Pod Meets WorldWe’re getting closer and closer to cracking open Season 6, so we’re inviting back some of our favorite guests and letting them hit the rewind button for a BMW episode of their choice! This week…Joey the Rat, a.k.a. Blake Sennett, re-examines the transitional moment of Season 2, “Pop Quiz.”
Blake and the gang get real about imposter syndrome and with the recent announcement of Rilo Kiley’s much anticipated reunion, Blake talks about reigniting creativity in his life.
Plus, we hear about one of the biggest laughs in table read history and Blake’s friendship with fellow bully Ethan Suplee, on Pod Meets World!
We are doing a rewatch of an older episode. We are rewatching an episode from season two. What were your guys thoughts?
This was the weirdest experience in my life. It was so it was weird like I had never seen Boybe's World before.
That's what it felt like.
I was like, what show is this?
Who are we who? Like?
It was like I'd never seen the show before. Going from seven five to season two.
It's like going from mash to tears, It's like two different shows. Did you guys remember this episode?
Yeah?
Yes, I kind of did remember the episode, but it felt totally different.
Oh God, Rider year. First of all, Sean is so different as and your comedy is great. You're like the kid, best friend, wacky sitcom guy in this episode. I did not have a real moment in this entire episode. It is it everybody's hair was cut with the same bowl. Like. It was the strangest experience watching this episode. This was what in the podcast world a year and a half ago we watched this.
Something like that might as well have been a different lifetime.
I don't know what exactly.
Yeah, Blame's World is so weird, like the scale of this show, like to go from what we were doing in season two with Lily Nick say, it's a completely different show to now season five, Yale to pay gage, what prom we are such a crazy show? Yeah, we are such a crazy show. Like, hey, I feel like we went from being one type of sitcom to just completely like we're in a completely different world now, Like I just going back to the old school sitcom like who is Sean? Sean's like an idiot, like goof off? Like what is happening? There's no none of where it.
Became smart and Sean was dumb and it was such a frog in the pot situation because you're like, you know, we've we've been creeping along with it, so we've grown with the changes. Just going straight back into that it was I paused it halfway through. It was like what's I don't know what's happening?
And then Adam Scott is like the entire episode and phenomenal character entry, But why are we spending all this time on this time exactly.
That's one of the things we talked about when we did the season two rewatch was all these episodes that are entirely the entire episode will be about a character we don't know at all, yeah.
It's like they didn't trust us to carry the show. It's like it's like it's like the writers and producers of our show were terrified and they kept looking for like the bullies, uh Adam Scott, like they were desperate to mister Turner. It was like they were trying the stars.
Where are the stars?
Right?
It's like it's a show.
It's the end of season two, I guess is when it finally becomes like Sean and Eric and Corey, but like what what? This just feels like it's just random, like they're just desperate to like figure it out.
When you go from what we've been watching, which is so Topanga heavy, to now she's not even mentioned or in the show, it's a completely different television program.
It is so weird. Uh.
The idea that it was that and we kept getting picked up year after year and just changing the show is mind boggling to me. Now unreal. That was an experience going back and watching that again. Oh my gosh.
And yet I love the episode, like if you if I just think about it, not in terms of how this relates to the rewatch that we've done. The actual episode I think is really.
Cute I hated me. I was back to you because it was the acting was terrible. And you know how I know I'm right because even Ryder hasn't opened his mouth yet, which he even agrees. You're horrible.
You're horrible in this horrible, in this episo, horrible there is will You know you did not learn how to act until season three before I learned what I was doing. Oh, you were so bad. It's hysterical, so funny. It's well, you're just trying so hard.
You just don't know.
You're not comfortable.
You're not comfortable in your skin, so you're just like pushing.
It is bad. Oh man, just ooh yikes.
So welcome to Pod meets World.
I'm Daniel Fishl, I'm Rider Strong, and I thankfully got better. I'm Wilfredell.
We are thrilled to welcome back our absolute favorite line reader in Boy Meets World history. When it comes to pulling clips to listen to during a recap, this guy is our all time leader. We've been lucky enough to hang out with him a few times at live shows, including one raucous night in Nashville, and we somehow love him even more than we did thirty years ago. He's part of our beloved Bully gang, and he has selected the season two episode pop Quiz to chat about. So welcome back, Joseph, Joey, the Rat Epstein, Blake Senate.
Just like that, Yeah, just like that. Boom, everyone, all the people is.
So good to see you.
Thank you so much for coming back. We will we will invent any sort of format just to hang out with you.
So I'm a recurring character. I mean, you know, Bod meets Roy.
We love you so much. We will bring you back even seasons after your character has left. We asked you to select any episode of Boy Meets World to talk about, and you selected the episode Pop Quiz, which is the twentieth episode of season two. It aired originally on March tenth, nineteen ninety five. And now we know you've never really seen an episode of Boy Meets World before we asked you to watch them. So what did you think of this one?
You're not wrong, I have not really seen epis.
And when we had you on the podcast before, did you rewatch the show at all?
No? Leading the podcast?
Yeah, no, the podcast, the show.
Did you watch Boy Meets World when you came back on? When you came on our podcast the first time. No, no, so why did you pick this episode? Well, no, I sorry miscommunication in preparation.
For this particular podcast. So yes, I did go through and watch like a lot of Yes.
Yes, because when we had on you did not not.
Really, because it wasn't so much about distilling or dissecting the material as much as it was dissecting or or or investigating the memories around and the feelings around it, check up and the general where they now is of it, you know, and just seeing you dudes and being like where you know, like I didn't really I don't really you know, I don't care about like being on a podcast, and I'm just like hanging out with you guys. You know, it's like so fun and you guys, it's fun to see where you guys are at and see you guys as adults. Because my memory of you guys is obviously is like not only like kids, but like we're all kids, but you Danielle and Ryder and Ben were like kid kid kid kids. But yes, I have watched them. I did watch them, many of them, and for the first time was able to even see what boy meets world like was, you know, and I don't mean that in like a I hope that doesn't come off as like dismissive.
No good or please.
That's been our entire experiences.
Ryder hadn't watched the show at all, like literally hadn't seen an episode.
Now, going back and watching season two, I'm like, oh, we got it to do this all over again. Like I'm so blown away by how different season two is than where we are. I'man like, this is so weird. I want to hear your experience, Blake, like, what what do you think of Boy Meets Work?
I think that's about right?
No, No, I mean I don't mean that. Well. I was going to ask a question, so my question was teed up and then you asked me a question. But let me ask my question. Do we watch the show together and sit and do like a viewing party and talk right now? Now? Oh, so that I was prepared for that format. So we're just going to talk about what I watched.
Yeah, we're going to talk about what you thought of the episode, what your memories are. We have some specific questions. Didn't ask you the first time we had you on that We went back and re listened to that episode, so that I've got questions that maybe now that we've watched the episode again, I can ask you very specifically about like we didn't get into all your experience of working even with Adam Scott, so like I have some questions we didn't ask you the first time around that I'm gonna ask you this time around. But yeah, let's start with writer's question. What now that you got to watch a few of the episodes, what is your takeaway about Boy Meets World?
So it was sort of like Staved by the Bell but for younger people, but then like underwritten with these like a little more like existentially rich topics, philosophically rich questions. Yeah, and then it also has this like strange miraculous thing where like Nancy Kerrigan and Britney Murphy and like do you know what I mean, like this weird famous Robert Gulay like what because they like the budgets didn't seem big, but somehow they had like a little twenty pack on the side to give it to somebody, you know. But also they were like trying to I think imbue it with when I say they the creators, producers, writers with a sort of a sense of being special and bigger than itself, and I think that was like one of the things that like set it apart. Like like I was talking to someone and I said, like, I said, like no, but because I said, like no, Britney Murphy was on it and she was like. My friend was like what yeah, and I said yeah, yeah, yeah, no like post post clueless what And I was like no, no, I'm telling you, I have like a memory of Miana booth waiting for the kids to come from school. So it's just me Brittany Murphy sitting across from me, and we're just chopping it up, and I'm thinking, Wow, this girl's like pretty famous, and like what is she doing here? And why is she being so like nice to me? You know? And then my friend almost convinced me that I was like a dream, you know, that didn't happen, did Yeah? And then I was scanning through and I found the episode. Though her and I in that episode were not across the booth in real life, we were waiting for you guys to show up, and we were and anyway, all of that like Vader and Robert Gulay and all those cool things like, so, I don't know, it's sort of like maybe we still don't know what Boy mets World other than we know that it like touched so many people on such a deep level. But one thing I learned because part of the reason I don't watch myself actors because it's kind of like scary to me. You know, I'm not sure if I'm like really good. And so I was like, because I'm kind of like a little sometimes of like maybe maybe I'm like trying to work on this, but I'm I could be accused of being like an art snob, and so I was afraid that I was like canna be terrible, you know what I mean? Yeah, and like I wasn't, you know, was I Leo? Probably not? But was I, like you know what I was?
God, you were great? But was I bracketed how bad I was in the episode, which made it made it even even better. No, you guys were That's one of the reasons they brought. They they you were supposed to be one off characters, and then they saw how good you were and how well you worked together, and then it was like, well, we've got a right to this because you guys were better. I mean, you were certainly better than a lot of us were on the show at the time. That's I mean clear, so oh it was great.
Yeah yeah, So I don't know. In watching Boy me told that's what I that's what I saw, you know, was that it was like, oh, it's better than to be honest, it was like a little better than I thought it was, Yes, exactly, Yeah, like everybody was better than I thought they were, you know what I mean. I was like, oh, this was this was pretty. This was a vibe like it had and it was like, it's kind of like absurd at times that I think absurdity is like a hallmark of cool art to me Kenby so yes, so as an umbrella, I thought it was better than I thought, and probably still am like probably, like you guys, still a little will never know fully why it reached so many people and made such a lasting impression for so long, but there's no doubting that it did. Yeah.
Yeah.
Well.
As a reminder pop Quiz, the episode Blake picked for us to watch is when Corey and Seawan come across mister Turner's lesson plans when they deliver some homework to his apartment. The two hurry home to study furiously for the upcoming quiz, but soon feel guilty for cheating. Meanwhile, with no leader at school, Joey and Frankie find a new direction. It was directed by David Trainer. The teleplay was by Kevin Kelton, and it has some very memorable moments in it, which we will get into. So, like, this was your tenth episode of the show. You did sixteen in total, and we know that it is post the Danny table read. Were you comfortable on the Boy Meets World set by the time this episode rolled around? Your tenth show? Were you like, yeah, this is one of my homes.
I mean, yeah, I think so, I think yeah, I think I was as comfortable as I am.
Or as comfortable as you can be.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, finding comfort in my own you know sort of body or whatever you want to say is something I you know, like all of us is still you know, an equilibrium that I've you know, work on. But yeah, man, I was. I felt I felt comfortable and I felt yeah, I felt like it was. It wasn't home. You know. We were guest stars, like we were recurring, but we had no contract, you know, so we always felt like we were sort of auditioning for the next one or whatever. But it was a destabilizing chapter or a destabilized chapter because you have Danny had sort of you know, gone through what Danny had gone through. And this other kid showed up and he was also call Harley, and he was not you know, he was cool, but he wasn't. It was just different.
You know, we still don't know why that that decision was made. We talked about that. We still don't know why they didn't just cut the character or change the character. Why I bring somebody else in with a full week to play exactly when character? We still could never answer that question or find an answer to that question. It was really strange.
Did watching it back bring back any memories of that situation of the Danny one, Yeah, the of the Danny leaving and and having this Yeah.
Sure, you know I think it. I think we naturally feel bad for Danny, and you're and you're also sort of like I was young, you know, we're I was just confused to like, what's this thing? What's happening? Yeah? Yeah, but yeah, I brought up some of that, but but not in like a the way like you're asking the question feels like Oprah inviting like me to cry kind of energy, and I don't feel like as much.
As he's actually asking what's a memory, Like tell us do you have a memory, Like oh, here's like, here's a story, like it reminded me of the first day. Not not trying to invoke tears cry about it. There are things that came up when you watched it that you were like, Oh, had I not rewatched this, I wouldn't have remembered the first time I met this person.
Not specific to the Danny situation, but there was memories I had specific to the whole three episode arc that is, Danny starts to unravel or whatever you want to call that. Yeah, actually, you know, into New Griff, sorry to New Harley, Into Griff shows up. That I remember is feeling like, oh, well, men must be it for us Ethan, you know, and then they try to replace him. But that kid was like I remember him being really nice and cool and where Danny was Brando, this kid was like de Niro ish, like they both had this school archetypical thing they were doing. Yeah, but I remember this feeling of that kid. And I don't remember his name, because you know, who remembers anything from twenty years ago. But I remember feeling like he wasn't scary, and Danny was like scary, you would like grab dudes by the back of the neck. And it felt he was big and he felt scary and what and Ethan and I don't know that we're naturally very scary as dudes, and so we needed like somebody to like be that.
Yeah, and name, by the way, was Kenny Johnston, just so you have his name. Kenny.
Okay, Kenny, that's right, that rings the bell, So Kenny good. But he didn't feel scary. And then when Griff came it and that's the episode that we're gonna, I guess talk about, that felt like a little more of a distillation of it, like oh, okay, you know, yeah, it's it's so funny.
That the episode is about you guys being a drift, like we're literally writing they they were writing to what was actually happening, which was you had two great actors, really fun established characters, and you needed a leader, Like it didn't work just the two of you didn't work. So this like they were writing to finding you know, a third, a leader somebody, And it's so funny that that's what the episode's actually about, and that's what was happening in real life, like on the show, they were like, we have to keep these guys. They're too good to like let go. But it doesn't work just without you know, that grounding force of a Harley or somebody. So fascinating. And then and Adam Scott comes in and it's a completely different take. It's so different than Hardy. It's so fun.
Yeah, yeah, I think what I think if they have like a common denominator, it's probably like GRAVI toss for different reasons. They just had this magnetic magnetic or magnetism, you know. Yeah.
Do you remember David Trainor as a director?
No, so funny.
Ethan does remember saying even saying that Trainer was like a huge influence on him. Yeah, I mean it was really kind of like his first job, right, but he talked about Trainer. So yeah, it's interesting.
But I know that's why I think is so interesting is that for Ethan David was such a prominent figure in his life and Blake for like nope, don't remember.
That, no, yeah, no disrespect. And to David Traynor or whoever or like you know, like those names sound familiar, like when you guys like I follow you on YouTube, you know, so like a I'll see like a bron'll come up like or on like Instagram it I'll say like, or I'll watch like a clip that's what it is, and you'll say, Jeff McCracken is coming through. Now that name's totally familiar to me, you know, but like I don't know, you know what I mean, but like totally like I don't know why, I don't know who that is. I think I was never an actor, like the way that Ethan was, you know. I think I was like, how do I say this, Like I didn't know what I was, but I knew that if I did one more episode that week, I could pay rent and still not have to go to college.
I wanted to keep you out of college.
Well, I knew that I was way better at being an artist than being a lawyer, like that that was just naturally who I probably was, and that that was way more fun. Like there was no you know, trying to build for the future and you know, really dig deep and try to like unlock some actor part of me. Via David Traynor. I think Ethan was doing a different thing and he was like and watching it, I'm doing a you know, I could see why they wrote some more sensitive material for Ethan, where Joey was more gag based stuff sure wrestling Corey, and then over here Ethan was you know, Ethan had this sort of just sense of damage and sadness that yeah, and cool like watching us like oh, Ethan's dope, like you can just sit there and do nothing and like be you know, I want to zoom in on that. So yeah, I don't know if I answered any question, but that's me Randall.
Do you do you do you remember? This is one thing I never knew. Do you Would they go through your agents all the time or would they come to you just in the set and be like, oh, by the way, you're in next week.
By both a little you know y both. I remember them being like, oh, here's next week's script.
It's gonna cool.
Yeah.
I'm curious about, like how you thought of yourself as did you think of yourself as an actor or did you even care? Like you you were already a musician, you were into music. Was that more important to you while you were doing boymans? The Boyan's world is just a paycheck and you were like, oh, I can do this thing. But you didn't care about acting the same way that, like you say, Ethan, you know, yeah, had this gravitas and had this sense of like you didn't you were great? I mean you were so good at it, But did you care?
I mean I cared, you know, like I mean I care about everything. But and I and and there was a period where they there was a period where the writers and Michael had said to Ethan and I were going to bring you on full time next season, and that certainly wasn't met with like I don't care. That was like, nope, I can finally have a home. So I think probably in my heart I was looking at hearing you say that, writer, what comes up is like, let me close my door here, just I'm about to cry, just kidding. For Danielle, I think what I think what comes up is, yeah, I was looking for home and acting didn't. I just never felt like I could like get in there and find my home. And and I think part of the frustration as an actor for me, probably for all actors, but some of the higher tolerance for it is that you're not really in control of your own destiny in that way. Right you're waiting around for the phone to ring, and you're you know, and you're sort of like your best friends, we're best friends, and then you're like, huh, I don't know that person at all anymore. And it was weird. And so music, I think he was easier for me to have best friends and not and not lose them, even if I you know, they're both a lotto ticket. They're both you just sit lay up and bed and dream about, you know, the coolest in the world. So why not pick the one that you like more? And I think that that's I liked music. I think I was transitioning out of acting, and I think Boy Meets the World was the last of my acting. I really that was it for me after Boy Meets World. And I think right around that time I had done enough Boy Meets the World that I had been stopped on the street. I don't know if I mentioned this to you guys last time, did I?
I don't think so.
No.
No.
So I was stopped on the street a few times, you know, and it was like, Oh, you're the thing. You're that guy like to do the funny thing, you know, and that's cool, Like that's not that's not like upsetting or anything. But like I was like, I don't think I wanted to be be that. You know, you know, I don't think I want to be like well well well or whatever. You know.
Liiation behind that? What was was there a specific like New York inspiration or voice that you were that you were trying to do.
Dude, the answer is not romantic. It's you don't you don't.
Want to me a romantic answer. I just want the true.
As long as you ca it's fine.
Yeah right at the end, I'm gonna I'm gonna cry, but for now to pay it off for real. It was like, you're gonna hate this answer. I don't know if the world should hear this answer. At that time, I had started to care less and less about acting, and I told my manager and I may have mentioned this on another episode. I told my manager and she hated this. I said, please send me only for I can like wipe the other dudes out on like I want to go up against one liners. I only want to make money. I only want easy. Yeah, that's like the worst thing you can say to a manager, like, and it's like not romantic. But I got to that audition and I did what I always do, which is I grabbed the stides and I went and they went blake, and I went, oh wait, and so I just did it and that's what came out, you know, was that is that?
I do?
I love it.
I love that.
No, I can attest to the fact that that is not true.
Yeah, there was no great there was no great thought to any of it.
Do you you suffer from imposter syndrome?
Of course, of course I do.
Ye do you mean imposter?
Oh you are?
Okay, okay, But I think acting is a lot of that. I know, I mean because I felt the same way.
It was like, wh the.
Last time you met a secure actor? I mean, it just doesn't that doesn't exist. I mean, we're all imposts. We all think we shouldn't be there because it is such a Why do you pick me over the nineteen other guys waiting in the room that looked exactly the same as me? Why did I not get picked for the I'm not supposed to be here. I am supposed to be here. I deserve to be here. I don't deserve nobody's secure in this business. It's awful and wonderful and amazing and the worst thing ever.
So yeah, yeah, I mean, it's it is just interesting because, like I think, I'm I'm obviously the only person who had actually the total opposite experience, which was I had no idea why I got the job, but I assumed, well, the fact that I got the job meant that I must be best for the job, and I feel so like at the time that I was doing it, although I felt very unsure that it was going to last, like especially in those first couple of seasons, feeling like I replaced somebody so I could very easily be replaced, but also knowing that like I felt at the time, like Topanga was a big part of the show, and so I then started to feel confident, like, well, how would they do? What would they do without Tapega? So then I felt like I had a little bit of job security. And then not watching the show for decades, after knowing what an impact Corey and Topanga had on the culture and the way it was framed as feeling like it was such an important part of the show, I then came to the rewatch thinking well, I must be good at what I do and I'm a very big part of the show. And then we watched the show and I'm like, I suck and I'm barely in it. So for me was actually it was the polar opposite experience, where now I have imposter syndrome about the idea that I never should have been allowed in there, and I don't know why people remember me.
I don't think I gotta be fired.
It works, but I don't. I don't feel that way though, Like I didn't feel imposter syndrome at the time. In general in my life, do I feel like imposter syndrome, Like of course, like that's the only way I've ever done anything is way out over my skis, Like if I the her first house I ever flipped, I was like, I don't have a contractor, I don't have the money, I don't know what I'm doing, and I bought the house anyway. So acting was like that for me too. But it wasn't like I was on set going I shouldn't be here. It was actually on set going. If I'm honest, I was probably on set going it's not cool enough for me. Yeah, right, you know, And maybe that's lame, but like that, like I feel weird, like even saying that it was like isn't true, you know, But at the time, I think.
Dude, that's the way we That's the way I felt. That's right, you know, we totally because because you know, we had different taste. We were teenagers who wanted to be in cool stuff, right, you know, like.
What I thought was cool back.
Then, Like I like doing a kids show, what was essentially you know, it felt like a kids show, uh if it was aimed at younger people than us.
Like I just.
Remember thinking like you know, and now I look at it and go, this is great that there isn't a great TV show.
And like they actually wanted to be in basketball diaries.
That was right.
My friends were My friends were in those shows. Yeah, yeah, right, I mean, and I totally agree with you looking back now, you know, and sort of like I think also in the public discourse, there's this whole idea of gratitude, and I think, you know, in general, I think we think more in those terms these days than we used to. But but like naturally that's happened for me anyway, And yeah, looking back, I go, what how cool is this? I've been an actor, I've been a house flipper, I've been a musician musician, so like I've been all those things, and I go like, wow, you know man like, but like I've been so like karmically blessed or whatever you want to call it, that I look back and go, like what I was just like skating through doing like so I didn't feel at the time imposter syndrome that I could put a finger two so much as it was me and Ethan back in the and even Adam became part of that you know, little cabal looking looking Bokowski oh like you know, but yeah, I mean I think part of what I loved about not that you asked, but part of what I loved about this particular pop Quiz episode and what I remembered why I like I remembered doing it. It was because Ethan and I were sort of always in the stable with like you know, Corey and and Sean, you know, but we were the age of Will and and you know Marsden is this name Jason on the show?
Was Jason?
Was Jason? What was his name of the show?
Character who's on first?
Totally? Yeah, like so there was something fun about this episode because if there's like a if there was a you know, being John Malkovich where you sort of step through the portal into something whoa totally weird for our characters. It was this you know, and and for you know, and I didn't make it a secret. On the last time. I was like a big fan of Will, of what you were doing. I thought you were like, you know, I said this on the last episode that you were just like tiny wise, so money like and and so playing with you was something that seemed fun to us. And it and again it had that you know, down the rabbit hole energy to it where you end with Griff who also Adam. I remember, he's like, he's like we all with with hindsight know what Adam Scott is. But he in meeting him for the very first time and it was his very first episode of anything ever. He was like cool, but he was also a little bizarre, like he had a weird way of like his mouth and his chin, you know, and and he's just kind of weird. And I was like, oh, this dude's cool, Like I like this dude. He's like and he was funny behind scenes. He had the sort of same as Ethan and I cynical but gentle sense of irony. And so I don't know, that episode was special for me. I felt like I got to be a little more of like an actor than a than a than a prop or than a right you know, like, like I watched it. There was an episode where I actually did that with my mouth, and I think they told me to do that, and I was like, yeah, that's why, that's why I was, you know, like being squeaky is only fun for so long, you know, I know, I get it. I don't know. Yah.
Well, first of all, what you were saying, I think you can count on one hand the number of teenagers or people in their early twenties that you meet that actually appreciate what they're going through at that time in their life. Yeah, nobody does. When you're that age. You just don't. So you know, it's the people that can never go back and look at it and appreciate it that have the problem. I think we can all look back and be like, yeah, I wish, I wish I experienced it maybe a little differently while I was there. But that's how everybody does. That's that's life. You're never you're never looking at the day you're in. You're always looking at the next day hoping it's going to be better. And that's just not how it works.
Yeah, at least not for a dude like me. You know, I run across those kids. You know, I live in the South now and there's these like kids with these very square gentle families who you know that was me?
Actually I was that guy. I was the square gentle family and I just wanted to be on a sitcom. So it was like I loved it. But most people just don't do that, you know.
Question for you, do you do you ever feel like you how you look back and go, well, like I was pretty pretty good, Like I'm pretty good at this, but I have this sort of anxiety thing. Do you ever think about dusting off the roverbial jersey and going like, what if I could get my head around the anxiety and and dig around?
Yeah, I mean definitely, of course I didn't for years, And it wasn't really until I started the conventions and then started the podcast again that that feeling came back, and then it really came back. And now I just feel like a race horse's gate won't open, so I feel like I'm just kind of like slamming against the gate. And this is a problem.
With being an actor, is that you're still at the mercy of the jibs, like you can't. You can't just go act right now, like you want to write, Like you can do it and you can see you have the talent and you're ready to go, but you need a context. Yeah, that's the problem with acting. It's like it's not like musicians being a musician where you can just like play, you could just record something.
You like, you haven't had an agent in over fifteen years, and I have agencies that refuse to sign me. So it's like you can't even get represented anymore at certain times. And there's people like, dude, you're famous, Like it doesn't that doesn't matter. The business doesn't know what it is anymore. So it's weird.
I went and shot and directed this little horror film like over the last year, and like and I was, I was, well, i'll tell you more, but to our point here, you know, you end up on setting there's these kids and you know you're trying to direct them and they and so I end up. You know, you end up you shouldn't, but these you just have to. The time is like so short that you got to give some line readings, you got to show exactly the blocking. And there was a moment or two that I was doing that, and then this kid took me aside. You know, it's really handsome, you know, horror movie kid, you know, and he says, you know, man, listen, you're a good acting man. You ever tried acting? You're like really good at it, you know, because and I was like, that's nice to hear. Thanks, man, that's really sweet. And I was like, oh, like now that I have the benefit of, like, yeah, no knowing what acting is? Yeah, which is what Like in preparing for this movie, I had to go research what acting was, right, and I learned something I never read before that, like Meisner says that acting is the act of being in extraordinary circumstances. So this is what I would regurgititate to all the kids. No one ever said that to me once. Not once did anyone ever say yet, just be you, but like, what would you do in this situation? Not once people were like, yeah, do the joy they're act that's what you gotta do, you know, which was cool too, But I could have found the me within that, you know what I mean. But no one ever was like, tell me an act. I didn't know what acting was. It just saw I was running as fast as I could along thin ice to go as far as I could, as fast as.
But also generationally where we were at I felt I would roll my eyes if somebody took acting too seriously. When we were on Boy Meets World, like real actors who like talked about what their motivation. We would laugh at those people like I, I didn't want to be which is ridiculous.
You cared, yes, take your crafts here?
What are you doing?
Like I literally didn't have a concept of what acting was in my thirties. I took a real acting class and I worked with this teacher and it was like for the first time asking myself, like what.
Do I what do I think this is?
This is a crazy art form, but like that's weird, like that we were at the the you know, a very successful place in a career where we actually didn't take what we were doing seriously like that, but we were kids.
Would kids take anything seriously ever, no matter what it is. Kids are so resilient that whatever you do just becomes normalized. So Gida said every day that was just normal. That was just like that's what I do.
I mean, But point will, no one invited him to you know what I mean?
I mean, for us.
Okay, so he did, but no one ever was like, what's Julie the Red like really like? And so with my kids, I was like, listen, like, what would that be like for you to get stabbed to death in a bathroom? What would that really actually be like? Not like what the would you think about? Who would you call out for?
Like?
You know? And maybe that's but.
That's why that's why English actors, Australian actors, that's why they're so much better than us, especially at a younger age, is because even at that age, that's what they're taught. You're an actor. It doesn't matter that you're ten or eleven. That's why Bill Daniels was so good because as a child, when he was a child actor, it was still kind of about the acting. By the time we were acting, it was about more about being the celebrity and more about being in magazines, and it was about being popular. It wasn't about being an actor. So that I mean, I think, and I think it's come back. I think now it's more about being an actor for the younger generation, but it's still yeah, it was we were You're right, though we were never taught that or or meant to hit your mark, hit your beat, get your laugh, smile, and and you know, walk away, and that's yeah, you're right.
And it's probably will more than anything, just the culture of what the product we're making, like like on Basketball Diaries or whatever. I don't think they were saying that. I think it was like, let's go through it, and so we just you know, we spun the wheel and we landed on boy Meet's world, which had its own magic, but it wasn't like, hey, let's get stabbed to death for real and path.
Yeah, it's it is. It bought me to This is one of the best versions of what it is, if that makes sense. Yeah, and that's you know, we that was our lane.
So you're now you're looking to Eric as a new gang leader. Basically you're dressing like him to win him over. Mentioning the Lbean catalog, do you remember this wardrobe fitting and like, do you remember talks around the clothes and were you excited? Like was it fun?
Yeah, it was wonderful. It was so fun. This is amazing, Like, yeah, it was the best. It was like we got to go down the rabbit hole and it looked weird and looked incredible and yeah, it's the best.
I mean, you guys in your pink with the sweaters around the shoulders.
It was that though. Susan even said, she's like, you could carve cheese with those pleats.
I look at the pleats on your hands.
My god, you could shave with those, my wife, So you could shave with those?
Yeah, crazy, Yeah, yeah, it was great. I mean, if if you want to feel loved in the world, you know, as an actor, have your bigger head of your gang get removed and don't get removed right and in fact, watch them ban the universe to keeping you. And that's what it felt like love and it was beautiful. And also we got to step through and play with Will and then Adam, and yeah, it felt good. Felt good.
That's kind of what I was thinking when I was asking you the question about did it kind of feel like home now? Like you had? We did have this very big shakeup where Danny's now gone, and instead of it being like, well, let's just get rid of that world we created, that is exactly what happened. They were like, all right, how do we bend the world to still include these two and to bring you in and now Hie you to one of the regular cast members, not just bringing in Adam Scott as this new kind of potential leader in Griff, but really like welcoming you into making you more a part of the mainstream, which is probably right around the time you were told you were going to be a part of the mainstream cast, only then for that to not really work out. And we've learned over the course of this podcast that the amount of and the intensity behind some of Michael Jacob's notes were different for everyone. We've had a lot of people come in who go, guys, can we talk about the note session? Do you remember the note session? And then we've had other people where we've said and do you remember the note sessions and people being like, well, yeah, there were some notes, but it was fine, it felt fine. Do you have any specific memories of Michael Jacob's notes and how did they feel to you.
I felt like Michael loved us a little bit. I didn't know why, you know what I mean, Like probably the New York thing in him, right, he felt like he was from the East Coast, yep. And he felt like it felt like the writers in general like loved us. They would reference things I didn't understand.
You know, and we all experienced that.
Yeah, they'd be like, you're like the Bowery Boys, You're like the dead End Kids. And I still day of never you know what I mean on my own. Yeah, sick Man totally was going for dead End Kids.
Oh my god, it's actually it's a it's a perfectly app reference. Yeah, because that was it was one of the first players.
Yeah.
Anyway, it's it's an old, old timey play about kids in New York. Yeah, it looks like the first like street kid.
Use guys.
Yeah right, yeah, I mean I feel like Michael loved us. I don't think Michael I never I never felt like Michael pointed to us when it's not working. He was he was so fast it never felt personal, you know, like he was like a phantom. You know, he's sort of the wizard of Odds. He'd come in and flowed in and sit in his chair and I thought he was you know, to me, he was like the coolest guy there. I like loved he was like Rick Rubin or you know, like doctor Dre got there, like you know, he was.
Gonna go along by Michael Jacobs has ever to Doctor Dre.
Yeah, dude, he felt like he was, he was a Bengali doing his thing.
Yeah. I want to get to One of the biggest laughs in the entire episode, as heard from the audience, is during your time in Chubby's when Griff points out that he saw you too sucking quarters out of the set of machine and then Ethan offers to spit them back up, and it is incredible, so funny. Do you remember, would you guys work these little bits out amongst each other? It was a real like Jay and silent Bob vibe. Would you guys do you remember working with Ethan on those.
Never did that close for you than not? And then the no, man, No, I don't remember working it out. No, I just remember doing it. And then you know, I mean, it's so that an example of the absurdity I was like talking about, you know, how insane is that that he's going to vombit corners at him.
It's good.
So I don't know if you remember, but I remember it specifically. One time you got arguably, if not the ever biggest laugh at a table read, and it was because of an ad lib that you did. So there's an I remember, what do you think you might?
You might There was an episode where you're walking in the hallway and it's supposed to be like like the like the old School wild West and the Tumblewey, and the line is like you say, look, I don't know.
It doesn't feel right. There's nobody here. And right beforehand there was they read I think it was trainer read the stage direction and he was like the you know, Joey. They walk into the hallway and it's empty and a piece of paper blows by, and you say, you out of nowhere, go like, I don't know, I don't feel right about this. This whole place is empty and there's a piece of paper blowing by. And the piece of paper blown by wasn't in the script, and everybody just lost it and they ended up writing it into the show so it made it into the thing. But that was one of the first times because I hadn't learned how to act yet. As you could see from the episode we just watched, there was a So I remember watching you and listening to that and being like, oh, like it can just come out of nowhere. The comedy you just pick it up and you just say it. And it was one of those moments for me of like, oh, I got to do that more often, and I'll never get it. It's empty and the piece of paper blowing by and everybody just absolutely lost it. Yep, I'll never forget that, never forget.
That's that's that's cool man. That's cool to hear because, like I say said, we were so separate like our you know, Eric and the police that that's cool to hear that that was inspired, that was something and that's that's nice.
Thanks.
And this episode also has a quick cameo from Eric Balfour. Did you know him at the time? Do you know him now?
I knew him, you know what I mean? We weren't friends. We didn't like running the same through. But has he must have been on the show, right.
He has not? No, we have not had him on.
Have you asked him to be on the show.
We have not. We should don't we should?
Yeah?
We should.
I don't know anything. Uh maybe whatever you think. If you've had me on four times, it's probably not.
For I don't remember he was on Boy Me World.
I knew him.
He was in Trojan Words. Yeah, yeah, so like I think I thought I knew him from there.
Yeah, I didn't know he was on our show.
He was for No, he was.
I remember him being on set. Was he dating somebody he dated? So he was dating Danielle Harris at the time. I was dating Jenna because Jenna and Danielle were best friends, so we would always go out.
So he was on our set back in season one or two.
It must have been yeah, must have been.
Okay, that's so.
Weird because I knew him as a person, but I was like, was he ever?
And then I saw him. Oh you actually I forgot he was on our show too. Frankly, Yeah, who wasn't in the day?
Yeah, I remember, Yeah, Eric was cool. He was like I remember him being like kind of like had swag and like, chicks really liked Derek Balfour. So like, probably I felt a little like jealousy or something because I think I've always you know, or I think at that time in my life, I didn't know really how to talk to girls, so I probably like felt like jealous or something. You know.
Well, last time we had you on, we did not go too deep into your past TV work. I wanted to see what memories you have of doing Salute your Shorts. You did thirteen episodes of Salute your Shorts.
But it's a similar thing is this, I guess in the sense that it was like a kids show and yeah, and I had moved to LA right after I tried to go to college and it was not for me, and so I moved to LA and I couldn't book anything, and this Nickelodeon show came up and it was for a guest star, or so I thought. And so I said to my girlfriend at the time, I'm gonna I got a I'm gonna go book This one was Nickelodeon's one shot this right, you know what I mean, Nick, I'm gonna go make rent. And so I don't know where the wires got crossed, but I ended up on the third callback. And on the third callback, they okay, come with me, and they walked me back and there was the whole cast and then they put me next to the cast and they were like, okay, so this is what he's gonna look like. Next is the cast. And I was like, this is weird. Guest star is going to be like yeah, screen tested essentially, you know. So I was like, okay, cool, yeah, And then they were all hooting and hollering and welcome to the show. And I was like, Dick, this is weird. And so I got in my car and I dropping home going like, what was that? Am I got? Am I series regular or something? This is real weird. And then my agent called and they were like, yeah, your booked serious series regular. You know I was. I was stoked in at the time. I think I was so anxious because I needed to book something so bad. I think if I knew it was a I think if I think if I knew it was a regular, I wouldn't have done as well because I thought it was just a one off. Phone it in, do my Michael J. Fox impression and uh, you know, book one one episode. I could pull that off, you know.
Wow.
Well, since you appeared on our podcast the first time, we were able to include you in a couple of our live shows, once for the Bully Reunion here in LA and then again for one of a top five show for us, which was in your hometown of Nashville. What was that like for you seeing and hearing the appreciation the Boy Meets World fans have for you.
I had forgotten what it was like to walk out on stage and hear that kind of applause, you know, So that was cool. I had forgotten that you know, right, it's intense, it's cool, it's it's like the first I don't know about you guys, but my first reaction is like put my you know, because it's so much, and then you like let it in or for me, then I let it in and it was just like God, this is like so cool. You know, they're so people. Yeah, it's a big warm hug and people are people are really moved by it, you know, and like I think in general, like I think, like in general, people kind of just want to go see their like celebrities they love. So for instance, like someone might go to like a dog Star show to see Keanu Reeves even though they don't like that music. For instance, for example, yep, but you guys are not giving them weird grunge music. You can see the panga, but she's like gonna play you some music, don't hear showing up as like the denizens of that piece of that art piece, you know, the paint brushes of that art piece step out on stage. So to get to be a paintbrush that night or those two nights I did, was neat, super fun. I mean, you guys are so loving and cool and humble, that standing among you and just you know, they love joy the rat They really love you, guys, and so just kind of like I feel like I get to stand witness and I stood witness to that and that felt really cool. And of course when they point there love it you or Ethan and I as it were that other night. Yeah, it's so fun, so cool.
Well, first of all, the dog star thing is my favorite analogy I've ever heard in my life.
I hope no offense to It's awesome.
What was it like seeing Ethan and Danny again? Have you guys kept in touch at all since that time?
A little? Ethan and I texted each other. No, not really, I mean we sort of.
Just resumed our go back to normal life.
Yeah, man, I mean life is mostly likely like if your life, everyone's life, let's say, is a lion, there's like they're gonna have cross and then they're gonna uncross. Mostly that's how life works. Yeah, and so we crossed again and so cool. And I feel like because I Ethan was a good friend of mine apart away from the show, and we spent those college years together. The years that would have otherwise been spent at college, we spent together I think Ethan and I will forever be brothers and family. Danny, you know what I mean, such a nice guy, so sweet, don't you know what I mean? Like we just didn't spend that kind of time together, you know. But yeah, it was nice to see them, you know, it was nice to see them.
Last time we spoke to you. We were all so happy to hear that you were dipping your toe back into creative outlets. And we'd love to get a little progress report. What do you Is there any update? What do you have to share with us? Where can people see what you're working on?
Where's this horror movie?
What's this horror movie about?
Tell us.
It's a horror movie. It's called one hundred Dead. I shot it last year. It's about these It's about the sort of most prolific serial killer who is killing on social media. He's going targeting sort of uh, people of low moral fiber, sort of culling as it were, you know, culling as one would wheat, you know. Uh, so people he calls himself a reaper. So because he postsed on media, people have taken a calling him the Gramm reaper, like Instagram hates cool and so these kids start to follow and they want to. These kids on social media are following him. They want to and and the problem is they catch up. They catch up bad things help me catch up with the cool. So so they end up in an abandoned school, uh with uh the Beast and uh uh hell ensues.
You know that's really cool.
Okay, so you shot it last year?
What what?
What are the what are the plans? When can people see it or where can people see it? Do you have an idea?
Yeah, it's close, the edit's close. We haven't we're in post right now. We're almost done with dr the effects is almost done, and uh, tighten the edit and get it to sound, and we don't come out this year. Well it'll find a home this year. In a way, in a way, there was something and this is true of Boy Meets World has been this a little bit for me in my life. But in a way, something Rider said when we were backstage in Nash feel actually and I was like, oh, I got to make this thing. I got to make something. You know, do you want me to share with that? We're talking about writer. I had a horror film that he was writing right and or written and he goes he goes. I said, what's the budget? He goes, Man, can I share? Well, you guys cut it out if this is untcomfortable, you're boss. He goes, It's four million, and I go need four million. I can't get four million. Where am I going to get four million to make a horror movie? So I was like, okay, I'm just going to go make one for like very little money. And so that's what we did. We went and made it very money.
Oh so what's your big announcement?
So you know, in my varied and bizarre and charmed life, you know, things tend to go away and like Boy Meets World, they tend to return. And my my co members of my old band Rylo Kylie called me up a few months ago and said, hey, we are considering this run of shows and would you be open to it? And of course, not like everything like this podcast, it's never something you were planning on, but it's a delightful uh break in your life, and so of course is it. Yeah, so we'll be doing a run of shows.
Yeah, oh are you coming out this way? Are you going to be coming out to La? Of course?
Of course, yeah, we have to. I mean that's where it'll start because that's home.
You know, the bands unbelievable.
I never ever leave my house or used to leave my apartment, but I used to go watch you guys at Spaceland. I loved it. And so you're on the list. I'll be there wherever you are.
You're all on the list.
I can't wait. That's so amazing, amazing.
Yeah, and maybe I'll bring you out on my stage.
I don't want to do that.
To you guys. Yeah, what do you mean broo?
Oh my god, Oh, I can't wait. If that's amazing, I can't wait.
Well, you have the coolest factor, you have the coolest sense.
Man, that's so amazing. We will be there. We are very excited. Wonderful news. We always just you know, podcast decide having you on.
You know.
Hopefully you know how beloved you are from our fans, but for us, we every time we are around you, it's just we don't the show, the whatever. It's great, but we love you. We love you. We love your realness, we love your authenticity. We love you. When you say, like listen, you're not gonna like this answer, we don't care about the glitzy answer. We love you and the honesty that you bring to it and the fact that you share your experience with us. That's what this podcast has been. We have all been very honest about what our mindsets were at the time and how we feel now, and you bring that like authenticity better than just about anybody. And we adore you. We love you, We thank you for spending your time with us. We are rooting for you. We can't wait to see one hundred dead and whatever else you want gone. Just so much love for you, So thank you for being here with us.
Thank you so much, dud Love you guys too.
Give our love to your family. And we'll see you in l A. I can't believe I can say that we'll.
See you in ls Yeah, we'll see Yeah.
Totally awesome, dude, So.
Good congratulations, So good bye, Blake, love you bye. Oh man. He's He's a breath of fresh air.
It's always such an interesting conversation with him.
Really, I know he's so introspective.
Yeah, well, I just love it.
You can't ask him a question without him taking a full thirty seconds to think about before you, I know.
Think about what they say.
I know he's so brilliant considered.
He's just a considered human being and in the best possible way, he considers his life, he considers his actions. Yeah, he doesn't.
It's so cool, I know, that's what I mean. It's such a breath of fresh air, like you know, to all that I as a person who talks now for a living, I find myself regularly feeling uncomfortable if someone has asked me something and I don't immediately have words coming out of my mouth, and then I talk to him and there's so many seconds of dead air, and I think this is nice. I know that what's going to follow has got ye. It's so interesting.
I'm so sick of my own voice. I don't know what you're doing with myself.
It's just beautiful, beautiful silence with Blake. Thank you all for listening to this episode of Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on Instagram pod meets World Show. You can send us your emails pod meets World Show at gmail dot com.
And we have merch now always empty and there's all this merch blowing by.
Pod meets worldshow dot com. We love you all, pod dismissed. Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fischel, Wilfridell and Right Or Strong Executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman. Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor, Tara Suebachsch producer, Maddie Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World superfan Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram at Podmeets World Show, or email us at Podmeets Worldshow at gmail dot com
