A Moment Behind the Scenes with Aarav and Christian (Nikhil Pai and Micky Shiloah)

Published Jul 14, 2022, 8:00 AM

A conversation that goes behind the scenes of SOLAR — with Nikhil Pai and Micky Shiloah (Aarav Patel and Christian Yancy).

Listen to the full interview on our Apple Podcasts Subscription Channel: Inside the Mission SOLAR+

Hey, Jenny KURTIS here. This week, we're sharing an excerpt of Chris Porter and I sitting down with Nicole Pye, who played Flight director RF Patel and Micky Shallower, who played the tenacious reporter Christian Yancy. We're jumping into the complexities of the dynamic relationship between AAVE and Christian in a conversation we affectionately call Earth's perspective.

Right. So the only time we're actually on earth in an episode is the opening press conference to the pilot where our of and Christian kind of get into it. How does that set the stage for who these characters are?

Well, I think that ours is looking for any opportunity to make known that things aren't as peachy as the head of NASCAR would like to make it seem. And so he is trying to use the questions that are being asked to get people asking more questions about it. Because if everything is being swept under the rug, then what he needs is like what I feel he needs like public outrage in order to uncover and maybe get some tech to have any sort of corporate responsibility.

Yeah, and RV is really looking for the truth. And that's exactly what Christian Yancy wants. So they both are kind of on the same mission, which I think is why they connect.

They're disrupters.

They're disruptors. They sure are.

Truth seekers. Truth seekers, as you said. Yes. Yes.

So episode one basically began with an extended conversation between Patel and Yancy, arguing at this press conference, as we just pointed out. And while Patel has had a few communiques with the eighth on in a couple of episodes recovered, audio asset number four has brought you both back together. And we realized that there's a lot more going on with these two men than we first thought. There was more happening in that press conference scene than was let on. What kind of a headspace is going on for the two of them?

Well, I think Christian is still searching for answers at this point. And this conversation he has with all of is very eye opening and he realizes that he knows more. And NASCAR in general knows more than they are putting out.

One of the questions between these two is who's in control at any given moment? Mm hmm. Because I think they both think they are themselves, which is not necessarily true. But in this particular recovered audio asset, we do, in fact, learn that Patel was playing Yancy a little bit. He was using this as an excuse to be the disruptor.

Mm hmm. I'm going to respectfully disagree with our writer. Yeah. You know, it's just like I like going into this conversation. I feel like I was desperate for something, and there was so much desperation with a lot that he does that he has to resort to means that he wouldn't otherwise resort to. So he is in control. I think that he's trying to.

Be an excellent point. Totally manipulate you manipulated him. But it was from a point of desperation I think you total.

He has so much on his shoulders that relies on him and I think he's using him and he manipulated him in a good way. Mm hmm.

Well, so here's the thing. We recorded this in the pandemic. Right? And also, just because this is how you get clean, audio recording actors have to record separately. So you were each in the booth alone? Well, I mean, you were recording with me, so obviously, obviously an amazing scene partner. Yeah, but we thought it might be fun to finally hear you guys do this scene with each other. So we've provided you with this script since we're talking about recovered audio set for. Let's just hear it with you guys finally interacting with each other. They are across the table from each other.

So.

Chris, can you set the scene for the world they're in right now?

So remember, most of the phone lines and communication lines are down. And this is very much just sort of a shout into the wilderness of they're hoping that someone else is out there with a working phone as from a point of desperation, as Nicole just said, he has some information that he needs to convey and information that he's unable to secure himself. So he has to make this phone call to Yancy, having sent some sort of ability that he might be able to pursue this line of questioning.

And one of our favorite directions my favorite directions is that this is a very dark and stormy, thriller esque conversation.

Oh, yeah, that's right.

Mm hmm. Go.

It's Christian Yancy. Hello?

There's a man and I want you to speak to.

Who is this?

How do you have a working phone, by the way?

How do you have a working phone?

Our building is basically a Faraday cage.

Sounds nice. I just use aluminum foil.

And the phone lines.

That part isn't quite legal. I'm tapping into your phone lines. I'm assuming this is an ask calling, Mr. Patel.

We're using international contact lines for emergencies and critical information.

Yeah, And everything you use to monitor that phone line was wiped out by the flare. So here I am.

Did you try to call Semtech?

Multiple times. And always went to voicemail. Voicemail was always full. You're right. No one is there. Can I call you are of No.

I don't particularly like you.

This call is going well.

But there is someone that I want to talk to.

So talk to them.

They don't want to talk to me.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

And I'm sure this man wants to talk to someone.

Or is it the friend of my enemy? Is my.

Enemy.

Mary, it's Christian.

The man's name is Murray.

And what's his connection?

He used to work for NASCAR.

And there's a lot of those people.

Then he quit to work for some tech.

No shit.

Then he quit Semtech and went into hiding.

No shit.

He lives in the Dakotas. I'll text you his number now that I know you have a working phone.

I'll call as soon as we hang up.

Let me ask you what's stranger? The fact that no one picks up at Semtech or the fact that they still have a working phone.

Ah, I'm sorry I got under your skin at the press conference. Just looking for answers.

Mr. Yancy, you didn't even remotely get under my skin. You gave me the opportunity to make a statement that Miss Bryant wouldn't approve of, and in a way that would make it seem unintentional. If anything, I should thank you.

Wait. What are you saying?

I'm saying there's a lot at stake. There's a lot of cards to be dealt. There are a lot of hands left to play. Call Murray.

Yes.

Right.

So Bill KURTIS, who we cannot have, hop on the mic today. But he is standing in the control booth and just gave you guys a standing ovation because this is his favorite covered audio set.

Thank you, Bill.

Hi. There were two fun stories because if we wanted to share this, one was that please say aluminum.

Energy. Aluminum. I can say the word.

But in the recording process, we got a little stuck on that.

Stuck on that word. I don't know what happened, but it was like aluminum, minimal and minimal.

The other thing was one of our last lines, which in the booth, in the queue actually said, Hey, can I switch the order of this? And we said, Yes, that's actually better than what's on the page. So the way that he just read it was the original script, but he changed it to.

So the original is. Let me ask you what's strange, stranger. The fact that no one picks up at Semtech or the fact that they still have a working phone line, and I believe that I changed it to what? Stranger? The fact that Semtech has a working phone line or the fact that no one picks up.

Yeah, I like that.

And we didn't argue. Mikheil flipped and he was like, Is that okay? That that seems better and really good. Yeah, that's fine.

That's good.

That's good. But like, that's the really fun part of recording with actors who come with opinions and make many better. Yeah, we all have to have opinions, so I don't know if you guys actually have an answer for this, but was that at all different for you reading with each other?

100%.

Yeah. It was different. Like, I don't know, it felt way more into me. I don't. There is something interesting about it. Yeah. Ah, of. I'm sorry I got under your skin at the press conference. Just looking for.

Some. Mr. Nancy, You didn't even remotely get under my skin. You gave me an opportunity to make a statement that Mr. Bryant wouldn't approve of, and in a way that would make it seem unintentional. If anything, I should thank you. Wait.

What are you saying?

I'm saying there's a lot at stake. There's a lot of cards to be dealt. There are a lot of hands left to play, Murray.

But I don't remember what it was like recorded before. That's must be different. Well.

Like one of the themes that's absolutely come up because we recorded this in the middle of a pandemic where everyone had to be isolated and had to be alone. Is that a lot of that actually did boil through into the performances of people at the time. So just because of that, have you ever been in a situation like that a part? You know, it could be the pandemic where you are trying to reach out to a friend or a family or some sort of support system, and you don't even know if you can access them.

If so, did you use that in this show in any way? Did you use any real life influences to get into your characters?

And the answer could just be, Yeah, it could be now, and.

It could be You're a fucking actor and you did your job.

I'm a fucking actor.

I mean, that seems like a process question for me, and that is not particularly.

One of my processes. What was your process for.

Imagining the circumstances of the situation? Do? Yeah, I mean, just going back to it, I think it's very different actually interacting with an actor in any sort of live situation. Yeah, because everyone has their own cadence to things, everyone has their own feel for it. And that's kind of the delicious, you know, process of being an actor is that you get to, you get to play. Yeah. With whatever people give you.

And also like the way that you would say something to me, it could totally change the way that I deliver back to you. Acting is reacting.

People just as, like.

I said, that comes, but it really is like as annoying as that saying it sometimes it really is true because just this conversation, I felt different things and I'm the same as you. I can just imagine the situation and I'm like, okay, who is Christian Yancy? Who am I? Is Christian Yancy in this situation?

Yeah, I think that part of what we do is we prepare as much as we can beforehand and then come in and then get thrown a set of different circumstances sometimes or get thrown in the same circumstances, and then we just deal with it. I mean, that's part of the preparation that that's the boring stuff.

That is not boring to me. I love.

I think it's.

All about preparation.

I think it's fun because also I don't really get stuff like Christian Yancy. He's he's way more interesting to me than a lot of the things that I would necessarily get. And I get to kind of be this guy with an attitude. I don't know. He's like abrasive. So for me, my process I guess, is just at home in my own mind, living in sort of who he is. And then I guess I forget about it, then come here and we talk and then it'll sort of bleed in.

So there it is.

A bit of the behind the scenes stories, the process of the actors and an in-person reading, and that's just part of the conversation. Check out the solar panel on our Apple Podcasts premium channel to hear more.

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