Emily Pendergast: From Ohio Cornfields To The Groundlings Stage

A single yes can change your life, but so can a no. I’m joined by Emily Pendergast, Groundlings Main Company performer, writer, and actor on Veep and Amazon Prime’s Company Retreat, to talk about the long stretch between wanting a creative career and actually building one.

We start in Ohio with cornfields, big family energy, and early comedy education from SNL and the people who could turn a heavy moment into laughter. From there, Emily lays out the unglamorous middle: a psychology degree, a leap to Los Angeles powered by instinct, and years of restaurant work while hunting for the right training. Her Groundlings story gets specific about what improv really demands, why repeating classes can be part of the process, and how Sunday Company votes create real pressure and real growth.

Then we get into the big rooms. Emily shares what it was like to showcase and test for SNL, the pride and heartbreak of leaving everything on the stage, and how that experience reshaped her confidence. We also go deep on Company Retreat’s production, including earwigs, hand signals, hidden cameras, and the “reality banking” that keeps a Truman Show style setup intact for the one real participant. We close with a candid talk on AI in film and TV and why human listening, ensemble trust, and lived experience still matter.

Subscribe, share this with a friend chasing a creative path, and leave a review with the moment that hit you hardest.

Transcript

Meet Emily Pendergast

SPEAKER_04 0:00

Hey everyone, how's it going? My name is Nate Kay with a Los Angeles-based cinematographer, and this is Film Shit, the podcast where I sit down with a working professional in the TV and film industry. I ask them where they came from, what exactly it is that they do, and what the future of the industry looks like. Today I'm incredibly, incredibly excited to have this guest on. She's a writer, she is an actor performer, she is a groundling. She is in Amazon's company retreat, which is currently on Amazon Prime. You gotta watch it. Emily Pendergast.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Hi, Nate. Hi, Emily. Thanks for having me. Oh my god. Can I tell you? I really thought you were reading off a teleprompter because I was so clean.

SPEAKER_04 0:37

Wait, really? Oh, thanks. That's so kind. I failed at it so many times. Not today. Not today. Not today. It made that happen. Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for being here. We're so grateful to have you.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

Are you kidding me? Thanks for asking me to be here. I love it.

SPEAKER_04 0:49

Oh man. Okay. So I usually try and start the podcast off with just like a little bit of an origin story.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Great.

SPEAKER_04 0:55

Where are you from?

SPEAKER_00 0:56

I'm from Youngstown, Ohio.

SPEAKER_04 0:58

Okay, what's that close to?

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Uh, it's right between Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

SPEAKER_04 1:02

Okay. Okay, great.

SPEAKER_00 1:03

So I I, you know, you don't need to ask this, but I usually fly into Pittsburgh.

SPEAKER_04 1:07

Okay. No, I understand that. Look, from being from a very rural place, you gotta know where you fly to to get to where you're going.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

And I know you yelled at me, I'm not allowed to ask you questions, but remind me where you're from.

SPEAKER_04 1:15

Uh I usually fly into Madison, Wisconsin. And then I drive an hour.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Can we start asking people not where they're from, but where they fly into it?

SPEAKER_04 1:22

Yeah, absolutely. I fly into Madison, Wisconsin, and then drive another 90 minutes on top of the house.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Okay, perfect. I can picture it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_04 1:29

Okay, so you fly to Pittsburgh and then you get home. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

So that's where I'm from.

SPEAKER_04 1:33

Wait, so how big is this town? Youngstown, you said it's a good one. Wait, wait, wait.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Isn't that is there like a famous where's the Well, Jim Trussell coached there before? Well, he also coached for How State Buckeyes. Oh, okay. Um, don't ask me too many follow-ups because that are those are all the facts, I know. So, but it is, I mean, it's there's a college there, it's Youngstown, but the smaller suburb I'm from is Canfield, Ohio.

SPEAKER_04 1:54

Canfield, Ohio. Okay, so how big is Canfield?

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Not very big. I graduated with like a little over 200 people. Oh, okay, I guess. And I grew up next to there's, you know, there was a cornfield on one side and then a soybean field on the other side until like sixth grade, and then we got neighbors. And I remember being upset because I had to put pants on when I left the house.

SPEAKER_04 2:13

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Sixth grade is too old to not be wearing pants outside.

SPEAKER_04 2:17

Agreed. I think we can all agree that that's like 11, 12 years old. Like that is a little bit too old to just be going roughshot out in the neighborhood.

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Just Donald ducking it outside. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:28

I love that though. Wait, so who what did you lose? The cornfield or the soybean field? Soybean field. Oh man, that's a bummer.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

I know.

SPEAKER_04 2:33

Soy because soybeans are low, so you can see far.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

I know, yeah. But we a lot of land, a lot of dogs.

SPEAKER_04 2:38

And um wait, so did you have a did you live on a farm or you just had like a plot of land surrounded by it?

SPEAKER_00 2:44

Surrounded by, yeah, we didn't land live on a farm.

SPEAKER_04 2:46

What was your homestead look like? Was it like uh describe your home house?

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Well, after I fly into Pittsburgh, so then I go to home. And but my dad, my dad is a carpenter by trade, and so he built like our home.

SPEAKER_04 2:58

And oh man, I bet it's beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

It's so nice, and I like just like so homey, and so it was like a two-story, I guess, when they moved in, and my whole family's from the same area, like 15 minutes apart. So I remember my mom would always say that her parents were so mad she was moving so far away, and it's truly 12 minutes.

SPEAKER_04 3:17

Right.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Um, and so it's furious grandparents, furious Bubba was mad.

SPEAKER_04 3:23

Yeah, yeah, that's your grandpa.

SPEAKER_00 3:24

Yeah, that was my grandma.

SPEAKER_05 3:25

Your grandma was named Bubba.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Yeah, that's amazing. I love that. Um, but so and yeah, he added on like the whole house and he built it. And yeah, um, I was his little helper, so he was always remodeling and he but made me little tools, and he would just I would just like find nails and just nail things into things. And my mom was like, We've gotta take that hammer away. Like this part of the home is finished.

SPEAKER_04 3:46

I just think my nails in the floor in the wood floor in the kitchen, please. Yeah, but yeah. Well, that's really sweet. Yes, wait, so do you have any siblings?

SPEAKER_00 3:54

I have two older sisters, Missy and Molly. They're six and eight years older than me.

SPEAKER_04 3:58

Wow, yeah, six and eight years older.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Yeah, can you imagine who wasn't planned? Yeah, I can. I think it was you. I think you're right. Yeah. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04 4:06

That's cool. That's fun. Yes. Okay, so you didn't have like they weren't like in high school or even in middle school with you at all. Okay, so they were in high school and you were in middle school. Middle school.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Yes, and yeah, because I I mean I spent a lot of I got a lot of time with my mom and dad as like, you know, a one and a solo kid, which is really cool and um which I cherished and I I love my parents. Um, but yeah, they um I was I was just toted around a lot because they were in, you know, sports and gymnastics and swimming, and they were very good at those things, and they were so there were a lot of competitive things. And I my favorite thing is I I'm learning all these things that I don't remember, but they would just like throw me in the car and they'll be like, Emmy's gonna be fine, she'll be fine. Yeah, and I had a bag, it was like this yellow tote bag, and I guess I would just like sit down, I'd go ask the concession stand if the nachos were ready at like seven in the morning, things don't change.

SPEAKER_04 5:02

Perfectly reasonable question.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

Yeah, with that just like just crazy yellow cheese, and I would say, I'm gonna go make a friend. And so I would just take my bag and had like trolls and coloring books in it, and I would just go and just wander and just go make friends at all of these events.

SPEAKER_04 5:17

So you're just like a walking party, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:20

I mean, that sounds awesome to be like if you were approached by this person, that would be pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Yeah, I got invited to a lot of birthday parties.

SPEAKER_04 5:26

Yeah, I believe that.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Yeah, I'd be like, This is Isabel, she'd like me to come to her party and it's in Indiana. Yeah, and mom's it finally just started going, like, that's great, we'll be there. Instead of being like, No, that's not what's happening.

SPEAKER_04 5:37

Oh, yeah, Indianapolis, sure.

SPEAKER_05 5:39

Perfect.

SPEAKER_00 5:39

We'll see you there. We'll see you next week. Oh my god, that's hilarious.

SPEAKER_04 5:43

Wait, so so you were immediately in the affable young child? Like you were just like, I'm strange or danger, not an issue.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

Well, kind of, but I I had a real fear of being kidnapped.

SPEAKER_06 5:55

So I think that's okay. I think that's right. Well, yeah, because it sounds like your life that you were set up to be like easily kidnapped.

SPEAKER_00 6:01

I mean, yeah, I was I was pretty genuinely afraid of it.

SPEAKER_06 6:07

Like But it didn't stop you.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

No, I was like, fuck, I'll figure this out. Yeah, I don't know, this pool's enclosed.

SPEAKER_06 6:13

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It'll be okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

But it like why I don't know why I had that fear.

SPEAKER_04 6:17

Well, I mean probably at some point somebody said, like, maybe you should be uh wary of strangers, they could steal you. Yeah. And you're like, yeah, that's probably a good point. But my tote.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

Yeah, but my tote, I have to make a friend. Yeah. Um yeah, that is that that's a pretty good origin story.

SPEAKER_04 6:34

Yeah, that's incredible. Because

Finding Comedy In Family Life

SPEAKER_04 6:36

it actually like sort of leads me to the question, like, okay, so you have this bubbly, vivacious, open personality to like to begin with. Okay, so when did you know at a certain time that you're like, I want to be an actor, or like I want to be a comedian, or like, oh, this is my path?

SPEAKER_00 6:54

You know, I don't I don't think I I had the like situational knowledge to know like that is an option, if that makes sense. You know, and you know, we had like I didn't do theater or anything in high school. I I did try, um, but I never I never booked anything. Like I would audition for things. And then when my mom started working at the high school, I think they just felt bad. And I the only play I ever booked was I was a jet and a shark. So I would just like run around and be like and then run around to the other side of the bone. So wait, really?

SPEAKER_04 7:28

So did you have like a bifurcated costume where like one's a leather and the other one's just like a rolled up white t-shirt?

SPEAKER_00 7:33

Yeah, far enough in the back of the video. They were like, Oh, yeah, what's that with the running back and forth?

SPEAKER_03 7:38

It's like, oh, okay, it's like indecisive about what gang she's gonna be in. Yeah, okay, great.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

So, but I think you know, I always loved it that cliche of like I really loved watching SNL and my sisters before my dad added on to our home. Like it I would I remember watching it through a crack, like of them watching it. They were like watching it, and you were like I remember watching it through there.

SPEAKER_04 8:00

Who's your um who who are your SNL people?

SPEAKER_00 8:04

I really I there's a lot of videos of me doing Adam Sandler um uh sketches or weekend update, him and Chris Farley for sure.

SPEAKER_04 8:12

Farley, okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:12

Yeah, like all of those, like I don't know, they just made me laugh. And Adam Sandler, I I he's no longer with us. My cousin, they he and his name was Tony. Tony and Richie are the funniest people I know. Like they truly are my like comedic icons because because we all grew up so close to each other, this is a this is a good story, not a sad story, I promise. But like a lot of my first memories are like at like funeral dinners or like calling hours, and and so being able to break that sadness with a laugh is like what my cousins were like assassins at. And like it taught me like, oh, you can laugh and heal. And I just remember being trying so hard to make them laugh. Cause I was like, God, if I could like learn what makes them laugh, right? Like, cool, I can chime in on the joke at dinner. And like I have like a bowl cut and just like eating Taco Bell, like and they're like, Who's this little kid?

SPEAKER_05 9:06

I mean, that sounds funny, aren't you?

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Yeah, right. And but so I would I would go like okay, they're quoting dumb and dumb, are great. Remember that. They're quoting this, remember that.

SPEAKER_04 9:14

So um so they were like your school, comedy school, sort of.

SPEAKER_00 9:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 9:19

Okay, wait. So this is jumping a little bit ahead, but I want to just do it and then we'll come back to your youth, which is like, okay, so I know from having done stuff at the groundlings, is that it's very common in some of the earlier levels for them to try and use family people as inspiration for characters. Did you ever do a Tony or a Richie?

SPEAKER_00 9:37

I I didn't because you know, like, and that's so interesting. I really didn't even ever think of that, but because I think they were like such like North stars, I guess, that I didn't, I don't think, to like impersonate them right versus like try to learn from them, I guess. Right. Maybe I won't know, but yeah, I get that.

SPEAKER_04 9:56

I mean, I understand that.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

Yeah, it's more fun to play versions of my mom.

SPEAKER_04 9:59

Yeah. And how does she like that?

SPEAKER_00 10:03

Oh, she she loves it. Yeah, no, every single time she comes, it doesn't matter what type of sketch it is. She'll go, oh my god, Emmy, was that me? Was that me? And I'm like, I was playing a 13-year-old terror. Like, no, maybe, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:15

Maybe I didn't know you at 13 mom, but I bet this is what you're like. Um, that's incredible. Okay, so you uh were a shark and a jet sometimes. Okay, and then so Tony and Richie were sort of like comedic icons for you.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Yes.

College And A Nonlinear Plan

SPEAKER_04 10:29

Um where did you end up going to college? Did you go to college?

SPEAKER_00 10:33

I did. I went to Ohio University.

SPEAKER_04 10:35

Ohio University, okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:36

In Athens.

SPEAKER_04 10:37

And not the Buckeyes.

SPEAKER_00 10:39

No, not the Buckeyes.

SPEAKER_04 10:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everyone that would be such a silly mistake. People would never make that mistake. That's Ohio. State university is the buckeyes.

SPEAKER_00 10:48

But fun fact about how university was there first.

SPEAKER_04 10:51

Really? Yeah, of course, obviously, because state is usually like kind of lesser.

SPEAKER_03 10:57

Thank you. For some reason, really well known.

SPEAKER_04 11:00

Is it because they're good at sports? Were you guys good at sports?

SPEAKER_00 11:03

No, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think the football coach got a DUI on the year I was there. And then his name was Frank. So my airing is real.

SPEAKER_04 11:13

No, no, I don't think so. I mean, I'm sure it's all public record, but also uh, it's also it's very funny that they had you know the coach's football, the football coach, Frank.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

Frank, because then as soon as that happened, like the morning after all the college bookstores were selling uh shirts that said Frank the Tank with his face on Will Farrell's joking.

SPEAKER_04 11:34

Old school reference. Okay, wait. So yeah, okay, so that I feel like we probably would have been in college around the same time then, if those are the references that were at.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_04 11:44

Okay, great. So, how was your college experience?

SPEAKER_00 11:46

It was really fun. It was very, very fun. I don't, I I went to school, I ended up graduating with uh degree in psychology with a focus on criminal psych, direct path to comedy.

SPEAKER_04 11:57

Yeah, I yeah, I it's so funny. My dad was a criminal justice professor growing up what yeah, in a small state university in Wisconsin. Yeah, and so that was like um um present in my home. That was the energy that was present in my home.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

So do you like podcasts like that about oh crime podcasts?

SPEAKER_04 12:14

Obsessed. Yes, yeah. I've listened to them all.

SPEAKER_00 12:17

Same.

SPEAKER_04 12:17

Yeah, we whenever Sabs and I go on a road trip, we're always like, new crime podcasts? Yes. Or three.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

Yeah, all of them. All of them. Okay, great.

SPEAKER_04 12:25

So okay. I always one of the things that is a repeating trend that I find on the podcast is that nobody's perception of whatever their journey is, whatever they've laid out for themselves, is never linear. There's always something that happens that changes everything. It's like no plan has ever been successfully completed. Ever. What was the vibe after college?

SPEAKER_00 12:46

What I so I, you know, I really felt like I always wanted to do this. I always had a drive to like perform and and like I wasn't a sorority, and we don't judge me. Um, but we we like put on a like there was like a show that we did, and like we had to write our own sketches that I now know are sketches, and like, and even then, you know, in hindsight, I go like, oh, I because my sisters were older than me, I would just put on their dance costumes and I would interview the my cats, but I would like do sketches like with them. And so I was doing all these things that I now know. I was like, oh, I was writing for myself, and like I'm sure they weren't great, but um doing those kinds of things, so there was always a drive for it, and I was like, I think I want to do this, and I changed my major like one million times, being like, I don't know what I'm gonna do. Right, and and so I was like, I told my parents I was like, I think I'm gonna go get my master's in California, and and they're like, Oh, that's interesting, and they're like, and what? And I was like, I think a hostage negotiation. Can you imagine? You know me, yeah, me trying to negotiate for hostages. I would give everything away.

SPEAKER_05 13:58

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

You get go, you want me? Yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_05 14:02

A helicopter?

SPEAKER_00 14:02

Anything a plane?

SPEAKER_05 14:03

Yes, a briefcase of cash.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

I'm on it.

SPEAKER_05 14:06

We got you.

SPEAKER_00 14:07

Can you imagine?

SPEAKER_05 14:08

That would be incredible.

SPEAKER_00 14:09

Why would anybody stop me? Yeah, even though it was a lie. Yeah, that's it. Stop me.

SPEAKER_04 14:14

Okay, wait, so you're 22 years old, you're like, my destiny is I am negotiating for the lives of hostages. Can't wait to do it.

SPEAKER_05 14:21

Yeah, wait, so you were gonna come get your master's where?

SPEAKER_00 14:24

In California.

SPEAKER_05 14:25

Just in the whole state? It's a big place.

SPEAKER_00 14:29

I'm learning.

SPEAKER_05 14:30

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

But

Moving To LA On Instinct

SPEAKER_00 14:31

I it was just it was like essentially a lie to get out here to do other things. And so And you knew this? I did.

SPEAKER_04 14:37

Like truthfully, or is like not too.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

I was like, I'm gonna so deep, so deep. Like I was gonna try it. And I but I don't know how I didn't know how to do it, you know? And so um my mom and I drove out here in my yellow cavalier, and um we got out here. My sister was living, is she still lives out here, but we were she was living here, so I lived with her for a bit.

SPEAKER_04 14:58

In Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, yeah. Your sister lived in LA. Yes. Oh, okay. Well, that's a huge like ripple in like the the stone has already broken the surface of the water, and you're like, oh great, I can just ride this. Okay, cool.

SPEAKER_00 15:09

For sure. And so I lived with them for a little bit, which was great.

SPEAKER_04 15:12

And then um what is she doing out here?

SPEAKER_00 15:15

She at the time was in, I believe at the time she does marketing. So she's very, very good at um her job at marketing. Um, okay.

SPEAKER_04 15:21

So it seems like you know a lot about that job.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

It's marketing.

SPEAKER_04 15:25

Yeah, yeah. It seems like you asked a lot of really interesting and in-depth questions.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

So she yeah, because what she does is um that.

SPEAKER_04 15:32

Yeah, she markets.

unknown 15:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

I don't know. Like, also, whenever I write sketches, do you feel this way when you r have to write business jargon?

unknown 15:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:41

It's all like, I'm like, uh-oh, Q2 numbers are going down because of Q1 numbers. We've got to get the Johnson file.

SPEAKER_05 15:49

And it's just like, what are the projections? Are you guys able to give us we need some more spreadsheets? And where are the pie graphs?

SPEAKER_00 15:55

Yeah, email it to me. Slack. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 15:58

End of day.

SPEAKER_00 15:59

Yeah. Yeah, and then the character comes in. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:03

That's just normal talk. Yeah, it's like now it's initiated absurdity.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

Yeah, so that's not surprising that I don't know how to describe real business jobs. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:11

So you moved to LA? I moved to LA on uh in instinct.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

Yes, I did. And then I was working, I didn't, you know, have like any money. So I was and I was working a lot. I couldn't, I didn't even know what to look up class wise. And then someone I was I was working at Saddle Ranch Chop House on Sunset and Saddle Ranch Chop House.

SPEAKER_05 16:32

Oh, I know it. Oh, I know Saddle Ranch, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:35

Yeah, that's where I met my husband.

SPEAKER_05 16:36

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Oh, yeah. So if you need romance tips, yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_04 16:41

Yeah, I definitely had frequented Saddle Ranch before when I was a younger, drunker man.

SPEAKER_00 16:47

100%. Same, same, same. Um, and someone that I worked with said, You should check out Groundlings.

Discovering The Groundlings

SPEAKER_00 16:54

Yeah. And I was like, Great, what's that? And um, so they were talking about improv, and then I did, yeah, and I couldn't believe how happy it like immediately might made me.

SPEAKER_04 17:05

When you say you checked it out, does that mean that you went to the like audition process to see if you're or you went to a show or I like I like jumped and I went to the audition, I went to the audition for it. And did you cast your audition?

SPEAKER_00 17:17

I did.

SPEAKER_04 17:18

Okay, so you were just like natural, you were already doing I guess. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, look, like they're pretty selective when it comes to like the entrance stuff.

SPEAKER_00 17:27

I think so. I remember we had to close our eyes and act like chickens and cows and then find the chickens and find the cows. So I guess I nailed it.

SPEAKER_04 17:33

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, well, yeah, well, if there's anything I could tell or garner from your childhood, is like between a soybean field and a cornfield, you know the difference between a cow and a chicken.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Thank you. Yeah, you heard it here first, and um, but I did so I did that, and then I took basic and I took that twice, and it was very hard the first time because I was like, what is this? And I was and I'm a really good student. I I am that's a uh you know pro and con, I guess. But I'm a it was trying to get everything right, right.

SPEAKER_04 18:04

Especially it's difficult, it can be a con sometimes for improv. I I feel like because um it's not necessarily about finding how to do it right, it's sort of about being willing to willing to fail the thing that allows you to learn how to do it.

SPEAKER_00 18:19

I think so too, and like and not like holding it so like strangling it, trying to get it right. And so the second time I took basic, um, I had Jordan Black the first time and David John the second time, and David John said so like gave me such a permission to trust it and like be willing to fail because he was like, You're gonna go take intermediate and just know you're gonna repeat. And I was like, Awesome. And so I just like really let it rip and like didn't mind because I was like, Oh, that's not a bad thing. Like, I'll just like I already repeated class, who cares? Um, and and I just really went for it and like you know, took big swings. And I had Roy Jenkins for intermediate, and I and I passed the first time because there was such a freedom, I think. And I was like, whoa, I need to listen to that. Like it was just like not trying to get it right, trusting that you, you know, can get out of those, you know, weird, like you know, roadblocks of improv. But but yeah, so that that's what happened, and I met like all of my very good friends and that have turned into family at groundlangs too. So and I was like, oh, this is why I'm not a marine biologist or a physical therapist or a hostage negotiator. Yeah, yeah. Okay, well, I think you found it. I think I found I'm yeah, yeah, I I hope so. Yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_04 19:31

Yeah. Wait, so okay, so while you were were you still working at the saddle ranch while you were doing so this was like a number of years, or how long were you kind of doing this process?

SPEAKER_00 19:40

I I had several jobs. I worked at Saddle Ranch and then I and then I worked at Pink Taco. I was hitting all the stops, all that's Pink Taco.

SPEAKER_04 19:49

There there's there used to be one at Hollywood and Highland. Is that where you were working at?

SPEAKER_00 19:53

I was at the one in Century City. Oh. And then I then I was like the assistant GM at the one on Sunset, just a stone's throw away from Saddle Ranch.

SPEAKER_03 20:02

Oh, okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:03

And then then I stopped that, and then I started working at Baby Blues Barbecue. Do you remember that in West Hollywood? I don't know. It's so there's still there's one in Venice too. It's so good. It's so good. But I remember when I got that job, I I like out loud to my husband, Corey, I was like, this is gonna be my last restaurant job. Like this has to be my last restaurant job.

SPEAKER_04 20:22

How old were you when you said this?

SPEAKER_00 20:24

I don't know. I mean, what I'm I'm 39, so like I was probably like 31, something like that. Because I this was like, or I guess, yeah, maybe 29, 30, something like that. Because it it was when I I started working there when I was in the Sunday company.

SPEAKER_02 20:39

Right.

Repeating Classes And Letting Go

SPEAKER_00 20:40

So to actually answer your question, I started groundlings in 2011, 12, and I became a main company member in 2017. Right.

SPEAKER_04 20:50

So five years of taking classes and repeating sometimes and then taking and then probably doing groups and all this. Right, right, right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

And so, you know, the oh god, 2011, is that right?

SPEAKER_04 21:03

Possibly probably.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

I think it might have been I think it might have been 2010, something like that. Whatever.

SPEAKER_04 21:07

But still, like the reason why I asked that is that I think it was longer than five years. Okay, so but yeah, five to seven years, possibly, right? Yes. Like the reason I asked the age question is not to like put you on blast, right? Which I also 39 years old, so thank you.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

Do you say that to every age that a guest says?

SPEAKER_04 21:25

Uh yeah, I always do. I was like, I'm 39 years old. Hope you're cool with that.

SPEAKER_00 21:28

That's great.

SPEAKER_04 21:29

And um the reason I s I ask is because um one of the common themes of this is us being open and honest about the fact that it's like it it does take like a a really long time. Like it's like there are adults out in the world who ha are like have full salaried careers with four oh one Ks and and and like health plans, and like the idea of not having that at the age of thirty would drive people insane.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

Right. I know. And it's but I think that is something I think you can really trace so many things back to the improv mentality and like you just have to be malleable and you have to realize like that there are no mistakes and there isn't a linear trajectory.

SPEAKER_02 22:14

Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

And you have to be willing to go, like, oh cool, what's over here for a little bit and then and not get scared. Right. You know. So yeah, I think of course we're ingrained in that thought process of going like you have to have a plan. And by 30, you should have this. And my therapist always says I shouldn't should myself.

SPEAKER_03 22:30

Yeah, you shouldn't should yourself.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

Yeah, don't shed yourself.

SPEAKER_03 22:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

Um, but I think in that of going like making that declaration of like this is my last job. I mean, this is my last um uh you know restaurant job was Sunday company was coming to a close, and also because I was in my senior six of Sunday, that baby blues was also gonna shut down. Right.

SPEAKER_04 22:54

So they were. Hold on, we have to explain that. Okay,

Sunday Company Votes Explained

SPEAKER_04 22:56

so we've spoken to a couple other groundlings members before. So we kind of understand the idea of the groundlings. It's very, very competitive, high attrition rate. So a lot of people drop out, a lot of people get cut. Um, so your fine, your senior six, explain that to us.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

So when you're in Sunday company, you are voted on after every six months. So there's a closing, and the main company votes on you for you to stay to end your time at groundlings or move on to the main company. And so there's a vote after each six months, and you can be up into Sunday company up to 18 months. And so when I was a senior, like I knew no matter what, I was gonna be done with Sunday.

SPEAKER_04 23:36

Right. So it's like the way that that happens is you get the opportunity to get three six-month periods in a row, and each time you get voted on by it's survivor. Yes, right, and if you survive to eight the 18th month, yeah, that then it's sort of like uh yeah, it's either you get to graduate or you're toast.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

Yes, yes, and I was lucky enough to graduate, right?

SPEAKER_04 23:57

You know, you became a ground leader. I did become a ground leader. It's a very prestigious comedy position.

SPEAKER_00 24:02

Yeah, and it and I feel so lucky to be there. And I knew though that was gonna be a massive life change because I was like, Sunday company is ending like literally in the same week that Baby Luz was shutting down that location. Right. And I was like, I don't know what I'm gonna do. So I was like, well, maybe I could teach there because after you do so many Sunday or sixes and Sunday, you can you can teach as well. And I loved my teachers so much that I was like, that would be really cool. And and then I got into Maine Company, which was such a gift, and and then I started to teach as well. So Baby Blues was my last restaurant job, which was is cool.

SPEAKER_04 24:38

Yeah, it is cool. I want to backtrack just like 30 seconds because you said something that I like to really hone in on this with people because you said uh you're so lucky, um, which might be true.

SPEAKER_02 24:49

Thanks.

SPEAKER_04 24:50

But like also want to say you just described the fact that you took classes and worked really hard for somewhere between five and seven years to have the opportunity to do this while doing a ton of restaurant jobs to be able to survive, and that you started writing sketches with your cats when you were like a child.

unknown 25:08

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 25:09

You know what I mean? So it's like, yes, you're lucky, but also you worked really hard and you earned it.

SPEAKER_00 25:13

Thank you. That I need to say that more often, so thank you. Yes, yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_04 25:16

I think it's important because it's like it like it's not a conscious thing, but like luck minimizes the work, right? And it's like it's like a very like it's funny because we had Brett on who is uh a friend of yours and um a collaborator, and he was also talking about how very lucky he was in his life. I feel I was like, maybe it's like a sort of a Midwestern thing, or just maybe it's just like a gr like uh, oh, you just have to work hard and luck happens, is like or like luck happens to us. It's like, no, dude, you did a ton of work, he did a ton of work, people are doing a lot of work to get their luck.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

So I think so. It's I think maybe it's that Midwestern thing of like you don't want to gloat, right? You know, kind of thing. Yeah, it's like my God, it I you know, I think we should all talk about ourselves the way we talk about our friends a little bit more.

SPEAKER_04 26:05

Yeah, so yeah, yeah, yeah. Cause it's like the truth is like you busted ass, dude.

SPEAKER_00 26:09

Like, yeah, yeah, for sure. But yeah, and I did work hard because I like to work hard. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:14

And that's okay too. Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

I think so.

SPEAKER_04 26:17

So you baby blues, baby blues. Over you graduated. How was

Superstitions And Surviving The Grind

SPEAKER_04 26:21

the party? Did you like rage when you became a groundling, or what did you do?

SPEAKER_00 26:24

Um, my my parents were out here for so after your closing of Sunday company, you have something called the Pixie Awards, and like you give like awards to the cast, and it's a very a fun celebratory thing, and and you don't sleep. And um, I yeah, but I partied because you're just so tired. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like there's still time where I'm like driving and I go in between things and I go, like, how did I do Sunday Company? Like, I'm tired from just waking up today. Yeah, and I was writing like 10 sketches a week.

SPEAKER_04 26:53

I have no idea, like it is wild. Like I'm close to many people that have done it and I'm like, You chose this.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

Yeah, I know. My one of my very best friends, Rebecca Warm. Whenever things would get really hard, we were in uh advanced in Sunday together. She would always go, We paid for this fun, we paid for this fun, we paid for that. I'm like, You're right, you're right, you're right.

SPEAKER_02 27:10

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

Um, so it's a good reminder. Yeah, but um, I had I am a pretty stitchious person. Like, I like I I I I You say like superstitious, yeah. Okay, yeah, but like just pretty I'm pretty sticious, you know. Like I spit before every show because I get too much saliva. Okay, these are things you want to know, right?

SPEAKER_04 27:29

Yeah, this is the gold. Are you kidding me? You're spitting before every show, ladies and gentlemen. Every show, Emily spitting.

unknown 27:36

Where are you spitting?

SPEAKER_00 27:37

I didn't have to be. Yes, like yep, it's all in my it's all on my blood. Um, no, Paul Um Cheerco and Paul Matlock, the stage managers that are epic at ground links, they like now have my own trash can because I spit into it because now it's like a superstition that if I have to do it.

SPEAKER_04 27:58

Um, so you wear the same Mondays all the time.

SPEAKER_00 28:01

No, okay, no, but I'm spitting like crazy. Um but and so with that being said, every closing of six months, I would Corey, my angel on earth husband, we would he would like go get a bunch of pizza and I would just stay in bed all day and like wait for the call to see like if I made it for another six. Yeah, and so when my parents were out here, God bless them, I was like, hey guys, like this is what I do. I probably'm not gonna talk a lot. Like, I just want to be locked in that room. I'm nervous, you know. I'm just gonna wait for my call. Um, and my parents, parents like tap, tap, tap on the door, and they're like, Emmy, I'm so sorry. Um, we are gonna we're going to dancing with the stars, and dad doesn't have slacks. And I was like, what? And they're like, We've got it, we've got to go to the big and tall store. And there's one in Torrance. And I was like, that's far away. They're like, I know, but he has to wear slacks. So I was like hungover, tired, being like, This is the reason I'm not gonna get main company.

SPEAKER_05 29:00

I paid for this fun, I pay for this.

SPEAKER_00 29:03

Yeah, and I was like, I'm going home and I'm eating pizza in bed, but they didn't. It's because superstition is just me trying to control things, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:10

Yeah, yeah, that's interesting how that works. It seems like you might talk about it with somebody professionally.

SPEAKER_00 29:16

That's good, probably. I think so.

SPEAKER_04 29:17

Um, okay, so your dad is a big and tall man.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's like old teddy bear. I love him. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_04 29:23

So you became a groundlink, you started teaching at the groundlings and like that was really joyous.

SPEAKER_00 29:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:27

Okay, so then you were like on like you were on your trajectory. Like you made it.

SPEAKER_00 29:33

I I I mean, what's that mean?

SPEAKER_04 29:35

I don't know. That's the question. Oh, actually, here's an sorry. This is one of the things that uh uh I was thinking of.

SNL Showcases And The Test

SPEAKER_04 29:43

You had said early on that SNL was like a big inspiration for you, right? And obviously, so being on Sunday Company and becoming a groundling is like a really, really direct line to be seen by SNL. Correct, right? It's like a pretty common thing that they'll do showcases. Did you ever do a showcase?

SPEAKER_00 30:03

I did several showcases out here and I tested in New York. You did test.

SPEAKER_04 30:08

And how was that process?

SPEAKER_00 30:09

You know, I was so excited to do it that like I guess I didn't because I mean we've listened to a million interviews with anyone that's ever done it. So it's like you have this vision of you're like, I know what this is gonna look like, and it's always different, you know. But I the one through line I kept hearing is like, I couldn't believe they made me wait for so long. And I was like, I'm in 30, like, forget about me. I'm I'm cool to hang, you know, like um the only thing that that's hard about waiting is like you just get nervous. Yeah. Um, but I, you know, that was like a big tent pull in my trajectory, I would say. Because so I I showcased out here a bunch, and then I got flown to New York to do that. And if anything, it taught me like I can literally do anything. Because after that, I FaceTimed Corey and he has screenshots of it, and I'm like crying, and I was like, I did it exactly like I wanted to. And it I was so I'm like in hindsight, like so proud of myself because I literally I left it all out there. I did everything I wanted to do, and I was like, that's me for me. You know, I'm not like like hanging back on a character and hope so they bring me back, you know. Like I was like, this is who I am. Yeah, if I get brought back, I I hope I'm good enough to create more things, you know. So um that and like and then I, you know, uh spoil spoiler, I didn't get it. What? Uh I know, I know. I've got is today Saturday?

SPEAKER_04 31:31

Today's Saturday. Yeah, they haven't called you.

SPEAKER_00 31:33

Shoot, I'm late.

SPEAKER_04 31:35

When did you uh when did you test?

SPEAKER_00 31:36

Um, 2018.

SPEAKER_04 31:38

Yeah, you are late. It's 2026. You should call them. Oh my or at least let them know you're not gonna show up.

SPEAKER_00 31:44

My phone's on airplane mode. Yeah, mine too.

SPEAKER_04 31:47

Wait, okay, so you tested and it was a really joyous experience.

SPEAKER_00 31:51

You know, in hindsight, yes, for sure. But at the time it wasn't well at the time testing and everything was joyous, it was super fun, and it was a live week. Bill Hater was there, so like the building felt like alive, you know, it just felt so cool. Like there it wasn't sterile. I made, I did hear laughter during the test and everything. I just remember um it sounds like woo-woo kind of thing, but like I remember the first thing I did, like the stage felt really hollow, and then like I got a laugh and I was like, oh, this feels sturdier. Like it was so very I just remember having that awareness. And you know, and I was devastated when I didn't get it. It was like so sad. Yeah. And uh my husband, like we found out, and so he drove, we he drove me home, and and we didn't have there's I was crying and like we didn't have tissues in the car, and we only had my dog's poop bag roll, and so I was wiping my tears and blowing my nose in these poop bags, unused poop bags, and like I was like, I know, I know this is really funny because I'm blowing my nose in shit bags. Like, I know, but I am so sad, so please don't laugh. Like, um, but then we got home and he like brought two wigs down and was like, you can be as sad as you want, but tonight we're gonna dance, and it makes me cry because he's so sweet. And so we did that, and I was I was sad for a long time, but like in hindsight, like man, what a gift! Yeah, and one of the directors on Veep like talked about like SNL and stuff, and that and she's like, Now you're doing this and like that, and she's like, That's so cool, and so I I think it really shaped who I am because like I learned from that is like I really feel confident I could do anything. Like, I was like, this is my voice, and I did it, and so I was like, Oh yeah, I can just let it rip and not be defined by like what you don't get to do, right?

SPEAKER_04 33:40

Yeah, that's incredible. Yeah, god, I'm tearing out of the channel. I just tearing up to sweet. Oh my god, that's so sweet. That's literally like the cutest thing I've ever heard. Yeah. Um, okay, so you tested, it didn't happen. And then what you just did you come back and you were just teaching at the groundlings, or you know, I I was in, I was actually in a current show.

SPEAKER_00 34:02

It was my very first show, and I got to be in the show with like Lyric Lewis and Edie Patterson and Ryan Gall and Larry McIntosh and Andrew Leeds and um and Kevin Kirkpatrick was directing it. And I was like, I am in this show with like just a murderous row of people I've just like looked up to for so long. And so I got to come back and just immediately get back on stage, you know? Yeah, and so that was really cool. And and then I remember I was out to dinner with Lyric and Edie, and I was talking about not getting it, and and Edie was like, It's because it's something cooler, like something, something like so something that you're meant to be doing is going to happen. Yeah, and then and then Veep happened, and so it was yeah, I was like, Well, always listen to your friend Edie Pass.

SPEAKER_04 34:46

Yeah, that's awesome.

Booking Veep And Growing Fast

SPEAKER_04 34:47

Okay, so talk to me about Veep.

SPEAKER_00 34:49

So uh Veep was actually my very first audition ever, not the one that I got. It was my very first audition I've ever gotten. And I remember that, and I was just I think my line was like, You're LaCroix, and then leave. And um, I didn't I didn't get that one, and like also awesome because then I wouldn't have been able to be Beth Ryan, right? You know, and so that audition came up and I went in and did that. And Dorian and Civy were the casting directors, and they're just like the most welcoming people in the world. And like I remember their office had a sign that was like, Hey, you're you made it. If you're late, take a breath. Like it just like we're we're excited to have you kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 35:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:30

And and then I did a chemistry test with Tim Simons, who is just an angel, and I I feel so very lucky that he's a friend now. And um, my brain didn't let me know or think that Julie Louis Dreyfus would be in the room. And you know, that was like the biggest thing I'd ever like. I was sitting in on the Paramount lot in like an office building next to faces that I know, all of them. I'm huge fans of all of these women, you know. And they like mic'd me, and I'm like, oh, that's interesting. They're micing me. You know, just like I think a lot of ignorance happens.

SPEAKER_04 36:03

I love this.

SPEAKER_00 36:04

Yeah, and then I um went in and and Julie Louis Drives was like, hi, I'm Julie, and I was like, Duh. Yeah, I know. I know you're um and we did a couple scenes, and Tim was so cool and so calming. And and at the time, um he had a he was like friends with the manager that I had at that time and was like, he says hi, like da da da da. And I was like, oh, cool. And um, and we did a couple scenes, and then from the couch, Julia was like, you know, I actually have a question, I have a few questions for Beth. And I was like, Oh, and so we started to improvise a little bit. Yeah, and I remember walking off the lot, going like, if nothing else happens, I just got to improvise with Julie Louis Dreyfus. Like, how cool is that, you know? And very cool, and so and then it just kept getting better and better and better because it was like from one episode, and then I just kept getting added to them, and I got to be on the show.

SPEAKER_04 36:58

So they so you you didn't even know, like they they're just bringing you in for like a co-star or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 37:02

Yeah, I think I think it was like one for sure. I forget exactly what it was like one for sure, maybe two right episodes, and then um they just kept adding me into things and it was so nice.

SPEAKER_04 37:12

Wait, so how long were you on the show?

SPEAKER_00 37:13

The whole last season.

SPEAKER_04 37:15

Oh, that's incredible! Yeah, that's so awesome.

SPEAKER_00 37:17

Yeah, and they were so welcoming and so kind, like they didn't have to, it was their last season, like you don't have to welcome in a stranger, and they were really, really inviting and just really, really nice.

SPEAKER_03 37:27

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 37:28

Yeah, mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 37:28

Oh, that was such an incredible show, and it could no longer continue because politics became too absurd to make fun of it anymore.

SPEAKER_00 37:38

Right. I mean, there was a whole episode, I forget what season it was in, that the biggest thing was the president was tweeting.

SPEAKER_04 37:44

Right.

SPEAKER_00 37:44

That was that.

SPEAKER_04 37:45

That was the absurd thing.

SPEAKER_00 37:47

Yeah, that was the that was the lunacy of that episode. Yeah, it's pretty wild.

SPEAKER_04 37:51

Yeah, yeah. Okay, great. So that's incredible. Thanks. Veep, amazing. Right. What happens after Veep?

SPEAKER_00 37:57

Um, what happened after VEEP?

SPEAKER_04 37:59

Did you go back to teaching or were you teaching simultaneously? I think that's one of the things that's really exciting about having the opportunity to teach or being at one of these schools is that you kind of can plug in and plug out because that's just the nature of like the industry and work.

SPEAKER_00 38:13

Yes, and yeah, exactly. I was teaching in between and um and so yeah, I was teaching, directing, all that all the good stuff. Yeah, and then and just doing shows, and then God, and then I think the pandemic happened.

SPEAKER_04 38:27

Yeah, rough time.

SPEAKER_00 38:28

Yeah, which I don't know if you remember it. It was rough.

SPEAKER_04 38:31

Not really. I think it was pretty awesome. No, I it was rough, yeah, yeah. I always forget the rest of your belief. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:37

Um but yeah, so I think the pandemic happened and um just creating things on our own and like doing that kind of thing. And then I I you know, I really can Dave Mandel was the showrunner on this season that I got to be a part of, and he I can I can just like I'm so grateful for him because I can really trace a lot of things back to Groundlings and Beep. Like I he had hired me for White House Plumbers to that HBO show as well. Like and like they're I don't know, he's just really, really awesome. And I yeah, he's a real North Star in my story.

SPEAKER_04 39:13

That's awesome. Okay, there's a really big show that you're on right now.

Building Company Retreat Season Two

SPEAKER_04 39:18

Well, that's currently airing. Everybody's talking about it, they won't stop talking about it. I know how did that come to be? Okay, company retreat. First of all, let's let's tee it up. There was a first season, it was called jury duty. The premise was that a person would show up to be a juror for a trial, and everybody else, besides that one individual, was an actor that was stunt like placed there to create this false, like almost Truman style, uh, the Truman show type world. And that first season was like insanely successful and won a bunch of Emmys, and like everybody was like, Holy shit, what the fuck is this? And we all were like literally everybody watching it was like, holy crap, this is insane. And then they decided to do a second. I was like, Oh, well, you can never replicate this ever again.

SPEAKER_00 40:04

Yeah, and then they did.

SPEAKER_04 40:05

How did you first come to know about it? And how did you start engaging with the project?

SPEAKER_00 40:09

I got a self-tape for it, and in doing because you know, we're doing like fun press junkets and things, and so we're kind of learning about each other's stories because once we were all there, we were there and like just you know, off to the races. But so many people were like, Oh yeah, I got that the self tape, and I knew I was like, Oh my god, this is Jerry Judy. I didn't again ignorant, and I was like, fun, yeah, and I was like, Oh, cool, at a restaurant, I get to choose a character and talk for two minutes, all right. And so I do think I protect myself a lot by being an idiot.

SPEAKER_04 40:41

Like, I like I sometimes I try and synthesize what the lessons are from each podcast. And like for me, the lesson so far is just like just whatever, just which is so crazy though, because I'm a control freak. Like I'm like you shouldn't be a control freak.

SPEAKER_00 40:59

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 41:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:01

You get away with shoulding me.

SPEAKER_04 41:03

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know if that worked or not, but like I'll ask, I'll ask my lesson.

SPEAKER_00 41:07

Um, but yeah, I so I got the self-tape and put myself on tape, and my husband's not an improviser, so I was just like, don't don't talk.

SPEAKER_03 41:15

Yeah, please say nothing.

SPEAKER_00 41:17

Yeah, yeah. Um finding out I got it, and like I did like it, I guess it's kind of like a chemistry-ish test of like that. We I got to act with some of the performers, and I met with Jake, uh Samansky, who's the director, and incredible. And um after a certain point, I was like, I know what this is.

SPEAKER_03 41:36

Yeah, you know, um, because this could be jury duty season two.

SPEAKER_00 41:40

Yeah, I find that out like today. And I'm like, I'm on that show. Um, but I, you know, there because they were like, hey, you have to go to this location for this thing, and I was like, if I didn't know it was jury duty, I'd be like, that's weird. I don't think I'm gonna go get killed.

SPEAKER_04 41:55

Yeah, yeah. You know, uh, you have to go to this uh uh wooded area with weird cabins and just show up justice and totally, and so yeah, but that you know, then we kind of just started like the rehearsal process, which is so needed for something like this to work.

SPEAKER_00 42:13

And it's you know, the difference is this season is small town or small family-owned business called Rock and Grandma's Hot Sauce, and they hire a temp for their company retreat, and it's the last retreat of our CEO before he retires, and everyone but the temp, Anthony Norman, who is just the best. He's so unconditionally kind, and as you can see in the show, just the greatest human on earth. Um, he's our temp, and unbeknownst to him, we're all actors. And it's yeah, everything, everything was on purpose. You know, it's the the people behind the camera, the uh producers and writers and directors and like creators, they plan for everything, like just everything, to the point where like when you watch it, like you see like Anthony is like ahead of schedule, you know, and we're like, well, hang on, hang on. Like, I got a joke to say.

SPEAKER_03 43:08

Yeah, yeah, you're like, oh Anthony, chill, like let's not go up the mountain yet. I think what if we stay here and just say some funny stuff?

SPEAKER_00 43:14

Yeah, what if we talk about Jimmy's like you know, metal detector a little bit longer? Um, and so yeah, it just they thought of everything. They thought of like if it's too much for one day, like we pull back, we have a boring seminar, you know, just because you're seeing the show and it's like jam-packed with crazy, you know, and just fun antics. But you forget, like, we were there for a week for a retreat, like so many boring seminars, boring team building things, fun because like they're we're all characters, but like you there was such a reality banking element to make it look, you know, feel

Earwigs Hand Signals Hidden Cameras

SPEAKER_00 43:50

real.

SPEAKER_03 43:50

Did you guys have earpieces?

SPEAKER_00 43:52

I did, yes. A lot of us did. Um, that's why it was hot, and that's why my hair was always down. Oh hide my earwig.

SPEAKER_04 43:59

Okay, I was so curious.

SPEAKER_00 44:02

Yeah, so a lot of the women had them, and then um Dougie, Alex Bonifer, had one because of his insane hair. And then and then Doug, who's Jerry, he it was his hearing aid.

SPEAKER_04 44:16

Right. That's what I thought. I because I could see it in shots. So I was like, oh, okay. So that might be that they just yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:21

Right. But Ryan Perez, who plays Kevin, who is like, I truly think like the show doesn't work without his setup. Like he like literally sets it up for success. He's epically hilarious and talented. And go ahead.

SPEAKER_04 44:33

Kevin is the HR. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:36

Kevin is HR and who proposes to me.

SPEAKER_04 44:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:39

And um, he had like the smallest earwig because he was so close to Anthony all the time. Right. So his was super, super small. But we all had hand signals. Like Jake could talk to us and give us direction and like hilarious line pictures that were coming from the control room from writers and everyone. And um they'd be like, Can you hear us? And like all of us would scratch our heads because that was our signal of like we can hear you. And if things were too loud, like you or you need to talk to somebody, can you hit your mic? And then, and I still don't know where all the cameras were because like if we could hear each other's earwigs, like you would like go try to like talk to someone in like in the camera, and there's so many mirrors, which a lot of the cameras were behind. And so I was like talking to this mirror, and I was like, Hey, like, I think we can hear Jackie's mic. And Jackie comes up to me and she's like, Amy, that's just a mirror. And she's like, It is on a thin wall that is on an exterior. I was like, Perfect.

SPEAKER_03 45:36

Yeah, you're like, um, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 45:38

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they have a one in here, but yeah, so um, I and like even towards like the last day I went to throw something away and in my ear, they're like, Amy, that's not a real trash can. I'm like, got it.

SPEAKER_05 45:47

What it's so funny.

SPEAKER_00 45:49

I'm cool, yeah. Oh, but yeah, so that that was so helpful. Yeah, I don't think we could have done it without that. And I mean, talk about you have to be so trusting as a director to you. I mean, Nick, they all the first time they met Anthony was at the reveal. You know, that's nuts. Yeah. And you have to just be so trusting of all all of everyone like camera facing, you know.

SPEAKER_04 46:11

So yeah, man, that's such an incredible that seems like such an interesting and exciting way of making something. Like it's just seems so wild.

SPEAKER_00 46:22

Yeah, it was like you're shot out of a cannon every single day, and like walking around with a loaded grenade.

SPEAKER_04 46:27

Yeah, that's yeah, yeah, yeah. And also like you couldn't take a break. No, yeah, you have to be on 24 seconds. Like, there's literally after hours footage and stuff that you guys are doing, right?

SPEAKER_00 46:39

And you know, it's like you could have gone back to your cabin, but like the cast is so fun. Anthony is such a light that you just want to be around, you want to get to know. So it's like we wanted to hang out with each other, and so we would play Uno, we would watch Bones, and I love that you guys would watch Bones. We truly would watch Bones and we would just hang out. And um, you know, like the runs that Anthony would go on, like he'd go on like a not even 30 minutes, like to get like Jerry's paper in the morning, you know, and then like to go get the dinners at because he still was doing like temp work, you know.

SPEAKER_04 47:11

Right. And yeah, which keeps the illusion alive. It's like, hey, you've got to go do this thing. What but it also gives the production a free pass to be like, great, he's out of here for 25 minutes. Let's regroup.

SPEAKER_00 47:21

Totally. And so in the morning, we would they had like a you know, a board with all the like these are our goals today, and and Nick, Hatton, and and Jake, they'd go like the goal is just to get through the day, just to get through the day. And like they'd be in our ear if like we're trying to do something, and they're like, pull back, you're like, it's okay. We had code words for if people were going like too hard or like any not like too hard, but like too, maybe too like crazy in a seminar. And someone would, I forget what like the code word would, but it would be like, Hey, have we heard from like the Lawrence account yet? And we'd be like, Oh, great, like we're we're all getting a little nutty. Oh, right, right, right.

SPEAKER_04 47:53

They're like, Oh, yeah, you're becoming not a real person anymore. Right, right, right. Oh, that's they thought of everything.

SPEAKER_00 47:59

Yeah, and and Kate, who's played by Erica Hernandez, who is just awesome. Um, she's so different than Kate. Like she's a very silly, like, so just like laughs, giggles all the time. And so she had like, I I want to say she probably had the hardest character adjustment.

SPEAKER_04 48:16

Yeah, and she is she's the I the IT.

SPEAKER_00 48:19

No, that's Claire, that's Rachel. Um, Kate is the one that like has the buzzer. Yes. And so I would, I just, I would just try to make her laugh all the time because she was my favorite. Like to like try to break because and then every time Anthony would leave for that nighttime run, Erica would just like let the pressure cooker like top off and just like cry laughing about all the insane things that happened that day, and she could just like finally let it out and like it's like the best thing to witness.

SPEAKER_04 48:46

Oh man, that does seem so challenging.

SPEAKER_00 48:49

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 48:50

Um, I I will I'll talk about this really quickly and then we'll really back. But it it's interesting because hearing about the process and understanding and seeing the show and understanding how people are interacting with it, it gives me great relief and hope that the fact that it's just like AI can't do that. No, AI can't do what you're talking about. Like, they're not gonna be like some loser typing a prompt into a computer somewhere and be like, Well, I created uh company retreat volume two. Yeah, it's like no way, dude.

SPEAKER_00 49:19

No chance in hell could someone do that. That has to come from brilliant, creative, like collaborative minds. It has to.

SPEAKER_04 49:26

Yeah, because incredible.

SPEAKER_00 49:27

Yeah, they you can't even within it, you can't control everything. We yes, we could have all these, you know, awesome um guidelines and the script, you know, it is a scripted show. Like the writers were incredible and incredibly talented and so collaborative and uplifting of everyone's voice, but you can't control what Anthony's gonna do, right? You know, like you have no idea what he's gonna say. And I think the hardest thing that would make me so nervous that would just throw me is he's a very curious person. So like he would just kind of walk around the office and we'd be all be on Slack and be like, oh my god, he's going to the warehouse, like in PLA, you know, like, oh my god, he's coming. Right. And he would just be like ask questions because he's just an inquisit like an inquisitive person, and he'd be like, Hey, maybe like uh where are you going for lunch? And I was like, What? Why are you talking to me? And I'd be like, um, I think my phone, but my phone ringing, you know, it's just like those normal questions that you keep planned for.

SPEAKER_02 50:19

Right.

SPEAKER_00 50:20

And all of us, we because we like, you know, you essentially have been working in this office for like seven years. I asked how long my character had worked there. And so you had to know like where the restaurants were, like what restaurants were around there. And all of us kept going, like, yeah, we go to BJ's for lunch, and like, and Jay could be like, not everyone can go to BJ's every single day. Right. And we're like, got it, okay. But yeah, just those like curious questions, and then, but then you kind of settle in and you go, like, okay, all of our characters aren't really that different than like us, you know. And and you go, I am a person, so I can laugh if things are funny, you know, I can laugh if things are awkward and just react as as you would. Um, and and then go like, I've been in a I've been in a room with a person before and I've had had a conversation, so I know how to do this. Yeah, and and every single day I made sure I told Anthony something real about my life, you know, like whether it be like about my like family or anything, like I would just make sure I shared something real.

SPEAKER_04 51:20

Right. So that it it grounded your guys' relationship, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:22

And because I every connection you see is so real. It was just, you know, obviously not a hundred percent ourselves.

SPEAKER_04 51:30

It was so real while being totally fake. Um man, this is such an interesting topic, and I really don't want to stop talking about it. So I mean one last question.

SPEAKER_00 51:39

I've been telling you, Nate, you can ask me anything because it's so fun to finally be able to talk about.

SPEAKER_04 51:44

I bet. I mean, it's been such a long process. I mean, you guys shot this like 2024, right? So it's 2026 now. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:51

If you need me to keep a secret, oh okay.

SPEAKER_04 51:55

Yeah, so like 18 months to is like it was like, yeah, that is wild.

SPEAKER_00 51:59

Yeah, crazy.

SPEAKER_04 52:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:01

And also, and then you go, of course it is, because like the amount of footage they have.

SPEAKER_04 52:05

Oh, yeah, 900 million hours, I think.

SPEAKER_00 52:08

I mean, and Christian, how often I want to say is that he is just a mad genius. He's does the editing, and yeah, I mean, I'm like, how do you how's your brain? You know, like like how do you do it?

SPEAKER_04 52:19

I mean, they they've gotta take a vacation.

SPEAKER_00 52:22

I hope so.

SPEAKER_04 52:22

You know, yes, somewhere with sand and beaches and suns and drinks, and yes, a lot of drinks, yeah, and a lot of sand. Good heavens,

The Reveal And Anthony Afterward

SPEAKER_04 52:30

yeah. Okay, so I'm curious. Anthony was his name? Yes, Anthony Norman. So, what after the reveal happened? Like, obviously, we've seen the show and it was so amazing and heartfelt, and he comes to understand that this is a total fabrication. Like, what was the what was it like from him to to you? Like, not like how how was his understanding of Amy to Emily?

SPEAKER_00 52:56

You know, he asked, he asked us because we do that group interview, that last group interview, and he asked some questions, and like he's like, What's something like I don't really know about you? And we kind of all went around and said things. He was blown away that other Anthony by Rob Lathan and I were married to other people. He's like, What? You guys were kissing. Um, but I think you know, I told him that like a lot of the things I was telling you are real, you know, and um and I think because he realized like that connection was real, and like we all like kind of stayed in touch with him, and and just it was such a supportive environment. And the whole time, even in the script, he's listed as hero, the whole thing. It's like he's our hero. He we are doing insane, you know, situations where we are the butt of the joke, you know, as the actors, that he gets to choose what to do, and he's just you know, innately good, and he just chooses very positive good things, and so that's showcased. So and and and he's like very well taken care of by like you know, gets to talk to like Alexis, who is does does all of that casting, which is yeah, I mean, I'm sure I was like, Man, I want to talk to her. Yes, I want to just like go like tell me everything. How yes, how and um, and with and like in he had such a support system with like and and Nick Hatton, like that last interview you can hear, you know, Nick and Jake talking to him. But I think it's just fun to be able to get to know him now more, yeah, you know, just to really check in and and we I don't know, he's just even I was like, Did you find me so annoying? And he was like, No, at all. And I was like, Come on, be serious. Speaking about being kidnapped, yeah, he told he gave me the best character description I think I'd have ever, ever heard. Because we were like all hanging out by the pool one day and he was like, um This is while you were still filming, yeah. And he was like, What do you so what do you like to do for fun? And I'm like, um, you know, I like to like wander walk, like I like to go for walks and just like wander into buildings and like see where I am, and like then I like to like wander, and he was like, Oh, Amy, no. And I was like, Why? And he's like, I just feel like you would get lost. And I'm like, that's fair, but like, you know, I can like always find my way back. And he's like, This is gonna, I don't mean this to sound rude, but like, I just feel like you're someone that could get easily kidnapped. I was like, that is the greatest description of a character truly ever. And then at dinner the following night, I brought it up because we were all laughing about it at the table, and he was like, Amy, I've been thinking about it. They'd bring you back.

SPEAKER_01 55:29

Yeah. That's hilarious.

SPEAKER_00 55:33

And he's like, God, this man that we have to protect him at all costs. It was so funny.

SPEAKER_04 55:38

That's so incredible. He seems so I mean, the show, like, he like it's incredible what he does, and he is moving. It is so moving. I mean, please, it obviously there's some spoilers in here, but like not a ton because it's like you can't even comprehend what happens in the show. Please go watch it. Um, Company Retreat on Amazon right now. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 55:59

Yeah, what that speech like is is incredible.

SPEAKER_04 56:02

Oh my gosh, it's so moving.

SPEAKER_00 56:03

He's no, he he's it's like nothing. He even says he's like, I don't, I don't have like anything to gain from this. It's such a good reminder that I think like the lessons from the show are there are good people in this world, and Anthony Norman is for sure leading the charge on that. And that no matter what, if you have nothing to gain for it, like you can still stand up for what you believe in and the people that you support. So yeah, it's very beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 56:27

Really uh so beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 56:29

I don't think a lot of people are expecting to like get so moved and touched by it because those are a lot of the texts I'm getting that was like, wait a minute, why am I crying? Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 56:39

It's I mean, it's interesting because having seen the first season, uh the setup, like just the levels of depth are like totally different. Yes, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 56:48

Like in commitment is like totally different, and I think you know, even just the amount of cameras essentially doubled and the square footage of it, yeah, you know, it's like 25,000 square feet to like 250,000 square feet.

SPEAKER_03 57:01

Yeah, that's insane.

SPEAKER_00 57:03

But man, we could not have done it without how epic season one was. And now getting to get to know that cast to it, like these events has been really, really fun.

SPEAKER_04 57:12

Yeah, I'm sure. That's so awesome.

SPEAKER_00 57:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 57:15

Okay, we're

Goals For Writing Directing And AI

SPEAKER_04 57:16

transitioning.

SPEAKER_00 57:16

Transition.

SPEAKER_04 57:19

What do how do you feel that things are going? How do you feel about the future? Perfect for you. You're feeling really good? Yeah, everything's perfect. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:26

Yeah. That's a wrap.

SPEAKER_04 57:27

Yep. Just in the world, like everything's fine. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:31

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_04 57:31

Um, I'm curious, like, what is what is the what do you feel the future looks like for you personally?

SPEAKER_00 57:36

Gosh, you know, I don't know. You know, I think I I hope that I get to continue to do really cool ensemble things. That's always been my goal is to work on projects, whether it be on stage or on film, that I work with an ensemble that's better than me. Because so I can like learn and rise to the occasion and learn from people. But um, so I think that, you know, just continuing to work in that world. Um, and I love writing and I would love to eventually direct. Um, because I think my brain works like that, you know, like when you're on set and you're like, wait, man, this didn't have to be a night shoot.

SPEAKER_04 58:15

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 58:16

Um, because that's what that's what directors do.

SPEAKER_04 58:18

They do. They're like, actually, we could do uh day for night here, right? Great, yeah. And I'm like, well, technically the shots would be like a lot different. It's like definitely a choice, but it's like okay, sure.

SPEAKER_00 58:29

Okay, sure, sure. You've got it. Let me roll up this quote.

SPEAKER_04 58:31

I mean, uh Jordan Peel and Hoitvin Hoitema did it for uh Nope.

SPEAKER_00 58:35

Oh.

SPEAKER_04 58:36

Go on. Oh gosh, you how nerdy do you want to get? All okay, really quick sidebar of nerdiness. Did you see the film Nope? Yes. Okay, so um they created a like an original camera rig for it where they shot on IMAX film, but at the same time they used an IMAX digital sensor, like uh it's like an Alexa 65, and they created a rig where it would shoot the exact same image over it through a mirror so that they had a digital version and a filmic version of the film so that they could expose it at different levels so that the sky could be replaced during the nighttime that was all shot during the day.

SPEAKER_00 59:16

You're kidding. That is awesome.

SPEAKER_04 59:19

It is, and also it means that you have to have the budget to be able to have two tremendously huge unwieldy cameras on.

SPEAKER_00 59:25

Do you think that was like probably like a hundred? Yeah, hundred bucks.

SPEAKER_04 59:29

Yeah, probably probably just like a day. Yeah. Was not super expensive because those cameras are so rare that you can only get them from the manufacturers.

SPEAKER_00 59:39

Yeah, that's awesome. I like that we nerd it out.

SPEAKER_04 59:41

Yeah. Thank you for entertaining that uh nerd moment.

SPEAKER_00 59:44

Thanks for entertaining me with that nerd moment. Of course. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 59:47

Um, okay, final question.

SPEAKER_00 59:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 59:50

I like this is like um because everybody's talking about it. We spoke about it like really briefly. It's like, I'm sure uh I'm curious how you feel about the future of the industry, like with AI and technology in particular. Is it something that you're concerned about?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:05

Yeah, of course, because like there's no heart with AI, you know? And I think especially like directing the upper levels of groundlings, and like like I I can tell when students write a sketch on Zoom, you know, I'm like, you guys weren't together when you wrote this, right? And they're like, no. And I'm like, I can tell because like you're not making any observations, and it's like, you know, stop, start, stop, start. And I think with that, it's like a huge thing that I always take with me about improv is like you have to listen to understand and not listen to respond. And I think you can't get that with AI. Like it's like I don't know, and even the animated show that I'm on, common side effects, like they're not using that at all. Like everything that you see is like so artistically creatively driven driven by these people that are behind it, and I think that's awesome. And you can tell, and that's why it takes longer, you know. And I just really I hope that you know that people continue to go like, oh no, stories can be, you know, only come from people that have life experiences. Because it you can only get so far deep in, you know, I don't know, feelings without it.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:13

Yeah, I mean, also because it's like it's uh a replication of the idea of what it is to feel. Like I'm I'm somewhat worried about it, but like, like especially for cinematography, right? I was like, oh well, well, you could just so you know somebody's gonna try and invent an AI camera where you can just be like, great, put the camera in, you point it, and then the world is created around you or whatever. Um, then it's like okay, gaffers grip, all those people have no jobs. That's so sad. But the thing is, like, but it doesn't include what you're talking about in like the way that company retreat was made, which is that it's like the trust in somebody else's point of view on doing one specific thing, right? Yes, it's like, well, then it's just everybody's like the machines are playing at what the idea of a human thinks would happen instead of just like a human who's feeling a way will be able to do it.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:00

Yeah, absolutely, because it it what it like pulls from everything, right? To then create something, but it's even you know, with groundlings, and when I direct him, like, don't try to recreate what I do, like we already have me, like we don't need this, like you have to create your own life experiences. I want to see what only you can do, right? And you need to celebrate you. And and I think if like if AI was like, Oh, let's write a ground length sketch, like they'd probably pull from things, and it was like, Yeah, that that's a sketch, you know, but it's like, but what but what's so unique about it, and like what is the experience that this person led with to get to this? And like how you're saying, like, writing with family members or for you know, creating like you know, inspiration off of characters of family members, like it can't do that. AI doesn't have a family, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:44

It doesn't know, not that I know of not that any of us know about secret family AI, what you dog, you dog you, okay. I'll get to the I think so. Um, okay, that's great. That's relieving. Yeah, I mean, this show couldn't exist without it. Or I mean this show couldn't exist with it.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:04

Yeah, no, uh-uh. Yeah, because it's yeah, there's a there's an army of people behind it all working for the common goal and taking into consideration everything that's going on constantly.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:16

Yeah, of course. Wild.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:18

Wild.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:18

Well, unfortunately, I think we're getting to the end of our time that we have available today.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:22

What?

SPEAKER_04 1:03:23

Yeah, I know. We just sat down.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:25

I hate this.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:25

I do too. Oh, everything great has to come to an end at some point.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:29

I guess.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:30

Yeah, boy, me being an Eeyore over here.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:32

Wow, wow. All right, we'll we'll just wrap it up there.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:39

Um, all right, everyone. This has been film shit. Emily, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it. It's okay. Drink, it's important to cons to consume caffeinated beverages. Thank you. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:49

Yeah, you're very welcome. Thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:51

Oh man, so grateful. Um, okay, guys, this has been film shit. It is not only the umbrella of what the subject is that we try and talk about on this podcast weekly, but it's also a call to action. So if you want to sit here in this chair someday and talk to me, please go out and film shit. It's the only way that we can make anything, it's the only way that we can let our voices be heard and the world see our stuff. Thank you so much. We'll speak soon. Cheers.