This week on In the Chair…
LSTFI alumni Max Weinstein and Leona Stewart join Will & Samantha to talk about their experience at Strasberg, study abroad, and the transition into the “real world”. Simone Elhart returns to share her experience as an advanced training student navigating the final semesters of her BFA. Listen to Episode 5 of In the Chair wherever you find your podcasts!
Taking Time Away
Max reflects on his academic semester abroad in Paris. He remarks how beneficial it was to have space in order process his Strasberg training. âYou need time away, and you realize in your time away that this training takes time.â He explains that, upon returning from Paris, he found that the training had begun to cement itself and become like second nature. Will adds that, as time passes, you mature as both an actor and a person:
âYou start [training] when youâre 18-19 years old – youâre still so young in your own sense of self. Thereâs something about aging into yourself and settling in your bones a little bit more that allows the technique to become that much deeper.â
Will Brockman
Learning Mindfulness
The group agrees that Method Acting is a way to learn about yourself. Will notes how, in The Method, it is so important âto be in touch with whatâs actually going on inside you and to start in a place thatâs actually real.â Max jokes, âI feel like Iâm getting a BFA in mindfulness.â
Leona explains that her journey was about accepting that her experience with The Method wonât be the same as someone elseâs. â[As] an incoming student, coming into Strasberg, the whole thing is just overwhelming and everyone is so talented. Youâre like, âOh my goodness, they all seems to be getting it. Iâm not getting it.ââ Leona shares that she has since learned to see her path as unique, and understand that her own growth is what matters most.
Will adds that your experience with The Method will also change and develop over time. Unlike when he first started his training, Will now finds that much of his sensitivity and creative imagination is activated subconsciously, or that he can use the exercises more fluidly.
âRobert Ellerman used to say that training in a technique is for the purpose of unlocking something within you and understanding more about your own instrument. When you don’t have to try as hard, if youâre not âdoing the techniqueâ as you were taught, thatâs not necessarily a bad thing because it means itâs living inside you.â
Will Brockman
Be Your Own Motivation
When discussing the transition from a university setting into the âreal worldâ, Will expresses the importance of self-motivation, and how Strasberg functions to teach that lesson.
âOne thing we always talk about is how self-motivated the entire [Strasberg] curriculum is, and people often donât understand that itâs done super on-purpose. No one in the real world is gonna push you to find a job, find an audition, find something, find a new scene. No oneâs gonna push you to do anything because no one cares, so you have to learn how to be your own self motivator.â
Will Brockman
Leona adds that, in the industry, there is so much thatâs out of your hands, making what is that much more important. 50% of getting the job is what you prepare, the work you bring to the table, she explains. â40% is showing up on time, being a nice person, treating everyone with respect.â The last 10% is the details – your hair color, your height, whether you look more like your co-starâs sibling or love interest. Itâs easy to get overwhelmed by that final 10%, by the things you canât control. The panelâs advice? Take ownership of the things you can!
TRANSCRIPT
Will Brockman: Hello, Samantha Vita.
Samantha Vita: Happy Valentineâs Day, Will!
Will: Happy Valentineâs Day!
Sam: Thank you so much. Will brought in some rose quartz for us and the guests!
Will: I did bring in rose quartz.
Sam: Iâm so excited!
Will: What a fun little treat!
Sam: Yeah. This episode Iâm particularly excited about because we have some awesome guests.
Will: This one really just went for it.
Sam: Yeah, it really did.
Will: We didnât take a break, we didnât do anything. We just went for it.
Sam: Yeah, and I really took a step back this episode because everybody –
Will: We had some great guests. We had some great guests who had a lot to say, very articulate.
Sam: Right, I felt like I couldnât articulate anything that they werenât saying, so it was good.
Will: What have you been up to lately, Sam Vita? Since we last saw you?
Sam: Oh, Iâve been trying to get into that meal prep game. Itâs a waste of time though, because Iâm not a good cook, so I try –
Will: Do you need some help?
Sam: Yeah!
Will: I can teach you how to cook!
Sam: Okay!
Sam: Well okay, guess thatâs been resolved.
Will: Weâll do that later! Next weekâs episode is us cooking!
Sam: Oh my God, yes! So Iâve been trying to make meals to save money and whatnot, but it just doesnât come out good, and then I donât want to eat it.
Will: I can help. I can really help. I can make stuff taste good.
Sam: I just need some help with that. But besides that, Iâve been working and rehearsing. I have a long day today. What about you? Whatâve you been up to?
Will: Still substitute teaching. I am acting like I know French. I have been going to cryotherapy a lot.
Sam: What?
Will: Have I not told you that?
Sam: Maybe I saw that on your Instagram, but I donât know what it was.
Will: Okay, so I am super into cryotherapy right now. Iâm not sure if itâs doing anything.
Sam: That is the bougiest thing Iâve ever heard!
Will: I donât know if itâs doing anything, but I feel really good about it. But the first time I went, I had a really emotional day and tears started to well up in my eyes as I was about to go into the cryotherapy chamber, and completely deadpan, the woman who was running the salon was like, âYou need to dry your eyes, the tears will freeze.â
Sam: Oh my gosh!
Will: And I was like, âOkay, this means business.â Because it gets down to like, 250 degrees celsius.
Sam: What does it do for your body?
Will: It reduces inflammation.
Sam: Okay, and it makes you feel better?
Will: Yeah. Itâs like, you do 3 minutes in -250 and itâs supposedly the equivalent of doing an hour in an ice bath.
Sam: Wow!
Will: Because it gets it done quicker.
Sam: I gotta find a Groupon for that!
Will: Oh, thereâs Groupons, donât you worry.
Sam: I bet. I gotta get on Groupon!
Will: Because the outside of your body is what cools down and your body thinks itâs going into hypothermia, but all your inside organs stay warm because youâre not cold for long enough. So blood just rushes from the organs to the surface and it basically just reoxygenates the entire body. And your skin tightens up a little bit, so thatâs kind of a good thing.
Sam: Oh my gosh, this is the most you activity Iâve ever heard!
Will: Cryotherapy, yeah.
Sam: It sounds awesome though.
Will: I helped my friend Shay buy a Valentine’s gift for her boyfriend. So we went to the Shorthillâs Mall in New Jersey and she settled on a lovely fragrance from Diptyque called
âEau Duelleâ.
Sam: There you go!
Will: And, believe it or not, this podcast is not sponsored by Diptyque. Although, it really should be. I will not stop talking about Diptyque or A Star is Born.
Sam: You donât need to! Itâs okay, we like those things!
Will: With the excitement of French perfumery, we must take a break, and weâll be right back!
[MUSICAL INTERLUDE]
Simone Elhart: âRegistration for the Young Actorâs Program at Strasberg is now open. Applications are due March 9th for the Spring semester. Email [email protected] for more information today.â
[MUSICAL INTERLUDE]
Will: So weâre back with some fun guests.
Sam: Yeah, we have Max and Leona! How are you doing?
Max Weinstein: Hi!
Leona Stewart: Hi!
Will: And Simone, how are you?
Sam: Yeah, Simoneâs in the room, too!
Will: Who is now working here!
Simone: Hi guys! I loved it so much the first time, that now Iâm back forever.
Sam: Sheâs in a really nice cheetah shirt, just so everybody knows.
Simone: Thank you. I wanted to feel classy.
Leona: Simone always dresses pretty well though.
Max: Yeah.
Will: Yes, yes, itâs true.
Leona: Sorry, Iâm never surprised when I see you in a cool outfit, cause Iâm just like, âOf course sheâs wearing that with a cool turquoise necklace with some funky shoes with cool socks.â
Sam: I didnât even see the shoes! Those look so easy!
Will: Oh wow!
Max: I donât know how she does it!
Simone: These are actually Target Balenciaga knockoffs.
Will: Wait, are they like, the sock-shoes?
Simone: Theyâre similar. Balenciaga has a pair of very similar shoes. Target also has the ones that look like socks, but for like 15 dollars if youâre interested.
Leona: You said that in the same rhythm as I did!
Simone, Leona: The ones that look like socks!
Sam: Iâm very interested. Iâm also interested in what Max and Leona and Simone have to say about their time at Strasberg. They have since left Strasberg and have gone on to different studios, so Iâd love to hear about their experience.
Max: And graduated!
Sam: They graduated!
Leona: Thatâs just Max.
Sam: Youâll be still here!
Leona: Living in the NYU bubble.
Will: Yeah, for now.
Leona: For now.
Sam: So where are you staying right now?
Leona: Iâm at Stonestreet Studios, which is a TV and film acting studio. Itâs part of the NYU and Tisch program, and so you can only go after your 2 years of primary training. A lot of people do that after Strasberg, after theyâve completed their advanced training at Strasberg. Yeah, itâs been great, because they pretty much – Max, did you do Stonestreet?
Max: I did the Stonestreet elective, which I actually really liked. I was surprised by how much I got out of it for, I think it was 2 hours once a week.
Leona: I now TA the elective.
Max: Oh, amazing. Yeah, I found that very helpful.
Leona: Yeah, itâs really good that they make you go two years after youâve done some form of formal, primary training. That sounds so obvious, but they literally are like, âOkay, find a scene, youâre going up tomorrow,â and thatâs it. Itâs not like a rehearsal process like youâd have at Strasberg. You literally go up one at a time, youâll have 7 minutes each in the class, or something like that. For some classes you can go out before and prep however you would prep for a scene, based on your training.
Max: But they give you the time to do whatever you wanna do.
Leona: Yeah, they give you the time to do that. But theyâre like, âItâs not about doing that as a classâ and then each person using their warm-up or their method to perform. Because we have people from Meisner, we have people from Atlantic, Adler, ETW. The ETW people are always wanting to move out of the chair. But theyâre restricted to the seat for on-camera auditions!
Simone: I felt like when I was there, at least, the staff is pretty good. Theyâve learned a lot about primaries at the different studios, so they know how to communicate with different training, which I thought was nice.
Leona: Itâs also really cool because theyâre all industry people, in a way. A lot of them are working actors and they audition a lot and theyâre continuing to audition and theyâre doing pilot season and theyâre doing this and they can give real life tips about what’s happening right now. A lot of the professors are quite young – like, some of them not even over 30 – so theyâre really understanding what the industry is today rather than you can have some professors who only remember it a certain way. Which is still obviously good to know. But thatâs really helpful. And you have voiceover training, you can study on-camera auditions, you have writing and creating your own material – which is really cool, because a lot of people had never done that before and then are getting a chance to. Itâs really a group effort. If itâs someoneâs first time, itâs a lot of peopleâs first time. Everyoneâs kind of nervous about showing what theyâve written, but everyoneâs in the same boat. So itâs a nice way to start doing it because you donât feel the pressure.
Will: Right, and to experience this vulnerability on a safer level.
Leona: Exactly, exactly. Itâs nice to do that in a school setting, in a classroom setting, and to be workshopping scripts – and actors as well! I was speaking to TV and film people yesterday… âYeah, we always try and get actors to read our scripts, because we donât know. Weâre not actors, so we donât really know how someone would say these linesâ. It was just a funny way of looking at it and I was like, âYeah, I guess!â
Max: Right, and itâs so weird. Iâve actually been thinking about that a lot, about when youâre reading something and how itâs so immediate as to whether you think âthis is good,â or âeh, I donât know ifâŚâ Itâs not necessarily something I can always put my hand on, but Iâm either so in it or Iâm like, âThis is choppy. This is weird. I canât imagine saying that. I donât like how it feels. This isnât going to be easy to do.â Not necessarily that everything should be easy, but Iâm really realizing now how good writing is half the battle. Itâs so important.
Simone: Iâve noticed recently, especially when Iâm watching network TV, that you can tell the really good actors because theyâll say something and youâll think about the line and youâre like, âSomebody wrote that?â
Max: Yes! Yes! Oh my God, I do that all the time! One of my favorite things to do – Iâm obsessed with Sex in the City. I mean, I can recite every episode, itâs gross. But, itâs incredible writing! On top of that, what I love to do is look at the scripts – which are already good to begin with – and then see how those four actors bring that text to life. Because theyâre all so alive. God, I love it!
Leona: With Sex in the City in particular, you watch the first episode, compared to the last episode, and see how each of them have found their character.
Max: I actually think that show is kind of a master class. Iâm not gonna lie. I often watch it and will write notes on my phone. Sometimes late at night Iâm watching it and Iâll write actor notes and then, when I wake up the next day, Iâll look at them and be like, âWas I just tired or crazy?â But, no! Thereâs this one scene where you see her react to whatâs being said to her a couple beats before she says the line. We know what weâre going to say a second before we say it sometimes, and you could see her do it. Thereâs so many good parts!
Sam: Which one of the four are you?
Max: Oh, well…in emotional life? In aesthetics, Iâm a Carrie. I think I just am. But then I have Miranda and some Samantha in me. I donât know, itâs so funny.
Oh my God, in my dressing room – oh, I did A Chorus Line! I had to let you all know that! I forgot to let you know that I did that. But in my dressing room in A Chorus Line, it was funny because it came up and all three of the other guys in my dressing room love it. Itâs so funny when 3 out of the 4 people are like, âWell, Iâm Carrie.â This is the stupidest argument in the world. Like, one, youâre not! Two, are we actually having this argument? We were, but…
Simone: It is, it happens.
Now, I wanna know, you did primary here and then did you move immediately to� Because you moved to NSB eventually, correct?
Max: Yes, so what I did – and I always knew that I wanted to do this and was one of the main reasons I chose NYU – is I did an academic semester abroad after primary.
Simone: Right after primary training?
Max: Right after primary training.
Simone: Where did you go?
Max: I went to Paris. I studied mostly art history. Since I was in sixth grade, I was like, âIâm going to Paris my junior year of college.â I just knew.
Simone: I have goosebumps!
Max: Yeah! I had taken French for a really long time. I just knew that I needed to go, and I knew I was gonna go in college, and I knew that I was gonna go my junior fall weirdly. To my knowledge, NYU is the only place where you can get a BFA and not only study abroad, because most places donât let you study abroad, but have options. I always say, if other schools do let you study abroad, you have to go to London and you have to study Shakespeare. And thatâs amazing, but I just had no interest in that.
Will: Having the option of going somewhere else, to do something else is another thing.
Max: Yes! To do something else. And those three, those… how much? Like, four or five months off?
Simone: I was going to say, how do you feel like that impacted your acting?
Max: It was the best! I think it was the best. Because one, it showed me how much I really loved it. By the end of December, Iâm like âOkay, Iâm missing this and Iâm itching to get back.â And then, they say it all the time: acting is living, and how can you act if you donât live? It sounds very cliche, but you did a lot of living! I always tell people, I donât say that âI studied abroad.â I say, âI lived in Paris and studied for four months, or four and a half months,â because we lived with other students, with other French students, with international students. We all had our own apartments. I would go to the boulangerie every day and they know my order. I really felt like I lived in Paris for the time that I was there. Yeah – oh God, it was the best! I remember all the teachers here at Strasberg – Lola! I was talking to Lola while I was in Paris and she was like âOh!â She was telling me all the museums I have to go to, and the cemeteries – the Père Lachaise – and all that stuff. When I was in Shanghai, I was talking and Lola was like âYouâre in Shanghai? Itâs the best!â
Simone: They push you. They love travel.
Max: I feel like they push living here. They push art, they push culture, they push. I was always aligned with that aspect. I love how Lolaâs Method class would start with âOkay, what did you do? What theatre did you see? What museums did you go to?â And she could kinda tell if you were BS-ing her.You had to see real shit! Or else she would just say âThatâs fake!â Well, she wouldnât say thatâs fake… but she would be like, âMhm. Really? You watched that movie?â
Will: Madeline Jaye loved that.
Leona: I would always get so excited every time I did go see theatre. Iâd be like âOh good, I can tell them about it on Monday.â
Simone: The thing is, you do get excited to share with them because they value it so much. I would always try hard to go and see stuff because I was like, âI want to show you how cool I am!â
Max: Itâs so important, itâs so important! So yeah, so I did an academic semester in Paris and then after that I did three semesters of NSB, which is the musical theatre studio to anyone who doesnât know. I found that incredibly valuable as well. I wouldnât have done my college any other way. I think two years at Strasberg, one semester abroad, and three semesters in NSB⌠it all worked out really perfectly.
Leona: Were you able to audition for New Studio abroad then?
Max: Yeah, so that was kind of a funny story. So they… I donât know if I should say this… well, whatever, I donât care. They technically say that they donât let people come in half way through the year. Like, you have to audition in the fall and you have to go in the entire year. I auditioned in the normal time my sophomore spring, and was accepted. And then at the same time, I found out I was accepted to go to Paris. I donât know. One of the things my parents always taught me, my mom always said: âSo long as youâre respectful and you have manners, ask for what you want. The worst they can say is no.â That was ingrained in me as a kid. âAsk for what you want. The worst they can say is no,â and so I asked. I said, âLook, Iâm so excited that Iâm accepted. I also was accepted to go to Paris and Iâm very excited about that. Is there any possible wayâŚ?â and they said, âYeah, absolutely. Weâd be thrilled to have you in the spring.â And I said, âFierce, okay. Letâs do it!â
Simone: They donât often make acceptions, but they do. Especially if someone, like you said, is respectful and has manners and asks nicely.
Leona: Do you mind if I ask – if they had said no?
Max: If they had said no? What would I have done?
Leona: Yes.
Max: Ooh⌠thatâs a good question. When the guests become the interviewers!
Will: Watch out!
Sam: Leonaâs taking over!
Max: I think I wouldâve gone to Paris, and I just wouldâve figured it out. Maybe then I wouldâve done my senior year doing theatre, and I couldâve come back here for a semester before. Not for Practicum, itâs not Practicum, really –
Leona: The advanced training?
Max: Yeah, thatâs probably what I wouldâve done. I wouldâve gone to Paris, come back, done another semester of Strasberg, and then auditioned.
Leona: Iâm glad you said you wouldâve gone to Paris, though. I didnât study abroad, but I studied abroad here for four years. If youâre able to do it, I think itâs a really cool thing to be able to travel. While New York and London are not crazy different in terms of the metropolitan cities, they still do culturally different things. Americans and Brits are very different in really cool ways.
Max: Thatâs such a cool thing that you donât realize until you really travel. There are cultures that – on the surface – are like âOh, theyâre metropolitan,â or âOh, they seem so westernized,â or âOh, theyâre just like us.â But, no, theyâre actually completely different. Their mentalities about their country, or about government, or about everything are just so different.
Will: Well, something like London even moves so much slower in New York. I think itâs something to do with it being an old city, and everywhere in Europe kinda moves slower than New York especially.
Max: Right, they take lunches.
Will: Oh, during rehearsal processes at RADA, weâd just have tea everyday at 4:00 like clockwork. It was great. Thereâs subtle differences that really inform you about the world at large, which is definitely one of the important things that I feel like I got in my education at NYU – just being able to meet different people from different places who had completely different perspectives on what life was and about. Because I went to, like, a Catholic high school, like practically from preschool to high school.
Max: Oh, wow.
Will: Thatâs, like, a whole thing. Thatâs a different story. Weâll get that next week. But yeah, thatâs like a very insular isolated experience – and I think I said that exact phrase on the last episode, but I stand by it! Thereâs a lot of maturation that happens at NYU for a lot of people, whether theyâre from less isolated places or more isolated places. But, being in a community of people with different lived experiences is just an invaluable thing that you canât replace.
Max: Right, and you realize how vastly varied America is. Iâm from central Connecticut – I didnât realize that I had so many marked traits of being northeastern, or of being like Connecticut. I thought I was just normal! And then you realize thereâs no such thing as normal, because thatâs a completely different thing from Southern Californian people, which is a completely different thing from Washington, Oregon people. My junior and senior year, I was the only one in my apartment who wasnât from LA. I talked totally different after living there. I was like, âIâm a Cali-Connecticut kid now!â But like, itâs not even just different countries, which… that alone is huge.
Leona: I say âawesomeâ now, way more than when I got to New York, like âOh my God, thatâs so awesome!â
Will: I would love to delve a little bit deeper into both of your times at Strasberg. Weâll just hear a little more about⌠if you want to go into auditioning a little bit, we touched on that last week. If you want to bring that up, I think thatâs always a valuable thing to have. The beginnings of your time here at Tisch, I think, really set the tone for where you go from there. So Iâd love to hear you guys speak about that.
Max: Totally. Do you�
Leona: Sure. Yeah, so I wasâŚ
Will: Do you want to talk about auditioning? Do you want to talk about auditioning?
Leona: Wait, auditioning in what context?
Will: Auditioning for Tisch. Thatâs what I meant.
Leona: For Tisch! Oh, I thought you meant, likeâŚ
Will: No, no, no, no.
Max: Like our audition story! Yeah, letâs do that!
Leona: So, my audition story was⌠my whole thing was when I was looking for drama schools, let me see… England has incredible drama schools. They were not overlooked, but I knew I wanted to go to NYU.
Will: Did you apply to any?
Leona: I applied early decision for NYU.
Will: Oh, so it was too late, butâŚ
Leona: So, I found out I got in and I was just like, âOkay, like, Iâm safe,â yâknow? The process of drama auditions ended up quite long.
Will: Well, thereâs several rounds of callbacksâŚ
Leona: There are several rounds of callbacks. I was just like – I mean, if it was this evening, I would get all the callbacks.
Will: Who has the time?
Leona: No, so, I found out I got in and I knew that I wanted to go to NYU. I visited with my family and walked past the Tisch building. I was like, âI could go there!â. I went in and this kidâs comes like, âWhereâs your NYU ID?â. I was like, âOh… Iâm 16 and I donât have any ID. I just wanted to look around,â and then – do you know Tom Pettiford?
Will: Oh, yeah. I think heâs gone now.
Max: Iâve never met him, but Iâve gotten many emails.
Leona: Yeah, yeah, exactly. So, really strange, he was walking down the stairs as I got into the NYU building. He asked, âDo you need any help with anything?â and I was like, âYeah, I just wanted to look around.â He goes, âSo weird! Iâm doing a private talk with potential students in like 15 minutes. Do you want to come?â and I was like, âOh my God, yes!â. It was one of those things that was written in the stars. I was like, âOh my God, Iâm gonna come here!â. Obviously the talk was amazing and I was like, âIâm gonna be in a star, I canât wait!â. Of course there was some other stuff, but thatâs another episode. But yeah, I still applied to audition.
Will: Did you audition in New York?
Leona: I auditioned in New York, yeah, and thatâs where I met Leggy.
Will: Oh yeah!
Sam: Leggy!
Leona: Leggy and I were in the same audition group. We were in the same audition group, and weâre both blonde. We were like, âOkay, we kinda look a bit similar, but itâs okay.â And then, we were all going around the circle where people had to say where weâre from and we both had British accents. I was like, âHonestly, I hate you.â I love her now that weâve been together for three years, sheâs amazing, but we both agreed that the first five minutes of us knowing each other, we full-on hated each other. And we were like –
Max: âItâs not gonna work, itâs not gonna work.â
Leona: We were like, âTheyâre not gonna take two blonde Brits from the same group!â But then we added each other on Facebook, and⌠I donât even know if this is in the right context.
Will: I liked it.
Leona: Okay, Iâm gonna keep it. So, yeah, we had a really good mutual friend, so when I found out I got into NYU, I was like, âooh poor Leggy… clearly she didnât!â
So then I messaged her and I was like, âYou got in as well? Which studio?â Well, we didnât find out the studio then, but then we both got placed into Strasberg. We werenât in the same âgroup,â but then it was just one of the things. We both came to NYU at the same time and we already knew each other because we had this weird British thing. Thatâs kinda how I make all my friends.
Will: It actually is!
Leona: Yeah, we ended up living together for three years. Thatâs not really an audition story for Tisch, itâs more like how I became friends with Leggy. But itâs how –
Will: Itâs how you started out here.
Leona: Yeah, exactly.
Max: I think itâs so important – Oh, sorry, go ahead.
Sam: Oh, go ahead. I was just wondering how your experience coming from England and starting university in the US was.
Leona: I moved to NYU the day after my 18th birthday. I literally arrived, and my parents dropped me off, and I was like, âOkay, Iâll be fine!â Then they left and I was like, âOh my gosh, this is big.â It was definitely difficult. I say London and stuff, but I didnât actually live in London. I lived in Buckinghamshire, just outside of London. So Iâd never lived in a city before, and that was more of the difficult experience than actually moving to a different country. Iâd always gone to boarding school, so it wasnât that I was homesick. I had kind of adjusted to living away from my home or my family. It was more the city thing, just dealing with going to sleep with fire engines. Yeah, itâs a lot of people but I think everyone can kind of attest that freshman yearâs first few weeks are quite a lonely, weird few weeks.
Max: Right, the first few weeks are good because you can talk to anyone. You can talk to anyone.
Leona: But you canât really be like, âIâm done, help me!â
Max: Right, right. But at least you can be like, âhi,â and no oneâs gonna be rude or look at you weird. Seize that time from the beginning.
Leona: Exactly, and itâs true what they say. I mean, I just did my whole Leggy-confession story, but those people you meet on your first day really do shape the way NYUâs gonna route you. Iâm still friends with –
Max: Yeah, some of them really actually do. Well, I think they do and they donât, because thereâs a joke about like, âFirst semester friends!â Or like, âFirst year friends!â
Simone: Welcome week friends�
Max: Right, welcome week friends. And then when some of them last til your senior year, youâre like, âHuh. Not too bad, wow. We really love each other I guess.â
Simone: So, how was your audition experience for NYU?
Max: It was okay. I didnât do ED because, as much as I loved NYU, I was just too curious. I kinda wanted to audition at a bunch of different places. I oddly enough kinda enjoyed my college audition process. I actually had a really good time. I thought, âOh, this is fun. I just get to walk into different rooms and meet different people and do my thing.â I enjoyed it.
Simone: Thatâs a good actor mentality, to love auditioning.
Max: Right, and I wouldnât say I âlove auditioning,â but I really liked what I was doing. I really liked my material, and I was like, âAlright, cool. Letâs drive around and letâs do it!â
Will: Can I ask where else you applied/if anything else was a potential option?â
Max: Um, do you want my full list?
Will: Yeah, go for it.
Max: Well, I wonât give my full list, but I applied for 10 schools. I had 10 auditions, and I was fortunate enough to have choice, which was great. So when I found out – I had auditioned for MT initially, I had auditioned all MT, and then I got into 2 programs for acting. I got into NYU for acting and I got into another school for acting. I was like, âHuh. Thatâs interesting.â And I wonât lie, when I found out, I was really upset that I wasnât placed into the MT studio here. I was devastated. I was fully devastated. I was in – it was so funny, at my high school, I was in this performing thing. We were actually in Germany, so the time zone is crazy. So I get an email at 2 in the morning that I was placed in Strasberg, and I was so upset. I wanna be honest! It turns around, friends, donât worry. It really turns around. I remember calling my mom, and⌠so sad. So then, we came to NYU on accepted students day, and even that day was hard, because we went into the Tisch building and I didnât know where Strasberg was and so we asked someone like, âOh, excuse me, is this Strasberg?â They were like, âOh, no, this is the musical theatreâŚâ Like, we were literally in the halls, and then I got sad again, and – it was sad! So then we meandered out way up Broadway, through Union Square, and we came up to the Strasberg building and Iâll never forget it. Lorca had a class that was on lunch break, and so we got to pop into – which one is right there?
Sam: The Marilyn Monroe?
Max: Yeah, so we popped in just to see the space, and they were on a lunch break, and Lorca was right there, and I donât remember⌠someone from the front maybe? But they were like, âOh, heâs accepted to Strasberg, he just wants to know more!â And I was able to talk to current second years about their time. And Lorca was there as well, and we had a really great conversation! And it was really meeting⌠I thought, all the kids were so cool. They seemed really⌠the way they were speaking about acting, and the way that they work, and the way that – I was like, âHm, okay, this seems really cool. Iâm very much aligning with how they work and what this vibe is here.â And so then that day, it was after meeting the students, the same day I was like âOkay, yeah, letâs do this!â I remember we were at the bookstore, and we were like, âWe got the shirt!â
Later, whenever I was at NYU, whenever I would see anyone who is a potential student, be it in the Strasberg building, in the Tisch building, I would always go up to them and say, âHey, I know this is kind of out of the blue, but Iâm a current senior. Do you have any questions? I know itâs kind of confusing with all the studios, what can I tell you?â For me, it was really getting to talk to the students. That sealed the deal for me. And then, once I got here, in no time I was so grateful for it and now Iâm still so grateful for it. I think I really needed this training. I really needed to kind of be, like, broken down. I had a lot of bad habits that needed to go away, I needed – I just had a lot of stuff that needed to be pushed away to get to a neutral, so to speak. So I feel like my freshman year was kind of that, was breaking all the bad habits, finding what this honest place is where you can just react to the stimuli thatâs coming to you, and you can just live in that way. Then sophomore year was more working on the technique that was applied freshman year, and itâs rough. I havenât talked to one person who was like, âSophomore year is the best!â
Simone: I was about to say that, I feel like thatâs the most common experience here at Strasberg is that the second year is so hard. Thatâs why so many people, I feel like, left after sophomore year. Maybe people who were considering staying, but then⌠yâknow, thereâs some people that came in that had a plan and knew that they were planning on leaving, but I knew a lot of people who were like, âI canât handle it anymore,â and left after sophomore year.
Will: âCause I feel like for me, after doing two years here, I went to RADA and I needed that semester away.
Max: You need time away, and you realize in your time away that this training takes time. You notice a difference after a couple months or after your freshman year, and youâre like âWow, I see so much growth!â But I donât believe, really, that it gets into your bones until youâre done. Or until two years have passed and you take some time away. I remember thinking that some things felt so tedious – even like, how to approach a script, how to analyze a script, how to analyze a scene, how to do your character work. I was like, âWhy does this feel so tedious, and why does it simultaneously feel so easy? I know what to do, but I still have to look at my notes on how to do it?â And itâs still this, like, very untangible… intangible… untangible?
Will: Intangible.
Max: Intangible. This very intangible thing that you canât quite grasp. But then when I came back to NYU Tisch, what, junior spring, and Iâm in the musical theatre studio, Iâm like, âOkay, yeah give me a script. Okay, then what am I looking for? Oh, Iâm looking for that, oh okay, that tells me a lot about my character.â Then into senior year, it was only deeper. I knew exactly all those things, but it was like, âWhen is this gonna become secondhand?â And it became so secondhand. How to breathe and how to warm up and how to have a way of working – all those things didnât really cement themselves, or begin to cement themselves, until the end of junior or senior year.
Will: Well, I think thereâs also something about the age at which you start training. You start when youâre 18-19 years old – youâre still so young in your own sense of self. Thereâs something about aging into yourself and settling in your bones a little bit more that allows the technique to become that much deeper.
Max: Ooh, thatâs a good point! I haven’t thought about that.
Simone: I think one of the things that I discovered about myself so deeply here at Strasberg is… so much about the sensory work is what your memory can recall the fastest. Weâve been talking about the touchy points, or the things that you can find a little bit easier. I learned so much about how I remember things because of what comes faster when weâre doing exercises and what impacts me. The training really helped me solidify how I think and how I work. I think that this method – itâs like youâre saying, you barely know anything about yourself when youâre 18 because youâre newly on your own.
Will: And asking yourself to start from a place of self is a very vulnerable thing to do when youâre in your late teens.
Max: Well, right, right! Thatâs what the training does. I remember it wasnât until March of my freshman year in one of my Method classes, we had this moment… I always had difficulty speaking out when something wasnât working. I always had a lot of trouble being like, âThis isnât working.â And there were a lot of times when it wasnât working. There was this one day, Iâm pretty sure it was in March, where it wasnât working and in my head I was like, âMax, just say out loud that it isnât working. Just say every thought in your head.â And I couldnât do it! After sensory, we sit in a circle and we talk about it. It was on me and I was like, I kinda took that moment, I was like, âWell, I wanted to say that this wasnât working and I donât think I have any talent and I think I suck and why am I here but I donât want to say that because then everyone else is going to think Iâm not talented.â
As I said that, it was the most cathartic, big release ever, and it happened outside of – it wasnât even through doing scene work, it was through articulating fear and articulating insecurity, but it took so much to even say that. Once I said that out loud, once I said âIâm scared that Iâm no good at this,â then we got to a place where like, âOkay, good. Now we can actually start working.â I just wanted to say this too, I had a teacher at NSB who always said, âNothing is good or bad. Itâs just, is it useful or is it not useful?â I love that, because thereâs such a connotation about, âOh yeah, thatâs good,â or, âThatâs a really good emotional thing!â No! That paints it in a way thatâs⌠it shouldnât be about that! Itâs like, âIs it useful for the work youâre doing or is it not useful for the work youâre doing?â
Will: I think going off of that, one of the most useful things that Iâve learned here – that I think Iâve only started to appreciate after graduation – is relaxation. Because itâs so much more vital to be in touch with how you are in the present moment than to use – I mean, of course you should use sensory if it works for you but itâs more important, I think, to be in touch with whatâs actually going on inside you and to start in a place thatâs actually real than to re-experience something else and try to bring in something in that, maybe, is a struggle to bring into the moment.
Max: Totally! I would tell people that. I remember talking to my aunt my freshman year, I was like, âI feel like Iâm getting a BFA in mindfulness.â
Leona: Itâs tough, but the other thing as well is that itâs really hard to be that relaxed. That was the biggest thing for me in Strasberg. Once you get it, then it starts becoming something that you can get a little bit easier, much like how you were saying. But first year even into second year, getting relaxed for me in particular was difficult.
Will: I donât think I learned how to properly relax until third year.
Leona: Yeah, exactly, and it was –
Max: My legs never fully relaxed! Iâm still fully convinced theyâll pick it up and Iâll go, âWhatâs this?â
Leona: No, literally! There was someone, I donât remember who it was, but it was someone who said to me, maybe a senior when I was a sophomore or something, who was like, âOh yeah, I still didnât get it, but Iâm getting there.â I was just like, âThatâs okay.â If you were like an incoming student coming into Strasberg, the whole thing is just overwhelming and everyone is so talented and youâre like, âOh my goodness, they all seems to be getting it, Iâm not getting it.â And itâs also like, everyone has a different sort of path to it.
Will: Part of training, I think, is that you only pick up so much while youâre doing it and then you learn more later. One thing that I think about the Method specifically as a technique is you can get very lazy with it. With sensory, you can get just enough to be like, âOh, Iâm kind of doing it.â I took Lolaâs class for the first time last fall, because I never had her first year, and she was very particular about me going back to the very beginning of doing coffee cup and lemon and smell and place, and doing one exercise at a time for like, two hours – doing it as fully realized as you can. When youâre on stage, you do get just as much as is gonna come to you at that moment because youâre under the time constraints of a show. To be more specific, youâre training and retraining the muscle of your imaginative mind in the sense of thinking in images so that itâs there more easily.
Max: So that itâs there.
Will: So that itâs there more easily – usually.
Max: Whatâs so big is you need to know the rules before you can break the rules. So having a really solid technique in one method and one facet of training I found so helpful because then, once you have that kinda under your belt, you donât necessarily always need to reach for it. I remember my freshman year, I was in a romantic scene and I was just looking at my partner. In that moment, she was enough and I didnât need to do a sensory about another person. Or maybe I tried to and it wasnât working, and Ted just said, âJust look at her! Sometimes your scene partner is enough. Sometimes the person whoâs right there in front of you – itâs real stimuli, itâs enough!â
The head of the musical theatre studio would say, âTechnique is what you go to when imagination and inspiration fail you.â I think thatâs really great too, because how amazing to have this wonderful technique – that totally informs how you work – that you can always go to, and you donât necessarily need to always start with it. Sometimes, if youâre in the moment, whatâs right there is enough. But when itâs not enough, then you can then call upon those things.
Will: One thing that Robert Ellerman used to say, or says to me now, is that training in a technique is for the purpose of unlocking something within you and understanding more about your own instrument. When you don’t have to try as hard, if youâre not âdoing the techniqueâ as you were taught, thatâs not necessarily a bad thing because it means itâs living inside you – instead of you trying to actively reach for something thatâs not there. If that makes sense?
Simone: Iâm interested, now that weâve kinda talked about how we felt about the learning of the primary, how that carried into your training when you left this building and –
Will: And also how you use the technique now, and in what ways –
Simone: Right. Because, I think weâve talked about it. The primary is such a foundation, and how that foundation⌠how youâve built upon that in your⌠just for a couple minutes here.
Leona: Iâm just gonna say, Iâll second what Max said about it kind of just becoming – what was the sort of word you used?
Max: Second nature?
Leona: Yeah, a second-nature sort of thing when youâre eventually doing other work or other auditions, because you literally spend 3 days a week at least, if youâre not in a show, from nine to six doing The Method.
Max: Yeah, I always tell people – Iâm like, âFour hours, twice a week, in a metal chair.â And theyâre like, âWhoa,â and Iâm like, âI know,â and itâs amazing.
Leona: And itâs amazing! Because you might not think in the moment that anything is happening, which happened in my personal experience. At least once in the four hours youâre like –
Will: Nothingâs happening, yeah.
Max: Right. I love that they say, âSay it! Say âGod, I hate this! Nothingâs working!â. Speak it out!â. Iâd hate it, Iâd be like âI hate this, nothingâs working!â
Leona: Right, exactly. So itâs like, that sort of stuff – it just becomes second nature. When you go into other classes and other auditions in other NYU Tisch schools, or externally auditioning, or self-tapes, anything like that – like you said, you get a script, you make your sensory choices, you think about itâŚ
Max: You kinda know what to do.
Leona: And you kinda know what to do! That’s definitely been the coolest thing about it. Itâs just to have something to rely on if everything else doesnât work. Because honestly, this is to Stonestreetâs credit – what they make you realize is how youâre going to be on a set: there are people relying on you to make sure you know your lines, you know your thing, and youâre gonna be able to act; you have this set amount of time; this is how long weâve rented this location for; itâs costing this amount of money. Theyâre very good at letting you know the pressure and the stakes that are at. Iâve gone on…
Will: Well, and what it takes in that to be an actual professional. Because itâs one thing to be an actor and itâs a very different thing to be a professional actor.
Leona: Exactly.
Max: Totally.
Leona: I guess I would say the same thing for theatre, because in theatre you have the pressure of being able to be on every single night, consistently for months.
Will: And regardless of what media youâre acting in, no one wants to be the asshole in the room who canât do their job. Itâs not a good look.
Max: Yeah, no, itâs so important. Iâm so happy you said that, because to anyone whoâs training – or whoâs in college or high school auditioning – it is such a real thing that, yes, it gets to a point almost where… talent will always matter, but it gets to a point where everyone is talented.
Will: And a certain level of talent is expected.
Max: Yeah, like, youâd better be talented if youâre doing it for your career. I sure hope so.
Leona: A professor said to me, âTalent doesnât make you unique.â I was like, âOh my God! Thatâs such a good way to put it!â Like, everyoneâs freaking special.
Max: Yeah, I mean, youâd better be able to know how to be in a room with people and know how to be respectful, because Iâve been in some rooms where itâs just like, âOh my God, is that person actually saying that, or doing that?â And it matters, and sometimes theyâre fired! Or if theyâre not fired, then thereâs kind of this air of, âOh, we donât want to work with this person again.â Like, itâs real.
Leona: Yeah, another professor said your percentage points make whatâs in your control and what isnât. Itâs like, how you can be prepared is like 50-60% of it. But then the other 40% is showing up on time, being a nice person, treating everyone with respect. And then thereâs the other 10% of if your eyes and hair are the same color as your romantic interest, you donât wanna look like siblings. You know what I mean? Thereâs some things that you just canât control as well in that, and thatâs really important to remember.
Max: But what is in control –
Leona: What is in control –
Will: Make it in control!
Leona: And thatâs what NYU is great with.
Will: Well, especially at Strasberg. Because one thing we always talk about is how self-motivated the entire curriculum is, and people often donât understand that itâs done super on-purpose. No one in the real world is gonna push you to find a job, find an audition, find something, find a new scene. No oneâs gonna push you to do anything because no one cares, so you have to learn how to be your own self motivator.
Max: Right, and no oneâs gonna push you to be like, âOh, are you doing your script work?â Like, no, itâs either going to be good or itâs going to be bad.
Leona: You start each scene with like, âWhat are you working on? What choices have you made?â and then you can see the people who are like, âUm, so Iâm kinda been thinking about, like, maybe doingâŚâ
Max: Itâs like, no! Do it!
Simone: And I think thatâs one of the things about second year that people are like, âOh, second year was so hard,â and, âOh, I only did 2 scenes all semester!â And Iâm like, âWhoâs fault is that?â
Max: Right, sophomore year, the responsibility is all on you, yeah.
Simone: Because freshman year, itâs very structured, and like –
Will: Scenes are assigned for the most part, but they will push you to be like, âWhat are you working on next?â
Simone: Theyâre suggested, yâknow. Sophomore year was very structured, but you bring your stuff in.
Will: Especially in Geoffrey’s class. Like, youâre not going to have Geoffrey Horne assign you a scene.
Simone: Right, you can ask him for advice, he can bring his plays to you, butâŚ
Will: Youâll do The Flick, Iâll do The Whale.
Simone: But yeah, I think itâs very self motivated. And I think that’s right, it is because no one is gonna do it for you in the real world. So I think Strasberg really does a great job in preparing you for- if you wanna work, you have to make work for yourself.
Max: What I also love so much about Strasberg and what I think informed the most is: One, it teaches you a way to work that really worked for me. From all the finding your character classes or script analysis classes, now I kinda always know that, for me personally, if Iâm approaching a character, something thatâs real is always going to be the most helpful for me. Something thatâs based in actual truth is always gonna be the most helpful, and thatâs something that we learned here. So for instance, when I did West Side Story – thereâs a book that was written by a real psychologist who did field studies on delinquent youths in New York in the 50âs and 60âs. That was the first thing that I went to because it gives you something thatâs concrete, which is so helpful.
Then also, what you were saying about Geoffrey is just that… a lot of the teachers here, theyâre always kind of repeating the same thing. But now I canât get those things out of my head, and Iâm so grateful for it all the time! Like, I always hear Lola saying, âRelax your face,â in my head. I always hear –
Sam: I can hear it in her voice too!
Max: Yeah, I always hear Lorca saying, âWhy are you looking at the ground? Look up!â I hear Geoffery saying, âYou can only go as far out as you can go in.â I hear that all the time! âPain before anger!â I hear these soundbytes in my head!
Simone: The other one that I always hear when Iâm onstage, and Iâm sitting up there being like, âOh my God, is this work good enough?â I can always hear Geoffrey in one ear whispering, âYou are enough,â and in the other ear Geoffrey whispering, âjust talk.â Just talk! And I can hear him saying this to me when Iâm up there, like, âIs this working? Am I doing something actor-y?â I can just hear them being, âYou are enough.â âJust talk.â
Will: My favorite Geoffrey quote was always, âIf you think youâre boring, go slower.â Because if youâre not taking your time, youâre not breathing, you lose so much of the work. Because itâs so easy to speed through something.
Max: Itâs so important too, about the âbe yourselfâ and the âjust talk.â Iâve been in The Chorus Line and, specifically, that whole show is just you talking and nothing can feel kind of put-on. It has to feel really natural. They would always say, âItâs too put-on! Itâs too forced!â … Just talk! And then you have to do all your character work.
Leona: And you have to feel like itâs nothing!
Max: [singing] Iâm feeling nothing!
Max: Itâs like, you have to⌠all the work has to be there, so that itâs just in your body. And then once itâs there and you know why your character says everything he says – which is so important because you realize, before you do that work, that you realize you breeze right past it. When you actually stop and are like, âOh, Iâm saying this because of my relationship with that character, and my past with that character, and blah, blah, blah,â – only then can you actually just talk. God, I love that stuff.
Leona: I wanna say my Geoffrey quote!
Will: Say your Geoffrey quote!
Leona: You mightâve already said this on the show.
Will: Say it again, itâs worth saying!
Leona: âDonât go bigger, go deeper.â Thatâs my one that he says that I like. Heâd give that note a lot.
Will: Because heâd always be so angry when directors would say, âgo bigger, faster, louder.â
Leona: Heâd get that note a lot and itâs, like, you canât be. âCause if youâd be bigger, youâre just gonna be annoying or louder, but go deeper!
Max: Right, yeah, the pain. Yeah, I love that. We can only go as far out as we can go in.
Simone: And we kinda talked about this earlier, about what you can control, and things like that. We talked about how 10% of is they like you, they like that person standing in front of you. So I think that note of, âJust talk,â is so important, because they hired you because youâre you. I think thatâs something especially that they push at Stonestreet, is that all of you are talented, all of you can memorize lines, all of you can analyze a scene. But theyâre hiring you because, in their vision of the show, you look like the character to them.
Leona: And you bring value to what they envision.
Simone: Right, and when they think about the show they want to put on, youâre what they were kind of envisioning. Thatâs why I think the note of just talk is so important, because we forget that half the reason why weâre able to do what we do is because we are the human that we are.
Will: Well, and how weird is it where youâre slate and youâre a normal human being, or youâre talking with whoeverâs behind the table beforehand, and then you do this weird thing where you switch on and now Iâm acting. Thatâs such an annoying quality to have. I think it was Sally Field, when she was here, talking about when you audition you need to go in as the character youâre auditioning for. You have to let the casting director believe that this is just who you are, that it canât come from some sort of false place.
Max: Right, it canât switch. Also, thatâs such a good note in reverse to facing rejection. If you donât get it, in most instances itâs like, âyouâre not right for this director, producer, eceteraâs vision for their version of this project at this time.â And hell, I mean, sometimes itâs, âYouâre not the same size as the replacement, and they want to-â You know what I mean? Itâs a million different things.
Simone: Right, and we talked about it! Maybe they already committed – like the producerâs friend is playing the romantic lead, so you look like their brother or youâre 5 feet taller than the lead male.
Will: Itâs a thousand different things.
Max: If youâre fully you as yourself, and fully you being the character, then I think it makes rejection easier.
Leona: Yeah. I was also gonna say⌠I went to an audition, like, last week and everyone who got called back sat in a circle. We had to go around, say our names, our pronouns, and the name of our first stuffed animal toy. We went round in a circle, we did that. And then we went out of the room, and then I saw people got called back. And I was like, âWhat did I do wrong? Not name my first pet toy a more interesting name?â I literally said, âI had a tiger called Tiger.â And that was like⌠it? Clearly, there were other things at stake and you just have to be able, when they say no, to know that itâs really not you. Itâs nothing personal.
Max: Right, because most of the time itâs not. Thatâs also something thatâs probably important to say – youâre a full time auditioner. Youâre a professional auditioner. And as soon as I leave a room, Iâm like, âAlright, fierce. On to the next.â
Will: Right, itâs over. Because if you stay there for too long, youâll drive yourself absolutely insane.
Max: Yeah, you have to do the work and get excited. I always, yâknow, envision getting the job before I go in.
Simone: Manifest.
Max: Of course. And you always get your hopes up, or whatever. But as soon as I walk out, Iâm like, âItâs over. Whatâs the next audition? Whatâs the next thing to focus on?â Because youâll drive yourself crazy if you fixate on every audition.
Sam: Tim Crouse would always tell me to physically throw it away. If I had sides, to immediately throw them in the trash. It was the best advice ever, because itâs not yours so you shouldnât claim it, yâknow what I mean?
Max: I bought a play for a play that I went in for last week, and I didnât get it. And itâs just so funny that you say that, cause I saw it on my floor this morning, and –
Sam: Did you want to throw it away?
Max: I kinda wanted to throw it away! And I thought, âIâm not gonna throw it away because itâs a really good play, and I hope to work on this play someday,â but now Iâm like, âMaybe I can put it at the bottom of my bookshelf, I donât need to look at it right now.â
Sam: Put it away!
Max: Yeah, you put it away. If you canât throw it away, put it away!
Leona: Iâve just been Marie Kondo-ing my apartment. So Iâm going through all my plays and stuff, and Iâm just like, âDoes it bring me joy? No.â and I chuck it away.
Will: You get rid of books a lot.
Leona: I do, but I sell them!
Max: Donate them – oh okay, sell them.
Leona: I sell or donate them.
Max: [whispers] Donât throw away books!
Will: No, books are great. Books are friends.
Leona: All of them are in this library right now.
Will: You gave me a few books.
Leona: I gave you a few books.
Will: They were all British-adjacent.
Leona: Yeah, well, itâs just because books⌠I love books, I really love books. Iâm not gonna start.
Sam: Itâs okay if you donât!
Leona: No! I love plays and stuff, but they just⌠most of the time, if theyâre not getting used enough, theyâre heavy and youâre moving apartments. Books can be a little…
Max: I know itâs hard. I have a mini – not mini, itâs actually kind of growing – coffee art table book collection, which I love. I love, love, love⌠but I mean, those are hard to lug when youâre moving apartments. Iâm like, âJesus Christ!â
Simone: What have I done?
Max: God, do I need this Kate Moss thing thatâs, like, the size of a computer? Like⌠like an old computer!
Leona: Just in case anyone listens to this, I donât throw away all⌠I keep the ones that I love, and that matter to me.
Will: Well, now that weâve learned about Leonaâs book habits, I think itâs time for us to take a break. Weâll be back for the Long Loud Sound.
[MUSICAL INTERLUDE, ADVERTISEMENT STARTS]
âThe Strasberg Film Festival is around the corner. Submissions are due March 1st and the festival takes place on March 22nd. Our annual film festival showcases the creativity and ingenuity of our students. Best of luck to everyone who submits!â
[MUSICAL INTERLUDE]
Will: So, Sam Vita.
Sam: What up?
Will: Weâre here with our favorite segment: The Long Loud Sound.
Sam: Ahhh! …Weâll give a short preview!
Will: Weâre gonna start with Max this week.
Max: My long, loud sound is that I have to go to work right after this. Itâs because I just got off an acting job that was incredible. A Chorus Line is my dream show and doing that was so fulfilling and happy and wow! I just want to do this every day for the rest of my life! So then when it ends, and you have to go back to your day job before the next acting job, itâs rough. Iâm like, just back. I just want to look in the mirror and do step-kick-kick leap-kick-touch everyday! I just wanna do A Chorus Line every day, I wanna go to a real – not a real job, a fake job. So thatâs that.
Sam: There you go. I just thought of mine right now, as Iâm experiencing this pain. I just took a spin class for the first time in a while yesterday. Got a Groupon, really good deal. But the area in which your body hits the seat when youâre doing the up-downs, it really hurts! So thatâs where my long, loud sound is going to.
Leona: My long, loud sound is my dryer just started smoking.
Will: What, Menthols?
Leona: Yeah, can you believe that? Itâs so weird. [laughs] It started smoking, so we canât use it. My poor roommate has all her wet clothing in the washing machine. She was a bit worried that it was gonnaâŚ
Will: …light on fire?
Leona: Yeah. Could you let the listeners know next week if�
Will: Yeah, Iâll add that as a little ending.
Leona: âBy the way, Leonaâs dryer -â
Will: Itâs like a Real Housewives finale where we tell them what youâve been up to.
Max: Oh my god, Iâm dead! With like a still photo and itâs like, âHer dryer was fine.â
[laughter]
Leona: Yeah, no, thatâs what my long, loud sound is to.
Max: Did I just make a Housewives tagline? âI always get the last bow, and the last word!â
[laughter]
Will: Letâs go, Simone. Whatâs your long, loud sound?
Simone: My long, loud sound is just to how expensive groceries are and how much it costs to feed yourself – especially if you want to be healthy and buy healthy foods. Just how expensive produce and stuff is… thatâs my long, loud sound.
Leona: Iâm gonna add to that. Do you know how oatmilk is the new thing? Itâs so rare to find, and I went on Amazon and guess how much they tried to charge for oat milk?
Will: How much?
Leona: 25 dollars.
Max: Woaaah.
Will: A bottle??
Leona: On Amazon! Because it was in so much demand. Isnât that hilarious?
Simone: So yeah, Whole Foods: expensive. And thatâs my long, loud sound.
Will: My long, loud sound is for a notification on my phone that I got from CNN which says, âA recent poll says that 1 in 3 Americans are okay with blackface, sometimes.â
Max: …Oh…
Will: I donât really have a lot to say about that besides, if you think that, youâre an idiot. Youâre a real idiot.
Simone: What?
Will: Yeah, Iâll show you the poll later. Weâll link it in the show notes.
Simone: Yeah, Iâm changing my long, loud sound to that.
Sam: Yeah, everybody’s is that. Weâre all doing that.
Max: And all these garments of clothing that are coming out that resemble itâŚ. Itâs psycho.
Leona: Itâs like, how did that get out? How did that get out?
Max: It got out because there arenât any African American or black people on these creative teams to say that thatâs totally messed up! It needs to be a huge change inâŚ
Simone: All industries. In all industries!
Sam: Screw my pain!
Will: Well, we gotta do one, we just gotta do one! Ready?
[long, loud sound]
Will: Thank you everyone, weâll be back next week!
Leona: Thanks for having us!
Will: Thank you guys!