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Social Media and Behind the Scenes: AKA Everything Else Not "News and Media"


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(edited)

Tom Taylor of T3 Athletics talked a lot about training KC (among other things) - as usual, I only transcribed Arrow-related comments (btw, wasn't he dating KC at one point?)...

LET'S TALK! - EPISODE 43 - UNLOCKING TOM "THE TOOLMAN" TAYLOR'S TOOLBOX FOR PERSONAL TRAINING
Nick Cosgrove Forever Fit Performance    May 15, 2020

-- Nick Cosgrove (Forever Fit Performance): "You mentioned the film industry, and that's like one thing I've always found interesting with you is, you actually - and I know this - you have a lot of clients who are in the film industry, a lot of well-known actors. Now how did that come about? How did you make that first connection breaking into that industry?"
Tom Taylor:
"Um, that came about because, uh, one of Richie - Richie Yip, who owns In-Fighting, um, where I was training out of when that all happened - one of his good friends and training partners, James Bamford, who was the stunt choreographer for Arrow, um, who's now a director and he's moved on to bigger and better things and what not. But he was basically - I guess he saw how I was training people and he had one of his - one of this actors that needed to turn into a superhero. And so he needed her to look the part and be the part, move properly, know how to punch, kick, you know, just look like a superhero. So, um, Ritchie connected me with Bam and then Bam basically connects me with Katie Cassidy, and Katie was the first of many from that show. And then it just grew from there, because we did so well together. She worked her butt off and she really sort of took on that role, and her work ethic and her ability to sort of, you know, take it all in and really sort of focus on being a superhero and training like that. Um, everyone sort of saw that and they saw that success. And Bam's a hard guy to please. I mean, he's a stunt guy. Like, those guys are like, you know, 'not good enough, do this, do that,' and I would get those messages, too, right? He's like, 'she's dropping her hand,' or what have you. So, you know, he was very critical into, like, for - for good reason, because he knew that he had to make like - she had to look that part. And, um, yeah, so like she - her and I just really worked well together and she just sort of like sang my praises. He sang my praises in his own stunt guy way... And I knew I was doing a good job because he would keep sending me people I was kind of his go-to to, like, 'alright, you need to go train with Tom and learn how to do this, learn how to do that.' And he would give me protocols and stuff that certain actors on the show or characters on the show would need to learn. So, yeah, it was - uh, it was cool, man. You know, every season I would get sort of the new - the new pod of new people coming in. So, yeah, that's kind of how that sort of unfolded."

-- NC: "Did you ever get nervous training celebrities, though?"
TT:
"I was nervous - I mean, he didn't exactly - he didn't exactly sort of make me not nervous by, like, 'this is Katie Cassidy, David Cassidy's daughter,' you know, and I'm like, 'oh my God, this is so [unintelligible words],' right? Then you meet them and as you know - I mean, back to the whole rapport and trust thing, it's like, we're the - we're the leaders of that - of that, you know, of that session. And then we have to, you know, to be able to, you know, create that level of authority or that, like, being that person that they have to trust. Um, I was definitely nervous and, you know, like, I had to train Stephen Amell, who was the Arrow, the Green Arrow, you know, a couple seasons after that. And of course I was nervous, for sure, you know, but, I mean, it was also like they're there, their work ethic, these guys work hard. The one thing I know - like, what I've realized with actors is that they take instruction and direction well. That's what a director does, right? So if they trust you and if they - they know that they're there for a certain purpose to obviously make their character better, if they're professional, they're going to do what you're telling them to do. So it's a bit of a, like, 'hi, how's it going' kind of strange, and then all of a sudden it turns into, yeah, it's now we've got a connection. Now we are working together for a common goal. And so let's make sure that we don't piss Bam off... You know, like, that - that's it. So, you know, I mean, we - she had - she had like a boxing scene and - and I actually went to the - to - to set with her, because she was really nervous and she wanted my direction. So I'm like, you know, she's working the bag as she had to do on the - in the scene. And it was the first time - I've trained pro boxers and I've been in their corners, and it was like the closest thing I could have - I could sort of equate to that same feeling where 'it's on, perform, you got to go,' and then like, 'cut, okay.' Like, so those breaks, so it was really - it was cool and it was so appreciated by her, too, because I was in her corner, and I felt that. Like, that just elevated our relationship in the sense of, like, I was there for her and that meant a lot, too. So, you know, those little things obviously build up to bigger things and, you know, that's kind of how you sort of calm down when you think about getting nervous about, you know, who you're training or, you know, like someone building up, like, 'oh my God.'"

-- NC: "So you would say that most of the actors that you've worked with are highly coachable then?"
TT:
"Absolutely. For sure. For sure. The only time they become more uncoachable is when you become more famil - too familiar with them. Okay? So they're like, now you've got this relationship. And I know that you probably feel that too with like clients that, when they first come in, they're nervous, they're scared, adrenaline's pumping, they're saying, 'okay, I'm just going to do everything.' And then all of a sudden they get a feel for you, just as you get a feel for them, and then when that happens, that dance becomes a bit more of a negotiation sometimes, right? And that's when things need to sort of, like, that's when they sort of shift into another level of relationship where, you know, you're not like, 'well, really, do we need to 20?' Yeah. Right? And again, we do, because that's what's up for now. But if you can't sell that or you can't have them believe in that, but you would never get that question from someone who came in first hand or first, like, the first time or maybe even the first month that you trained. They would just, you know, listen to you and do what you - do what you - do what you told them to do. So that's like - that's kind of the dance where I feel is, um, is most interesting."

-- NC: "Where do you separate the friendship from the actual trainer versus client? Do you find that difficult to separate sometimes?"
TT:
"For sure. Absolutely. And I think it's, you know, sometimes it shifts into that - that level of, 'you know what, it's better that you're here than on the couch or at the bar.' So, you know what, if this is how it's gonna go, you know, um, then fine, but also, let's have a - like, let's reassess your goals. It's like, I've never been blamed for not having somebody reach their goals. And that's not saying that I have accomplished all their goals with them. It's just that it - there's something in them that knows that also, like, the responsibility lies on them still, too. And so, when it comes to that dance where you're sort of, you know, you're going back and forth with them about, um, you know, 'alright, listen, like, we're friends here, but we still have stuff to do.' ... I guess that's kind of where that sort of - that dance comes into play and, you know, I've had - I've had to sit down with a couple clients that weren't in that industry and go like, 'we're skating here, like we're not doing anything,' like, and 'are you happy about this?' And those are tough conversations because it's a [unintelligible word], right? And - and how you phrase that, how you sort of bring that up, is obviously very, very important - or very - that's very important and, um, you know, it might not be - not like you're calling them out like, 'you're not doing anything, blah, blah, blah.' But there's still that dance where you really need to know either what's gonna like light them up a little bit. And it's tough when you are friends with them or you have had this level of complacency, and part of it's, like, on us when we're complacent with them, too. So it's like a check for us as trainers to go like, hey, are you - why are you letting that happen? Because it's easy, you know, it's easy. They're not complaining about it. Whoa, cool. You're paying me, cool, whatever. But you're not a before and after story, and that's not cool, right? Like, what are we doing here? You're putting that kind of money, investing that kind of money into this, and your time and your effort? So let's have a chat. And it was, you know, I've got one of my clients that really sticks out when that happened and he just shifted and it was - it was cool, because it was - it was really neat to see that change. And it changed, it really did. But it's a hard dance to know when to do that."

Edited by tv echo
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(edited)

I just finished listening to this instagram chat live (I came in a little late) - it was just DP and Rapaport, and it was a lot of DP talking and answering questions - good chat if you're a DP fan, an actor or an aspiring actor, but nothing Arrow-related (Rapaport said that he will save this chat to his instagram)...

ETA: I wonder if SA got his dates wrong for Rapaport's guest appearance on his podcast.

Edited by tv echo
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So David Rapaport actually was SA's guest yesterday - it's a fascinating interview (as usual, I only transcribed some portions)...

How'd You Do It? Episode 14: David Rapaport
Stephen Amell    May 19, 2020

-- SA: "You and I met, I believe, for the first time when I was auditioning for 90210... And you brought me in when it was time to audition for Arrow. You cast me, um, you cast Grant Gustin, you cast Melissa Benoist, you cast Caity Lotz. You have worked your way, as a casting director, basically to the - I don't know how you get higher on a television level and more prolific than you are right now. So, the basic question: how'd you do it?"
Rapaport:
"That's a tough question, but I'll try. Um, you know, as I was saying before, they - no one really knows what casting directors are, what they do, or how they do it, because there are no TV shows about it, they don't teach it in school, and, you know, growing up, I always had an interest in - in actors. I always felt like I would kinda discover actors on the screen and kept, uh, kept a log of them in my mind. But I never quite knew what casting was until I got to college. I went to Emerson College in Boston, which is a very focused communications school. People there are like, I'm an actor, I'm going to be a director, I'm going to be a producer. And I was like, I don't know what the hell I'm going to be. Like, I know I want to be in entertainment, but I don't know in what capacity. And I saw an internship in casting, and all I knew about it was that you get to work with actors and, um, occasionally go on set. And I thought that just sounds really cool. And it was local casting in Boston. Um, I was lucky enough to work with this casting director named Kevin Fennessy. We did a bunch of open calls. This was mostly for extras and day players. And I learned a lot about sort of the structure of the business of casting from him. Um, it wasn't until I came out to L.A. in 2000, where I was doing my last semester of college and I was doing another internship there, um, in casting, because I didn't know what else to do, I had no focus, and I figured, well, I did casting before, I should do it again. Um, I got hooked up with this casting director named Mali Finn. I don't know if you were lucky enough to meet her. But, um, Mali was a former theater teacher who moved out to L.A. to intern in casting when she was 40. And in those 20 years, up until I met her in 2000, she became one of the most successful casting directors in L.A. She did Titanic and L.A. Confidential and 8 Mile and, uh, a bunch of Gus Van Sant's films. And, as a teacher, she became my mentor. And she taught me everything about the ins and outs of casting, both the business, the creative part of it, um, loving actors, helping directors find their vision, and really explained to me how integral a casting director is in the process of TV, film, theater. Um, we're one of the first people that are hired for a project and we're the first people that are off the project and very easy to [unintelligible word]. Um, so I - I was really trained by her. I stayed with her for about five or six years, and the trajectory for casting people is intern, assistant, associate and a casting director. And what Mali did so well was, she was great with searches. She found a lot of young kids. She found, um, the kid from The Client, the kid for Terminator 2. Um, and she taught me how to really, really dig for people. And I think that came in handy for me because I - I think what sort of put me on the map, so to speak, was my ability to do searches and the first pilot I did in 2007 was Gossip Girl. And I had never done a pilot on my own in my life. I really had no idea what I was doing. But I knew how to, like, dig, and I knew how to see a ton of people. And the skill that I then learned was how to really trust my instinct and find my voice in a room and speak up for people. So, when I saw you, Stephen, in 90210, um, you gave such a great performance, and it was kind of like this quiet, still, dark performance. And a year or two later, the producers of Arrow came to me and they said, 'We're doing this show called Arrow. We're looking for a guy that looks like a superhero. He has a lot of darkness behind his eyes. It's sort of like a Bruce Wayne character.' And I was like, 'Oh, I don't know if you guys know this guy, but there's this guy, Stephen Amell, I just put on Arr - put on 90210.' And I brought your picture in, with a lot of other, like, really well-known guys, but I was like, 'I mean, this guy's pretty new to me, but like, he's exactly what you said he was.' I mean, they fell off their seats looking at this picture of you. And I think I showed them a demo of you from 90210. They're like, 'That's him. That's the character.' And I was like, oh, okay, maybe - maybe I know what I'm doing here, you know? And that was obviously such a success and you were such a hit that, um, when The Flash came along, they said, 'Okay, now we're going to cast Flash.' And I was like, 'Awesome. Who's the Flash?' I gotta know whar that means... They explained, 'This guy does not look like a superhero. He's a little bit more nerdy, affable, goofy. He's an everyday guy.' And I was like, 'Oh, you know who else I cast in 90210? Is this guy Grant Gustin.' ... By seeing so many people and finding my voice and trusting my instinct, um, I have been able to build a career. Um, and obviously with Greg Berlanti, who's been feeding me these projects, he's been building this empire and I'm just happy to be a part of it. So, that's - that's how I got to where I am right now."
SA: "You know, the ironic thing is, when you were having that meeting, I was - I was locked into Hung... HBO cancelled a bunch of their shows. If they don't cancel that, right before Christmas - assholes - in 2011, then I'm not - I'm not available."

-- SA: "Have you ever fought for someone really hard and not gotten your way?"
Rapaport:
"Oh yeah. All the time... Casting is not my final decision. It's a - it's a huge process. Um, there are so many people involved, whether it's, you know, uh, it's a group of producers, the showrunner, they all have to decide on one person... There's a group of people at the studio that sign off. And then a group of people at the network that sign off. And then you have to negotiate a deal. And sometimes the actor you want doesn't want to do it or you can't afford them or they're not available. Um, it's - it's really, really tough and you're doing as many shows as I'm doing - you know, I'm somewhere between 7 and 10 shows, depending on what's going on at the time. Um, you know, it moves very quickly and you don't always get who you want. Um, and - and what's frustrating for me, too, because I love - I love actors and I love trained actors, but sometimes the best actor for the role does not get the role either, and that's really frustrating."

-- SA: "So when you're on your shows... are you casting everything, from the little lines, five lines, guest stars, series regulars, or are you focusing more on the big picture and, uh, like the big roles?"
Rapaport:
"When there's a show that's in L.A., I'm casting every single thing. I'm - I'm not personally in the pre-reads for the one-line roles. I will be in the pre-reads for like the series regulars and major guest stars... Not the extras, but anything - anyone that speaks. Um, for Vancouver shows, we - we cast all the series regulars, we cast most of the major, recurring guest stars, or even like one-up episodic guest stars. But because of the unions and such, we - we have to look, um, in Canada for every single role, whether we cast it out of L.A. or not, ultimately every role has to be [unintelligible word] in Canada. We don't hire any day players out of L.A. for our Vancouver-based shows. ...  I'm able to oversee kind of Vancouver casting and Atlanta casting, and weigh in and say, 'I like this person better than that person.' But we've hired some amazing casting directors in Canada and in Atlanta, and I don't want to step on their toes. I'm going to let them do their thing, unless they need my insight."

-- Some talk about crazy casting stories (like actors miming fight actions or kissing someone during their auditions). SA mentioned Manu Bennett's story about choking out a guy during his audition. (Rapaport seemed to confirm that this actually happened.) SA also mentioned his audition for Hung when he had to simulate sex on a board table.

-- SA: "Alright, listen, man, I think it goes without saying that, uh, that, uh, through the process of you casting me on Arrow, you, um - you fundamentally changed my life and I will be forever grateful. And, uh, it has been very, very exciting and exceptional to learn a little bit more about, uh, your profession today. And I'm glad you're good."
Rapaport:
"And back at you. Like, your success on Arrow was my success on Arrow and really, you know, helped build out this entire world. So my pool man thanks you, I thank you. (Laughs) ... Thanks a lot."

Edited by tv echo
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(edited)

KM has joined this line-up of Arrow actors (see updated schedule below)...

Creation Entertainment Presents: Virtual Fan Experiences, May 23-24 and May 27-28, 2020 (Zoom)
David Ramsey, Katherine McNamara, Juliana Harkavy, Paul Blackthorne, Colin Donnell and Michael Rowe
https://www.creationent.com/vfe/index.html 
https://www.stageit.com/creationent
-Sat. (5/23) at 10:00am PDT - Q&A Fun with Paul Blackthorne from "Arrow"
-Sat. (5/23) at 11:30am PDT - Meet and Greet with Paul Blackthorne [SOLD OUT]
-Sat. (5/23) at 12:30pm PDT - Q&A Fun with Juliana Harkavy from "Arrow"
-Sat. (5/23) at 1:45pm PDT - Meet and Greet with Juliana Harkavy [SOLD OUT]
-Sat. (5/23) at 3:00pm PDT - Q&A Fun with David Ramsey from "Arrow"
-Sat. (5/23) at 4:15pm PDT - Meet and Greet with David Ramsey [SOLD OUT]
-Sun. (5/24) at 10:00 am PDT - Q&A Fun with Michael Rowe from "Arrow"
-Sun. (5/24) at 2:00pm PDT - Q&A Fun with Colin Donnell from "Arrow"
-Sun. (5/24) at 3:30pm PDT - Meet and Greet with Colin Donnell [SOLD OUT]
-Sun. (5/24) at 4:30pm PDT - Q&A Fun with Katherine McNamara from "Arrow" and "Shadowhunters"
-Wed. (5/27) at 2:45pm PDT - Meet and Greet with Michael Rowe
-Thu. (5/28) at 2:00pm PDT - Meet and Greet with Katherine McNamara

It sounds like DR is ready to spill...

Edited by tv echo
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This auction ends in about 5 days (starting bid was $7,500, current bid is $15,000)...

Quote

Your '15 Seconds of Fame' will taste and last a lot longer with Stephen Amell and Nocking Point! You and a guest will meet the ''Arrow'' actor and winery co-founder at Nocking Point's headquarters in Walla Walla, Washington, where you'll enjoy a private tour of wine country! You and your guest will host a dinner and wine launch party with Stephen and the Nocking Point team, complete with hundreds of guests. Get ready to be hands-on in the wine-making process, because you and your guest will be involved with choosing the Wine of the Month! That includes selecting the blend, naming the wine, choosing the art for the label, and having your name on the bottle for a one-of-a-kind wine that will be enjoyed by millions of people. ...

(Stephen Amell)

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The release of Crisis on Infinite Earths: Paragons Rising - Deluxe Edition (hardcover) on Amazon.com has been delayed to July 7, 2020. This hardcover book is a collection of the two tie-in comics titled COIE Giant #1 and COIE Giant #2 (previously released as individual comics in December and January), which featured a key Felicity story.

Also, here's a reminder that The Flash: Supergirl's Sacrifice (hardcover) will be released on Amazon.com on May 26, 2020. This is the second book in this AU trilogy. The first book was The Flash: Green Arrow's Perfect Shot. These first two books include Team Arrow characters (Oliver, Felicity, etc.). The third book will be The Flash: The Legends of Forever, which is currently scheduled for release on Amazon.com on March 23, 2021.

Edited by tv echo
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28 minutes ago, tv echo said:

This auction ends in about 5 days (starting bid was $7,500, current bid is $15,000)...

It would've been better to do this on Omaze or something so that everyone has a shot at it and they could raise more money. It's a real boneheaded idea to launch something that at the start is already out of reach for most people, especially now. It's kind of amazing that something can be charitable AND tone deaf at the same time, lol.

Also, isn't @15sof the org he did the sloppy live with? 

Also also, 

Quote

That includes selecting the blend, naming the wine, choosing the art for the label, and having your name on the bottle for a one-of-a-kind wine that will be enjoyed by millions of people. ...

can this possibly be true? 

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(edited)

This was retweeted by Paul Amos (co-founder of HomeCon), so I'm assuming it's correct - I'll guess we'll have to wait and see if this one includes any Arrowverse actors...

Edited by tv echo
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(TV Guide video is dated Apr. 20, 2020)

Noteworthy comments:

-- SA: "Oliver doesn't die."

-- KC: "I mean, I hope I don't get killed off again."
-- KC: "And I'm sorry, I didn't watch when I was dead."
-- KC: "That would suck, so don't kill me off again."

-- EBR: "Two heads are better than one. Four heads are better than two."

-- DR: "Diggle's okay. Actually, Diggle's not okay... That should be a t-shirt, right? Diggle's not okay."

-- DR: "The pilot. Oh, that was - that was 20 years ago."

-- SA: "I think that betrayal is something that Oliver unfortunately has become used to."

-- SA: "If it were a comedy, Oliver would just faint."

-- DR: "That was a major spoiler. No, it wasn't."

-- DR: "I'm a sweet guy. I'm a sweetheart, is what I am."

-- SA: "In the immortal words of Chris Cooper from The Town, 'this side or the other.'"

-- SA: "I am seeing someone again for the first time in a long time, but at the same time I'm - then I have to say goodbye to them again."

-- DR: "He got an outfit. It's all leather. Now it's leather and green and hot. ... I look really good in leather."

-- DR: "You know, Stephen and I always say, thank God she came, because it was just two guys brooding in the basement for several episodes before she showed up."

-- SA: "I'm going home with the suit. ... Let's be clear, I'm definitely going home with the suit. ... My plan is just to wear it on the last day, and then just not take it off. ... What are they gonna - what are they gonna do? Fire me?"

-- DR: "When I first met Stephen, he was like, alright, David, this is dramatic actors, I got to be on my best behavior, and he doesn't like to laugh a lot on set. ... So we're at the Queen Mansion and, um, he's sitting in a chair very much like this. I'm behind him. ... And I come up to him and I whisper in his ear and I say, 'Mr. Queen, your car is ready.' And he says, 'okay, I gotta go now.' ... So I waited, because I [unintelligible words] show this guy that I'm not a serious actor. ... So the camera's on him for his close-up, Stephen Amell's closeup. So it's right here, it's right there, you know, it's right there. It's got the nice little button on his face. ... And I come into frame, right at his ear, and we've been doing - we've been dong this, uh, for the past several takes, and I say, 'Mr. Queen, your car's ready, let's go.' ... So in this particular take, I come up to his ear and I say, 'Mr. Queen, I have the hairiest balls you've ever seen before in your life.' ... He's just right there on camera and he turns beet red. And he goes, 'thank you.'"

-- RG: "First day was like going to my first day of school. ... You know, you're surrounded by new students. You don't know them, but they all know each other. ... And then slowly you kind of start making friends, right? Like, someone will say, 'you need some water?' ... And then all of a sudden, like, by the end of the day, we're all best friends."

-- KC: "Who the hell is Ragman?"

-- DR: "Remember that song on Sesame Street that went like, 'One of These Things Don't Fit Together'? I used to sing that a lot on set."

-- DR: "What I remember most about the pilot, honestly, is Stephen's abs."

-- JH: "Harrison Wells? ... I still don't know who that is."

-- EBR: "At least they're all green."

-- WH: "It was really creepy and weird. I like that."

-- SA: "It might mean I'm making a mistake leaving. No, that's not it."

-- JH: "You literally put glue on your face and then they scrunch it."

-- DR: "This is the truth. When you're on the Arrow set, the lighting is different. It's dark. It's dank. It's very serious. It's very high drama. ... When I tell you that we're separated by a wall from Flash and the Grant Gustin buddies over there, it's literally a wall. ... And when you go over there, you would think that birds were singing. ... The lights are bright. Everyone's dancing. Everyone's having fun. They're drinking sodas and everyone's happy. ... I hate them."

-- SA: "I did eight seasons on Arrow. So despite the fact that Supernatural did 15, um, there's two - there's Jared and Jensen. ... So when you divide that by two, they only did seven-and-a-half. ... Anyway, hope their last season's decent."

-- KC: "You rewatch the pilot. I have food in my teeth in the party scene. And so what I can also tell you is that bumps me any time I see that."

-- EBR: "Stephen's like Rain Man when it comes to stuff like this."

-- SA: "I hope you enjoy the ending of the series. I don't know if you will."

-- SA: "I like endings. People get mad about endings. I - I like endings. So we'll see."

Edited by tv echo
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6 minutes ago, tv echo said:

-- DR: "This is the truth. When you're on the Arrow set, the lighting is different. It's dark. It's dank. It's very serious. It's very high drama. ... When I tell you that we're separated by a wall from Flash and the Grant Gustin buddies over there, it's literally a wall. ... And when you go over there, you would think that birds were singing. ... The lights are bright. Everyone's dancing. Everyone's having fun. They're drinking sodas and everyone's happy. ... I hate them."

I love David Ramsey 

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(edited)

KM was the guest yesterday (May 21) - as usual, I only transcribed selected portions of this podcast...

(Stephen Amell)

-- SA: "It looks to me that you started - you started in show business basically when you were 13 on - on Broadway, which in and of itself would be spectacular at any age. Um, but since then you're got a lot into damp - Jesus! I'm sorry, I just had a stroke apparently, thinking about - thinking about HR violation [unintelligible words] Warner Brothers. But you've really - you've really gotten into dance. Um, you're an ambassador for Girl Up, the United Nations girl empowerment organization, um, a spokesperson for STOMP Out - STOMP Out Bullying, um, an avid supporter of the MS Society, a member of the Lollipop Theater Network, a lifetime Girl Scout, and a volunteer at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. You also support St. Jude's Children's Hospital, the Big Slick benefiting Kansas City's Children's Hospital, which I've seen pictures of you at, and Michelle Obama's Global Girls Alliance, an organization that helps young women around the world achieve their potential. So, aside from your charitable and philanthropic endeavors, you've also, um, you know, gotten to the top of an industry - a television industry that is incredibly competitive. Um, you've done so with poise at a very, very young age. My question to you is: How'd you do it?"
KM:
"Well, I don't know if I'm at the top of anything at this point!"
SA: "No. But no - but by definition, you are - or at least you were. Right? For a very short period of time. Right? We don't know now, but the point is, you've graduated to the 99.9 percentile of it all."
KM: "Well, you're very kind. Thank you. I appreciate that. I mean, the way I kind of view what I've graduated from is getting my bachelor's degree. But, um - but for me, I'm just happy to have been working. And my - my life and my career is kind of - has always been a series of taking opportunities that happened to come by way and taking a chance and seeing where they lead - just sort of blooming where I'm planted. Um, and I just feel like I've been really lucky and surrounded by some incredible people."

-- SA: "How many seasons did you guys do on Shadowhunters?"
KM:
"We did three seasons and a sort of TV movie, two-episode series finale, sort of thing. So they were 20-episode seasons, they were like Arrow seasons. So they were, uh - we did 55 episodes in total."
SA: "Okay. Wow. ... Drew, ... have you encountered the Shadowhunters fanbase at all?"
Drew: "I have not. No. But I can imagine."
SA: "Whoo! Holy smokes... Honestly, some of the most passionate fans that I have - that I have ever, ever, ever come across. They remind me - remind me actually a lot of the Arrow fanbase, specifically, you know, once things - in the beginning, um, you know, 'cause we became a little bit more niche as we went along. But, man, in the early going, it's just some - it's some crazy - and awesome crazy. Nothing - nothing bad about crazy. Just some awesome stuff. Um, did you film all 55 episodes in Toronto?"
KM: "We did. Yeah. And that was sort of a - it gave us a separation, at least during the first season, from the fandom, because we were in this tiny little bubble. We weren't posting any photos really, we weren't releasing anything. They kept it all under wraps. So the first - other than, you know, Twitter. For example, when I was - right when I was cast, like, 'Who is Clary?' was trending on Twitter. And there were all these things. And this fandom, from the book series to the film to our series, has been so fierce and so awesome. And I give them all the credit in the world because they have taken their community beyond the show, beyond the characters, and created this space in which people who feel as though they don't have kindred spirits or they don't have a space where they can be themselves, this is their space and this is their community to just let their flag fly, whatever it is. And it's so beautiful... That's why I do so much to support it. Because they're just incredible human beings and so supportive of each other as well as the show. But our first real exposure to that was New York Comic Con right after we were done shooting. I mean, literally I wrapped and then got on an airplane and was at New York Comic Con suddenly."
SA: "And obviously they unveiled footage there."
KM: "Our first seven minutes of footage of the pilot episode aired - or was sort of shown to the panel room right before we walked on stage. And that was the first time we had seen it. So we sort of saw it from behind the screen for the first time, as we were hearing the reactions of the crowd. And that - I was shaking, because I had never experienced anything where people knew the characters and knew the story that well and were so excited at something they had never seen. And then suddenly they kind of pushed us out on stage and asked us a bunch of questions. We're all just sort of trying to take in as much as we can."
SA: "Yeah... That was a little bit different. We were pretty - I mean, they were releasing stuff about Arrow from my casting to - to rounding out the rest of the series regulars to the first look at my suit to, uh, a trailer at Upfronts that May, and then they showed the entire first episode at San Diego Comic-Con that - that June. Difference being - July - difference being that people knew of the Green Arrow, but they knew of him from a different series. And of course there are fans of - of the comic book for DC, but they don't know me and they don't know what we were gonna do. So the general gist of it - the general gist of it was - not to be crass, was: don't f**k it up."
KM: "No, I know exactly what you mean... because we had fans of the book series and fans of the film, and they were so open and willing to come with us on the journey of the series, knowing that it was going to be sort of a new incarnation, and we were aging up the characters. We were making just enough changes to make it fresh. But that's something - I was cast officially 10 minutes before they announced me on - to the world. So I had 10 minutes of probably, 'this is trending on twitter right now... the whole world - this whole fandom is about to find out that I am this character, I hope they like me, I hope they approve,' you know? And - and thankfully they did. I was given the warmest welcome and from that moment onward the entire fandom has kinda been with us, and it's been beautiful."
(Some talk about filming Season 2 of Shadowhunters. SA compared the first season of a TV show to going through puberty, like the huge growth spurt. More talk about the Shadowhunters fandom and why that show ended.)

-- SA: "So tell me about your introduction to the Arrowverse. How did that - how did that come about?"
KM:
"So we had just found out that Shadowhunters was cancelled and I was getting back to auditioning, which I'm one of the weird actors that actually loves auditioning. It keeps me on my toes."
SA: "Really?"
KM: "Yeah, it's a chance to sort of dip your toe into a character and kind of force yourself to make something out of nothing. Um, and it's kind of like a fun exercise. I don't know, I'm a weirdo like that."
SA: "No... you're not a weirdo. We had David Rapaport on the other day and he told us stories about someone pulling a gun on him in the room as like part of their character, somebody French kissing him. Everyone's audition process and how they feel about it is different...You enjoy it just because it keeps you on your toes?"
KM: "Yeah, I do, because, you know, when I first started acting, one of my first, um, sort of mentors in the industry told me, an actor's job is to audition, and you go in that room and for 10 minutes that's your performance and that's your job. And if you end up getting a job from that, that's great, and that's sort of special and that's something different. But you go in for that 10 minutes and you do what you love to do, for that audience, in that moment. And you leave it behind when you walk out the door. And that's sort of how I've always looked at it. And so it's been a sort of very healthy relationship with auditioning, as it were. But Arrow, I think, was within my first five auditions after finding this out. So I was just getting back in the groove and, in fact, one of my other auditions was also for David Rapaport, and I ended up wearing a wig to the audition because [unintelligible words] in David's office. But, um, I remember, I was coming back from a comic con in Australia and I was sick. I had lost my voice. I was - it was horrible. And I go in for this audition and I go, well, let's see what happens here, because it's either gonna work or it's not, and I didn't even know it was for your kid, also. I was auditioning for a character that I thought was a rookie cop, which is completely the opposite of Mia. And she's not at all, you know, where she was - or who she was. But, um, it was only one audition and it was David and Beth and Emilio in the room. And that's it. And there you go."

-- SA: When you go in and you audition to that end, are you - are you going in there with what you think is a - a rough presentation of what you're gonna bring to set? Or are you going in there to work with the casting director and try to find it in the room?"
KM:
"I do - as with anything, as with any preparation I do, I feel like so much of it comes from whoever you're working with, in what we do, and you can't be 100 percent set in stone, in what you're gonna do. You have to be open to the environment and to the other actors or whatever the director's gonna throw at you. So I sort of do the same thing in my auditions. I have - I try to have a very clear picture of who I think this person is and where I think they're coming from and what the arc of each scene is, but then I love to play. That's why I love auditions and love auditioning in the room, because if somebody throws something at you out of left field, you can discover something completely different than anything you possibly imagined that could be super magical."
SA: "The only thing that you can't do is not be nimble on your feet."
KM: "Right."
SA: "If you get some direction and you don't take it, then, as a casting director, I'd be like, 'next.'"
KM: "Right. And you can't be afraid to make a fool of yourself if you try something and it doesn't work."

--  Fan Q: "When you have a scene in a TV show or in a movie that requires you to be typing on a keyboard, are you typing out actual words or just hitting random keys?"
KM
: "So I only had to do this once on Arrow. Um, and I - I felt such a level of responsibility, given Emily's legacy of typing on computers and doing dialogue for season upon season upon season. Um, I was typing random things. I should have been typing something actual, but I didn't even know where to begin. I am not the most tech-savvy human. What about you?"
SA: "Well, the answer actually - there's no correct answer, because it actually depends on the camera angle. The famous shot that you would see of Felicity and the most typical shot where they - they would light up the screen, but the camera would be behind here, like my camera is right now. So you've got her here like this, except you can't see her fingers. So she's not actually typing anything, because the Sound Department will come up to you and they don't want to hear the sound of keys being - being hit. So you're - so your fingers are just actually up there, but you're not typing anything, which makes you feel really weird. If they are seeing my fingers but it's kind of rushing by, I actually always make an attempt to type an actual sentence, straight up, just because I don't want someone pausing it. Because I was stung in Season 2 when - I've never used anything but an iPhone, since this was the type of phone that you use - and I yanked out a Samsung or whatever - whatever it was, and I held that f**ker upside down, and it made it on TV."
KM: "I'll do you one better. I had a thing on Shadowhunters where I was given a phone for a phone call. And you know how sometimes they'll set up the things where you touch it and it looks as though you're swiping and it does everything it's supposed to do? Well, I had missed the swipe and it was a fast-paced scene, so I was holding it up to my ear on the phone, and it still looked as though the call was coming in. And they caught the phone screen on camera. And so that entire scene, I hadn't actually answered the phone call. And there were so many tweets about it. I swiped, I did. It just didn't respond to my finger, because I'm not technically good at that stuff."

-- SA: "I've been noticing you've been doing a lot of things on your social media channels. Anything that people should be checking out?"
KM:
"Um, just - I'm trying to think - uh, I'm doing a virtual convention this weekend, so that should be fun, um, with some of the other Arrow folks. Um, but other than that, I'm just, uh, trying - trying to keep in touch with people. The Stand is starting to release - I did a mini-series for - based on Stephen King's The Stand. And they're starting to release - Vanity Fair just released a few images. And they're starting to start that train, 'cause I think it actually's going to be able to be released. So, uh, hopefully we'll see more from that soon."

-- SA: "Cool. Any, um - any contact with The CW at all?"
KM:
"Uh, I've heard a whole lot of nothing and a whole lot of question mark, stay tuned. So who knows?"

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Finally - Fan Expo Dallas has been rescheduled to May 14-16, 2021. It was originally scheduled for June 19-21, 2020. The confirmed guest list originally included KM, CL and BR (with SA, BL and DC as pending guests), but guests are now obviously TBA.
https://www.fanexpodallas.com/en/home.html

Quote

When we made the decision to postpone FAN EXPO Dallas two months ago, we were optimistic we’d be able to gather in a few weeks from now. Based on the developments globally and in Dallas that COVID-19 continues to present, we’ve made the decision to cancel FAN EXPO Dallas 2020 — it will return May 14 - 16, 2021.

 

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This topic is for social media links and discussion about Arrow or by and about its company. It is not an excuse for the latest round of Show Vs Show. Posts have been removed and we will hand out warnings for further off-topic posts or discussions.

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Only transcribed selected portions...

The Compass Podcast - Episode 158: Charlie Barnett
May 22, 2020
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-compass-with-leah-walsh/e/69840552  
https://broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/the-compass/episode-158-charlie-barnett/ 

-- Leah Walsh (The Compass Podcast): "What do you do to keep from going to the dark side as an artist?"
Charlie Barnett:
"Ooh, that's a hard one. Um, it's a - it's a tightrope walk for me... At risk of sounding masochistic, I do enjoy as an artist going - exploring the dark side, I'll say. I think you have to be comfortable with it. If you're not, why are you doing this, you know? ... 'Comfortable' may be a strong word, but you have to at least be brave enough to go to those places. And so, for me, I've - I've realized, you know, unwillingly a lot of the time, in getting to those places in a natural spot in my life or as an artist, you know, in school and sh*t like that or just the strife of everything going around you, utilizing it and seeing how it can kind of like relay in your performance, um, I've started to, you know, at 32, appreciate the dark side of myself and my mind, and it's changed my relationship with them. But, I will say, in order to protect myself, because you always need, you know - there's the dark side of, like, I'm playing a suicidal alcoholic, but he's beautiful, you know? But then there's the dark side of, like, I just walked into five auditions and these people didn't give me the time of day, and they gave me nine extra pages to read in the room, and I hate myself and hate everything that I do, and I'm not creative and talented. That kind of dark side is extremely dangerous."
LW: "What does that mean to you when I say that? Those are two good categories."
CB: "It's terrifying, um, but I also know that it kinda comes with the territory. Um, the way that I get through it is creating conversations with myself. And it's a lot of f**kin' work, it's time, it's like that - that muscle has not been worked to its fullest for me, I know. ... I'm not great at it right now, but it's getting better and better, and it's getting quicker and quicker. And it's becoming easier and easier for me to be like, oh, that's one of those moments, getting dark on myself. 'Cause the key is, as much as those people are assholes or treated you like sh*t in that room that you walked into or, you know, you felt like you didn't do as well as you could do, the majority of the time it's all in your own head. Whether or not it's true or not, cool. ... You're the one who's punishing yourself the majority of the time. Not to say it's not incredibly difficult to stop that, but that's what I notice in myself. If I could change that conversation in my head, I can change the darkness. ... You can't take it personally. And what I've learned, when you learn how to not take it personally, it protects you. 'Cause, who cares either way? I'm good enough that I will continue to work, get better. I will apply what I feel I was lacking in that audition to my next one, to be better."

-- LW: "Over the course of your career, how has your relationship to auditioning changed?"
CB:
"A lot. Um, you know, auditioning's a muscle, right? ... That's so funny to say, but it is really true. It's a muscle. I have a lovely relationship with it, 'cause it is - it's a workout for me. It's just like going to a gym... You see that it's so necessary. Uh, God, this is such a layered one for me! It's like the fear aspect - I really like because it shakes me up, makes me f**kin' humble. You know, you walk into a room and you feel like you have some power or clout. And you walk into a room and look at the people around and feel that kind of judgment. I don't want to say you feel turned down on yourself, because it's not the same as, like, beating yourself up. But you feel a sense of humbleness when you're like, oh, these people are probably just as talented as me and do just as much. And that reminds me that I need to keep f**kin' working. You know? I need to keep applying all my best that I can to get better and better. So I really love auditioning for that. I just think it keeps me moving. Um, but there is a sense of - and maybe I'm being really selfish in this, but I will admit this right now to actors, to us artists. You get to a place where you're like, oh my God, I'm in my career and I've been doing this for awhile. I watch, like, you know, so many of our friends get offers left and right. They don't have to audition any more. And I'm like, wh - when do you get to that point? And, God knows, it's lovely - it would be a lovely time to be able to just get a call and be like, we love what you do, you don't need to work for us, we want you to have it. But I - I'm not there. ... It's like, I'm terrified of that moment coming, because I feel like it's a part of the start of a downfall that makes you really lazy as an actor. It makes you stop, like, needing to work so hard, you know? 'Cause you're like, f**k, what do I need to work so hard? I got the call. Um, but there's another side of me that, just talking about auditioning, I feel like I'm just pushing into a point of being like, I'm just waiting for them to not - not audition me anymore, just be calling me."

-- Some talk about CB's Juilliard School experience.
CB:
"You know, my experience at Juilliard was not awesome. That being said, I still respect and love it, and cherish it, but it was not awesome. Um, and there was a lot of mental strife for me. Um, and because of that, I did not believe in myself upon exiting. Um, I think by Showcase, I had started, like - I hate to admit this, because it's so shallow in a certain way, and I'm going to turn back to my mom, because my mom's the one who convinced me that this was okay to do, and I guess she kinda changed the frame of it in my mind. But I really, like, started powering down, like, f**k it, I'm just going to work out. I'm going to try to get as fit as I can, for at least like Showcases. So even if my acting doesn't, like, support my talent, which is so sh*tty - I was like, f**k it, like, I see people walk out of here with agents just because they're pretty. So let me try - let me try. And every check, let me check it out of my book. ... Your body is your violin as an actor, and you have to take care of it. You have to make sure that it is in pristine shape. It doesn't mean you have to be the f**kin' Rock. It doesn't mean you have to be a size 0... That means whatever it means for you to be healthy. And it took me a couple - you know, even through that last year of being like, is this all about image or is it about like me being healthy? It took a lot of balance between that. I've come to a place where I'm like, f** abs, I need to work out because it makes me feel mentally able and capable to fight my next day. Um, so I'm really happy with it now. But I had turned into a place, at the end of the year, of being like, I don't know what I'm going to do, but I have to make something work."
LW: "And that was you dealing with that - I mean, knowing you as an actor, dealing with that dark side, telling yourself one thing that wasn't true."
CB: "Yeah, yeah."
LW: "You were prepared, but I'm sure you felt like you weren't."
CB: "No, no. And all throughout my life, that little voice that we're talking about, that dark voice... and I think about it now. It is my push, too, you know. so it is that respect... So I hate it, but it keeps me remembering, like, I have to work at all angles. You know? As soon as I was like, oh, so now you're getting fit, you must be a sh*t actor, so go read some f**kin' Chekhov and dissect it. ... Trying to push that voice down and hide it? It never f**kin' works. You end up way worse. If you can learn how to almost like find the balance of listening, accepting, and moving past it, by letting it get out, and getting ahead of it. It's a - it's a weird balance of respect and also like, I control you, thank you for reminding me, but that's not what I need right now. Then its so... valuable, you know what I mean? ... For me, it's why I am able to tap into my emotions... I would never want to lose it, but I need to learn how to control it."

-- LW: "Has your experience working on jobs since you became sober, like, has it changed a lot? Like, have you had to reach for different tools?"
CB:
"Let me clear, um, I - I don't like this term, but a lot of people have coined it, um, I'm California sober... I stopped drinking, yeah. I - I feel like it's important, 'cause... to the community of people that are sober, I understand that's very important... I am not entirely sober, um, and I respect, you know, the people that are... I don't know, just for me, it's like - it needs to be clarified... I didn't go through a lot of the program. I didn't go through AA. I had gone to a lot of meetings. I took a lot of the tools from it. And I utilized almost everything from the meetings, but didn't go to the meetings.... But yes, of course, yeah, it changed a lot. Um, some for the better, some not. You know, as soon as I stopped drinking, I thought - and I don't know if you had this experience, but I was like, oh my God, everything's going to fall into place, all my problems are going to like figure themselves out... I'm going to be like the best ever. Um, and that did not happen at all. Um, I still have to work very hard at solving many other things. The cool thing is, I'm a lot more capable at solving them, because I don't have this crutch or this kind of scapegoat. I will say, too, I cherish and really respect drinking. I see it as a tool for people. I misused that tool. I abused it. And I know there are a lot of people that do. But I have nothing and no problem with people drinking. I think it should be used as - you know, use it how you can and when you can, in the safest way possible for you. Myself? Can't do that. ... So, yes, uh, in one aspect, nothing changed... to a certain extent, except for things within myself, which are so much more important in the long run. Um, on a work scope, I can't deny - you know, I stopped drinking and suddenly, like, all these jobs came. You know? None of them were offers, again. But like - I finished Russian [Doll] and I - I have to say, too, so many people on that set, such as the crew, the creative staff, were sober - entirely sober, not California sober. Um, a lot of them had done the program. And I had started so many conversations with them about it and that's what really initiated me into it. But I was still really terrified. Um, I had one really terrible experience... I was drunk and got lost in the middle of Williamsburg... and fell asleep on the f**kin' street. And woke up to a lovely, lovely Jehovah's Witness woman, who told me that I needed Jesus. As much as I love, love that thought, and appreciate her care and compassion, I took the note. I realized I - I do need Jesus, but I don't know if I'm going to turn to the church, not maybe Jehovah's Witness church. Respect. But no, not for me. Um, and so I decided it was time. It was time I needed to do this... or I was going to lose everything. And I'm so glad that I did, because then I got Tales [of the City] after that, um, and I got Arrow, and I got that - uh, Jamie Babbit called me to do a movie with Drew Barrymore. That was actually - that was an offer, but only an offer because they lost, I think, the actor that was doing it, so it was kind of like a favor [unintelligible word]... She was like, we lost somebody and we need someone, can you do this? And I was like, yeah, what, yeah... I think about it sometimes and I'm like, there isn't maybe a correlation but - ... I do believe that stopping drinking has allowed me to utilize my emotional craft better and understand it clearer."

-- LW: "How long after graduation did you get Chicago Fire?"
CB:
"Two years."

-- CB: "I don't want to be a hypocrite and say that I haven't been an asshole, because I probably have. But majority of the time, the only people I'm f**kin' assholes to are actors being assholes to f**kin' crew members. It enrages me. Because it's like, you know what power you have. Like, why would you misuse that right now? Like, go yell at a producer. Fine, cool, I don't give a sh*t. Make sure you don't get your ass fired. But like, don't yell at your costumer. What the hell is that?"

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Yesterday (May 23) KM had an instagram live chat with Drew & Linda Scott (one of HGTV's Property Brothers and his wife)...

You can also watch this podcast episode here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4teVP67EFtk 

-- Drew Scott: "So you have all the superhero action that you do, and you have Arrow, uh, Batwoman? ... (KM interjected, "On the crossover, I was on a bunch of episodes on a bunch of the different shows") ... Where did that come from, getting to play like superhero type character and also kicking butt in Shadowhunters?"
KM:
"So that was sort of an accident that I just fell into this sort of ass-kicking genre for the last several years. Uh, but it was - it was certainly an advantage coming from Shadowhunters to Arrow, 'cause our stunt coordinators on Shadowhunters trained me like three to five times a week, taught me everything I know. And then when I was cast in Arrow, I found out that not only was my daughter of the Green Arrow but also a street fighter. So I ended up carrying those new skills over into the new show, which was great. But there are some very special moments in this crazy world of entertainment that we all work in where you just kind of have to pinch yourself. And one of those was the crossover for the - the Arrow world, because when you have Superman and the Flash and the Green Arrow and Batwoman and Supergirl all on set, you're in your own super suit, you go, this - this is cool."
DS: "That's amazing, yeah... As a young kid, so when I was growing up, I did martial arts, I did karate, but I never got to do - as a young actor, I never got to do any fighting or martial arts. And my dream was always to be a superhero. Uh and then when I was a young adult, I was on Smallville. I - I was actually a body double for Tom Welling for Superman. And then, um, I just had some - some bit parts up, and I remember being around there, and then you saw like Justin Hartley from This Is Us. He was Arrow, I think, right? ... Yeah. And so I remember chatting with him back in the day and then seeing all they would bring in all the crossovers, other big characters, I remember thinking like, this is like - this is the best thing ever, to be a part of something like that. And to learn to kick butt."
KM: "Yeah, exactly. But what really happens is you have enough of us, you know, that started in theater and have been doing this forever, and so in between takes, they'll call 'cut' and Melissa, Grant and I are [unintelligible word] tap dancing."
DS: "That's also what superheroes."
LS: "That's what we want to see. We want to see superheroes tap dancing, like, in - in costume."
KM: "Well, I'm dying to do a musical episode. So maybe, you know, next year we'll have to be creative with the crossover... but we'll see." 

-- DS: "Were you singing before you got into acting, because I had no idea hyou were singing - about your singing until I saw something posted recently about the song that you wrote."
KM:
"Oh, yeah, yeah... I started in musical theater, so all of that - I've been a dancer my whole life. But everything else kind of started when I entered this whole industry... Recently I released a song and all of the proceeds are going to World Heath Organization...."
LS: "What's the name of the song?"
KM: "It's called 'Just Like James.' It's a bit of a play on James Bond and the entire song is a pun. Um, I didn't write it. I heard it. A friend wrote it and I heard it and had to do it."

-- DS: "What's keeping you busy in lockdown?"
KM:
"I've been doing a lot of working out. I've been doing a lot of reorganizing my house. But I've also been house hunting, as you know. So that's been a fun process of, you know, being in my house so much [unintelligible words] what I want and need for work. I've also been hiking and kind of exploring L.A. a little bit, because I've never here."

-- DS: "So when you're at home, is a part of what you have to do just for your shows and everything that you have to keep up your hardcore training, like your super ninja training?"
KM:
"Well, this is the thing. Right now, I'm in limbo, in between. We did a backdoor pilot for an Arrow spinoff, which we don't know if it's going... But I've always been an athlete, in the sense that I've danced my whole life and I used to play softball. But since doing all of these shows, fitness has become something that I do for me, and it's - it's my little [unintelligible word] that I take a couple hours [unintelligible words], turn off my phone and put on Netflix or a podcast or an audiobook, and just do something good for me..."

-- DS:"What was your childhood like? ... Is your personality very similar to what you were like as a kid or is it very different?"
KM:
"I think my personality is pretty similar. I've always been - I've always been a little bit of a grandma in a sense... I spent most of my time at my grandparents' house. They have this gorgeous home in the middle of the woods in Kansas City. And all of my time [was spent] cooking with my grandparents or in the backyard wandering in the woods. And that - that's always been what home is to me. You know, they sort of brought the outdoors in and have all this stonework in their house that was - the land that they bought originally was a rock quarry... So there's a pond in the back... So they have this gorgeous property, but they'll end up in the kitchen all the time, just sitting around snacking."

-- DS: "Are you learning to cook or are you a good cook while you're at home?"
KM:
"I'm definitely a baker, but I know enough to feed myself. I've been experimenting a little bit with, you know, whatever rations are left over in my house, since I'm trying not to go to the store very much. ... I found this old recipe for - it's called like Depression Cake or it's like a World War recipe or from the Great Depression as well... It's like a rum raisin cake. Really good."
DS: "Terrible name, but great tasting, it sounds like."
LS: "Send us the recipe."

-- DR asked KM what was something that she'd want to change about herself. KM replied that this lockdown has made take time to do things like read or sit out in the sun and meditate, because she's usually such a workaholic.

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I only transcribed portions...

Juliana Harkavy Virtual Q&A @ Creation Ent
Morgan Jones    May 23, 2020

-- Fan Q: "How did you get the role of Dinah Drake and Black Canary?"
JH:
"So how did I get the role of Black Canary? I auditioned. I auditioned in Los Angeles and, um, it went - it went quite well and I remember feeling like it was really, um, a role that was meant for me to play and a story that was meant for me to tell. And after my first audition, I looked at myself in the mirror and said, 'Juliana, if you get a callback for this job, you're gonna book it. And if you're booking it, then you have to be ready for your life to change.' And I had a talk with myself and I think it sort of just manifested from there. And I had a callback and I booked it. And they told me, uh, after I booked it, the role that I actually was auditioning for. I didn't know. I just - I thought I was like a rogue vigilante. I knew that it was a big role, but I didn't know it was such an iconic role. And I think I cried for three weeks straight from joy - from joy. Um, but when they called me to say I got the role, the first thing they said was, 'Hi, um, so we were just wondering, would you like to move to Vancouver?' And I had just moved back to L.A. two months before. I hadn't even unpacked all the boxes from my house, so it was a trip."

-- Fan Q: "What show outside the DC Universe would it be fun for Dinah Drake, Black Canary, to be on?"
JH:
"I would love to see Dinah Drake show up on - all the shows I'm thinking of aren't - aren't on the air anymore... I was going to say Breaking Bad. I just want a superhero to show up on like a random badass show."

-- Fan Q: "Did you appropriate any items from set?"
JH:
"Did I steal anything from set? Yes, oh yeah. I think I stole six bo staffs. We had a lot. We had a whole bushel of bo staffs. I have quite a few. So nobody come surprise me at my house, 'cause I'm ready."

-- Fan Q: "During that scene where Laurel walks in on Dinah - walks on Dinah singing - singing in the bar, was it your choice to change the lyrics or was it scripted?"
JH:
"Ah. So, um, I don't think we did change the lyrics from the original song. 'Sunny' is a song by Marvin Gaye and we had, uh - we went - we were looking at songs for quite a few months. I originally wanted to sing 'Criminal' by Fiona Apple. Um, but - and, not 'but,' I still love that song, still might potentially sing it in the future on the show, I hope. Uh, but, uh, 'Sunny' just seemed - there was something upbeat about it and because the tone of Canaries is different and lighter than the tone of Arrow, it just seemed more appropriate. I think the original song - 'Sunny, also true, I'm in love with you' - no, that is - that actually is the lyric of the song. 'I'm in love with you.' And I know that there were a lot of, uh, there - what do they call us? Laurel - Siren - SirenCanary fans that looked deep into that last lyric. Um, and I'm not opposed to whatever you're speculating. Who knows what can happen? Maybe she does love her? Mmm."

-- Fan Q: "What is your favorite behind-the-scenes memory from Arrow?"
JH:
"My God, there's so many. Everyone's so funny... Probably - I actually can't remember which episode it was. Episode - it was Season - oh my God, I can't remember which season it was. It must have been 6. Diggle and Oliver were drowning in cement, um, but the cement was oatmeal. (Laughs) The first day, the set smelled like a delicious, like, breakfast restaurant. Like mmm, like yummy oatmeal. By day 3, it was freakin' putrid. It was disgusting. And poor Stephen and David had to stand in this, like, rotting oatmeal for literally like 12 hours. And it was so funny because, before every single take, like, they were - they were like gagging, like, like... (Makes vomiting sound) Like, just so grossed out. And then they would roll and everybody went into their, like, Green Arrow mode. And it was the funniest thing to watch them transition. I mean, I wouldn't have been laughing if it was me in there, but it wasn't, so it was hilarious."

-- Fan Q: "If you could've played another character in the Arrowverse, who would it be and why?"
JH:
"Hmm... Probably Supergirl. I just think there's something so bright and like bubbly, but strong and grounded, and she's such an iconic character. I am such a different, uh, type than - than Supergirl traditionally is... And I love how they made Black Canary go from sort of like a white blond from the comics into like now every iteration of Black Canary is like biracial or, you know, it's - they - she's made such a leap and, uh, she's made young women, girls, of all different, you know, races and - and creeds feel they can identify with, uh, Black Canary. So it'd be cool to do that with a character like Supergirl as well."

-- Fan Q: "Would you ever want to do a musical crossover with the rest of the Arrowverse?"
JH:
"Yeah, for sure. I would love to do that. And - and hopefully we'll be able to do that with Canaries, because I sing, Kat sings, Katie sings... and we all want to sing with everybody else as well... I would love to sing with Melissa. She has - And Grant. They have the most beautiful voices."

-- JH (reading fan question): "Oh, okay... 'I think the OG song "Sunny" is Bobby Hebb and he sings "I love you" instead of "I'm in love with you."' Oh my God, maybe they changed the lyrics and I didn't even know. Maybe I sang it wrong and nobody caught it. Which one is it? That might be a foreshadow. That might be a little hint maybe. I don't know."

-- Fan Q: "What is it like sharing the Black Canary mantle?"
JH:
"It has been one of my favorite parts about playing the Black Canary, actually, is that I get to, uh, be - that - that I am not the only one. I think it's important for a few reasons. One, it takes a lot of pressure off of me at work. (Laughs) I'm kind of kidding. I actually like that it sends the message that anybody, any woman with, you know, the qualities of - of heroism, integrity, strength, could be the Black Canary. It's not limited to, like, this one person. Like, if you have the heart of the Canary, you're a Canary. And I think it's represented in the show, because there are many of us and we are a team. And, uh, I would like that to be represented in life, when people are inspired by the character as well. So - and - and also, luckily, truly all of the women who play Black Canary are so - or have played Black Canary, including Alaina Huffman, are some of my favorite, favorite people that, uh, I've ever worked with.  And they really do good casting on the show, because we somehow - like we all fit. Even in real life, we all just - our energies really work together. So whoever made the decision to cast us all, I think they knew what they were doing."

-- Fan Q: "Who did you bond with the most on Arrow?"
JH:
"It's really hard to say who I bonded the most with. Every - you know, every year, every episode, every month was different. And I had the opportunity to bond with - with everyone. Towards the end, probably Katie because we - you know, we play the same character, we had this new show coming up together. Um, when I first met Katie, I was really scared because I thought she would hate me, because I thought I was filling her role. I didn't know what had happened. I didn't know she was going to come back on the show. Um, and I just - and I guess I was so used to this like typical Hollywood thing of competition between women at the time, unfortunately. And Katie was just such - she was so not that - she is so not that way. She was so welcoming. She was so lovely. So I was really, really excited to find out like what a cool person she was to work with. And then once I felt, you know, once - once I realized that and I felt safe and like I had a real friend there, who actually could understand what I was going there as well on a level that nobody else could. I think that made us get closer, too. Um, and she always - when I tell her that I was scared to meet her, she's always like, 'you're ridiculous, why would you ever be scared to meet me?' But, yeah, I was. So that friendship kind of meant the most to me, because a lot of women in her position would sort of be like, screw that girl, or like, you know, I mean, I don't know. And I'm so, so grateful that they brought her back, because I think our characters work better together. Um, and I would not have had this same experience - experience on Arrow if it hadn't been for Katie, if she hadn't been there. Yeah. Also Stephen at the end, as well. I feel we got very close. He was - he was a - Stephen was a rock for me. During the last year, I went through a lot in my personal life. And, um, so, uh, and he - he really stepped up to the plate. He was really a great, great friend. I will forever be grateful to him for everything that he has done. Everything."

-- Fan Q: "What was the best thing about working on Arrow?"
JH:
"There are so many things that were incredible. Um, to be honest, being able to connect with you guys has been the most unexpected part of the job that I didn't realize - um, I didn't realize how profound it would be and how powerful it would be to get to know all of you. When - when we're working, it's almost like we're in a little box and we don't know, um, you know, I mean, you hear - you hear the numbers when the show is aired, but - but you don't know who's watching. And so, to hear how the show has impacted you guys, I feel like I have a real community and a real group of friends here, like right now. Um, I didn't think that that would happen. I didn't think that that would be a part of the show. And the show itself was amazing, but what happened in real life and knowing all of you guys has actually been my favorite part of Arrow. Very cool."

-- Fan Q: "What is your heritage?"
JH:
"My heritage. I'm mixed, so my mom is from the Dominican Republic, but her mom, my grandma, is half-Chinese, half-Dominican. And my grandpa, her dad, is half-Chinese - I'm sorry, half-Dominican, half-African. So Dominican, African, Chinese on my mom's side. And I'm Russian and Hungarian on my dad's side. A real mixed salad."

-- Fan Q: "Do [you] speak Hebrew or any other language?"
JH:
"Uh, I speak some Hebrew. Um, my French is decent. And I should speak Spanish fluently because it's my mom's first language, but I only understand it pretty fluently and speak it not so great. It's - it's frustrating. Actually, learning Spanish, becoming better at Spanish, is something I really want to do during this quarantine. And I'm also trying to learn Farsi, which is a really beautiful language. The meanings of the words in Farsi, uh, are also poetic and, I mean, it's literally like speaking poetry. It's so, so, so pretty."

-- Fan Q: "How does the mask you wear on Arrow stay on?"
JH:
"Oh, a lot of people are wondering - curious about that. So it's glue or tape - not like Elmer's Glue or Scotch Tape. It's - you know, it's special like makeup tape and glue. If we're doing a lot of stunts, then we'll kind of, like, glue little dots all around. And if we're just like, you know, standing and talking scene, then we'll, um, then we'll just tape the edges on with special tape. One year - what was it? Season 5? Season 5, uh, Echo, um - I don't know why this was the case. This was the year that he - every time he changed into - every time we suited up, his - his braids appeared. He caught - he caught so much crap for how quickly he could braid his hair, poor guy. But they actually like had to paint on his mask. And, yeah, I think after that year, it just - it just - it was too much. So the tape and the glue stuck."

Edited by tv echo
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In regards to JH's Virtual Q&A for Creation Entertainment (above), I had these immediate reactions...

1. JH sounds like a really nice person and very non-diva-like. She also sounds like the type of person who would not push for more story or more screentime, but would just be grateful for whatever she's given.

2. JH's rationale as to why there can be so many Canaries could also apply to every other superhero. And yet there's still only one Green Arrow and multiple Canaries.

3. JH is incorrect when she says that every iteration of Black Canary is now biracial. Last I heard, KC is not.

4. When JH auditioned, she believed that she was meant to play the Arrow role for which she was auditioning (Dinah Drake, as it turned out). KC has said in interviews that she was told she was "born to play Laurel Lance" on Arrow. So, in effect, both JH and KC believe that they were meant to play Black Canary. 😏

Edited by tv echo
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Posting here because GG debuted as Barry Allen in Season 2 of Arrow, so he will probably talk about his Arrow audition, and he might also talk about his Arrow episodes and Arrow actors...

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FYI, the fan who recorded the above-posted video of JH's Virtual Q&A panel for Creation Entertainment missed recording the first two minutes of that panel. JH also did a Virtual Meet & Greet session, but I haven't seen any video of that yet.

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Although these videos were only posted recently, the interviews with Kirk Acevedo and Rick Gonzalez were recorded last year during Showmasters' London Film & Comic Con, July 26-28, 2019 (I did not transcribe everything)...

Kirk Acevedo Interview London Film and Comic Con
Red Carpet News   May 23, 2020

-- Media Q: "Starting with Arrow, that's obviously a show that has this huge international fanbase. Can you talk about what it meant for you to join that family and what you're most proud of - of the work you got to do on that run?"
KA:
"You know, it - it's a great honor, you know, to be on a show that's been on for awhile... They let me do my thing and I enjoyed, uh, their process. They allowed me to do my process. And so, it, uh - it worked."

-- Media Q: "Can you talk a little bit about your process and particularly with that character. What was it as a storyteller that most excited you about that role?"
KA:
"You know, well, when, uh - when Marc Guggenheim and, uh, Wendy Mericle approached me to play Diaz, they said, you know, we don't want your typical bad guy, meaning, you know, big, chews scenery. You know, we want someone who's like Scarface. Think Al Pacino in The Godfather. So I was like, it's more my speed. And, uh, I wanted to play something like that."

-- Media Q: "For Arrow fans, we're getting to say good-bye to the show with the final season. I'm curious what you're looking forward to in terms of that and then getting to watch that, in terms of how the show ties up together, and whether it's going to be strange, having been a part of that, to see it finally coming to an end?"
KA:
"For me personally, I have no attachments, emotional attachments, to any shows that I've been on, because I don't watch television. I don't. I watch sports. The only TV shows that I watch were Game of Thrones and X-Files. Truth. So, to answer the question, it's like, I'm sure they'll send off the show and it'll be a fantastic eighth season. But I won't watch it, because I've done - I've never seen a Fringe, I've never seen an Oz episode, I've never watched Band of Brothers. I don't watch things that I'm in... So, that's as honest an answer that I can give. Before people say, oh, he's throwing shade, I don't watch anything that I've been in, so I'm not going to watch, you know."


Rick Gonzalez On Arrow Growth & Fan Questions
Red Carpet News   May 24, 2020

-- Media Q: "I'm curious, what are the most common questions you get fired at you when you meet fans at cons? What do fans seem to want to know and ask about?"
RG:
"Uh, they want to know about the crossover this final season. Uh, one of the interesting things they want to know is: what will happen with Rene this final season? Um, will I be in - I think one of the most common questions is: will I be, uh, in any of the other shows after Arrow ends? You know, and I think what's really cool is that a lot of the fans want to continue to see Wild Dog in, uh, some of the other shows. So, uh, it's been really sweet to just see the love that they have for the character, um, especially a character that's come in halfway, you know, um, in the show... It's been really nice to be a part of the family and, uh, to be inundated with this fanbase who've been here since the beginning, you know, and really, uh, taken in Wild Dog as - as a family member, as a - as a Day One, as they say. And, uh, I appreciate that, you know. I know that they've had plenty of time to grow with him, um, and see him become a better, uh, person and to become a better team mate and member. and so it's - it'e been a lot of growth for Rene Ramirez and Wild Dog. And, um, so it's kinda nice to see the fans react to that and connect to that."

Rick Gonzalez On The End Of Arrow
Red Carpet News   May 24, 2020

-- Media Q: "For fans of the Arrowverse, saying goodbye to Arrow is such a huge emotional wrench. Can you talk a little bit about what it feels for you and the rest of the Arrow family to know that you are working on that final season and to know that that portion of the universe is now coming to a dramatic close?"
RG:
"Yeah. We're - we're - we're not sad about it, but we're - we have - we're invigorated to give the fans an amazing Season 8. I think we owe it to the fans to give them a love letter to say 'thank you' to, uh, to really push forward on all phases, our writing, our directing, our producing, our acting, you know, to really kind of push the envelope, uh, in a way that's special, you know, and to commemorate the eight seasons that we've been on air and the ability that we've had to kind of spawn other shows. You know, I think the legacy of Arrow is the ability that we've been able to, you know, um, introduce other shows like The Flash and Supergirl and Legends and now Batwoman. And, um, we've been copied - we've been duplicated. You know, there've been other copycats, but we've been duplicated. Our - our style has been duplicated. And it's a form of flattery that, you know, Arrow has been able to kind of create this universe and this - this type of TV show that people can connect with and enjoy. So, you know, as a cast, we're excited and we're kind of invigorated to give this strong, last season to the fans. ... We're going to shoot for the stars. You know, I think - I think, you know, the important thing is, is to kind of, um, be true to ourselves as a show, um, and at the same time continue to push the envelope forward. Um, because this is our final season, we got to go for broke. And I think that's what we're doing. And I think we have people like Marc Guggenheim and Beth Schwartz and, um, uh, you know, some of the other producers on our show that, uh, understand comic books, understand the legacy of our TV show and what that means to the fans. And I think, you know, we're gonna - we're definitely going to go for broke. You know, and I think there's a lot up our sleeves that we want to, you know, kinda give the fans. So, uh, without giving anything away, I mean, you know, it's going to be a doozy."

Rick Gonzalez Hopes For Wild Dog On Other Arrowverse Shows
Red Carpet News   May 24, 2020

-- Media Q: "There's a huge appetite from fans to see yourself specifically and other members of the cast become a more permanent fixture of some of the other shows. Do you feel like there's a natural home for your character? Do you feel - obviously with Legends, that's something that's already quite established - do you think that's where you would probably end up, if we were to see you continue as a mainstay of another show in the universe?"
RG:
"Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, there's definitely room for Wild Dog to connect with other, uh, shows and characters. I think Wild Dog specifically - um, especially with, um, his - his energy and his temperament, um, bodes well with comedy, bodes well with characters that are the opposite of him, because he's so hard to get along with and brooding and moody and speaks his mind, but is also a good person at heart, you know? So there's a - there's a recipe there for a lot of good chemistry with different characters in the - in the Arrowverse. Um, so anywhere from Supergirl to Batwoman, there's so many areas where Wild Dog could connect to. Um, so I'm excited to see, even if it's just for a couple episodes or any cameos, I think there's plenty of room... That conversation has been spoken about, in terms of like seeing if Wild Dog can, um, definitely show up in other shows. So it's - it's definitely a possibility and it's definitely being, um, talked about."

Rick Gonzalez Shares On Set Arrow Fun
Red Carpet News   May 24, 2020

-- Media Q: "Every time we chat to a member of the Arrow family, we're constantly reminded of how fun a set it is and the pranks and particularly Mr. John Barrowman, who, of course, is here today. I'm curious if you've been - ever been the victim or recipient of any of that kind of fun and if you've got memories from that that you take with you from Arrow."
RG:
"Well, I'm thankful that I came after the Barrowman years, um, you know, because - but he's so much fun. Um, you know, getting to know Barrowman is - is such a light and so funny and just a good energy to be around. Um, we've had Echo Kellum on the show for a bit and, you know, his energy was always infectious and just so much fun to be around and just have jokes. Um, like he's the kind of person - Echo's the kind of person that'll make you funnier, you know... He's just so infectious with his comedy. So, um, Emily Bett Rickards, uh, Rickards, is also amazing as well. Like, her light, you know. So we've been fortunate to have, you know, that type of energy on our show, where we all get along, we all enjoy each other's company. Um, definitely not doing any pranks on each other, but definitely enjoying each other's company."

Edited by tv echo
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David Rapaport had an Instagram live chat with Grant Gustin yesterday - surprisingly or not, there was not much Arrow talk (I only transcribed certain comments)...

Grant Gustin Interview with David Rapaport
GrantGustinNews - Fanpage   May 26, 2020

-- David Rapaport: "You and I met when you were on Glee, um, after West Side Story, and you came in to audition for me for a movie, you came in for Arrow, and then, uh - [unintelligible words]"
GG: "What was the movie?"
Rapaport: "It was, uh - it was called Parental Guidance. [Unintelligible words]"
GG: "Oh, yeah. That's right... Did it stay called Parental - was that the title it kept?"
Rapaport: "It was called Behaving Badly. That's what it was -"
GG: "Okay, yeah. I remember the Parental Guidance audition breakdown for sure. I don't remember what happened with that. But, yeah, I remember most of the, like, email subject lines I got during that period of time."
Rapaport: "It was a fun project. That was a really fun project."
GG: "I feel like I went in  for that a handful of times, didn't I?"
Rapaport: "You went in for [unintelligible words] or something."
GG: "Twice. Oh, okay."

-- Rapaport: "So I guess, where I wanted to kind of start to sort of take us back to, like, how you got there, to that point... You grew up in Virginia, right?"
GG: "Yep. In Norfolk, Virginia - Norfolk. But I always say Virginia Beach because I feel like more people know Virginia Beach... Maybe not."
Rapaport: "So, your father was a professor - or is a professor, right?"
GG: "Yeah. Now he teaches - I think he teaches paralegal. He was a lawyer when I was growing up."
Rapaport: "Oh, my dad's a lawyer, too."
GG: "I mean, I don't want to speak for him, but I think like he's sensitive like me, for sure. I get a lot of my sensitivity from him. And I think he kind of hated being a lawyer. And like teaching paralegal is more like he's using all of his, you know, education and knowledge, but, like, he likes being able to work with, you know, teach people and be a bit more hands-on like that. I think he likes being in the classroom."
Rapaport: "So where did you get this, um - where did you get this acting bug from? Where did you get this musical, creative side from?"
GG: "No one in my family had - had done anything like that. I mean, I think - both my parents love it. They loved, you know, when I started doing theater and they were very supportive... Neither of them, thankfully, were like stage parents. Um, but they were always very supportive. Um, I think - I think maybe probably more from my dad's side. Like, my mom's awe - she was a nurse forever and now she has - I'm so bad about knowing what everyone actually is doing and what they've accomplished, but she got her, like, Ph.D. and now is also teaching and does hospice care. And she's in the medical profession... And my dad, I think, like, if - if he had really probably followed his heart, he may have gone into the arts in some capacity when he was growing up, but I think he probably to a certain degree felt pressured to - to go into law. God, I'm like - I hope I'm like speaking for him. I hope I'm saying the right thing. I'm sure he'll watch this."
Rapaport: "How did you escape that? Did you feel any pressure?"
GG: "I never felt that from my parents. No. I never did. They - I was in sports as a kid and I think it was clearly like not a passion of mine. Like, I was playing baseball and soccer. And I actually really enjoyed baseball, um, but soccer I, like, particularly did not enjoy. Funny enough, it was - I thought the running was ridiculous. I was like, we're just running back and forth. Like, cut to 20 - 2017 - what year? 2014. God, it's been so long since I was cast as Flash. Um, yeah, but no, my mom - you know, I had to do something, so - and I had this weird obsession with, um, Singing in the Rain and Gene Kelly. Um, and like, I would watch it three or four times a week. I went through phases of every single night I'd watch it. I've probably seen that movie upwards of like 50, 60 times. Um, and she, uh - when I wanted to quit sports, she found this, um - this is my mom - found this, like, community dance company that was like an all-boy tap group. Because I didn't want to - I had, like, a lot of apprehensive - I was very apprehensive about going into dance. And so she found this boy group that was -"
Rapaport: "Why were you apprehensive?"
GG: "Well, you know, I was - like, everyone played sports and - and when I did go into tap dance and then theater, like, I was bullied a lot for it in school. So I think that kind of scared me away from it as a kid, because kids can be vicious, you know. And I knew it was different from what all the other guys were doing. Um, so at first I kind of resisted. But I loved it right away... And I kind of kept it like - it wasn't like public knowledge to everyone that I was like going to tap class every weekend. And then like eventually I was doing theater and like jazz class and wearing jazz pants and like dancing clothes. I'm like, I always wanted to find ways to like wear like sweatpants or shorts to dance class and then I'd get in trouble. ... Public school was never super fun for me for that reason. Like, I didn't like school that much first of all. And - and then just being - not doing sports and being different. And when the kids found out I was in dance class, I was like mortified... I wish I could go back and tell my younger self not to worry about that and just like enjoy, you know, love what you do and who cares what other people think. And that's what I would tell anybody watching right now, like, do what you love and like kids who make fun of you, like, it's - who cares. Um, it got me to where I am today."
Rapaport: "How did you keep pushing on, even through like the kind of bullying?"
GG: "Um, again, it was just what made me happy... I mostly didn't worry about it. And I had all these - like, it started as tap class which I did, I was 8 when I started doing that, and then we were touring around doing a - we were like an Elvis tap group. We would do just Elvis music and like slick our hair back and had like leather jackets and like toured around Hampton Roads and - and did performances at like senior homes and like fairs. And, um, Co Harrison was my tap teacher and I actually - when I was just home for Christmas, like, she came by the house and we visited. Like she stayed in my life all these years later. ... So at 10 I started doing community theater and like, I think what kept me going was like, I loved it, but then I had this whole new set of friends. So it was like, I had two separate lives, kind of, where it was - ... I would just kind of, you know - I'd just be really, really shy at normal school and all those kids and didn't really have a lot of friends that I hung out with from school, like, at all, by the time I was in like fourth grade. Um, and I was in private school from the time I was - like, when I was in kindergarten until fourth grade, and then my parents got divorced and we couldn't like maintain being in private school anymore. I switched to public school in fifth grade. And so it was really through middle school when I was tap dancing and doing community theater that, like, the kids were ruthless... Like, I really didn't hang out with those kids. Actually, my parents didn't get divorced until I was 13, but that was - I forget exactly what the reason we got pulled from - anyway, getting pulled from private school and put into public school was probably one of the best things. Yeah, no, it was just a weird time... But, yeah, I just had a great group of friends when I was doing community theater and it was what I loved doing. And, um, I never really thought, oh, this is what I'm gonna do as a profession, but I always just kind of wanted - I guess it was, but more subliminally. Like, I knew it was just like what I loved doing and I was gonna continue what I loved doing."

-- Rapaport: "When people asked you as a kid what you wanted to be when you grew up, what would you say?"
GG: "Like, an architect... Yeah, I was really good at drawing and I thought that translated to, like, I'll be an architect or I'll be an animator. Like, I'll do animation or I'll be an architect. Um, but by the time I got to high school - um, I went to the Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk, which is a really amazing art school that is only for public school kids and you have to audition to get in. Um, so my whole life was about theater at that point. Um, and I think by then I still wasn't like, I'm gonna be an actor when I grow up, but I knew I'll go - I'm going to audition for a BFA program at a college. I'm going to try to be - that'll be my major in college. And then - I knew I wanted to be like on Broadway some day. But I really wasn't thinking, like, that's my career. I was just like, this - that's what I'm gonna do. It's weird, now that I'm talking about it, that I wasn't like, well, that's my career. I was like, I'm just gonna keep doing what I love doing and hopefully I'll make some money. ... I just did a vrtual thing with Governor's School recently. But I've always felt weird about going back and talking to the kids at Governor's School and at Elon, where I went to college, because I feel like I'm so lucky, that it's like, I don't really know how to provide something to them that's gonna like help them, in a way, you know?"

-- Rapaport: "You're the anomaly. You kind of - you came out of school, you booked a show, booked another TV show, and then became a series regular. I mean, was there much down time between the time when you left for West Side Story and when you - since now, since The Flash?"
GG: "There wasn't... The timeline was, I was a sophomore at Elon, getting my BFA in musical theater and, uh, during a spring break, I went to the audition for West Side Story. It was an open call. I had no agency or anything, obviously. And, um, it was the first like real audition I ever went to. And I didn't know if -  I then booked like a summer stock gig. Like, I was just waiting to hear back about West Side Story. Finished my sophomore year at Elon. Went and did some summer stock in Charlotte. Um, and then went to Buffalo to do a different company's summer stock. And I was in - I think it was when I was in Charlotte that I found out I got West Side. So then it was making the decisions and the plans to accept it, go take it, and then notify Elon that I wouldn't be coming back for my junior year. ... So yeah, I left to do West Side, which would have been during my junior year, was a year-long tour. ... I forget exactly, I think we opened in October in Detroit. And then January was my very first time in L.A. and we played the Pantages. Um, I guess it was December, January. And, um, Robert Stein, who's now my manager, saw this - you know Robert, yeah - saw West Side at the Pantages and found a way of getting in contact with me, um, and thought I was - I played Baby John. I wasn't like, you know, Tony or anything. But he was, thought I was great in the show, thought - he thought I had something special and wanted to try to work with me to get a TV and, you know, film career going. And we emailed back and forth a little, and then I met him at a diner and was like, alright, this dude's real, he's not weird, as far as I can tell... My tour left L.A. and we - and then I started submitting tapes from the road... So I submitted a bunch of things... I submitted a tape for Glee for like a tap dancing role that was just like a one-episode thing, and I didn't get it. Um, but, um, they kept me in mind because they liked me. And this Sebastian - actually, at the time, he was called like - I want to say his name was, not Sebastian Smythe, it was like Cameron Connors or something... Campbell Price was my name on 90210... I was making sure I wasn't confusing these two... Um, so this Cameron Connors character.. I was in Costa Mesa when they called me in to audition for that, was in the room with them, uh, then we left for Arizona, and I found out I got it when we were in Arizona. And I had like 12 shows left in a different city in Arizona, and just like, the company let me out of my contract, my year-long contract, 12 shows early to fly to L.A. And I stayed in Robert's guest room for that first week and shot my first episode of Glee... We ended up signing with CESD [Talent Agency] like right after I moved to L.A... They were amazing. And, uh, I was kind of on and off for - I thought like, boom, like, in L.A. now, I'm like smooth sailing from here on out. And then like reality hit a little bit. I mean, I was still like lucky and getting to recur and pop in every once in a while. But then I was just kind of in L.A. and like had no friends, um, and was just kind of going to auditions and stuff. And I - I think before 90210, I booked a CSI: Miami episode, where I played like twins, which was really cool... But yeah, so then it was just auditioning. I mean, I think I did seven Glee episodes total and a lot of time in between each episode."

-- Some talk about GG's stint on Glee. Then some talk about what he does to keep creative during his hiatuses between shooting The Flash. GG said that he submits up to 15 audition tapes every season. Then some talk about which actors inspire him (he mentioned Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and James Dean). And then GG answered some fan-submitted questions (like, what "good job" means to him in an audition, whether he's ever been told to change something about himself, what other roles he'd like to do, what he sings in the car or shower, whether he likes watching himself on TV, what casting breakdown he would write about himself and who he would cast as himself). GG said that he was once told to gain weight and that he's put on 15 pounds during this quarantine period. 

-- Rapaport: "Do you see yourself and Barry [Allen], like, very similarly?"
GG: "No. I mean, no, I don't. Uh, no. I mean, I didn't want to go to the [Arrow] audition initially. I don't know if we ever talked about that. But I thought like, yeah, I was like, I'm so incredibly wrong for this. I had no confidence in myself to do it or get it."
Rapaport: "Really?"
GG: "Yeah. I didn't want to go. Yeah."
Rapaport: "Okay. This is a huge lesson to every actor who's listening."
GG: "I know, I know. I tell people that a lot."
Rapaport: "Tell me what was going through your head back then."
GG: "I don't know if you remember the breakdown, but it was like, um, late 20s to early 30s, blonde, um -"
Rapaport: "Oh yeah, that's right."
GG: "I mean, it would describe what he is in the comics. So I was 23 and I was quite thin and pasty and had dark brown hair and, uh, was like, this would be a waste of time for everyone."
Rapaport: "So. Funny."
GG: "And I guess mostly that's like my physical - like, I get caught up a lot in the physicality of the description of a role, which - in a breakdown - because I assume casting and producers and whatnot are gonna to be as well."
Rapaport: "Um, we can be. But I do think sometimes we put out a breakdown just for the sake of, you know, we don't know necessarily what we're looking for and these are kind of like boundaries. But I think what's so interesting about casting is sort of looking outside that boundary. That you remind me of that is funny because, the way I remember it, you were the first person I thought of, and you were the first person that read. Um, and I think, when I read you, I was like, oh, I was right, we did it, I found him, we're done. And, uh - and then - but there's a whole process in casting, 'cause so many people have to weigh in on who gets a role. Um, it's not just up to me. You know there's studio, network, producers, the whole thing, and you went through the whole process with us, so you know."
GG: "Right."
Rapaport: "Oh man. When was that? That was seven years ago now?"
GG: "Yeah. It would've been 2013... I mean, I was cast on October 13th - September 13th? .. But it was a Friday the 13th, 2013... I think it might've been September 13th, actualy, but something like that."

-- Some talk about whether or not he has any regrets. GG said that he wouldn't change anything. He loves being a beloved superhero on TV and having his own action figure. After The Flash is over, he would be fine doing films or another TV show, or returning to theater and never appearing on TV again.

-- Some talk about being in quarantine and what GG is doing during the current lockdown. More talk about his insecurities and how he has the Imposter Sydrome.

Edited by tv echo
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SA just did a Facebook Live. I don't have time to transcribe it, but he said there's no new podcast until Monday because they're reworking it and partnering with a podcast production company, and going forward will be on a 2-3 day a week schedule. He also said he'd consider doing a charity thing on Omaze instead of the auction style that they recently did with All In Challenge because more people could participate, and talked about almost appearing on Supernatural before it ends ("Dude, we tried. We actually tried. It just didn't pan out").

Other bits of note:

Quote

On future Arrowverse appearances:
"The question I get a lot - and I got this from Cassandra Mesteller - is "Would you ever make any appearances in the spinoff of Arrow, like in flashbacks?" You know, you never say never...I don't know if I'll ever make an appearance in the flashbacks. Look, I owe so much to Arrow - and to the Arrowverse by extension - that it would be selfish for me to just unilaterally say no. Because if Greg Berlanti or Grant Gustin or Melissa or Caity came to me and were like 'Look, something like this would really help us and we think that you would be a huge value add' then sure. But I have no plans on it at all right now." 

On virtual cons: "I'm going to be very straightforward about this one. A lot of virtual cons are going on and I thought that in the beginning, part of me felt that they were somewhat in poor taste. Although to be perfectly honest, that wasn't really based in fact per se. I didn't really do my research, so to speak. So I think it would behoove me to do a little research and maybe set up some of these virtual cons, as long as there's a philanthropic component to this."

He was also on IG Live, and Colin Donnell popped in for a bit:

 

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1 hour ago, Trisha said:

Because if Greg Berlanti or Grant Gustin or Melissa or Caity came to me and were like 'Look, something like this would really help us and we think that you would be a huge value add' then sure. But I have no plans on it at all right now." 

Yeah no one expected him to stay away forever. I think that he'll be willing to do the odd flashback or SpectreOliver appearance now that he's had a break from it all. One of my theories is that all of the CW heroes will eventually join Oliver and Felicity in the paradise dimension so I can see him agreeing to show up for that more than anything. It sounds like he doesn't want to do a full on multi episode guest appearance so I can see him doing like Colin and showing up once a season but across the verse. And if he shows up on GATC it'll be for the kids so KC and JH shouldn't be getting too excited about this.

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10 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

And if he shows up on GATC it'll be for the kids so KC and JH shouldn't be getting too excited about this.

I just laugh at the fact that they were all "rah, rah, me too, girl power GAATC" and oh the first person we want to guest star is the male old Green Arrow. How does that work? And yeah he's much more likely to show up for his kids than to explore some of their shared past with E2 Laurel or whatever KC was hoping for. 

I always thought it likely that a few months down the line he'd change his "no guest spots ever" tune, especially now he's not doing anything else either and he's really bored. 

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(edited)

From 516 (Checkmate) - Quentin/Susan, Felicity/Alena and Oliver/Talia/Chase scenes that took place while Oliver was Chase's prisoner...

Also, MG had a twitter exchange with Wiseguy star...

Edited by tv echo
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(edited)

Schedule has been posted for this upcoming event...

ATX Television Festival presents "ATX TV... from the Couch!," June 5-7, 2020 (A Virtual Festival from Austin, TX)
Beth Schwartz
http://atxfestival.com/attend/atxtvfromthecouch/#panelists
Schedule and Programming
-Sat. (6/6) at 5:30pm CT - Inside the Writers (Zoom) Room

Quote

Discussion with showrunners/writers about the process/experience of taking the writers room “digital” and staying connected creatively.

Panelists include:
Dan Goor • Beth Schwartz • Melinda Hsu Taylor • Sera Gamble

Moderated by:
Ben Travers (IndieWire)

Edited by tv echo
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SA did a FB Live yesterday and said he'd do another one today, but honestly with everything that's going on in the US right now I can't imagine he will (unless he plans to address it). In this one, he talked about retooling the podcast, Nocking Point, Heels being on hold, said that he's pulled the plug on a deal he had with a publishing house to write a book, and wants fan input on which charity to donate the stars he gets from Facebook when he goes live (he got 52,000 in this stream, which translates to $520). 

Some highlights:

He got asked "Will you do conventions again when this pandemic is over?"

Quote

Not only will I do them, I’m going to make it a huge priority to do them. Now, they’re going to be different. You know, conventions, from my perspective, previously especially were kinda defined by close quarters, right? By seeing people. I developed arthritis in my hand at one point from shaking hands, especially because a lot of people - because I play a tough guy on TV - don’t realize that in real life I’m a delicate flower and they would come up and they would just jam their hand in, and I developed arthritis right there. So they’re going to be different and you know obviously, almost every photo that you took with someone you’d hug. So I don’t know how they look. There’s going to have to be social distancing. I expect that people can take masks off for a photo but we’re going to have to get creative and we’re going to have to stand six feet apart. But as soon as they’re back happening, you know meeting fans and even doing something like this…we’re going to have to get creative but you know, one of the reasons I love doing conventions is meeting and connecting with people and giving people something to look forward to. And I think in times like this more than ever people are looking for something to look forward to.

He got asked "What's the first thing you want to do when this quarantine is over?"

Quote

Alright, you know what? I'm going to say something that is slightly politically unpopular right now and you know might get me cancelled on Twitter -- for god sake's that the stupidest, pardon my language, that's the stupidest f*cking trend that I've ever seen in my entire life -- the quarantine is kind of over for me. Life is not back to normal at all. But California is reopening and nothing that we're going through right now, there's no vaccines coming through the door, nothing is coming around the corner that is going to make this instantaneously better. I'm trying with my family to responsibility take the first steps in starting to live our lives again. Right now, we are at a hotel [in Laguna Beach]. We are wearing masks. Last night we went to a restaurant. We wore a mask. The server wore a mask. There was social distancing in place. My wife and I got the antibodies test right when this started through the medical program that we use in California. She was offered a [covid] test as part of a routine checkup, she decided to take it, that came back on Monday - she tested negative. Everybody in our family the entirety of the time has been completely asymptomatic and again the antibody tests were negative and her actual test for covid-19 was negative. We have seen friends responsibly with social distancing. Mostly at our house because we have a lot of outdoor space. We spent all of our time outside. Mavi has been playing with kids in the pool. That's where we are.

Life is different but when Six Flags opens up again, I'm going to take my daughter because they've done a lot of stuff, like they don't have to go through your bag, they check your temperature when you go in there, you order all your food online, there's social distancing, again you have to make an appointment. And it got me thinking a lot actually about when did it become acceptable for amusement parks or whatnot, be it Disney World of Six Flags or whatever, to allow so many f*cking people in there that you actually have to wait three hours in line for a ride. That's ridiculous. These places are going to continue to make money, they're just going to make less money than they made before. Yeah, ok. Rant over. You know 'what am i doing with quarantine?' Well last night I wanted to go to a restaurant. I wanted to sit down and order food. Is it a luxury? Of course it's a luxury. But it's something that I wanted to do.
[...]
I'm not here to criticize anyone's comfort level, alright? Everyone's going to do their own thing. But the landscape, speaking specifically of the United States of America...in September, the landscape is not going to be different than it is right now. There's not going to be a vaccine. There's going to be more rapid testing, people are still going to be in masks, but just in general the basic landscape in terms of what we know about the virus and our ability to contract it is not going to change. You're going to have to take the same steps that we're taking right now and my point is, is that you're going to have to do it eventually. You're going to have to re-integrate yourself into society eventually. Otherwise -- and I hate this expression because of who used it back in late March -- the cure becomes worst than the disease. I know people, relatives of mine, who didn't set foot outside their house even to go outside for the first 7-1/2 weeks. And they started to worry that they were going to establish agoraphobia. And you know, that's not good either. Mental health is a real aspect of this and every time that we go out and we do something responsibility it eases my anxiety just a little bit. 

 

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27 minutes ago, Trisha said:

SA did a FB Live yesterday and said he'd do another one today, but honestly with everything that's going on in the US right now I can't imagine he will (unless he plans to address it).

I can imagine it. He's either going to completely ignore it or say something stupid - I would be honestly and pleasantly surprised if he addressed it any kind of meaningful way that didn't end with him throwing a tantrum, apologizing and leaving social media for a break, and then coming back and doubling down about not being sorry about whatever dumbass thing he said, lol. Maybe in the time since his last social media drama he's grown a little bit and will skip one of the previous steps. 

Curious about the reasoning behind him pulling the plug on his book, but not enough to actually listen to him talk about it. He allegedly pulled the plug on some other book deal too, didn't he? Or maybe he's talking about the same one. 

I'm glad he's being somewhat honest (apart from the lies about his responsible social distancing in the past) about intending to go out and about with life as usual and am not at all surprised that he's going to run out immediately and take his daughter to a theme park, although I think he's in for a rude awakening about how long he's going to have to wait for a ride. I think it's funny that he went on that useless tangent about his wife testing negative and everyone being asymptomatic - none of that matters? You can be negative one day and positive the next, especially when you're out and about going to restaurants and theme parks. But I guess it was a checkbox on his justification for just getting on with his life, since he's probably going to start posting pics and whatnot and wanted to address his reasoning beforehand. 

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10 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

Curious about the reasoning behind him pulling the plug on his book, but not enough to actually listen to him talk about it. He allegedly pulled the plug on some other book deal too, didn't he? Or maybe he's talking about the same one. 

He said he made a deal with a publishing house and had started working with someone "because obviously I'm not going to write it myself -- which in and of itself rubs me the wrong way because I don't want someone to ghostwrite it. But then I just decided to pull the plug because I'm not an author." He mentioned that it was about fatherhood and he only had one kid who was only three at the time so he didn't entirely feel like an expert. Near the end of the chat he said that a bunch of commenters were bringing up the blog he used to write and saying he was underestimating his writing talent. He kind of laughed that off and said he might have to go back and read that blog, but it tends to be cringe-worthy at this point. 

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16 minutes ago, Trisha said:

He said he made a deal with a publishing house and had started working with someone "because obviously I'm not going to write it myself -- which in and of itself rubs me the wrong way because I don't want someone to ghostwrite it. But then I just decided to pull the plug because I'm not an author." He mentioned that it was about fatherhood and he only had one kid who was only three at the time so he didn't entirely feel like an expert. Near the end of the chat he said that a bunch of commenters were bringing up the blog he used to write and saying he was underestimating his writing talent. He kind of laughed that off and said he might have to go back and read that blog, but it tends to be cringe-worthy at this point. 

Thank you!

I'm glad that he was talking about his previous deal because I was thinking...who is lining up to get this guy to write a book? LOL

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1 hour ago, Trisha said:

He said he made a deal with a publishing house and had started working with someone "because obviously I'm not going to write it myself -- which in and of itself rubs me the wrong way because I don't want someone to ghostwrite it. But then I just decided to pull the plug because I'm not an author." He mentioned that it was about fatherhood and he only had one kid who was only three at the time so he didn't entirely feel like an expert. Near the end of the chat he said that a bunch of commenters were bringing up the blog he used to write and saying he was underestimating his writing talent. He kind of laughed that off and said he might have to go back and read that blog, but it tends to be cringe-worthy at this point. 

Did he mean the "prelude to a big break" blog that we used to discuss? Last time I checked he'd taken it down. I remember his writing was ok on that, nothing special but serviceable and interesting seeing him talking about auditions and frustrations before Arrow. Lots of titbits about a pre famous Italia and Robbie as well. Though it was definitely less gossipy than some clips of an old vlog he apparently did. 

I'm glad he realised that a ghost written fatherhood book was probably not the way to go. Although the only book (or drunk FB/insta live) I'd actually read of his is a messy tell all about the Arrowverse, which is not going to happen.

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(edited)

I got an email from Cedars-Sinai last week because a few of my doctors practice there, and found the below interesting. He keeps touting the antibody tests they've taken, but looks like they aren't as reliable as he thinks. But whatever, I hope his kid stays safe and healthy. 

"b.       There has been a lot of media attention about antibody (serology) testing for COVID-19. Antibody testing is not used to diagnose COVID-19 and does not influence clinical management in any way.  A few important things to know:

If antibodies are present, the test result could indicate that you have had the novel coronavirus.  The antibodies could also indicate other coronaviruses like the common cold.

Antibody testing cannot be used to predict individual immunity. In other words, we do not know with any certainty that you cannot get COVID-19 again. If there is any immunity, we also don't know how long the potential immunity could last."

 

Edited by calliope1975
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He just posted an IG story of a video of the ocean and him saying "Good morning!!" so I guess it was too much to hope that he'd read the room today....

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1 minute ago, Trisha said:

He just posted an IG story of a video of the ocean and him saying "Good morning!!" so I guess it was too much to hope that he'd read the room today....

On one hand, tone deaf. On the other, as @apinknightmare said above, I have little faith he'd say anything worth hearing so maybe it's better for him to stay silent.

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25 minutes ago, Featherhat said:

Did he mean the "prelude to a big break" blog that we used to discuss? Last time I checked he'd taken it down. I remember his writing was ok on that, nothing special but serviceable and interesting seeing him talking about auditions and frustrations before Arrow. Lots of titbits about a pre famous Italia and Robbie as well. Though it was definitely less gossipy than some clips of an old vlog he apparently did. 

Yeah, I actually enjoyed most of his blog and thought he was an okay writer? He had a good voice from what I can remember before he wiped it. He also came off like less of a douchebag then than he does now so maybe bringing someone else in would've helped with that, haha. I think canceling a book about fatherhood was probably a good idea, because at that point he was still relatively new at it and from what I can tell had and still has a nanny around most of the time? Doesn't seem like he could meaningfully contribute anything on the subject, but that's never stopped anyone before. 

14 minutes ago, calliope1975 said:

I got an email from Cedars-Sinai last week because a few of my doctors practice there, and found the below interesting. He keeps touting the antibody tests they've taken, but looks like they aren't as reliable as he thinks. But whatever, I hope his kid stays safe and healthy. 

I find him elaborating on it pretty funny because if you're following guidelines and being responsible and not putting other people at risk, have at it. No need to post about your meaningless negative tests or anything. The only reason people took issue with what he was doing before was because he WASN'T being responsible or following guidelines and he was lying about it because he for whatever reason just had to post what he was doing on social media. I hope Mavi stays healthy and has a great time at Six Flags. 

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1 minute ago, calliope1975 said:

On one hand, tone deaf. On the other, as @apinknightmare said above, I have little faith he'd say anything worth hearing so maybe it's better for him to stay silent.

Yeah. I wish he'd just go completely dark on days like this. It's clearly not been a "good morning" for many people. Meanwhile, EBR is using her Stories to promote BLM donations.

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He's pretty tone-deaf. Between the thousands of dollars buy in for his auction during a time of massive unemployment and complaining about his gardener being too noisy the other day, I seriously doubt it would've ever occurred to him to treat today as anything but normal (which is probably is for him and is probably for the best given his history of social commentary lol). 

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