Josh Henderson (Scene 23)

Published Aug 28, 2023, 4:00 AM

He made playing a bad boy look so darn good on "Desperate Housewives" and "Dallas," but before his decades-long career on the big and small screen, he was a Popstar! 

Josh Henderson opens up about his long (and painful) audition process for the reality show "Popstars," and you won't believe his audition song! Hint: Lance was in the group! 

Josh also divulges who really came up with Scene 23's name, what it was like being on lockdown in the Popstars house, and dealing with the shock of overnight fame while simultaneously trying to kick off his acting career!  

Grab the popcorn because this scene-stealing journey is worthy of its own big-screen treatment! 

This is Frosted Tips with Lance Bass and iHeart Radio Podcast. Hello, my little Peanuts, it's me your host, Lance Bass. This is Frosted Tips with me, your host Lance Bass, and my lovely co host, my husband, Turkey Turch. Hello, there go some of you? Sure, some of you, Turkey.

That's right.

Time we have joshers, we do. Some people are like, when you have an actor on the show, will guess what? He's also a pop singer.

That's right.

He started his career as a pop star on the WB's hit series pop.

Stars two two after Eaton's crush with Nicole, how do you say your last lesser? No, it's not Nicole slursinger slurs. There's no slurs, Nicole Serzinger, there's no sur either. Nicole Scherzinger. Sure, sure, like a shirt Scherzinger, sure Zinger. Nicole Scherzinger. God, yes, Nicole Scherzinger. Oh, that's easier than what I was trying to say.

Well, baby, you saying schlur singer because I have friends with the last name Schlessinger.

Yeah and so, and it just kind of yeah and it just kind of naturally comes out. But that's way easier. Nicole schure Zinger. Yeah, let's say sure and a zinger Zinger, which was my favorite dessert growing up. So now you know, now you're going to say her name correctly everything. And I feel like you see her all the time too. I do see her. Well, I just did a mass singer with her. I'm not on the show, guys, I'm not on the show, but I'm giving a clue. I always do it every year.

Oh yeah, and saying I know.

Well.

The producer was like, oh, Nicole just keeps saying how great the tour was with you guys, And I'm like, pussy got dolls never opened up for us. They weren't even together. I'm like what. I was so confused, and then I realized, crap, she was an Eden's crush. Yes, I had totally forgotten she was an Eaton's crush.

Get over yourself. Sorry.

I wasn't a ten year old at the time like you were. I was not ten, Nicole. I was like, suresinger, sir Zinger, sure Zinger, sure Zinger, So you have to say zinger, but you say sure singer, Yeah, sure singer. Okay, see I've learned it.

You hear that world was that painful for you.

It's never going on the show.

Pretty painful.

You need to get Nicole on the shows?

Are you kidding? Ultimately?

Hello, she's got two girl bands we can talk about. Yeah, serious, talking about a pop star teen idol? Yeah, all right, let's work on that.

Well, speaking of other teen idols, well there shouldn't be teen idols. I guess I have teen titles for a song.

Little is a teen idols? Just lots of teen fans.

Yeah, I was thinking more of Cardi.

Oh and Cardi Oh because of all this stuffy.

Let's talk about throwing stuff on stages.

Let's not make this a thing.

But this is so stupid.

People are gonna have to perform in like a poepe mobile from now on and like have a have a big up screen.

I mean, if it really starts to get dangerous, guess what. Your cell phone is gonna be taken. Everything's gonna be taken, and it's gonna be so boring for you, so boring. So don't throw things on stage. Let's take a little break, we come back. I know this is gonna go long. I can read tell because mister Josh Henderson is here and we need to catch up. Ye known this kid forever, and there's so much I don't know about, especially the music setus was acting. We all have been watching the last Yeah, but I know him from the you know the pop stars, pop star I know, all right, So let's sake a break. When we come back, we're gonna have Josh Henderson from Seeing twenty three. Welcome back to the show. All right, the man is here. Josh Henderson's an actor, model, singer, best known for his lead role as John Ross youing the third TNT's Revival. Dallas also played Austin mccannon on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives and has appeared in films like Step Up. He's got to start in entertainment after his appearance on the w B singing competition pop Stars.

Yeah You're you.

You watched all those shows of course, Crush Beans, Crush pop Stars too, where he was one of the ones selected to be a member of the pop group Scene twenty three and I can't wait to talk about Seeing twenty three because it's very short lived and I want to hear all the drama. Mister Josh Henderson. Welcome to the show.

Thank you so much. So stuck to be here, how we do it.

We are ready. I'm glad to have We've known each other for so many years we have, but we really haven't spoken about your pop star day. Sure so most people just know you as the actor. Sure these days, but let's go back. Let's go back. You were from Texas. Where in Texas are you from? Born in Dallas, grew up Mesquite?

Okay?

How far is that from Dallas?

About thirty minutes east?

Okay, so you're just right outside Dallas. Did you always know that you wanted to be in entertainment?

Uh? So, you know. Look, so I'm growing up. I moved back and forth from from Mesquite, Texas to Tots, Oklahoma, back to Mesquite.

By the way, our southern accent is coming out, just talking about Texas.

And I said, dad, gum it. So anyways, yeah, no, look, I mean I planned on and I don't know if you know this, but but I I had kind of made, you know, a kind of headway into become a professional baseball player.

I don't know this, Okay, Yeah, that's what I'm trying to push my son into. I know you're not supposed to push kids everything, but if there's one sport, I want him to play for her. Yeah, ball's playing too, of course.

Yeah. No, I mean, look, you know they call it America's past time, right, it is a great sport and uh uh so anyways, yeah, I mean I got drafted by the Texas Rangers when I was seventeen years old, so I planned on playing professional baseball. And I will try to make this concise because I don't know how much time we got all the time, Okay, then ask if you shower see now? Uh so? Uh yeah, no, I I graduated high school. My girlfriend at the time, she she she wanted to book a trip for us to go to San Francisco. Never been out. I'd never been outside of Texas and Olahoma in my life, right. So we land in San Francisco. Day one, we're walking around downtown. I see like thousands of people standing outside of this hotel. So I just walk up to somebody and I'm like, hey, what are you guys doing. They're like, oh, we're auditioning for this show called pop Stars, And I'm like, wait a minute, I know that show. And I looked at my girl and I was like, hey, can I can I hop in line? I mean, I don't know, like maybe I'll get on TV, right, hilarious?

And did she know you could sing?

At this point? No one did. Oh wow, okay, So anyways, yet no I looked at her and I was like, hey, do you mind. She was like, I mean, when's the audition? And I had no idea. So I looked at the guy and go, when's the audition? He goes tomorrow? And I go, so do you want to get in line? And anyways, we slept on the street and woke up, and pop Stars is kind of like American I don't so it's it's seven cities, right, so you got your la Chicago, Dallas, Miami, San Francisco, New York. And so we hopped in line, you know, just for the hopes of maybe I'll get on TV for a second. Right. So uh, next day we wake up, we got sprayed by the street cleaners, and so, uh, you know, I was that didn't look great. But anyways, we went in and and unlike American as so American idol is one person goes in at a time, So pop Stars is like sixty people go in. Five people are on one, two, three, four, five little stars on the thing, and you step up when.

It's your turn. I was terrified, what you sing? What is it one of my songs?

What did you say? So funny? Because I'm not connected? Bye bye bye anyway?

So it was known for his vocal abilities, by.

Funny because I anyways, Yes, that's that's what I started with. So I started with bye bye bye. Out of my five people, I was the only one. They were like number four, please are you stay? Everyone else, I'm sorry bye and and so I came back hours later and saying I believe I can fly by r Kelly. Uh. And I got another call back and I'm going, wait, Daisy, is this for real? All I wanted to do was make it to the dance park because I've been dancing since I was two and a half years old. What you don't know about me is I and this is hilarious. My mother has video. Don't ask me, it's trust me, it's we'll talk to her. I won't World Junest break Dancer at three years old in the Corpus Christi, Texas, dancing to Michael Jackson with one white glove on my hand, doing the moonwalk, spinning on my head and it's all on video. Can't make this stuff up?

Can we get on the sample of this put on our Instagram.

Oh my goodness, don't talk to my mother. Mama, my mom. So uh yeah. So I grew up in that camp and that whole kind of Michael dance camp stuff. So all I wanted to do through with bops. I was like, if I can make it to the dance round, I'll be all right. And I did crazy story. Oh see, I told you long with the longer short of it, like, so, so we're about to go. So now it went from like at least in the city of San Francisco, went from seven thousand to two hundred. That made it to the dance round, right, So I don't know. I'm hyped on seventeen, maybe eight maybe just turned eighteen, and someone says, oh, bitch, you can you touch that chandelier?

Stupid?

And I knew I could jump, So I tried, and I swear it was all in slow motion. I jump, and I remember looking down seeing the camera go over there doing interview and someone over here blah blah blah, and I'm like looking, look and look, and I come down break my ancle. Oh no, right before the dance part. What I can feel my ankle growing in my hand and now I'm crying, not only because of the pain, but also because I'm like, well, my dreams are shut. So then I had to go to the hospital in San Francisco and the camera crew followed me. So I then became the drama story of the entire series. It was actually perfect. It actually maybe it's why I won total And so what's crazy is so I go to the and They're like, you tore all your liguaments, and I'm like, huh, okay, this gets crazier. You guys, good, here we go. I wish I could make this up. I can't. So I go back home and I'm like, okay, I'm done right, I'm done. It's over right. So we fly back to Texas and my girlfriend at the time, who had bought the ticket for me to go there, and then all of a sudden, randomly we hopped in line and whatever she was in beauty school. She's cutting cutting Sky's hair and she just randomly is telling him about my story, and he goes, well, I'm the trainer for the Dallas Cowboys. Have him come to my facilities. I'll try to get his ankle ready, and so she comes homes like yo, I don't know if this guy's for real or not, but I told him what had happened. So what it So? When I left San Francisco, the judges of the show, and you probably you know brad Rip rock Daemon. Oh yeah, yes, he was one of the judges. Tony Michaels uh huh, yep, he was our choreographer. And that James Foster Levy who was days David Foster's sister who anyways, she was called doctor now she was the Simon cawboed pop stars. Any So, they had all said, look, our last city on the audition tours, Miami. If you can be ready in three weeks, you can. If you can get yourself there, you can finish your audition in Miami. So I'm looking at my Minahele going, thanks so much. You know, I feel like I'm done somehow are the powers that be my girlfriends cutting the guy's hair who's the trainer of the Dallas Cowboys. Uh, he says, bring him to my facilities. This guy gets me. I mean we're talking like Electrolys's acupuncture every I mean like as if I was the quarterback of Dallas Cattles. I mean, this guy is literally doing for free that hair for free something I don't know what it was. And so he got me as ready as I could be, and we didn't We had no money, my mother and so my mother, for whatever reason, she believed, well, she did believe in me, and so she flew me her my two little sisters, Hannah and Chelsea. Chelsea was four, Hannah was eleven, and my girlfriend at the time. We flew to Miami and I showed up at the auditions with the cast on my left foot, and uh, the judges were like, he showed up, came sorry, can we cuss from this? Oh? Yeah? Oh really? Yeah. Anyways, So so I showed up and when you when you're in an audition process like that, you kind of develop a bond with the people that you auditioned with, meaning like this is highly emotional, highly intense, you know, where you know, people are chasing dreams and whatever it is. So I showed up to Miami not knowing any of these people, and They're like, who the hell is this guy? What's he doing? And I'm hobbling in anyways, so I got to jump into the dance part of the audition, but I still could barely put weight on my left foot. So I'm doing what I can. And I I love my mother to the end of time for getting scrapping the money together to be able to take us to Miami. And at the end of the day, it was a vacation. And that's kind of what I chalked it up.

By the way, okay, TV out there, you're following this guy to the hospital, obviously camera making it a storyline. You know this is gonna be a great storyline. You could pay him out to Miami to finish the story.

I mean, pay like a couple hundred bugs. I know, hilarious. So it is what it is. I did audition and I shook the judges hands and I was like, and again, I'm a child. I'm like, I don't even know if I was eighteen yet. And I basically said thank you. You know, I was so grateful that they allowed me and my family to fly ourselves there for their show, you know what I mean. And so then, uh, let's call it three hundred or so plus people from every city, so seven cities. I think that math is twenty one hundred. Ah No, I'm not really good at numbers, but I think I got it. Right. Anyways, we all went home, right, and they were gonna call it final twenty five to La for what they would call pop Stars boot Camp. Okay, final twenty five. So they're all gonna call one of the judges. We're gonna call us at home, and they asked us to fin. Then this is before cell phone cameras, right, so we had to get like a you know, like a camera and hit like record recorder. Yeah, keep the damn thing, you know, like you know, we're so they're like, they called a producer called ahead of time. I was like, Josh, can do you guys have a camera? And I'm like I think we have one, and they're like, we just want you guys to film, and I'm going, okay, well all right. So they called and I expected him to say thank you so much for you know, coming to two cities and whatever. But you know, we're gonna move on, and they were like, you're in the final twenty five and I'm like.

What some good odds already?

What right? So now it's down to twenty five. I'd never been to La in my LA. So they fly us all out and we're all in a hotel and we have roommates, right, Like, there were two to a room, and I'm rooming with this guy who I had not met because he was in the Los Angeles and his name was Moisas and he was a breakdancer. So that's what I did. So he and I are literally and the cameras came in. We're like literally doing headspins and windmills on our beds.

And so I know that name.

You might know. There might be more than one. Yeah, he's a big bee boy in you know la or you know whatever. And he and I were roommates. And every day you go and you go through the dance part of the audition, you go through the harmony part of the audiodition, you go through the singing part of the audition, and then at the end of the day, everyone comes in and they cut three to five people a day, and so I kept going in just assuming this can't be real. So and they're like, Josh, you know, you sound a lot like another artist, which we're not going to get into that.

Wait who we're talk about justin?

But yes, yeah, no, they I that's all I knew. I watched by the way, I love you, and I watched you guys yeah, you know what's hilarious. We're going to cut to a different part of the story real quickly. In my senior yearbook that my high school superlative. Is that what the word is? It was like, Josh is going to be in a five member boy band called All About Josh. Now the hilarious part is cut to a year later, I win a show called pop Stars, which was impossible, and I was the baseball player. And now actually it came true, so that your boy, I'm like now remembering all this. Anyways, So yeah, I kept getting called back and I would come out and I'm going, okay, so now there's only.

Are they flying you out at this point? Yes, okay, thank god, Okay.

Correct, Yeah, the show's flying you out. I don't remember if it was Spirit or you.

Know what, it was, probably Value Jedi, whatever it was.

So now we're down to I don't know, let's call it twenty. And then the next day I go through this whole thing, and Tony was very tough on me. Tony was the toughest on me. He would he would rain me, and and I was totally vulnerable and again a child essentially, and I didn't understand why it was so mean to me, and but I kept getting called back. Now we're down to the final fifteen. So the final fifteen, they break them into three groups of five. We go up on the stage at what used to be called do you remember Cabana that club then Hollywood?

Yeah, of course, yeah, it was.

Called something else when we were doing the show. But they have like an indoor area with the state. So they break us in the three five. They do my hair, they cut it, and they put me in a tank top and some weird pants.

And that right across the arc light right it is, yes, it is.

Yeah. So now we're down the final fifteen and they kind of put us into three different groups of five and like we're all our own thing. And I'm still going, this can't be real, you know what I mean, It can't be real. And so that night, the final fifteen then goes down off the stage. The judges come on the stage and essentially go we're gonna call ten names and if we don't call your name, bye, like you're done. And so we're all highly highly going, wait, we're this close, right, so who do they leave for last? I'm the last one, was like, Josh, please come up and I'm like, oh my god, no, wait, I'm in the final ten. This is I'm supposed to play baseball in like a month. This can't be real. So now I'm in the final ten.

We go to this Final ten dinner and at that point where you wanted if you were to choose at that moment, like, look, you can either be in this band or go into professional baseball. What would you have chosen at that moment?

Well, I knew everything about baseball and I knew nothing about this, so baseball is a lot more comfortable. But this was this was like an impossible.

Dream that can't be real, right, So how does this land in your lap?

No? I mean, and again, I love you, and I watched you guys all through high school, and I mean I was the president of student council, so I used to choreograph our stuff too, insyncty. Anyways, I'm giving too much information. So anyways, so yeah, I was now in the Final ten and we're at dinner and the so pop stars on like Idol, And this was before Americanadol, So this was when O two I don't think started to know two three. But the Final ten we all fly home and you don't know what judges are going to show up at your house with the camera crew, but they're going to come to your house and tell you if you made the group or not.

Right, so dramatic.

I always be looking at my window real like I was like, really so now I'm back in Mesquite, Texas. My sister Chelsea is a baby. She's four, which they actually had her going but she she she had her little cameo, which she probably didn't remember that. And uh so Chelsea, Hannah, my mom and me and the girlfriend that bought me the ticket that if she didn't buy me that ticket is it never happened.

And by the way, I wouldn't be sitting here right now, y'all still talk.

Uh nods, And she moved on, Yeah, moved on. So all of a sudden, knock knockknock knock, and I have no idea if it's going to be Brad or Tony or James. And I opened the door and of course it's the guy that gave me Holy hell the whole time, Tony. And I'm like, Tony Michaels is at my house some Sqie Texas here now with the camera go okay, cool, welcome, come on in and of course for TV. He was like, you know, little Josh, you know what I'm saying. Look, here's the deal man. You know, like we had a lot of people, you had a lot of talent right here. You know, there's a lot of talent. You know, there's a lot of talent.

And uh, you know, look, you know, I'm just saying, like, you know, there was a lot of talent. You know, we have some problems with you. So you know I'm gonna say is you know, unfortunately you're gonna have to say no to your baseball coach because you made the group.

And I'm like what And then it didn't even hit me yet. And then my sister started crying. My baby sits crying because we're all screaming, so she didn't know what's wrong. I give Tony a hug, and I'm still kind of in a daze. And anyways, he and the camera crew leave and I'm sitting here and I and I look and my mom's in the kitchen and I go, wait a minute, wait does this mean I have to actually do this? I feel like it was fun of it. I mean like I was like, wait, she goes, you signed the contract and you were going to go be a star, And I'm like, wait, but but yeah, is this for real? In anyways? So I was terrified. Yeah, I was terrified because I was going, oh wait, Never in my life did I think I was gonna win this damn thing. Eighty thousand kids auditioned for that show. They picked five, and.

That was like in the early days. That was kind of like the first for our like era of like of like talent competitions of that scale on TV, like the American Ninols and stuff like that. There really wasn't anything. Yeah, no on TV in America.

Eaton's Crush was two thousand. Yeah, I seen two or three poss Stars. Two was two thousand and one, two thousand and two. Yeah, American was like the end of two thousand and two into two thousand and three when Kelly won and and so now I'm flying it. I'm flying. And by the way, keep in mind, we knew who the final ten were, but we didn't know who's gonna be in the group. We didn't know who made it who didn't, And so they picked us up one at a time. At LAX, we had a what what treet? We on never mind, we were on a strip. Yeah, we were on a street called Koy Drive, so Koy and uh and Glenn uh, moholland and whatever, and we'ren't And so they put us in a six storehouse. We each had our on floor and then the other floor was for our house mom because now we're in a group. But the show hadn't even started airing yet to even begin much less to let people know the audience know who won, right, So thirteen episode series people found out who won or who made the group in episode ten and then episode eleven was us rehearsing for tour.

Wow, they they had to wait till the very end of the season to see.

We called it pop Stars Prison. I was in that house.

And there's no social media too, so no, it shouldn't be too.

Hard to keep the secret at that And none of us have cell phones, so we had a house phone because they needed to control who we were talking to, because what if I just you know, called the principal of my high school, be like I wand pop Stars Josh Henderson, you know, they go on the inter So they were like monitoring on our calls. We didn't have the internet. We couldn't have you know, we called the Pop Stars Prison. How was this?

This was this two months.

Almost a year? I'm like, oh my real, So so I used to sneak. I used to sneak out of the house just to go on runs, just to run, you know what I mean. Like, I was like, I got to get out of this house. So I'd like, but I did pick. So I picked level two, which was actually on the ground level, and I had a hot tub right outside of my door, so I picked the right one. The girls were all like three, four or five whatever, So it was it was three girls, two boys, and we called the pop Stars Prison. And at least they gave me an xbox so I could at least kind of when we weren't doing anything, do something. So they would do our grocery shopping. So what was cool about that was is we had an unlimited budget. So your country boys going, hey can I get crawfish, snow crab legs, filets?

You make that plane money back in food?

What did you do with your relationship at that point? Because you go from her flying, you out being there and then you go disappear for a year.

Yeah, it was rough.

That couldn't have been easy.

Well, no, it was the demise of our relations. Yeah. Yeah, again, she didn't think I was gonna win this. Dad, Yeah, neither did I.

Uh so, yeah, He's like, where's my ten percent?

Kidding? No, So I hadn't seen her in ten months. I hadn't seen anybody that I loved the ten months. Let's let's keep mine nine to eleven happened at that point where I didn't know. I mean, I was so kind of in my own world. I didn't even know what the twin towers were. But two of the girls in our group from New York, so they were freaking out. That was a weird time. And all you want to do is be with your family because it was a very weird time in our country, and you know, I'm stuck in his house and I can't even you know, for the most part, go outside. And uh So it was a weird time, but hilarious story when we let's cut to one that when when they finally announced made the group, it would have been almost eleven months after we moved into the house, So that was the first man that we could actually go out as the group, right, And the guy that I slept on the street next to. His name is Nate and he's still one of my best friends. That's the only way I met him is because he and I auditioned together. Now he's a terrible singer, so he didn't, you know, get a call back, but uh, he's still a great friend of mine to this day. But so our first appearance was at this mall in Riverside, California, as the group R and Nate lived in side. So he had the producer that he called the producer producer hands on my phone and I'm like yo, and he's like, Yo, do you guys almost here? And I'm like, yeah, I think so, I don't know we're going anywhere. And he goes, I go how many people are there? And he goes, there's like twenty people here, dude. And I was like, yeah, dude, awesome, we're famous. Bro. That was an absolute fabrication. We pull up and there's a line wrapped around the entire mall because I can see it because we're like going around and I'm going, what who are they here for? I was like, what is going on? I was like, who's here? And it's all on camera And as soon as I step out, which you're very familiar with, I stepped out, and all of a sudden, it was just like mayhem. And it was a shock because keep in mind, I'd been living in a house for eleven months and was kind of like in this little bubble. Now I come out as a different human being, and all of a sudden, I'm signing babies, I love job. I mean like I'm and it's weird. It was very, very weird. It was weird because it was like an overnight thing, right, Like it didn't kind of warm up to where we were doing these little things, and all of a sudden, the kind of crowd. No, it was like the next day we did a little radio appearance and we showed up with this mall. I think four thousand people showed up with that mall, and I'm sitting there and they would always put me in the middle. There's five of us that put me in the middle, which was actually kind of a problem because it quickly and don't I don't give a hell, I'm not tooting my own horn. But it quickly became like people were there to see me and not maybe some of the other people in the group. And it's a little weird, right, And so now it's where day one, there's an animosity kind of starting and I'm going my hands. I don't know, I don't know what we're doing, just like you know whatever. And then we went on this Mayhem Press tour and we went from there to the Mall America. Six thousand people showed up All America. I'm assuming you did. Have you done them All American thing where there's like levels of people?

Oh yes, one of our first performances there. And in fact, it's a very famous story. Oh please that and I think they have this on vid. Yes, because the guys who ended up doing this came out just a couple of years ago and admitted it. Anyway, we got water balloons tossed at us from the second level, and you would have thought that it was nine to eleven because the security and every like it. It's like someone who's been shooting at us or something. It was just a water blow. Just a kid got dared to throw a water balloon, right like whatever, and uh so, but everyone freaks out, get us out of there quickly as possible. That the fans go nuts. I mean it is like Mayhem and this kid who just a few years ago admitted is like, I'm the guy. What he was like, I never told a soul because I thought I was going to go to prison. And you know, he just he was doing an interview or something. I just heard him talk about it. He was like, I'm I'm the guy that did I'm never told anyone this, but yeah, they could never find the kids who did it. Is such a Yeah. So that was my mall with America.

Wow, craziness. I assume I assume that you had you had done that before, and that was our second appearance. We flew there before, we did TRL and everything else what you're very familiar with. But we didn't know what to expect. And this is the biggest mall in you know, in America. It is the biggest. It's the name. It's a good man who came up with that all of America. Yeah, and and uh it was insane because I literally I was I was coming out of like again then this little little hole that I was in for eleven months and now I'm in this world that is not familiar to me at all. So I'm getting screamed at, tears, ripped clothes, and I'm going this can't be the whole time. I'm floating, going this yeah, this can't be real, right, And then we get to New York and we that was when Regis was still alive. So it was Regis and Kelly t r L did Today Show and everything else, and we're doing our whole by the way, yes, now I did her on I didn't do her that the show Kathy and Hode Yeah where they drink or whatever you know, and so yes, but uh no, it was Kelly from from the get go at least when I had started, uh that whole journey, and I was, I was in sheer disbelief. And what's crazy is is that was right before Christmas and we all went home for Christmas and I get a phone call from the producers of the show and they were like, your regular befolded, You're done and I'm going. So that's how it ended.

Yeah, because it was only like a year correct released one song.

What's crazy? We were supposed to go on tour with you guys.

No way because Etan's Crush came on tour with us.

Johnny Wright was supposed to manage us. It was a whole thing. Dude, Our past are so like this.

But we and that was right that that was our last tour that we didn't know was the last tour. So as we were going out, y'all were just coming in.

Correct, Yeah, and uh and we were so excited. You know, we met with Johnny Rridy came into our rehearsals and uh that's a whole nother story, but you know. So now I'm sitting at home on Christmas and uh, I get the phone call and you know, I'm again I'm actually standing at the girl that started its whole journey and uh, and I go, well, I don't know what to do. I guess I'm gonna go back to baseball. Maybe that maybe it wasn't meant to be, Like did that even happen? You know what I mean? And so, uh, I called the coach at at the University of Texas and I was like, hey, you might have me now and he was like give it a second, you know, but you're good. You can come, you know, come back whenever.

And I don't want to singing sissy all my take your dance move.

Yeah, I'm like, I'm gonna do the Harlem shake at shortstop. So uh, two days later, I get a call from the producers again they said, hey, you know these people want to meet you out here in l A. And I was like, oh okay, now, like we're gonna fly you out. We're sorry what happened. And I was like, all right, cool. So I flew out and met with agents. I didn't know what an agent was. I had no idea. So I met with William Morris.

Yeah, just all bloods by the way.

I met with William Morrison Innovative Artists. Right, So these two companies and one of them scared the ship out of me. The other one was super, super super nice. So I went with the super nice people because I still didn't know what I was doing here. And they were like, we want you to just try to be an actor. And I'm like, well, okay, you know what I mean, like I'll try.

And at this point, have you ever acted before?

Of course? Now?

Yeah, so like you never did theater or that kind of stuff, nothing at all, No, and you had the it factor.

Well what's crazy is is that was him. That was like beginning of March two thousand and two. Within three weeks to the day, I get a call from her and she goes so I got good news and bad news, and I was like, okay. She was like, so you book the lead of a show, you book the lead of a movie, and you booked a print out for Sketchers And I go, wait what? She was like, you can do Sketchers, but you can't do the movie and the TV show. You need to do a TV show because it's a pilot and the movie's just you know, shooting in Rome. But the show, if it goes, we need She was like, you're doing okay. I was like, whatever you say. I couldn't believe it. Right, all of a sudden, I came from literally nothing to like making a decent amount of money in one day, and I'm going, why the hell doesn't everybody do this? Like is this for real? Now? It's not that easy. I was very very lucky, very blessed, and that started a twenty one year acting career that is still going on today.

It's so all.

All from hopping in a line, getting hit by a street cleaner, sleeping in San Francisco and just taking a chance to maybe try to get on TV and hear him twenty years later, twenty one years later, living in LA and uh, talk on to you.

I mean, it's so crazy and you hear like fun stories like this all the time, but they are very rare, very rare does anything like that happen? So, man, that is that is so interesting. I when when y'all ended the group, were y'all still friends? Was there any friction in the group? Would that have ended the.

How was the matter? What? How was the dynamic within.

This because it's hard to put a group together, you know, and y'all did live with each other, So that's good and I think that's a good test to see if you actually can stand each other. But man, I mean it is a crapshoot if you know, all the group members are going to get along.

Yeah, and you know it's it's not like if I'm familiar in your group. I feel like some of you guys knew each other and some of you didn't.

Yeah, two of the guys want to make a mouse club. Two of the guys worked at Universal Studio, okay, and two of those guys, so everyone knew each other except me. I knew Justin Threw a vocal coach, but we had never met. So yeah, I was the only one that hadn't met any of them, but they had all met each other before.

Wow, Okay, I love that. I didn't exactly know the dynamic to that, but I felt like I kind of knew that there was what you just did it.

And then Christopher Patrick was like, I'm going to put a band together one because he didn't he did an audition for Backtory Boys and he was like because Howie was in his course class in college and he's like, well, how does Howie get in this group? And I didn't even know about the audition, Like this is bullshit, and uh so he fell in loop earl and he's like, well, if I put a band together, can will you support us? And I was like sure, And that's when he found Justin and d C and then Joey and then me and yeah, he put.

Wow, man, that's crazy. So our dynamic was slightly different considering that we were just all kids that hopping in the line and maybe trying to potentially just get on TV. Now five of us landing in the house together, we didn't none of us had previous relationships, so it's not like we knew each other. Yeah, so yeah, it was a little weird, right, like, you know, like we're separated from our families, we can't necessarily even talk to anyone.

But now we have to be best friends.

Correct, And you know, and there's cameras waking us up in the morning because it was a TV show at the same time.

Well, and that's what I talked to the Otown guys about this. This is the beginning of you know, it was making the band pop stars. This is before American Idol. No one really had a reference of television with music, correct, most at that point. Everyone was just all about, this is how you get a record deal, this is what you have to do. But no one put the television element behind it all, which is so different. So how did you deal with that, especially someone that had no aspirations of going into acting at all? How did you deal with that part of it?

I mean, think about it, like even on American Idol, right, cameras don't follow them home and wake them up, right, Yeah, they just are there on the stage when you're singing, and that's all that brother type. It was like real world Big Brother. But big Brother is a great, great example. But we're also like, you know, not competing. We're already we already all won. But we're also like, okay, now we're kind of married in this pop group relationship, And how do we do this, because it's not like, oh, I've been in a pop before this. No, we were all you know, babies, you know, and so yeah, I mean I'm saying like boom boom, boom boom, and I'm in bed and like there's a camera waking me up. Hey, Jo the producer. By then we're going, Josh, just tell us what we're doing today, And I'm like, what are we doing? I have no idea what we're doing. What do you know what I mean? And I'm going, oh, okay, okay, please hold on.

I haven't had a little experience of that because when I did Dance with the Stars, like fifty years ago, okay, it was the first time that I had ever done anything reality, right, them showing up at five in the morning at your house when you're so tired or did they come at your house? Oh yeah, I mean they're just you know, and they want you so tired that you say something sure, And so it got to the point I'm like.

I see you in reality.

What's the drama? Like I don't have drama, Like I don't live in drama. But I got to the point I'm like, guys, what do you want me to say, I will say whatever you want me to say if you can just get done with this, Like, what drama do you want? I'll say it?

What what? What?

What do you want me to hate my partner? Let's just do it right now. But I'm like, but yeah, you just so produced.

I got really good, very quickly at playing to the camera without actually knowing the camera was there. I learned that very quickly, which I think, for whatever reason, maybe helped in me becoming an actor. But but I'll never forget as soon as I saw the cameras, I'm going, okay, all right, hey, guys, so we got to really talk about like I don't know, what's your group name? Gonna be, like, what do you guys? Like?

We hadn't even thought about this yet, but we definitely didn't decide the name two weeks ago.

But yeah, then I'm like that I got it, relaxed you, I don't need you. But you know, I got pretty good at that pretty quickly, to where that they realized the guy that could actually kind of move the story along without looking like it was me. And I just got good at playing to the camera. And I don't know why, but then clearly, you know, I ended up being in front of the camera for for half of my life now. But but you know it, it's so you know, here we are and and we didn't all get along, right. So, uh, there's a there's a kid named Donovan, and I swear this guy was like Michael Jackson reincarnated. He's incredible and we all knew in the in the audition process and we all got to the final twenty five, Donovan was like picking up the choreography, one take the whole damn song and we're going, wait.

There's one guy.

We're like, what is the magician? Uh? He was incredible and he was a gorgeous singer, incredible dance, he was about so we all knew he was gonna win, right, and he did, and he was kind of the lead. I didn't care. I was like, yo, I'm still learning to do all this. You're in the group. Who cares? But quickly I became the focal point of the group pretty quickly, and so then all the things all of a sudden, they're like giving me his parts and stuff, and then that created animosity. Yeah, and then the girls are like, well we're here too. But at that time, and in general, boy bands are usually girls liked to, you know, freak out, and they might not care about the girls, but they like maybe those boys and that. So yes, stuff got a little weird pretty quickly. But I was always just a guy going I don't care. You got give them the parts, you know whatever. But things evolved the way they do, and.

He getting away. How dy'all come up with the name scenes twenty three?

It's a good story. We were, you know, they brought a camera in. We're all sitting on the couch in the living room.

And they're like, okay, guys, listen, we just need you guys to like that, how to chat about you know what maybe maybe what your names are, your ideas.

So we all we all have like a you know, like a spiral in a pin, and and we were coming up with the craziest name. Now you have to clear a name, right, it has to clear. We didn't know what that meant, so I will you know what, I'm raising my hand like it wait does that thing on that? Okay? I was like, wait, guys, I don't know. We're all from different scenes in backgrounds. There's two boys, three girls. Why don't we just say scene twenty three? I don't know. I don't know, and they they they everyone agreed and it cleared. And so that's how the name yeah came up with a name I did.

Yeah, what was the alternative names? Cause I love what bands could have been.

I love knowing that, like, uh, have it, get out of our way, we're gonna stop face. It was like the most you know, like the most ciche, like you know, yeah, like like I know, we came up like two hundred that did not clear, and I'm like, wait, what is there a flower shop in Gardenia that is called like you know, like we rock? What's going on? But anyways, Seene twenty three cleared and that was a part of one of the episodes and and uh yeah, so it ended and I was like, okay, so I don't you know, I guess I'm gonna go back to baseball, And like I told you, I ended up getting an agent and then book jobs and then everything just happened very quickly in my life.

Now was that show Desperate Housewives? Like when did you jump into despert Housewives?

So I so my first role that I booked what should have been March of two thousand and two. It was a pilot it didn't go and really quick stupid side story, the agents that I met went, they were like, well, we want you to be here for pilot season, and I swear on my life, I go, well, I know nothing about flying planes, but if that's what you guys want me to do, I mean, I'm here. And they all lost their mind.

You faked everything else. I was like, why not give me in that cockpit, let's do that.

It was three women in the room and they all lost their minds and I was like this. I was like, Okay, what the fuck are they laughing at what? They're like, No, pilots are They're a television show before it goes to TV, and I.

Go, which, there isn't even a pilot season anymore.

No, there's not. And I go, well, why is it called a pilot? I don't get it, and they're like, don't worry about it. So anyways, so the first show was called Prep for the WB, which probably helped that. I was on the WB pop Stars, so I kind of had an end issue. So I was already kind of a face on the network. So that happened, and then I booked a show called One on One, which was a sitcom on Upon which is in CWM, and I did it for two seasons. That's the only way I survived in this time. I think I was you know, I was making bare minimum, but it was enough for me to survive and pay my rent. But I was also getting a pilot every year, right, so then there was a thing back in the day not anymore called a quote. So if you did the last pilot this on no literally, you know what's crazy about this industry? Now there's the reason why we're on strike. Uh Now they go, we don't care what your quote is.

This is what we're offering, exactly. And everyone worked, especially in my generation, you work so hard to get your quote up of your whole entire career, and then all of a sudden that's just ripped away. It's it's insane. It's ridiculous what people get paid in this industry. And I know a lot of people like that are not in the business, like oh, millionaire problems. Ninety nine percent is just like any other business in the world. They make nothing. The rest are just getting pennies.

In Literally, you're exactly right, because I built up a quote for twenty years and the last test I did, you know, and most people probably want to understand this, but a quote is a quote. Whatever. They're like, well, we can't ask you what you're quote is, but this is what we're offering.

Favor nations, favor nations every these favorite nations what.

So anyways, So yes, so uh pilot every year. And then my first pilot to get picked up was actually only two years after that, so four, and it was it was a show called over There, and I don't know if y'all have heard of that, but it's the most critically acclaimed war series of all time, even more than Band of Brothers. And I was a lead over there Stephen Botchko, who is now passed, but bless his heart, he is crazy, right, So, oh my god, this is I'm giving you guys all the nuggets. Me and Channing Tatum are sitting next to each other. Cut to two years later, we're in Step Up together, but and we're auditioning for the show cald over There. We're in the Stephen Bochco building on the Fox lot. And you know, I didn't know who Stephen Bochcow was. He's the biggest producer of all time when it comes to television. And I do my read first read. Chris Jeromo was our writer. He wrote missis CP burning Oscar winning writer, so we knew that the pedigree of the show. So it was pretty nervous. And I did my read and this old, older gentleman comes down and and he goes, Josh, come here and talk to me real quing. And I was like, yes, sir, and he goes, do you want to do this show? And I go yeah, yet, yes I do. And he was like okay, and I go okay, and he goes, it's yours. I was like, what do you mean and he goes, the show's yours. I'm Stephen Botska. How you doing? I go wait, so it's He goes, yeah, I don't even call your agent. I'll call him.

It's yours.

And I go wait, So one audition I have to test for it. Nothing and and the crazy thing about this entire story, so that that was the catalyst for my acting career. That that show, and I knew how hardcore the show is going to be. You got by the way, you guys should watch It's really hardcore and get your tissues ready. It's hardcore, and it was very real because it was it was the first show worshow ever, that had that had happened while an act to a war that we were doing the show about, and it's ongoing, right, Man of Brothers was about I think World War two. You know, things have been done about Vietnam whatever, but this war was still going on. And my agent caused me, goes.

Oh, she had watched Coaches call me you got the ship.

And you know what. I said, I can't do it. I can't do it. She goes, what, No, It's like, I can't do this. It's too much. It's too much. I've got family that have died in the military. I can't do this. This is too real. I can't do it. I'm I don't. I don't. I don't think I can live up to this. I'm I can't do it. She goes, shut the fuck up. You're doing the show, and I go, I don't think I can do this. No, I'm serious, And I was like, this is terrifying. Up to that point, I just played the boyfriends and the kids in the family like the sun. You know, I knew what I read the script and I knew what was going to happen, not only to my character, but so she goes I'm not letting you see know to this and I go, well, you know what, to be honest, it's not your choice. I'm terrified. I do not want to not do this role justice because I'm scared, and she goes, I'm gonna have Steven and Chris call you tonight. I'm not saying no yet, and I go, okay. So Chris Jerramo and Stephen Boschko both got on the phone and I just expressed my concerns. I said, look, I am so flattered and feel so blessed you guys want me to do this, but I have to be honest. I'm really scared to represent the tens of thousands of women's the tens of thousands of men and women that are overseas doing this and dying for a country right now, because it's real and this kind of really intimidates me. And they understood, and they said, that's exactly why we want you to do this role, because we need you to be exactly who you are. And they convinced me to do it, and I did it, and I got nominated for an Emmy for the show. And it was really hardcore and when I dive into something, my emotions. You know, look, maybe you don't know this moment. Never met my father. I got a lot of dark stuff in my past, and I grew up in a community where there were bars on my windows and I was raising my siblings and I was terrified every day of my life. So I have a lot of dark stuff to pull from, and I pulled it all for that show. And I am so emotionally crazy in that show. And you know what, that's what then allowed me to go, oh, wait, you can do this acting thing. You can do it. You can do it, And that led to same casting people.

Two Desperate Housewives after that's fazy. It's as an actor having those struggles, you know, growing up definitely adds to everything that you bring to the screen. And a lot of the times people are like, you know, can look back, Andy, God, I hate that I went through that, or wow, my life you know, sucked in. But you have to look at the silver linings come out of that too, and yeah, what you had to go through as a kid was shit, you know, and you know it probably probably like shit, my life is shit. But what it led to and all that withinside you, that's what Botchko and those people saw that vulnerability.

They saw it when I didn't. Yeah, and you're exactly right. I mean, I mean, I'm telling you right now when I look at the big picture, and the picture's not done right, But to this point, I know for a fact that I went through a hell and terrible terrible things, you know, terrible things that they're just we're not even going there. But it put everything in me not only have the ability to bury it and never try to touch or access it until all of a sudden I land in the arts and now I'm in roles to where I need to go ahead and potentially bring that shit up exactly and literally I'm an intense, really am and and you know, I'm not that dude that like carries it with me through the whole production. As soon as they say cut and I go home, I'm happy, go lucky. H But when they say action, I'm a crazy moment.

Yeah. I mean, that's a lot of my friends that are actors and you know, maybe going through something really hard, you know, like a death of a family members like that, and you know, and once I get real distraught, you know, always make them see them like you know what you're feeling out like feel it like you're supposed to feel this, it's totally normal. But know that you're going to be able to use this emotion in your work in the future. So just know that, like what you're going through right now is only going to make you such a better, bigger person. And a lot of them can be like, yeah, you're right, like in the moment, they're not thinking that way, but like a few years later, like yes, I was so glad that I was able to remember that emotion and like feel that emotion and not try to hide it correct.

Yeah, and also not try to fabricate it. And you know, I've got so many, so many friends and acquaintances that that have spent so much money and all these things on acting classes, and I don't necessarily I don't. I don't say that those were wrong. I've never taken an acting class in my life. Now, that's just my that's just my path.

It works for some people sometimes it kind of runs you correct.

Well, no, I mean, look, if in my own thought, right, if you have to be taught how to act, not good luck, because that's not a that's not a positive thing to tell someone. But but I understand that. But for me, I just I just have a switch and as soon as I need to turn it on, no matter what the role is. I mean, I just I just go there and I know how to do it now. I had like audited a few classes and stuff in between seasons just to like try to go and mingle with my peers and whatever. And I'm sitting there going, oh my gosh, these people are paying money for this stuff, Like what are they doing? Like I mean, like what, Like I'm sitting going I don't understand. And then you know, my homies, we'll hang out and I'll be like, listen, dude, like everything that we just did in this read, throw that away because you look like a robot. Might just be yourself. Apply yourself to the role, and all you need to be is natural and believable. That's it.

That's true. And a lot of people think they have to play another character when all you have to do is bring in your own self, and that's what they want to see. And it's the easiest thing.

You know, Yeah, who could you be? Who could you be? Better than yourself? He So apply yourself to the character, whatever that character is, find that marriage, and then just do it without thinking. If you got to think too much.

You already lost They that's good advice right there. Let's talk a little desperate housewise, Austin mccannon, the Rebellious Nephew, the bad Boy, What was your experience on that show, because that, I mean, was the biggest show.

In the world at the time, and I'll never forget. I went in to read from Mark Cherry, and the two casting people that put me in over there the show we just talked about were there, and I knew that I kind of had an end and I had a great read and I was making them laugh and doing like all this improv stuff. And sure enough, before I got home, they called and said, hey, you're on the show. And I was like, this was so this would have been season two, right and then season three. So I got and it was already a massive hit, and I go, okay. And by the way, I live right across the street on a street called Bluff Side, and so Universal was right there. And my agent cause I'm like, okay, so okay, So I okay, so I'm on the show. So I'm okay at Universal, we're doing this. She was like, yeah, you're doing this, and I go, so day one, I didn't even have to drive. I would I would take my longboard, my skateboard, and I would just skate over that little bridge that goes over the one on one and right into the gate. And I became good friends with the guy that did the little arm thing with the cars and everything.

Is that why Mark lives right there? Did he move to that neighborhood?

Have you been to his house to look like one? That's what it was. We were used to be one to look at. Yeah, we were.

There was the Johan's brother's house.

That's was it before? Neighborhood by the way slot and by the way you guys live, because that's my dream neighborhood. It's a move.

The best Halloween ever is that psychotic marker Christmas Well Mark Cherry does every year it's a different Halloween and he uses like you know, Golden Girls or all these shows he sure he did, you know, Desperate Housewives and he does this like skeleton thing in the front yard. That neighborhood goes over the top. We still like. I took my kids last year and they're not even enough to trigger treat. Had to take him there just so they could see the crazy.

You can actually move into that neighborhood unless you're a festive mother.

You have to you have to get full candy bars.

That's hilarious.

Chi Okay taking her skateboard in the Universal.

Yeah, so you know, I became buddies with the guy again. I'd wave and go hey, Josh, and I just skateboard right past and they picked me up in the event and take me up to Wosteria. What was great about that show was a it was exciting. It was a lot of energy and and and you know hype around the show, which is always fun. You want to feel like at least what you're doing is being seen and appreciated and loved. So we're we're up with Wisteria, which is above like Jaws and all those other little rides you know at Universal and still there five times, yeah, it is five times a day, Like you know, the the tourists will come in and we'd have to stop and it all scream. We'd wave so out of this like energy element. Like I'm sitting here my you know my, because I'm somewhat narcoleptic. That's a whole nother story. And I'm sitting a falling asleep in my chair and then all of a sudden and you're like, oh, there's people in energy and people like us, so let's go to work. But I would also always I was known as a guy like I would steal the golf call. Like I would see a golf card, I'd steal it, and I drive all the way down. And if I knew that we had like two or three scenes in between my next oh I had a little pass and my picture on it a little and I would literally just cruise down. There was a back gate and I'd go on a ride rock like on my lunch break. I mean, I'm getting paid for this, you know what I mean? Like it was incredible, right, And also when I when I get it whenever I you know, like when you're the lead of the show, it is it's hardcore. Yeah, okay, Like and I've done that many a time. When you're the leading show, you ain't got no breaks. Now, if you're just a kid on a show called Desperate Housewives and you're not a Desperate housewife.

You got some time off, I'll hurry up and wait.

Yeah. And so I mean to the point where a lot of times I'd fall asleep in my trailer and wake up and it'd be nighttime and I'd go, oh, open my door, go hello, everyone's gone. They would forget about me, meaning like I'm so low in the total ball, no one really can tell me. Look, at least had my skateboard. So I get home. So uh yeah, no literally, uh And it was great because you know, it was time off, but it was also I was you know, I was I was having fun and I was universal and and you know, my life changed overnight. That was probably that was six or seven o eight, So that's back when the club seem was still fun.

It's so funny because you say, like six, you know, my timeline is so messed up with that eraror because it all just starts to blend. I could have sworn Desperate House Whileves is on two thousand and three, Like I like, I just feel like that was the time it was on.

But it was a star. It started in uh oh four oh five. Yeah, I was seasons two and three, so six, seven into eight. Then the Rider's strike happened, or I would have been in the show for the entire run.

Really strike to get me started, And I'm sure it's affecting you right now too.

Yes, So I'll never forget Mark. Mark Cherry called me and he was like, hey, Josh so wants to strike back. You're gonna be back on the show. And I was like, heck, yeah, that's awesome. And anyways, my writers didn't come back, so I didn't come back, and that's okay. Everything has for a reason. Yeah, and that was all right, and they went on to do I think nine seasons or whatever. But I had I had a fun little run and my life change overnight. I mean when that show hit and my character came out. I mean in this town and then the rest of the world, all of a sudden, the floodgates open to the rest of the world. I'm talking. I don't care if it's South of France or South America or Australia or wherever. You're invited everywhere. And I was just going, you know, it's kind of almost like that pop stars movement again, I'm gone, is this week?

What are we doing?

Right? Yeah? And great run a ton of fun. Well, Steria is great. It's a little weird because I was the guy hooking up with all the young girls on the show. So I was twenty three, twenty four, they were fifteen little weird u I.

Legal oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it was. It was I'll never forget. I'm like, oh, poor girls, but but you know, I understood the situation. So you know, they were terrified because they had never kissed a boy before.

Yeah, and you know that here here comes, you know, the twenty three, twenty four year old, and I'm like, hey, just give me a sign if you're uncomfortable with it's okay, all right, this is our time. Yeah, but I'll never forget. I was like, oh my god, this girl's never kissed a boy before. And I'm on screen like that's a lot of pressure for them. And it was all of them, yeah, all of them. My character got with every one of them. But a ton of fun and then uh you know, yeah, the Rader strike happened, and I think my next show after that was nine A two.

And oh right, I was gonna say Nino two one oh to the arrangement. Yeah, I mean, you've had such well.

Dallas was a big Oh yeah, how was that?

I mean, did you ever watch Dallas before any reruns before you got the show.

So this whole thing you talk about, something that's just coming from somewhere else, you know what I mean. Like, my entire story is very strange and it sounds like it's made up, But when the Dallas thing came back, I'll never forget. I went in and auditioned for the writer, Cynthia c. D and our executive producer, director Mike Robbin, and I went in and I read, and before I get to my car outside of the building, which was right over by Warner Brothers at the time, my agent called and goes, Yo, you're testing for the show. And I go seriously. She's like, yeah, you're testing tomorrow, and I go, gos, I got a sorry. I got to call my mom. So my mother, my me Ma me Mo's Texas for grandmother. They were obsessed with the show. The original one started in nineteen seventy eight, which was four years before I was, before I was born, and they were obsessed with the show. My me Ma was obsessed with the show. She died when I was twelve, so she never got to see any of this, right, And I called my mom. I go Mom, And I didn't even tell her I was auditioning for this, and I was like, Mom, I'm I'm testing. You remember Dallas. She was like the show and yeah, And I was like, I'm testing for it tomorrow, mom, to play jer Ror ewning Son and she just went silent, and I was like hello. She was like, are you kidding me? They're bringing that show back? And I go, yeah, and I'm testing for it tomorrow, mom. I'm not saying I'm gonna get it, but and keep in mind, I was born in Dallas, right Like, I'm like, you know, that's where I'm from. And I go, look, don't get your hopes up, but I just wanted you to know I'm kind of freaking out right now, and I'll let you know what happens. The next day, I go in. It's guy named Peter Berg, was a president of Warner Brothers. What he says goes and right when I went in for the first test, there's like eight dudes wearing cowboy hats. I'm wearing a T shirt and jeans. If you try too hard, you're trying too hard, you know what I mean. And I just walked in and Peter Berg, the president, goes, oh, wait, Josh, tell her for wonder where you're from. Uh, well, I was born in Dallas And he was like, anyways, okay, that's sorry, man, just do it and and so I did, and that was the That was the studio test of Warner Brothers in the network's test was would have been at Turner the next day and like the like the fish from Finding Nemo, And he did the same thing like he hadn't done it the day before. I was like, and I'm like, hey, Peter, good to see I. Uh you know, I played along yeah from Dallas. By the way. I love that man because he's single hand and was like, no, I don't care what you guys say. That's the guy. And I got it and I called my mom and I was bawling, crying because I couldn't believe that this was real. There's been so many moments moment to my life for him, like this can't be real? Is this real? Now? I'm going home that's where I was born, to shoot the show, to put the city that I was born in on the map.

What.

What's crazy? Because we always say ninety nine percent of this business is being told no. I feel like you kind of beat that because I feel like you haven't been told no nine to nine percent of the things you're going out for. I feel like you've gotten most of the stuff you're going out for Yeah.

No, it's a you know, I mean, that's that's a great that's a great point. But but but I have had a ton of notes. I mean, my my demise has been Chris Adams. I tested it gets in for John Johnny plain boy, and uh what's test against for Captain America? And I mean he has been even my first pilot to the testament was a show called Eastwick when I've been here for two weeks and and yeah, and by the way, Chris and I we know each we play volleyball together. He's awesome and you know what, congrats to him. What a career. I mean, yeah, you can be Captain America. I mean I remember before.

He got kind of America, like, well we were together. Yeah, no, Well he came over and I remember him saying, and Chris Pratt told me the same thing right before he got his like Jurassic por whatever it was. They both remember these conversations so vividly because they were both complaining like, yeah, we've had great work and I have a hit show, but we cannot get a job, like I just no one is paying attention, Like we cannot get the job. We raise it at all and they were so close. Maybe I should just quit, you know, maybe I don't know, It's just not for me. And then all of a sudden, the next month is I'm like, well it's singer didn't quit And.

That's crazy correct. And that's the crazy part of this business is is it kind of what you just touched on? I have had a ton of notes and when I go in and I'm like, got it, I don't get it? You know hey? And you never know? And that the the hard part about this businesses is that everything is out of your hands completely. I don't care if you go in and have the best day of your life or the worst day of life. You could have the worst day in the room and you could get it. You got the best day in the room, and you can not get it in power to choose everything correct and you know what you you can't even call it and there's no way to call it. And that day when I was testing for Dallas, Peter Peter Berg, my guy was my guy, and he was like, he's my guy. And that show also changed my life because I go back to shoot the show, I meet Larry Hagman, who's now since passed on, but he shook my hand and he goes ready for this ride, and I go yeah, and he goes, well, you're about to be a son of a bitch. You better be good at it. And I go, I'll be all right. I got that, And then all of a sudden from the original fans, I'm hearing that I was, that I'm worse than which was Great Evil. Yeah, who I played in not Evil. He was always doing things for the better of well himself. But no, but I had so much fun, man, you know. And now I'm sitting here on South Fork Branch, which is a you know, a staple not only in television history but in Texas. It's essentially a museum at this point. And I'm sitting here and I would always have them put my chair outside of the outside of my trailer so I could just look over the fields as beautiful vast fields and planes of Parker, Texas, which is where uh, South Fork branches.

Yeah. We saw on The Housewives of Dallas stay there, did they really?

It's weird because that house is about as big as your kids, Oh, I know, and they you know, there's velvet ropes, so you can't do But of course the Housewives like across those ropes started doing things they weren't supposed to do.

That whole room just disrespectful, disrespectful.

I shot my first country music video at south Fork and you know what, you know, you know who can't do that? Everyone you know who can is the lead of the show. They were like, you can do whatever you want here. So we shot my my video for a Lot of Love there at South Fork and uh, it's a special place. And that show was so so near and dear to me. And then we lost Larry season two, and then it became the reins were handed to me, and you know, I it was tough. We lost him in the middle of shootings. Yeah, I'll never forget Linda Gray, who played my mother, and her character's name was Sue Ellen. She called me a Thanksgiving weekend. I was at the Grove and I was in the line at Start or at Coffee Beet, and I look at my phone and I'm next to my girlfriend and I go, Linda's calling me. That's weird. My first thought was, I hope Larry's okay. So then when I got out and I'm in the middle of all this chaos that is the Grove, you know, I called her back and she was like, oh, dear honey. I'm like, what's up there? There's he's gone. He passed, And I go what? And now I've got people asking for pictures and coming up and I'm literally on the phone just hearing about you know, one of my good friends that it's you know, I call them pops that died. I'm going, uh okay, okay, Hi, please one one second, please, uh okay, all right, thanks for calling. I gotta go now I'm taking pictures of people. But I just it was a very odd moment. And then you know, we all flew back to Dallas when we were shooting episode of eight of season two.

And because when you do a show like that, you do become family. I mean it is you know more about them than anyone else. So yeah, I mean when someone passes like that, I mean it hurts, just like a family member.

Yeah, And it was so abrupt because we I mean, I didn't he didn't tell anybody. I guess he knew it was coming. But yeah, I mean everyone, you see each other every morning in the makeup trailer and you're like, morning, Pops, how are you? You know whatever? And his airstream was still there, you know. So the next day when I when I had to fly back, I'm just going, oh I do So of course I gave a speech to our cast and crew because I loved A knowing everyone's first name, A B, shaking everyone's hand every morning and saying, hey, get let's have another great day. We're blessed to do this and we're are our family. So then, yeah, I had to just try to wrap my head around. And then that day, we're shooting a scene they had already the writers had to rewrite, right because he and I were going out at season, so now he's gone, so the writers had to rewrite on the spot. That day, I'm giving a speech about how much I loved him and how we're going to keep this train moving and for him, and you know, and then I had to shoot a scene where I'm pretending he's talking to me and hey, John Ross, I'm in Mexico. I'm doing it, Dick gunshots and I go DA and I scream. I had to do that that day, So it was it was an intense moment. And but anyways, what a blessing, and you know, I was I was blessed to know him blessed to be able to experience that, and we ended up doing a whole nother third season, but it was a great experience.

Yeah, well, you've had a blessed career for sure. I mean you've worked your asshole to get here. But I mean it's been so fun watching all the things that you do. There is a sack strike happening right now, so I'm assuming that you have a little time off. But is there anything that you're working on right now that you can tell us? And I know that you still love music. Are you begin to be releasing some new music anytime soon?

I am. So I've been recording, So I've been, I've been. I started writing in Nashville, I guess in twenty fifteen, and I was so fortunate because at the time I was on Dallas, so I had access to the biggest.

Songwriters in the world.

And so I'm sitting on some songs that are that are just I mean, written by some of the best, Dallas Davidson being one of them. I don't know if you know Dallas, but I mean he really funny story. Love you, Dallas. I get a message on one night at three am, and hey, John roth Man, Hey, uncle Maddie, Uncle Maddie. John roth Man, Hey, hey on about it? Hey, I heard you do country music?

Man?

Hit me up this, Dallas Davis Man, hit me up man, you know, let's do something right. And I'm going.

Like Boomers, I was talking to you from what's that cartoony?

I look a lot. I'm like, holy, he's the biggest songwriter in country music history, you know, right there up. So I called him back and I'm like, hey, it's Josh. I don't know if I should say John Ross or Josh. And he goes, get you as out to Nashville, and so I did. So we started writing together, and uh, that's a blessing. Because what's funny is is when my when my manager called his team, they're like, yeah, he can write maybe like a year and a half or something. Who's this calling. They're like no, Dallas called him personally and they're like what. So then I text him and they're like, okay, can he come into Tuesday? And so he and I just, you know, he started hanging out writing and he's a great dude man and such a talented songwriter and so yeah, I'm sitting on some pretty awesome music and I'm so fortunate for that. And there's other songwriters that I've that have been fortunate and fortunate and blessed to write with as well.

Uh.

And so yes, long story short, I'm supposed to do a little tour in Texas, uh and kind of go and see my folk and do some do some shows there, and then the goal is to you know, I was talking to labels, but I don't think I need to.

Labels are just PR firms now these days, one hundred percent needs one. When you have a platform like you do, just release it, like, just do the music you want to do.

Correct.

The fans are gonna love it no matter what.

Correct? I agree, And you know as you as you know a lot of times they just want to kind of tell you what you're supposed to do and tell you what the song isn't.

It's either that or bring me a full album. We won't even work, we won't develop this at all. Just bring me a full, ready to go album where we'll release it like just no artist development anymore.

Correct. So, But yeah, no, So I'm I'm actually gonna shoot you some songs.

I was gonna say, I need to hear these offline, because yeah, and yeah, I got some things to talk to you about.

All right.

Before I let you go, we got some fan questions here. Would you This is from Lizzybeth fifteen eighty.

Babe, Lizzie Beth, would you be interested if they did the Desperate Housewives movie or reboot?

Move? I'm interested? Yeah, yes, of course, let the spin off? Course, the spin off is just your character. I just loves you. Yeah. Just man, Who is your dream celebrity you would go to work with? From Princess d nineteen eighty two. Oh my goodness, there's two of them. Wait, never mind in my mind okay, So I mean I think, okay, So if we're talking women, it would be either Elizabeth Olsen or Alessandra Dadario. I like both of them. If it was man and be Gievonna and Ribisi, I loved you. You know Robin Williams, but he's no longer with this man. If I could only meet that guy. Uh. And someone the other day asked me if I was Brad Pitt's son, and I said nope, but I wouldn't mind working with that dude.

I will play his son. I'd like to call him daddy. All right, Next question, do you have any plans to go on the road. And before me it was like weird just talked about this Melissa J S T A A T is.

Melissa stats.

Uh so when are you going to announce those dates anytime soon?

Yeah, we're just trying to uh, especially now giving the strike, I got a lot of time on my hands, So I think he has a musician's dream right now. Yeah. So I'm gonna start in Texas. I think I'm gonna do like five to eight different spots around Dallas and Fort Worth kind of in that area. Uh. And then I'm gonna hit the East Coast because I don't really ever go there, but but I've got uh uh a really close friend of mine, Sarah, who lives in Jersey, and she's kind of like, yo, you gotta come to the East Coast. I'm setting up a lot of so So anyways, I'm gonna go to Texas and the East Coast and you know, just just try to work while nothing else is happening.

Yeah, would you ever open up for InSync?

And if you forgot the dances, I could probably shore he's got you haven't forgotten? All right?

All right, Well that is all the show I have for you before. We like to ask every artist before they leave, give us some recommendations on what we should be watching on television right now.

What films would we be I'll say this, I mean whatever. Like, I'll be straight up, I'm obsessed with food shows right now, all of these, like I don't know if you Yeah, so I used to love Anthony Bourdain. Yeah, but there's a couple of goofier versions of that now. One of them is called Somebody Feed Phil. I don't know if you've seen that. No, Who's still by the way, he needs to be you ready for this? Who's Phil? He created a show called Everybody Loves Raymon. It probably made him eight hundred million dollars maybe. Yeah. So anyways, he's got his own travel food show and it is just I mean, whether you're watching or it's in the background, you're trying.

To fall asleep, you watch Tucci show at all? Saying Stanley Tucci.

Maybe just.

Way, He's another one that I like a lot, very Anthony Board Okay, yeah, he kind of took over from that.

So I've been obsessed with cooking shows lately.

And you know what I just saw. I hadn't started yet, but the Great you know British Breaking show, which I love. Oh, they now bring professionals on. You have a professional professional version of that which.

The Great Britain Baking Shows.

That was great British Okay, yeah, and it's just novice chefs and you know bakers, but now they've brought in teams of professional bakers.

I love that.

Looks.

There's also a show I think he's on Netflix or Hulu something. It's called That's fucking Delicious, I think is what it's called.

I have heard of that one either, I've seen it.

I've never watched. Really good. Yeah, it's because they're just straight characters. So that's a good one. And I'll just say this real quick, little my. My my obsessions are Survivor and Big Brother Big Brothers.

Last night, I know it's my favorite show of all time.

Did you do this celebrity?

No, I would never do it because I.

Was gonna, okay, fine, I was gonna say we should like talk to them and like actively don't know each other.

And do go in together.

Yes, yeah, no, and is just kind of like you know, and I would we would both be final two.

One hundred percent because we would go in this is and this is how I would do. I would never do the show. So I'll get we might have started, but yeah, we would go in and we would pretend that we're like, I don't like this guy, right, So you would take half the house. I would take the other half, and we would just make sure that we never got voted off.

You little mother, let me tell you something real quick. Sorry if we ran out of time. Now we got to talk to So. I'm also obsessed with Survivor. I've seen every every season, maybe just.

The last two years. I've watched every single episode. I binge the oh.

I've seen every season and there's forty five of them. Now, me and Jeff Propes are actually friends, and I told him I could. So he had a talk show one time and I was supposed to do it and then it get canceled and and I go, Jeff, I got a theory on it. He goes, listen, here's what I want you to do. I want you to come on the show, act like you're not you. We're gonna put a super fan of you on the show and see if they figure out. But so anyways, I go, that's fine, that's fine. Whatever. Now let's just say I ever did it. I go, here's my theory. I cannot believe you just said this. I'd go, I would go with the other person that either as an alpha male or popular or whatever it is, and I'd go, let's stage a fight so no one thinks that we like each other. You just said, very strange. And then you take them and I'll take them, and we make sure that if they're not going to talk about you and they're not going to talk about me, and we finagle the whole situation and we put stuff on other people until we get to the and that's why we need to do it. Yeah, it would. I just talked about my.

Theory, but with mine, I would also add a third person, so we split the house in thirds, just so you really get what everyone's saying. Okay, but no, I don't think i'd ever do Big Brother just because the twenty four to seven Live Element. I know, because especially these days, I'm gonna say something stupid. I'm gonna say something ignorant that I like having my vocabulary that I don't know is supposed to be out of my vocabulary at this point.

I don't think you say anything too bad.

I don't think so.

But what think on is that the people become numb to the fact that they're being watched. Yeah, so they kind of forget right, but you know it's right here at Stratford.

Oh yeah, trust me. I've been in the walls and oh yeah since season one. I'm obsessed.

Let's merit on this because all right, yeah, I mean it could be fun.

I mean it would be it would be oh fun. I mean it's my it's my favorite show of all time, the best experiment social experiment ever on television. And this year it's really good because it's the twenty fifth anniversary, so they're really mixing up the game, which they need to mix up the game. Have you gone back and watched other countries Big Brothers?

So I've never seen another country's Big brother but I've seen like all of the ones from here like three times each. So of my favorite characters, his name is Enzo, Yeah of course. Yeah. Okay.

She got a shout out in the with Frankie Grande and everyone because the time Machine was made by Mammel Production.

Yeah production. So my at the time, Dallas season three was premiering and I was with a girl in New York, so we did this big premiere in New York, and she knew that I loved Inzo, and all of a sudden, I see this full walk into my premiere party and.

I go, what I go, She goes, I know what, and he goes, Yo, you are superstar.

Hel me out. So now we're buddies anyway, I love. I mean, we've got to know so I used to.

I still kind of do. I throw the kind of official welcome back to reality party for everyone, like when they come out of CBS right through their press, and then they always would come meet me and Shannon Elizabeth would always throw it and we would welcome them, you know, like congratulations. I mean, and we would become close with so many of these people, and we still do it.

I mean, the cookout feel like you know them even though you do because you lived with them and watch them.

And I'm the type of person that goes to sleep with the live feet on of them just talking. So I just go to sleep with them talking to me, and so you really do feel like you know these people.

I mean, in one year when we were first dating, when you were living into Luca Lake, we did our own Big Brother weekend at our house.

So we had a company come.

So it was like three days, like an accelerated version of And we had Dan.

We had Dan Geesling fly in to play with us and stayed in our house for the whole weekend. We had Jamil, we had ye ever behind Doctor Will.

I actually like it more than Doctor Will. I think he had a harder game to play.

I do too, because Doctor Well played When One exactly. And also Mike Boogie was decent but a little slick. But yeah, those are Yeah, we could talk about this.

It was it felt like because it was a three day event, it was stressful. You all spent the night and I you know Dan, and I was like, well, I have to have Dan on my side. So we had this little you know whatever final to But then I totally stabbed in the back?

Did you? And I was like I want to see it coming.

No, because Dan has never been voted out of a Big Brother House ever. He's never danced. Yeah, so I wanted to go down as the one person that got him out of even if it's a make believe Big Brother house. I got him out?

Did you do it? I did? It?

Was it was so upset, He's like, what I'm like, I had to do it.

I had.

That's great. That's a life movement. That was great. Who wanted Sarah?

Sarah Packson wanted?

Who? I remember Sarah?

That little minx. She comes in like she's never seen the show really before. She was with boyfriend lost the show.

You just never I don't know what this is a Mermaid movie?

She was, Yeah, she was the Mermaid Dad.

It was like, it's like Awkwafina, but Yehamarine.

Well my favorite was the last was it the last house on the left? That the horror that she remember Paris Hilton?

Right, Yeah, yeah, she had the arrow go through her head.

That's car door greatest. That's great. All right, guys, Okay, I can talk about big brother for like, let's uh, let's not okay. Josh is so good to catch up with you. I learned so much more.

About you than you. Thank you for having me. What a blessing for all of your ship.

But is there anything you would like to tell your fans out there and how can they stay in touch with you at the.

End of the day. You know, it's a weird time in general in the world, So I'd like to just uh, you know, and tell people to keep your heads up and keep it moving, keep you know, stay positive and and uh, they can always get a hold of me through Instagram. Facebook's a little weird because I have someone else running that so but Instagram.

Facebook's for old people, guys, I'm not old. Did Threads last for like a day, because I swear to god, Threads was like the biggest thing for a day.

And I went up. I'm so social media, like like left field by the way. But I'm about to start a TikTok finally, which I do not want to do.

You should. It'll be the most fun you have.

Now.

I've got to only do TikTok.

Okay, so I'm really not great at socials. But I've got new music in a song called Runaway. Wait to hear this now, and I'm gonna do it. My first TikTok is gonna be me just singing runaway.

Just just live on musicians kill on TikTok.

Well, I'm about to start, so yeah, TikTok look.

For me all right. I can't wait to hear all these songs. Thank you so much, Josh to being here, and thank you so much for listening. Be good to each other out there. Don't drink and drive, take care of those animals, and remember stay frosted. Hey, thanks for listening. Follow us on Instagram at Frosted Tips with Lance and Michael Turchinard, and at Lance Bast for all your pop culture needs

And make sure to write his review and leave us five stars six if you can see you next time.

Frosted Tips with Lance Bass and Friends

Frosted Tips with Lance Bass and Friends
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