Off The Beat with Brian BaumgartnerBrian sits down with actor, model, and violin prodigy Torrey DeVitto to learn about what makes a great classical musician, hitting the teen mecca of television jobs, and why she can’t bring herself to eat eggs from her own duck.
Do you eat eggs?
I do eat eggs. So my duck has started laying eggs, but I can't.
Is that a thing?
Yeah, they're eggs groups, just like chicken eggs, but they're bigger, and apparently they make baking even fluffier. So I've heard. I can't.
We need to we need to share that sound, we need to clip that sound. But right there, they make baking even fluffier.
Hi, I'm Toriy Devido and I don't eat duck eggs.
Hello, everybody, it's so good to have you back here on Off the Beat, and I am delighted. I'm pleased as punch to be your host. Brian Baumgartner, my guest today is Well some might call a violin prodigy. Yep, toy to veto. Now. I didn't say she was necessarily famous for playing the violin, mind you, but she's very very good at it from everything she led me to believe. Tory is, of course a fantastic actor. You may know her from a number of different shows, Nanny Carey on One Tree Hill, Melissa on Pretty Little Liars, or Doctor Natalie Manning on Chicago Med. She's also been playing the violin since she was very little. She even played at Christy Brinkley's wedding and on Stevie Nick's album. So she is not only very talented, she's also very very cool. You'll find out how she went from touring with the likes of Billie Joel to traveling the world as a fashion model to now living on a small farm in rural Michigan that does not currently have any pigs. Let's hear it straight from her, the absolutely delightful Tory DeVito.
Bubble and Squeak. I love it, Bubble and squeak, Bubble and Squeaker, cook it every more. Lift over from the Nine People.
Hi, Torri, Hi, how are you?
I'm all right? How are you doing?
Pretty good?
Yeah? Yeah, no, no one, no one. I always say I can't complain because no one would care anyway, I would care how you're doing. But uh yeah, where where are you right now?
I'm in Michigan. I live full time in Michigan.
Michigan.
H wow, Yeah, I don't.
I don't get a lot of Michigan. Where in Michigan.
So I live near a town called Saugatuck, Okay, And I have a I have a farm there and then we also have a place about an hour away from the farm in Kalamazoo where my fiance works. Okay, but I moved to Michigan, uh because I just love it. Before I met him, before anything, I just I love I love Michigan. And I was like, I'm done with La. I'm stick of LA staying in Michigan.
You're staying in Michigan. Good for you. I had a great experience with one of my old co workers there in uh what I say, Grand Rapids and oh yeah and big big Rapids.
Yeah. Grand Rapids is like an hour from me, and there's.
A Big Rapids. That's where the college I was at a college there, Right, big Rapids.
I think. So I know there's I only know Grand Rapids personally, but I know there's all sorts of rapids, which I didn't know. There was so much about Michigan. I didn't know.
Well, you you grew up in New York or you were born in New York, I understand. So, yeah, you falling in love with Michigan. That doesn't sound on brand.
No, Well, my mother's from Michigan, and so we did come here to visit her family for the summers. So I had a little bit of a background with Michigan, but when we would visit them, I didn't feel connected to Michigan. Then it was I was filming in Chicago and my mom had moved to this little town in Michigan that's on the water, a very artsy, cute community that you see in movies and you're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, but it really exists. And I'd come up on my weekends because it was a two hour drive to Chicago. I just fell in love with it. So during the pandemic, I was like, that's it, I'm out. Just stayed.
Yeah. I have some friends. It's exactly what you said when they were like, we summer in Michigan and this is from Atlanta, Georgia are in Michigan. Like what does that even mean? But the lake there is very beautiful. And do you boat? Are you like? Are you like an outdoors I mean you.
Have a farm.
Yeah, what's on your farm?
What do you have on your farm?
I have two goats and two ducks and two dogs and two cats.
Okay, goats, that's exotic. You don't have like alpacas and.
No, no, it's no. I think I'm sticking with this for now. I obviously would like to expand. But you know, one step at a time, at a time.
But you're I moved to Michigan. Give me a break. I already did the step.
One step at a time. But no, I love it. I love being in nature. I love getting to walk outside. I love that it's just more pure here.
Okay, fine, pure.
The air is cleaner, things are just cleaner. You know, I can just outside, Yes, and I'm not inundated with city crap, you know. Yes, But I'm two hours from Chicago, so if I need that hit, it's right there, take a two hour drive.
Yeah right.
I mean, I do know that you're wearing overalls right now. I don't know if those are like I don't know if those are like Levi's though. Those seem a little bit more like like overalls you would wear a New York or Chicago. But I'm just their corduroy. Yeah, I don't see. I don't see goat debris on the Okay, yeah, small steps, I understand. Small steps.
You to move the move designer overalls. Then we'll get to the non designer overall soon.
Okay. All right, baby steps, baby steps. Uh, you had a fascinating childhood. I know, I'm not the first to tell you this. Your parents, they were in the music industry. You as a child, you went on tours. I'm guessing with people like, oh, I don't know, like Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks. Tell me a little bit about your your childhood. Your dad was the drummer for for Billy Joel.
Yes, my dad played with Billy for thirty.
Years years stop.
Yeah, a long time. They met when they were like nineteen years old or something on Long Island. Yeah, so I grew up going on tour. Alexa, his daughter is in between my age and my sister's age, so we all grew up together. And yeah, it was. It's so I feel so pretentious when I'm like, I don't know any other childhood. So when people say like, oh, it's such an interesting channel, and I'm like, yeah, but what is it like when your parents are like doctors like that, what they save a lot? That's crazy, you know, like, what is that? So? Yeah, but I mean, look, it's my dad still. He's playing all the time and every time I go visit him. He's in a new band right now called the slim Kings, and also the original Billy Joel guys play together and tour, so he's always doing something, so there's always something going on and I love it.
By the way, it did sound pretentious. I how many times have you heard piano man live live live? A lot, a lot.
But what's funny is I actually could not sing a full Billy Joel's song start to finish all the lyrics because I would go to the shows and then sometimes we would be playing backstage or whatever. We didn't really sit through the whole show. And I never listened to it until honestly, kind of recently, I'm like, man, these are really good songs. Not that I couldn't acknowledge that, but it's like it's your dad's you know what I mean. I wasn't sitting in my bedroom listening to Billy Joel, So people, I think, always find that funny that I might. I don't know all the work, Like I don't know every song.
So he was a drummer, Yeah, was constant? Was that sound the sound of your childhood? Like do you do you remember hearing that from I don't know, from the garage, from the guest bedroom, whatever, Like constantly hearing music and experiencing music as you were growing up.
Absolutely to this day. It's like, even if we're at a restaurant, he's constantly like with like the fork and a knife doing something and I'm like, Dad, everybody wants to hear this right now, like take it down a notch. But yeah, No, he had a drum set and we had my parents had this office room. He had a drum set in there, and when they would be on hiatus, he was always playing with other people you know around that would come over and just have like jam sessions all the time in the house. And he was always playing loud music. And I think one of the things I wish I would have been more into. But you know, as a daughter, I was like, go away, leave me alone. He'd like run into my room like, oh, you got to listen to this song, listen to this part. And I was like, okay, whatever, go away. And now I wish I would.
Have been That's like me in sports with my daughter, like something like I'll be like, oh, yeah, come here, you got to see this. This is something really cool. No interest, no, just just a total dismissal job of a child.
I think, I.
Guess, I don't know. At some point you moved to Florida, Central Florida specifically, this is I don't know if you know this. This is very different from New York and Long Island. What was the reason for that move? Was that just he was on the road, or.
It's so my parents. So my mom was best friends with Stevie and when dad and Billie were on Hiatus Tory, my dad played on Stevie's solo tour. That's how he met my mom. My mom was a very hippy California girl, like loved the sun and palm trees, it all this, and my dad is a very East Coast Italian New Yorker, so they got together. Everything happened very quickly, and she moved to New York. And I think the promise was you will be around palm trees again. One day I promised. They were on tour, we were in Florida, they decided to look at houses. My mom loved this little town called Winter Park, so we ended up moving there. And I can hate Florida. It was I was not It was not the direction I would have gone right, and none of my family lives there anymore. I really do think it was part of the downfall of us to beatos moving to Florida. My dad went back to Brooklyn. My mom now lives in Michigan. So but yeah, Florida.
So was that tough for you as a How old were you when you moved?
I was eleven, Okay, yeah, so it was sad. It was sad, saying God by all my friends. I was excited about the high school. I knew we would all go to together one day in King's Park, New York. And you know, it's always hard making new friends. And I found Florida to be very weird, even at that age. I noticed that even in my high school, like my school, we had like four thousand kids in our school. It was huge. Wow, and the segregation was insane. I was like, and I was so taken it back by so much about Florida that wasn't in New York. I was like, oh my god, it was just it was a very alarming place.
I think you played the violin. Now, what I read was violin prodigy. That's not true, that's not true.
I mean I started playing when I was six, and six is young. Six is young. And I did play all throughout high school, and I traveled over to Europe and I played for Chrissy Brinkley's wedding when I was like twelve, and so I think that's why the word prodigy gets lost, and I.
Didn't do a lot prodigy though, that's prodigy. Yeah, that's prodigy, right, I mean I know this was there were friends, but but.
Still yeah, yeah, no, I mean it was, it was.
I was.
It was a huge part of my life. It still is, but it was even bigger.
Part of my life than you still play.
I do still play. I took a little bit of a break the last couple of years because I fractured my finger, and then it was really hard to get back into it because I noticed, like as a classical musician, improv and all the things were allowed to do as actors you can't do as a classical musice. So that was actually the hardest switchover for me. When I started acting, people were like, just go with it, and I'm like, no, no, give me the words, let me act it. They're like, no, no, just go with your and I'm like, wait a second. I'm so used to being told exactly what I have to play. So when I broke factured my finger and then took some time off, it was like, wait, I'm gonna be terrible. I can't play violin and not be good at it because I'm so classically trained. It's like you have to Everything has to be perfect. So I put off playing for about two and a half years, but I just started again, which has been fun.
This is fascinating to me. So as a classical musician, does that mean that there's no personal interpretation?
Well, I obviously think everybody has their styles and their way of doing things, and that's why the greats happened. But when it comes to the music, you know, Mozart and bait, there's no room for interpretation. It's not like you'd be like, well, he put this as a half note, but I'm bake it a bordant note. It's like, no, you can't. You can't do that. And every note has to be pitch per Everything has to be so perfect. There's no improv unless you're playing jazz or fiddle or something like that. But that's for music.
No, Yeah, So what does distinguish.
That's a really good question. I've actually never thought of that. I think style, you know, charisma, the way people and also just being so much better than everyone else. It's a really hard instrument to get really really great at you know what I mean.
So there's hitting the notes, but then there's a way to hit the notes pure or well.
It's funny. It's like even some string musicians, some have better tone than others. And I don't even know how to explain that. It's almost like singing. It's like how somebody could be hitting the same pitch, but somebody's tone is just better. Right, It's like, I don't know if that's finesse, if that's just like more of a natural thing that you have it than someone else. I'm not really sure. But that's kind of where I stop, not stop playing, but decided it wasn't going to be a because of profession for me, because I realized I wasn't ever gonna be good enough to be the soloist, and they didn't want to be in an orchestra forever.
Right. That's fascinating to me. I've never thought I mean, you said, you've never thought of it. I've never thought about that. The ability. Yeah. Yeah, when you're acting to say like, oh, go no, go with what you're feeling right now, go, Yeah, you can play around with this a little bit, and you're saying like, no, no, no, tell me what the notes are. I'll hit the notes right, I'll hit the notes in the tambra, in the in the pace that you want me to.
That's fascinating piano, I'm actually thinking, because at least with violin, it's like you have to hit all those notes. Piano, it's all there. So what makes a great pianist versus you know, if they can play the same music and they have to say, well, you're not even pitch at that point, because the pianos as long as you're hitting the keys or pitch perfect. So what makes a great pianist? Huh? I really think about this today.
All right, I'm gonna have to dive into this well because I'm also thinking about singers too, right, which in a way, I mean, once you get into opera, then there is performance, there's presence. But you know what makes the great singers of classical music? What makes them great?
Emotion?
The emotion that comes through the voice.
I think, Yeah, being able to pull So maybe it's the same with as well. Yeah, it's being able to convey that emotion, pulling somebody in because.
You feel it. I mean, I mean great classical music you feel yeah, and it is it the composer that makes you feel or is it the artist that's that has the instruments that makes you feel. I didn't think we were going to be talking about this, by the way, but I know, but I think this is very interesting to me.
No, it is, for sure. I think it has to be a combination. Like obviously the it's like when you get a really great script, you're like, oh, the words speak for themselves, but you still have to put in that emotion and still so I think it's it's got to be a combination.
That's fascinating.
So you had decided that that was not going to be your profession, though you still play it. You started modeling at age fifteen, and I have read that you have said that that was in order to get eventually into film and television. So even at fifteen, you saw this path, this was the path you wanted, and this was the path you decided to take.
No. No, So I I went into modeling and not really knowing what I was doing. I got an agent, and I was very shy, and I didn't really love it. I found it to be very boring, and not to say that people don't have fun with it, but I personally was like, it's a lot of waiting around just to go take pictures. Like, I didn't really love it. And a photographer had said to my mom, you know she's very shy in front of the camera. You should put her in an acting class to kind of open her up. And so I went into an acting class, and I was like, Oh, this is what I want to do, not that, And so I kind of used modeling while I was still in high school, like commercials and commercial modeling to save up the money to move to La got it.
What was it about the acting class that attracted you that made you say that this is what I want to do.
I honestly just found it to be so fun. I am a very I could be very emotional and dramatic, and I was like, wait, I can do this just because I am having fun doing this, that's cool. It's not because I'm just like a teen in my bedroom being all emo. This is so fun.
Were you taking like like did you do classical stuff? Were you doing acting for film and television or was it more theater. I know you did some theater in Orlando.
I did some theater in Orlando. So I took a class outside of my school. I never did it in school, but this class was a scene study class. So that's kind of where I started, and I loved it, although admittedly I hated going to class. I still hate going to class. Like if I knew I was going to a class tonight at six, I would be thinking of excuses from now until that of why I can't show up. I just I hate showing up, But once I'm there, I love it. But I hated showing up, but it's a scene study class. And then back and Nickelodeon was actually still in Orlando. I don't think it had fully moved to LA yet, so there was like little extra work I did, and like I did a guest star on a CW well was WB a show that came into Jacksonville, and then like commercials for Bush Gardens and things like that, and I was like, I'm ready to move to LA and I was like, got there and I was like, no, you're not.
What Why did you Why did you think? No, you're not? Once you got there, I.
Went into auditions and I was just so I hate using this term because I thought this term, I was like, what does that even mean? It was so green. I didn't know what I was doing. I thought, I was like, oh, but haven't you seen my reel of riding the rollercoaster nine times? It's like, no, that doesn't cut it out here. I just I was so nervous. I was so green. I didn't yet know how to really like dig totally deep into my work. Like it was very superficial. When I moved out, and luckily I met this acting coach in LA that totally changed everything for me. He used to train under Larry Moss, and so I did like a Larry Moss intentive intensive as well and read his book and that was like something clicked for me there. I was like, oh my gosh, like this way of breaking down a script and all that stuff really made sense to me and I it really changed my work, thank god.
From the time you moved to LA though, you wanted to work in film and television.
Yes, yeah, I actually I went to a professional children's school. It was not really but in Orlando, and I graduated six months early. I got my manager and then I'm like, the month I moved turned eighteen, I moved to LA.
So you were on a path even in Orlando. Yeah, yeah, what age did you decided. I mean, you start modeling at fifteen, you take this class, So was it by sixteen seventeen you're like, oh, this is this is what I want to do.
Yeah, totally.
Yeah. You got on a number of shows pretty quickly. Safe Harbor, No One Knows Best, I don't know that one, Drake and Josh Dawson's Creek, to name a few. What were those early experiences like for you just being on a set for the first times.
So the Safe Harbor, No Knows Best actually were the two I did in high school before moving to LA. The Safe Harbor filmed in Jacksonville, and then No One Knows Best was in Orlando at Nickelodeon, and I remember that being very fun. I was so nervous. I had one line on Safe Harbor and I was so nervous. But I remember thinking like, oh, this was so fun that when I left, I was like, I want more. I remember, this is going to say probably another pretentious remark, but and ridiculous, when I booked Dawson's Creek. I I think I'd been in LA less than a year, and I remember sitting on the balcony and being like I made it. I was like, oh my god, I can call all my friends at home and tell them I have made it. And I have like two lines. And I thought because it was such a big show, I was like, that's it, like and no, that's not it, and that's not how it works. But it was weird. I remember I had to show up so early. They didn't turn the heat on in my trailer, you know, because I'm like barely a character, so they don't care about me. I was freezing my ass off. I was like, oh my god, this is the life I wanted. What is this? So this is scary?
But was this? Was this back in North Carolina?
Yeah? Yeah, I had to fly, so you flew.
I mean this is this becomes a real job when you get when you get on a plane and you have an itinerary and someone picks you up and you go to a hotel. Yeah yeah was that? Oh but so this wasn't You were like, I made it, this is it?
And what's ironic is I remember when I was in eighth grade, was when Dawson's Creek came out. And in the pilot episode, I think one of the characters, I think Katie Holmes actually suggests giving a blowjob, and my mom walked in and she was like, you're not watching this. So I found it so ironic that that was the first job I got. I was like, aha, mom, Dawson's Creek.
Oh my, I mean it was a huge show at that time. Yeah, and everyone was like exploding off of it. What were they nice to you?
Yeah? You know. I did this episode where I was one of the college kids in the audience asking do you remember Loveline with Doctor Drew and were in the episode answering questions for college and one of the episodes I really had to ask questions was is it okaytie? He's a vibrator. So not only was I like haha, mom my mom on Dawson's Creek, but I'm like, now I'm making the comments you didn't want me to hear. Oh. It was like a double sticking to the man. But it was nerve wracking. Joshua Jackson, one of the stars of Dawson's Creek, was actually directing that episode, so it was a little late later in the seasons, but he was only when I met and I met Katie Holmes in the the hair and makeup trailer, and I remember being like, but I didn't get to work with anybody else.
Really, Okay, you eventually get cast as Karen on an ABC family show, Beautiful People. This is your first regular job. Well, first off, was this just an audition? You auditioned and went through the process. So this is your first time kind of going through that studio network process, right.
Yes, it was my first time screen testing like that. It was so nerve wracking, and it was like I did it from the zero to one hundred, like casting callback, with casting callback with director, call back with director and producers, and then they had already cast the woman playing my mom, who was Daphnie's uniga, and so they were like, we're going to do chemistry reads with Daphney. So I had to do that and I did to do chemistry with my sister. Then you have to do the network, then you have to do the studio. And I think I blacked out every time. I couldn't believe I got the job.
Wow. Was that another moment where you felt like, Okay, now I thought I had made it before, but now I've this is actually a job. I've got my name. They'll turn the heat on before I get there, like so they all have heat this is an important step.
It is. Yeah, it felt really exciting because we had to relocate to Toronto, so I had to find an apartment and you know then it was the first time, like we had to do upfronts in New York and they flows down and they put me up at the Ritz Carlton in Central Park and I was like, these pillows are like clouds. What am I sleeping on right now? Like it was just it was yeah, everything was new and different, and I turned twenty one during that upfront stay. I remember on that day and I was like, oh, this is so cool, Like this is awesome.
Yeah, I remember that those times as well. I mean like going to New York, having the shows announced and the advertisers and they treat you very nice, at least for two or three days. It's yeah, it's very fun. You You also got an opportunity to play a villain on One Tree Hill, Nanny Carrey. This is another huge show. I mean, I wonder I'd have to go back and look how many people were on Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill, sort of the may Your shows of that time. I know, how was it for you? Joining that cast?
That was super saying that was the time that you know, because the show that I was a series regular on, I knew it was on ABC Family and it was its first scripted series, so it was like, Okay, it's not going to be like the lead on a CW show because it's a new network for scripted. So but One Tree Hill was such a huge show and I was actually doing a really big arc. I ended up doing like sixteen episodes or something or I don't know, something like that, and I was so nervous, like when I tell people my nerves, like I think for the first like five episodes, I was like shaking in every scene. I couldn't get a hold of myself. Luckily you couldn't see it, but I was so nervous, and I remember it was it was a really pivotal moment for me in our industry because I went on to set and the girl that I had to play opposite against most of the time, one of the series regular's Joy. She was so kind to me, and she put this like male letter opener in my trailers, like all the fan mail. She was just so sweet. Everybody else that I met, I felt like there was a lot of big egos on that show, and I'd never really stepped into that before. And when you're in the space, you know, we're in this reconditioned air all day. You don't see if it's light, if it's dark outside, and then you're with a lot of egos like that, it can get a little depressing. And I got really depressed, and I thought to myself, I was like, Okay, I'm in the position I've always wanted to be in. I'm on a show that is so big, and I got to play this crazy nanny that got to do so many cool things. So I was like really grateful for that. I wasn't my girlfriend number one anymore, but I was like so depressed. And I think also my childhood of growing up around people like Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks and who I knew to be very giving and generous people, and whether they acted a different way around the kids, I'll never know, but around us they were always just normal people who were very humble. And then when I'm around people that are on the CW and can't even make eye contact with you, it's like, wait, what what are you talking about here? So yeah, I remember going home for a break from that show and being like, I have got to also do something other than just acting to get my head out of justice, because I'm not going to fall in with these people. I can't.
Hm, that's unfortunate. Yeah, I had this opportunity. Yeah, yeah, and that was that was filmed away too, right? Was that in? Was that in North Carolina too?
Yes? It was in the same stages as Dawson's Creek.
I ended up working there years later after Town William What is it?
No, Oh my god, Wilmington.
Yes, loved it, loved it, loved being there, loved those stages. They weren't as vibrant as they were when you were there because a lot of stuff had moved to Atlanta. But that's a whole other conversation. So that's got to be very difficult to be away from your support system and there and being and having an experience that was that was that was difficult.
Yeah. I was very intimidated, for sure, But I'm grateful I had that experience because it really showed me even more the kind of artists and actor I wanted to be and just how none of this matters. We're doing it because we love it and we're not saving lives. So check your ego at the door and have fun or don't be here, do you know what I mean. So really kind of solidified all of that from me, which I think was important.
Well yeah, I mean it's I'm sorry that you had to go through that experience, but I think, yeah, I think for me, I mean, I was just thinking about myself. I think I learned it the opposite way, because when I started, there were people who were just so great, like truly, like so great and so generous, and so ego checked and you know, becoming quickly or already having achieved like legend status. Yeah, and yeah, it I think it taught me how I want to be as like them, whereas it feels like you may have gotten the same but from sort of a different place.
Yeah, But I find that I find that with a lot of people. The more I look at somebody's resume and I'm like, whoa, look at everything they've done, the more awesome they are to work with. Most likely, you know, when I was doing Chicago Med with you know, Oliver Platt and se Payson Merkerson, they could not be cooler, like just the best human beings on the planet. And so I'm like, yeah, you're awesome.
You said before you discover that you needed to find something else. What was the other thing that you found? A farm? I won Michigan.
That was later in life, Okay, No, I actually I wanted to volunteer somewhere, and I found hospice work. And I didn't even know what hospice was. It like popped up on one of my searches, and I started doing inpatient care and I loved it so much, and then so much so I was talking to somebody who did something and they were like, you know, not enough people know about hospice volunteering. You should talk to like the mothership hospice and see if they need like a spokesperson. I was like, okay, So then I started talking to them and I started actually doing work with them and bringing awareness this hospice while I was still doing inpatient care, and I did it for almost a day decade. I stopped during the pandemic because we couldn't do in person anymore. And then now just being at the farm, I haven't sought out another hospice.
But yeah, that's so important and valuable and that's got to feed you, right exactly.
That's what and that's what I need it because a lot of I feel like what we do is so like we have so much focus on ourselves and how is my performance? I have to be in my emotion to that to be able to get out of that and focus on somebody else who's literally dying and they just want to tell their story and all you can do is be present for them, really help it, Like helped refocus me for sure.
That's awesome. Melissa, the Hastings, Pretty Little Liars another, I mean, you're it's crazy. When I was looking at like your Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill, Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries, there's I don't even know how you define this niche.
That you have. Do you hit the teen mecca?
Is that what it is? Is it like a teen mecca?
I think? So I really did?
Should I look? I should? I should know? No, No, gossip Girls. I don't see gossip girls.
Gossip Girls. I just did though. I was doing One Tree Hill and then I did Pretty Little Liars and Vampies at the same time, and so they were all back to back, so it was it was a pretty trippy experience all.
Those shows you were shooting simultaneously.
Pretty Little Liars.
Yeah, wow, okay, like on your off time or going back in fourth, going.
Back and forth. And that's when I learned the value of getting really really cool because I did a recurring on Pretty Lot Liars the all seven seasons and I loved that. I was like, oh my god, it's so fun to do recurrings because you're not locked into anybody, and if you get a really really sick one, then you can like go do something else and you're not locked in. I was like, Oh, this is the value of maybe not being contractually obligated to just write the show. It's really cool.
Right, was working in I don't know, fantasy, I guess. I guess that's what you would call vampire. Is it fantasy? Did you feel like that was different in some way the approach to the work or is it? Is it just the character is and that's a given circumstance of the character.
Yeah, it was a given circumstance for sure. And I felt like you had to just play it the way you play anything else or else it's going to seem ridiculous even more so than maybe.
Right right, right, Well, that makes sense. It's funny we share something in common which is all of those shows I was not on. It's very weird. It's no, it's very it's very weird. It's a weird thing. But oh, we do have a little overlap. Corey, you entered eventually the universe of Dick Wolf. Yes, I did the Chicago Monopoly that or the Stranglehold. I mean, Jimmy Hoffa was big in Chicago, but then came Dick Wolf. Talk to me a little bit about how you got cast, because this is a different universe than where you had been playing previously, doctor Natalie Manning on Chicago Med. Now I know you did some overlap on Fire and PD, but you were you were cast on Chicago Met. Talk to me about how that, how that happened.
I went in, I did one audition, and Dick Wolf cast off tape, which I find to be wild, and so the tape just went to the network and all that stuff, which is kind of grueling in its own way because you have so much time to overthink everything you did and didn't do, and you're like, oh, I wish I had one more chance, and it's just a ta and you have to wait so long. But that was the process, and I remember I was so excited because kind of embarrassingly and admittedly, when I got Pretty Little Liars, I didn't want to go in for the audition because it was on ABC Family again for a free form it was at that time, and I was like, hey, guys, I really I want to get out of this team thing. I like, I'm ready to be an adult, you know. And I'm so glad I didn't because Pretty Little Liars ended up being really doing so many things for me. It was amazing. So when I hit med, I was like, oh my god, I'm an adult, Like this is so cool, Like I'm playing a doctor, I'm working opposite like really amazing actors. And then I got to set and it was a whole new set of worries. I was like, I'm out of my league. What am I doing here?
Oh?
Did you They're gonna fire me? No? I yeah, I mean I overthink everything and I have like slow anxiety that's always like riding right under my chest. But so I for sure I was like, oh my god, I'm going to mess all this up. I thought I was gonna get fired probably every day of season one, season two. I started to settling to myself, Wait, so but.
This is what you're saying is crazy. You did one tape to be cast straight as a serious regular, yes, for.
The pilot, on which I find to be crazy too. Yeah, just one tape.
That's insane. So they just kept sending the same tape.
The same tape. And I did the tape with you know, casting right, so I didn't do it at home. But yeah, wow, all the people making the decisions just saw that one tape.
That's the easiest casting process of all time. I no, I envy that. That's incredible. That's incredible. You say you felt like you were out of your league, but I mean, look, you're working with a lot of amazing actors, some of which you mentioned before. But you're also you're doing now twenty twenty two to twenty four episode seasons as opposed to not that many on most of the other shows, or doing as you mentioned before, like recurring arcs and going and coming back or whatever. Was that grind difficult for you? Was that a new muscle for you?
It was a new muscle in the sense of, especially on medical procedural dramas, you can only find so many ways to say we'll be back to check on you shortly. Interesting and so that was like a muscle I had to because I was like, you know, I do feel like sometimes when actors are doing you know, twenty two episodes on a primetime drama, there is a little bit a bit of complacency that gets set in probably around season three, four, five, six, and trying to work against that and being like, no, I want this to feel fresh every episode. You know, I gotta show up do it because on procedurals, a lot of the episodes are really guests are heavy too.
Yeah.
So yeah, so that sometimes that's when I was like, oh, it's you know, I love doing all those fun recurrings because like the episode you do, you have so much to do, and sometimes when you're this series regular, it's it's not that way. And I was like, okay, so keeping that fresh and interesting was a new muscle for sure.
Right. Yeah. I was Chicago Fire.
Oh fun.
How long did you do that?
I mean no, I mean I showed. I was one of those guest stars you were talking about. I can't I can't remember. I can't remember. I think it was one, maybe two. Yeah, that I did.
I was.
I was a law I was a smarmy lawyer and went and it was great and I had a great time. Everybody was so nice, and all I remember was it was hot hot in Chicago, like hot. We were filming for it to be cold cold. And I remember this bar that they had built that we were all we had all we were all entering into with coats on and jackets and scarves and out of the snow, and it was nine million degrees in there. And I was like, God, damn, I don't know how I'm going to survive this night. It was like this night shoot. I was like, this is how do these people do it? It's crazy. Not that I hadn't done that before, but there was something about it there that I was like, this is oppressively hot and we're all in like wool coats and scarves and gloves and.
Oh yeah, the weather is a key star of those shows.
Of those shows. Yeah, I mean I imagine when it is really cold and snowing, it's got to be incredibly difficult.
Yes, because at that point you're wearing spring jackets because that's those are the episodes that are going to film the spring, and you're outside trying not to like show the frostbite on your eyelashers you're like, oh my god, him dying.
You did the show for a very long time. You did leave at a certain point, then you came back once you ended for good. Were you Was it time for you?
Yeah? It was time for me. Also, they kind of wrote my character into a hole with a bunch of stuff they were doing, and I don't think they knew how to get her out. So it was definitely a mutual, mutual decision on moving forward. And I was really grateful for that moment with them and having that conversation, because I don't think I would have been brave enough to just leave on my own, even though I want to do at that point, because it is such an art industry, it's hard to find security, and shows like that give you massive security. But I also was like, Okay, I think it's time to get out there and do something else. And also, you know, I was about to be forty, and I'm like, I still want to have a family and kids and so many things, and I just felt like I couldn't do that if I stayed much longer. So yeah, it was time. It was time to go.
But when you went, when you had gone back, were those planned in advance or they called, and you were like, Okay, I'll come back and play for a little bit.
Yeah, they called, and it was just because so I had one character, we had a whole romance the whole time I was there, and his character was leaving the show, and they wanted to make it like they were leaving to be together finally. And I was actually very happy to do that because I felt like we did not get the ending that they deserved at all. So and also he became like a brother to me, so I really like the incentive to go back was basically to support his leaving and to kind of have our characters have that last moment.
That's awesome. Horror movies.
Love them.
I love them, love them, love to watch them, love to be.
In a love to do them, love all of it, see all of it, all of it.
Why what is it? Oh, I'm fascinating.
I haven't been in one in a very long time, and I keep saying, My that's what I want to do. I'm really smart. Like a really good horror movie. I love being scared, like horror movies with really great jump scares. I love although watching them alone at the farm just hits different than anywhere else. That is a little a little much for me, but I just love them. I find them to be so fun.
So that's your that's the's what you want to do next.
Yeah, I want to do a really good horror movie because you.
Because you're I mean, you're you're a what do you call it, a something wrapped in an enigma? You're so you've got I can't I can't even think of the phrase New.
York, Florida.
Classical Violinist, One Tree Hill, Hallmark Christmas Movies. I mean you literally it's a dichotomy wrapped in I'll think of the phrase at some point, Like, So, do you just love it all? You like exploring whatever it is and whatever opportunities you have, you just say, let's go.
Yeah. Yeah. I always had friends that were so picky and would turn things down all the time. And I'm not saying I haven't turned things down because obviously there's some stuff that's come through just like, oh, okay, I don't know if I'll be doing that, but but I've always said, like, if I feel like I could have fun with the character and I want to do it, I'm going to do it. I So I just like kind of testing everything really, that's great.
Do you enjoy Have you enjoyed? I mean you've done a few Hallmark Christmas movies? You enjoy doing that? Making people happy?
I do? You know? Think made my grandma so And honestly, it was the last thing she was watching before she passed. As she was passing, she would just watch it on repeat the one I did, and I just I did like it because I felt like to, like in between meds sometimes over the summer, if one that would come in that I thought was endearing would come through. And the only filmed like three and a half weeks, you know what I mean, it's a very short amount of time. And the last one I did, I got to go to Greece and travel and I was like, yeah, I'm like, sure, of course I'll go to Santorini and film for three and a half weeks. And why why not?
Why not?
Yeah, I mean I've done one. Mine wasn't Christmas Chris. There is something different about the Christmas wins for sure. In fact, mine was a procedural or something not really No, no, it wasn't really a procedural. I was a doctor, That's why I was saying it. But yeah, no, I I get that. And by the way, like you say, you know, doing it for your grandma, I mean that's just like people saying they do it, you know, animated stuff for their kids, or they do children shows for their kids. It's the same thing. It's entertainment and having the opportunity, you know, to what you have done something wrapped in an enigma. I don't know, it's like killing me. Yeah, I mean having an opportunity also makes you exposed to such an incredible diverse body of people. Yeah, I mean the opportunities that you have had working in all of the different genres and all of the different types on all of the different networks. Yeah, that's really cool.
Yeah. And you know, I have to say one thing I love is when I work in an environment where you feel valued, where everybody feels valued, and it becomes and I have to say, out of everyone I've worked with, homework really makes me feel like a part of their team more than anybody else. Like every birthday I hear from them, Miles, so I got engaged. I heard from Falmark, do you know what I mean? Like, they just make you feel valued. And I think nowadays it's very popular to get on a show even as a serious regular, and they're like, listen, if it's not, you would be someone else, So don't ask us for too much. And you're like, all right, but makes you feel.
Loved, And I love that, dude, there is value in that. Let me let me tell there is value in that. I mean, I mean, I'm not mentioning any names, but you know, there's companies that I've worked with for ten years and I'll get a coffee cup on the way out the door. Totally, I can't not mentioning any names, but it's as possible that may have happened to me in the past. Uh No, that's that's that's great. And I actually have some very good friends who have worked for Hallmark and love it as well, and that's, uh, that's important. Look, I mean, whatever it is that we're exploring, and clearly you're willing to go to a lot of different places. If you haven't seen the right by the way, like, that's not Hallmark, it's a spoiler alert. That's that's very cool. Well, look, I know you have to take care of your goats right now. I think that there should be some chickens for sure. Next time we chat. I want chickens, alpacas, that's got to be an investments. Yeah, pigs, I just saw pigs. Yeah, they do tricks, by the way, I just I just saw. I just was introduced to a pig that did tricks.
They're very smart. I'm thinking a pig and a donkey or next, Well, you know.
My my ex coworker, he is a zonkey.
Really yeah, that's so cool.
Yeah, yeah, he has a he has a donkey and pigs and he lives on a farm. And what does he have. He has a lot of weird, weird peacocks. I think they're so loud albino people. They're very loud. They're very very that. Yes, that's see. You know, not a lot of people know that. They're very very loud. Yeah, I think at least some chickens. Do you eat eggs?
I do eat eggs. So my duck has started laying eggs, but I can't.
Is that a thing?
Yeah, they're just like chicken eggs, but they're bigger, and apparently they make baking even fluffier. So I've heard. I can't.
We need to we need to share that sound, we need to clip that sound. But right there, they make baking even fluffier. I don't. Yeah, am I sounding like a rube? I don't know. I've never heard of duck egg you.
Yeah, you cook with duck eggs?
Yeah? And people people you know eat?
Do you fry up duck eggs?
Uh? Huh? It looks just like the yolk is just bigger, and sometimes it's a little more orange than chicken eggs. But it looks just like a chicken egg, just bigger.
Are you eating them?
No? I can't. It's like too personal or something like I know her, you know what I mean. I don't know. It doesn't make any sense.
But what do you do with the eggs?
They just I give them to my fiance's brother, and he loves them.
Oh, he will eat it.
He eats them. Yeah, and he sent me sure, he cried it up. He had it all. It looks like a fried egg.
All right.
I'm gonna look up that phrase that I keep screwing up, and I'm gonna look up duck eggs because I'm not sure. I don't know. I haven't heard quail eggs. I've heard of that.
Yeah, duck eggs.
Huh yeah, all right, Well, good luck with the ducks. But yeah, I think a pig, maybe a donkey, definitely somebolpacas. I don't know why I want. I'll pacus for you. I just do. Good luck, it's been such a pleasure. Good Luck in whatever genre field you end up in next. I have no doubt that it will be but be very interesting if you can pull yourself away from the farm.
I know, right, I mean, it's gotta be. Really, it's gotta be a good horror movie, just for anyone out there to pull me away from the farm.
Good. That's what we're looking for. A good horror movie is all you're leaving the farm for. Is that what they're saying. If HBO calls, you're like, nope, I just need a horror movie.
Spielberg, Nope, nope, not sure. I'm not doing it.
Just horror. Just Saw twelve is what we're looking for, all right, all right, I'll get my people on it. We'll get it done. Tory, thank you so much, and good luck. I hope truly that you find some time from the farm to continue the important, important work that you're doing with hospice and end of your care. And I know that that gives a lot to other people, but also for yourself. So God bless you and very very nice chatting with you.
Thanks for coming on, he was well, Thank you, Tory.
Thanks again for being here. Look, you are a woman of many, many talents. You truly are a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside and enigma nailed it finally.
Huh.
That's the praise I was dying to find for the last hour. But guess what, it still fits listeners. Thanks for doing what you do so well. That's right, listening. I hope you'll come back next week because guess what, I'll be here and if you're not here, it will be very very lonely. Until then, have a really good week. Off the Beat is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Lang Lee. Our senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and our intern is Ali Amir Sahim. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by the one and only Creed Bratton
