Introducing Michael Trucco aka Uncle Cooper!
Hilarie, Sophia and Joy agree that the highlight of this episode is Michael Trucco and they’re excited to share his magic with you!
It’s only Michael’s first episode but everyone bonded immediately. Join us as they relive his time in Tree Hill and laugh over memories of the race car scene and what it was like playing Nathan’s uncle.
Bonus! Michael Trucco shares his secret to a long, healthy marriage.
First of all, you don't know me. We're all about that high school drama. Girl Drama Girl, all about them high school queens. We'll take you for a ride in our comic girl Cheering father Right Drama Queen's Girl Fashion. But you'll tough, girl. You could sit with us Girl Drama Queens, Drama, Queen's Drama, Queen's Drama Drawn McQueen's Drama, Queen's Welcome. Welcome to Drama Queens. This is UH looking back on One Tree Hill episode nineteen, I'm Wide Awake. It's morning, air date May third, two thousand and five. Synopsis. Steb's younger brother Cooper is in town and stirring up trouble at the speedway with Nathan and Lucas. Dan tells the college where Andy teaches of his relationship with Karen and he's forced to choose, and then Mouth and Erica Marsh start up new relationship. Guys. For anyone who had to watch this episode back preparation for this episode of Drama Queens, we sincerely apologize. We're very sad bad. The episode was my guy ice cream to reward myself first sitting through that episode, The only redeeming thing was meeting. Well, no, there's a couple of redeeming things. There's a few good moments. Yeah, Skylar Fisk and Uncle Cooper, God, they're lovely mouth and Erica marsh are so flipping cute backseat of Brooks car pretending to be book super cute, tend to be drunk. But like those slow motion montages of cars doing donuts and girls dancing to music that clearly wasn't what was playing when we filmed it, it's so painful, so random and painful. Can we just say it? Can we say? Okay, when you guys hear this bitch about the things going on behind the scenes on our show, I think it is super apparent that the wheels are falling off at the end of season two, that is when people at the top of the pyramid lost their keen mind. The last episode was pretty bad too, except for a couple of things. But I missed it. I know, I watched it though I was kind of like, no I had I was in the airport. But yeah, I'm I'm glad that I didn't have to. You know, people don't need to hear me complain either, but they're gonna get to today because let me tell you, I think this episode was so lazy. The writing was so lazy. There were so many reasons. You've got a whole look. I mean, I don't know who's to blame, but all I can say is I do well, I do you know, you've got a whole writer's room. But also, you know, when he was writing it, it seems like something that he probably wanted to take the take the wheel and uh and and run with. But it really went off the rails. I mean, there are so many reasons you could come up with to put um a cast in that setting. It's random, settings are okay, you can kind of always figure out a reason to put people to be If we had introd Uncle Cooper calling Nathan from the road from a NASCAR race in episode eighteen of Seasons and he checked in with him, he said, hey kid, I've been there. I'm getting divorced. Nate had been like, screw you, I'm not getting a divorce whatever. Depressed, Fine, he comes to town to visit. Like, there's a million ways to at least not have everyone watching the episode going who is this person? Who is that girl? Who is that guy? Why are we here? Who's the race car? What's the thing like, it doesn't make any sense. And then it's just these long driving montages, which, as we talked about last week, we're clearly that on a sound stage with a guy shaking the car. They weren't outside terrible well, and the long shots it was they were as long as the coyote. They were longer than the coyote. Ugly sequence in the bar from the last episode, it was just NonStop. I didn't I didn't understand at all why any why we were watching this, and I was I felt bad for anyone at home who had to sit through that hoping that a storyline was going to come out of it. Joy Sophie and I ended the last episode being like normally, when we've got a great, big, huge stinker, we follow it up with something that's actually like heartwarming and lovely, and so we have high hopes for this week, really specifically because we like a lot of the people that were introduced this week. Yes, there are people that are dear to us um and so maybe part of the reason we're so offended is because we feel like they deserved better. We feel like they deserved like a little bit of breath and character development and not just like you know asphalt. Here's what this episode felt like to me. I felt like the writer was trying to pitch their own show of race car driving to other networks, like they had come up with a show for Night Right, you know, uh Nascar, Thank you the NASCAR, And it was just like, well, look, I can show everybody how good it would be, and so then I'll get another TV series spit like spinning off of this moment. That's what it felt like to me, Like it was a total and you can tell that when you watch shows that do actual spinoffs. And they turned the episode into a pilot for the spinoff, and everybody's always watching it, like when is this? I think even Yellowstone did it, introducing like these Moments of three, which you know is a great show, but it was. It's always weird. It's just always weird when you're used to seeing one thing and then they're introducing a completely new type of show. Well, yeah, because you can see how they could have done a spinoff with Truco and Skyler Fisk tell the guy that was playing Ray Green, you know, they had a formula about brothers who were at odds, like a family drama set in the world of sports was our show, And NASCAR was like going through a renaissance back in two thousand five where they were making it like hot and sexy for young people and not just like old people anymore. And and yeah, they were really trying to make it a thing. We had Nascar drivers on TRL at this time, because there was one really young one who was very charming. I can't believe his name, but boy was he a doll. And I remember being like, oh, Nascar is making a concerted effort to like attract new eyeballs. And and because we're in North Carolina and we were a couple hours away from Charlotte, the whole dang show took a field trip without us. Girls. We didn't get to go. No, no, forget you guys, We don't want to go on your dumb trip. Anyway. Was Skylar in more than just this episode, I don't know. I mean, she definitely came to Wilmington like our our studio because she had to do Phitni's and they did all the car process stuff where they were like pretending to drive, so she was in both places. And she's cool, she's great, she's so great, But it did feel to me, like again, and I said this when we were watching it. It It felt like she was there to test out if they could release me from my contract and bring in this other sort of girl next door, a tomboy singer type, because she totally filled that Hailey role in the episode. I mean even having her singer song, I was like, and I was weird. So I mean, I understand why they did it, but it was definitely like it was weird. But she's great and super charming and effervescent and enjoyable to watch. And I hope she does come back from more episodes. I just don't remember. If she does, we would have been lucky to have had her. She's she's a and when she's fabulous. I remember just being such a fan of her from movies. She did a movie back in the day with Colin Hanks that I loved, and I just remember when she came on the show being so excited, and then I found out she was good friends with a pal of mine from a different movie, so we got to stay in touch for a bit, and um, she is just like a class act and a truth teller and such a talented actor. And yeah, between Skylar Fisk and Danielle Alonso. I really wish we'd gotten to keep all the girls from season two. They were full, that's it. Yeah, chicks are treated pretty disposedly on our show. Um, and you heard us talk about it last week about kind of the vilifying of our female characters. Are just making things their fault or them being sloppy in ways. I get it, there's gotta be drama, there's got to be conflict. But the boys are all just just so wounded because of their big hearts, and the girls are evils. What. Okay, someone had a feeling about women. That's crazy. Okay, listen, you might be right, but let's let me let's think about this from the other perspective, from when it was all the boys that were in all the drama, and that was all the first season, right, It wasn't it mostly the boys that were creating all the drama, like getting into all kinds of trouble. Yeah, but they still got played like these heart throbs and these boys you wanted and every girl just wanted to sleep with them, you know what I mean. Yeah, like it was a sexy struggle, but it was like it was like the hot bad boy and the girls are played like these villainous women who are ruining everything with their dance, and like, god, world ring everything and you're evil titties that ever, Oh my god, now what we should call our production company, Ladies evil ties. This has been an evil Titty productions on. This message has been brought to you by evil titty. But that's like the messaging man. It's just so unlikable. It's so unlikable. Barbara passed out in the freaking grass with her evil titties hanging out of her shirts on the sprinklers, like, it's so God, they took it so far they did it. It gets just turned up to eleven. And maybe that's because we're in season two and our show runner had never run anything before. And so what you'll find is that seasoned showrunners understand nuance and how to build things in a way that's never their actors to trusting that the actor collaborating. Could you imagine no, no, I remember the word bottle. Episodes like floating around at this time because there was this concern that people weren't watching our show week to week, and so they wanted the episodes to stand alone in a way where you could just watch one and yeah, they wanted it to be like procedural. This feels that way. It's just it's on an island. It's so strange. I'm yeah, I'm really glad that we got Michael truck go out of it. Yes, because he saved that episode in the end with his white shirt, just standing there dirty in a white shirt. He saved the episode. He really did worth it just for that shot. God damn it. He's so handsome, he's so likable in an incredibly unlikable episode. So that just shows you how talented he is. And the fact that he was able to ground all of that to make it feel real that you bought him as a NASCAR driver immediately, that you bought him as the fun uncle. That that even when he was talking about you know how he was divorced from the supermodel, it wasn't gross. It was charming and funny and like, yeah, gross, any other actor would have made it gross totally. And he was just like, I've had this wild life. Can you believe it? But I mean, I'm a mess? What do you want for me? Like he was so um, he underplayed it all easy, man, it was so freaking cute. He's cool. Um, We also had a really nice performance from Katherine Bayliss again, who always shows up to work man. She just understands the assignment and and really comes through every time. It's always understated, it's always just exactly what's needed, and I loved it. I thought it was weird at the writers had her uh coming on to mouth at the end of the night, when just a few hours later she had been assaulted at a party. That felt like the timing was off there. But I did still love seeing her in mouth starting to build something together, and I thought that was super sweet me too. It was interesting too, you know, I love that you bring that up, that that earlier in the night she went through something I like. I like that she said. I was just scared and disappointed, because how disappointing it feels to be reminded that to some people in the world, you are something to get rather than a person who is is something that I think so many of us are unfortunately familiarized with. And I thought the way that Catherine played it, it felt like something I've seen friends say. It felt like something I know I've said, and I loved it, and so yeah, it especially made it a bummer that there wasn't someone in the room who got to say, hey, guess what. After girls get assaulted at parties, they don't They don't kiss other boys like four hours later, like brand new boys they've never hung out with before. They need to talk and have support and and have some space to process. Yeah, And I will say that if there was any any two actors who could make that makes sense, it would be Katherine and Lee Norris, because Leon Morris is such a good guy and you see who he is. Come out in mouth where he says, well, let's go get some food, and you know he wants to create a safe container. And what I liked about the way Katherine played it was you could see her as Erica see a good guy, be reminded that there are a good guy out there, and lean into a good guy. So I think the storyline is flawed, but I think those two did so far above and beyond like the best they could with them at too. Good actors working with so little always say Hillary, right, you all can keep your Emmy's in your oscars because you had good scripts and we had worked with some of the time, and we made it work and we made you cry. Anyway, watch your dumb awards. Um. It's true though, and I I don't know. It's so hard because a lot of our guest actors didn't have the same um footing that we had to push back on stuff, so they really did have to just do what was on the paper, you know. But you can see in this later part of the season how we are being I don't want to say punished, but there's no screen time. Did get We did get punished. It was it was like, okay, you have complaints, there's less this, there's not just higher bunch of other people for the audience store and and we're going to make you dance around and not talk. So cringe e like, like, my worst nightmare is having to dance on camera. I hate it. So here's a here's a production lesson. Because we know that our drama Queen's friends like these behind the scenes things. So for everyone at home, when you do a scene like we did, you don't have any music nothing. They say, get up, hit play on the stereo, but there's no music. So we're all looking at each other kind of getting in a groove, going like what are we supposed to be doing? Bouncing around? But there's no music to dance too, so you always look like an idiot because you're not dancing. And then when you have whomever pulling the puppet strings doing the edit, who doesn't even try to find a sink, which is the song that gets Sink to the scene. They don't even try to find a sink that matches the rhythm you've found, Like, we were clearly not dancing to Citizen Cope, so we look like a bunch of drunk giraffes. Just you know, it is the worst. Some real We had to go into a d R which is additional dialogue recording, and we would have to put in laughter and that I remember specific it seem charming, like like I want to die so awkward. Well, Haley got to be a ghost in this episode. Literally the beginning of the episode, Haley is there. Act. We got so pumped. She's back back back. They were still trying to kick me out. Hayley was a ghost and apparently deb was a poisoned woman. What is that taking painkillers make your blood unusable? Is that true? What did you find? Here's what it says. This is according to the Interweb, donors on medication are allowed to donate blood for blood products containing less than fifty million leaders of plasma of a single donor. We also we have a real problem with doctors entry Hill who don't understand HIPPA and who like have no understanding of privacy. The fact that all the doctors that we complained about with this r what is the hard test or whatever? HTM? And then he would just walk up to deb in front of another person and assume, how long have you been abusing prescription job. It's like it doesn't know anything about her history. He doesn't anything about your blood is unusable again, you damaged evil women. I'm not sing anything about painkillers on here. I'm seeing like accutane and soriasis medication. No, this is nonsense. This was just like unrest. Maybe because a pain killer for somebody who's already an anesthesia would like interact badly in that moment. I don't think that. I don't know. I don't know, I don't know. She's a good story. Appreciate you trying. While they tried to vilify all of us, they gave us Michael Truco. We said it once, but we're going to say many more times. Everyone. He was the gift that kept on giving and we're very lucky that we got him in season two. And and we have for you today, Yes we do. Man in this room. Do you think he's wearing a white T shirt? I had him episode Ladies and Gentlemen, Michael Truco, Oh my god, you're so handsome. Yeah, it's crazy. Is we've been gushing about talented. So I watched I watched the episode. I'm sorry, terrible episode. It kind it was so bad and there were so many good ones. Actually, it really is a sucker that this one is to deliver monologue worth of exposition and also just like crazy like advice from someone who were just meeting who the audiences just was to like trust right away, and you were trust you. You were to make us care about you immediately. We we just spent the whole opening of the podcast talking about how unbelievable it is that you instantly were so cable, so charming, so honest, so believable inside of the container of an episode. And that is a trash bag like how did you do it? Pure ignorance, and you know, it's weird. You gotta remember when you come into a world like that that's already been established, well established, you guys are already through season one. You're just about at the end of season two. I think, yeah, so it was episode nineteen. Um, you know, I don't know any of the dynamics going on. I knew absolutely nothing. I knew it was I loved car racing and when they said you're gonna play a race car drivers like sign me up. Um, And we got to go to Charlotte Motor Speedway and there was Jeff Burton. I was like, Holy, this is really cool. Um. But in terms of yeah, you're right, Like I have this long scene, uh with Nathan right where I'm telling my nephew about love, and like, you're right, you've never met me before. We have no idea who I am, where I came from, and suddenly I'm the sage of a relationship advice. Right. Yeah, we were doing Supermodel exactly. We wish there'd been a like an Uncle Cooper phone call in the previous episode to establish of some kind, but if Nathan had called you for advice, it was so random but work. You know, a huge part of it too, was James's reaction because Hilary, did you say that He's making James giggle, lushing and like giggling when you're giving him. Yeah, he was like a real brotherly kind of relationship that we hadn't seen from him before. So that there was an odd opening standing over the beer looking at a weird wall with paint and a clown and like better than you you a little bit And I was like repeated it right after you said it, Jesus, one of the better lines in the episode. Frankly, well did you and James have to read together? Like what was the process for you joining? So it's so funny. Yeah, I was. I want to say that casting direction name was Deborah forgetting her name anyway, it was Mark Schwan was was was in the room on one of them, because it was one of those things where you go in and then they narrow it down and then you go back and uh, it was just a small room on the lot at WB and one of those bad trailers, yeah, and the bad lighting in the whole night, but um, yeah, it's just it's something clicked and suddenly it was you're on a plane to North Carolina and you're gonna go out, you know, to Wilmington's and do this, and I think it was it was only meant to be one or two episodes and then I don't know how many it was three four six. You didn't use it because the flip. Yeah, I don't. I don't know what. I just I think it was just based on those guys saying, you know, this is our guy. And then when I met James and Chad, you know, we had a lot of time to hang out in Charlotte at the at the race track. Yeah, and just you know, we just got on like straight away. You guys got to remember too. It's super weird because I feel like, you know, here we are, and I love this, this full circle we come back. We're all peers. But at the time, I felt like such an old guy, and what how old are you? Because we don't know you in your thirties? Yes you're not. You were, because yeah, we were all surprised because you look so young. I mean, he still looks so yeah, like, but I think I was thirty five or thirty six, and you guys were all early twenties in so I automatically thought you were like thirty and still grown up. But yeah, he's a I was. I was feeling super old and super out of place, and um, I just got a I got this instant vibe from James. I just what a what a great soul, what a great And it was true that day and it's true to this day. I saw him only a few weeks ago. We went on the hike together. You know, we lived close by each other. Yeah, we you know, we we need to stay in touch more and and we kind of make the concerted effort whenever I text him, it's you know, we get these these great text threads going where you know, it's really enthusiastic and there's just something about him that really resonates with me. And I picked up on that first day and I was like, that's just luck, that's just kids, mean, right, Like you get thrown into a part and he's supposed to me in my flesh and blood. And we had this report. So maybe that's why those scenes worked. While we're walking down rage track at the leven thirties night, you know, on a on a fifteen page one er talking about my ex supermodel wife. But it did it. It worked, and you felt this connection and you could see how this character Nathan, who was a bit of a rudderless ship at the moment, I felt grounded with Coope and the natural chemistry between the two of you. It did. I I think it. It gave like a footing to this very bizarre storyline, you know when when he's in that moment of emergency, you know, taking the car past its limits and you're telling him to come in. I really bought it. I believed your care and fear and like the look on your face, it was so honest. And yeah, we're just very impressed with what you did. Scripts did you did you get recognized by fans after you were on the show because that the show was kind of like becoming super popular right right around that time. I'll say this, to this day, of everything that I've done so far career wise, this is the single most recognizable really really battle Stars. Yeah, yeah, Battlestar and and uh yeah, even it's weird because to this day it's you can always kind of tell the demographic to who, you know, like the young mom, right the mom and her thirties daughters, like you know, kind of preteen, so they both now like mom watched it back in the day and now daughters watched it. Um. And it's always like an airports and stuff like that, but in the most random locations. But um, it's I don't notice as much as my wife does. For example, right, so we're walking, we're out someplace, and she's like, those girls are looking at you. You know, they totally turned around. I was like, I didn't see it. Actually, I was playing attention. And so we were when this is a funny story, we were this her mom was in town from Switzerland, and we all decided to go to dinner with her mom. We were at this really hip restaurant that was on lastna I forget the name of it, but we're waiting for our table and they said you can have a seat at the bar, and we were kind of early because her mom likes to eat early, and we were sitting on the short side of the bars, big bell shaped, longest bar, and we're on the short side and there was a group of about I don't know, ten eleven twelve girls in their twenties, obviously having some sort of bachelor that party. And they were down the way a bit and we were minding our own business and uh, Sandra, you know, we're talking. She squeezed my hand. She goes, they're looking over here, they're looking over there, and I was like, they just you know, what I just let it be and she does, it's just everyone we go and then they kind of looked over, and then they would talk and another girl would look over, and then this girl walks up and she's got a camera and she does that kind of you know and exactly and I'm so sorry, don't mean to bother you. And Sandra's yes, yes, it's him, it's him, okay, and she but she's very sweet about but She's like, of course it's him. And the girl goes, oh, okay, I could we just will you take a picture of our friends tonight? They were just looking for a frapher. That guy looks like he knows how to handle a camera. Sorry, I think people in the bar so and it was like, I'm so sorry to boot you, and Sounders like, oh my god, here we go. Do you want to be over here? And she went, oh my god, I just want you guys to take a pet of my friends that universal right here. But it's the strangest thing. It really is the strangest thing. How ingrained Uncle Cooper. This character has become from something that I thought was just going to be, you know, in and out, be done with. And I've gotta tell you I'm proud of it, you know, I really am. I'm I'm armed to be included with you guys. That that really means a lot to me. And and uh, it's it still blows my mind that people that the character resonates with people. And I just I thank you guys because I remember how sweet and how good you were to me when I got there. All of you. We just yeah, listen, Michael, you were a good safe dude to hang out with because you were really fun and you didn't talk down to us. You know, you had been on a lot of stuff and you were super inclusive, but you also, you know, respected boundaries and you were a very safe person to be around. Absolutely. Yeah, of course, I mean that's just it's in my nature. But yeah, you're right, and and you know you have to be caught into that, of course. And that's why I think part of it. Like I said, I felt like I was this old guy and you guys were kids. But we would go out and you know, there were nights when we all go out to dinner, we had some drinks and I was like, is this weird? Should I I should just I gotta beat it. I gotta get out of there and just go I feel like I'm out of my here. But then I bonded with like Lee, you know, and and and James, and I was like, I really enjoyed my time here. And then you know, I spent a good amount of time with Paul as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, fishing. Tell me about that trip. After he knocked me, he pushed me down. You know, we had that moment the hospital in this episode by the way, Yeah, that's right, you know at the end and he pushes me in the chest and I kind of pushed back. Well, we did a take where he shoved me into a chair because there was a chair, and I was like, oh, I see how this goes. So it was a complete and total you know, there was this pissing match going on, and Paul came and kind of wanted to set the tone and he pushed it and I pushed him back, like okay, cut, Yeah, that's that's a little too much. Guys, Like we just kind of had this moment, and then after that we were we were totally cool. Yeah that sounds like Paul toxicity or and you're just marking your territory. Where did you hang out in Wilmington's where were your hotspots? Who have no idea? One didn't one of you guys live over a steakhouse. Well, yeah, so there was a steakhouse that was you know, I don't know what. You gotta remember my first time in Wilmington, I think it was February or March now Willington's city. Yeah, boy, in February and March, it's grim. It's like it's cold, and it was bleak exactly. It was gray, and there was no flowers, no trees, no leaves, nothing, just like dead trees, and it was really quiet. I remember walking around and looking at that battleship on the river house in that hotel, and I was like, Holy Lord, what am I doing? And I just it felt like, you know, a tumble weed would walk would go by the street when I was walking down. And I largely spent the first week or two the day I was up there by myself, just you know, going to a bar and sit and pull up and watch a NASCAR race or you know, have breakfast in some cafe. And then eventually I got to know you guys and got the land. But I can't remember so long. I remember that steakhouse is being sort of fa central meeting point and then I was just there. Well I saw you guys there. Oh god, we were there before COVID. How did we all escape that guy? I mean maybe we didn't because I think we all got sick after that. But yeah, that was the last time I saw anybody before the pandemic broke out. I saw you. Um that was it was. It was a fun convention. I want to say. It was February of two thousand twenty in the world shut down in the thirteenth of March. Yeah, bas And how were those couple of years for you? I mean, were you able to work at all? Or what did you? And Sandra? I did? I actually, um spent. It was kind of tough because I was in Vancouver for five months and I couldn't leave and son couldn't come up because we were under you know, it was non essential, you know, so we were allowed to travel as to get to Vancouver. We once we were there, we couldn't leave. So I was making that show for Netflix called Midnight Massah, and uh we shot that for We started in February. Right after I saw you guys. I went up to Vancouver and then we got shut down on March thirteenth. I spent the whole summer here at the house, which was kind of great. It was l A was a really interesting place. You know, there was no traffic. It was so beautiful. It really was right. There was something that was the silver lining. It was Yeah, there was remember the haze of fog, that of the smog that just cleared for the first time in thirty years. It was just clear. So we really enjoyed that. And then I was gone for a good portion of in in uh in Vancouver, and it was really weird to be away from my wife for five months straight. I know, not like you know, we usually try to keep a two week ruel where either she's coming to where I am or I go where she is. I was going to say, becausually have been together since two thousand and nine or did you just get married into that married in two thousand. Now we've been together since two thousand, so this isn't But okay, the two week rule, that's something that I've heard a lot of couples in this industry do. It must work, Yeah, yeah, it does work, because you know, look, sometimes it's not you can't be right to the letter two weeks. You know, there's some inconveniences. You just it's so important to check in with each other. I mean, my husband's gone all the time. Yeah. I was going to say, of course, I just keep his stunt doubles Jeff stunt double silicone face mask. Yeah. He just wrapped The Walking Dead and he was like, I mean it has his beer, Like, what are we doing? We need some photo? Hold on. I hear what you guys are saying. I'm like, oh, that's so nice. But you're right. He was down in Georgia and couldn't travel the quarantine and so we ever, well we spent part of the year down there when my son was doing homeschool, but we couldn't go back and forth. Um, there was no back and forth, and he was like forbidden from travel, so he would like sneak up everyone. So of course you had to be really real careful. We went up to do the pilot of Good Sam February. We were four days from picture when they were like everything shutting down. Go home, and so then we went back to do the pilot to actually film it. And yeah, Michael, same thing. The Canadian government was like you can come and you know, we'll lock you in a hotel room for two weeks. You can't open the door to order a lot of groceries. And they wouldn't. They wouldn't let grant. They write. They said, he's not essential to the production. And I was like, well, it's pretty essential to me. Actually, I just didn't get to see him for three months. It was it was crazy. I can't believe you guys have five you know, thank God for FaceTime obviously, and right we're checking every day and we talked to three times a day, and you know, that's that makes a huge difference because being able to have that one on one, that FaceTime literally FaceTime, it just it just makes life easier to see. But it's important. Yeah, we listen, we have We've been together for twenty years and we've got twenty years for a reason, because you know, we take this relationship serious and we work at it. And that's not to say that it's not without you know, difficulties and distractions were human beings, and so you have to you really have to massage it and work it and and it's a it's a choice. It's a choice that you make. And you know, if you choose to to stray or stumble then that you know you have to be accountable for that, and so we choose not to and we check in with each other and the love is real, and yeah, it's it's fascinating. I mean again, I thought I'm sounding like the old guy, you know, savee advice, But it's take us on a lap around the track to hear look at that leaning in. I don't know what all leaned towards our companions were, like tell us your secrets, Michael, for twenty years, tell us more. I fall more in love every day I get. And maybe because I turned fifty, I don't know, maybe that has something to do it. Maybe age is a factor. But it becomes abundantly clear to me that having that presence, that energy, my person, my soul mate, is invaluable and I will do nothing to compromise that, and to jeopardize that, and and her and and so the protection instinct kicks in. And it's just when you have when you build a shorthand with somebody, you know, I can't imagine starting, Oh my god, I imagine. I don't. I don't, man, I just I I the whole. I can't because the generation that has to date on this and they have to yea, well, who is that? Jason Mova Lisa. It was like they broke up for two weeks and then they were like, you know what, never mind, we don't want to I don't want to do it. Yeah, so I don't. I just can't relate to that. I just I'm from a different generation. So I'm very I'm very happy and I'm grateful. And that's what it is is you have to have you have to have gratitude and you have to be aware of it. You just have to. You got to acknowledge it. Don't take anything for granted. But this is what your advice, as Uncle Cooper landed, because it's it's authentic to you. You know, you can tell that you're not some sleazy dude that's out there trying to hook up with everybody you know, and like you're giving this, But Michael, you didn't play it that. Yeah, that's right. Try not to know a lot. I mean, it could have been it could have been creepy. We were even saying the supermodel line could have come across like kind of sleazy and creepy. But it didn't at all, just came across the sincere and like, isn't that crazy? Yeah, isn't my life kind of wild? My waist ad that I was like, Jesus God. And then and then I end up sleeping with the seventeen year along the show. So you oh, Danielle, Oh, I forgot honey. They did it to all of us. Like, so hookes up with a teacher, I hook up with a dude in a band? Joy, did you ever hook up with an adult? Well, Chris Christ in high school? Wait, what's that storyline? Well, that's where I was during this episode, was off on a music tour and that's why she sang that song at the campfire because that was a song that I started singing with with Tyler Hilton before we went off on tour. So that like offended Nathan and yes coming together. Yeah. Also, can we talk about that for one second while we're just talking about the ways this episode jumped the shark who lets a bunch of people camp in the center grass at a NASCAR with fire track and light a fire vehicles. What's happening in this episode? And there's lanterns, Like, what is going on? Somebody broto lantern race track through his bloodlights and then it's like, you know what we need this this little tinny daddy lantern lamps. Man our shows all about the Skinna lamp. That was yeah, yeah, I don't know true. What's your background with NASCAR? Um So I raced. I went to racing school. I race in this ridiculous series called the twenty four hours and Lemons, which is a play on the twenty four of the mons is where everybody has to purchase a car for five dollars in less. And I know this race. Yeah yeah, I have a friend who's done it. Where does this happen. This happens all over the country, from from California to New Hampshire. There there's there's races just about every other weekend. You guys, this is an internet rabbit hole, that is. So what's it called? It's called twenty four hours of Lemons. Okay, we're all right in this town. This is a real big thing. We were the We called our team the mastera Rachis because we had a Mazda and it was painted like a Mexican flag and we wore we wore big some bar. So it's kind of like, you know, it's sort of Marti grab everybody dresses up for it in your car. Each car has a theme. This is so fun. I want to go. I've got five hundred dollars. I'll sponsor you. Let's get a car and spray paint a crown on it and got drama can wet it. And it's way less high stakes than that pinball rally. Yes, oh, way less Yeah, the pinball rallies, like with with Lamborghinis. And these are five piece of cars. Yeah, joyl drive over anything. I have a driver, yea. Not a fascination with the racing. Um. I just always said I grew up in the wrong state. I grew up in California. If I grew up in a state like North Carolina or someplace in the South where you know, racing is culturally, you know, in their blood, I can see where that was something I probably would have pursued. I just you know, as a kid, way back, I would watch racing with my dad and everybody else was watching football and basketball, baseball. You know, I wasn't watching those sports. I was watching racing, IndyCar music, NASCAR, racing, Formula One. So that was kind of a it was kids. Mean, it was when this role came up, I don't know if I told you this story as conventions before. I don't know if you guys know the story. I was on the plane from l A to North Carolina, and I was going through the script, you know, as you do, and getting ready to go on to the show, and I'm trying to get a good sense of, you know, who this guy is, and it just referred to this character's Cooper Um and so I was like, I need to do a deep dive. And I know that I'm Dep's brother, and and somewhere I found the name Lee, and I was like, oh, so the character is called Cooper Lee. And I put that together and that some I'm sitting on the plane and I'm wearing this jacket that actually made it to the show. And the reason it made it to the show is because it was some cheesy leather jacket I got on mel Rows years ago. But the brand was Lee Cooper and the name was stitched. The name was stitched onto the sleeve and said And I took the jacket off and I looked aside. It was called the Lee Cooper jacket. And I was over here to Cooper Lee, and I was like, Okay, this jacket has to be on the show. So that's the one that I'm wearing in that episode when we're walking on the track, and I thought Wardrobe did it. That's yeah, nuts, stuff like that happened and I love it. And I was like, okay, it's meant to be with your knowledge of NASCAR, Like, what did you see in this episode? Because you know, in like like when military guys watch military shows and they're like, oh my god, they're like that's bullsh What did you see in this episode where you're like, no, hate it? Yeah, well, just the disparity between the cars look like they're going about thirty five miles an hour, and the idea that we're supposed to be on a hundred thirty five miles an hour. Um, you know, there was a few things that listen. I'm sure NASCAR guys are also, I'm not certain that you'd put two kids in the car on the second day that they're there or four kids. Yeah, they do have schools like that and you do a lead follow, but they don't really open it up to hey, I'm going to take the high line. I definitely if I'm a professional race car driver, I don't bump draft my nephew in front of me and his first day on the car, first day of the car, and you grew up and you hit him on the you know, that's that's unbelievable. So that was a little probably a little dicey um, but I think it was good. Like they had the terminology right when Skyli gets out of the car, she goes, it's loosening tight off um. You know those are terms that they used, meaning at the car at the back end comes around and the front end pushes and and so I thought all that stuff was good. I mean, Jeff Burden was there that that legitimized it. Yeah, he's a big deal man. I used to lie when I was a kid and tell people I was related to him. That's the same name. At hearing that, because we were talking to about you know how you and Skyler were both such highlights of this episode. She's just so lovely and we were jealous that we didn't get to work with her. So it's nice to hear that. You know, the stuff she had to do was as accurate as it could be. Was that role meant were they gonna expand that was that going to be a potential Dude, we were just talking before you came on. It felt to us like they were prepping for a spin off. Interesting. So do you guys know the story. I was doing Battlestar at the same time as this, and I was recurring on both shows. And this is one of those weird moments that you can't orchestrate as an actor. You know, you just want all the forces aligne. At one time I was going to Vancouver but shoot an episode or two Battle Start, going to go back to see you guys in North Carolina. And then inevitably there was that one year, I think it was towards the end of the season, maybe at the beginning of the next whenever it was that Battle Start called and said hey, we need you for these dates, and your show called instead of when you do for the exact same dates, and we're like, so we came to this impass and um, I don't know if you know, but both shows stepped up and and there was a scenario where Mark had approached me and said, we want to bring you in to the fold next season full time, and Sophia they were going to hook our characters up together. I was robbed. I was yeah, that was because you know, how there was gonna be a time jump. I think you guys at all graduated and then yeah, god, you were going to come in for five for grown up Brooke Davis, the owner of Clothes Over Bros. Dating the Hombrace car Drive. What the man? I was so mad. I didn't know that. That makes you sad, Honey. We're gonna have to send her flowers. We're gonna have I would have loved to have like a good buddy, be my on screen boyfriend. That would have been so nice. But then you got you that in my adult life, and it's been so nice, Like it's so even. Like on my show now my character is in a bit of a love triangle. And Edwin Hodge, who interestingly enough, was on One Tree Hill with us back in the day, and then Michael Stall David, who I love from Narcos. They're like the two guys my characters trying to figure her show with, and they're like two of my best friends, and it's so funny. That's so great. Yeah, I feel robbed. Then you've got your battlestar that offered you a series regular. That's what happened. So then One One News Got One got wind of the other one. Yeah, They're like, well, hold on a second, and um, I think yeah. I think it was just came down to you know, I was looking and I've got it, given you a better deal, of course, yeah, you're a free agent and it was. And I don't regret at all. I mean, listen, I do. I would love to have spent more time with you guys. And like I said, I don't regret for a second my time on One Tree and it's been It's been amazing because the reaction just from being there for a short time. I was like, why, it would have been great to have spent a whole another season or two with you guys. Um, And I'd love to see what that would have taken me. But I think Battlestar was such a great experience for me, and it put me. It gave me a whole you know, opened a lot of doors, like a behind the scenes thing that a lot of people think about in terms of how actors have to make decisions like that. You know, for you, l A to Vancouver is a quick three hour flight that's easy for you and Sondra for your relationship. You're in the same time zone, you can see each other on the weekends. Wilmington's is not only you know, across the country and three hours later, but there's no direct flight, so it's just eight hours flying, not even the travel time to and from the airport on either side. It's our flight two planes to get there. So it doesn't surprise me that you know, someone in your position who loves and prioritizes his relationship with his wife is like I almost gay close to home, So you know that, I mean, you could not have iterated that better. That's exactly. That factor in a lot into it, of course, because Vancouver not only is the flight show, you're in the same time zone, and that's just it just it makes things so much less complicated. There's nothing worse than trying to communicate on two different time zones so hard and invariably it's that what times there? Why are you up? Are you up? You know, like, oh my god, you know, well I'm just going to sleep, but you're just getting up and I'm going to sleep and you're out at dinner with our friends. Like it's just it's so hard. Yeah, So those things can can you know, there can be a grind and that definitely has a factor in the decision. But you know, I wished in an alternate universe that there was a scenario where Cooper was back and see, now, now you can like throw the Reese Witherspoon thing at the networks and be like, well she did big little eyes and little fires everywhere at the same time. Let me be on two shows at once. But at the time, shows would not allow that, like the idea he would work on one show and then work on another. Networks were like, who do you think you are a person? And you're like, well, I'm an actor, so I'd like to act. I don't know what they wanted. Exclusivity for sure, and that's ultimately what they had to step up to the deal and come with the deal. You know, when you're recurring, they don't own your time, you know, and so you're bouncing between shows and you're paid accordingly. If they're gonna, if they're gonna, you know, secure your time, then of course you get you get paid more. But then you're you're explicit that show. So yeah, that worked out, But how are you guys doing? Who cares about us? What I want to know is, um, all these guitars hanging on your back wall, we had we had a little bit of music in this episode at the weird bonfire in the middle of the field. Um, am I an idiot for not knowing that you're a musician? Are you a musician? No? Those are cake I'm a baker. Shot. Oh my god, those are made out of frosting. And do you have a band? You? What do you? What are you doing? Swing? Swing the camera? That was my simple world? Did your hair in a band? Full? So you're still recording? Then you're still not really but like this is yeah. So there's a j C one twenty, which is a classic. There's this pedal board that pulling this up on Google? Simple? What now? Con simple world? I'm right, I'm literally writing it on a post that one word. No, I was terrible voice, but well I did back up, but you could bury back up in the mix and nobody knows it bad or not. Yeah. We um oh you got you got? Um I'm looking at someone. Oh my god, god yea god? Yeah T shirt? Yeah, yeah, which picture is that? I don't know what you guys in the viper room you're playing the viper rooms? Yeah, we were, We were legit for about a half. I'm following your band now, thank my god, Yes, what was that again? This is so funny how really with age comes wisdom. At the time, we didn't. We didn't appreciate what we were doing. We were we were chasing the dragon. We were always trying to be what was happening in the scene because we were always a step behind the trend. We were a big arena um YouTube style, r E M, Rolling Stones, rock and roll band when grunge and like clubs and like super angsty emo was happening and we weren't. We were pop and we apologize for it. We apologize in our performance. We apologize and using me, you know. And so like those days at the Viper and when you were lined up with four other bands and you have your half hour of slot or st and all these other guys dripping cool. Everybody was just they were they were like it felt that way. I've had to explay this to my son, where I'm just like dudes and bands or nerds and they just are yeah, yeah, for sure, Like you know, I mean, my drummer was wearing you know, this is the nineties and early two thousands. He was wearing uh shoelaces, shoes with two different shoelaces that were hot pink and hot, you know, green, and they said new kids on the block, you know, like nobody would would be rocking New Kids on the Block when they were still super popular like that. Roney wasn't cool yet. The early two thousand's were not ironic. We had to like get out. Yeah, yeah, so we were. We didn't really I wish I could go back and enjoy it a little bit more. We were always like, I don't know, we got to be this, we have to be that, and we have to dress like that. And I was like, no, you don't. You just got to do whatever you do, whatever your jam is, whatever your sound is, and however you choose to dress and perform, that's who you are. It takes a while to figure that out, though, especially as artists, because I think built into most artists is the desire to be liked and you want the attention, you want the strokes, the accolades, you want all of that, and so the easiest way to get that is to fit in where you see that everybody else getting all that's right, and it's hard to realize like, actually you being original and bringing something that's only from you to the table is what ultimately will give you the fulfillment that you're looking. Yeah, you're so right, and you hear that and people tell you that, and that's the advice that you were given and you see it on shows like Eric and Idolwold, like you just be yourself and be authentic to yourself and you always don't. Yeah, and then you and then there's like an A and R exactly who's like, you know what you need kids like to like this guy. Yeah, you had to produce her a manager who's like, you know, our singer's name was Zeus by the way, I mean, if you if you're yeah, well his real name is his Susman doesn't, but his whole life he went by Zeus. That's so that's just a rad name from a singer. But at one point they tried to get him to sing kind of gravelly like Eddie Vetter. Yes, exactly, everybody was doing the Eddie Vetter was her. Oh my god, it's like how everybody tries to sound like Marcus Momford. Now, yes, exactly. So that's that was the stuff that we were fighting because exactly what you said, Hillary, that somebody told us, well, if you guys want to you know, just make it to the next level. You need to sound, you need to be this, and we didn't need to be anything. We just were what we were. But it was it was short lived. I mean it wasn't shortly. We had the band for a long time, but by the time we all got into our thirties, was starting to Yeah, I don't think it's too late, Michael. We have these conventions. Everybody plays at the conventions. Hell, if I wanted to start a band thing, let me play, Okay. I'm also like, do you do you just still play at home for fun for you Yeah. Yeah, that's why. That's what most of the stuff is that it is. You know, it's a great it's super therapeutic and uh like, for example, when I was in Vancouver five months, I brought one of my guitars and here's the other thing that I you know, if I wish I had had back then as this university of YouTube. I became an infinitely better guitar player in five months sitting in my apartment in Vancouver, because I was like, I've always wanted to learn, uh this solo from you know, whatever song, you know, pick something, pick a song or something that I was like, I've always we used to play it, but I never played it right. And now you can just die it up on YouTube. And guy goes, well, here's what you want to do, and he just shows you how to play it. And if you have the time and you have the basic cognitive knowledge of a guitar, you can you can learn these things. And so through I spent five months every day playing the guitar in Vancouver, and I was like, oh, I never knew. I never knew this, you know, put that into our music because I was I was pretty rudim entering. I mean, you know, our our music is simple, hence the name Simple World. But it was it was very it was poppy, and it was you know, it was just simple, good old fashioned. You're going to have to send us a video for us to post on art social media. You can bask in like the sexy guitar plane. I think you get your shirt undone too, you know, but sexy. Okay, there's that pictures shirt, but this is even better. This is the mouth breather, oh my god, with no shirt underneath. And then the headband. You're still giving me strong Craig Scheffer vibes. This right, but you're gonna have to give us the same amp that amp is right there. No way that I love that. We need you to play as a song. Sure well right now, I mean whenever you want, whatever you Honestly, I hate to be weird, but I'm like, but if you said us a video, we can watch it more than once up you can. You can't. You're in a phone call. Like That's why I like letters. We can't. I like things I can hold on to. Is that what Uncle Cooper is doing right now? That's what the fans always asking, what's your character doing? Now? Do you question? Now he's let's see Coopers now? Yeah, you know you could conceivably in NASCAR, give you raising it this possibility. I think he's still in the game. I think he's in racing. I think he owns a team. Yeah, he's got he's got twenty two year old drivers and you know that that's the new up and coming generation. But yeah, I think Cooper Lee's uh, that whole that team, that whole business is still is still going like that. Yeah, I love it. What can we tell people to watch you in? What can we point to? What are you working on right now? Well? So I did finish in that mass which was on Netflix, which if you guys like horror, I don't know if you guys are down with the ho do. I mean, I'm carrying around my husband's fake heads. So I just had a horror movie come out, how you did, My first time ever doing a horror movie. It's called so called The River. It's it's out now. But what's in what's Midnight Mass about? Oh? God, midnight Mass? Um? It's really scary. Yeah, it's it's it's really esoteric. It's midnight Mass as a UM it's a study on religion. Actually, it just gets into the lore of of faith and um fanaticism and um. It's about a small fishing island that's about thirty miles off the coast of the you know, the United States, and this staunchly Catholic little fishing society has had the same monsignor for seven decades and suddenly he falls ill, and this young priest shows up and says, I'm not here to replace them, und just here, you know, to fill in for Father Paul or for Monseigneur Prewit. And when this priest shows up, strange things start happening on the Island, and yeah, it gets it's it's a slow burn. It starts, it kind of pulls you in and then it just gets crazy and it's it's a it's a study on life and death in religion. And uh, it's all set in a horror genre, which is interesting. You know. That's what Mike Flanning and does so well is take horror and turns the convention on its head and actually gives you this real deep, esoteric think piece. And so I'm leaving this end of this month to go back up. We're doing the next one. Um. It's called The Fall of the House of Usher. It's based on the Brow and Pope. Yeah, it's five ed growling poet short stories. It's like the Pillar. Hi, Michael, you want to put a word in for me, I'm your creepy friend. I can. I can make the introduction. Trust me, You'll never meet a goth girl. That's so cool. So I'm very fortunate to kind of have been, yeah, sort of adopted into the They call it the flana Verse, the Mike Flannagan universe. Is like he's notorious. All of us from Midnight Mass have come back for the House of Usher. That is so cool, and they were in a lot of them were in Midnight I'm sorry, the Haunting of Hill House, the Haunting of Manner, So those are all like I did this movie called Hush with with Mike. It's really small in the film. We shot in Alabama and twenty one days and I just gotten into Yeah, that was a great movie and I just got into his world. And thank God, because it's just it's a it's a it's you know, it's a strange world. And we were gluttons for punishment this business. Well, and that's why we've all stayed together. It's important to find your little families and to nurture them. And we're so glad that, you know, even though this episode was kind of a doozy, you became a part of our family in this episode in a way that's so grateful. Yeah, I didn't stink up the joint when I showed that it was a break. You were the gift. You saved it the show for sure. Well, guys, should we spin a wheel? Michael? We spent a wheel every week because this is a show about high school, so we do most likely too. From the yearbook, Oh who is fast likely to compete on Dancing with the Stars, so we do, so we do who which character do you think and then which person in real life do you think would be the most likely too, So we have two answers. Always Okay, dancing, I have to answer that. Well, here's the thing. I have to make a confession. My husband wants me to do Dancing with the Stard Jeff. Jeff's like, I think you should do it, and I'm like, what are you talking about. He's like, Oh, you're just always moving your body weird around the house. Like I did not say no to that show because you know what, it's a lot of hard work and you just get to completely throw yourself into it. I know people have done this show and it's like it's so much work, but it's so fun and such a great Really think I just want to be strong, Like do you know what I mean? Like you see everyone's muscles when they're done, and I'm like, yeah, I got honest. I would totally not do that show. I can't think of anything more tortures and horrifying and terrifying. That is my chili. I'm an awful day. That's your next horror film, that's the next Gary movie. You have to do. You have to waltz in the next plan Verse project Goode Bevin doing Dancing with the Stars. Bevin's character's good. You know who first came to mind for me? Who I think would be so good? Barbara right, dancing with the slash Barbara. Yeah, that was I could agree. Okay, that's the winner event so good. But Hillary, I'm I'm encouraging, you know, I'm not. No, No, this is like my husband thing so weird. Um, it's like wanting to see you and dance around and some sparkles. I bet he's like, you know what would be? I can just do that at home, Like I don't want to go on TV. I think that's I think the world needs no you could you know what, Hillary, With both of our musical theater background, like there's there's something that happens in there. You never quite get away from that. Just dancing in your life and your right, I think you never joy And I want to do Cabaret on Broadway. That's what we I mean, sorry, not Chicov in my brain, Jolie and I want to do Chicago on Broadway. There's only one role in Cabaret, like you want to do Broadway in Chicago. We could trade off. Yeah, did you guys do a lot of musical theater? Yeah, a lot you did. But if you watched this episode, you can tell that I wasn't the better dancer. Joy Is definitely I was in this episode. I was a ghost. I just leave it. And then she wasn't it was you and Mora and Barbara. It was too Yeah, it was. It was the two of us and then Barb and Moira cringe ist dancing ever, Yeah, it was pretty cringe e I was. I was just pissed. I was like, God, I was like I danced in school, not having music and being expected to do a routine. And even so, I'm so bad about it. Even the girls, the cute girls who did the coyote ugly routine in the last episode, they got choreography. I was like, we have some anyway, I'll be thinking about that for the next ten years. But most of the time, dancing makes me a couple of watching it. Even I don't like watching people dancing. Get huh, you can all be uncomfortable together this episode, guy, Hey, how did you guys know you have to go? But I'm just curious how the three you guys. Y'all did good Sam right you guys? Yeah? We do so fun, so fun, so fun to go on so show and you know she's killing it over there and she's just so well loved and respected and it's so nice to see her in her element like that, and for all of us to also just play together again. I know, I last wait, is that your way of being like you want to be on season two? Have a love Triangles like you want to love Square? Yes, my god, you know Davis loves plus on. I'm just saying, oh my god, Michael, please come on my show so I can get the dream that I didn't even know was someone from me until the day. Let's make that full circle to happen. This has been an informative episode Evil Cities, Evil Cities. He wasn't there for that part. Sorry, it was a whole I love it. Michael. You are the best. Thank you so much for coming to play with us today. That was so fun, so great to see it all three of you. And um, I'm in l a. Let's go for a hike. I'd love to come. I know. I thank you. Like Sophia and I, we contact each other and was like them on Instagram, and I was like, that's that's so so what we do. We're pretty good. We get back to each other and I love it. Yeah, you have yes, you have my you got my email? You know I would love to. I love to hook a couple, go and do a hike or something. That'd be great. Perfect everybody fine, take care? Oh everybody, that was so fun. Thanks for listening. They just love him. Hey, girls, here's to our high hopes for a better episode next week. You know, squirrely ones in a row means we gotta get a good one next week, right, Yeah, what do we know about it? What's it called? Can we get a teaser with our title? Next week's episode? Season two, episode twenties called Lifetime Piling Up? Oh? God ready, Joy, do us a favor? Can you create a mixed drink for next week's episode so that we can get through us? I love that idea? Help? Okay, alright, cocktail time is happening. Alright, I love you guys to Hey, thanks for listening. Don't forget to leave us a review. You can also follow us on Instagram at Drama Queen's th h or email us at Drama Queens at I Heart Radio dot com. See you next time. We are all about that high school drama. Girl drama girl, all about them high school queens. We'll take you for a ride in our comic Girl Cheering for the right drama Gueens draws my girl up girl fashion. But your tough girls, you can sit with us. Girl Drama Queens, Drama Queens, Drama, Queen's Drama, Drama, Queen's Drama Queens