the Office
Speaker 1: pret and I realized at watching it back that I'm
Speaker 1: frowning the entire time because I was the only way
Speaker 1: I could stop myself. That's already, that's that's and a
Speaker 1: lot of that is for me, not me trying not
Speaker 1: to laugh the entire time. You know. One Kristin chenu
Speaker 1: Wit actually taught us early on when um, when we
Speaker 1: were shooting, we were trying not to laugh, and she
Speaker 1: would say dead puppies did puppies did puppies, And that
Speaker 1: would make me laugh even more. Kristen, especially in her
Speaker 1: Boy's gonna do anything that's not going to quell any
Speaker 1: laugh horrible. I still use it. I use that for
Speaker 1: myself sometimes. Do it makes me when I have laugh
Speaker 1: attacks like dead puppies, because usually it freaks everyone else out.
Speaker 1: If I'm with people like we shouldn't be laughing, Like what,
Speaker 1: I'm like, that worked, you know, distract them. I'm going
Speaker 1: to take that, and I yes, to answer your question,
Speaker 1: definitely laughing with it. I think that there was there
Speaker 1: was a scene in where I think it was my
Speaker 1: first episode where Ryan had the children. We were at
Speaker 1: a dinner table and Ryan had the children just run
Speaker 1: around while we're just having a normal house It's so good, right,
Speaker 1: it's the best. And and I don't even notice it,
Speaker 1: like if they don't know this, and um, I kidder
Speaker 1: remember what was said at the table. But it was
Speaker 1: so hard, especially honestly, um Matthew was having a really
Speaker 1: hard time getting through that scene because he was just
Speaker 1: his character was just experiencing the who anyway, so he
Speaker 1: didn't have that much to say to at least like
Speaker 1: drive through the pink, right, He just had to watch
Speaker 1: this screaming. It was screaming, I like this, and I
Speaker 1: was like, here's what we're gonna do. Okay, Yeah, we've
Speaker 1: got this situation. I'm gonna be staying here or whatever
Speaker 1: it was I was saying, and we would get to
Speaker 1: the end and collapse because it was so kind And
Speaker 1: I do laugh at my self like a lot, Like
Speaker 1: we've already established ridiculousness really makes me laugh, right, really ridiculous,
Speaker 1: and so I just will laugh at myself then like
Speaker 1: I can believe myself. Yeah, I get that. I feel
Speaker 1: that in my in my core I do. That's seen
Speaker 1: also is so anxiety inducing and it's so perfect. Just
Speaker 1: how do you have any favorite kindred lines? Um? Definitely, um,
Speaker 1: the whole line is this, I know the last line. Um,
Speaker 1: well there's two. There's two things that really make me laugh.
Speaker 1: So okay, Dr Woo sing it's the best. I just
Speaker 1: watched it this morning. It is truly the best, the best,
Speaker 1: and it's truly every line right, every line, Um, you
Speaker 1: know much for Toson and you screwed up my kids
Speaker 1: d n A, you know, just too good, so good.
Speaker 1: I mean, I know some powerful midsized law firms. Really
Speaker 1: makes the laugh is I think Dr Woo says something like,
Speaker 1: you know, um, I mean clearly both aren't pregnant, and
Speaker 1: I go, I'm offended. I'm so ridiculous that those are.
Speaker 1: There's just like golden the lore in that sane this
Speaker 1: one line. I just people said it a lot to me.
Speaker 1: I think maybe I think it was from show Mance.
Speaker 1: Birth isn't like it is in the movies. It's bloody,
Speaker 1: it's messy, and you get poop all over your cowboy boots.
Speaker 1: So I remember when we that episode was screened to
Speaker 1: us and we all died. We had Matt Kendra for
Speaker 1: the first time, right, we were meeting Kendra in that line,
Speaker 1: I'm mind the poop all of your cowboy boots. So
Speaker 1: that one just really just stuck with me. And and
Speaker 1: so those were sort of sort of my my highlights.
Speaker 1: I will say, you know, people talk about spinoffs and
Speaker 1: all these things. The one spinoff I would like to
Speaker 1: see is you and Jesselyn Terry and Kendra. Terry and
Speaker 1: Kendra would just be like, go on tour because your
Speaker 1: guys brand of um delusion was different and complimentary and
Speaker 1: like the worst way possible, and your chemistry together also
Speaker 1: was so your comedic timing with one another was brilliant.
Speaker 1: We need more of that. I love her. I We've
Speaker 1: we've worked together once or twice since then and have
Speaker 1: always been to see each other. UM Yeah, and I
Speaker 1: agree the the level of delusion is really the enjoyable
Speaker 1: part of this, right, you know, it's just that they're
Speaker 1: just I agree with you. I think that would be
Speaker 1: a really fun, fun spin off where they I don't
Speaker 1: know what they've done, but they've really gone on and
Speaker 1: created like a whole They probably robbed banks now or something.
Speaker 1: Rob I mean, I think they're more sophisticated and they're
Speaker 1: like full con artists, Like they go around the country
Speaker 1: and like con people, poor poor people. They were working
Speaker 1: at fts for sure. Absolutely. Yeah, it's funny because I
Speaker 1: did this character in Screen Queens. So I've done a
Speaker 1: couple of other client shows and they're all related. These
Speaker 1: characters are related and uh somehow. So in that one,
Speaker 1: I was like in a trailer park with some baked
Speaker 1: armadillo and someone was like, oh my god, it's Kendrick Giardi.
Speaker 1: She now lives in a trailer park. And then the
Speaker 1: other character, I did a couple of episodes of nine
Speaker 1: one one on and and I was like, dr woo,
Speaker 1: how did this happen here? On? That's right? Reunited a
Speaker 1: hot fireman? What is going on? What career? Right? It's
Speaker 1: so versatile Verstal and so you know, he's so talented,
Speaker 1: and I was like the guests. I was like the
Speaker 1: guest and he was the Master at that point, like
Speaker 1: anyway and still lovely anyway, Um, but's Angela Bassett mostly.
Speaker 1: But anyway, that character I know beyond right and I'm
Speaker 1: my character and that is also a complete moron. So
Speaker 1: clearly you have a type. I have a type for
Speaker 1: type for you. Ryan has a type for you. Really,
Speaker 1: so this is what happens in Ryan Murphy's mind. He's like,
Speaker 1: oh my god, I have this role. It's a an
Speaker 1: idiot called Jennifer I have Yeah, so that one, so
Speaker 1: that that that was also sort of Kendra. Now I
Speaker 1: was stealing packages off of people's I was I was
Speaker 1: a crime person. That sounds right. I would like like
Speaker 1: the justification behind it probably made a lot of sense
Speaker 1: to her. Yes, people need to pick up their packages sooner.
Speaker 1: See lease packages out. What a stupid idea. And maybe
Speaker 1: it was delivered incorrectly, I don't know. Came to your doorstep. Hey,
Speaker 1: I think you need to add this to your board
Speaker 1: of shows that need to get Kendra and Terry. That's
Speaker 1: like Bob and Mark the newest America's Sweethearts. The one
Speaker 1: thing I want to say, my one regret from Glee.
Speaker 1: I never got to sing I was going to say
Speaker 1: she never got a song. I never got a did
Speaker 1: you guys notice that we did notice that it's not
Speaker 1: really an organic thing. When you really look at your
Speaker 1: storyline that Kendra would like show up and do a
Speaker 1: number at the school, it doesn't really make sense. But
Speaker 1: I wanted to know that I lobbied for that. I
Speaker 1: bet you don't. What would you have sung your audition song? Yes, yes,
Speaker 1: you know, like as they run, as they like drive
Speaker 1: off with the baby. She's seen a woman, I know,
Speaker 1: high class broad you know, just like saying it you
Speaker 1: in Cowboy Boots with She's self aware? Yeah, what's you know?
Speaker 1: What's really interesting is that there's like a little bit
Speaker 1: of like a Southern accent. Her name is Kendre GARDI.
Speaker 1: I remember when we watched Showmance and you know, we're
Speaker 1: looking at the character names and I didn't realize her
Speaker 1: last name with Garady was like, oh, that gives me pause.
Speaker 1: I clearly didn't pick up on that. I was like,
Speaker 1: I'm obviously saying this was a Southern accent. Maybe you
Speaker 1: can do it in your spin off show. You can
Speaker 1: you and Jescelyn can do some songs and Cowboy Boots, well,
Speaker 1: we could, but I just don't. I really don't. I mean,
Speaker 1: I think the Magic of Blue wasn't really I mean,
Speaker 1: I'm being very humble right now. And but also in
Speaker 1: saying that we were a but I was an exceptional
Speaker 1: side show. You know. The real meat and potatoes that
Speaker 1: kept everyone coming back was you, guys, and and how
Speaker 1: you all work together as the team, and how you
Speaker 1: made these incredible numbers, and how much your heart was
Speaker 1: in the stories you were telling you, how much you
Speaker 1: loved each other. Yeah, thank you, Well, we loved you
Speaker 1: and we still love you. Um, thank you so much
Speaker 1: for coming on and chatting with this. I think people
Speaker 1: really nice excited to hear from Kendra herself and Jennifer.
Speaker 1: Thank you the goddamn star, Jennifer. There you go. I'm
Speaker 1: for more a superlatives to go on. Yeah, yeah, let's
Speaker 1: go further and you did. Yeah I got you. Thank you.
Speaker 1: Um you guys. I can't even express what a pleasure
Speaker 1: it was to see your faces today. Truly truly gift
Speaker 1: and I hope to see you all again and I'll
Speaker 1: definitely be paying attention to this podcast now. Oh good,
Speaker 1: just this episode. Thank you, just the seriously, if you
Speaker 1: have any direct offers for Jenna or me. We are available.
Speaker 1: Well that's that's actually really good. We won't be sending
Speaker 1: in tapes. I'll show before I am. I won't. I
Speaker 1: won't get mad. Yeah, we're hard work you at least. No.
Speaker 1: I mean, this is this is the this is the secret.
Speaker 1: And I know that you guys have thought about this
Speaker 1: because you're like, oh, I put my friends in it.
Speaker 1: But as you you know, this is what you're doing
Speaker 1: right now. You get to do your job with people. Friends.
Speaker 1: Really like that you come on. I wanted to frust right,
Speaker 1: and you picked you to come on. And just so
Speaker 1: the audience knows right now, and did not love me
Speaker 1: for myself to be honest show okay they asked me.
Speaker 1: You did. Came from the record from her. You pick
Speaker 1: your people and that's who you get to spend time with.
Speaker 1: And I feel like these days that is what it's
Speaker 1: all about. So I it's right and you can sidebar
Speaker 1: me anytime. I'm so available, available, but like busy, well
Speaker 1: you know yes all that I really do, um, especially
Speaker 1: both of you. I definitely have a lot of warmness
Speaker 1: in my heart for you. That is real and that
Speaker 1: goes on you know that, oh, that was then. No,
Speaker 1: when I love people, I do love them forever. So
Speaker 1: you guys are in likewise. I feel honored. Yeah, thank you, thanks,
Speaker 1: thank you. It's really good to see you. She's what
Speaker 1: the light, what a joy. I love her and visit her. Yes,
Speaker 1: just make us laugh all the time. My cheeks are hurting,
Speaker 1: my face hurts from smiling this entire time. It's good
Speaker 1: to see um old friends like that. I mean, we
Speaker 1: didn't get to spend like a ton of time with
Speaker 1: her on set, but there's just a knowing camaraderie you
Speaker 1: have with these people that we we love so much.
Speaker 1: So we're just so grateful to have Jennifer on. And
Speaker 1: it's really nice too that, you know, the more people
Speaker 1: we talked to, like because we're not as close with her,
Speaker 1: we don't talk to us regularly, as we talked to
Speaker 1: a lot of other people that were on the show,
Speaker 1: and how we all have come away with the same
Speaker 1: feeling of that time and how special and close and
Speaker 1: just magical it all was. And that's really sweet to hear,
Speaker 1: and especially because we were so busy that hearing her
Speaker 1: perspective of spending off screen time with us was really
Speaker 1: nice as well. She's brilliant. What a joy. Um Well,
Speaker 1: thank you Jennifer Aspen for coming on the show. I
Speaker 1: know that people were really excited. Fans were excited to
Speaker 1: hear from hear from her and um revisit Kendra again.
Speaker 1: Truly just brilliant. Um Well, thanks for joining us, you guys,
Speaker 1: and join us next week for another brand new episode
Speaker 1: of And That's what you really missed? Do you like
Speaker 1: that I did? Bye Bye Bye